The double life of trichomes: understanding their dual role in herbivory and herbicide resistance.

Understanding the evolutionary forces that maintain phenotypic variation in ecologically relevant traits has long been one of the central goals of evolutionary ecology. While the maintenance of variation in plant defense is most often hypothesized to be due to trait trade-offs or spatiotemporal variation in herbivore abundance, the role that heterogeneous selective agents may play on the maintenance of variation in plant defense is less examined. Trichomes are hair-like appendages on plant surfaces that can defend against multiple damaging agents such as pathogens, herbivores, and UV radiation. It is currently unknown however if conflicting selection from such heterogeneous agents of damage may act to maintain the variation observed in trichome traits. Here, we assess whether trichomes serve as an herbicide resistance trait and how it coincides with the conventionally studied defensive strategy of herbivory resistance. In a series of experiments, we exposed the annual invasive velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) to glyphosate (active ingredient in "Roundup") to investigate whether trichome traits (type and density) are linked to herbicide resistance and to test whether herbicide influences selection on plant trichomes. We found that an increased proportion of branched trichomes positively impacted herbicide resistance and chewing herbivory resistance. We also found evidence that glyphosate imposes positive selection on branched trichomes in velvetleaf. Overall, our results indicate that branched trichomes can contribute to both herbicide and herbivory resistance, serving a concordant rather than conflicting role to reduce plant injury. Our findings further suggest that novel anthropogenic agents of selection can alter the composition of plant defense traits, potentially impacting trait-mediated interactions among external stressors.

Feasibility and Acceptability of the Project Faith Influencing Transformation Intervention in Faith-Based Settings.

African Americans (AAs) are disproportionately burdened with diabetes and prediabetes. Predominately AA churches may be optimal settings for reaching AAs at greatest diabetes risk, along with related morbidities and mortalities. The current study used the RE-AIM framework to qualitatively examine the feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction with the Project Faith Influencing Transformation (FIT) intervention, a diabetes risk reduction intervention in AA churches. Participants were (N = 21) church and community members who also participated in the larger Project FIT intervention and were primarily female, with an average age of 60 years (SD = 11.1). Participants completed a brief survey and focus group discussion. Participants discussed intervention effectiveness in changing health behaviors and outcomes, with high rates of adoption, acceptability, and satisfaction across churches that conducted the intervention. Participants also discussed outreach to members of the broader community, the role of the pastor, and challenges to intervention implementation and maintenance-tailored strategies to improve intervention effectiveness are discussed. Given the significant diabetes disparities that exist for AAs, it is imperative to continue to investigate best practices for reaching communities served by churches with sustainable, relevant health programming. This study has the potential to inform more effective, tailored diabetes prevention interventions for high-risk AAs in faith-based settings.

Longitudinal Associations Between Perceived Discrimination and Suicidality in Youth.

Research among adults reveals robust associations between discrimination and suicidality. However, the relationship between discrimination and suicidality is understudied in youth. Participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (n = 10  312) completed a measure of discrimination based on multiple attributes. The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia was administered 1 year later to assess depressive disorders and suicidality (ideation and behavior). Logistic regressions, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income, lifetime depressive disorders, and body composition were conducted. Adjusting for covariates, discrimination based on weight (OR: 2.19), race/ethnicity/color (OR: 3.21), and sexual orientation (OR: 3.83) were associated with greater odds of reporting suicidality 1 year later (ps < 0.025). Nationality-based discrimination was not significantly associated with suicidality. Compared with those reporting no discrimination, youths reporting discrimination based on 2 or more attributes had nearly 5 times greater odds of recent suicidality (OR: 4.72; P < .001). The current study highlights the deleterious impacts of discrimination on mental health among youths reporting multiple forms of discrimination.

The consequences of synthetic auxin herbicide on plant-herbivore interactions.

Although herbicide drift is a common side effect of herbicide application in agroecosystems, its effects on the ecology and evolution of natural communities are rarely studied. A recent shift to dicamba, a synthetic auxin herbicide known for 'drifting' to nontarget areas, necessitates the examination of drift effects on the plant-insect interactions that drive eco-evo dynamics in weed communities. We review current knowledge of direct effects of synthetic auxin herbicides on plant-insect interactions, focusing on plant herbivory, and discuss potential indirect effects, which are cascading effects on organisms that interact with herbicide-exposed plants. We end by developing a framework for the study of plant-insect interactions given drift, highlighting potential changes to plant developmental timing, resource quantity, quality, and cues.

Stigma and Barriers in Health Care Among a Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Active Duty Service Members.

BACKGROUND: Transgender and/or gender-diverse (TGD) persons are vulnerable to stigma and health care inequities; however, data are particularly limited among TGD active duty military service members despite ongoing changes to service policies. TGD-related stressors may impede access to and utilization of health care due to fear of potential discrimination and distress, thereby adversely impacting military readiness. METHODS: We examined stigma and barriers in health care and associations with physical and mental health in an online sample of 177 active duty service members who self-identified as TGD. To assess associations between stigma and barriers in health care with mental and physical health, linear regressions were conducted adjusting for age, gender identity, race, and rank. RESULTS: Over half (65%) of the participants reported at least 1 instance of stigma and/or barrier in health care. Stigma and barriers to health care were significantly associated with greater self-reported depressive symptoms (ß=0.20, P =0.03), anxiety (ß=0.21, P =0.03), stress (ß=0.30, P =0.001), and poorer overall mental health (ß=-0.23, P =0.007), after adjusting for covariates. Nearly one-quarter of participants had not disclosed their gender identity to their primary care clinician. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that stigma and barriers to affirming health care were prevalent among active duty service members identifying as TGD, specifically, difficulty accessing gender-affirming care and negative assumptions from clinicians. These experiences may adversely affect mental health and impede the quality of health care received by a population already vulnerable to health inequities. Given recent changes to military policy, efforts may be warranted to improve access to timely, affirming care and clinician training.

The Mediating Role of Family Acceptance and Conflict on Suicidality among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth.

INTRODUCTION: Prior research suggests sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are profoundly impacted by levels of parental support. This study assessed mediating effects of generalized family acceptance and conflict on lifetime suicidal behaviors among a large diverse sample comprising both SGM and non-SGM youth in early adolescence, when intervention to optimize family dynamics may be critical. MATERIALS: Using data from the first-year follow-up of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study based in the United States, mediation was tested using a binary logistic regression model fitted with a generalized structural equation. Models included SGM status as the independent variable, family acceptance or family conflict sum score as the mediator, and the presence of lifetime suicidal behaviors as the dependent variable. Models adjusted for age, birth-assigned sex (as reported by the parent/guardian), and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: Of 11,235 youths, lifetime suicidal behaviors were reported by 1.5% (n = 164). Youths with SGM identities reported 40% less parental acceptance and 47% greater family conflict, compared to non-SGM peers. Both parental acceptance and family conflict partially mediated associations between SGM identification and odds of lifetime suicidal behavior (ps = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Identification of modifiable risk factors for suicidality in this vulnerable population, including parental acceptance and family conflict, is critical to improving health outcomes. Clinicians should work with SGM youth and their families starting in childhood to optimize family dynamics and bolster acceptance to potentially reduce adverse health outcomes. HIGHLIGHTSYouths with SGM identity reported 40% less parental acceptance than non-SGM peers.Parental acceptance was associated with lower odds of lifetime suicidal behaviors.Family factors partially mediated associations between SGM status and suicidal behaviors.

From a Reckoning to Racial Concordance: A Strategy to Protect Black Mothers, Children, and Infants.

The grave state of health among Black Americans warrants reexamination of how to mitigate health disparities. In this commentary, which responds to the important concerns Nneka Sederstrom and Tamika Lasege raise in "Anti-Black Racism as a Chronic Condition," I argue that the use of racial concordance for Black patients can be a step toward reducing mortality rates and health care negligence for Black people. Racial concordance involves aligning patients with providers of their same race to mitigate implicit bias. Racial concordance is imperfect, but the unjust rates of mortality and other adverse health outcomes that Black Americans face each day in health care facilities may warrant taking seriously this solution.

Increasing Reach of the Diabetes Prevention Program in African American Churches: Project FIT Lessons Learned in Using an Interprofessional Student Service-Learning Approach.

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is an evidence-based lifestyle intervention proven to reduce/delay diabetes onset with diet change, physical activity, and modest weight loss. However, access to the program is limited in low-resource communities. Having health profession students facilitate DPP groups as a service learning course-credit opportunity may benefit their interprofessional training while also expanding DPP access in underserved communities. We sought to use student reflections to identify themes to assist with program evaluation and to inform program refinements. Students (N=95) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) medical, physician assistant, and pharmacy programs led DPP groups in urban Kansas City African American churches alongside church health liaisons as part of an interprofessional service-learning course. Students reported creating satisfying, ongoing relationships with participants; developing a deeper understanding of obstacles to weight loss; and learning the role of other health professionals in the care of patients. They also identified obstacles to successful program implementation, such as needing less time in training and having equal participation from students across their interprofessional teams. Students learned important lessons by leading the DPP, but interprofessional service-learning courses have multiple obstacles to successful delivery. Still, this approach has great potential to increase access to the DPP in African American communities and promote skill development in health profession students.

When Blackness Does Not Fade After a Pandemic: An Appeal to Acknowledge the Unequal Burden of Social Isolation.

Social distancing is one of the few tools that the everyman has to combat the Coronavirus disease. However, for those who are subject to racialized stereotypes about work productivity, educational ability, and other assumptions, the choice to socially distance can have many unintended consequences. This article is an appeal to our posterity, inviting a conversation about how we will remember the Coronavirus' impact on our lives. Will we selectively provide compassion for the racial groups we perceive more favorable when this is over? Or will we play favorites when it is time to pick up the pieces? This article provides scenarios and commentary on how social distancing could affect Black American populations - regardless of income or socioeconomic status. It argues that history has not been kind to Black Americans who have bought into mass national causes, and that there is an opportunity here to act differently.

Urban Bioethics: A Call for the Prestige.

Many teaching hospitals in the United States were founded on philanthropic principles and aimed to aid the urban poor and underserved. However, as times have changed, there has been a divide created between the urban poor and teaching hospitals. There is a plethora of reasons why this is the case. This paper will specifically focus on the histories of ten hospitals and medical schools and the effect that white flight, segregation, elitism, and marginalization had on healthcare institutions all over the United States. It will call for a reexamination of the values of Ivy League and Ivy Plus teaching hospitals and medical schools and for them to take an intentional look into their communities.

Association Between Maternal 2nd Trimester Plasma Folate Levels and Infant Bronchiolitis.

Objectives Viral bronchiolitis is the most common cause of infant hospitalization. Folic acid supplementation is important during the periconceptional period to prevent neural tube defects. An area of investigation is whether higher prenatal folate is a risk factor for childhood respiratory illnesses. We investigated the association between maternal 2nd trimester plasma folate levels and infant bronchiolitis. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis in a subset of mother-infant dyads (n = 676) enrolled in the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood study and Tennessee Medicaid. Maternal folate status was determined using 2nd trimester (16-28 weeks) plasma samples. Bronchiolitis diagnosis in the first year of life was ascertained using International Classification of Diagnosis-9 codes from Medicaid administrative data. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the adjusted association of prenatal folate levels and infant bronchiolitis outcome. Results Half of the women in this lower-income and predominately African-American (84%) study population had high levels of folate (median 2nd trimester level 19.2 ng/mL) and 21% of infants had at least one bronchiolitis healthcare visit. A relationship initially positive then reversing between maternal plasma folate and infant bronchiolitis was observed that did not reach statistical significance (poverall = .112, pnonlinear effect = .088). Additional adjustment for dietary methyl donor intake did not significantly alter the association. Conclusions for Practice Results did not confirm a statistically significant association between maternal 2nd trimester plasma folate levels and infant bronchiolitis. Further work is needed to investigate the role of folate, particularly higher levels, in association with early childhood respiratory illnesses.

PSMA targeted docetaxel-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for prostate cancer.

Docetaxel (Dtxl) is currently the most common therapeutic option for prostate cancer (PC). However, adverse side effects and problems associated with chemo-resistance limit its therapeutic outcome in clinical settings. A targeted nanoparticle system to improve its delivery to and activity at the tumor site could be an attractive strategy for PC therapy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop and determine the anti-cancer efficacy of a novel docetaxel loaded, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) (J591-SPION-Dtxl) formulation for PC therapy. Our results showed the SPION-Dtxl formulation exhibits an optimal particle size and zeta potential, which can efficiently be internalized in PC cells. SPION-Dtxl exhibited potent anti-cancer efficacy via induction of the expression of apoptosis associated proteins, downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins, and inhibition of chemo-resistance associated protein in PC cell lines. J591-SPION-Dtxl exhibited a profound uptake in C4-2 (PSMA(+)) cells compared to PC-3 (PSMA(-)) cells. A similar targeting potential was observed in ex-vivo studies in C4-2 tumors but not in PC-3 tumors, suggesting its tumor specific targeting. Overall, this study suggests that a PSMA antibody functionalized SPION-Dtxl formulation can be highly useful for targeted PC therapy.