The Relationship Between Diet, Activity, and Other Factors, and Postpartum Weight Change by Race

Objective: To identify the impact of dietary intake and activity level on postpartum weight change. Methods: White (n = 121) and black (n = 224) women, 7-12 months postpartum, participating in the Special Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants, and Children were assessed for dietary intake, activity level, body weight, and other maternal characteristics. Results: For both black and white women, the most important variables in predicting postpartum weight loss were pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, parity, and prenatal exercise. After these factors were controlled, race predicted that black women retained 6.4 lb more than white women. These results may be due to the finding that black women reported significantly higher mean energy intake (2039 versus 1552 kcal, P \u3c .001), higher percent fat in diet (41 versus 38%, P \u3c .001), and significantly lower amounts of prenatal and postpartum activity. Conclusion: Higher energy intake and lower activity levels in black postpartum mothers compared with white mothers may contribute to the significantly higher rates of obesity found in black mothers. This study suggests the need for intervention strategies in the prenatal and postpartum periods to help those at risk of retaining weight gained during pregnancy

A three-way comparative genomic analysis of Mannheimia haemolytica isolates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Mannhemia haemolytica </it>is a Gram-negative bacterium and the principal etiological agent associated with bovine respiratory disease complex. They transform from a benign commensal to a deadly pathogen, during stress such as viral infection and transportation to feedlots and cause acute pleuropneumonia commonly known as shipping fever. The U.S beef industry alone loses more than one billion dollars annually due to shipping fever. Despite its enormous economic importance there are no specific and accurate genetic markers, which will aid in understanding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of <it>M. haemolytica </it>at molecular level and assist in devising an effective control strategy.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>During our comparative genomic sequence analysis of three <it>Mannheimia haemolytica </it>isolates, we identified a number of genes that are unique to each strain. These genes are "high value targets" for future studies that attempt to correlate the variable gene pool with phenotype. We also identified a number of high confidence single nucleotide polymorphisms (hcSNPs) spread throughout the genome and focused on non-synonymous SNPs in known virulence genes. These SNPs will be used to design new hcSNP arrays to study variation across strains, and will potentially aid in understanding gene regulation and the mode of action of various virulence factors.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>During our analysis we identified previously unknown possible type III secretion effector proteins, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated sequences (Cas). The presence of CRISPR regions is indicative of likely co-evolution with an associated phage. If proven functional, the presence of a type III secretion system in <it>M. haemolytica </it>will help us re-evaluate our approach to study host-pathogen interactions. We also identified various adhesins containing immuno-dominant domains, which may interfere with host-innate immunity and which could potentially serve as effective vaccine candidates.</p

Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of INEBRIA

CITATION: Watson, R., et al. 2016. Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of INEBRIA. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 11:13, doi:10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9.The original publication is available at https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.comENGLISH SUMMARY : Meeting abstracts.https://ascpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13722-016-0062-9Publisher's versio

Expression and localization of creatine kinase in the preimplantation embryo.

Creatine Kinase (CK) catalyses the "creatine shuttle," the reversible conversion of creatine phosphate to creatine with the liberation of ATP. This article examines the potential role of the creatine shuttle in the provision of ATP during mouse preimplantation embryo development. Using quantitative PCR, transcripts of four subunit isoforms of CK--CKM, CKB, CKMT1, and CKMT2--were detectable at all developmental stages, from the presumptive zygote to late blastocyst, but there was no obvious pattern in gene expression. By contrast, total CK biochemical activity, measured by a novel method, was relatively constant from the 2- to 8-cell stage, before exhibiting a significant decrease in activity at the blastocyst stage. Immunocytochemical studies revealed a marked association of CKB with the mitotic spindle in 2- and 4-cell mouse embryos, consistent with the proposition that the creatine shuttle plays a key role in local delivery of ATP during cytokinesis. Endogenous creatine was detected in the blastocyst at a level of 0.53 pmol/embryo. In conclusion, we believe that creatine phosphate can now be added to the list of potential sources of ATP during preimplantation development