Performance of commercial corn hybrids in Illinois, 1975, with 1973 and 1974 listings / 1118

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Perceived Versus Calculated HIV Risk: Implications for Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Uptake in a Randomized Trial of Men Who Have Sex With Men.

BackgroundInaccurate HIV risk perception by men who have sex with men is a barrier to HIV prevention. Providing information about objective HIV risk could improve pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake.MethodsPrEP Accessibility Research & Evaluation 2 (PrEPARE2) was a randomized controlled trial of men who have sex with men to determine whether an objective risk score affects future PrEP uptake. Participants completed a baseline survey to assess demographics, risk behaviors, and HIV self-perceived risk (SPR). The survey generated a calculated HIV risk (CalcR) score, estimating HIV risk based on reported condomless anal intercourse and sexually transmitted infections, and was provided to individuals in the intervention arm. Participants were contacted 8 weeks later to determine whether they initiated PrEP.ResultsOf 171 participants (median age 32 years; 37% Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black; median 5 sexual partners in the past 6 months), 81% had heard of PrEP, and 57% believed they were good PrEP candidates. SPR had poor agreement with CalcR (kappa = 0.176) with 38% underestimating their HIV risk. At week 8, only 14 of 135 participants had initiated PrEP with no difference between arms (CalcR 11%, control 10%, P > 0.99). The most common reason for not starting PrEP was low HIV risk perception. There was a relative decrease in SPR over time (P = 0.06) but no difference between arms (P = 0.29).ConclusionProviding an objective HIV risk score alone did not increase PrEP uptake. HIV testing performed at testing sites may be a crucial time to correct misperceptions about risk and initiate same-day PrEP, given enthusiasm for PrEP on the testing day to facilitate greater uptake

The Effects of an Alternative Spring Break Program on Student Development

This study examined the potential impact of a week-long cocurricular community service-learning (CSL) program on undergraduate students’ psychosocial development. Participants in the Alternative Spring Break program and a matched control group completed surveys assessing a number of psychosocial variables immediately before and after the program, as well as 8 months later. Findings suggest that cocurricular CSL programs such as alternative breaks may positively impact students in 2 important ways: increasing personal growth and increasing personal effectiveness. Further research with larger samples is necessary; however, results from this study indicate that cocurricular CSL can be a powerful tool for supporting positive student development

Effects of peripapillary scleral stiffening on the deformation of the lamina cribrosa

Purpose: Scleral stiffening has been proposed as a treatment for glaucoma to protect the lamina cribrosa (LC) from excessive intraocular pressure–induced deformation. Here we experimentally evaluated the effects of moderate stiffening of the peripapillary sclera on the deformation of the LC. Methods: An annular sponge, saturated with 1.25% glutaraldehyde, was applied to the external surface of the peripapillary sclera for 5 minutes to stiffen the sclera. Tissue deformation was quantified in two groups of porcine eyes, using digital image correlation (DIC) or computed tomography imaging and digital volume correlation (DVC). In group A (n = 14), eyes were subjected to inflation testing before and after scleral stiffening. Digital image correlation was used to measure scleral deformation and quantify the magnitude of scleral stiffening. In group B (n = 5), the optic nerve head region was imaged using synchrotron radiation phase-contrast microcomputed tomography (PC μCT) at an isotropic spatial resolution of 3.2 μm. Digital volume correlation was used to compute the full-field three-dimensional deformation within the LC and evaluate the effects of peripapillary scleral cross-linking on LC biomechanics. Results: On average, scleral treatment with glutaraldehyde caused a 34 ± 14% stiffening of the peripapillary sclera measured at 17 mm Hg and a 47 ± 12% decrease in the maximum tensile strain in the LC measured at 15 mm Hg. The reduction in LC strains was not due to cross-linking of the LC. Conclusions: Peripapillary scleral stiffening is effective at reducing the magnitude of biomechanical strains within the LC. Its potential and future utilization in glaucoma axonal neuroprotection requires further investigation

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis Meeting Report Assessing Human Germ-Cell Mutagenesis in the Post-Genome Era: A Celebration of the Legacy of William Lawson (Bill) Russell

ABSTRACT Although numerous germ-cell mutagens have been identified in animal model systems, to date, no human germ-cell mutagens have been confirmed. Because the genomic integrity of our germ cells is essential for the continuation of the human species, a resolution of this enduring conundrum is needed. To facilitate such a resolution, we organized a workshop at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine on September [28][29][30] 2004. This interactive workshop brought together scientists from a wide range of disciplines to assess the applicability of emerging molecular methods for genomic analysis to the field of human germ-cell mutagenesis. Participants recommended that focused, coordinated human germ-cell mutation studies be conducted in relation to important societal exposures. Because cancer survivors represent a unique cohort with well-defined exposures, there was a consensus that studies should be designed to assess the mutational impact on children born to parents who had received certain types of mutagenic cancer chemotherapy prior to conceiving their children. Within this high-risk cohort, parents and children could be evaluated for inherited changes in (a) gene sequences and chromosomal structure, (b) repeat sequences and minisatellite regions, and (c) global gene expression and chromatin. Participants also recommended studies to examine trans-generational effects in humans involving mechanisms such as changes in imprinting and methylation patterns, expansion of nucleotide repeats, or induction of mitochondrial DNA mutations. Workshop participants advocated establishment of a bio-bank of human tissue samples that could be used to conduct a multiple-endpoint, comprehensive, and collaborative effort to detect exposure-induced heritable alterations in the human genome. Appropriate animal models of human germ-cell mutagenesis should be used in parallel with human studies to provide insights into the mechanisms of mammalian germ-cell mutagenesis. Finally, participants recommended that 4 scientific specialty groups be convened to address specific questions regarding the potential germ-cell mutagenicity of environmental, occupational, and lifestyle exposures. Strong support from relevant funding agencies and engagement of scientists outside the fields of genomics and germ-cell mutagenesis will be required to launch a full-scale assault on some of the most pressing and enduring questions in environmental mutagenesis: Do human germ-cell mutagens exist, what risk do they pose to future generations, and are some parents at higher risk than others for acquiring and transmitting germ-cell mutations?