Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Safe Sleep Among Preconception Adolescents​

Introduction–To protect against SUID/SIDS, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released recommendations on creating a safe sleep environment. Studies about teen parents indicate gaps in knowledge regarding infant safe sleep practices, however there are no published studies about adolescents who are preconception. The objective of this stud is to investigate adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding infant safe sleep practices prior to conceiving. Methods–This was a cross-sectional study of adolescents aged 14-22 years recruited from two outpatient primary care pediatric sites in Southern NJ. Following consent, participants completed a 27-question survey about infant safe sleep practices. For analysis, a knowledge score was calculated on a scale of 1-100% and differences by ethnicity, race, age, gender, and caregiver experience were evaluated. Results–A total of 147 subjects were enrolled. Forty-three participants (27.9%) self-identified as Hispanic or Latino, 53 (39.0%) as Black or African American, and 65 (47.8%) as Caucasian. The mean knowledge scores were 47.25%, 55%, and 53.33% for Blacks, Caucasians, and other races, respectively (p=.009). There were no significant differences in knowledge scores between gender, age group, Hispanic ethnicity, or caregiver experience. Eighty-two subjects (55%) identified preconception as an ideal time period to learn about safe sleep practices. Discussion–A significant knowledge gap was observed among subjects, and Black subjects had the lowest knowledge scores. Most adolescents identified preconception as an ideal time period to learn about infant safe sleep practices. Safe sleep promotion may be enhanced through SUID/SIDS education in high schools, or conversations during adolescent well visits

Multisite Phosphorylation of the Sum1 Transcriptional Repressor by S-Phase Kinases Controls Exit from Meiotic Prophase in Yeast.

Activation of the meiotic transcription factor Ndt80 is a key regulatory transition in the life cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae because it triggers exit from pachytene and entry into meiosis. The NDT80 promoter is held inactive by a complex containing the DNA-binding protein Sum1 and the histone deacetylase Hst1. Meiosis-specific phosphorylation of Sum1 by the protein kinases Cdk1, Ime2, and Cdc7 is required for NDT80 expression. Here, we show that the S-phase-promoting cyclin Clb5 activates Cdk1 to phosphorylate most, and perhaps all, of the 11 minimal cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) phospho-consensus sites (S/T-P) in Sum1. Nine of these sites can individually promote modest levels of meiosis, yet these sites function in a quasiadditive manner to promote substantial levels of meiosis. Two Cdk1 sites and an Ime2 site individually promote high levels of meiosis, likely by preparing Sum1 for phosphorylation by Cdc7. Chromatin immunoprecipitation reveals that the phosphorylation sites are required for removal of Sum1 from the NDT80 promoter. We also find that Sum1, but not its partner protein Hst1, is required to repress NDT80 transcription. Thus, while the phosphorylation of Sum1 may lead to dissociation from DNA by influencing Hst1, it is the presence of Sum1 on DNA that determines whether NDT80 will be expressed

Predictive validity of a brief antiretroviral adherence index: Retrospective cohort analysis under conditions of repetitive administration

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Newer antiretroviral (ARV) agents have improved pharmacokinetics, potency, and tolerability and have enabled the design of regimens with improved virologic outcomes. Successful antiretroviral therapy is dependent on patient adherence. In previous research, we validated a subset of items from the ACTG adherence battery as prognostic of virologic suppression at 6 months and correlated with adherence estimates from the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). The objective of the current study was to validate the longitudinal use of the Owen Clinic adherence index in analyses of time to initial virologic suppression and maintenance of suppression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>278 patients (naïve n = 168, experienced n = 110) met inclusion criteria. Median [range] time on the first regimen during the study period was 286 (30 – 1221) days. 217 patients (78%) achieved an undetectable plasma viral load (pVL) at median 63 days. 8.3% (18/217) of patients experienced viral rebound (pVL > 400) after initial suppression. Adherence scores varied from 0 – 25 (mean 1.06, median 0). The lowest detectable adherence score cut point using this instrument was ≥ 5 for both initial suppression and maintenance of suppression. In the final Cox model of time to first undetectable pVL, controlling for prior treatment experience and baseline viral load, the adjusted hazard ratio for time updated adherence score was 0.36_{score ≥ 5}(95% CI: 0.19–0.69) [reference: <5]. In the final generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic regression model the adjusted odds ratio for time-updated adherence score was 0.17_{score ≥ 5}(0.05–0.66) [reference: <5].</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A brief, longitudinally administered self report adherence instrument predicted both initial virologic suppression and maintenance of suppression in patients using contemporary ARV regimens. The survey can be used for identification of sub-optimal adherence with subsequent appropriate intervention.</p

Esquema de Multiresolução para Aplicações Geométricas em Tempo Real

Este artigo descreve um novo esquema multiresolução que manipula a geometria e topologia duma forma separada. A sua estrutura de dados designa-se por estrutura de dados baseada na aresta fantasma. Este esquema recorre a um critério topológico (não a um critério geométrico, como e ́ usual) para simplificar a malha mais rapidamente, o que deixa em aberto a sua utilização em aplicações em tempo real

Convergent evolution of water conducting cells in Marchantia recruited the ZHOUPI gene promoting cell wall reinforcement and programmed cell death

A key adaptation of plants to life on land is the formation of water conducting cells (WCC) for efficient long-distance water transport. Based on morphological analyses it is thought that WCC have evolved independently on multiple occasions. For example, WCC have been lost in all but a few lineages of bryophytes but strikingly, within the liverworts a derived group, the complex thalloids, has evolved a novel externalised water conducting tissue composed of reinforced, hollow cells termed pegged rhizoids. Here we show that pegged rhizoid differentiation in Marchantia polymorpha is controlled by orthologues of the ZHOUPI and ICE bHLH transcription factors required for endosperm cell death in Arabidopsis seeds. By contrast, pegged rhizoid development was not affected by disruption of MpNAC5, the Marchantia orthologue of the VND genes that control WCC formation in flowering plants. We characterize the rapid, genetically controlled programmed cell death process that pegged rhizoids undergo to terminate cellular differentiation, and identify a corresponding upregulation of conserved putative plant cell death effector genes. Lastly, we show that ectopic expression of MpZOU1 increases production of pegged rhizoids and enhances drought tolerance. Our results support that pegged rhizoids having evolved independently of other WCC. We suggest that elements of the genetic control of developmental cell death are conserved throughout land plants and that the ZHOUPI/ICE regulatory module has been independently recruited to promote cell wall modification and programmed cell death in liverwort rhizoids and in the endosperm of flowering plant seed

Citizen Science applied to building healthier community environments::advancing the field through shared construct and measurement development

Background Physical inactivity across the lifespan remains a public health issue for many developed countries. Inactivity has contributed considerably to the pervasiveness of lifestyle diseases. Government, national and local agencies and organizations have been unable to systematically, and in a coordinated way, translate behavioral research into practice that makes a difference at a population level. One approach for mobilizing multi-level efforts to improve the environment for physical activity is to engage in a process of citizen science. Citizen Science here is defined as a participatory research approach involving members of the public working closely with research investigators to initiate and advance scientific research projects. However, there are no common measures or protocols to guide citizen science research at the local community setting. Objectives We describe overarching categories of constructs that can be considered when designing citizen science projects expected to yield multi-level interventions, and provide an example of the citizen science approach to promoting PA. We also recommend potential measures across different levels of impact. Discussion Encouraging some consistency in measurement across studies will potentially accelerate the efficiency with which citizen science participatory research provides new insights into and solutions to the behaviorally-based public health issues that drive most of morbidity and mortality. The measures described in this paper abide by four fundamental principles specifically selected for inclusion in citizen science projects: feasibility, accuracy, propriety, and utility. The choice of measures will take into account the potential resources available for outcome and process evaluation. Our intent is to emphasize the importance for all citizen science participatory projects to follow an evidence-based approach and ensure that they incorporate an appropriate assessment protocol. Conclusions We provided the rationale for and a list of contextual factors along with specific examples of measures to encourage consistency among studies that plan to use a citizen science participatory approach. The potential of this approach to promote health and wellbeing in communities is high and we hope that we have provided the tools needed to optimally promote synergistic gains in knowledge across a range of Citizen Science participatory projects

Community-Based Approaches to Reducing Health Inequities and Fostering Environmental Justice through Global Youth-Engaged Citizen Science

Growing socioeconomic and structural disparities within and between nations have created unprecedented health inequities that have been felt most keenly among the world’s youth. While policy approaches can help to mitigate such inequities, they are often challenging to enact in under-resourced and marginalized communities. Community-engaged participatory action research provides an alternative or complementary means for addressing the physical and social environmental contexts that can impact health inequities. The purpose of this article is to describe the application of a particular form of technology-enabled participatory action research, called the Our Voice citizen science research model, with youth. An overview of 20 Our Voice studies occurring across five continents indicates that youth and young adults from varied backgrounds and with interests in diverse issues affecting their communities can participate successfully in multiple contributory research processes, including those representing the full scientific endeavor. These activities can, in turn, lead to changes in physical and social environments of relevance to health, wellbeing, and, at times, climate stabilization. The article ends with future directions for the advancement of this type of community-engaged citizen science among young people across the socioeconomic spectrum

All Is Not Loss: Plant Biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Anthropogenic global changes in biodiversity are generally portrayed in terms of massive native species losses or invasions caused by recent human disturbance. Yet these biodiversity changes and others caused directly by human populations and their use of land tend to co-occur as long-term biodiversity change processes in the Anthropocene. Here we explore contemporary anthropogenic global patterns in vascular plant species richness at regional landscape scales by combining spatially explicit models and estimates for native species loss together with gains in exotics caused by species invasions and the introduction of agricultural domesticates and ornamental exotic plants. The patterns thus derived confirm that while native losses are likely significant across at least half of Earth's ice-free land, model predictions indicate that plant species richness has increased overall in most regional landscapes, mostly because species invasions tend to exceed native losses. While global observing systems and models that integrate anthropogenic species loss, introduction and invasion at regional landscape scales remain at an early stage of development, integrating predictions from existing models within a single assessment confirms their vast global extent and significance while revealing novel patterns and their potential drivers. Effective global stewardship of plant biodiversity in the Anthropocene will require integrated frameworks for observing, modeling and forecasting the different forms of anthropogenic biodiversity change processes at regional landscape scales, towards conserving biodiversity within the novel plant communities created and sustained by human systems