Effects of a Smart-phone Application on Psychological, Physiological, and Performance Variables in College-Aged Individuals While Running

International Journal of Exercise Science 8(2) : 104-111, 2015. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of auditory exergaming through the use of a smart-phone app called Zombies, Run! on psychological, physiological, and performance variables in college-aged individuals while running. Participants included both males (n = 10) and females (n = 10). Participants ran three 15 minute trials, after which they completed motivational questionnaires regarding inspiration, enjoyment, confidence, and anxiety levels. The first run got the participants accustomed to the application. The second and third were randomly counterbalanced either using the application again or running with no auditory stimulus. The analysis of the motivational questionnaire and physiological variables found that both sexes felt more inspired to run using the Zombies, Run! application than running with no auditory stimulus (P = .003), males felt more confident they could complete the trials (P = .02), females felt they exerted themselves more during the zombie run (P = .03), males were more motivated than females to run faster to avoid losing items (P = .005) and males felt more motivated than females to collect items and improve their in-game township (P = .002). These results indicated that females perceived more exertion and felt less confident, but were more inspired while running using the Zombies, Run! application. Males felt more confident, more inspired, and more intrigued by the video game itself than females. Therefore, both were more motivated to run with than without the application

Macular Pigment and Visual Function in Patients With Glaucoma: The San Diego Macular Pigment Study.

PurposeAlthough recent studies have shown that macular pigment (MP) is significantly lower in glaucoma patients, this relationship merits further investigation.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 85 glaucoma patients and 22 controls. All subjects had standard automated perimetry (SAP) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements. Intake of lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) was estimated using a novel dietary screener. The Heidelberg Spectralis dual-wavelength autofluorescence (AF) technology was employed to study the relationship between MP and glaucoma. The association between MP volume and glaucoma was investigated using linear regression models accounting for potential confounding factors.ResultsGlaucoma patients had significantly worse SAP mean deviation (MD) and lower RNFL thickness in the study eye compared to control subjects (P < 0.001 for both). MP (volume) was comparable between groups (P = 0.436). In the univariable model, diagnosis of glaucoma was not associated with MP volume (R2 = 1.22%; P = 0.257). Dietary intake of L and Z was positively and significantly related to MP in the univariable (P = 0.022) and multivariable (P = 0.020) models.ConclusionsThese results challenge previous studies that reported that glaucoma is associated with low MP. Dietary habits were found to be the main predictor of MP in this sample. Further research is merited to better understand the relationship between glaucoma, MP, and visual performance in these patients

Utilizing Performance Management to Harness the Power of Quality Improvement in Public Health

Widespread adoption of quality improvement activities in public health trails other U.S. sectors. Launching the national public health accreditation program of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has propelled health department momentum around quality improvement uptake. Domain 9 of the PHAB standards focuses on evaluation and improvement of performance, and is acting as a strong driver for quality improvement and performance management implementation within health departments. Several performance management models have received broad acceptance, including among government and nonprofits, and have direct public health application. Turning Point is a model designed specifically for public health users. All models in current use reinforce customer centricity; streamlined, value added processes; and strategic alignment. Importantly, all are structured to steer quality improvement efforts toward organizational priorities, ensuring that quality improvement complements performance management

Failure to Preserve β-Cell Function With Mycophenolate Mofetil and Daclizumab Combined Therapy in Patients With New- Onset Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE This trial tested whether mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) alone or with daclizumab (DZB) could arrest the loss of insulin-producing β-cells in subjects with new-onset type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked trial was initiated by Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet at 13 sites in North America and Europe. Subjects diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and with sufficient C-peptide within 3 months of diagnosis were randomized to either MMF alone, MMF plus DZB, or placebo, and then followed for 2 years. The primary outcome was the geometric mean area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide from the 2-h mixed meal tolerance test. RESULTS One hundred and twenty-six subjects were randomized and treated during the trial. The geometric mean C-peptide AUC at 2 years was unaffected by MMF alone or MMF plus DZB versus placebo. Adverse events were more frequent in the active therapy groups relative to the control group, but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS Neither MMF alone nor MMF in combination with DZB had an effect on the loss of C-peptide in subjects with new-onset type 1 diabetes. Higher doses or more targeted immunotherapies may be needed to affect the autoimmune process

Transduction‐Specific ATLAS Reveals a Cohort of Highly Active L 1 Retrotransposons in Human Populations

L ong IN terspersed E lement‐1 ( LINE ‐1 or L 1) retrotransposons are the only autonomously active transposable elements in the human genome. The average human genome contains ∼80–100 active L1s, but only a subset of these L1s are highly active or ‘hot’. Human L1s are closely related in sequence, making it difficult to decipher progenitor/offspring relationships using traditional phylogenetic methods. However, L1 m RNA s can sometimes bypass their own polyadenylation signal and instead utilize fortuitous polyadenylation signals in 3′ flanking genomic DNA . Retrotransposition of the resultant m RNA s then results in lineage specific sequence “tags” (i.e., 3′ transductions) that mark the descendants of active L1 progenitors. Here, we developed a method (Transduction‐Specific Amplification Typing of L1 Active Subfamilies or TS ‐ ATLAS ) that exploits L1 3′ transductions to identify active L1 lineages in a genome‐wide context. TS ‐ ATLAS enabled the characterization of a putative active progenitor of one L1 lineage that includes the disease causing L1 insertion L1 RP , and the identification of new retrotransposition events within two other “hot” L1 lineages. Intriguingly, the analysis of the newly discovered transduction lineage members suggests that L1 polyadenylation, even within a lineage, is highly stochastic. Thus, TS ‐ ATLAS provides a new tool to explore the dynamics of L1 lineage evolution and retrotransposon biology. Long INterspersed Element‐1 (L1) retrotransposons are the only independently mobile elements in the human genome. We developed Transduction‐Specific Amplification Typing of L1 Active Subfamilies (TS‐ATLAS), which utilizes L1‐transduced genomic sequences, to identify a subset of highly active L1s genome‐wide. TS‐ATLAS enabled the characterization of the putative progenitor of an active disease‐causing L1 lineage, and identified new retrotransposition events within two other “hot” L1 lineages.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98809/1/humu22327.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98809/2/humu22327-sup-0001-si.pd

TCR Signal Transduction in Antigen-Specific Memory CD8 T Cells

Memory T cells are more responsive to Ag than naive cells. To determine whether memory T cells also have more efficient TCR signaling, we compared naive, effector, and memory CD8 T cells of the same antigenic specificity. Surprisingly, initial CD3 signaling events are indistinguishable. However, memory T cells have more extensive lipid rafts with higher phosphoprotein content before TCR engagement. Upon activation in vivo, they more efficiently induce phosphorylation of-LAT (linker for activation of T cells), ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase), and p38. Thus, memory CD8 T cells do not increase their TCR sensitivity, but are better poised to augment downstream signals. We propose that this regulatory mechanism might increase signal transduction in memory T cells, while limiting TCR cross-reactivity and autoimmunity

Arrival of the Fukushima Radioactivity Plume in North American Continental Waters

The large discharge of radioactivity into the northwest Pacific Ocean from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactor accident has generated considerable concern about the spread of this material across the ocean to North America. We report here the first systematic study to our knowledge of the transport of the Fukushima marine radioactivity signal to the eastern North Pacific. Time series measurements of 134Cs and 137Cs in seawater revealed the initial arrival of the Fukushima signal by ocean current transport at a location 1,500 km west of British Columbia, Canada, in June 2012, about 1.3 y after the accident. By June 2013, the Fukushima signal had spread onto the Canadian continental shelf, and by February 2014, it had increased to a value of 2 Bq/m3 throughout the upper 150 m of the water column, resulting in an overall doubling of the fallout background from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. Ocean circulation model estimates that are in reasonable agreement with our measured values indicate that future total levels of 137Cs (Fukushima-derived plus fallout 137Cs) off the North American coast will likely attain maximum values in the 3–5 Bq/m3 range by 2015–2016 before declining to levels closer to the fallout background of about 1 Bq/m3 by 2021. The increase in 137Cs levels in the eastern North Pacific from Fukushima inputs will probably return eastern North Pacific concentrations to the fallout levels that prevailed during the 1980s but does not represent a threat to human health or the environment