Expression and proteolytic cleavage of Lav, a putative virulence autotransporter of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae [abstract]

Abstract only availableHaemophilus influenzae, a gram negative coccobacillus, is part of the normal flora of the human upper respiratory tract. Unencapsulated (nontypeable) strains of H. influenzae (NTHi) cause pneumonia, sinusitis, and otitis media, and complicate chronic lung disease. Strain R2866 is unusually invasive and was isolated from a child with meningitis. R2866 and many other NTHi have a gene termed lav, whose encoded protein belongs to the family of virulence-associated autotransporters. A nearly identical gene is found in the meningococcus, which obtained it by horizontal transmission from H. influenzae. Lav is a phase-variable outer membrane protein, with the ON or OFF phase controlled by the number of tetranucleotide repeats downstream of the initiating codon. We are investigating the function and localization of Lav. Most H. influenzae autotransporters are adhesins. Lav is not a primary adhesin, but preliminary experiments suggest it may improve adherence to human lung tissue cells. Autotransporters consist of three primary domains, an N-terminal signal peptide, a C-terminal beta-barrel domain that forms a pore in the outer membrane, and a middle "passenger" domain that is the effector part of the protein and is exported through the pore. In most autotransporters, the "passenger" domain is proteolytically cleaved from the beta-domain, usually remaining bound at the cell surface. We are testing to see whether Lav is similarly cleaved, by comparing whole cell extracts, outer membrane fractions, and culture supernatants. Cell fractions are Western-blotted and probed with antibodies specific for the passenger domain or the C-terminus. Strains include R2866 with Lav in the ON and OFF phase, a phase-locked ON derivative of R2866, a null Lav mutant, and E coli and H. influenzae Rd engineered to express Lav. A 20-kDa fragment with the passenger N-terminal epitope was found in culture supernatants of strains expressing Lav but not in those of control non-expressing strains

Corporate Motives for Sport Sponsorship at Mid-Major Collegiate Athletic Departments

Sport sponsorship has become an increasingly important part of intercollegiate athletic revenue generation as universities have been forced to seek new and creative ways to fund their programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits, criteria, and company factors that lead local corporations to embark upon sport sponsorship agreements within a specific region of mid-major sized universities. Respondents were corporate decision-makers who had forged sponsorships with three mid-major schools. Results reveal that sponsors have clear motives and preferences when agreeing to sponsor sport. On-site signage and cost were identified as being the most important information listed. Additionally, it was found that sponsorship evaluation was measured by only 55% of those surveyed

Lead toxicity and genetics in Flint, MI

It has been well established that lead poisoning, as defined by the CDC as blood lead levels (BLLs) at or above 5 μg/dl, can lead to long-term neurotoxic effects in children and requires immediate treatment. As such, the CDC has long recommended clinicians’ assess to all patients for lead exposure and test BLLs for all at-risk patients. Furthermore, it is increasingly recognised that there is no safe level of lead for children due to the irreversible lifelong detrimental effects of lead exposure.2,3 Since the disaster of lead contaminated drinking water in Flint, MI has been uncovered, action has been taken to test children for lead poisoning. However, when children are tested and results show that lead levels are below the 5 μg/dl criteria no further follow-up is conducted with these children, as they are deemed ‘healthy’. This practice is problematic, given that other studies have shown that blood lead levels, even at rates lower than the poison range can be detrimental to a child’s health. The estimated population of Flint is ~99,002, with about 27% of the residents categorised as children under the age of 18 years. Therefore, more than ~26,730 children, of whom 60% are African Americans (N=16,038), have been exposed to environmental lead in the drinking water.National Institute of Nursing Research (U.S.) (Grant NR013520

A perspective for sequencing familial hypercholesterolaemia in African Americans

African Americans suffer disproportionately from poor cardiovascular health outcomes despite similar proportions of African Americans and Americans of European ancestry experiencing elevated cholesterol levels. Some of the variation in cardiovascular outcomes is due to confounding effects of other risk factors, such as hypertension and genetic influence. However, genetic variants found to contribute to variation in serum cholesterol levels in populations of European ancestry are less likely to replicate in populations of African ancestry. To date, there has been limited follow-up on variant discrepancies or on identifying variants that exist in populations of African ancestry. African and African-American populations have the highest levels of genetic heterogeneity, which is a factor that must be considered when evaluating genetic variants in the burgeoning era of personalised medicine. Many of the large published studies identifying genetic variants associated with disease risk have evaluated populations of mostly European ancestry and estimated risk in other populations based on these findings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective, using familial hypercholesterolaemia as an exemplar, that studies evaluating genetic variation focused within minority populations are necessary to identify factors that contribute to disparities in health outcomes and realise the full utility of personalised medicine

Association of depressive symptoms and social support on blood pressure among urban African American women and girls

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between depressive symptoms and perceived social support on blood pressure in African American women. Data sources: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 159 African American women from multiple sites in the Detroit Metro area. Conclusions: Results from this study found that both higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure were positively associated with higher depressive symptom scores ( r = .20 and .18, p < .05). Higher depressive symptoms scores were, in turn, significantly associated with lower social support scores ( r =–.44, p < .001). However, total social support scores were not significantly correlated with blood pressure readings. Higher depressive symptom scores were associated with increased systolic blood pressure independent of social support. Implications for practice: Findings of the present study suggest the importance of appropriate social support to help alleviate depressive symptoms. However, to effectively control blood pressure in patients with depressive symptoms, other pathophysiologic mechanisms between depressive symptoms and elevated blood pressures independent of social support should be examined in future research. Future studies should consider a cohort design to examine the temporal relationship of depressive symptoms, social support, and blood pressure readings.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79330/1/j.1745-7599.2010.00565.x.pd

Genome Sequencing Technologies and Nursing

Background Advances in DNA sequencing technology have resulted in an abundance of personalized data with challenging clinical utility and meaning for clinicians. This wealth of data has potential to dramatically impact the quality of healthcare. Nurses are at the focal point in educating patients regarding relevant healthcare needs; therefore, an understanding of sequencing technology and utilizing these data are critical. Aim The objective of this study was to explicate the role of nurses and nurse scientists as integral members of healthcare teams in improving understanding of DNA sequencing data and translational genomics for patients. Approach A history of the nurse role in newborn screening is used as an exemplar. Discussion This study serves as an exemplar on how genome sequencing has been utilized in nursing science and incorporates linkages of other omics approaches used by nurses that are included in this special issue. This special issue showcased nurse scientists conducting multi-omic research from various methods, including targeted candidate genes, pharmacogenomics, proteomics, epigenomics, and the microbiome. From this vantage point, we provide an overview of the roles of nurse scientists in genome sequencing research and provide recommendations for the best utilization of nurses and nurse scientists related to genome sequencing

Educating Future Nursing Scientists: Recommendations for Integrating Omics Content in PhD Programs

Preparing the next generation of nursing scientists to conduct high-impact, competitive, sustainable, innovative, and interdisciplinary programs of research requires that the curricula for PhD programs keep pace with emerging areas of knowledge and health care/biomedical science. A field of inquiry that holds great potential to influence our understanding of the underlying biology and mechanisms of health and disease is omics. For the purpose of this article, omics refers to genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, exposomics, microbiomics, and metabolomics. Traditionally, most PhD programs in schools of nursing do not incorporate this content into their core curricula. As part of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science\u27s Idea Festival for Nursing Science Education, a work group charged with addressing omics preparation for the next generation of nursing scientists was convened. The purpose of this article is to describe key findings and recommendations from the work group that unanimously and enthusiastically support the incorporation of omics content into the curricula of PhD programs in nursing. The work group also calls to action faculty in schools of nursing to develop strategies to enable students needing immersion in omics science and methods to execute their research goals