The role of dispersants in oil spill remediation : fundamental concepts, rationale for use, fate, and transport issues

Offering a scientific perspective, this paper provides a rationale for the use of dispersants in oil spill remediation by discussing their formulations and modes of action and connecting their physics and chemistry to a their environmental fates and impacts. With the first use of dispersants at the source of the oil release during the Deepwater Horizon incident, there is a new great need for understanding the efficiency and the environmental impacts of their use. The paper concludes with some cautionary recommendations on dispersant research.Author Posting. © The Oceanography Society, 2016. This article is posted here by permission of The Oceanography Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oceanography 29, no. 3 (2016): 108–117, doi:10.5670/oceanog.2016.75

Democracy Derived? New Trajectories in Pluripotent Stem Cell Research

How has the development of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) modified the trajectory of stem cell research? Here, coauthorship networks of stem cell research articles and analysis of cell lines used in stem cell research indicate that hiPSCs are not replacing human embryonic stem cells, but instead, the two cell types are complementary, interdependent research tools. Thus, we conclude that a ban on funding for embryonic stem cell research could have unexpected negative ramifications on the nascent field of hiPSCs

Cardiovascular disease risk among the Mexican American population in the Texas-Mexico border region, by age and length of residence in United States

Introduction: Although the relationship between health behaviors and outcomes such as smoking and obesity with longer residence in the United States among Mexican American immigrants is established, the relationship between length of residency in the United States and risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between immigrant status, length of residence in the United States, age, and CVD markers in a sample of Mexican American adults living in Brownsville, Texas. Methods: We categorized participants in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort study as immigrants in the United States for 10 years or less, immigrants in the United States for more than 10 years, or born in the United States. We conducted logistic and ordinary least squares regression for self-reported chronic conditions and CVD biomarkers. Results: We found bivariate differences in the prevalence of self-reported conditions and 1 CVD biomarker (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) by length of residence in the middle (41-64 y) and younger (18-40 y) age groups. After adjusting for covariates, the following varied significantly by immigrant status: stroke and high cholesterol (self-reported conditions) and diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (CVD biomarkers). Conclusion: The association between immigrant status, length of residence in the United States, and CVD markers varied. The effect of length of residence in the United States or immigrant status may depend on age and may be most influential in middle or older age

Patients’ views on variants of uncertain significance across indications

As genomic sequencing expands into more areas of patient care, an increasing number of patients learn of the variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) that they carry. Understanding the potential psychosocial consequences of the disclosure of a VUS can help inform pre- and post-test counseling discussions. Medical uncertainty in general elicits a variety of responses from patients, particularly in the growing field of medical genetics and genomics. It is important to consider patients’ responses to the ambiguous nature of VUSs across different indications and situational contexts. Genetic counselors and other providers ordering genetic testing should be prepared for the possibility of their patients’ misinterpretation of such results. Pre-test counseling should include a discussion of the possibility of VUSs and what it would mean for the patient’s care and its potential psychosocial impacts. When a VUS is found, post-test counseling should include additional education and a discussion of the variant’s implications and medical management recommendations based on the results. These discussions may help temper subjective interpretations, unrealistic views, and decisional regret

Using the Framingham Risk Score to Evaluate Immigrant Effect on Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Mexican Americans

Background—This study uses the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) for 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) to evaluate differences between Mexican American immigrants and the U.S.-born population. Methods and Results—Data from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (N=1,559). Average total risk scores were generated by age group for each gender. Regression analysis was conducted adjusting for covariates and interaction effects. Both women and men in the CCHC sample who were long-term immigrant residents (mean FRS scores women 4.2 with p\u3c.001 vs. men 4.0 with p\u3c.001) or born in the U.S. (mean FRS scores women 4.6 with p\u3c.001 vs. men 3.3 with p\u3c.001) had significantly higher risk scores than immigrants who had only been in this country for less than 10 years. The interaction model indicates that differences between immigrant and native-born Mexican Americans are most greatly felt at lowest levels of socioeconomic status for men in the CCHC. Conclusions—This study suggests that in terms of immigrant advantage in CVD risk, on whom, where, and how the comparisons are being made have important implications for the degree of difference observed

The Missing Men: High Risk and low use of health care in Men of Mexican Origin

Objective We sought to determine gender- and age-specific prevalence of chronic diseases in an urban Mexican American border community. Methods The Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC n=2000) was selected using a multi-staged cluster design. Sociodemographic, anthropometric measures and blood samples were collected on each participant. Results More women were obese (55.1%) than men (44.8%). Men had significantly higher rates of diabetes (20.4% for men vs 15.8% for women: p\u3c.05) and undiagnosed diabetes (6.2% for men vs 2.4% for women: p\u3c.01), the prevalence of diabetes rose steeply between the ages of 40 and 49 years. Men were significantly more likely to have serum cholesterol levels of ≥200 mg/dL and elevated LDL (22.6% versus 26.1%, p\u3c.01). Conclusions Mexican American males in the US/Mexico border region have a high prevalence of obesity in younger men and higher overall rates of diabetes, including undiagnosed diabetes, and significantly higher serum cholesterol levels.than women

Type 2-Diabetes is Associated With Elevated Levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and Adiponectin and Low Levels of Leptin in a Population of Mexican American: A Cross-Sectional Study

The goal of the study was to determine the association between diabetes and inflammation in clinically diagnosed diabetes patients. We hypothesized that low-grade inflammation in diabetes is associated with the level of glucose control. Using a cross-sectional design we compared pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines in a community recruited cohort of 367 Mexican Americans with type 2-diabetes having a wide range blood glucose levels. Cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8) and adipokines (adiponectin, resistin and leptin) were measured using multiplex ELISA. Our data indicated that diabetes as whole was strongly associated with elevated levels of IL-6, leptin, CRP and TNF-α, whereas worsening of glucose control was positively and linearly associated with high levels of IL-6, leptin. The associations remained statistically significant even after controlling for BMI and age (p = 0.01). The association between TNF-α, however, was attenuated when comparisons were performed based on glucose control. Strong interaction effects between age and BMI and diabetes were observed for IL-8, resistin, and CRP. The cytokine/adipokine profiles of Mexican Americans with diabetes suggest an association between low-grade inflammation and quality of glucose control. Unique to in our population is that the chronic inflammation is accompanied by lower levels of leptin

Challenges and strategies for recruitment of minorities to clinical research and trials

Minority populations are largely absent from clinical research trials. The neglect of these populations has become increasingly apparent, with escalating cancer burdens and chronic disease. The challenges to recruitment of minorities in the United States are multiple including trust or lack thereof. Keys to successful recruitment are responding to community issues, its history, beliefs, and its social and economic pressures. The strategy we have used in many low-income, sometimes remote, communities is to recruit staff from the same community and train them in the required basic research methods. They are the first line of communication. After our arrival in the Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2001, we applied these principles learned over years of global research, to studies of chronic diseases. Beginning in 2004, we recruited and trained a team of local women who enrolled in a cohort of over five thousand Mexican Americans from randomly selected households. This cohort is being followed, and the team has remained, acquiring not only advanced skills (ultrasound, FibroScan, retinal photos, measures of cognition, etc.) but capacity to derive key health information. Currently, we are participating in multiple funded studies, including an NIH clinical trial, liver disease, obesity, and diabetes using multiomics aimed at developing precision medicine approaches to chronic disease prevention and treatment

A Detailed Observational Analysis of V1324 Sco, the Most Gamma-Ray Luminous Classical Nova to Date

It has recently been discovered that some, if not all, classical novae emit GeV gamma rays during outburst, but the mechanisms involved in the production of the gamma rays are still not well understood. We present here a comprehensive multi-wavelength dataset---from radio to X-rays---for the most gamma-ray luminous classical nova to-date, V1324 Sco. Using this dataset, we show that V1324 Sco is a canonical dusty Fe-II type nova, with a maximum ejecta velocity of 2600 km s$^{-1}$ and an ejecta mass of few $\times 10^{-5}$ M$_{\odot}$. There is also evidence for complex shock interactions, including a double-peaked radio light curve which shows high brightness temperatures at early times. To explore why V1324~Sco was so gamma-ray luminous, we present a model of the nova ejecta featuring strong internal shocks, and find that higher gamma-ray luminosities result from higher ejecta velocities and/or mass-loss rates. Comparison of V1324~Sco with other gamma-ray detected novae does not show clear signatures of either, and we conclude that a larger sample of similarly well-observed novae is needed to understand the origin and variation of gamma rays in novae.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figure