Health of Philippine Emigrants Study (HoPES): study design and rationale.

BackgroundImmigrants to the United States are usually healthier than their U.S.-born counterparts, yet the health of immigrants declines with duration of stay in the U.S. This pattern is often seen for numerous health problems such as obesity, and is usually attributed to acculturation (the adoption of "American" behaviors and norms). However, an alternative explanation is secular trends, given that rates of obesity have been rising globally. Few studies of immigrants are designed to distinguish the effects of acculturation versus secular trends, in part because most studies of immigrants are cross-sectional, lack baseline data prior to migration, and do not have a comparison group of non-migrants in the country of origin. This paper describes the Health of Philippine Emigrants Study (HoPES), a study designed to address many of these limitations.MethodsHoPES is a dual-cohort, longitudinal, transnational study. The first cohort consisted of Filipinos migrating to the United States (n = 832). The second cohort consisted of non-migrant Filipinos who planned to remain in the Philippines (n = 805). Baseline data were collected from both cohorts in 2017 in the Philippines, with follow-up data collection planned over 3 years in either the U.S. for the migrant cohort or the Philippines for the non-migrant cohort. At baseline, interviewers administered semi-structured questionnaires that assessed demographic characteristics, diet, physical activity, stress, and immigration experiences. Interviewers also measured weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, and collected dried blood spot samples.DiscussionMigrants enrolled in the study appear to be representative of recent Filipino migrants to the U.S. Additionally, migrant and non-migrant study participants are comparable on several characteristics that we attempted to balance at baseline, including age, gender, and education. HoPES is a unique study that approximates a natural experiment from which to study the effects of immigration on obesity and other health problems. A number of innovative methodological strategies were pursued to expand the boundaries of current immigrant health research. Key to accomplishing this research was investment in building collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the U.S. and the Philippines with shared interest in the health of migrants

The neighborhood food environment: sources of historical data on retail food stores

With the rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity in the United States, and the minimal success of education-based interventions, there is growing interest in understanding the role of the neighborhood food environment in determining dietary behavior. This study, as part of a larger study, identifies historical data on retail food stores, evaluates strengths and limitations of the data for research, and assesses the comparability of historical retail food store data from a government and a commercial source. Five government and commercial listings of retail food stores were identified. The California State Board of Equalization (SBOE) database was selected and then compared to telephone business directory listings. The Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the congruency of food store counts per census tract between the SBOE and telephone business directory databases. The setting was four cities in Northern California, 1979–1990. The SBOE and telephone business directory databases listed 127 and 351 retail food stores, respectively. The SBOE listed 36 stores not listed by the telephone business directories, while the telephone business directories listed 260 stores not listed by the SBOE. Spearman's correlation coefficients between estimates of stores per census tract made from the SBOE listings and those made from the telephone business directory listings were approximately 0.5 (p < .0001) for the types of stores studied (chain supermarkets, small grocery stores, and chain convenience markets). We conclude that, depending on the specific aims of the study, caution and considerable effort must be exercised in using and applying historical data on retail food stores

High-Temperature Transport Properties of Yb4−xSmxSb3

Polycrystalline L4Sb3 (L = La, Ce, Sm, and Yb) and Yb4−x Sm x Sb3, which crystallizes in the anti-Th3P4 structure type (I-43d no. 220), were synthesized via high-temperature reaction. Structural and chemical characterization were performed by x-ray diffraction and electronic microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Pucks were densified by spark plasma sintering. Transport property measurements showed that these compounds are n-type with low Seebeck coefficients, except for Yb4Sb3, which shows semimetallic behavior with hole conduction above 523 K. By partially substituting Yb by a trivalent rare earth we successfully improved the thermoelectric figure of merit of Yb4Sb3 up to 0.7 at 1273 K

Vitamin D deficiency and prognostics among patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients with cancer has been previously reported. Because vitamin D is fat soluble, patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma may have an especially high risk of vitamin D deficiency in association with ongoing and varying degrees of malabsorption. However, little is known about the correlation between vitamin D status and prognosis in these patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of vitamin D status in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who were treated at Siteman Cancer Center. Patients’ demographic information, clinical staging at the time of vitamin D assessment, vitamin D levels, and survival data were collected. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level of less than 20 ng/mL, and vitamin D insufficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D level of between 20 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL. RESULTS: Between December 2007 and June 2011, 178 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma had their vitamin D levels checked at the time of initial visit at this center. Of these 178 patients, 87 (49%) had vitamin D deficiency, and 44 (25%) had vitamin D insufficiency. The median 25(OH)D level was significantly lower among nonwhite patients and among patients with stage I and II disease. A 25(OH)D level of less than 20 ng/mL was found to be associated with poor prognosis (p = 0.0019) in patients with stage III and IV disease. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were prevalent among patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The vitamin D level appears to be prognostic for patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and its effects should be further examined in a prospective study

Structural and physical properties of layered oxy-arsenides LnRuAsO (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Gd)

Polycrystalline samples of LaRuAsO, NdRuAsO, SmRuAsO, and GdRuAsO have been synthesized and studied using powder x-ray diffraction, electrical transport, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements. Variations in structural properties across the series reveal a trend toward more ideal tetrahedral coordination around Ru as the size of the rare earth element is reduced. The lattice parameters of these Ru compounds show a more anisotropic response to variation in Ln than their Fe analogues, and significant anisotropy in thermal expansion is also observed. Transport measurements show metallic behavior, and carrier concentrations near 10^21 - 10^22 electrons per cm^3 are inferred from simple analysis of Hall effect measurements. Anomalies in resistivity, magnetization, and heat capacity indicate antiferromagnetic ordering of rare earth moments at 5 K for GdRuAsO, 4.5 K for SmRuAsO, and <2 K for NdRuAsO. Magnetization measurements on LaRuAsO show no evidence of a magnetic moment on Ru. Observed behaviors are compared to those reported for similar Fe and Ru compounds

Twisted topological structures related to M-branes

Studying the M-branes leads us naturally to new structures that we call Membrane-, Membrane^c-, String^K(Z,3)- and Fivebrane^K(Z,4)-structures, which we show can also have twisted counterparts. We study some of their basic properties, highlight analogies with structures associated with lower levels of the Whitehead tower of the orthogonal group, and demonstrate the relations to M-branes.Comment: 17 pages, title changed on referee's request, minor changes to improve presentation, typos correcte

Scalar conservation laws with nonconstant coefficients with application to particle size segregation in granular flow

Granular materials will segregate by particle size when subjected to shear, as occurs, for example, in avalanches. The evolution of a bidisperse mixture of particles can be modeled by a nonlinear first order partial differential equation, provided the shear (or velocity) is a known function of position. While avalanche-driven shear is approximately uniform in depth, boundary-driven shear typically creates a shear band with a nonlinear velocity profile. In this paper, we measure a velocity profile from experimental data and solve initial value problems that mimic the segregation observed in the experiment, thereby verifying the value of the continuum model. To simplify the analysis, we consider only one-dimensional configurations, in which a layer of small particles is placed above a layer of large particles within an annular shear cell and is sheared for arbitrarily long times. We fit the measured velocity profile to both an exponential function of depth and a piecewise linear function which separates the shear band from the rest of the material. Each solution of the initial value problem is non-standard, involving curved characteristics in the exponential case, and a material interface with a jump in characteristic speed in the piecewise linear case

Aging Affects KV7 Channels and Perivascular Adipose Tissue-Mediated Vascular Tone

Aging is an independent risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality. However, detailed mechanisms linking aging to cardiovascular disease are unclear. We studied the aging effects on the role of perivascular adipose tissue and downstream vasoconstriction targets, voltage-dependent KV7 channels, and their pharmacological modulators (flupirtine, retigabine, QO58, and QO58-lysine) in a murine model. We assessed vascular function of young and old mesenteric arteries in vitro using wire myography and membrane potential measurements with sharp electrodes. We also performed bulk RNA sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests in mesenteric arteries and perivascular adipose tissue to elucidate molecular underpinnings of age-related phenotypes. Results revealed impaired perivascular adipose tissue-mediated control of vascular tone particularly via KV7.3–5 channels with increased age through metabolic and inflammatory processes and release of perivascular adipose tissue-derived relaxation factors. Moreover, QO58 was identified as novel pharmacological vasodilator to activate XE991-sensitive KCNQ channels in old mesenteric arteries. Our data suggest that targeting inflammation and metabolism in perivascular adipose tissue could represent novel approaches to restore vascular function during aging. Furthermore, KV7.3–5 channels represent a promising target in cardiovascular aging