A smoking cessation intervention for rural veterans tailored to individual risk factors: A multicenter randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Rates of cigarette use remain elevated among those living in rural areas. Depressive symptoms, risky alcohol use, and weight concerns frequently accompany cigarette smoking and may adversely affect quitting. Whether treatment for tobacco use that simultaneously addresses these issues affects cessation outcomes is uncertain. METHODS: The study was a multicenter, two-group, randomized controlled trial involving mostly rural veterans who smoke (N = 358) receiving treatment at one of five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. The study randomly assigned participants to a tailored telephone counseling intervention or referral to their state tobacco quitline. Both groups received guideline-recommended smoking cessation pharmacotherapy, selected using a shared decision-making approach. The primary outcome was self-reported seven-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) at three and six months. The study used salivary cotinine to verify self-reported quitting at six months. RESULTS: Self-reported PPA was significantly greater in participants assigned to Tailored Counseling at three (OR = 1.66; 95 % CI: 1.07-2.58) but not six (OR = 1.35; 95 % CI: 0.85-2.15) months. Post hoc subgroup analyses examining treatment group differences based on whether participants had a positive screen for elevated depressive symptoms, risky alcohol use, and/or concerns about weight gain indicated that the cessation benefit of Tailored Counseling at three months was limited to those with ≥1 accompanying concern (OR = 2.02, 95 % CI: 1.20-3.42). Biochemical verification suggested low rates of misreporting. CONCLUSIONS: A tailored smoking cessation intervention addressing concomitant risk factors enhanced short-term abstinence but did not significantly improve long-term quitting. Extending the duration of treatment may be necessary to sustain treatment effects.

Sharing FAIR monitoring program data improves discoverability and reuse.

Data resulting from environmental monitoring programs are valuable assets for natural resource managers, decision-makers, and researchers. These data are often collected to inform specific reporting needs or decisions with a specific timeframe. While program-oriented data and related publications are effective for meeting program goals, sharing well-documented data and metadata allows users to research aspects outside initial program intentions. As part of an effort to integrate data from four long-term large-scale US aquatic monitoring programs, we evaluated the original datasets against the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles and offer recommendations and lessons learned. Differences in data governance across these programs resulted in considerable effort to access and reuse the original datasets. Requirements, guidance, and resources available to support data publishing and documentation are inconsistent across agencies and monitoring programs, resulting in various data formats and storage locations that are not easily found, accessed, or reused. Making monitoring data FAIR will reduce barriers to data discovery and reuse. Programs are continuously striving to improve data management, data products, and metadata; however, provision of related tools, consistent guidelines and standards, and more resources to do this work is needed. Given the value of these data and the significant effort required to access and reuse them, actions and steps intended on improving data documentation and accessibility are described.

ECG Electrode Localization: 3D DS Camera System for Use in Diverse Clinical Environments.

Models of the human body representing digital twins of patients have attracted increasing interest in clinical research for the delivery of personalized diagnoses and treatments to patients. For example, noninvasive cardiac imaging models are used to localize the origin of cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial infarctions. The precise knowledge of a few hundred electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode positions is essential for their diagnostic value. Smaller positional errors are obtained when extracting the sensor positions, along with the anatomical information, for example, from X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) slices. Alternatively, the amount of ionizing radiation the patient is exposed to can be reduced by manually pointing a magnetic digitizer probe one by one to each sensor. An experienced user requires at least 15 min. to perform a precise measurement. Therefore, a 3D depth-sensing camera system was developed that can be operated under adverse lighting conditions and limited space, as encountered in clinical settings. The camera was used to record the positions of 67 electrodes attached to a patient's chest. These deviate, on average, by 2.0 mm ±1.5 mm from manually placed markers on the individual 3D views. This demonstrates that the system provides reasonable positional precision even when operated within clinical environments.

Identifying monitoring information needs that support the management of fish in large rivers.

Management actions intended to benefit fish in large rivers can directly or indirectly affect multiple ecosystem components. Without consideration of the effects of management on non-target ecosystem components, unintended consequences may limit management efficacy. Monitoring can help clarify the effects of management actions, including on non-target ecosystem components, but only if data are collected to characterize key ecosystem processes that could affect the outcome. Scientists from across the U.S. convened to develop a conceptual model that would help identify monitoring information needed to better understand how natural and anthropogenic factors affect large river fishes. We applied the conceptual model to case studies in four large U.S. rivers. The application of the conceptual model indicates the model is flexible and relevant to large rivers in different geographic settings and with different management challenges. By visualizing how natural and anthropogenic drivers directly or indirectly affect cascading ecosystem tiers, our model identified critical information gaps and uncertainties that, if resolved, could inform how to best meet management objectives. Despite large differences in the physical and ecological contexts of the river systems, the case studies also demonstrated substantial commonalities in the data needed to better understand how stressors affect fish in these systems. For example, in most systems information on river discharge and water temperature were needed and available. Conversely, information regarding trophic relationships and the habitat requirements of larval fishes were generally lacking. This result suggests that there is a need to better understand a set of common factors across large-river systems. We provide a stepwise procedure to facilitate the application of our conceptual model to other river systems and management goals.

Can data from disparate long-term fish monitoring programs be used to increase our understanding of regional and continental trends in large river assemblages?

Understanding trends in the diverse resources provided by large rivers will help balance tradeoffs among stakeholders and inform strategies to mitigate the effects of landscape scale stressors such as climate change and invasive species. Absent a cohesive coordinated effort to assess trends in important large river resources, a logical starting point is to assess our ability to draw inferences from existing efforts. In this paper, we use a common analytical framework to analyze data from five disparate fish monitoring programs to better understand the nature of spatial and temporal trends in large river fish assemblages. We evaluated data from programs that monitor fishes in the Colorado, Columbia, Illinois, Mississippi, and Tallapoosa rivers using non-metric dimensional scaling ordinations and associated tests to evaluate trends in fish assemblage structure and native fish biodiversity. Our results indicate that fish assemblages exhibited significant spatial and temporal trends in all five of the rivers. We also document native species diversity trends that were variable within and between rivers and generally more evident in rivers with higher species richness and programs of longer duration. We discuss shared and basin-specific landscape level stressors. Having a basic understanding of the nature and extent of trends in fish assemblages is a necessary first step towards understanding factors affecting biodiversity and fisheries in large rivers.

Differential Effects of Meal Challenges on Cognition, Metabolism, and Biomarkers for Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 Carriers and Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND: High intake of saturated fat (SF) and glycemic index (GI) foods is a risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Meal challenges may elucidate mechanisms that contribute to this risk, enabling development of targeted interventions. OBJECTIVE: To assess cognitive and metabolic changes after a meal high in SF and GI calories (HIGH) versus a meal low in these macronutrients (LOW) in older adults with and without cognitive impairment, and with and without the apolipoprotein E4 risk factor. METHODS: 46 adults with either cognitive impairment (CI) or normal cognition (NC) ingested a LOW (25% total fat, 7% SF, GI <55) and a HIGH meal (50% total fat, 25% SF, GI >70) in a blinded random fashion. Participants then underwent cognitive testing and blood sampling for metabolic and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Spearman correlations. RESULTS: E4-adults with NC demonstrated lower delayed memory scores after the HIGH compared to the LOW meal, whereas normal E4+ and CI E4- groups had higher scores after the HIGH meal (ANOVA p = 0.03). These findings were associated with meal-induced changes in glucose (p = 0.05), insulin (p = 0.004), triglycerides (p <  0.01), and plasma Aß42 (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that cognitive performance of adults without CI may worsen following high SF and sugar meals, whereas adults with CI or those at risk for CI due to E4 status may benefit acutely from such meals. Furthermore, plasma Aß was affected by meal type, suggesting a relationship between metabolic response and amyloid regulation.

Biobehavioral and neuroendocrine correlates of antioxidant enzyme activity in ovarian carcinoma.

Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide have been reported in many cancer cells and they have been implicated in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Antioxidant enzymes, such as Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (MnSOD or SOD2) and Glutathione Peroxidase-1 (GPx1), act coordinately to neutralize ROS. These enzymes are also thought to contribute to cancer cell resistance to conventional radio-chemo-therapies. Although some relationships have been reported between psychosocial factors and the regulation of antioxidant enzymes, little is known about these relationships in the context of cancer progression. The current study investigated the levels of MnSOD and GPx1in confirmed serous, high-grade tumor tissue from 60 ovarian cancer patients, and explored the relationship between the activity of these enzymes, the levels of tumor norepinephrine (NE), and patient mood as determined via pre-operative questionnaires. MnSOD activity was positively related to depressed mood (p=0.025) and tumor NE (p=0.023). In contrast, GPx1 activity was inversely related to fatigue (p=0.015) and tumor NE (p=0.009), and was positively associated with vigor (p=0.024). These findings suggest that psychological state and adrenergic signaling are linked with antioxidant enzyme activity in ovarian cancer and may have implications for patient treatments and outcomes.

Annual sex steroid and other physiological profiles of Pacific lampreys (Entosphenus tridentatus).

We documented changes in plasma levels of estradiol 17-beta (E2), progesterone (P), 15alpha-hydroxytestosterone (15alpha-T), thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), protein, triglycerides (TGs), and glucose in adult Pacific lampreys (Entosphenus tridentatus) held in the laboratory in two different years. Levels of E2 in both sexes ranged from 0.5 to 2 ng/mL from September to March, peaked in late April (2-4 ng/mL), and decreased in May, with levels higher in males than in females. Levels of P were low from September through April, but then increased substantially during May (2-4 ng/mL), with levels again highest in males. Levels of 15alpha-T in males were around 0.75 ng/mL through the winter before exceeding 1 ng/mL in April and decreasing thereafter, whereas females showed a gradual increase from 0.25 ng/mL in November to 0.5 ng/mL in April before decreasing. Thyroxine concentrations differed between fish in each year, with most having levels ranging from 0.75 to 2.5 ng/mL in the fall and winter, and only fish in 2003 showing distinct peaks (3-4 ng/mL) in early April or May. Plasma T3 was undetectable from November through mid-March before surging dramatically in April (ca. 150 ng/mL) and decreasing thereafter. Levels of protein, TGs, and glucose decreased or were stable during the fall and winter with TGs and glucose surging in late April to early May for some fish. Our study is the first to document long-term physiological changes in Pacific lampreys during overwintering and sexual maturation and increases our understanding of the life history of this unique fish.

Morphometric discrimination of early life stage Lampetra tridentata and L. richardsoni (Petromyzonidae) from the Columbia River Basin.

The effectiveness of morphometric and meristic characteristics for taxonomic discrimination of Lampetra tridentata and L. richardsoni (Petromyzonidae) during embryological, prolarval, and early larval stages (i.e., age class 1) were examined. Mean chorion diameter increased with time from fertilization to hatch and was significantly greater for L. tridentata than for L. richardsoni at 1, 8, and 15 days postfertilization. Lampetra tridentata larvae had significantly more trunk myomeres than L. richardsoni; however, trunk myomere numbers were highly variable within species and deviated from previously published data. Multivariate examinations of prolarval and larval L. tridentata (7.2-11.0 mm; standard length) and L. richardsoni (6.6-10.8 mm) were conducted based on standard length and truss element lengths established from eight homologous landmarks. Principal components analysis indicated allometric relationships among the morphometric characteristics examined. Changes in body shape were indicated by groupings of morphometric characteristics associated with body regions (e.g., oral hood, branchial region, trunk region, and tail region). Discriminant function analysis using morphometric characteristics was successful in classifying a large proportion (> 94.7%) of the lampreys sampled.

Comparison of synthesis of 15 alpha-hydroxylated steroids in males of four North American lamprey species.

Recent studies have provided evidence that 15 alpha-hydroxytestosterone (15 alpha-T) and 15 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (15 alpha-P) are produced in vitro and in vivo in adult male sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus), and that circulatory levels increase in response to injections with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). We examined four species from the Petromyzontidae family including silver lampreys (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), chestnut lampreys (I. castaneus), American brook lampreys (Lethenteron appendix), and Pacific lampreys (Entosphenus tridentatus) to determine if these unusual steroids were unique to sea lampreys or a common feature in lamprey species. In vitro production was examined through incubations of testis with tritiated precursors, and 15 alpha-T and 15 alpha-P production was confirmed in all species through co-elution with standards on both high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin layer chromatography. In vivo production was proven by demonstrating that HPLC-fractionated plasma had peaks of immunoreactive 15 alpha-T and 15 alpha-P that co-eluted with standards through using previously developed radioimmunoassays for 15 alpha-T and 15 alpha-P. The possible functionality of 15 alpha-T and 15 alpha-P was further examined in silver and Pacific lampreys by investigating the effect of injection of either type of lamprey GnRH on plasma concentrations of 15 alpha-T and 15 alpha-P. Injections with exogenous GnRH did not affect circulatory levels of either steroid in silver lampreys, and only GnRH III elicited higher levels of both steroids in Pacific lampreys. The 15 alpha-hydroxylase enzyme(s) for steroids appeared to present in adult males of all species examined, but the question of whether 15 alpha-hydroxylated steroids are functional in these lamprey species, and the significance of the 15-hydroxyl group, requires further research.

HPLC and ELISA analyses of larval bile acids from Pacific and western brook lampreys.

Comparative studies were performed on two native lamprey species, Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) and western brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) from the Pacific coast along with sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) from the Great Lakes, to investigate their bile acid production and release. HPLC and ELISA analyses of the gall bladders and liver extract revealed that the major bile acid compound from Pacific and western brook larval lampreys was petromyzonol sulfate (PZS), previously identified as a migratory pheromone in larval sea lamprey. An ELISA for PZS has been developed in a working range of 20 pg-10 ng per well. The tissue concentrations of PZS in gall bladder were 127.40, 145.86, and 276.96 micro g/g body mass in sea lamprey, Pacific lamprey, and western brook lamprey, respectively. Releasing rates for PZS in the three species were measured using ELISA to find that western brook and sea lamprey released PZS 20 times higher than Pacific lamprey did. Further studies are required to determine whether PZS is a chemical cue in Pacific and western brook lampreys.