Project FIT: A School, Community and Social Marketing Intervention Improves Healthy Eating Among Low-Income Elementary School Children.

Project FIT was a two-year multi-component nutrition and physical activity intervention delivered in ethnically-diverse low-income elementary schools in Grand Rapids, MI. This paper reports effects on children's nutrition outcomes and process evaluation of the school component. A quasi-experimental design was utilized. 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade students (Yr 1 baseline: N = 410; Yr 2 baseline: N = 405; age range: 7.5-12.6 years) were measured in the fall and spring over the two-year intervention. Ordinal logistic, mixed effect models and generalized estimating equations were fitted, and the robust standard errors were utilized. Primary outcomes favoring the intervention students were found regarding consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain bread during year 2. Process evaluation revealed that implementation of most intervention components increased during year 2. Project FIT resulted in small but beneficial effects on consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread in ethnically diverse low-income elementary school children.

Assessment of a healthy corner store program (FIT Store) in low-income, urban, and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Michigan.

This study evaluated a community-based and social marketing healthy corner store program (FIT store) to improve the affordability and availability of healthy foods in low-income, urban, and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Michigan. The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores data were analyzed for the FIT (N = 4) stores. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted among the FIT store customers before (N = 401) and after (N = 318) the intervention. Three FIT stores improved their total Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores availability score from before to after the intervention. A significantly higher level of FIT awareness and monthly bean and nut consumption was reported in the postintervention.

Project FIT: rationale, design and baseline characteristics of a school- and community-based intervention to address physical activity and healthy eating among low-income elementary school children.

BACKGROUND: This paper describes Project FIT, a collaboration between the public school system, local health systems, physicians, neighborhood associations, businesses, faith-based leaders, community agencies and university researchers to develop a multi-faceted approach to promote physical activity and healthy eating toward the general goal of preventing and reducing childhood obesity among children in Grand Rapids, MI, USA. METHODS/DESIGN: There are four overall components to Project FIT: school, community, social marketing, and school staff wellness - all that focus on: 1) increasing access to safe and affordable physical activity and nutrition education opportunities in the schools and surrounding neighborhoods; 2) improving the affordability and availability of nutritious food in the neighborhoods surrounding the schools; 3) improving the knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes and behaviors regarding nutrition and physical activity among school staff, parents and students; 4) impacting the 'culture' of the schools and neighborhoods to incorporate healthful values; and 5) encouraging dialogue among all community partners to leverage existing programs and introduce new ones. DISCUSSION: At baseline, there was generally low physical activity (70% do not meet recommendation of 60 minutes per day), excessive screen time (75% do not meet recommendation of < 2 hours per day), and low intake of vegetables and whole grains and high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, French fries and chips and desserts as well as a high prevalence of overweight and obesity (48.5% including 6% with severe obesity) among low income, primarily Hispanic and African American 3rd-5th grade children (n = 403). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01385046.

COMT genotype predicts longitudinal cognitive decline and psychosis in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Although schizophrenia is strongly hereditary, there are limited data regarding biological risk factors and pathophysiological processes. In this longitudinal study of adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, we identified the catechol-O-methyltransferase low-activity allele (COMT(L)) as a risk factor for decline in prefrontal cortical volume and cognition, as well as for the consequent development of psychotic symptoms during adolescence. The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a promising model for identifying biomarkers related to the development of schizophrenia.

Risk factors for the emergence of psychotic disorders in adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is the most common known genetic risk factor for the development of schizophrenia. The authors conducted a longitudinal evaluation of adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome to identify early risk factors for the development of psychotic disorders. METHOD: Sixty children, 31 with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and 29 comparison subjects with idiopathic developmental disability matched for age and IQ, underwent a baseline evaluation between 1998 and 2000; of these, 51 children (28 and 23 in the two groups, respectively) underwent follow-up evaluation between 2003 and 2005. A standardized comprehensive psychiatric, psychological, and adaptive functioning evaluation was conducted in both waves. Participants with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome were also genotyped for the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) Met/Val polymorphism and underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. RESULTS: The two groups had similar baseline neuropsychiatric profiles. At follow-up, 32.1% of subjects with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome had developed psychotic disorders as compared with 4.3% of comparison subjects. In the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome group, baseline subthreshold psychotic symptoms interacted both with the COMT genotype and with baseline symptoms of anxiety or depression to predict 61% of the variance in severity of psychosis at follow-up evaluation. Lower baseline verbal IQ was also associated with more severe psychotic symptoms at follow-up evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic, cognitive, and psychiatric risk factors for the evolution of psychotic disorders in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome during adolescence were identified. Early intervention in the subgroup of children with subthreshold signs of psychosis and internalizing symptoms (especially anxiety symptoms) may reduce the risk of developing psychotic disorders during adolescence.

Control of a surface photochemical process by fractal electron transport across the surface: O(2) photodesorption from TiO(2)(110).

The photodesorption of O(2) from TiO(2)(110) has been found to exhibit fractal kinetic behavior. The rate coefficient for photodesorption is measured throughout the entire experiment and is shown to decrease by a factor of approximately 100 over a time period of approximately 250 s. A model is proposed in which the electrons associated with O-vacancy defects on the surface percolate from vacancy site to vacancy site via the filled orbitals at these sites to neutralize photoproduced holes. This electron percolation, causing electron-hole recombination, reduces the efficiency of charge transfer between a photoproduced hole and an O(2)(-)(a) species localized at a vacancy defect site, causing the rate of O(2) photodesorption to follow a fractal rate law. We postulate that the fractal electron conduction path across the surface is one-dimensional.

Splice variants but not mutations of DNA polymerase beta are common in bladder cancer.

DNA polymerase beta (POLbeta) is a highly conserved protein that functions in base excision repair. Loss of the POLbeta locus on chromosome 8p is a frequent event in bladder cancer, and loss of POLbeta function could hinder DNA repair leading to a mutator phenotype. Both point mutations and large intragenic deletions of POLbeta have been reported from analysis of various tumor cDNAs but not from genomic DNA. We noticed that the breakpoints of the presumed rearrangements were delineated by exon-exon junctions, which could instead be consistent with alternative splicing of POLbeta mRNA. We tested the hypothesis that the reported intragenic deletion were splice variants by screening genomic DNA of human bladder tumors, bladder cancer cell lines, and normal bladder tissues for mutations or deletions in exons 1-14, exon alpha, and the promoter region of POLbeta. We found no evidence of somatic mutations or deletions in our sample set, although two polymorphisms were identified. Examination of cDNA from a subset of the original sample set revealed that truncated forms of POLbeta were surprisingly common. Forty-eight of 89 (54%) sequenced cDNA clones had large deletions, each beginning and/or ending exactly at exon-exon junctions. Because these deletions occur at exon-exon junctions and are seen in cDNA but not genomic DNA, they are consistent with alternative mRNA splicing. We describe 12 different splicing events occurring in 18 different combinations. Loss of exon 2 was the most frequent, being found in 42 of 49 (86%) of the variant sequenced clones. The splice variants appear to be somewhat more common and variable in bladder cancer cell lines and tumor tissues but occur at a high frequency in normal bladder tissues as well. We examine alternative splicing in terms of the information content of splice donor and acceptor site sequences, and discuss possible explanations for the predominant splicing event, the loss of exon 2.

Monitoring hole trapping in photoexcited TiO2(110) using a surface photoreaction.

The hole-induced photodesorption of chemisorbed O2 from a TiO2(110) single crystal has been employed to monitor the kinetics of electron-hole pair (e-h) formation and hole trapping. Excitation is produced by 3.4 +/- 0.05 eV photons at 110 K. Two separate O2 desorption processes have been found which are characteristic of low photon fluxes and high photon fluxes. At a critical photon flux, Fhnu(crit), the slow O2 photodesorption process suddenly converts to a fast process, signaling the saturation of hole traps in the TiO2 crystal. Consequently, this allows photogenerated holes to more efficiently reach the surface, causing more rapid O2 photodesorption. The estimated bulk concentration of hole traps is approximately 2.5 x 10(18) cm(-3), involving a fraction of about 3 x 10(-5) of the atomic sites in the bulk. Both the slow and fast O2 photodesorption processes are described by a rate law that is proportional to Fhnu(1/2), indicating that the steady-state concentration of holes, [h], is governed by second-order e-h pair recombination kinetics. Effective use is made of a hole scavenger molecule, adsorbed methanol (CH3OH), to probe the role of added hole traps on the rate of the photodesorption of adsorbed O2 molecules and on the magnitude of Fhnu(crit).

Ultraviolet light-induced hydrophilicity effect on TiO2(110)(1 x 1). Dominant role of the photooxidation of adsorbed hydrocarbons causing wetting by water droplets.

The UV photoproduction of a hydrophilic TiO(2)(110)(1x1) surface has been investigated in a pressurized ultrahigh vacuum apparatus under controlled conditions of hydrocarbon concentration in oxygen gas at 1 atm pressure. Water droplet contact angles have been measured continuously as the droplet is exposed to UV irradiation, yielding the first observations of a sudden wetting process during irradiation. Using hexane as a model hydrocarbon, it is found that when low partial pressures of hexane are present, the sudden onset of surface wetting occurs during UV irradiation after an induction period under photooxidation conditions. The induction period to reach the critical condition for sudden wetting increases when the partial pressure (and equilibrium surface coverage) of hexane is increased. These results indicate that the removal of adsorbed hydrocarbons by photooxidation is the critical factor leading to the UV-induced hydrophilicity phenomenon on TiO(2). The phenomenon does not occur in the absence of O(2) gas. A concept concerned with kinetic screening of the TiO(2)-H(2)O interface from O(2) by water droplets is presented to explain the observation of sudden wetting in our experiments, compared to gradual wetting which is observed following UV irradiation in all other experiments reported in the literature. Complementary infrared spectroscopy measurements of the effect of UV irradiation in an O(2) atmosphere on adsorbed Ti-OH groups and on adsorbed H(2)O on the surface of a high-area TiO(2) powder show that no spectroscopic changes occur. This indicates that UV-induced changes in the -OH coverage or the nature of -OH bonding to TiO(2), as suggested by others, cannot be used to explain the photoinduced hydrophilicity effect.

Synthetic, Mechanistic, and Structural Studies Related to 1,2,4-Dithiazolidine-3,5-dione.

Reaction of O-ethyl thiocarbamate (4) with (chlorocarbonyl)sulfenyl chloride (5) gives 3-ethoxy-1,2,4-dithiazolin-5-one (2) and 3,5-diethoxy-1,2,4-thiadiazole (3), with the relative amounts of 2 and 3 formed depending very much on the solvent (e.g., diethyl ether favors 2; chloroform favors 3). The effects of added base, order of addition, concentration, and temperature were also studied. Mechanisms for the observed transformations have been proposed and are supported by the characterization of relatively unstable acyclic intermediates, e.g., formimidoyl(chlorocarbonyl)disulfane 8, symmetrical bis(formimidoyl)disulfane 10, and ethoxythiocarbonyl imidate 11, which are obtained under alternative conditions. Compound 2 is converted with concentrated aqueous hydrochloric acid upon short reflux to 1,2,4-dithiazolidine-3,5-dione (1), rearranges upon prolonged melting to give principally N-ethyl-1,2,4-dithiazolidine-3,5-dione (13), and is desulfurized with various trivalent phosphorus compounds to yield O-ethyl cyanate (15) plus carbonyl sulfide. X-ray crystallographic structures of 1 and 2 have been solved; the planarity and aromatic character of these molecules help to explain some of their reactions.

Linking laboratory and clinical research: the development of molecularly targeted therapeutics inside the national cancer institute center for cancer research.

Understanding the molecular basis of the pathways regulating the cancer cell promises to revolutionize clinical practice. The results of genomic- an proteomic-based studies at the National Cancer Center Institute Center for Cancer Research (NCI CCR) include the indentation of a molecular biomarker for ovarian cancer based on serum proteomic patterns that permits early detection and a new method for the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of subclasses of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma based on molecular criteria. The biological informativeness of molecularly based diagnostic categories confers the additional clinical advantage of identifying molecular pathways that can be selectively targeted for treatment. Molecular profiling of clear cell renal carcinoma, eg, has revealed that it responds to antiangiogenic agents. Moreover, targeted immunomodulatory interventions are proving effective against many cancers. The discovery and development of molecularly based means for detecting, diagnosis, and treating cancer are central priorities of the NCI CCR, which provides an interactive environment encouraging multidisciplinary collaborations, especially among basic and clinical investigators. Its infrastructure supports the iterative flow of information from the bench to the bedside and from the bedside to the bench, expediting the delivery of molecularly based therapeutics to cancer patients.