Dyslipidemia and Food Security in Low-Income US Adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2010.

INTRODUCTION: Low levels of food security are associated with dyslipidemia and chronic disease in adults, particularly in women. There is a gap in knowledge about the relationship between food security among youth and dyslipidemia and chronic disease. We investigated the relationship between food security status and dyslipidemia among low-income adolescents. METHODS: We analyzed data from adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (N = 1,072) from households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2010. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between household food security status and the odds of having abnormalities with fasting total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum triglycerides (TGs), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), TG/HDL-C ratio, and apolipoprotein B (Apo B). Models included age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking status, partnered status in the household, and maternal education, with additional adjustment for adiposity. RESULTS: Household food security status was not associated with elevated TC or LDL-C. Adolescents with marginal food security were more likely than food-secure peers to have elevated TGs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.05), TG/HDL-C ratio (OR = 1.74; 95% CI, 1.11-2.82), and Apo B (OR = 1.98; 95% CI, 1.17-3.36). Female adolescents with marginal food security had greater odds than male adolescents of having low HDL-C (OR = 2.69; 95% CI, 1.14-6.37). No elevated odds of dyslipidemia were found for adolescents with low or very low food security. Adjustment for adiposity did not attenuate estimates. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative sample, low-income adolescents living in households with marginal food security had increased odds of having a pattern consistent with atherogenic dyslipidemia, which represents a cardiometabolic burden above their risk from adiposity alone

Ethnic diversity, social capital and the potential for co-managemet - a case study of Hawaii's longline fishery.pdf

Social networks and social capital can facilitate or constrain collaborative arrangements which can enhance resource governance and adaptability in complex social-ecological systems such as fisheries. Yet, the impact of ethnic diversity among resource users on social network capital in the context of resource governance has not been previously examined. To explore this effect, a social network analysis of the entire population of resource users in Hawaii’s longline fishery was performed, which is currently characterized by a division along ethnic lines and competition over resource use. Results show that ethnicity significantly influences social network structure and is responsible for a homophily effect, with higher levels of bonding and bridging ties found within ethnic groups. In contrast to previous research on social capital, the greatest evidence of linking social capital ties was found in a minority ethnic group rather than the dominant ethnic group. However, results suggest that ethnic fragmentation may be responsible for the marginalization of another minority group, which reported a significantly low level of linking ties to industry leaders, government or management officials, and the scientific community. This study provides the first empirical evidence of the effect of ethnic diversity on social network capital in the fisheries literature, and has implications for the success of collaborative management

Modular House Revival

The Modular House, located in Poly Canyon, has seen extensive damage since the last caretaker left nearly ten years ago. To prevent further damage and improve the safety and appeal of the structure, we are proposing a renovation of the existing building that removes the existing cladding and partitions. By the end of Spring Quarter 2017, the Modular House will have a guardrail system replacing the wood paneling on the walls and a new steel composite deck to replace the current flooring system. The structural steel framing system will remain as is

Modular House Project Narrative

The Modular House, located in Poly Canyon, has seen extensive damage since the last caretaker left nearly ten years ago. To prevent further damage and improve the safety and appeal of the structure, we are proposing a renovation of the existing building that removes the existing cladding and partitions. By the end of Spring Quarter 2017, the Modular House will have a guardrail system replacing the wood paneling on the walls and a new steel composite deck to replace the current flooring system. The structural steel framing system will remain as is

Structure and dynamics of the integrin LFA-1 I-domain in the inactive state underlie its inside-out/outside-in signaling and allosteric mechanisms.

Lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) is an integrin that transmits information in two directions across the plasma membrane of leukocytes, in so-called outside-in and inside-out signaling mechanisms. To investigate the structural basis of these mechanisms, we studied the conformational space of the apo I-domain using replica-averaged metadynamics simulations in combination with nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts. We thus obtained a free energy landscape that reveals the existence of three conformational substates of this domain. The three substates include conformations similar to existing crystallographic structures of the low-affinity I-domain, the inactive I-domain with an allosteric antagonist inhibitor bound underneath α helix 7, and an intermediate affinity state of the I-domain. The multiple substates were validated with residual dipolar coupling measurements. These results suggest that the presence of three substates in the apo I-domain enables the precise regulation of the binding process that is essential for the physiological function of LFA-1.This study was supported by the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cell Press via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2014.12.02

A randomized trial of aspirin on the risk of embolic events in patients with infective endocarditis

AbstractObjectivesThis study examined the effect of aspirin on the risk of embolic events in infective endocarditis (IE).BackgroundEmbolism is a major complication of IE, and studies in animal models have shown that platelet inhibition with aspirin can lead to more rapid vegetation resolution and a lower rate of embolic events.MethodsWe conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of aspirin treatment (325 mg/day) for four weeks in patients with IE to test the hypothesis that the addition of aspirin would reduce the incidence of clinical systemic embolic events. Patients with perivalvular abscess were excluded. Serial cerebral computed tomograms and transesophageal echocardiograms were obtained in a subset of patients.ResultsDuring the four-year study period, 115 patients were enrolled: 60 assigned to aspirin and 55 assigned to placebo. Embolic events occurred in 17 patients (28.3%) on aspirin and 11 patients (20.0%) on placebo, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68 to 3.86, p = 0.29). There was a trend toward a higher incidence of bleeding in the patients taking aspirin versus placebo (OR 1.92, 95% CI 0.76 to 4.86, p = 0.075). Development of new intracranial lesions was similar in both groups. Aspirin had no effect on vegetation resolution and valvular dysfunction.ConclusionsIn endocarditis patients already receiving antibiotic treatment, the addition of aspirin does not appear to reduce the risk of embolic events and is likely associated with an increased risk of bleeding. Aspirin is not indicated in the early management of patients with IE

Information Sharing Networks and Rates of Incidental Catch

Pelagic fishers operate in a dynamic environment and are faced with a high level of uncertainty on a daily basis. To cope with this complexity, fishers often rely on sharing information with others in order to improve their decision making. Yet previous research has not explicitly investigated the effect of resource user’s social networks on environmental outcomes in a marine setting. Linking observer data from 2008-2012 to a complete social network dataset from Hawaii’s longline fishery, we empirically estimate the relationship between fisher’s information sharing networks and rates of incidental catch. The network exhibits strong homophily, with fishers organizing themselves into three information sharing network groups largely corresponding to their ethnic affiliation. Controlling for spatiotemporal factors, we find significant differences in shark bycatch among the three network groups. Additionally, we find that bycatch rates for individuals whose majority of ties fall outside their ethnic group are more closely aligned with their network group, rather than their ethnic group. Significant differences in shark bycatch among network groups hold when examining only reciprocal ties, which breaks the network up into several distinct components, and controlling for ethnicity. Our results indicate that some fishers may be dynamically reacting in time and space to information received from trusted sources within their network group on strategies to mitigate bycatch, while others are not. This research provides the first empirical evidence that network homophily is correlated with environmental outcomes, and that social network structure is significantly related to rates of incidental catch.Keywords: Markets and Trade, Fisheries Economics, Markets: Related Markets Polic