African-American Adolescents’ Weight Loss Skills Utilization: Effects on Weight Change in a Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial

Objective

Successful weight loss interventions for African-Americans adolescents are lacking. Cognitive-behavioral interventions seek to develop weight loss skills (e.g., counting calories, goal setting, managing one's environment). Little is known about how well adolescents implement such skills in their daily lives. Study aims were to (1) examine weight loss skills utilization at midpoint and end of a 6-month cognitive-behavioral/motivational interviewing weight loss sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART), and (2) determine if greater skill utilization predicted weight loss at treatment end and 3 months post-treatment.

Healthy choices: motivational enhancement therapy for health risk behaviors in HIV-positive youth.

This study piloted a brief individual motivational intervention targeting multiple health risk behaviors in HIV-positive youth aged 16-25. Interviews about sexual behavior and substance use and viral load testing were obtained from 51 HIV-positive youth at baseline and post intervention. Youth were randomized to receive a four-session motivational enhancement intervention (N = 25) or to a wait-list control (N = 26). Of the eligible youth approached, 88% agreed to participate, and 80% percent of participants completed at least three of four sessions. The treatment group showed significantly greater reductions in unprotected sex acts and in viral load compared with controls. Although change scores for substance use were not significantly different between the two groups, paired t tests demonstrated that reductions in alcohol use and marijuana use were significant for the treatment group at the trend level. There were no significant differences in substance use from baseline to posttest for the control group. Findings demonstrate the potential of a brief motivational enhancement intervention to improve health risk behaviors in HIV-positive youth. Larger randomized clinical trials are warranted. Resources required for retention should not be underestimated.     

Genetic Recombination in Escherichia coli: The Role of Exonuclease I

The indirect suppression of recB(-) and recB(-)recC(-) mutations by the sbcB(-) allele is caused by the loss of a nuclease active on denatured DNA. Results from enzyme purifications and studies with a specific antiserum demonstrate that the activity present in sbcB(+) strains, and lost in sbcB(-) strains, is exonuclease I. It is likely that sbcB is the structural gene for exonuclease I. The loss of exonuclease I activity restores the recombination proficiency of Escherichia coli cells that has been lost by mutations in the recB and/or recC genes. This indicates that in the absence of the recB-recC-determined enzyme, exonuclease I prevents recombination. Hypothetical pathways illustrating this conclusion are presented.     

Usefulness of the PARIS Score to Evaluate the Ischemic-hemorrhagic Net Benefit With Ticagrelor and Prasugrel After an Acute Coronary Syndrome

Introduction and objectives

The PARIS score allows combined stratification of ischemic and hemorrhagic risk in patients with ischemic heart disease treated with coronary stenting and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Its usefulness in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with ticagrelor or prasugrel is unknown. We investigated this issue in an international registry.

Properties of a mutant recA-encoded protein reveal a possible role for Escherichia coli recF-encoded protein in genetic recombination.

A mutation partially suppressing the UV sensitivity caused by recF143 in a uvrA6 background was located at codon 37 of recA where GTG (valine) became ATG (methionine). This mutation, originally named srf-803, was renamed recA803. Little if any suppression of the recF143 defect in UV induction of a lexA regulon promoter was detected. This led to the hypothesis that a defect in recombination repair of UV damage was suppressed by recA803. The mutant RecA protein (RecA803) was purified and compared with wild-type protein (RecA+) as a catalyst of formation of joint molecules. Under suboptimal conditions, RecA803 produces both a higher rate of formation and a higher yield of joint molecules. The suboptimal conditions tested included addition of single-stranded DNA binding protein to single-stranded DNA prior to addition of RecA. We hypothesize that the ability of RecA803 to overcome interference by single-stranded DNA binding protein is the property that allows recA803 to suppress partially the deficiency in repair caused by recF mutations in the uvrA6 background. Implications of this hypothesis for the function of RecF protein in recombination are discussed.     

Factors that affect functional status in patients with cancer-related pain

Cancer-related pain in outpatient adult populations remains high and has a direct effect on functional status. Factors that affect functional status have been explored separately, but the inter-relatedness of those factors has not been examined. Using a cross-sectional design, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between pain level, beliefs about pain, symptom distress, perceived control over pain, and functional status in 304 ambulatory cancer patients who experienced cancer-related pain within the past 2 weeks. Participants completed standardized questionnaires during regularly scheduled clinic visits. Patient's pain level was positively related to increased distress and decreased perceived control over pain and functional status. Structural equation modeling indicated that symptom distress mediated the relation between pain level and functional status. Perceived control over pain had a direct effect on symptom distress and mediated the effect of beliefs about pain and pain level on symptom distress. Patients' perceived control over pain may be an important component in pain management. The direct and mediating effects of perceived control and symptom distress suggest areas of further research. Interventions to increase knowledge and decrease barriers to pain control have the potential for increasing perceived control over pain.     

Couples' patterns of adjustment to colon cancer

The objectives for this longitudinal study were to: (a) compare colon cancer patients' and their spouses' appraisal of illness, resources, concurrent stress, and adjustment during the first year following surgery; (b) examine the influence of gender (male vs female) and role (patient vs spouse caregiver) on study variables; (c) assess the degree of correlation between patients' and spouses' adjustments; and (d) identify factors that affect adjustment to the illness. Fifty-six couples were interviewed at one week post diagnosis, and at 60 days and one year post surgery. Based on a cognitive-appraisal model of stress, the Smilkstein Stress Scale was used to measure concurrent stress; the Family APGAR, Social Support Questionnaire, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale were used to measure social resources; the Beck Hopelessness Scale and Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scales were used to measure appraisal of illness; and the Brief Symptom Inventory and Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale were used to measure psychosocial adjustment. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance indicated that spouses reported significantly more emotional distress and less social support than patients. Gender differences were found, with women reporting more distress, more role problems, and less marital satisfaction, regardless of whether they were patient or spouse. Both patients and spouses reported decreases in their family functioning and social support, but also decreases in emotional distress over time. Moderately high autocorrelations and modest intercorrelations were found among and between patients' and spouses' adjustment scores over time. The strongest predictors of patients' role adjustment problems were hopelessness and spouses' role problems. The strongest predictors of spouses' role problems were spouses' own baseline role problems and level of marital satisfaction. Interventions need to start early in the course of illness, be family-focused, and identify the couples at risk of poorer adjustment to colon cancer.