NB housing study protocol: investigating the relationship between subsidized housing, mental health, physical health and healthcare use in New Brunswick, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Income and housing are pervasive social determinants of health. Subsidized housing is a prominent affordability mechanism in Canada; however, waitlists are lengthy. Subsidized rents should provide greater access to residual income, which may theoretically improve health outcomes. However, little is known about the health of tenants who wait for and receive subsidized housing. This is especially problematic for New Brunswick, a Canadian province with low population density, whose inhabitants experience income inequality, social exclusion, and challenges with healthcare access.  METHODS: This study will use a longitudinal, prospective matched cohort design. All 4,750 households on New Brunswick's subsidized housing wait list will be approached to participate. The survey measures various demographic, social and health indicators at six-month intervals for up to 18 months as they wait for subsidized housing. Those who receive housing will join an intervention group and receive surveys for an additional 18 months post-move date. With consent, participants will have their data linked to a provincial administrative database of medical records.  DISCUSSION: Knowledge of housing and health is sparse in Canada. This study will provide stakeholders with a wealth of health information on a population that is historically under-researched and underserved.

Use of inter-simple sequence repeats and amplified fragment length polymorphisms to analyze genetic relationships among small grain-infecting species of ustilago.

ABSTRACT In the smut fungi, few features are available for use as taxonomic criteria (spore size, shape, morphology, germination type, and host range). DNA-based molecular techniques are useful in expanding the traits considered in determining relationships among these fungi. We examined the phylogenetic relationships among seven species of Ustilago (U. avenae, U. bullata, U. hordei, U. kolleri, U. nigra, U. nuda, and U. tritici) using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) to compare their DNA profiles. Fifty-four isolates of different Ustilago spp. were analyzed using ISSR primers, and 16 isolates of Ustilago were studied using AFLP primers. The variability among isolates within species was low for all species except U. bullata. The isolates of U. bullata, U. nuda, and U. tritici were well separated and our data supports their speciation. U. avenae and U. kolleri isolates did not separate from each other and there was little variability between these species. U. hordei and U. nigra isolates also showed little variability between species, but the isolates from each species grouped together. Our data suggest that U. avenae and U. kolleri are monophyletic and should be considered one species, as should U. hordei and U. nigra.

p230 is associated with vesicles budding from the trans-Golgi network.

Transport vesicle formation requires the association of cytosolic proteins with the membrane. We have previously described a brefeldin-A sensitive, hydrophilic protein (p230), containing a very high frequency of heptad repeats, found in the cytosol and associated with Golgi membranes. We show here that p230 is localised on the trans-Golgi network, by immunogold labeling of HeLa cell cryosections using alpha 2,6 sialyltransferase as a compartment-specific marker. The role of G protein activators on the binding of p230 to Golgi membranes and in vesicle biogenesis has been investigated. Treatment of streptolysin-O permeabilised HeLa cells with either GTP gamma S or AlF4- resulted in accumulation of p230 on Golgi membranes. Furthermore, immunolabeling of isolated Golgi membranes treated with AlF4-, to induce the accumulation of vesicles, showed that p230 is predominantly localised to the cytoplasmic surface of trans-Golgi network-derived budding structures and small coated vesicles. p230-labeled vesicles have a thin (approximately 10 nm) electron dense cytoplasmic coat and could be readily distinguished from clathrin-coated vesicles. Dual immunogold labeling of perforated cells, or of cryosections of treated Golgi membranes, revealed that p230 and the trans-Golgi network-associated p200, which we show here to be distinct molecules, appear to be localised on separate populations of vesicles budding from the trans-Golgi network. These results strongly suggest the presence of distinct populations of non-clathrin coated vesicles derived from the trans-Golgi network. As p230 recycles between the cytosol and buds/vesicles of TGN membranes, a process regulated by G proteins, we propose that p230 is involved in the biogenesis of a specific population of non-clathrin coated vesicles.

Alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein polymorphism in New Zealand Europeans and New Zealand Maori.

The polymorphism of alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG, alpha 2HS) was analysed in a sample of New Zealanders consisting of 194 New Zealand Europeans and 236 New Zealand Maori. Thin layer polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation revealed four different AHSG phenotypes in New Zealand Europeans and three different AHSG phenotypes in New Zealand Maori. The AHSG*2 frequency of 0.695 for the New Zealand Maori population was found to be one of the highest reported for any population. AHSG*2 appears to be a useful genetic marker for Maori in anthropological studies.

Post-translational modifications distinguish cell surface from Golgi-retained beta 1,4 galactosyltransferase molecules. Golgi localization involves active retention.

beta 1,4 Galactosyltransferase (GalT) is a membrane-bound enzyme localized predominantly to the trans-Golgi cisternae. Our previous studies have shown that the transmembrane domain of bovine GalT plays a critical role in Golgi localization (Teasdale, R.D., D'Agostaro, G. and Gleeson, P.A., J. Biol. Chem., 267, 4084-4096, 1992). Here we have compared the localization and post-translational modifications of full-length bovine GalT with a GalT/hybrid molecule where the transmembrane domain of GalT was replaced with that of the transferrin receptor. GalT/hybrid molecules were expressed on the surface of transfected cells; however, differences were observed in the distribution of the hybrid molecules between transfected COS and murine L cells. In transfected COS cells, the GalT/hybrid protein was expressed efficiently at the cell surface, with little Golgi-localized material, whereas in stable murine L cells, which expressed lower levels of the construct, hybrid molecules were detected both at the cell surface and within the Golgi apparatus. Expression of the GalT constructs in either COS or L cells produced two glycoprotein products which differed in molecular mass by 7 kDa. The difference in size between the two products is due to post-translational modifications which are inhibited by brefeldin A and are therefore likely to occur in the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Very little of the high-molecular-weight species was detected for full-length GalT, whereas it was a major product for the GalT/hybrid protein. Only the higher molecular weight species was expressed at the cell surface. Thus, this additional 7 kDa post-translational modification distinguishes molecules retained within the Golgi apparatus (lower M(r) species) from those transported through the TGN to the cell surface. These studies indicate that (i) the level of expression influences the intracellular distribution of GalT/hybrid molecules and (ii) the localization of full-length GalT involves active retention within the Golgi stack, and not retrieval from later compartments. After treatment of membrane preparations from stable L cell clones with a heterobifunctional cross-linking agent, full-length bovine GalT molecules were found almost exclusively as high-molecular-weight aggregates, suggesting that GalT exists as an oligomer or aggregate. This ability to oligomerize may be a requirement for Golgi retention.

The genetic demography of the Gainj of Papua New Guinea. I. Local differentiation of blood group, red cell enzyme, and serum protein allele frequencies.

Allele frequencies are reported for 19 blood group, red cell enzyme, and serum protein loci (ABO, Rh, MN, Hb-A, LDH-A, LDH-B, SOD, PGM-1, PGM-2, 6PGD, GPT, ESD, ADA, ACP, PGK, MDH, Alb, Hp, and Tf) determined from 310 blood samples collected among the Gainj, a small population of tribal horticulturalists from highland Papua New Guniea. Fourteen of these loci display genetic variants, and ten of them are sufficiently polymorphic to permit a preliminary analysis of Gainj population structure. Patterns of variation among subdivisions of the population are analyzed using an approach analogous to a multivariate analysis of variance with unbalanced design, and weighted genetic distances are extracted from the results. The distance analysis indicates that patterns of genetic variation within this population reflect the geographical distribution of subdivisions, as well as subdivision size and movement among subdivisions. A parallel analysis of the Gainj and two other tribal groups from highland New Guinea, the Murapin Enga and the Simbai Valley Maring, suggests that the Gainj are both genetically divergent from neighboring populations and internally highly differentiated.

The effect cystamine on gastric secretion in the rat.

The effects of cystamine on gastric secretion were studied in conscious and anaesthetized rat preparations. In the conscious gastric fistula rat cystamine inhibited the basal acid output but increased pepsin output. This pepsinogogue action was inhibited by both atropine and metiamide. In the anaesthetized rat cystamine stimulated gastric acid output, an effect blocked by cimetidine which had an inhibitory E.D. 50 which was not significantly different from that obtained against histamine-stimulated secretion in this preparation. Atropine at high doses failed to inhibit the response. Depletion of mast cell histamine by compound 48/80 the secretory response to cystamine. In the light of these results possible mechanisms of action for the secretagogue effects of cystamine are discussed.

Inhibition of pepsin secretion by metiamide and atropine in the conscious rat.

The inhibition of pepsin secretion by metiamide and atropine has been studied in the gastric fistula rat and the Heidenhain pouch rat. A comparison of the effectiveness of metiamide and atropine in inhibiting pepsin secretion was made by using doses of the antagonists which produced a similar level of inhibition of acid secretion. In the gastric fistula rat both atropine and metiamide inhibited the basal pepsin output, but atropine was more effective than metiamide in this respect. In the Heidenhain pouch rat a large dose of metiamide which inhibited bethanechol-stimulated acid secretion had no significant effect on the corresponding output of pepsin. In this preparation atropine inhibited both acid and pepsin secretion. Possible reasons for the differences in the two preparations are discussed.