Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve ameliorates inflammation and disease activity in a rat EAE model of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating central nervous system (CNS) disorder that is associated with functional impairment and accruing disability. There are multiple U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs that effectively dampen inflammation and slow disability progression. However, these agents do not work well for all patients and are associated with side effects that may limit their use. The vagus nerve (VN) provides a direct communication conduit between the CNS and the periphery, and modulation of the inflammatory reflex via electrical stimulation of the VN (VNS) shows efficacy in ameliorating pathology in several CNS and autoimmune disorders. We therefore investigated the impact of VNS in a rat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS. In this study, VNS-mediated neuroimmune modulation is demonstrated to effectively decrease EAE disease severity and duration, infiltration of neutrophils and pathogenic lymphocytes, myelin damage, blood-brain barrier disruption, fibrinogen deposition, and proinflammatory microglial activation. VNS modulates expression of genes that are implicated in MS pathogenesis, as well as those encoding myelin proteins and transcription factors regulating new myelin synthesis. Together, these data indicate that neuroimmune modulation via VNS may be a promising approach to treat MS, that not only ameliorates symptoms but potentially also promotes myelin repair (remyelination).

Sex differences in pain catastrophizing and its relation to the transition from acute pain to chronic pain.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Differences exist between sexes in pain and pain-related outcomes, such as development of chronic pain. Previous studies suggested a higher risk for pain chronification in female patients. Furthermore, pain catastrophizing is an important risk factor for chronification of pain. However, it is unclear whether sex differences in catastrophic thinking could explain the sex differences in pain chronification. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine sex differences in pain catastrophizing. Additionally, we investigated pain catastrophizing as a potential mediator of sex differences in the transition of acute to chronic pain. DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Adults visiting one of the 15 participating emergency departments in the Netherlands with acute pain-related complaints. Subjects had to meet inclusion criteria and complete questionnaires about their health and pain. OUTCOMES MEASURE AND ANALYSIS: The outcomes in this prospective cohort study were pain catastrophizing (short form pain catastrophizing) and pain chronification at 90 days (Numeric Rating Scale ≥ 1). Data was analysed using univariate and multivariable logistic regression models. Finally, stratified regression analyses were conducted to assess whether differences in pain catastrophizing accounted for observed differences in pain chronification between sexes. MAIN RESULTS: In total 1,906 patients were included. Females catastrophized pain significantly more than males (p < 0.001). Multiple regression analyses suggested that pain catastrophizing is associated with pain chronification in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: This study reported differences between sexes in catastrophic cognitions in the development of chronic pain. This is possibly of clinical importance to identify high-risk patients and ensure an early intervention to prevent the transition from acute to chronic pain.

A unique genetic variation with respect to blast (Pyricularia oryzae Cavara) resistance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in Vietnam.

A unique genetic variation with respect to blast resistance was clarified in 201 rice accessions from Vietnam. These accessions were classified into three clusters-A, B1, and B2-based on their reactions to 26 standard differential blast isolates selected in Vietnam. Cluster A was the dominant cultivar group in Vietnam and the most susceptible of the three clusters. Cluster B1 was the smallest group and the most resistant. Cluster B2 was the second-most dominant group and of intermediate resistance between clusters A and B1. The percentages of accessions comprising each cluster varied by region and area. Accessions in cluster A were distributed widely throughout Vietnam and had the highest frequencies in both the Central and North regions. Accessions in cluster B2 were found with highest frequencies in the mountainous and intermediate areas of the North region. Accessions in cluster B1 were found with highest frequencies in the Central region and Red River Delta area (North region). These results suggest that rice accessions in Vietnam were basically susceptible (cluster A) or of intermediate resistance (cluster B2), and that high-resistance cultivars were mainly distributed in the low altitude areas, such as the Red River Delta area and Central region.

Developmental ethanol exposure has minimal impact on cerebellar microglial dynamics, morphology, and interactions with Purkinje cells during adolescence.

Introduction: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are the most common cause of non-heritable, preventable mental disability, occurring in almost 5% of births in the United States. FASD lead to physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments, including deficits related to the cerebellum. There is no known cure for FASD and their mechanisms remain poorly understood. To better understand these mechanisms, we examined the cerebellum on a cellular level by studying microglia, the principal immune cells of the central nervous system, and Purkinje cells, the sole output of the cerebellum. Both cell types have been shown to be affected in models of FASD, with increased cell death, immune activation of microglia, and altered firing in Purkinje cells. While ethanol administered in adulthood can acutely depress the dynamics of the microglial process arbor, it is unknown how developmental ethanol exposure impacts microglia dynamics and their interactions with Purkinje cells in the long term. Methods: To address this question, we used a mouse model of human 3rd trimester exposure, whereby L7cre/Ai9+/-/Cx3cr1G/+ mice (with fluorescently labeled microglia and Purkinje cells) of both sexes were subcutaneously treated with a binge-level dose of ethanol (5.0 g/kg/day) or saline from postnatal days 4-9. Cranial windows were implanted in adolescent mice above the cerebellum to examine the long-term effects of developmental ethanol exposure on cerebellar microglia and Purkinje cell interactions using in vivo two-photon imaging. Results: We found that cerebellar microglia dynamics and morphology were not affected after developmental ethanol exposure. Microglia dynamics were also largely unaltered with respect to how they interact with Purkinje cells, although subtle changes in these interactions were observed in females in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. Discussion: This work suggests that there are limited in vivo long-term effects of ethanol exposure on microglia morphology, dynamics, and neuronal interactions, so other avenues of research may be important in elucidating the mechanisms of FASD.

Development of web-based geocoding applications for the population-based Birth Defects Surveillance System in New York state.

Geographic information systems (GIS) have been widely used in mapping health data and analyzing the geographic distribution of disease. Mapping and spatially analyzing data normally begins with geocoding, a process of assigning geographic coordinates to an address so that it can be displayed and analyzed on a map. The objectives of this project were to develop Web-based geocoding applications for the New York State birth defects surveillance system to geocode, both automatically and interactively, the birth defect cases of the Congenital Malformations Registry (CMR) and evaluate the geocoding results. Geocoding software, in conjunction with a Java-based development tool (J Server), was used to develop the Web-based applications on the New York State Department of Health's Health Commerce System. The Web-based geocoding applications have been developed and implemented for the New York State birth defects surveillance system. These menu-driven applications empower users to conduct geocoding activities using only a PC and a Web browser without the installation of any GIS software. These powerful tools provide automatic, real-time, street-level geocoding of the routinely collected birth defects records in the CMR. Up to 92% of the CMR records have been geocoded with addresses exactly matched to the reference addresses on house number, street name, and city or zip code.

Chronic exposure to ambient ozone and asthma hospital admissions among children.

BACKGROUND: The association between chronic exposure to air pollution and adverse health outcomes has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE: This project investigated the impact of chronic exposure to high ozone levels on childhood asthma admissions in New York State. METHODS: We followed a birth cohort born in New York State during 1995-1999 to first asthma admission or until 31 December 2000. We identified births and asthma admissions through the New York State Integrated Child Health Information System and linked these data with ambient ozone data (8-hr maximum) from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We defined chronic ozone exposure using three indicators: mean concentration during the follow-up period, mean concentration during the ozone season, and proportion of follow-up days with ozone levels > 70 ppb. We performed logistic regression analysis to adjust for child's age, sex, birth weight, and gestational age; maternal race/ethnicity, age, education, insurance status, smoking during pregnancy, and poverty level; and geographic region, temperature, and co-pollutants. RESULTS: Asthma admissions were significantly associated with increased ozone levels for all chronic exposure indicators (odds ratios, 1.16-1.68), with a positive dose-response relationship. We found stronger associations among younger children, low sociodemographic groups, and New York City residents as effect modifiers. CONCLUSION: Chronic exposure to ambient ozone may increase the risk of asthma admissions among children. Younger children and those in low socioeconomic groups have a greater risk of asthma than do other children at the same ozone level.

Development of a web-based integrated birth defects surveillance system in New York State.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, the Internet has become a powerful and effective tool for public health surveillance. The objectives of this project were to develop secure Web-based applications for Birth Defects Surveillance and to integrate them into routine surveillance activities of the New York State (NYS) Congenital Malformations Registry (CMR). METHODS: The Web-based applications were developed on infrastructure of New York State Health Provider Network using JAVA programming language. In addition, SAS/IntrNet software (SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC) was also used to leverage the data analysis and processing capabilities of SAS for generating real-time reports and performing statistical and spatial analyses. RESULTS: Congenital Malformations Registry staff have developed and implemented a Web-based integrated birth defect surveillance system, which enables staff to routinely perform surveillance activities including monitoring the quality, timeliness, and completeness of case reporting by hospitals; matching the CMR cases to the vital records; conducting trends analysis on birth defect prevalence and mortality with data query and visualization capabilities; and performing temporal and spatial analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The CMR's Web-based integrated birth defects surveillance system empowers authorized users to perform routine surveillance activities using only a PC and a Web browser. This system will help NYS public health professionals and epidemiologists perform trend analyses and identify possible clusters of birth defects in space and time that may be related to environmental toxins.

An integrated information system for all-hazards health preparedness and response: New York State Health Emergency Response Data System.

Effective and timely exchange of information among healthcare, state and local public health, and other health emergency response partners is essential to all-hazards emergency preparedness and response. Since fall of 2001, NY State Department of Health has partnered with the healthcare and public health community in New York to implement a statewide Health Emergency Response Data System to meet this need. During this time, it has been used in a wide range of preparedness and response applications including regional and local exercises, surveillance, health facility asset tracking, and response to actual health events. The architecture, design, and implementation model used in the system readily support all-hazards preparedness and response at state, regional, and local levels. It has become one of the most important assets to health emergency response in New York State.