Evaluation of harmful algal bloom outreach activities

This is the final version of the article. Available from MDPI via the link in this record.With an apparent increase of harmful algal blooms (HABs) worldwide, healthcare providers, public health personnel and coastal managers are struggling to provide scientifically-based appropriately-targeted HAB outreach and education. Since 1998, the Florida Poison Information Center-Miami, with its 24 hour/365 day/year free Aquatic Toxins Hotline (1-888-232-8635) available in several languages, has received over 25,000 HAB-related calls. As part of HAB surveillance, all possible cases of HAB-related illness among callers are reported to the Florida Health Department. This pilot study evaluated an automated call processing menu system that allows callers to access bilingual HAB information, and to speak directly with a trained Poison Information Specialist. The majority (68%) of callers reported satisfaction with the information, and many provided specific suggestions for improvement. This pilot study, the first known evaluation of use and satisfaction with HAB educational outreach materials, demonstrated that the automated system provided useful HAB-related information for the majority of callers, and decreased the routine informational call workload for the Poison Information Specialists, allowing them to focus on callers needing immediate assistance and their healthcare providers. These results will lead to improvement of this valuable HAB outreach, education and surveillance tool. Formal evaluation is recommended for future HAB outreach and educational materials.The funding for this study was provided by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Taskforce, as well as the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Oceans and Human Health Center at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School (NSF 0CE0432368; NIEHS 1 P50 ES12736), the former National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School (NIEHS P30ES05705), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Red Tide POI (P01 ES 10594)

Recognition of Face Identity and Emotion in Expressive Specific Language Impairment

Objective: To study face and emotion recognition in children with mostly expressive specific language impairment (SLI-E). Subjects and Methods: A test movie to study perception and recognition of faces and mimic-gestural expression was applied to 24 children diagnosed as suffering from SLI-E and an age-matched control group of normally developing children. Results: Compared to a normal control group, the SLI-E children scored significantly worse in both the face and expression recognition tasks with a preponderant effect on emotion recognition. The performance of the SLI-E group could not be explained by reduced attention during the test session. Conclusion: We conclude that SLI-E is associated with a deficiency in decoding non-verbal emotional facial and gestural information, which might lead to profound and persistent problems in social interaction and development. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Roles for a Lipid Phosphatase in the Activation of its Opposing Lipid Kinase

Fig4 is a phosphoinositide phosphatase that converts PI3,5P2 to PI3P. Paradoxically, mutation of Fig4 results in lower PI3,5P2, indicating that Fig4 is also required for PI3,5P2 production. Fig4 promotes elevation of PI3,5P2, in part, through stabilization of a protein complex that includes its opposing lipid kinase, Fab1, and the scaffold protein Vac14. Here we show that multiple regions of Fig4 contribute to its roles in the elevation of PI3,5P2: Its catalytic site, an N-terminal disease-related surface, and a C-terminal region. We show that mutation of the Fig4 catalytic site enhances the formation of the Fab1-Vac14-Fig4 complex, and reduces the ability to elevate PI3,5P2. This suggests that independent of its lipid phosphatase function, the active site plays a role in the Fab1-Vac14-Fig4 complex. We also show that the N-terminal disease-related surface contributes to the elevation of PI3,5P2 and promotes Fig4 association with Vac14 in a manner that requires the Fig4 C-terminus. We find that the Fig4 C-terminus alone interacts with Vac14 in vivo and retains some functions of full-length Fig4. Thus, a subset of Fig4 functions are independent of its phosphatase domain and at least three regions of Fig4 play roles in the function of the Fab1-Vac14-Fig4 complex

Comparison of web-based information about cell-free DNA prenatal screening: implications for differences of sex development care

ObjectiveCell-free DNA (cfDNA) prenatal screening is a commercially available noninvasive test that detects fetal genetic material in maternal blood. While expectant parents often use it for “gender” determination, there is little information about unintended consequences of testing, such as revelation of a difference of sex development (DSD). The study aimed to characterize currently available website information about cfDNA and compare the cfDNA-related content.MethodsA systematic search for websites with information about cfDNA was conducted using search terms generated by a natural language processing analysis of the results of an Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) survey of 1,000 parents and then performing a “Google” search, using the terms. Commercial cfDNA testing companies (CC) websites were also identified by consulting a genetic counselor (AGW). Data were collected on about each website’s characteristics and information about cfDNA. Information about cfDNA was compared between websites. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher’s exact test or Kruskal-Wallis test were applied, as appropriate.ResultsSixty websites were identified. After eliminating duplicates, 11 commercial company (CC) websites were identified. Nineteen other websites were reviewed of which six overlapped with five CC websites. Most of the websites had non-professional authors (73.7%), such as laypersons and CC representatives. CC websites were significantly more likely than search term-identified websites to state that cfDNA can screen for trisomy 21 (p=0.002), trisomy 18 (p<0.0001), trisomy 13 (p<0.001), sex chromosome aneuploidies (p<0.001), and microdeletions (p=0.002).ConclusionsThis study shows that most website currently available information for expectant parents about cfDNA prenatal screening is produced by non-professional organizations. There are significant differences between the information provided by CC and Google search websites, specifically about the number of conditions screened for by cfDNA. Improving availability and quality of information about cfDNA could improve counseling future expectant parents. Inclusion of information about the potential for detection of a DSD is needed

Door locks, wall stickers, fireplaces: Assemblage Theory and home (un)making in Lewisham’s temporary accommodation

This paper explores resident experiences of life in PLACE/Ladywell, a “pop‐up” social housing scheme in London providing temporary accommodation for homeless families. Specifically, we consider barriers to, and assertions of, homemaking in this temporary setting through fixtures and fittings—a door lock, wall stickers, and a fireplace. The paper utilises assemblage thinking to understand homemaking within these time‐limited and constrained circumstances. Despite their seeming banality, fixtures and fittings offer a material, politicised, and lively means of studying the attempted and thwarted production of home by residents living in PLACE/Ladywell. The absence of door locks reduces parents’ ability to maintain privacy and intimate relations; restrictions on hanging pictures and other decorative measures are circumvented by the use of wall stickers; and a defiant decorative fireplace establishes a sense of home in a temporary setting. Together, these objects constitute vital elements in negotiations between fixity and impermanence in temporary accommodation

Serologic features of cohorts with variable genetic risk for systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. In Western Europe and North America, individuals of West African descent have a 3–4 fold greater incidence of SLE than Caucasians. Paradoxically, West Africans in sub-Saharan Africa appear to have a low incidence of SLE, and some studies suggest a milder disease with less nephritis. In this study, we analyzed sera from African American female SLE patients and four other cohorts, one with SLE and others with varying degrees of risk for SLE in order to identify serologic factors that might correlate with risk of or protection against SLE. Methods Our cohorts included West African women with previous malaria infection assumed to be protected from development of SLE, clinically unaffected sisters of SLE patients with high risk of developing SLE, healthy African American women with intermediate risk, healthy Caucasian women with low risk of developing SLE, and women with a diagnosis of SLE. We developed a lupus risk index (LRI) based on titers of IgM and IgG anti-double stranded DNA antibodies and levels of C1q. Results The risk index was highest in SLE patients; second highest in unaffected sisters of SLE patients; third highest in healthy African-American women and lowest in healthy Caucasian women and malaria-exposed West African women. Conclusion This risk index may be useful in early interventions to prevent SLE. In addition, it suggests new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of SLE.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143866/1/10020_2018_Article_19.pd

Estimation of interdomain flexibility of N-terminus of factor H using residual dipolar couplings

Characterization of segmental flexibility is needed to understand the biological mechanisms of the very large category of functionally diverse proteins, exemplified by the regulators of complement activation, that consist of numerous compact modules or domains linked by short, potentially flexible, sequences of amino acid residues. The use of NMR-derived residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), in magnetically aligned media, to evaluate interdomain motion is established but only for two-domain proteins. We focused on the three N-terminal domains (called CCPs or SCRs) of the important complement regulator, human factor H (i.e. FH1-3). These domains cooperate to facilitate cleavage of the key complement activation-specific protein fragment, C3b, forming iC3b that no longer participates in the complement cascade. We refined a three-dimensional solution structure of recombinant FH1-3 based on nuclear Overhauser effects and RDCs. We then employed a rudimentary series of RDC datasets, collected in media containing magnetically aligned bicelles (disk-like particles formed from phospholipids) under three different conditions, to estimate interdomain motions. This circumvents a requirement of previous approaches for technically difficult collection of five independent RDC datasets. More than 80% of conformers of this predominantly extended three-domain molecule exhibit flexions of < 40 °. Such segmental flexibility (together with the local dynamics of the hypervariable loop within domain 3), could facilitate recognition of C3b via initial anchoring and eventual reorganization of modules to the conformation captured in the previously solved crystal structure of a C3b:FH1-4 complex

Secondary Prevention of Suicide

Leo Sher and colleagues discuss recent research on interventions to prevent secondary suicide and discuss the additional research that is needed