Field Testing Adolescent Females for Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Over-fatness and poor cardiovascular (CV) fitness are well-documented risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults, but less is known about their association with disease risk in adolescents. This study aimed to determine the relationship between anthropometrics, fitness, and CVD risk. Six anthropometric indicators of body fatness, seven measures of fitness, and seven metabolic and hemodynamic CVD risk factors were measured in a convenience sample of 28 female high school students (15-18 years of age). A tally was made of the number of factors for which each subject was outside the normal reference range (CVD risk). Correlation analyses were completed to determine the association between CVD risk and other study variables and regression analyses were completed to determine if any fitness or anthropometric variables were significant predictors of CVD risk. All anthropometric indicators of fatness were highly significantly correlated with CVD risk (P≤0.0001), while only three fitness variables reached a lower level of significance (P≤0.05). WC was the single best anthropometric or fitness predictor of the variance in CVD risk factors (r2=.742; p≤0.004). While SBP was the single best predictor of the variance in CVD risk when all study variables were considered (r2=.932; p≤0.0001). Anthropometric indicators of body fatness were more significantly associated with and predictive of CVD risk compared to fitness variables in a convenience sample of 28 female high school students. Non-invasive measures that are easily obtained in the school setting may be useful in identifying adolescent females at high risk for developing CVD

Differential Effect of TLR2 and TLR4 on the Immune Response after Immunization with a Vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis or Bordetella pertussis

Neisseria meningitidis and Bordetella pertussis are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens that can cause serious diseases in humans. N. meningitidis outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines and whole cell pertussis vaccines have been successfully used in humans to control infections with these pathogens. The mechanisms behind their effectiveness are poorly defined. Here we investigated the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 in the induction of immune responses in mice after immunization with these vaccines. Innate and adaptive immune responses were compared between wild type mice and mice deficient in TLR2, TLR4, or TRIF. TRIF-deficient and TLR4-deficient mice showed impaired immunity after immunization. In contrast, immune responses were not lower in TLR2−/− mice but tended even to be higher after immunization. Together our data demonstrate that TLR4 activation contributes to the immunogenicity of the N. meningitidis OMV vaccine and the whole cell pertussis vaccine, but that TLR2 activation is not required

Yoga Beats Stress Provides Protection Against Poor Mental Health Outcomes

Introduction: Sources of stress faced by adolescents today — gun violence, social media, and climate change — are increasing in intensity. Because it’s not possible to predict or eliminate these external stressors, adolescents would benefit from learning coping skills. This presents a growing need for stress management education aimed at lessening the effects of stress on the mental health of adolescents. This study is a pilot evaluation of a universal program, Yoga Beats Stress (YBS), developed for adolescents. YBS provides education on stress reduction strategies drawn from yoga, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Methods: A yoga instructor and a mental health practitioner taught the 8-week YBS program to a group of 10 adolescents. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys that included validated measures to detect changes in emotional regulation, stress levels, and mindfulness. Parent participation was encouraged for one group of adolescents. Bivariate analysis was conducted to determine whether participants experienced change after completion of YBS. Results: We did not see statistically significant improvement in stress levels or mindfulness for adolescents; however, participants experienced a moderate improvement in the emotional regulation domain of clarity, the ability to recognize and identify emotions (V=36; p\u3c0.05; d=0.64). Emotional clarity offers a protective effect for mental health as a lack of emotional clarity is considered a predictor of future depression. Additionally, parents experienced a significant and large improvement in stress (V=55; p\u3c0.05; d=1.06). Adolescents reported learning the most about their ability to use stress-reducing skills. Limitations and areas for future research will be discussed

Availability of pharmaceuticals in sub-Saharan Africa: Roles of the public, private and church mission sectors

Although the availability of pharmaceuticals is critical for both curative and preventive health care, drugs are, at best, sporadically available in governmental facilities in sub-Saharan Africa. The religious mission and private sectors are more successful than the public sector in obtaining and distributing drugs. The public sector operates under a myriad of constraints inherent in a bureaucracy; the religious missions have the advantages of better management and access to foreign currency; the private sector is innately efficient. Donor assistance to increase the availability of drugs in the public sector has included support for revolving drug funds, national drug services, the improvement of management techniques, and the local production of pharmaceuticals. None of these interventions has been notably successful. In 1987, UNICEF presented The Bamako Initiative--a proposal to launch an internationally-financed fund for essential drugs for sub-Saharan Africa. However, the proposal is unrealistic in anticipating that the requisite resources and/or hard currency can be raised to support the proposal. As the private sector is a more efficient distributor, it is recommended that the private sector be given responsibility for the distribution of drugs. Nonetheless, some governmental controls will be necessary to ensure that essential drugs are available at the least cost to the consumer.pharmaceutical availability private sector distribution financing essential drugs Bamako Initiative

Chlamydial Effector Proteins Localized to the Host Cell Cytoplasmic Compartment▿

Disease-causing microbes utilize various strategies to modify their environment in order to create a favorable location for growth and survival. Gram-negative bacterial pathogens often use specialized secretion systems to translocate effector proteins directly into the cytosol of the eukaryotic cells they infect. These bacterial proteins are responsible for modulating eukaryotic cell functions. Identification of the bacterial effectors has been a critical step toward understanding the molecular basis for the pathogenesis of the bacteria that use them. Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that have a type III secretion system believed to translocate virulence effector proteins into the cytosol of their host cells. Selective permeabilization of the eukaryotic cell membrane was used in conjunction with metabolic labeling of bacterial proteins to identify chlamydial proteins that localize within the cytosol of infected cells. More than 20 Chlamydia trachomatis and C. pneumoniae proteins were detected within the cytoplasmic compartment of infected cells. While a number of cytosolic proteins were shared, others were unique to each species, suggesting that variation among cytosolic chlamydial proteins contributes to the differences in the pathogenesis of the chlamydial species. The spectrum of chlamydial proteins exported differed concomitant with the progress of the developmental cycle. These data confirm that a dynamic relationship exists between Chlamydia and its host and that translocation of bacterial proteins into the cytosol is developmentally dependent

Recruitment of Mammalian Cell Fibronectin to the Surface of Chlamydia trachomatis

Pathogenic bacteria exploit the presence of various host cell molecules in order to colonize new tissues. Fibronectin is involved in a wide range of cell functions in vivo, and staphylococci, streptococci, and gonococci have evolved mechanisms to utilize this glycoprotein to mediate host cell binding. We show that elementary bodies (EB) from two biovars of Chlamydia trachomatis recruit fibronectin to their surfaces upon lysis of the host cell. We also demonstrate that a heparan sulfate lyase-sensitive molecule on chlamydial EB is responsible for binding at least a portion of this fibronectin

Linking Ecology and Epidemiology to Understand Predictors of Multi-Host Responses to an Emerging Pathogen, the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus

<div><p>Variation in host responses to pathogens can have cascading effects on populations and communities when some individuals or groups of individuals display disproportionate vulnerability to infection or differ in their competence to transmit infection. The fungal pathogen, <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> (Bd) has been detected in almost 700 different amphibian species and is implicated in numerous global amphibian population declines. Identifying key hosts in the amphibian-Bd system–those who are at greatest risk or who pose the greatest risk for others–is challenging due in part to many extrinsic environmental factors driving spatiotemporal Bd distribution and context-dependent host responses to Bd in the wild. One way to improve predictive risk models and generate testable mechanistic hypotheses about vulnerability is to complement what we know about the spatial epidemiology of Bd with data collected through comparative experimental studies. We used standardized pathogen challenges to quantify amphibian survival and infection trajectories across 20 post-metamorphic North American species raised from eggs. We then incorporated trait-based models to investigate the predictive power of phylogenetic history, habitat use, and ecological and life history traits in explaining responses to Bd. True frogs (<i>Ranidae</i>) displayed the lowest infection intensities, whereas toads (<i>Bufonidae</i>) generally displayed the greatest levels of mortality after Bd exposure. Affiliation with ephemeral aquatic habitat and breadth of habitat use were strong predictors of vulnerability to and intensity of infection and several other traits including body size, lifespan, age at sexual maturity, and geographic range also appeared in top models explaining host responses to Bd. Several of the species examined are highly understudied with respect to Bd such that this study represents the first experimental susceptibility data. Combining insights gained from experimental studies with observations of landscape-level disease prevalence may help explain current and predict future pathogen dynamics in the Bd system.</p></div