Evaluation Results of an Innovative Pilot Program to Increase Access to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in Cobb County, GA

Background: This abstract describes a public health practice initiative called the Farm Fresh Market (FFM) and presented pilot evaluation results. Methods: The FFM, developed by Cobb and Douglas Public Health, the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA, and Cobb2020, sold low-cost fruits and vegetables to families living in the 30168 zip code of Austell, Georgia. The evaluation focused on documenting to what extent the FFM reached its intended population and increased perceived access to fresh fruits and vegetables among customers. A convenience sample of 100 returning FFM customers completed self-administered, written intercept surveys at the end of the 2014 market season. Results: The market served customers from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Most customers strongly agreed that the FFM made it easier (69%) and less expensive (79%) for them to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and easier for them (63%) and their families (64%) to eat a healthy diet. Most customers reported that they ate more vegetables (65%) and fruit (55%) as a result of shopping at the FFM and reported high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of the FFM. Conclusions: The results suggest that the FFM served customers from the local area and that the FFM may have increased perceived access to healthy food options among customers. Community-level interventions to increase access to healthy foods may play an important role in chronic disease prevention

Lanthanoid “Bottlebrush” Clusters: Remarkably Elongated Metal-Oxo Core Structures with Controllable Lengths

Large metal-oxo clusters consistently assume spherical or regular polyhedral morphologies rather than high-aspect-ratio structures. Access to elongated core structures has now been achieved by the reaction of lanthanoid salts with a tetrazole-functionalized calixarene in the presence of a simple carboxylate coligand.The resulting Ln19 and Ln12 clusters are constructed from apex-fused Ln5O6 trigonal bipyramids and are formed consistently under a range of reaction conditions and reagent ratios. Altering the carboxylate coligandstructure reliably controls the cluster length, giving access to a new class of rod-like clusters of variable length

Attention bias to emotional faces varies by IQ and anxiety in Williams syndrome

Individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) often experience significant anxiety. A promising approach to anxiety intervention has emerged from cognitive studies of attention bias to threat. To investigate the utility of this intervention in WS, this study examined attention bias to happy and angry faces in individuals with WS (N=46). Results showed a significant difference in attention bias patterns as a function of IQ and anxiety. Individuals with higher IQ or higher anxiety showed a significant bias toward angry, but not happy faces, whereas individuals with lower IQ or lower anxiety showed the opposite pattern. These results suggest that attention bias interventions to modify a threat bias may be most effectively targeted to anxious individuals with WS with relatively high IQ

Association Between Hypertension and Diabetes Control and COVID‐19 Severity: National Patient‐Centered Clinical Research Network, United States, March 2020 to February 2022

Background Hypertension and diabetes are associated with increased COVID‐19 severity. The association between level of control of these conditions and COVID‐19 severity is less well understood. Methods and Results This retrospective cohort study identified adults with COVID‐19, March 2020 to February 2022, in 43 US health systems in the National Patient‐Centered Clinical Research Network. Hypertension control was categorized as blood pressure (BP) <130/80, 130 to 139/80 to 89, 140 to 159/90 to 99, or ≥160/100 mm Hg, and diabetes control as glycated hemoglobin <7%, 7% to <9%, ≥9%. Adjusted, pooled logistic regression assessed associations between hypertension and diabetes control and severe COVID‐19 outcomes. Among 1 494 837 adults with COVID‐19, 43% had hypertension and 12% had diabetes. Among patients with hypertension, the highest baseline BP was associated with greater odds of hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.23–1.37] for BP ≥160/100 versus BP <130/80), critical care (aOR, 1.30 [95% CI, 1.21–1.40]), and mechanical ventilation (aOR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.17–1.50]) but not mortality (aOR, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.98–1.12]). Among patients with diabetes, the highest glycated hemoglobin was associated with greater odds of hospitalization (aOR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.47–1.76] for glycated hemoglobin ≥9% versus <7%), critical care (aOR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.31–1.54]), mechanical ventilation (aOR, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.02–1.23]), and mortality (aOR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.09–1.27]). Black and Hispanic adults were more likely than White adults to experience severe COVID‐19 outcomes, independent of comorbidity score and control of hypertension or diabetes. Conclusions Among 1.5 million patients with COVID‐19, higher BP and glycated hemoglobin were associated with more severe COVID‐19 outcomes. Findings suggest that adults with poorest control of hypertension or diabetes might benefit from efforts to prevent and initiate early treatment of COVID‐19

Regulatory T cells promote myelin regeneration in the central nervous system

Regeneration of CNS myelin involves differentiation of oligodendrocytes from oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. In multiple sclerosis, remyelination can fail despite abundant oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, suggesting impairment of oligodendrocyte differentiation. T cells infiltrate the CNS in multiple sclerosis, yet little is known about T cell functions in remyelination. We report that regulatory T cells (T$_{reg}$) promote oligodendrocyte differentiation and (re)myelination. T$_{reg}$-deficient mice exhibited substantially impaired remyelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation, which was rescued by adoptive transfer of T$_{reg}$. In brain slice cultures, T$_{reg}$ accelerated developmental myelination and remyelination, even in the absence of overt inflammation. T$_{reg}$ directly promoted oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation and myelination in vitro. We identified CCN3 as a T$_{reg}$-derived mediator of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in vitro. These findings reveal a new regenerative function of T$_{reg}$ in the CNS, distinct from immunomodulation. Although the cells were originally named 'T$_{reg}$' to reflect immunoregulatory roles, this also captures emerging, regenerative T$_{reg}$ functions.This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J01026X/1 and BB/N003721/1, to D.C.F.), The Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2014-390, to Y.D.), QUB (QUB - Lucy McGuigan Bequest, to D.C.F.), The UK Multiple Sclerosis Society (941 and 50, to R.J.M.F. and C.Z.), MRC UK Regenerative Medicine platform (MR/KO26666/1, to A.C.W.), University of Edinburgh Wellcome Trust Multi User Equipment Grant (WT104915MA, to A.C.W.), by a core support grant from the Wellcome Trust and MRC to the Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (097922/Z/11/Z to R.J.M.F.), studentship support from Dept. for the Economy (Northern Ireland) and British Pathological Society, US National Multiple Sclerosis Society (RG5203A4, to J.R.C.), NIH/NINDS (NS095889, to J.R.C.), NIH/NIGMS IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellowship (K12GM081266, to S.R.M.) and Wellcome Trust (110138/Z/15/Z, to D.C.F.)

Surveillance of dengue fever virus: A review of epidemiological models and early warning systems

Dengue fever is one of the world’s most important vector-borne diseases. The transmission area of this disease continues to expand due to many factors including urban sprawl, increased travel and global warming. Current preventative techniques are primarily based on controlling mosquito vectors as other prophylactic measures, such as a tetravalent vaccine are unlikely to be available in the foreseeable future. However, the continually increasing dengue incidence suggests that this strategy alone is not sufficient. Epidemiological models attempt to predict future outbreaks using information on the risk factors of the disease. Through a systematic literature review, this paper aims at analyzing the different modeling methods and their outputs in terms of accurately predicting disease outbreaks. We found that many previous studies have not sufficiently accounted for the spatio-temporal features of the disease in the modeling process. Yet with advances in technology, the ability to incorporate such information as well as the socio-environmental aspect allowed for its use as an early warning system, albeit limited geographically to a local scale