High birth weight modifies association between adolescent physical activity and cardiometabolic health in women and not men.

Recent evidence suggests that adverse prenatal development alters physiological response to physical activity, but longitudinal epidemiologic evidence is scant. This study tested the hypothesis that lower physical activity during adolescence and young adulthood is more strongly associated with later cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and diabetes or prediabetes (DM/PDM) in women and men who were born with high or low birth weight (HBW, LBW), compared to normal birth weight (NBW). We analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a cohort study of US adolescents followed into adulthood (1994-2009). Using sex-stratified multivariable regression, 30-year CVD risk score (calculated using objective measures; n=12,775) and prevalent DM/PDM (n=15,138) at 24-32years of age were each modeled as a function of birth weight category, self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity frequency in adolescence (MVPA1) and young adulthood (MVPA3), and MVPA-birth weight interactions. Greater MVPA1 was associated with lower 30-year CVD risk score and DM/PDM risk in HBW women but not NBW or LBW women. Associations between MVPA1 and 30-year CVD risk or DM/PDM were not modified by HBW in men; or by LBW in women or men. Additionally, birth weight did not modify estimated effects of MVPA3. Findings suggest that frequent MVPA in adolescence may be a particularly important cardiometabolic risk reduction strategy in girls born HBW; however, we found no evidence that birth weight and MVPA interact in cardiometabolic disease risk in men, for MVPA in adulthood, or for LBW.

Screening for Dyslipidemia in Younger Adults: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia may occur in younger adults (defined as persons aged 21 to 39 years) and is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Screening might identify younger adults with asymptomatic dyslipidemia who may benefit from lipid-lowering therapies. PURPOSE: To update the 2008 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force review on dyslipidemia screening in younger adults. DATA SOURCES: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and MEDLINE through May 2016, and reference lists. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized, controlled trials; cohort studies; and case-control studies on screening for or treatment of asymptomatic dyslipidemia in adults aged 21 to 39 years. DATA EXTRACTION: The plan was for 1 investigator to abstract data and a second to check their accuracy, and for 2 investigators to independently assess study quality; however, no studies met the inclusion criteria. DATA SYNTHESIS: No study evaluated the effects of lipid screening versus no screening, treatment versus no treatment, or delayed versus earlier treatment on clinical outcomes in younger adults. In addition, no study evaluated the diagnostic yield of alternative screening strategies (such as targeted screening of persons with a family history of hyperlipidemia vs. general screening) in younger adults. LIMITATION: No direct relevant evidence. CONCLUSION: Direct evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for or treatment of dyslipidemia in younger adults remains unavailable. Estimating the potential effects of screening for dyslipidemia in this population requires extrapolation from studies performed in older adults. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Statins for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States, may be potentially preventable with statin therapy. Objective: To systematically review benefits and harms of statins for prevention of CVD to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force. Data Sources: Ovid MEDLINE (from 1946), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (from 1991), and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (from 2005) to June 2016. Study Selection: Randomized clinical trials of statins vs placebo, fixed-dose vs titrated statins, and higher- vs lower-intensity statins in adults without prior cardiovascular events. Data Extraction and Synthesis: One investigator abstracted data, a second checked data for accuracy, and 2 investigators independently assessed study quality using predefined criteria. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: All-cause mortality, CVD-related morbidity or mortality, and harms. Results: Nineteen trials (n = 71 344 participants [range, 95-17 802]; mean age, 51-66 years) compared statins vs placebo or no statin. Statin therapy was associated with decreased risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR], 0.86 [95% CI, 0.80 to 0.93]; I2 = 0%; absolute risk difference [ARD], -0.40% [95% CI, -0.64% to -0.17%]), cardiovascular mortality (RR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.54 to 0.88]; I2 = 54%; ARD, -0.43% [95% CI, -0.75% to -0.11%]), stroke (RR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.62 to 0.82]; I2 = 0; ARD, -0.38% [95% CI, -0.53% to -0.23%]), myocardial infarction (RR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.71]; I2 = 0%; ARD, -0.81% [95% CI, -1.19 to -0.43%]), and composite cardiovascular outcomes (RR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.63 to 0.78]; I2 = 36%; ARD, -1.39% [95% CI, -1.79 to -0.99%]). Relative benefits appeared consistent in demographic and clinical subgroups, including populations without marked hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol level <200 mg/dL); absolute benefits were higher in subgroups at higher baseline risk. Statins were not associated with increased risk of serious adverse events (RR, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.94 to 1.04]), myalgias (RR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.79 to 1.16]), or liver-related harms (RR, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.90 to 1.35]). In pooled analysis, statins were not associated with increased risk of diabetes (RR, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.91 to 1.20]), although statistical heterogeneity was present (I2 = 52%), and 1 trial found high-intensity statins associated with increased risk (RR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.05 to 1.49]). No trial directly compared titrated vs fixed-dose statins, and there were no clear differences based on statin intensity. Conclusions and Relevance: In adults at increased CVD risk but without prior CVD events, statin therapy was associated with reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and CVD events, with greater absolute benefits in patients at greater baseline risk.

ASVmaker: A New Tool to Improve Taxonomic Identifications for Amplicon Sequencing Data.

The taxonomic assignment of sequences obtained by high throughput amplicon sequencing poses a limitation for various applications in the biomedical, environmental, and agricultural fields. Identifications are constrained by the length of the obtained sequences and the computational processes employed to efficiently assign taxonomy. Arriving at a consensus is often preferable to uncertain identification for ecological purposes. To address this issue, a new tool called "ASVmaker" has been developed to facilitate the creation of custom databases, thereby enhancing the precision of specific identifications. ASVmaker is specifically designed to generate reference databases for allocating amplicon sequencing data. It uses publicly available reference data and generates specific sequences derived from the primers used to create amplicon sequencing libraries. This versatile tool can complete taxonomic assignments performed with pre-trained classifiers from the SILVA and UNITE databases. Moreover, it enables the generation of comprehensive reference databases for specific genes in cases where no directly applicable database exists for taxonomic classification tools.

Date Palm Waste Compost Application Increases Soil Microbial Community Diversity in a Cropping Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Field.

Application of date palm waste compost is quite beneficial in improving soil properties and crop growth. However, the effect of its application on soil microbial communities is less understood. High-throughput sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to evaluate the effect of compost application on the soil microbial composition in a barley field during the tillering, booting and ripening stages. The results showed that compost treatment had the highest bacterial and fungal abundance, and its application significantly altered the richness (Chao1 index) and α-diversity (Shannon index) of fungal and bacterial communities. The dominant bacterial phyla found in the samples were Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria while the dominant fungal orders were Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota. Interestingly, compost enriched the relative abundance of beneficial microorganisms such as Chaetomium, Actinobacteriota, Talaromyces and Mortierella and reduced those of harmful microorganisms such as Alternaria, Aspergillus and Neocosmospora. Functional prediction based on Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) showed that amplicon sequence variant (ASV) sequences related to energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism were associated with compost-treated soil. Based on Fungi Functional Guild (FUNGuild), identified fungi community metabolic functions such as wood saprotroph, pathotroph, symbiotroph and endophyte were associated with compost-treated soil. Overall, compost addition could be considered as a sustainable practice for establishing a healthy soil microbiome and subsequently improving the soil quality and barley crop production.

Using a soil bacterial species balance index to estimate potato crop productivity.

The development of 'molecular-omic' tools and computing analysis platforms have greatly enhanced our ability to assess the impacts of agricultural practices and crop management protocols on soil microbial diversity. However, biotic factors are rarely factored into agricultural management models. Today it is possible to identify specific microbiomes and define biotic components that contribute to soil quality. We assessed the bacterial diversity of soils in 51 potato production plots. We describe a strategy for identifying a potato-crop-productivity bacterial species balance index based on amplicon sequence variants. We observed a significant impact of soil texture balances on potato yields; however, the Shannon and Chao1 richness indices and Pielou's evenness index poorly correlated with these yields. Nonetheless, we were able to estimate the portion of the total bacterial microbiome related to potato yield using an integrated species balances index derived from the elements of the bacterial microbiome that positively or negatively correlate with residual potato yields. This innovative strategy based on a microbiome selection procedure greatly enhances our ability to interpret the impact of agricultural practices and cropping system management choices on microbial diversity and potato yield. This strategy provides an additional tool that will aid growers and the broader agricultural sector in their decision-making processes concerning the soil quality and crop productivity.

Heavy precipitation as a risk factor for shigellosis among homeless persons during an outbreak - Oregon, 2015-2016.

OBJECTIVES: Shigella species are the third most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in the United States. During a Shigella sonnei outbreak in Oregon from July 2015 through June 2016, Shigella cases spread among homeless persons with onset of the wettest rainy season on record. METHODS: We conducted time series analyses using Poisson regression to determine if a temporal association between precipitation and shigellosis incidence existed. Models were stratified by housing status. RESULTS: Among 105 infections identified, 45 (43%) occurred in homeless persons. With increasing precipitation, cases increased among homeless persons (relative risk [RR] = 1.36 per inch of precipitation during the exposure period; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17-1.59), but not among housed persons (RR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.86-1.25). CONCLUSIONS: Heavy precipitation likely contributed to shigellosis transmission among homeless persons during this outbreak. When heavy precipitation is forecast, organizations working with homeless persons could consider taking proactive measures to mitigate spread of enteric infections.