Social Network Characteristics Associated with More Frequent HIV and STI Prevention Conversations: The N2 Cohort Study in Chicago.

Black cisgender sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW) are subgroups at highest risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US. We sought to identify factors facilitating continued conversations - social reinforcement - surrounding HIV/STI prevention among this subgroup. Participants were recruited in Chicago from 2018 to 2019 from community health spaces. Participants provided information about themselves (level 2) and ⩽5 confidants (level 1). We used multinomial multilevel modeling to identify associations with HIV/STI prevention conversation frequency. A total of 370 participants provided information on 987 confidants (mean = 2.6). We found significantly positive associations between having biweekly or more often HIV/STI prevention conversations and a confidant being a kin family member, older by 15 years or more, racially homophilous, and emotionally close. Future interventions should harness social networks by including components that consider racial homophily, respect for elders, and strong ties, in addition to applying kin family systems interventions approaches and decreasing stigma surrounding HIV/STIs.

Barriers and facilitators to implementing a multilevel, multicomponent intervention promoting colorectal cancer screening in health centers: a qualitative study of key informant perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a major cause of death in the U.S. despite the availability of effective screening tools. U.S. Latinos have lower rates of CRC screening and higher rates of death due to colorectal disease compared to non-Hispanic whites. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serve medically underserved populations, including many Latino patients. Given the low CRC screening rates, identifying culturally sensitive and cost-effective methods of promoting screening is a priority for many FQHCs. METHODS: We interviewed FQHC leaders and providers using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation of a multilevel, multicomponent (ML-MC) CRC screening intervention (i.e., promotor navigation and group-based education) in FQHCs. A rapid qualitative analysis approach was used to identify themes organized according to the following CFIR constructs: intervention characteristics, outer and inner settings, and characteristics of the individual. RESULTS: We completed interviews with 13 healthcare professionals in leadership positions at six FQHCs. The participating FQHCs perceived the ML-MC screening CRC program as feasible and expressed interest in implementing the program at their sites. Facilitators included financial incentives for increasing screening rates, the need for patient education programming, and involving promotores to support the work of clinical teams. Barriers included concerns about available resources to implement new programs, lack of federal reimbursement for health education, competing priorities of other health concerns, and the need for more resources for confirmatory screening and treatment following a positive screen. CONCLUSIONS: FQHCs provide essential primary care to millions of underserved patients in the U.S. and have the ability and motivation to provide screenings for colorectal cancer. Partnering with an academic institution to deliver a group-based, promotor-led CRC screening intervention for patients not up to date with screening could help increase screening rates. By identifying the specific barriers and facilitators to implementing CRC intervention, findings suggest that group-based, promotor-led interventions are a promising approach.

Clinical and immunological outcomes of SARS-CoV-2-infected vaccine responders, vaccine non-responders, and unvaccinated patients evaluated for neutralizing monoclonal antibody treatment at a single German tertiary care center: a retrospective cohort study with prospective follow-up.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the clinical and immunological outcomes of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with risk factors for severe disease depending on their immunological status. METHODS: In this retrospective study with single follow-up visit, clinical outcome and humoral immunity was monitored in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients at risk. The results were compared based on the patients' initial immunological status: unvaccinated (UV), patients who did not develop neutralizing antibodies after vaccination (vaccine non-responders, VNR), and patients who expressed neutralizing antibodies after vaccination (vaccine responders, VR). Patients who lacked neutralizing antibodies (VNR and UV) were treated with nMABs. RESULTS: In total, 113 patients at risk of severe COVID-19 consented to participate in the study. VR and UV were not admitted to the hospital. During the observation period, UVs had the highest rate of SARS-CoV-2 re-infections. Three of 41 VNRs (7.3%) were hospitalized due to severe COVID-19, with two of them having undergone iatrogenic B-cell depletion. The humoral immune response after infection was significantly lower in the VNR group than in the VR group in terms of anti-N, anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD), anti-S antibody titers, and anti-S antibody avidity. In a sub-analysis of VNR, B cell-deficient non-responders had significantly lower levels of anti-N antibodies and anti-S avidity after infection than other VNRs. CONCLUSION: VNR, particularly B-cell-depleted VNR, remained at risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. In the VR group, however, no clinical complications or severe disease were observed, despite not receiving nMAbs. Tailoring the administration of nMABs according to patient vaccination and immunological status may be advisable.

Rapid point-of-care detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in exhaled breath using ion mobility spectrometry: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: An effective testing strategy is essential for pandemic control of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Breath gas analysis can expand the available toolbox for diagnostic tests by using a rapid, cost-beneficial, high-throughput point-of-care test. We conducted a bi-center clinical pilot study in Germany to evaluate breath gas analysis using multi-capillary column ion mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS) to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: Between September 23, 2020, and June 11, 2021, breath gas measurements were performed on 380 patients (SARS-CoV-2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive: 186; PCR negative: 194) presenting to the emergency department (ED) with respiratory symptoms. RESULTS: Breath gas analysis using MCC-IMS identified 110 peaks; 54 showed statistically significant differences in peak intensity between the SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative and PCR-positive groups. A decision tree analysis classification resulted in a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 86%, but limited robustness to dataset changes. Modest values for the sensitivity (74%) and specificity (52%) were obtained using linear discriminant analysis. A systematic search for peaks led to a sensitivity of 77% and specificity of 67%; however, validation by transferability to other data is questionable. CONCLUSIONS: Despite identifying several peaks by MCC-IMS with significant differences in peak intensity between PCR-negative and PCR-positive samples, finding a classification system that allows reliable differentiation between the two groups proved to be difficult. However, with some modifications to the setup, breath gas analysis using MCC-IMS may be a useful diagnostic toolbox for SARS-CoV-2 infection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on September 21, 2020 (NCT04556318; Study-ID: HC-N-H-2004).

Vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension account for SES-differences in how school-aged children infer word meanings from sentences.

Socioeconomic status (SES)-related language gaps are known to widen throughout the course of the school years; however, not all children from lower SES homes perform worse than their higher SES peers on measures of language. The current study uses mediation and moderated mediation to examine how cognitive and language abilities (vocabulary, reading, phonological processing, working memory) account for individual differences in a children's ability to infer a novel word's meaning, a key component in word learning, in school-aged children from varying SES backgrounds. Vocabulary and reading comprehension mediated the relationship between SES and accuracy when inferring word meanings. The relationship between SES, vocabulary, and inferring word meaning was moderated by age, such that the influence of vocabulary on task performance was strongest in young children. The reading pathway did not interact with age effects, indicating reading is an important contributor to SES-related differences in how children infer a word's meaning throughout grade school. These findings highlight different paths by which children's trajectories for inferring word meanings may be impacted.

The co-creation, initial piloting, and protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of a coach-led positive body image intervention for girls in sport.

BACKGROUND: Globally, girls disengage from sports at an earlier age and higher rate than boys. This is, in part, due to the unique body image challenges that girls face, relative to their male peers. Existing intervention efforts that aim to reduce girls' negative body image and movement experiences have proven marginally effective, if not ineffective. This paper outlines the co-creation, initial piloting and protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial of Body Confident Athletes (BCA); an in-person, coach-led intervention that aims to foster positive body image and sports enjoyment among girls. METHODS: Following co-creation and an initial pilot, a two-armed cluster randomised controlled trial will assess the immediate (post-intervention) and short-term (1-month and 3-month follow-up) impact of BCA on girls' (N = 1,036; 11-17 years old) body image, sports enjoyment, and affect. Sport organisations will be randomly allocated (1:1) into either an intervention or waitlist control condition. Girls and coaches in the intervention condition will complete three 60-minute sessions over three consecutive weeks. The primary outcome will be the immediate change in girls' body esteem, with secondary outcomes assessing the immediate and short-term changes in girls' body appreciation, self-objectification, attuned self-care, sports enjoyment, and affect. DISCUSSION: This research is the first to utilise an international multi-stakeholder partnership to co-create and evaluate an intervention that addresses the intersection of girls' body image and sport experiences. The theoretical and methodological considerations of this research have led to a feasible intervention and trial protocol, and if proven effective, BCA may assist in reducing the global gender disparity in sports participation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05594524 , registered 25th October 2022.

[Idiopathic partial thrombosis of the corpus cavernosum (IPTCC) : A rare urological emergency]. / Die idiopathische partielle Thrombose des Corpus cavernosum (IPTCC) : Ein Kolibri der urologischen Notfallversorgung.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic partial thrombosis of the corpus cavernosum (IPTCC) is a rare, semi-acute disease in young, healthy men. In addition to an anatomical predisposition, perineal microtrauma is stated as the main risk factor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case report and the results of a literature search with descriptive-statistical processing of 57 peer-reviewed publications are presented. A therapy concept was drawn up for clinical practice. RESULTS: Our patient was treated conservatively and was consistent with the 87 cases which have been published since 1976. IPTCC is a disease of young men (33.2 years, range 18-70), which is associated with pain and perineal swelling in 88%. Sonography and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) proved to be the diagnostic modality of choice, demonstrating the thrombus and in 89% a connective tissue membrane inside the corpus cavernosum. Treatment included antithrombotic and analgesic (n = 54, 62.1%), surgical (n = 20, 23%), analgesic (n = 8, 9.2%), via injection (n = 2, 2.3%), as well as radiological interventional (n = 1, 1.1%) options. In 12 cases, erectile dysfunction, mostly temporary, which required phosphodiesterase (PDE)-5 therapy developed. Recurrence and prolonged courses were rare. CONCLUSION: IPTCC is a rare disease in young men. Conservative therapy with antithrombotic and analgesic treatment has shown good chances of full recovery. If relapse occurs or the patient refuses antithrombotic treatment, operative/alternative therapy management should be considered.

The relationship between myocardial microstructure and strain in chronic infarction using cardiovascular magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging and feature tracking.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is a novel technique for the non-invasive assessment of myocardial microstructure. Previous studies have shown myocardial infarction to result in loss of sheetlet angularity, derived by reduced secondary eigenvector (E2A) and reduction in subendocardial cardiomyocytes, evidenced by loss of myocytes with right-handed orientation (RHM) on helix angle (HA) maps. Myocardial strain assessed using feature tracking-CMR (FT-CMR) is a sensitive marker of sub-clinical myocardial dysfunction. We sought to explore the relationship between these two techniques (strain and cDTI) in patients at 3 months following ST-elevation MI (STEMI). METHODS: 32 patients (F = 28, 60 ± 10 years) underwent 3T CMR three months after STEMI (mean interval 105 ± 17 days) with second order motion compensated (M2), free-breathing spin echo cDTI, cine gradient echo and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging. HA maps divided into left-handed HA (LHM, - 90 < HA < - 30), circumferential HA (CM, - 30° < HA < 30°), and right-handed HA (RHM, 30° < HA < 90°) were reported as relative proportions. Global and segmental analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 44 ± 10% with a mean infarct size of 18 ± 12 g and a mean infarct segment LGE enhancement of 66 ± 21%. Mean global radial strain was 19 ± 6, mean global circumferential strain was - 13 ± - 3 and mean global longitudinal strain was - 10 ± - 3. Global and segmental radial strain correlated significantly with E2A in infarcted segments (p = 0.002, p = 0.011). Both global and segmental longitudinal strain correlated with RHM of infarcted segments on HA maps (p < 0.001, p = 0.003). Mean Diffusivity (MD) correlated significantly with the global infarct size (p < 0.008). When patients were categorised according to LVEF (reduced, mid-range and preserved), all cDTI parameters differed significantly between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Change in sheetlet orientation assessed using E2A from cDTI correlates with impaired radial strain. Segments with fewer subendocardial cardiomyocytes, evidenced by a lower proportion of myocytes with right-handed orientation on HA maps, show impaired longitudinal strain. Infarct segment enhancement correlates significantly with E2A and RHM. Our data has demonstrated a link between myocardial microstructure and contractility following myocardial infarction, suggesting a potential role for CMR cDTI to clinically relevant functional impact.

Altered genome-wide hippocampal gene expression profiles following early life lead exposure and their potential for reversal by environmental enrichment.

Early life lead (Pb) exposure is detrimental to neurobehavioral development. The quality of the environment can modify negative influences from Pb exposure, impacting the developmental trajectory following Pb exposure. Little is known about the molecular underpinnings in the brain of the interaction between Pb and the quality of the environment. We examined relationships between early life Pb exposure and living in an enriched versus a non-enriched postnatal environment on genome-wide transcription profiles in hippocampus CA1. RNA-seq identified differences in the transcriptome of enriched vs. non-enriched Pb-exposed animals. Most of the gene expression changes associated with Pb exposure were reversed by enrichment. This was also true for changes in upstream regulators, splicing events and long noncoding RNAs. Non-enriched rats also had memory impairments; enriched rats had no deficits. The results demonstrate that an enriched environment has a profound impact on behavior and the Pb-modified CA1 transcriptome. These findings show the potential for interactions between Pb exposure and the environment to result in significant transcriptional changes in the brain and, to the extent that this may occur in Pb-exposed children, could influence neuropsychological/educational outcomes, underscoring the importance for early intervention and environmental enrichment for Pb-exposed children.

Exploring Ductility in Dental Ceramics.

Two damage regimes-"brittle" and "ductile"-have been identified in the literature on ceramic grinding, machining, grit blasting, and wear. In the brittle regime, the damage mechanism is essentially crack formation, while in the ductile region, it is quasiplasticity. Onset of the brittle mode poses the greater threat to strength, so it becomes important to understand the mechanics of ductile-brittle thresholds in these materials. Controlled microcontact tests with a sharp indenter are employed to establish such thresholds for a suite of contemporary computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing dental ceramics. Plots of flexural strength S versus indentation load P show a steep decline beyond the threshold, consistent with well-established contact mechanics relations. Threshold dimensions occur on a scale of order 1 µm and contact load of order 1 N, values pertinent to practical grit finishing protocols. The ductile side of ceramic shaping is accessed by reducing grit sizes, applied loads, and depths of cut below critical levels. It is advocated that critical conditions for ductile shaping may be most readily quantified on analogous S(P) plots, but with appropriate machining variable (grit size, depths of cut, infeed rate) replacing load P. Working in the ductile region offers the promise of compelling time and cost economies in prosthesis fabrication and preparation.

A Profile and Three-Year Follow-Up of Patients with Basal Cell Carcinoma in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is an important malignancy in sub-Saharan Africa. There is a paucity of data regarding BCC in South Africa. Aims: To describe the clinicopathological features of patients presenting with BCC in a cohort of South African patients. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study reviewed the medical records of 149 patients with BCC who attended the dermatology clinic at Tygerberg Academic Hospital from September 2015 to August 2016. Demographic and clinical data of those patients with histologically proven BCC were retrieved from clinical records. The data included the assessment for BCC recurrence after three years (September 2016-August 2019). Results: Of 390 patients, 155 (39.7%) had histologically confirmed BCCs. Complete medical records were available for 149 of these patients, and most were male (55.7%) and white (85.9%) with a median age of 70 years. Most patients had their BCC lesions for 12 months (43.1%) before diagnosis. BCCs were mostly located on the head and neck area (58.1%). In most patients (72.0%), a diagnostic punch biopsy confirmed BCC. Plastic surgeons subsequently excised the BCC lesions in 74.0% of these patients. The most common histological subtype was nodular BCC (74.0%). The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk of recurrence was approximately evenly distributed between high- (54.1%) and low-risk groups (45.9%). The major high-risk feature was the location (36.6%). Histologically confirmed BCC recurrence occurred in 9 of the 149 patients (3.7%) over three years. Conclusions: BCC represents a high burden of disease in our setting. Compared to existing studies, the BCCs in this study are clinically and histologically similar to international reports.

Association of small vessel disease with tau pathology.

Emerging evidence suggests that small vessel disease (SVD) is a risk factor for clinical dementia and may contribute to AD neuropathological changes. Watershed brain regions are located at the most distal areas between arterial territories, making them vulnerable to SVD-related changes. We examined the association of pathologic markers of SVD, specifically arteriolosclerosis in watershed brain regions, with AD pathologic changes. Participants (N = 982; mean age-at-death = 90; 69% women) were enrolled as part of one of two cohort studies of aging and dementia. At autopsy, neuropathological evaluation included semi-quantitative grading of arteriolosclerosis pathology from 2 cortical watershed regions: the anterior watershed (AWS) and posterior watershed (PWS), densities for cortical ß-amyloid and tau-tangle pathology, and other common age-related pathologies. Linear regression models examined the association of watershed arteriolosclerosis pathology with ß-amyloid and tau-tangle burden. In follow-up analyses, available ex-vivo MRI and proteomics data in a subset of decedents were leveraged to examine the association of whole brain measure of WMH, as a presumed MRI marker of SVD, with ß-amyloid and tau-tangle burden, as well as to examine the association of watershed arteriolosclerosis with proteomic tau. Watershed arteriolosclerosis was common, with 45% of older persons having moderate-to-severe arteriolosclerosis pathology in the AWS region, and 35% in the PWS. In fully adjusted models that controlled for demographics and common age-related pathologies, an increase in severity of PWS arteriolosclerosis was associated with a higher burden of tau-tangle burden, specifically neocortical tau burden, but not with ß-amyloid. AWS arteriolosclerosis was not associated with ß-amyloid or tau pathology. Ex-vivo WMH was associated with greater tau-tangle pathology burden but not ß-amyloid. Furthermore, PWS arteriolosclerosis was associated with higher abundance of tau phosphopeptides, that promote formation of tau aggregates. These data provide compelling evidence that SVD, specifically posterior watershed arteriolosclerosis pathology, is linked with tau pathological changes in the aging brain.

A critical role for GM1 ganglioside in the pathophysiology and potential treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is slowly progressing neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of patients worldwide. While effective symptomatic therapies for PD exist, there is no currently available disease modifying agent to slow or stop the progression of the disease. Many years of research from various laboratories around the world have provided evidence in favor of the potential ability of GM1 ganglioside to be a disease modifying agent for PD. In this paper, information supporting the use of GM1 as a disease modifying therapeutic for PD is reviewed along with information concerning the role that deficiencies in GM1 ganglioside (and potentially other important brain gangliosides) may play in the pathogenesis of PD.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel aminoalcohol quinolines with strong in vitro antimalarial activity.

Malaria is the fifth most lethal parasitic infections in the world. Herein, five new series of aminoalcohol quinolines including fifty-two compounds were designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro against Pf3D7 and PfW2 strains. Among them, fourteen displayed IC50 values below or near of 50.0 nM whatever the strain with selectivity index often superior to 100.17b was found as a promising antimalarial candidate with IC50 values of 14.9 nM and 11.0 nM against respectively Pf3D7 and PfW2 and a selectivity index higher than 770 whatever the cell line is. Further experiments were achieved to confirm the safety and to establish the preliminary ADMET profile of compound 17b before the in vivo study performed on a mouse model of P. berghei ANKA infection. The overall data of this study allowed to establish new structure-activity relationships and the development of novel agents with improved pharmacokinetic properties.

Feature tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance reveals recovery of atrial function after acute myocarditis.

Follow-up after acute myocarditis is important to detect persisting myocardial dysfunction. However, recovery of atrial function has not been evaluated after acute myocarditis so far. Thirty-five patients with strictly defined acute myocarditis underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR, 1.5 T) in the acute stage at baseline (BL) and at 3 months follow-up (FU). The study population included 13 patients with biopsy-proven "cardiomyopathy-like" myocarditis (CLM) and 22 patients with "infarct-like" (ILM) clinical presentation. CMR feature tracking (FT) was performed on conventional cine SSFP sequences. Median LA-GLS increased from 33.2 (14.5; 39.2) at BL to 37.0% (25.2; 44.1, P = 0.0018) at FU in the entire study population. Median LA-GLS also increased from 36.7 (26.5; 42.3) at BL to 41.3% (34.5; 44.8, P = 0.0262) at FU in the ILM subgroup and from 11.3 (6.4; 21.1) at BL to 21.4% (14.2; 30.7, P = 0.0186) at FU in the CLM subgroup. Median RA-GLS significantly increased from BL with 30.8 (22.5; 37.0) to FU with 33.7% (26.8; 45.4, P = 0.0027) in the entire study population. Median RA-GLS also significantly increased from 32.7 (25.8; 41.0) at BL to 35.8% (27.7; 48.0, P = 0.0495) at FU in the ILM subgroup and from 22.8 (13.1; 33.9) at BL to 31.0% (26.0; 40.8, P = 0.0266) at FU in the CLM subgroup. Our findings demonstrate recovery of LA and RA function by CMR-FT strain analyses in patients after acute myocarditis independent from clinical presentation. Monitoring of atrial strain could be an important tool for an individual assessment of healing after acute myocarditis.

Factors Associated with Owner-Reported Euthanasia in Equids in France.

There is limited evidence regarding the proportion of dead equids in France that were euthanized and the factors influencing the decision-making of euthanasia. The better understanding of which could facilitate research on improvement of welfare, especially on end of life issues. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of euthanasia and identify associated factors in equids in France. A web-based survey was created and distributed by the French horse and riding institute to owners who reported an equine death between April 2017 and April 2018 (n = 5 158). Factors associated with euthanasia were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. The percentage of responses was 10.6% (n = 548/5 158; 95% CI 9.8% to 11.5%). The proportion of euthanasia was 71.0% (n = 389/548; 95% CI 67.2% to 74.8%). The factors "age category", "cause of natural death or reason for euthanasia" and "the length of time during which the animal was reported to be ill by the owner" were significantly associated with euthanasia (P <0.001). The results highlighted that a large majority of owners faced euthanasia decisions and our findings could support veterinarians and owners to better prepare for such an eventuality.

Different endurance exercises modulate NK cell cytotoxic and inhibiting receptors.

PURPOSE: Induction of IDO depends on the activation of AhR forming the AhR/IDO axis. Activated AhR can transcribe various target genes including cytotoxic and inhibiting receptors of NK cells. We investigated whether AhR and IDO levels as well as activating (NKG2D) and inhibiting (KIR2DL1) NK cell receptors are influenced by acute exercise and different chronic endurance exercise programs. METHODS: 21 adult breast and prostate cancer patients of the TOP study (NCT02883699) were randomized to intervention programs of 12 weeks of (1) endurance standard training or (2) endurance polarized training after a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Serum was collected pre-CPET, immediately post-CPET, 1 h post-CPET and after 12 weeks post-intervention. Flow cytometry analysis was performed on autologous serum incubated NK-92 cells for: AhR, IDO, KIR2DL1 and NKG2D. Differences were investigated using analysis-of-variance for acute and analysis-of-covariance for chronic effects. RESULTS: Acute exercise: IDO levels changed over time with a significant increase from post-CPET to 1 h post-CPET (p = 0.03). KIR2DL1 levels significantly decreased over time (p < 0.01). NKG2D levels remained constant (p = 0.31). Chronic exercise: for both IDO and NKG2D a significant group × time interaction, a significant time effect and a significant difference after 12 weeks of intervention were observed (IDO: all p < 0.01, NKG2D: all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both acute and chronic endurance training may regulate NK cell function via the AhR/IDO axis. This is clinically relevant, as exercise emerges to be a key player in immune regulation.

Neural oscillations reveal differences in the process of word learning among school-aged children from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Building a robust vocabulary in grade school is essential for academic success. Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) households on average perform below their higher SES peers on word learning tasks, negatively impacting their vocabulary; however, significant variability exists within this group. Many children from low SES homes perform as well as, or better than, their higher SES peers on measures of word learning. The current study addresses what processes underlie this variability, by comparing the neural oscillations of 44 better versus worse word learners (ages 8-15 years) from lower SES households as they infer the meaning of unknown words. Better word learners demonstrated increases in theta and beta power as a word was learned, whereas worse word learners exhibited decreases in alpha power. These group differences in neural oscillatory engagement during word learning indicate there may be different strategies employed based on differences in children's skills. Notably, children with greater vocabulary knowledge are more likely to exhibit larger beta increases; a strategy which is associated with better word learning. This sheds new light on the mechanisms that support word learning in children from low SES households.