EC92-1247-D Nebraska Potato Cultivar Tests 1989-91

Extension Circular 92-1247-D: This circular is a progress report of potato cultivar trials conducted from 1989-1991 by the Panhandle Research and Extension Center

EC92-1247-D Nebraska Potato Cultivar Tests 1989-91

Extension Circular 92-1247-D: This circular is a progress report of potato cultivar trials conducted from 1989-1991 by the Panhandle Research and Extension Center

Childhood Trauma and Effective Empirically Based Interventions

Trauma affects many children in various ways globally. According to SAMHSA (2017), the “occurrence of child trauma is very prevalent, and 75% of children reported experiencing at least one traumatic event by age 16”. Traumatic events consist of “psychological, physical, or sexual abuse; community or school violence; witnessing or experiencing domestic violence; national disasters or terrorism; commercial sexual exploitation; sudden or violent loss of a loved one; refugee or war experiences; military family-related stressors; physical or sexual assault; neglect; and serious accidents or life-threatening illness” (SAMHSA, 2017). This literature review evaluates three different attachment-based, trauma-informed interventions for young children 0-7 years of age which are: Attachment and Bio-Behavioral Catchup (ABC), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Throughout this review, childhood trauma will be defined, and the current occurrence rates will be discussed. Furthermore, the descriptions of the above therapies, clinical trials, and research findings will be examined, and a discussion of the literature review findings will follow

Research priorities of women at risk for preterm birth: findings and a call to action.

BACKGROUND:Traditional hierarchical approaches to research give privilege to small groups with decision-making power, without direct input from those with lived experience of illness who bear the burden of disease. A Research Justice framework values the expertise of patients and communities as well as their power in creating knowledge and in decisions about what research is conducted. Preterm birth has persisted at epidemic levels in the United States for decades and disproportionately affects women of color, especially Black women. Women of color have not been included in setting the agenda regarding preterm birth research. METHODS:We used the Research Priorities of Affected Communities protocol to elicit and prioritize potential research questions and topics directly from women of color living in three communities that experience disproportionately high rates of preterm birth. Women participated in two focus group sessions, first describing their healthcare experiences and generating lists of uncertainties about their health and/or healthcare during pregnancy. Women then participated in consensus activities to achieve 'top-priority' research questions and topic lists. The priority research questions and topics produced by each group were examined within and across the three regions for similarities and differences. RESULTS:Fifty-four women participated in seven groups (14 sessions) and generated 375 researchable questions, clustered within 22 topics and four overarching themes: Maternal Health and Care Before, During, and After Pregnancy; Newborn Health and Care of the Preterm Baby; Understanding Stress and Interventions to Prevent or Reduce Stress; and Interpersonal and Structural Health Inequities. The questions and topics represent a wide range of research domains, from basic science, translational, clinical, health and social care delivery to policy and economic research. There were many similarities and some unique differences in the questions, topics and priorities across the regions. CONCLUSIONS:These findings can be used to design and fund research addressing unanswered questions that matter most to women at high risk for preterm birth. Investigators and funders are strongly encouraged to incorporate women at the front lines of the preterm birth epidemic in research design and funding decisions, and more broadly, to advance methods to deepen healthcare research partnerships with affected communities

Asymmetries in the Value of Existence

According to asymmetric comparativism, it is worse for a person to exist with a miserable life than not to exist, but it is not better for a person to exist with a happy life than not to exist. My aim in this paper is to explain how asymmetric comparativism could possibly be true. My account of asymmetric comparativism begins with a different asymmetry, regarding the (dis)value of early death. I offer an account of this early death asymmetry, appealing to the idea of conditional goods, and generalize it to explain how asymmetric comparativism could possibly be true. I also address the objection that asymmetric comparativism has unacceptably antinatalist implications

Discrete Generation of Superoxide and Hydrogen Peroxide by T Cell Receptor Stimulation: Selective Regulation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activation and Fas Ligand Expression

Receptor-stimulated generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been shown to regulate signal transduction, and previous studies have suggested that T cell receptor (TCR) signals may involve or be sensitive to ROS. In this study, we have shown for the first time that TCR cross-linking induced rapid (within 15 min) generation of both hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion, as defined with oxidation-sensitive dyes, selective pharmacologic antioxidants, and overexpression of specific antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the data suggest the novel observation that superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide are produced separately by distinct TCR-stimulated pathways. Unexpectedly, TCR-stimulated activation of the Fas ligand (FasL) promoter and subsequent cell death was dependent upon superoxide anion, but independent of hydrogen peroxide, while nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) activation or interleukin 2 transcription was independent of all ROS. Anti-CD3 induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 required hydrogen peroxide generation but was unaffected by superoxide anion. Thus, antigen receptor signaling induces generation of discrete species of oxidants that selectively regulate two distinct redox sensitive pathways, a proapoptotic (FasL) and a proliferative pathway (ERK)

A Field Study Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (Pcr) to Screen for Brugia Microfilariae in Human and Animal Blood

Blood samples from 43 humans and 14 cats positive with Brugia microfilariae were analyzed in a field study in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia. The study used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to compare the sensitivity of radioactive and biotinylated species-specific oligonuleotide probes. The cloning char­acterization of the Hha I repeat DNA family found in filarial parasites of the genus Brugia, and the development of species-specific probes for B.malayi and B.pahangi based on these repeats has been described elsewhere (PNAS USA 83: 797-801); Mol.Biochem. Parasitol. 2$: 163-170). The use of radioisotopes for labelling DNA probes is both expensive and inconvenient. To replace these probes, biotinylated DNA probes have been designed for non- radioactive detection of B.malayi and B.pahangi. These oligonucleotide probes have long tails of biotinylated uridine residues added to their 5\u27 end. As little as 100 pg of Brugia DNA can be detected on dot blot with these probes. Detection of the probes is based on an avidin-alkaline phosphatase colorimetric assay. In order to distinguish between infected from uninfected individuals, it is necessary to detect the amount of DNA in one microfilaria (about 60 pg). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a procedure in which a small amount of DNA can be amplified up to 1 million-fold. A part of each sample in this study was PCR amplified and compared with the unamplified portion using both the radioactive and biotinylated DNA probe. The PCR amplified samples were accurately identified by both the radioactive and biotinylated B.malayi and B.pahangi probes. Even samples with as few as two microfilariae per lOOul of blood were easily detected. The samples that were not PCR amplified were accurately identified after only long exposures (greater than one week) to the radioactive probes. The biotinylated probes, were not sensitive enough for accurate identification of the non-PCR amplified samples. The polymerase chain reaction is, therefore, a promising new tool for enhancing the sensitivity of parasite detection assays based on DNA probes. This will be especially important in designing assay based on non-radioactive DNA probes

An improved method of in vivo wound disruption and measurement

Biomechanical studies of wound strength are important because of new investigations in growth factors, cytokines, and fetal wounds. We compared two traditional methods of wound disruption measurement with a novel computerized model designed for in vivo experiments. An Instron tensiometer (INSTS) and an air insufflated positive pressure device (AIPPD) were compared with a vacuum-controlled wound chamber device (VCWCD). The VCWCD produced vacuum at the wound site and wound disruption was monitored with two video camera/recorders. Rats were marked with a template guide for a 2.5 cm, full-thickness, abdominal incisional wound. Rats were divided into three groups and studied at 2, 7, or 14 days after wounding. The recorded images were computer digitalized to generate wound strength curves from a three-dimensional model. A comparison of the wound disruption curves demonstrated that the VCWCD was comparable to the INST or AIPPD in normal wound healing (P> .40). The VCWCD provided data with less standard error at 2 days after wounding (P P in vivo method which required minimal wound manipulation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30176/1/0000561.pd

Dioxin Exposure and Age of Pubertal Onset Among Russian Boys

Background: Animal data demonstrate associations of dioxin, furan, and PCB exposures with altered male gonadal maturation. It is unclear whether these associations apply to human populations. Objectives: We investigated the association of dioxins, furans, PCBs and corresponding toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentrations with pubertal onset among boys in a dioxin-contaminated region. Methods: Between 2003-2005, 489 boys were enrolled at ages 8-9 years in a longitudinal study in Chapaevsk, Russia. Pubertal onset - stages 2 or higher for genitalia (G2+) or testicular volume (TV) \u3e 3 ml - was assessed annually between ages 8-12 years. Serum levels at enrollment were analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess age at pubertal onset as a function of exposure adjusted for potential confounders. Sensitivity analyses were conducted excluding boys with pubertal onset at enrollment. Results: The median (range) total serum TEQ concentration was 21 (4-175) pg/g lipid, approximately three times higher than values in European children. At enrollment, boys were generally healthy and normal weight (mean BMI 15.9 kg/m2), with 30% having entered puberty by G2+ and 14% by TV criteria. Higher dioxin TEQs were associated with later pubertal onset by TV, hazard ratio = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49-0.95 for the highest compared with the lowest quartile. Similar associations were observed for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and dioxin concentrations for TV but not G2+. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Findings support an association of higher peri-pubertal serum dioxin TEQs and concentrations with later male pubertal onset reflected in delayed testicular maturation