Improving Children’s Vegetable Taste Preferences: The Impact of a School-based taste Testing Pilot Program for Elementary School Students

Background: Despite the high nutritional content of vegetables, children do not eat them at optimal levels. Research has recommended that interventions aimed at increasing vegetable preferences among children be developed and evaluated. Purpose: This study describes an evidence- and theory-informed school-based vegetable taste testing pilot program for fourth and fifth grade students and reports evaluative findings. Methods: Pre and post structured interviews with N=36 students were conducted at a public school in southern Indiana in 2013-2014. Paired samples t-tests were performed for most outcome analyses. Process evaluation was conducted using multiple methods including feedback from school personnel, observation, and student taste testing tracking. Results: The program improved children’s familiarity with, perceptions of, and peer norms for most vegetables. It also improved children’s taste preference for one of the four vegetables. The program was feasible to implement with high levels of student participation. Conclusion: Results justify further research on taste testing programs as a promising intervention to improve children’s vegetable taste preferences and other determinants of vegetable consumption. Recommendations are provided to improve the utility of these programs

PhenDisco: phenotype discovery system for the database of genotypes and phenotypes.

The database of genotypes and phenotypes (dbGaP) developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is a resource that contains information on various genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and is currently available via NCBI's dbGaP Entrez interface. The database is an important resource, providing GWAS data that can be used for new exploratory research or cross-study validation by authorized users. However, finding studies relevant to a particular phenotype of interest is challenging, as phenotype information is presented in a non-standardized way. To address this issue, we developed PhenDisco (phenotype discoverer), a new information retrieval system for dbGaP. PhenDisco consists of two main components: (1) text processing tools that standardize phenotype variables and study metadata, and (2) information retrieval tools that support queries from users and return ranked results. In a preliminary comparison involving 18 search scenarios, PhenDisco showed promising performance for both unranked and ranked search comparisons with dbGaP's search engine Entrez. The system can be accessed at http://pfindr.net

33354 Efficacy of apremilast in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis assessed by the physician global assessment and body surface area composite tool: Post hoc analysis from ADVANCE

Background: In ADVANCE (NCT03721172), apremilast 30 mg BID (APR) demonstrated significantly greater sPGA response vs. PBO at Week 16 (22% vs. 4%; P \u3c.0001) in patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis. The Physician Global Assessment and Body Surface Area Composite Tool (PGA × BSA) is a simple, sensitive measure of psoriasis severity for patients with BSA\u3c10%. We performed a post hoc analysis of the efficacy results from ADVANCE using the PGA×BSA. Methods: This current post hoc analysis included all randomized patients. Missing data were imputed by multiple imputation. PGAxBSA-50/75/90 was 50%, 75% and 90% improvement in PGAxBSA from baseline. Results: Of 595 randomized patients (APR: 297; PBO: 298), baseline characteristics were similar for mean BSA (APR: 6.4; PBO: 6.3), sPGA score 2 (APR 31%; PBO: 31%), sPGA score 3 (APR: 69%; PBO: 70%), and mean PGA×BSA (APR: 17.6; PBO: 17.5). At Week 16, significantly more patients achieved PGAxBSA-50/75/90 response with APR vs. PBO: PGA×BSA-50, 67% vs. 26% (P \u3c.0001), difference 41%, 95%CI (32.7,48.5) PGA×BSA-75, 46% vs. 13% (P \u3c.0001), difference 33%, 95%CI (25.8,40.2) PGA×BSA-90, 27% vs. 3% (P \u3c.0001), difference 24%, 95%CI (18.3,29.6) A significant improvement from baseline at Week 16 in PGA×BSA was observed with APR vs PBO: Mean % change (SE) in PGA×BSA, -51.8 (4.2) vs. 1.97 (4.3); difference (95%CI): -53.8 (-65.4, -42.2), P \u3c.0001. Conclusions: The PGA×BSA Composite Tool appeared to be a sensitive and a relevant measure for mild-to-moderate psoriasis that showed significantly greater treatment differences at 50%, 75%, and 90% response thresholds at Week 16 with APR compared with PBO in ADVANCE

26085 Key efficacy and safety of apremilast in patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis in the phase 3 ADVANCE trial

Background: In ADVANCE, apremilast 30 mg BID (APR) demonstrated efficacy in mild-to-moderate psoriasis vs placebo (PBO). We report subgroup analyses by baseline psoriasis-involved BSA (≤5%, \u3e5%). Methods: Biologic-naive adults with mild-to-moderate psoriasis (sPGA 2-3, BSA 2%-15%, PASI 2-15) inadequately controlled with or intolerant to ≥1 topical were randomized to APR or PBO for 16 weeks. At Week 16, endpoints were compared between treatment groups and by baseline BSA. Results: At baseline, 284 patients had BSA ≤5% (APR: 143; PBO: 141); 311 had BSA \u3e5% (APR: 154; PBO: 157). Overall, a greater proportion of APR patients achieved the primary endpoint, sPGA response (score 0/1 [clear/almost clear] with ≥2-point reduction at Week 16) vs PBO (21.6% vs 4.1%, P 5%: 54.6% vs 14.9%, P 5%: 45.4% vs 17.6%, P 5%: 50.6% vs 19.2%, P 5%: 11.0 vs 10.0 DLQI 5-point improvement (baseline DLQI \u3e5): - BSA≤5%: 56.6% vs 31.2%, P =.0002 - BSA\u3e5%: 64.4% vs 36.4%, P ˂.0001. Conclusions: Greater proportions of patients achieved efficacy outcomes and greater improvements in QOL with APR vs PBO. Comparable improvements were observed between mild and moderate subgroups

The Effects of a Pressure Vest on Task Engagement, Challenging Behavior, and a Physiological Measure of Stress for a Child with Intellectual Disability

We examined the effect of wearing a pressurized vest, a commonly use sensory support, with one student who had disabilities and for whom this sensory support was indicated. Using single-case reversal design logic (A-B-C-A), we measured effects on both observable behavior and a physiological measure of arousal, electrodermal activity (EDA). Behavioral results indicated that the interventionist’s instructional practices affected the frequency of behaviors observed, but the pressure vest did not. EDA results were inconclusive but offered no significant indications of the pressurized vest affecting levels of arousal. We present the results of this study, its limitations, and a discussion of the use of these two measures in evaluating sensory-based therapies.Ope

Predicting Tumor Response in Breast Cancer Patients Using Diffuse Optical Tomography

Abstract: We have developed a diffuse optical tomography imaging system to track breast tumor progression in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Preliminary results have shown that tumor response can be predicted by the second week of treatment

The Grizzly, April 28, 1998

Cornel West to Speak at Commencement • Ursinus Class of \u2748 to Meet Class of \u2798 • Ursinus Security Officer Survives Motorcycle Accident • Editors Say Farewell • Politics Department Bids Farewell • Reflections From the Class of 1998 • Opinion: On Behalf of International Students • Recognition of the Arts at UC • A Minister\u27s Homecoming • The Great Pennsylvania Workout Day Comes to Ursinus • New Honor For Ursinus • Plans for New Fieldhouse Underway • Spring Fling • Ursinus Students Escape Velocity • Newt Recognizes Students • 1998 Graduation Activities • Ursinus Lacrosse Defeats Haverford College • Women\u27s Tennis: One Last Try • Softball Looking Strong in the Home Stretch • Baseball Closes Out Centennial Conference Play • UC Has Field Day at Millersville • Ursinus\u27 Tribute to Our Senior Spring Athleteshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1421/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, September 15, 1998

Where\u27s Your Money Going? • Kenneth Starr\u27s XXX-Files • Pfahler Hall Renovations: The Sound of Progress • Opinion: Has America Sunk to the Level of Terrorists?; Academic Computing: Beneficial or Detrimental?; How Efficient Will the New Mail System Be? • Poets in Our Midst • RLO = One Big Happy Family • The Man from La Mancha has Gone Home • Addition Made to the History Department • Statues Breathe Life into Ursinus • Elyssa Rundle: The Spirit of the Paint • Big Big Band at UC • New Addition to Ursinus Training Staff • Men\u27s Soccer Plagued by Injuries • Football Back on Track • Women\u27s Soccer Shuts Out Washington • Field Hockey Drops Two Close Ones • Hinkle Named Player of the Week • UC Cross Country • UC Volleyball Improves to 7-1https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1423/thumbnail.jp

The Gene vitellogenin Has Multiple Coordinating Effects on Social Organization

Temporal division of labor and foraging specialization are key characteristics of honeybee social organization. Worker honeybees (Apis mellifera) initiate foraging for food around their third week of life and often specialize in collecting pollen or nectar before they die. Variation in these fundamental social traits correlates with variation in worker reproductive physiology. However, the genetic and hormonal mechanisms that mediate the control of social organization are not understood and remain a central question in social insect biology. Here we demonstrate that a yolk precursor gene, vitellogenin, affects a complex suite of social traits. Vitellogenin is a major reproductive protein in insects in general and a proposed endocrine factor in honeybees. We show by use of RNA interference (RNAi) that vitellogenin gene activity paces onset of foraging behavior, primes bees for specialized foraging tasks, and influences worker longevity. These findings support the view that the worker specializations that characterize hymenopteran sociality evolved through co-option of reproductive regulatory pathways. Further, they demonstrate for the first time how coordinated control of multiple social life-history traits can originate via the pleiotropic effects of a single gene that affects multiple physiological processes