An evaluation of PlayStreets in the South Side neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.

AIMS: Outdoor play, physical activity, and social cohesion are crucial indicators of community health. PlayStreets, a street play initiative to engage local children and families in outdoor play, physical activity, and social interactions, were implemented in a low-income neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio throughout the summer of 2019. This article aims to describe the implementation of a hospital-sponsored PlayStreets model executed through support from a community health initiative and to assess neighborhood impact through parent and child surveys. METHODS: Approximately 350 children attended the events and 69 surveys were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey data. RESULTS: The mean age of children was 7 years, and the majority of children who attended were male. If not for PlayStreets, 55% of caregivers reported that their children would be inside. Event satisfaction levels were high, and 54% of caregivers said that they had more contact with their neighbors because of the events. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital buy-in and community support were crucial to the success of the event. We found that this model can successfully engage the local community while increasing opportunity for childhood outdoor play, physical activity, and neighborhood social interaction.

Protection against exotoxin A (ETA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in mice with ETA-specific antipeptide antibodies.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious and sometimes fatal infections in the compromised host, especially in patients with major trauma or thermal injuries. Exotoxin A (ETA) is the major and most lethal virulence factor produced by this ubiquitous microorganism. In a recent study (H. S. Elzaim, A. K. Chopra, J. W. Peterson, R. Goodheart, and J. P. Heggers, Infect. Immun. 66:2170-2179, 1998), we identified two major epitopes, one within the translocation domain (amino acid [aa] residues 289 to 333) of ETA and another within the enzymatic domain (aa 610 to 638), by using a panel of antipeptide antibodies. Synthetic peptides representing these two epitopes induced ETA-specific antibodies which were able to abrogate the cytotoxic activity of ETA, as measured by incorporation of [3H]leucine into 3T3 fibroblasts. In the present study, these antibodies were tested for the ability to provide protection against ETA and infection with a toxin-producing strain of P. aeruginosa in a mouse model. Antibodies to either of the synthetic peptides conferred protection against ETA. Also, when used for immunization, both peptides induced active immunity to ETA in mice. Antibodies to the peptide representing a region within the enzymatic domain of ETA, in combination with the antibiotic amikacin, enhanced the survival of mice infected with a toxin-producing strain of P. aeruginosa. Thus, antipeptide antibodies specific for ETA might be paired with antibiotic treatment for passive immunization of patients suffering from P. aeruginosa infection.

Induction of blister-causing antibodies by a recombinant full-length, but not the extracellular, domain of the pemphigus vulgaris antigen (desmoglein 3).

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is mediated by autoantibodies to desmoglein 3, the pemphigus vulgaris antigen (PVA). PVA and an extracellular domain of PVA-Ig fusion protein (PV-Ig) can completely adsorb the blister-causing Abs from PV patient sera, suggesting that the extracellular segment of PVA might be sufficient to induce pathogenic Abs. To test this, we immunized rabbits with either PVA or its extracellular domain (EPVA) expressed in insect cells in our laboratory. When Igs were passively transferred from these rabbits into neonatal mice, anti-PVA, but not the anti-EPVA, induced blisters. To understand the basis for their differential pathogenic effects, we examined the properties of these sera. Both sera showed comparable ELISA titers and indirect immunofluorescence reactivity against monkey esophagus, a source of native PVA. Moreover, EPVA, like PVA adsorbed blister-causing Abs from sera of PV patients and rabbits immunized with PVA. In contrast, when IgG preparations were incubated with fura-2-AM (acetyloxymethyl ester)-loaded human keratinocytes in culture, only IgG from anti-PVA serum induced intracellular calcium mobilization. These data showed that PVA but not EPVA can elicit Abs that induced blisters in neonatal mice and mediate intracellular signaling through calcium mobilization.