Hoop House Gardening in the Wapekeka First Nation as an Extension of Land-Based Food Practices

Rural Indigenous communities in Canada’s North face many challenges getting regular access to nutritious foods, primarily because of the high cost of market food, restricted availability of nutritious foods, and lack of government support for nutritious food programs. The consequences of food insecurity in this context are expressed in high rates of diabetes, heart disease, and childhood obesity. Many Indigenous communities are responding to issues related to healthy food access by attempting to rebuild local food capacity in their specific regions. Important first steps have been taken in developing local food initiatives, yet whether these initiatives are improving northern food security remains to be seen. We explore this question by working with the Oji-Cree First Nation in the community of Wapekeka, northern Ontario, to construct a hoop house and develop a school-based community gardening program. Using a community-based participatory approach, we determined that hoop house and gardening initiatives in rural, northern settings have the potential to build up local food production, develop the skills and knowledge of community members, engage youth in growing local food, and align with land-based food teachings. We show that despite widespread and multidimensional community hardships, there was considerable community buy-in and support for the project, which gives hope for future development and provides important insight for those seeking to initiate similar gardening, hoop house, or greenhouse initiatives in northern Indigenous communities.Les collectivités autochtones du Canada en milieu rural nordique ont de nombreux défis à relever pour avoir régulièrement accès à de la nourriture nutritive, principalement en raison du coût élevé des denrées alimentaires du marché, de la disponibilité restreinte d’aliments nutritifs et du manque de soutien gouvernemental pour l’adoption de programmes de provisions alimentaires nutritives. Dans ce contexte, les conséquences de l’insécurité alimentaire s’expriment par des taux élevés de diabète, de maladies du coeur et d’obésité infantile. De nombreuses collectivités autochtones relèvent les défis d’accès à des denrées saines en tentant de renforcer la capacité alimentaire locale de leurs propres régions. Ils ont déjà pris d’importantes mesures pour aboutir à des initiatives alimentaires locales, mais il reste à voir si ces initiatives permettent d’améliorer la sécurité alimentaire dans le Nord. Nous nous penchons sur cette question de concert avec la Première Nation oji-cri dans la collectivité de Wapekeka, dans le nord de l’Ontario, en construisant plus précisément une serre à arceaux et en aménageant un programme de jardinage scolaire. Grâce à notre approche participative et communautaire, nous avons déterminé que la serre à arceaux et les initiatives de jardinage en milieu rural nordique ont la possibilité de se traduire par l’accumulation d’aliments produits à l’échelle locale, de favoriser l’acquisition de compétences et de connaissances, d’inciter les jeunes à cultiver des aliments localement et de mettre en valeur les enseignements relatifs à la nourriture provenant de la terre. Nous montrons que malgré les difficultés multidimensionnelles répandues dans la collectivité, ce projet a suscité un appui considérable de la part des gens, ce qui donne de l’espoir en vue de développements futurs et permet aux personnes désirant mettre en oeuvre des initiatives semblables de jardinage, de serres à arceaux et de serres ordinaires dans les collectivités autochtones nordiques d’acquérir d’importantes connaissances

Are different reading problems associated with different anxiety types?

There is a reliable association between poor reading and anxiety, but we do not completely understand the specifics of this relationship. The current study included a sample of children (N = 284; Mage = 9.30, SDage = 1.31) who completed a reading (word, nonword, and text reading accuracy, word, nonword, and text reading fluency, passage reading comprehension) and anxiety (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, physical injury fears/phobias, panic, obsessive compulsive symptoms) assessment. Analyses included bivariate and partial correlations, principal components analysis, and hierarchical clustering. We found a very tentative suggestion in the data that there may be a specific yet weak association between reading accuracy and social anxiety. The clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed

Crustal controls on light noble gas isotope variability along the andean volcanic arc

This study combines new noble gas data from fluid inclusions in minerals from Sabancaya, Ubinas, and El Misti (CVZ, Peru) and Villarica (South Chile, SVZ) with a revised noble gas compilation in the Andes, to identify systematic along arc variations in helium isotope compositions. We find 3He/4He ratios varying from 8.8 RA (Colombia) to 7.4 RA (Ecuador) within the NVZ, and only as high as 6.4 RA in the CVZ (RA is the atmospheric 3He/4He ratio of 1.39 × 10-6). These distinct isotope compositions cannot be explained by variable radiogenic 4He production via slab fluid transport of U and Th in the mantle wedge, since both NVZ and CVZ share similar slab sediment inputs (Th/La ≈ 0.08-0.13). Instead, the progressively more radiogenic 3He/4He signatures in Ecuador and Peru reflect 4He addition upon magma ascent/ storage in the crust, this being especially thick in Peru (>70 km) and Ecuador (>50 km) relative to Colombia (∼30-45 km). The intermediate compositions in the North (8.0 RA) and South (7.9 RA) Chile, both high sediment flux margins, mostly reflect a more efficient delivery of radiogenic He in the wedge from the subducted (U-Th-rich) terrigenous sediments. Our results bring strong evidence for the major role played by crustal processes in governing noble gas compositions along continental arcs

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence in Adults from Two Remote First Nations Communities in Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Objective. To assess the prevalence rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in adults from two First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Methods. Body weight, height, and waist circumference as well as fasting and postprandial glucose levels following an oral glucose tolerance test were measured in 31 men and 41 women. Results. The mean age of the sample was 43 ± 13 y. The prevalence of obesity was 65.3% and was comparable between men and women. 90.3% of the individuals presented waist circumference levels greater than the thresholds associated with an increased risk of developing health problems. 26 of the 72 individuals (36.1%) were found to be type 2 diabetic. The prevalence of diabetes was not different between men and women. Conclusion. Using objective measurements, this study confirms that First Nations adults from remote communities of Canada continue to experience a disproportionately higher prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes than nonaboriginal Canadians

Mid-gestation Angiogenic Biomarker Levels are Increased in Women at High Risk for Preeclampsia

Background: Pre-pregnancy hypertension and diabetes mellitus, multiple gestations, prior preeclampsia, are significant risk factors for preeclampsia. Whether altered maternal levels of angiogenic factors contribute to increased preeclampsia risk in these conditions is unknown. Our objective was to compare maternal serum angiogenic biomarker levels in women with major risk factors for preeclampsia and healthy controls. Methods: Women presenting for prenatal care were enrolled if they had one of the following preeclampsia risk factors: pre-pregnancy hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus, nulliparity with pre-pregnancy BMI\u3e30, multiple gestations, or prior preeclampsia. Healthy control pregnancies without these risk factors were enrolled for comparison. Maternal serum samples were collected at 3 pre-specified gestational windows between 23 and 36 weeks gestation. sFlt1, sEng, and PlGF were measured by ELISA. The (sFlt1+sEng):PlGF ratio was calculated and compared for each risk group at each gestational window. Results: Gestational patterns of angiogenic biomarkers differed in high-risk groups vs. healthy control subjects. The angiogenic ratio (sFlt1+sEng):PlGF was higher for all high risk groups except obesity/nulliparity as compared with healthy control subjects after 28 weeks gestation. Biomarker ratio levels were highest in subjects with MG and prior PE, and differences from the health control group became more pronounced as gestation progressed. Women with hypertension/diabetes had more subtle differences as compared with healthy control subjects. Conclusion: Women with preeclampsia risk factors had higher angiogenic ratios compared with healthy control women. This study illuminates the interplay between risk factors and placental angiogenic biomarkers in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia

Epirubicin With Cyclophosphamide Followed by Docetaxel With Trastuzumab and Bevacizumab as Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Locally Advanced Breast Cancer or as Adjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Pathologic Stage III Breast Cancer: A Phase II Trial of the NSABP Foundation Research Group, FB-5

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the cardiac safety and clinical activity of trastuzumab and bevacizumab with docetaxel after epirubicin with cyclophosphamide (EC) in patients with HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or pathologic stage 3 breast cancer (PS3BC). Patients and Methods Patients received every 3 week treatment with 4 cycles of EC (90/600 mg/m2) followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m2). Targeted therapy with standard-dose trastuzumab with bevacizumab 15 mg/kg was given for a total of 1 year. Coprimary end points were (1) rate of cardiac events (CEs) in all patients defined as clinical congestive heart failure with a significant decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction or cardiac deaths; and (2) pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and nodes in the neoadjuvant cohort. An independent cardiac review panel determined whether criteria for a CE were met. Results A total of 105 patients were accrued, 76 with LABC treated with neoadjuvant therapy and 29 with PS3BC treated with adjuvant therapy. Median follow-up was 59.2 months. Among 99 evaluable patients for cardiac safety, 4 (4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1%-10.0%) met CE criteria. The pCR percentage in LABC patients was 46% (95% CI, 34%-59%). Five-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients was 79.9% and 90.8%, respectively. Conclusion The regimen met predefined criteria for activity of interest with an acceptable rate of CEs. Although the pCR percentage was comparable with chemotherapy regimens with trastuzumab alone the high RFS and OS are of interest in these high-risk populations

Wage losses in the year after breast cancer: Extent and determinants among Canadian women

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. © The Author 2008.Background - Wage losses after breast cancer may result in considerable financial burden. Their assessment is made more urgent because more women now participate in the workforce and because breast cancer is managed using multiple treatment modalities that could lead to long work absences. We evaluated wage losses, their determinants, and the associations between wage losses and changes for the worse in the family's financial situation among Canadian women over the first 12 months after diagnosis of early breast cancer. Methods - We conducted a prospective cohort study among women with breast cancer from eight hospitals throughout the province of Quebec. Information that permitted the calculation of wage losses and information on potential determinants of wage losses were collected by three pretested telephone interviews conducted over the year following the start of treatment. Information on medical characteristics was obtained from medical records. The main outcome was the proportion of annual wages lost because of breast cancer. Multivariable analysis of variance using the general linear model was used to identify personal, medical, and employment characteristics associated with the proportion of wages lost. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results - Among 962 eligible breast cancer patients, 800 completed all three interviews. Of these, 459 had a paying job during the month before diagnosis. On average, these working women lost 27% of their projected usual annual wages (median = 19%) after compensation received had been taken into account. Multivariable analysis showed that a higher percentage of lost wages was statistically significantly associated with a lower level of education (Ptrend = .0018), living 50 km or more from the hospital where surgery was performed (P = .070), lower social support (P = .012), having invasive disease (P = .086), receipt of chemotherapy (P < .001), self-employment (P < .001), shorter tenure in the job (Ptrend < .001), and part-time work (P < .001). Conclusion - Wage losses and their effects on financial situation constitute an important adverse consequence of breast cancer in Canada.The Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and Fondation de l’Université Laval

Associations of Adipose Tissue Architecture, Adipokines and Inflammatory Markers with Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain in Non-diabetic Pregnancies

Background: Some pregnancy weight gain is stored as adipose tissue (AT). Human AT depots vary in their capacity for expansion. Data suggests that subcutaneous (SQ) is adapted for healthy lipid storage. Conversely visceral (V) accumulation is associated with inflammation, obesity-related co-morbidities and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk. We investigated SQ and VAT histologic architecture along with insulin, adipokines and inflammatory markers in relationship to prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG). Methods: Subset of non-diabetic singleton gravidas from the Pregnancy & Postpartum Observational Dietary Study (PPODS), undergoing Cesareans and consenting to SQ & VAT biopsies were included. Average adipocyte size assessed in10 sections/depot/subject. Maternal and cord blood insulin, adiponectin, leptin, PAI-1, CRP, TNFα, IL1b, IL6 and IL8 evaluated using Luminex MAGPIX, laser based fluorescent analytical test instrumentation with MILLIPLEX® multi-analyte panels. GWG determined by difference in pre-pregnancy and last prenatal visit weight. Results: Of 110 subjects enrolled, 19 (17.3%) delivered by Cesarean with 14 consenting to AT sampling, and 7 (50%) having both SQ and VAT available for analysis. These 7 had mean pre-pregnancy BMI 27.8±5.6 kg/m2 and GWG 50.0±25.7 lb (range 19-83) with delivery age 39.2±0.7 wks. Mean SQ and VAT adipocyte sizes were 2892±716 pixels2 (range 1866-3775) and 2427±641 pixels2 (range 1416-3397) respectively (p=0.310); neither were statistically correlated with BMI or GWG. Pre-pregnancy BMI statistically correlated with maternal serum insulin (0.786, p=0.036) at delivery and cord blood leptin (0.886, p=0.019); GWG statistically correlated only with cord blood adiponectin (-0.900, p=0.037). Conclusions: In a small sample of normoglycemic pregnancies undergoing Cesareans and AT sampling, adipocyte size was no different in SQ versus visceral depots, and did not correlate with BMI or GWG. Surprisingly, pre-pregnancy BMI but not GWG correlated with maternal serum insulin at delivery, suggesting that pre-pregnancy weight status may be associated with glycemic control at pregnancy end

Identification of a novel CHEK2 variant and assessment of its contribution to the risk of breast cancer in French Canadian women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>BRCA1 </it>and <it>BRCA2 </it>account for the majority of the known familial breast cancer risk, however, the impact of other cancer susceptibility genes largely remains to be elucidated. Checkpoint Kinase 2 (<it>CHEK2</it>) is an important signal transducer of cellular responses to DNA damage, whose defects have been associated with an increase in breast cancer risk. Previous studies have identified low penetrance <it>CHEK2 </it>alleles such as 1100delC and I157T, as well as variants such as S428F in the Ashkenazi Jewish population and IVS2 + 1G>A in the Polish population. No founder allele has been specifically identified in the French Canadian population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The 14 coding exons of <it>CHEK2 </it>were fully sequenced for variant alleles in a panel of 25 affected French Canadian women and 25 healthy controls. Two variants were identified of which one novel variant was further screened for in an additional panel of 667 breast cancer patients and 6548 healthy controls. Additional genotyping was conducted using allele specific PCR and a restriction digest assay. Significance of amino acid substitutions were deduced by employing comparative analysis techniques.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two variants were identified: the previously reported silent substitution 252A>G (E84E) and the novel missense variant, 1217G>A (R406H). No significant difference in allele distribution between French Canadian women with breast cancer and healthy controls was observed (3/692, 0.43% vs. 22/6573, 0.33%, respectively, P = 0.73).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The novel CHEK2 missense variant identified in this study, R406H, is unlikely to contribute to breast cancer risk in French Canadian women.</p

Dysregulation of Cytokine Response in Canadian First Nations Communities: Is There an Association with Persistent Organic Pollutant Levels?

In vitro and animal studies report that some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) trigger the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Whether POP exposure is associated with a dysregulation of cytokine response remains to be investigated in humans. We studied the strength of association between plasma POP levels and circulating cytokines as immune activation markers. Plasma levels of fourteen POPs and thirteen cytokines were measured in 39 Caucasians from a comparator sample in Québec City (Canada) and 72 First Nations individuals from two northern communities of Ontario (Canada). Caucasians showed significantly higher levels of organochlorine insecticides (β-HCH, p,p′-DDE and HCB) compared to First Nations. Conversely, First Nations showed higher levels of Mirex, Aroclor 1260, PCB 153, PCB 170, PCB 180 and PCB 187 compared to Caucasians. While there was no difference in cytokine levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-22 between groups, First Nations had significantly greater average levels of IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-5, IL-8, IL-12p70, IL-17A, TNFα and TNFβ levels compared to Caucasians. Among candidate predictor variables (age, body mass index, insulin resistance and POP levels), high levels of PCBs were the only predictor accounting for a small but significant effect of observed variance (∼7%) in cytokine levels. Overall, a weak but significant association is detected between persistent organochlorine pollutant exposure and elevated cytokine levels. This finding augments the already existing information that environmental pollution is related to inflammation, a common feature of several metabolic disorders that are known to be especially prevalent in Canada's remote First Nations communities