Origin and diversity of the wild cottons (Gossypium hirsutum) of Mound Key, Florida.

Elucidating genetic diversity within wild forms of modern crops is essential for understanding domestication and the possibilities of wild germplasm utilization. Gossypium hirsutum is a predominant source of natural plant fibers and the most widely cultivated cotton species. Wild forms of G. hirsutum are challenging to distinguish from feral derivatives, and truly wild populations are uncommon. Here we characterize a population from Mound Key Archaeological State Park, Florida using genome-wide SNPs extracted from 25 individuals over three sites. Our results reveal that this population is genetically dissimilar from other known wild, landrace, and domesticated cottons, and likely represents a pocket of previously unrecognized wild genetic diversity. The unexpected level of divergence between the Mound Key population and other wild cotton populations suggests that the species may harbor other remnant and genetically distinct populations that are geographically scattered in suitable habitats throughout the Caribbean. Our work thus has broader conservation genetic implications and suggests that further exploration of natural diversity in this species is warranted.

Structural racism in healthcare and research: A community-led model of curriculum development and implementation.

Structural racism in the USA has roots that extend deep into healthcare and medical research, and it remains a key driver of illness and early death for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Furthermore, the persistence of racism within academic medicine compels an interrogation of education and research within this context. In the spirit of this interrogation, this article highlights a unique model of community-engaged education that integrates cultural humility. As an individual and institutional stance, cultural humility denotes lifelong learning and self-critique, the mitigation of power imbalances, and accountability. The integration of cultural humility emphasizes that when space is created for BIPOC communities to lead the way, education regarding healthcare and research can be effectively reimagined. Demonstrating this effectiveness, six community partners led the development and implementation of a five-module Structural Racism in Healthcare and Research course. Using a cohort model approach, the pilot course enrolled 12 community members and 12 researchers. The curriculum covered topics such as history of racism in healthcare and research, and introduced participants to a cultural resilience framework. Evaluation results demonstrated a significant increase in participants' knowledge and ability to identify and take action to address inequities related to racism in healthcare and research.

Antifungal susceptibility of clinical mould isolates in New Zealand, 2001-2019.

The objective of this study was to review the antifungal susceptibility of clinical mould isolates performed by the New Zealand Mycology Reference Laboratory. Isolates were either local or referred for testing from other New Zealand laboratories. All isolates were tested by the broth colorimetric microdilution method, Sensititre YeastOne (SYO). Epidemiological cut-off values (ECVs) derived from either the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) method or SYO were used to determine the proportion of non-wild type (non-WT) isolates, i.e., those with an increased likelihood to harbour acquired mechanisms of resistance. A total of 614 isolates were tested. Most isolates (55%) were from the respiratory tract followed by musculoskeletal tissue (17%), eye (10%) and abdomen (5%). The azoles had similar activity except for voriconazole which was less active against the Mucorales. The echinocandins had good activity against Aspergillus spp., other hyaline moulds and dematiaceous isolates but were inactive against Fusarium spp., Lomentospora prolificans and the Mucorales. Amphotericin B had best activity against the Mucorales. The two least susceptible groups were Fusarium spp. and L. prolificans isolates. Three Aspergillus isolates were non-WT for amphotericin B, and four non-WT for azoles. Non-WT were not encountered for caspofungin. Non-Aspergillus isolates in New Zealand have susceptibility patterns similar to those reported elsewhere. In contrast to a growing number of other countries, azole resistance was rare in A. fumigatus sensu stricto. Non-WT isolates were uncommon. The results provide a baseline for monitoring emerging antifungal resistance in New Zealand and support current Australasian treatment guidelines for invasive fungal infections.

Racial/ethnic minority children recently placed in the child welfare system: the impact of sociodemographic, medical and mental health factors on overweight /obesity.

Children in the child welfare system have greater rates of obesity and are more prone to overweight/obesity as adults compared to other children. There is limited research on how ecological, biological and developmental factors impact the trajectory of overweight/obesity in this group. This retrospective study examined these factors among children entering the child welfare system. Overweight/obesity was highest among children 12-18 years. Children with diagnoses indicative of poor nutrition, and limiting exercise, were more likely to be overweight/obese. Ecological risks often were not disclosed. Barriers to obtaining information to address overweight/obesity reflect challenges to addressing chronic disease more broadly.

Safely surrendered infants in Los Angeles County: A medically vulnerable population.

BACKGROUND: As a means to provide safety for a population at great risk of harm through abandonment, every state in the United States now has laws and practices for the safe relinquishment of newborns and infants. However, there is no national database tracking the population of infants surrendered through such programmes, and few states monitor these numbers. The primary aim of this study was therefore to examine the descriptive characteristics of infants who have been safely surrendered in a large, socio-economically diverse urban area. The secondary aim was to compare them with local population norms to determine whether differences exist and to begin exploring what implications such differences may have for the treatment provided to these infants. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among safely surrendered infants. RESULTS: Over half of the infants had medical issues, and the majority of the infants were surrendered in communities characterized by low median income. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary information highlights potential economic, social, and medical risk factors, suggesting that these infants may require increased monitoring and/or specialized care.

Implementing MH-TIPS: A Growing Need for Mental Health Services for School-Age Children.

The number of children diagnosed with mental and behavioral health issues is increasing each year. Early identification and intervention for these issues are vital to improving long-term outcomes. School nurses are among the frontline healthcare providers for school-age children, screening and coordinating care for multiple physical and mental health conditions. This article describes the implementation of a national mental health online training program at a local district. Outcomes of the implementation project and implications for school nurses are discussed.

Multi-Locus Next-Generation Sequence Typing of DNA Extracted From Pooled Colonies Detects Multiple Unrelated Candida albicans Strains in a Significant Proportion of Patient Samples.

The yeast Candida albicans is an important opportunistic human pathogen. For C. albicans strain typing or drug susceptibility testing, a single colony recovered from a patient sample is normally used. This is insufficient when multiple strains are present at the site sampled. How often this is the case is unclear. Previous studies, confined to oral, vaginal and vulvar samples, have yielded conflicting results and have assessed too small a number of colonies per sample to reliably detect the presence of multiple strains. We developed a next-generation sequencing (NGS) modification of the highly discriminatory C. albicans MLST (multilocus sequence typing) method, 100+1 NGS-MLST, for detection and typing of multiple strains in clinical samples. In 100+1 NGS-MLST, DNA is extracted from a pool of colonies from a patient sample and also from one of the colonies. MLST amplicons from both DNA preparations are analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. Using base call frequencies, our bespoke DALMATIONS software determines the MLST type of the single colony. If base call frequency differences between pool and single colony indicate the presence of an additional strain, the differences are used to computationally infer the second MLST type without the need for MLST of additional individual colonies. In mixes of previously typed pairs of strains, 100+1 NGS-MLST reliably detected a second strain. Inferred MLST types of second strains were always more similar to their real MLST types than to those of any of 59 other isolates (22 of 31 inferred types were identical to the real type). Using 100+1 NGS-MLST we found that 7/60 human samples, including three superficial candidiasis samples, contained two unrelated strains. In addition, at least one sample contained two highly similar variants of the same strain. The probability of samples containing unrelated strains appears to differ considerably between body sites. Our findings indicate the need for wider surveys to determine if, for some types of samples, routine testing for the presence of multiple strains is warranted. 100+1 NGS-MLST is effective for this purpose.

Antifungal susceptibility testing results of New Zealand yeast isolates, 2001-2015: Impact of recent CLSI breakpoints and epidemiological cut-off values for Candida and other yeast species.

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed the antifungal susceptibility testing results of local yeast isolates (2001-2015) to record the impact of recently updated interpretive criteria and epidemiological cut-off values (ECVs) for yeast species. METHODS: Susceptibility testing was performed using Sensititre® YeastOne®. The results were interpreted following CLSI criteria or YeastOne-derived ECVs. RESULTS: A total of 2345 isolates were tested; 62.0% were from sterile body sites or tissue. Application of new CLSI interpretative criteria for fluconazole increased the proportion of non-susceptible isolates of Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata (P≤0.03 for all species). For voriconazole, the greatest increase was for C. tropicalis (P<0.0001). Application of new CLSI interpretive criteria for caspofungin increased the proportion of non-susceptible isolates for C. glabrata and Pichia kudriavzevii (P<0.0001 for both). The new amphotericin ECV (≤2mg/L) did not reveal any non-wild-type (non-WT) isolates in the five species covered. YeastOne itraconazole ECVs detected 2%, 5% and 6% non-WT isolates for P. kudriavzevii, C. tropicalis and C. glabrata, respectively. No itraconazole non-WT isolates of Clavispora lusitaniae were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst most results are similar to other large surveys of fungal susceptibility, the new CLSI interpretive criteria significantly altered the proportion of non-susceptible isolates to fluconazole, voriconazole and caspofungin for several Candida spp. Application of CLSI and YeastOne-derived ECVs revealed the presence of a low proportion of non-WT isolates for many species. The results serve as a baseline to monitor the susceptibility of Candida and other yeast species in New Zealand over time.

Challenges of diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in foster and adopted children.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) might be 10-15 times more prevalent among foster/adopted children compared to the general population; however, many of these children remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. The lack of confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) may be a key barrier to diagnosis. Our sample included 681 patients evaluated for FASD, according to the University of Washington 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, at a pediatric specialty clinic. Guardianship status and other patient characteristics were evaluated by multinomial logistic regression as potential predictors of being classified into one of the following FASD groups: 1) full or partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS/pFAS; n = 97); 2) Static Encephalopathy/Alcohol-Exposed (SE/AE) or Neurobehavioral Disorder/Alcohol-Exposed (ND/AE) (n = 135); and 3) some features of FASD (equivalent to pFAS, SE/AE or ND/AE phenotypes) but unknown PAE (n = 449). Median age at assessment was 7.0 years, non-Hispanic White constituted the predominant racial/ethnic group (49.5%), and the majority (81.8%) lacked involvement from a biological parent/relative. Many patients (66.0%) had some features of FASD but lacked reliable PAE information. Children classified into the 'some features/unknown PAE' group had higher median age of assessment (8 years) compared to other groups (6 years; p < 0.001). No association was observed between race/ethnicity or child's sex and FASD outcomes (p > 0.05). Adopted/foster children were 2.8 times as likely (95% CI: 1.6; 4.8) to be classified into the 'some features/unknown PAE' group compared to children living with a parent/relative after adjusting for covariates. This study's findings indicate that adopted/foster children are more likely to have unknown PAE and not receive a FASD diagnosis, potentially denying them access to specialized services, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Efficacy and clinical safety of pegbovigrastim for preventing naturally occurring clinical mastitis in periparturient primiparous and multiparous cows on US commercial dairies.

Periparturient dairy cows experience impaired immune function, exhibited as a transient decrease in neutrophil function. This decrease in immune competence is associated with an increase in susceptibility to bacterial infections, including mastitis and metritis. Bovine granulocyte colony stimulating factor (bG-CSF) is an endogenous protein that enhances neutrophil bactericidal functions and increases the production of neutrophils from bone marrow precursors. Administration of pegbovigrastim (recombinant bG-CSF covalently bound to polyethylene glycol) around the time of calving has been shown to reduce the incidence of new clinical mastitis cases in a natural disease model system. To further explore the application of pegbovigrastim under herd management systems typical of those found in the US dairy industry, we conducted a multicenter field study to evaluate the efficacy and clinical safety of pegbovigrastim administered to multiparous cows and heifers approximately 7 d before calving and within 24 h of calving. Responses of treated cows were compared with those of animals treated with sterile saline. Animals treated with pegbovigrastim exhibited 4- to 5-fold increases in circulating neutrophil numbers within 24 h of treatment initiation, and this increase persisted at least a week beyond the second dose. Pegbovigrastim-treated animals exhibited a 35% decrease in the incidence of clinical mastitis relative to the controls during the first 30 d of lactation. Animals treated with pegbovigrastim also exhibited a 52% reduction in failure to return to visual estrus within 80 d of calving. We observed no differences in somatic cell count or milk composition between treated and control animals. We also found no differences in the duration of pregnancy or proportion of viable calves in treated cows relative to control animals. These results indicate that administration of pegbovigrastim provides a well-tolerated, novel approach to overcoming periparturient immune suppression, resulting in reduced susceptibility to clinical mastitis during early lactation.

An Exploratory Study of the Knowledge of Personal Safety Skills Among Children with Developmental Disabilities and Their Parents.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the knowledge of personal safety skills among children with developmental disabilities and their parents' perceptions of children's knowledge. METHOD: This exploratory study examined the mental health records of 37 children with developmental disabilities referred for an abuse risk reduction group in a community mental health setting. Qualitative analysis of children's responses to questions about personal safety skills (knowledge related to physical development and personal safety, an appropriate and inappropriate touch and safety skills to respond to an inappropriate touch) indicated participants' varied and inconsistent levels of knowledge. RESULTS: Consistent with the literature, the results indicate risk factors for sexual abuse among children with developmental disabilities, including children's difficulty distinguishing between an appropriate and inappropriate touch and the lack of knowledge regarding appropriate venues for disclosing an inappropriate touch. Among parents, a lack of certainty regarding their children's knowledge and the ability to keep themselves safe was identified. CONCLUSION: Results support the need for education about personal safety for children with developmental disabilities and their families.

Suppression of the HPA Axis During Cholestasis Can Be Attributed to Hypothalamic Bile Acid Signaling.

Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been shown to occur during cholestatic liver injury. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that in a model of cholestasis, serum bile acids gain entry into the brain via a leaky blood brain barrier and that hypothalamic bile acid content is increased. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine the effects of bile acid signaling on the HPA axis. The data presented show that HPA axis suppression during cholestatic liver injury, specifically circulating corticosterone levels and hypothalamic corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) expression, can be attenuated by administration of the bile acid sequestrant cholestyramine. Secondly, treatment of hypothalamic neurons with various bile acids suppressed CRH expression and secretion in vitro. However, in vivo HPA axis suppression was only evident after the central injection of the bile acids taurocholic acid or glycochenodeoxycholic acid but not the other bile acids studied. Furthermore, we demonstrate that taurocholic acid and glycochenodeoxycholic acid are exerting their effects on hypothalamic CRH expression after their uptake through the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter and subsequent activation of the glucocorticoid receptor. Taken together with previous studies, our data support the hypothesis that during cholestatic liver injury, bile acids gain entry into the brain, are transported into neurons through the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter and can activate the glucocorticoid receptor to suppress the HPA axis. These data also lend themselves to the broader hypothesis that bile acids may act as central modulators of hypothalamic peptides that may be altered during liver disease.

TGR5 signaling reduces neuroinflammation during hepatic encephalopathy.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neurological complication of acute and chronic liver failure. Expression of the neurosteroid/bile acid receptor Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5) has been demonstrated in the brain and is thought to be neuroprotective. However, it is unknown how TGR5 signaling can influence the progression and associated neuroinflammation of HE. HE was induced in C57Bl/6 mice via intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane (AOM) and tissue was collected throughout disease progression. TGR5 expression was elevated in the frontal cortex following AOM injection in mice. The cellular localization of TGR5 was found in both neurons and microglia in the cortex of C57Bl/6 mice. Central infusion of the TGR5 agonist, betulinic acid, prior to AOM injection delayed neurological decline, increased cortical cyclic adenosine monophosphate concentrations, reduced microglia activation and proliferation, and reduced proinflammatory cytokine production. Betulinic acid treatment in vitro reduced the neuronal expression of chemokine ligand 2, a chemokine previously demonstrated to contribute to HE pathogenesis. Lastly, treatment of the microglia cell line EOC-20 with conditioned media from betulinic acid-treated primary neurons decreased phagocytic activity and cytokine production. Together, these data identify that activation of TGR5, which is up-regulated during HE, alleviates neuroinflammation and improves outcomes of AOM-treated mice through neuron and microglia paracrine signaling.

BRD control: tying it all together to deliver value to the industry.

Pasteur described an organism causing fowl cholera in 1880. In 134 years we have progressed from crude vaccines for Pasteurella, to some refined vaccines, to a name change (Mannheimia), to autogenous vaccines (back to crude). In the last 25-30 years, we have attempted to mitigate the problem of bovine respiratory disease with antimicrobials and subsequently have a high incidence of multi-drug resistance. All of these attempts have resulted in little if any improvement in morbidity/mortality. Is it time to focus on the animal's response or lack of response to infectious pressure? Instead of focusing on the 10-50% morbid cattle should we focus on the 50-90% that are not compromised and determine why they stay healthy under the same environmental conditions?

Interleukin-4 deficiency induces mild preeclampsia in mice.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammation is necessary for successful pregnancy; however, excessive inflammation plays a central role in the development of the pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder preeclampsia. Numerous anti-inflammatory cytokines are decreased in women with preeclampsia but the role of individual cytokines in blood pressure regulation during pregnancy is unknown. Therefore, we examined whether the lack of the potent anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) would be sufficient to elicit a preeclampsia-like syndrome in mice, and when coupled with immune system activation that these symptoms would be further augmented. METHODS: Measures of splenic immune cells, placental inflammation, blood pressure, endothelial function, and urinary protein excretion were performed in pregnant IL-4-deficient mice as well as in pregnant IL-4-deficient mice treated with the Toll-like receptor 3 agonist polyinosinic:polycytidylic (poly I:C). RESULTS: Pregnant IL-4-deficient mice exhibited altered splenic immune cell subsets, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, placental inflammation, mild hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and proteinuria compared to pregnant control mice. Compared to pregnant control mice treated with poly I:C which exhibit preeclampsia-like symptoms, poly I:C-treated pregnant IL-4-deficient mice exhibited a further increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, which was associated with augmented SBP and endothelial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these data show that the absence of IL-4 is sufficient to induce mild preeclampsia-like symptoms in mice due to excessive inflammation. Thus, the anti-inflammatory effects of IL-4 are important in preventing hypertension during pregnancy.

The impact of reduction mammaplasty on breast sensation: an analysis of multiple surgical techniques.

Our prospective clinical trial collected sensory data using a computerized pressure-specified sensory device comparing 4 procedures for reduction mammaplasty. A total of 48 patients were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks (n = 42), 6 months (n = 15), and 1 year (n = 24) postoperatively. The findings of our study showed pressure sensitivity for women <43 years of age improved by pressure-specified sensory device assessment; whereas, outcome data merely indicated return to baseline in pressure sensitivity for women ≥ 43 years of age. Improved sensitivities for moving and static pressures were found in patients receiving vertical or inferior pedicle reduction mammaplasties. Reductions based on superior pedicles exhibited sensory loss as compared with baseline measurements while those receiving free nipple grafts showed negligible change. Moving and static sensation showed differential return after breast reduction irrespective of the specific surgical approach but sensation was uniquely conserved for the nipple. In the total cohort, the type of breast reduction procedure did not produce significant differences in breast sensation.

Effects of short-term fasting in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Fasting is a common procedure for animals in experiments. Although fasting may be necessary for scientific reasons, it should be minimized. In the current study, jugular-catheterized male Sprague-Dawley rats in metabolism cages were fasted for 0 to 24 h before measurement of various physiologic markers (serum chemistry, CBC analysis, serum corticosterone). When controlled for cohort, rats fasted for 6 and 16 h had significantly lower serum glucose than did nonfasted rats. Other values did not differ from controls. Only rats fasted for 24 h had elevated serum corticosterone levels. Therefore, fasting for as long as 16 h has fewer effects on rats that does fasting for 24 h. Fasting for 24 h or more therefore should receive appropriate consideration by both scientists and the IACUC in the experimental design and the animal-use protocol.