Protective factors related to antisocial behavior trajectories

A group of 115 fifth- and sixth-grade Latino students were surveyed at the beginning and the end of the school year before their transition to middle or junior-high school about their engagement in antisocial behaviors and about individual, social, and behavioral protective factors. The best predictors of decreases in antisocial behavior for these students, above and beyond variance for initial ratings and gender, were student perceptions of social support, parent supervision, and classroom participation. The importance of keeping students engaged in school academic work as a protection against antisocial behavior is emphasized as well as the need to help students gain skills necessary to access support for this academic work.     

Should patients with polycystic ovary syndrome be treated with metformin? Benefits of insulin sensitizing drugs in polycystic ovary syndrome--beyond ovulation induction

The debate on metformin use in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has mainly focused on its treatment for infertility in ovulation induction and menstrual cyclicity. Here we will summarize the data supporting the effect of metformin on improving hyperandrogenaemia and hyperinsulinaemia in PCOS patients. We propose that metformin benefits PCOS patients undergoing gonadotrophin therapy and IVF as well as ovulation induction. We also advocate the use of insulin sensitizing drugs to reduce miscarriage rates, and risks associated with coronary artery disease, gestational diabetes and obesity.     

Fibroblast growth factor-2 in remodeling of the developing basement membrane zone in the trachea of infant rhesus monkeys sensitized and challenged with allergen

SUMMARY: Remodeling of the epithelial basement membrane zone (BMZ) involves increased deposition of collagen, resulting in thickening of the BMZ. The current study focuses on fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) in the tracheal BMZ in house dust mite allergen (HDMA)-sensitized infant rhesus monkeys, challenged with HDMA at a time when the BMZ is undergoing active postnatal development. To detect structural changes in the BMZ, we measured collagens I, III, and V. To detect changes in the function of the BMZ, we measured immunoreactivity of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan, perlecan, and FGF-2. We found significant thickening of the tracheal BMZ (p < 0.05) with each of these parameters. We also found that all HDMA tracheal samples expressed thin focal areas of the BMZ associated with leukocyte trafficking. These areas were depleted of perlecan and FGF-2; however, increased FGF-2 immunoreactivity was present in the adjacent basal cells. We conclude that basal cells and FGF-2 are involved with significant remodeling of the BMZ in the developing trachea of infant rhesus monkeys exposed to HDMA.     

Training Community Health Workers: Factors that Influence Mammography Use

The purpose of this study was to assess factors that influence mammography use among volunteer community health workers (CHWs). Data trends indicate lower mammography rates among minority and low-income women. Although CHW interventions have been shown to promote mammography use among this population, training strategies and the use of a comprehensive needs assessment are lacking. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected via a mailed survey. The dependent variable was mammography use within the past 2 years. The independent variables were categorized according to the factors in the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Predisposing factors included susceptibility, barriers, benefits, health motivation, self-efficacy, education, and age. Enabling factors included income, health insurance, and regular source of care. Reinforcing factors included physician recommendation to get a mammogram, social norms, and family history of breast cancer. Self-reported data from a mailed survey were obtained from a convenience sample of urban CHWS (N = 109) ages 40–73 with a mean age of 55 (SD = 9.43). The sample included 90% African American and 8% White women. Logistic regression results showed barriers to be predictive of mammography use among CHWs controlling for age, self-efficacy, health motivation, and social norms. The findings suggest CHW training focus on how to identify and address barriers to increase the likelihood of mammography use among CHWs. Future research is needed to identify cultural differences in barriers for minority CHWs.     

The interaction of exposure to adverse childhood and combat experiences on the current mental health of new post-9/11 veterans

Military veterans have greater exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than civilians and many also encounter warfare exposures, which can increase the likelihood of mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to test an interaction between childhood traumas and warfare exposures on the mental health of a sample of nearly 10,000 new post-9/11 veterans. Results revealed that male veterans exposed to one or two ACEs, but no warfare, were more likely to experience anxiety, depression, suicidal thinking, and angry outbursts than the reference group (i.e., no ACEs and no warfare exposure). Female veterans exposed to one or two ACEs, but no warfare, were only more likely to experience suicidal thinking. Male and female veterans exposed to three or more ACEs and no warfare were more likely to experience probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, suicidality, and angry outbursts. Among those veterans who experienced corollaries of combat only (e.g., seeing someone killed or seriously wounded), male, but not female veterans were more likely to have probable PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Veterans exposed to warfare (i.e., combat and the corollaries of combat), irrespective of ACEs exposure, were the most likely to report mental health symptoms. Implications for community-based mental health services are discussed.     

Stable integration vector for nutrient broth-based selection of attenuated Listeria monocytogenes strains with recombinant antigen expression

Recombinant Listeria monocytogenes strains induce strong cellular immune responses and may prove useful for antigen delivery for the vaccination of humans. However, the genetic systems currently available for the stable expression of recombinant antigens by L. monocytogenes rely on the use of antibiotic resistance genes. We report on a derivative, pPL2dalGlnA, of the Listeria monocytogenes pPL2 integration vector that completely lacks drug resistance genes. The selectable markers in pPL2dalGlnA are glutamine synthetase (GlnA) and alanine racemase (Dal). This novel vector was stably maintained in auxotropic L. monocytogenes strains that normally require d-alanine. The pPL2dalGlnA vector also partially restored the ability of an L. monocytogenes Deltadal Deltadat strain to colonize the spleens and livers of infected mice. A novel, highly attenuated strain of L. monocytogenes with quadruple deletions was also engineered by deleting the L. monocytogenes actA and plcB virulence genes from a Deltadal Deltadat strain. Infection of mice with recombinants of this mutant strain that express the antigen from pPL2dalGlnA were shown to elicit CD8(+) T-cell responses to human immunodeficiency virus Tat. This vector system is thus useful for stable antigen expression and vaccination studies.     

Mississippi Elementary School Teachers' Perspectives on Providing Nutrition Competencies under the Framework of Their School Wellness Policy

ObjectiveIdentify elementary teachers' implementation of nutrition competencies as part of their school wellness policies (SWP) guided by Organizational Change Theory (OCT) constructs.MethodsA 32-item, cross-sectional survey was distributed through a Web link e-mailed to teachers in Mississippi public elementary schools. Response rate was 34% (n = 947) from 30 schools. Principal component factor analysis for inter-item correlations and theoretical fit to OCT was used with internal consistency reliability coefficients determined using Cronbach's α for Likert-type scales.ResultsA majority of teachers (85.5%) favors their SWPs and has transitioned through the unfreezing stage. Lack of teacher input, time, resources, and recognition for providing nutrition education reflects that teachers do not have support for transitioning through the moving stage.Conclusions and ImplicationsUse of evaluation tools to facilitate teachers' progress through the moving stage into the refreezing stage would be advantageous in supporting organizational change as school administrations implement SWPs.     

In a model of immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IGH)/MYC translocation, the Igh 3' regulatory region induces MYC expression at the immature stage of B cell development

Reciprocal translocations involving the immunoglobulin loci and the cellular oncogene MYC are hallmark mutations of the human postgerminal center B cell neoplasm, Burkitt's lymphoma. They are occasionally found in other B cell lymphomas, as well. Translocations involving the heavy chain locus (IGH) place the MYC gene either in cis with both the intronic enhancer Emu and the IGH 3' regulatory region (3'RR) or in cis with only the 3'RR. The result is deregulated MYC expression. Recent studies have led to some controversy as to when, during B lymphocyte development, IGH/MYC chromosome translocations take place. A related issue, relevant not only to lymphoma development but also to normal controls on IGH gene expression, is the stage, during B lymphocyte development, at which the 3'RR is capable of activating MYC expression. We have developed mice transgenic for a human MYC (hMYC) gene under control of the four core enhancers from the mouse Igh 3'RR. Unlike other transgenic mouse models where premature and inappropriate MYC expression disrupts normal B cell development, the hMYC transgene in these studies carries a mutation that prohibits MYC protein synthesis. As a result, hMYC expression can be analyzed in all of the normal B cell compartments. Our data show that hMYC is expressed almost exclusively in B-lineage cells and is induced to high levels as soon as bone marrow cells reach the immature B cell stage.