Utilization of Student Community Health Projects in an Outpatient Primary Care Office

Clinical sites for family medicine clerkship have accumulated several years of student community health projects, many of which are written patient education materials. Anonymous surveys elicited the perspectives of medical professionals and faculty on the utilization of these projects in their medical practice. Medical professionals thought the community health projects were valuable educational experiences but cited lack of time as a barrier to utilization in patient care.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1720/thumbnail.jp

A novel regulator of the p53-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway

The p53 tumor suppressor protein induces apoptosis in response to genotoxic and environmental stress. Recent studies have revealed the existence of a transcription-independent mitochondrial p53 apoptosis pathway, however the mechanism regulating p53 translocation to mitochondria and subsequent initiation of apoptosis was not known. Here, we show that Tid1, also known as mtHsp40 or Dnaja3, interacts with p53 and directs its translocation to mitochondria in cells exposed to hypoxia. Overexpression of Tid1 in tumor cells promoted mitochondrial localization of both wildtype and mutant forms of p53 and was able to restore the pro-apoptotic activity of mutant p53 proteins that were otherwise unable to induce apoptosis. Tid1's mitochondrial signal sequence and DnaJ domain were both required for the movement of the p53-Tid1 complex from the cytosol to the mitochondria. Our findings establish Tid1 as a novel regulator of p53 localization and apoptotic function

The HIV epidemic in Botswana and gender inequalities: a way forward

The Botswana HIV/AIDS epidemic started in the early 1990s, with the proportion of the overall population infected with HIV (prevalence) rapidly escalating to 28.2% by the year 2000. Today, HIV prevalence has decreased to 23%, yet Botswana has the third highest percentage of HIV infected population in the world. The HIV epidemic in Botswana is in need of attention, but prevalence alone does not represent the full picture. HIV incidence (the rate of new infections and a critical indicator of success of HIV prevention programs) peaked in Botswana around 1996 at 5.7% and has declined to about 2.72% today. Botswana's two most effective programs in its response to the epidemic have been provision of universal HIV treatment and prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) programs, which have achieved over 95% coverage for all eligible patients. These two programs largely account for Botswana's rapid decline in HIV prevalence and incidence rates. However, females have continually had higher rates of prevalence and incidence than males throughout the course of Botswana's epidemic. In order to continue these declining rates of infection, Botswana may consider redoubling its efforts around HIV prevention. Women and young adolescent girls have not been the main beneficiaries of prevention programs. Women are more susceptible to HIV infection biologically and more vulnerable to infection due to social determinants, most notably their lack of empowerment and control in sexual partnerships. The main social drivers of the HIV epidemic in Botswana have been concurrent partnerships, sexual assault, cross-generational sex, and transactional sex. These drivers increase risk of HIV infection particularly for women. Botswana has implemented promising national prevention programs focused on HIV counseling and testing, consistent condom use, decreased concurrent partnerships, and male circumcision. However, the Botswana legal system reinforces gender inequalities, further increasing women's risk for HIV infection. In Botswana's law, martial rape, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence are not criminalized. Further, sex with minors and sexual assault are not strictly enforced. Sex work is illegal and stigmatized, and thus sex workers are not receiving appropriate support in HIV prevention. This high-risk population accounts for only 1.65% of the general population but will account for 6.38% of new HIV infections. The HIV treatment and PMTCT programs have decreased HIV incidence, but Botswana may consider increasing its behavioral prevention programs to regard gender norms and reforming legislation to protect women and young girls. This paper recommends behavioral prevention programs through increased youth education programs, women empowerment programs, access to sexual and reproductive health care, and male involvement in sexual and reproductive health. Further, it is recommended that policy makers focus on reforming civil legislation and bolstering enforcement of existing laws that protect women from violence. The key to successful scale-up of behavioral prevention in Botswana will be community-driven HIV initiatives and strong leadership from community leaders and members of parliament, including women

Spatiotemporal variability in the O-18-salinity relationship of seawater across the tropical Pacific Ocean

The relationship between salinity and the stable oxygen isotope ratio of seawater (δ18Osw) is of utmost importance to the quantitative reconstruction of past changes in salinity from δ18O values of marine carbonates. This relationship is often considered to be uniform across water masses, but the constancy of the δ18Osw-salinity relationship across space and time remains uncertain, as δ18Osw responds to varying atmospheric vapor sources and pathways, while salinity does not. Here we present new δ18Osw-salinity data from sites spanning the tropical Pacific Ocean. New data from Palau, Papua New Guinea, Kiritimati, and Galápagos show slopes ranging from 0.09 ‰/psu in the Galápagos to 0.32‰/psu in Palau. The slope of the δ18Osw-salinity relationship is higher in the western tropical Pacific versus the eastern tropical Pacific in observations and in two isotope-enabled climate model simulations. A comparison of δ18Osw-salinity relationships derived from short-term spatial surveys and multiyear time series at Papua New Guinea and Galápagos suggests spatial relationships can be substituted for temporal relationships at these sites, at least within the time period of the investigation. However, the δ18Osw-salinity relationship varied temporally at Palau, likely in response to water mass changes associated with interannual El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, suggesting nonstationarity in this local δ18Osw-salinity relationship. Applying local δ18Osw-salinity relationships in a coral δ18O forward model shows that using a constant, basinwide δ18Osw-salinity slope can both overestimate and underestimate the contribution of δ18Osw to carbonate δ18O variance at individual sites in the western tropical Pacific.We are grateful for the dedicated water samplers who enabled this research: Lori J. Bell and Gerda Ucharm of the Coral Reef Research Foundation, Palau; Rosa Maritza Motoche Gonzalez and the Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador; Taonateiti Kabiri and the students of Tennessee Primary School, London, Kiritimati; and the Manus Weather Observers, U.S. Department of Energy ARM Climate Research Facility, Manus, Papua New Guinea. We would like to thank the Galapagos National Park, the Kiritimati Ministry of Environment Lands and Agricultural Development for sample permits, and the Charles Darwin Research Station for logistical support. Funding sources for this work includes NSF-AGS-PF 1049664 to J.L.C., NSF P2C2-1203785 to K.M.C., J.L.C., and D.N. This research was also supported by the Office of Biological and Environment Research of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility. Isotope data are available as supporting information associated with the manuscript. (1049664 - NSF-AGS-PF; P2C2-1203785 - NSF; Office of Biological and Environment Research of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility

Functional redundancy between trans-Golgi network SNARE family members in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background Vesicle fusion is an essential process for maintaining the structure and function of the endomembrane system. Fusion is mediated by t-SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) fusion proteins on the target membrane and v-SNAREs on the vesicle membrane; v-and t-SNAREs interact with each other, driving vesicle fusion with the target membrane. The Arabidopsis thaliana trans-Golgi network resident SNAREs SYP41 and VTI12, along with YKT61/62, have been shown to function in vesicle fusion in vitro, consistent with immunoprecipitation results showing their interaction in Arabidopsis cell extracts. Conflicting published results have indicated that SYP4 family members are either functionally redundant or have distinct and essential functions; the reason for this discrepancy is unclear. Results Here we used a proteoliposome fusion assay to demonstrate that SYP42 and SYP43 can substitute for SYP41 in driving lipid mixing, providing support for functional overlap between family members. Previous reports have also suggested that VTI11 and VTI12 SNAREs show partial overlap in function, despite having mostly distinct localizations and binding partners. We show that VTI11 can substitute for VTI12 in in vitro lipid mixing reactions, providing molecular support for the genetic evidence for partial functional redundancy in vivo. Conclusions Our data provide biochemical evidence for functional overlap in membrane fusion between members of the SYP4 or VTI1 SNARE groups, supporting previous genetic data suggesting redundancy

Tropical arboreal ants: why so abundant?

Book ChapterANTS ARE AMONG the most numerous and readily observed arthropods of tropical forests. Indeed, based on their standing biomass and many effects on other species, ants (Formicidae) are arguably the dominant arthropod family in the canopies of lowland rain forest trees (Tobin 1995). Others have tried to account for the remarkable abundances of arboreal ants in canopy arthropod samples (see especially the works of Majer 1990 and Tobin 1991, 1994), and we attempt to extend these explanations here using stable isotopes to diagnose the trophic specializations of the most abundant ant taxa. We begin with a review of ant diversity and abundance in the tropical arboreal zone

Cellular Scale Anisotropic Topography Guides Schwann Cell Motility

Directed migration of Schwann cells (SC) is critical for development and repair of the peripheral nervous system. Understanding aspects of motility specific to SC, along with SC response to engineered biomaterials, may inform strategies to enhance nerve regeneration. Rat SC were cultured on laminin-coated microgrooved poly(dimethyl siloxane) platforms that were flat or presented repeating cellular scale anisotropic topographical cues, 30 or 60 µm in width, and observed with timelapse microscopy. SC motion was directed parallel to the long axis of the topography on both the groove floor and the plateau, with accompanying differences in velocity and directional persistence in comparison to SC motion on flat substrates. In addition, feature dimension affected SC morphology, alignment, and directional persistence. Plateaus and groove floors presented distinct cues which promoted differential motility and variable interaction with the topographical features. SC on the plateau surfaces tended to have persistent interactions with the edge topography, while SC on the groove floors tended to have infrequent contact with the corners and walls. Our observations suggest the capacity of SC to be guided without continuous contact with a topographical cue. SC exhibited a range of distinct motile morphologies, characterized by their symmetry and number of extensions. Across all conditions, SC with a single extension traveled significantly faster than cells with more or no extensions. We conclude that SC motility is complex, where persistent motion requires cellular asymmetry, and that anisotropic topography with cellular scale features can direct SC motility

Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom: A SWOT Analysis of a Multi-State Literacy Train-the-Trainer Program

Early childhood professionals attending in-depth literacy training have been shown to gain knowledge and change classroom practices. These early childhood professionals play an important role in children’s literacy development. In this multi-state study, the effectiveness and usability of the Literacy in the Early Childhood Classroom training curriculum was evaluated using a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. Eleven early childhood trainers participated in a train-the-trainer program and taught the literacy series to 238 early childhood professionals in four states. Participants attending the training series demonstrated significant knowledge gains on concepts related to oral language, phonological awareness, reading and vocabulary, and emergent writing. Trainers provided insights on successes of the literacy training series and what could be changed to improve the implementation and delivery of the series. Strengths of the training series included ease of implementing the training and strong supporting materials such as videos and children’s books. Weaknesses of the series included program length and the need for concept clarity among some trainers. Opportunities included streamlining the training content and providing trainers with additional support prior to training implementation. Potential threats include the need to align the training curriculum to match different states’ standards and childcare training policies