High Rate of Obesity-Associated Hypertension among Primary Schoolchildren in Sudan

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) frequently has roots in childhood, including following childhood-onset hypertension. Incidence of CVD has increased in developing countries in East Africa during recent urbanization. Effects of these shifts on childhood hypertension are unclear. Our objectives were to (1) Determine the prevalence of hypertension among primary schoolchildren in Khartoum, Sudan; (2) Determine whether hypertension in this setting is associated with obesity. We performed a cross sectional study of 6-12y children from two schools randomly selected in Khartoum, Sudan. Height, weight, BMI, BP and family history of hypertension were assessed. Age-, height- and gender-specific BP curves were used to determine pre-hypertension (90–95%) and hypertension (>95%). Of 304 children, 45 (14.8%) were overweight; 32 (10.5%) were obese; 15 (4.9%) were pre-hypertensive and 15 (4.9%) were hypertensive. Obesity but not family history of hypertension was associated with current hypertension. In multiple logistic regression, adjusting for family history, children who were obese had a relative-risk of 14.7 (CI 2.45-88.2) for systolic hypertension compared to normal-weight children. We conclude that overweight and obesity are highly prevalent among primary schoolchildren in urban Sudan and are strongly associated with hypertension. That obesity-associated cardiovascular sequelae exist in the developing world at young ages may be a harbinger of future CVD in sub-Saharan Africa

Activation in the COMPTEL double-scattering gamma-ray telescope

Abstract-The COMPTEL gamma-ray telescope has been operating in low Earth orbit for six years, since the launch of the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory in April 1991. Comparisons of data for different orbits and epochs show evidence of activation on time scales from minutes (27Mg, q,2=9.5 min) to years C2Na, q&.58 yr). The activation is correlated with both the orbital altitude and solar cosmic-ray modulation. Because it requires coincident measurements in two different detectors, COMPTEL is most susceptible to instrumental background events in which two or more photons are produced simultaneously

Mice with Infectious Colitis Exhibit Linear Growth Failure and Subsequent Catch-Up Growth Related to Systemic Inflammation and IGF-1

In developing communities, intestinal infection is associated with poor weight gain and linear-growth failure. Prior translational animal models have focused on weight gain investigations into key contributors to linear growth failure have been lacking. We hypothesized that murine intestinal infection with Citrobacter-rodentium would induce linear-growth failure associated with systemic inflammation and suppressed serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). We evaluated 4 groups of mice infected or sham-infected on day-of-life 28: uninfected-controls, wild-type C.-rodentium-infected, partially-attenuated C. rodentium-infected (with deletion of 3 serine protease genes involved in colonization), and pair-fed (given the amount of daily food consumed by the wild-type C.-rodentium group). Relative to the uninfected group, mice infected with wild-type C.-rodentium exhibited temporal associations of lower food intake, weight loss, linear-growth failure, higher IL-6 and TNF-α and lower IGF-1. However, relative to the pair-fed group, the C.-rodentium-infected group only differed significantly by linear growth and systemic inflammatory cytokines. Between post-infection days 15–20, the infected group exhibited resolution of systemic inflammation. Between days 16–20, both wild-type C.-rodentium and pair-fed groups exhibited rapid linear-growth velocities exceeding the uninfected and mutant C.-rodentium groups; during this time levels of IGF-1 increased to match the uninfected group. We submit this as a model providing important opportunities to study mechanisms of catch-up growth related to intestinal inflammation. We conclude that in addition to known effects of weight loss, infection with C.-rodentium induces linear-growth failure potentially related to systemic inflammation and low levels of IGF-1, with catch-up of linear growth following resolution of inflammation

COMPTEL observations of the inner galaxy

This paper presents a first global study of COMPTEL observations of the inner Galaxy in the energy range 0.75–10 MeV. Preliminary findings demonstrate COMPTEL’s capabilities for mapping the observed gamma radiation and disentangling the contributions from point sources and diffuse emission

A confirmatory factor analysis of the metabolic syndrome in adolescents: an examination of sex and racial/ethnic differences

Objective The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of clinical indices that signals increased risk for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. The diagnosis of MetS is typically based on cut-off points for various components, e.g. waist circumference and blood pressure. Because current MetS criteria result in racial/ethnic discrepancies, our goal was to use confirmatory factor analysis to delineate differential contributions to MetS by sub-group. Research Design and Methods Using 1999–2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of a single MetS factor that allowed differential loadings across sex and race/ethnicity, resulting in a continuous MetS risk score that is sex and race/ethnicity-specific. Results Loadings to the MetS score differed by racial/ethnic and gender subgroup with respect to triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol. ROC-curve analysis revealed high area-under-the-curve concordance with MetS by traditional criteria (0.96), and with elevations in MetS-associated risk markers, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (0.71), uric acid (0.75) and fasting insulin (0.82). Using a cut off for this score derived from ROC-curve analysis, the MetS risk score exhibited increased sensitivity for predicting elevations in ≥2 of these risk markers as compared with traditional pediatric MetS criteria. Conclusions The equations from this sex- and race/ethnicity-specific analysis provide a clinically-accessible and interpretable continuous measure of MetS that can be used to identify children at higher risk for developing adult diseases related to MetS, who could then be targeted for intervention. These equations also provide a powerful new outcome for use in childhood obesity and MetS research

Initial results from COMPTEL—an overview

COMPTEL is presently completing the first full sky survey in MeV gamma‐ray astronomy (0.7 to 30 MeV). An overview of initial results from the survey is given: among these are the observations of the Crab and Vela pulsars with unprecedented accuracy, the observation of the black hole candidates Cyg X‐1 and Nova Persei 1992, an analysis of the diffuse Galactic continuum emission from the Galactic center region, the broad scale distribution of the 1.8 MeV line from radioactive 2 6Al, upper limits on gamma‐ray line emission from SN 1991T, observations of the three quasars 3C273, 3C279 and PKS 0528+134 and the radio galaxy Cen A, measurements of energy spectra, time histories and locations of a number of cosmic gamma‐ray bursts, and gamma‐ray and neutron emission from solar flares

Concordant Phylogenetic Patterns Inferred from Mitochondrial and Microsatellite DNA in the Giant Clam Tridacna Crocea

The boring giant clam, Tridacna crocea Lamarck, 1819, is a CITES-listed bivalve that is declining due to overharvest and environmental degradation. Previous molecular studies in the Coral Triangle using mitochondrial DNA indicated the presence of deep phylogenetic divergence and strong phylogeographic structure across this region, suggesting the possibility of multiple cryptic species. In the present study, we compare data from non-recombining mitochondrial (mtDNA; cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, COI) and eight microsatellite loci to better understand patterns of genetic structure and species boundaries in T. crocea populations across Indonesia and the Philippines. Microsatellite loci and mtDNA data from 618 individuals representing 27 populations revealed highly concordant phylogeographic patterns and identified three genetically distinct regions: (1) Western Indonesia, (2) Philippines and Central Indonesia, and (3) Eastern Indonesia. Both marker types also showed evidence of isolation by distance. These results build on previous studies and confirm the presence of only three genetic partitions and the genetic isolation of Western Indonesia and Eastern Indonesia. However, individual admixture analyses based on microsatellite data show that the mtDNA clade that defines a phylogeographic province spanning the Philippines and Central Indonesia is a mixture of unique genetic clusters from the Philippines/Central Indonesia and Eastern Indonesia. The admixture of nuclear loci from individuals with regionally distinct mtDNA genomes suggests that despite deep genetic divisions, the three mitochondrial lineages are likely not distinct species and that some populations in Central Indonesia may be a sink for genetic diversity accumulated from populations to the north and east. While microsatellite data refined our understanding of the biology and evolutionary history of T. crocea, the broad concordance between these markers highlights the continued utility of mtDNA, particularly in developing biodiversity-rich countries where resources to support biodiversity science are limited

COMPTEL images locations of gamma‐ray bursts

The γ‐ray telescope COMPTEL onboard GRO has so far located 6 gamma‐ray bursts which occurred in its ∼1 sr field of view. The positions of the sources were derived by the maximum‐entropy method. Systematic and statistical uncertainties for the four strongest bursts are approximately 1° to 2° and can be reduced in future analysis

COMPTEL observations of cosmic gamma‐ray bursts

The imaging γ‐ray telescope COMPTEL on board NASA’s Compton Gamma‐Ray Observatory (GRO) has observed many cosmic gamma‐ray bursts during the early mission phase of GRO. COMPTEL records time‐resolved burst spectra over 0.1 MeV to 10 MeV energies, and, for the first time, produces direct single‐telescope gamma‐ray images (0.8–30 MeV) of cosmic gamma‐ray bursts occurring in its 1 sr field of field

The long-term Illinois rivers fish population monitoring program 2014

This report presents a summary of those data collected during segment 26(2014-15) of the Long-term Illinois Rivers Fish Population Monitoring Program(LTEF), an annual survey executed by members of the Illinois Natural History Survey with funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Sampling for the LTEF program was conducted on: six reaches of the Illinois River Waterway, six segments or pools of the Mississippi River, and navigable portions of the Iroquois and Kankakee Rives. In all segments of the LTEF program, all fish species collected were accurately identified, tallied, measured, and weighed. The catch rates of sportfish species were calculated as the number of individuals collected per hour (CPUEN± standard error). Structural indices [Proportional Size Distribution (PSD) and Relative Weight (Wr)] were also calculated for species of interest to regional managers. Catch rates and species richness varied greatly among all sampling locations and sampling periods. Emerald Shiners and Gizzard Shad comprised the majority of the individuals caught, and Silver Carp and Common Carp accounted for the greatest proportion of the biomass collected in most sampling areas of the survey. The analysis of CPUEN and PSD trends in sportfish populations sampled by the program may indicate inter-annual recruitment patterns in sportfish populations around the state. Both Shovelnose Sturgeon and Blue Catfish were the two species most commonly encountered in the gill net surveys.IDNR Division of Fisheries Project F-101-R, Segment 26unpublishednot peer reviewe