Effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in recruitment success for a prebirth cohort.

IntroductionWe describe the effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in supporting recruitment for the US National Children's Vanguard Study between 2009 and 2012.MethodsThirty-seven study locations used 1 of 4 strategies to recruit 18-49-year-old pregnant or trying to conceive women: (1) Initial Vanguard Study used household-based recruitment; (2) Direct Outreach emphasized self-referral; (3) Enhanced Household-Based Recruitment enhanced Initial Vanguard Study strategies; and (4) Provider-Based Recruitment recruited through healthcare providers. Outreach and engagement included advance letters, interactions with healthcare providers, participation in community events, contacts with community organizations, and media outreach.ResultsAfter 1-2 years, 41%-74% of 9844 study-eligible women had heard about the National Children's Vanguard Study when first approached. Women who heard were 1.5-3 times more likely to consent. Hearing via word-of-mouth or the media most frequently predicted consent. The more sources women heard from the higher the odds of consent.ConclusionsWe conclude that tailored outreach and engagement facilitate recruitment in cohort studies

Extra-familial social factors and obesity in the Hispanic Community Children’s Health Study/Study of Latino Youth

Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately affected by obesity. However, how social factors outside of the family relate to Hispanic/Latino youth obesity is not well understood. We examined associations of extra-familial social factors with overweight/obesity prevalence, and their variation by sex and age, in 1444 Study of Latino Youth participants [48.6% female; 43.4% children (8–11 years); 56.6% adolescents (12–16 years)], who were offspring of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos participants. Youth self-reported general social support from friends, dietary-, and physical activity (PA)-specific support from peers, and awareness/internalization of thinness ideals. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 85th percentile. Logistic regression models assessed effects of social factors and their interactions with age-group and sex, adjusting for potential confounders. Social support from friends interacted with both age and sex in relation to overweight/obesity. Female children who reported lesser (OR 0.60; 95% CI [0.39, 0.91]) and female adolescents who reported greater (OR 1.35; 95% CI [1.06, 1.74]) social support from friends had higher odds of overweight/obesity. Among males, greater awareness/internalization of thinness ideals related to higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR 2.30; 95% CI [1.59, 3.31]). Awareness/internalization of thinness ideals was not associated with overweight/obesity among females. Dietary and PA-specific peer support did not relate to overweight/obesity. Social support from friends and awareness/internalization of thinness ideals were significantly related to odds of overweight/obesity in Hispanic/Latino youth; associations varied by age and sex, and persisted after control for intra-familial factors (overall family support/function; diet and activity specific support)

Short-Lived Trace Gases in the Surface Ocean and the Atmosphere

The two-way exchange of trace gases between the ocean and the atmosphere is important for both the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere and the biogeochemistry of the oceans, including the global cycling of elements. Here we review these exchanges and their importance for a range of gases whose lifetimes are generally short compared to the main greenhouse gases and which are, in most cases, more reactive than them. Gases considered include sulphur and related compounds, organohalogens, non-methane hydrocarbons, ozone, ammonia and related compounds, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Finally, we stress the interactivity of the system, the importance of process understanding for modeling, the need for more extensive field measurements and their better seasonal coverage, the importance of inter-calibration exercises and finally the need to show the importance of air-sea exchanges for global cycling and how the field fits into the broader context of Earth System Science

Diversité et écologie des Trentepohliales (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) dans la Guyane française.

Les Trentepohliales, ordre subaérien d\u27algue verte, a son centre d\u27abondance et de diversité dans les tropiques. Cependant, très peu d\u27investigations détaillées sur la taxonomie de ce groupe est disponible pour les régions tropicales. Les récoltes faites lors d\u27une excursion en Guyane française en juin 2006 a révélé une très haute diversité des Trentepohliales dans la région. 28 taxa ont été identifiés; beaucoup d\u27entre eux sont associés aux habitats des forêts tropicales humides et ombragées. Deux espèces non décrites (Trentepohlia chapmanii et T. infestans) ont été trouvées et 5 taxa sont nouveaux pour les Amériques (Phycopeltis irregularis, Printzina bosseae, Trentepohilia cucullata, T. diffracta var. colorata, T. dusenii). Sur la base de ces résultats et des données de la littérature, la flore des Trentepohliacées de Guyane française s\u27élève à 29 taxa. En comparaison avec d\u27autres aires tropicales, cette flore est particulièrement riche ; la Guyane française peut donc être considérée comme un hotspot de biodiversité pour les Trentepohliales. La combinaison d\u27un climat très humide et pluvieux avec une très grande richesse d\u27habitats procure des conditions optimales pour le développement de ces algues. Les résultats de cette étude ajoutés à ceux déjà connus indiquent que les forêts tropicales humides représentent un dépôt majeur de la diversité microalgale inexplorée et qu\u27il est urgent d\u27intensifier les investigations de la flore microalgale de ces environnements.The subaerial green algal order Trentepohliales has its centre of abundance and diversity in the tropics. However, very few detailed investigations on the taxonomy of this group are available for tropical regions. Collections made in the course of a fieldtrip to French Guiana in June 2006 have revealed a very high diversity of the Trentepohliales in the region. Twenty-eight taxa were recorded; many of them were associated with humid and shaded rainforest habitats. Two undescribed species (Trentepohlia chapmanii and T. infestans) were found and five taxa represented new records for the Americas (Phycopeltis irregularis, Printzina bosseae, Trentepohlia cucullata, T. diffracta var. colorata, T. dusenii). On the basis of these results and literature data, the trentepohliacean flora of French Guiana amounts to twenty-nine taxa. Comparison with other tropical areas shows that this is a particularly high number; French Guiana can be therefore considered a biodiversity hotspot for the Trentepohliales. The combination of a highly humid and rainy climate with a high richness of habitats provides very suitable conditions for the development of these algae. Combined with evidence from other studies, the results indicate that tropical rainforests represent a major repository of unexplored microalgal diversity and that extensive investigations on the microalgal flora of these environments are urgently needed.</p

Genetic variability of Phytophthora sojae isolates from Argentina

Phytophthora sojae causes root and stem rot, one of the most important diseases of soybean worldwide. Genetic diversity of 32 Phytophthora sojae isolates of different geographic origin from Argentina was evaluated with RAPD markers. The isolates were collected from diseased soybean plants and soil samples from Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Entre Ríos provinces, in the Pampeana Region. DNA was amplified with 20 decanucleotides primers. Seven primers amplified 49 fragments, of which 35 were polymorphic, indicating high variability. RAPD analysis detected intraspecific variability even among isolates of the same geographic origin. © 2007 by The Mycological Society of America.Fil:Gally, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Ramos, A.M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Dokmetzian, D. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Lopez, S.E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in recruitment success for a prebirth cohort.

IntroductionWe describe the effectiveness of community outreach and engagement in supporting recruitment for the US National Children's Vanguard Study between 2009 and 2012.MethodsThirty-seven study locations used 1 of 4 strategies to recruit 18-49-year-old pregnant or trying to conceive women: (1) Initial Vanguard Study used household-based recruitment; (2) Direct Outreach emphasized self-referral; (3) Enhanced Household-Based Recruitment enhanced Initial Vanguard Study strategies; and (4) Provider-Based Recruitment recruited through healthcare providers. Outreach and engagement included advance letters, interactions with healthcare providers, participation in community events, contacts with community organizations, and media outreach.ResultsAfter 1-2 years, 41%-74% of 9844 study-eligible women had heard about the National Children's Vanguard Study when first approached. Women who heard were 1.5-3 times more likely to consent. Hearing via word-of-mouth or the media most frequently predicted consent. The more sources women heard from the higher the odds of consent.ConclusionsWe conclude that tailored outreach and engagement facilitate recruitment in cohort studies

The assimilation of western medicine into a semi-nomadic healthcare system: A case study of the indigenous Aeta Magbukún, Philippines

The Aeta Magbukún are a genetically and culturally distinct group of Indigenous people living in an isolated mountain forest in the municipality of Mariveles, in the province of Bataan, Philippines. This research aims to document some healthcare related information of the people, inform future decisions regarding maximising benefits of modern conveniences, and minimise negative consequences on their culture and health. Using an ethnographic approach, data were collated from a community health survey in combination with field notes from three of the co-authors while living with the Aetas. Despite major implications from rapid ecological and cultural changes, traditional ethnomedical systems continue to be revered as an essential healing practice, although they are increasingly used in conjunction with Western medicines and healthcare. At the Aeta village level, the changing socio-political influence among the kagun (traditional healer), the NGOs, and the Municipal Council in terms of healthcare provision is pivotal, as the kagun has chosen to integrate the Western medicine and healthcare services into their traditional healthcare system, without simply rejecting them. In turn, Western-style healthcare interventions have the potential to be carefully managed to integrate traditional Aeta Magbukún socio-political structures, healthcare, and cultural continuity. The cumulative influence of numerous other novel aspects to Aeta life (e.g., permanent housing, a highway through the village, literacy, cash economies, energy-dense foods, communication/entertainment devices, etc.) will place additional pressure on the traditional ethnomedical healthcare system. However, enabling the continuity of access to appropriate healthcare knowledge (both the transfer of knowledge from Western medicine to the Aeta Magbukún, and vice versa) can assist many cultures through the inherent stresses of increasingly rapid acculturation and development

Extra-familial social factors and obesity in the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth

Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately affected by obesity. However, how social factors outside of the family relate to Hispanic/Latino youth obesity is not well understood. We examined associations of extra-familial social factors with overweight/obesity prevalence, and their variation by sex and age, in 1444 Study of Latino Youth participants [48.6% female; 43.4% children (8-11 years); 56.6% adolescents (12-16 years)], who were offspring of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos participants. Youth self-reported general social support from friends, dietary-, and physical activity (PA)-specific support from peers, and awareness/internalization of thinness ideals. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index ≥ 85th percentile. Logistic regression models assessed effects of social factors and their interactions with age-group and sex, adjusting for potential confounders. Social support from friends interacted with both age and sex in relation to overweight/obesity. Female children who reported lesser (OR 0.60; 95% CI [0.39, 0.91]) and female adolescents who reported greater (OR 1.35; 95% CI [1.06, 1.74]) social support from friends had higher odds of overweight/obesity. Among males, greater awareness/internalization of thinness ideals related to higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR 2.30; 95% CI [1.59, 3.31]). Awareness/internalization of thinness ideals was not associated with overweight/obesity among females. Dietary and PA-specific peer support did not relate to overweight/obesity. Social support from friends and awareness/internalization of thinness ideals were significantly related to odds of overweight/obesity in Hispanic/Latino youth; associations varied by age and sex, and persisted after control for intra-familial factors (overall family support/function; diet and activity specific support)