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Background: To assess the efficacy of curcuminoids (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin [BDC]) and their analogs (tetrahydrocurcumin [THC], tetrahydrodemethoxycurcumin [THDC], tetrahydrobisdemethoxycurcumin) in reducing inflammatory cytokines and their toxicity to primary human corneal limbal epithelial cells, these cells were cultured and exposed to these compounds. Methods: The PrestoBlue assay assessed cell viability after treatment. Anti-inflammatory effects on hyperosmotic cells were determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction and significance was gauged using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's tests, considering p-values < 0.05 as significant. Results: Curcuminoids and their analogs, at 1, 10, and 100 µM, exhibited no effect on cell viability compared to controls. However, cyclosporin A 1:500 significantly reduced cell viability more than most curcuminoid treatments, except 100 µM curcumin and BDC. All tested curcuminoids and analogs at these concentrations significantly decreased mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A, matrix metallopeptidase-9, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 after 90 mM NaCl stimulation compared to untreated cells. Furthermore, proinflammatory cytokine levels from hyperosmotic cells treated with 1, 10, and 100 µM curcumin, 100 µM BDC, 100 µM THC, 1 and 100 µM THDC mirrored those treated with cyclosporin A 1:500. Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory efficiency of 1 and 10 µM curcumin, 100 µM THC, 1 and 100 µM THDC was comparable to that of cyclosporin A 1:500 while maintaining cell viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this cross-sectional evaluation was to determine the associations between raw bioelectrical impedance and cardiometabolic health parameters in a sample of young non-Hispanic White and African American adults. Methods: A total of 96 (female: 52, male: 44) non-Hispanic White (n = 45) and African American adults (n = 51) between the ages of 19 and 37 yr (22.7 ± 3.83 yr) completed several fasted assessments including resting systolic blood pressure (rSBP), blood glucose (FBG), blood lipids, and bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy. Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy–derived measurements included phase angle, bioimpedance index (BI), impedance ratio (IR), reactance index (XCi), fat-free mass (FFM), FFM index (FFMi), and absolute (a) and relative (%) total body water (TBW) and extracellular (ECF) and intracellular fluid (ICF). All bioelectric variables were collected at 50 kHz other than IR (250 kHz/5 kHz). Multiple regressions were conducted and adjusted for sex, age, and body mass index. Results: rSBP was positively, and HDL was inversely, associated with all bioelectrical impedance and absolute hydration variables (all P ≤ 0.050) other than XCi for rSBP and XCi and FFMi for HDL. rSBP (P < 0.001) was inversely, and HDL (P = 0.034) was positively, associated with IR. FBG was positively associated with BI, XCi, FFM, TBWa, and ECFa (all P < 0.050). Metabolic syndrome severity was positively associated with BI, FFM, TBWa, and ECFa for women (all P ≤ 0.050) and with ICFa for African American women (P = 0.016). Conclusions: Given the rapid increase in the prevalence of cardiometabolic health risks among young adults and the broad use of bioelectrical impedance in practice, the conflicting associations we observed in this age group suggest that bioelectrical impedance parameters should be used with caution in the context of cardiometabolic health risks and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates differences in American English consonants produced by patients who present with various dentofacial disharmonies (DFDs), including severe overbites (Class II), underbites (Class III), and anterior open bites. Previous studies have found that patients with these malocclusion types all produce lingual sibilants and plosives with increased spectral center of gravity and increased spectral variance relative to controls. This result is puzzling since some DFD groups differ from controls in opposite ways, and it is also difficult to interpret because spectral moment measures are affected by a wide range of speech and nonspeech factors. Method: To better understand the articulatory basis of these differences, we apply articulatorily interpretable spectral measures derived from multitaper spectra. Results: We find that all groups of DFD patients produce /s ʃ t tʃ/ with midfrequency spectral peaks that are less prominent than those of the control group, but peak frequency measures are largely the same across all groups. Conclusion: We conclude that the DFD patients differ more in sibilant noise source properties than in front cavity filter properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) experience a range of cognitive, affective, and physical deficits following prenatal alcohol exposure. They are thought to be overrepresented in criminal justice settings. However, limited evidence is available to inform prevalence. We sought to estimate the prevalence of FASD in a Northern Canadian correctional population.Methods: Using an active case ascertainment approach we recruited a representative sample of 80 justice-involved adults (ages 18-40, 85% male) over an 18-month period from 2013 to 2015. Participants completed interdisciplinary clinical assessments comprising medical and psychological evaluations that adhered to the 2005 Canadian FASD Diagnostic Guidelines.Results: We identified a high rate of FASD (17.5, 95% CI [9.2, 25.8%]) in this sample, and this rate could have been as high as 31.2% with confirmation of prenatal alcohol exposure. Most participants in this study presented with significant neurodevelopmental and cognitive deficits in at least two domains of functioning, irrespective of diagnosis, with only five of 80 participants (6.3%) demonstrating no cognitive impairment.Conclusions: Findings showed disproportionately high estimated FASD prevalence in this representative sample compared to general population estimates in both Canada and the U.S. (2-5%), underscoring the need for improved FASD screening and diagnosis in correctional settings, and education for clinicians working in the justice context. Strengthened health prevention and intervention efforts to support the needs of individuals with FASD outside the criminal justice context are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the timing of pubertal milestones has been associated with breast cancer risk, few studies of girls' development include girls at increased breast cancer risk due to their family history.Methods: The Lessons in Epidemiology and Genetics of Adult Cancer from Youth (LEGACY) Girls Study was initiated in 2011 in the USA and Canada to assess the relation between early life exposures and intermediate markers of breast cancer risk (e.g., pubertal development, breast tissue characteristics) and to investigate psychosocial well being and health behaviors in the context of family history. We describe the methods used to establish and follow a cohort of 1,040 girls ages 6-13 years at baseline, half with a breast cancer family history, and the collection of questionnaire data (family history, early life exposures, growth and development, psychosocial and behavioral), anthropometry, biospecimens, and breast tissue characteristics using optical spectroscopy.Results: During this initial 5-year phase of the study, follow-up visits are conducted every 6 months for repeated data and biospecimen collection. Participation in baseline components was high (98% for urine, 97.5% for blood or saliva, and 98% for anthropometry). At enrollment, 77% of girls were premenarcheal and 49% were at breast Tanner stage T1.Conclusions: This study design allows thorough examination of events affecting girls' growth and development and how they differ across the spectrum of breast cancer risk. A better understanding of early life breast cancer risk factors will be essential to enhance prevention across the lifespan for those with and without a family history of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current measurement method for occupational exposure to wood dust is by gravimetric analysis and is thus non-specific. In this work, diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for the analysis of only the wood component of dust was further evaluated by analysis of the same samples between two laboratories. Field samples were collected from six wood product factories using 25-mm glass fiber filters with the Button aerosol sampler. Gravimetric mass was determined in one laboratory by weighing the filters before and after aerosol collection. Diffuse reflection mid-infrared spectra were obtained from the wood dust on the filter which is placed on a motorized stage inside the spectrometer. The metric used for the DRIFTS analysis was the intensity of the carbonyl band in cellulose and hemicellulose at ~1735 cm-1. Calibration curves were constructed separately in both laboratories using the same sets of prepared filters from the inhalable sampling fraction of red oak, southern yellow pine, and western red cedar in the range of 0.125-4mg of wood dust. Using the same procedure in both laboratories to build the calibration curve and analyze the field samples, 62.3% of the samples measured within 25% of the average result with a mean difference between the laboratories of 18.5%. Some observations are included as to how the calibration and analysis can be improved. In particular, determining the wood type on each sample to allow matching to the most appropriate calibration increases the apparent proportion of wood dust in the sample and this likely provides more realistic DRIFTS results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]