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An experimental design was used to examine the effects of interviewer gender and (mis)understanding on physiological stress (i.e., cortisol). A total of 103 undergraduate students wrote about a recent social conflict and then discussed that conflict with either a male or a female interviewer. During these discussions, the interviewer displayed verbal and nonverbal cues of (mis)understanding toward the participants. Participants' cortisol was assessed four times throughout the study. Results from a 2 × 2 × 4 mixed‐model analysis of variance demonstrated an interaction between the gender of the interviewer, understanding condition, and time such that cortisol decreased the most over time when the interviewer used cues of understanding that matched stereotypical expectations for the interviewers' gender (i.e., when women were understanding and men were misunderstanding). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) are management plans that indicate the sequence and timing of the optimal treatment for individuals with a given disorder. The treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) before and after the implementation of an ICP in a teaching hospital was examined. Methods Twenty-seven episodes of DKA were identified during the 13-month control period and 22 in the 13 months following implementation of the ICP. Case notes were reviewed and relevant clinical data extracted. Results The introduction of the ICP was associated with a reduction in the time taken to initiate intravenous fluid [45.0 (5–225) min to 37.5 (0–135) min; P = 0.01]. Time taken to initiate insulin infusion was also reduced [60.0 (5–755) min to 37.5 (0–175) min; P = 0.02]. The proportion of patients commenced on intravenous insulin within 60 min increased from 48 to 77% ( P = 0.04). In addition, there was a reduction in the prescription of antibiotics (48–18%; P = 0.028) and low molecular weight heparin (59–5%; P < 0.001). Length of stay was not affected. Conclusion The ICP significantly improved key areas in the management of DKA, although there remains room for further improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of signalment, body size and diet on plasma taurine and whole blood taurine concentrations. A total of 131 normal dogs consuming commercially prepared dog food had blood drawn 3–5 h post-prandially to be analysed for plasma amino acids and whole blood taurine. Body weight and morphometric measurements of each dog were taken. Plasma and whole blood taurine concentrations were 77 ± 2.1 nmol/ml (mean ± SEM) and 266 ± 5.1 nmol/ml (mean ± SEM), respectively. No effect of age, sex, body weight, body size, or diet was seen on plasma and whole blood taurine concentrations. Mean whole blood taurine concentrations were lower in dogs fed diets containing whole grain rice, rice bran or barley. The lowest whole blood concentrations were seen in dogs fed lamb or lamb meal and rice diets. Plasma methionine and cysteine concentrations were lower in dogs fed diets with animal meals or turkey, and whole grain rice, rice bran or barley. Fifteen of 131 dogs had plasma taurine concentrations lower than, or equal, to the previously reported lowest mean food-deprived plasma taurine concentration in normal dogs of 49 ± 5 nmol/ml (mean ± SEM) (Elliott et al., 2000). These findings support the theory that taurine deficiency in dogs may be related to the consumption of certain dietary ingredients. Scientific and clinical evidence supports the hypothesis that dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with low blood taurine concentration in dogs; therefore, further work is indicated to determine the mechanism by which diet can affect taurine status in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to examine the interaction between graded levels of leucine and dietary crude protein. Dose–response curves were generated using four 3 × 3 Latin squares (two dogs/square). Each square represented one of two concentrations of crude protein (140 or 280 g/kg diet) and one of two combinations of three concentrations of leucine (5.0, 7.0 and 9.0 g/kg diet or 9.0, 11 and 13 g/kg diet). An additional experiment was performed by feeding crude protein at 210 g/kg diet with either 7.0 or 11 g leucine/kg diet. Weight gain, food intake, nitrogen retention, plasma albumin and plasma amino acids were measured. The requirement was determined to be the minimum leucine concentration required to maximize weight gain and nitrogen retention. For 8–14-week-old male Beagle dogs, 140 g crude protein/kg diet in a diet containing 18 kJ metabolizable energy/g does not appear to support maximal growth. The leucine requirement was not affected by doubling the dietary crude protein level from 140 to 280 g/kg diet. From these results, the leucine requirement of 8–14-week-old Beagle dogs appears to be 11 g leucine/kg diet independent of the level of dietary crude protein, whereas dogs over 14 weeks require only 7 g leucine/kg diet for maximal nitrogen retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) seedlings were inoculated with either one of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, Laccaria bicolor (Miare) Orton or Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker and Couch, and grown for 16 weeks in a growth chamber along with non-ECM controls. Five enzymes involved with the assimilation of nitrogen or the synthesis of amino acids were measured in the 3 jack pine root systems as well as in the pure fungal cultures. Pisolithus tinctorius in pure cultures. Pisolithus tinctorius in pure culture had no detectable activity of nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH, EC 1.4.1.2), glutamate oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GOGAT, EC 1.4.1.13) but did have some glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2) activity. Laccaria bicolor in pure culture had no NR activity, small levels of GDCO activity, and high GS, GDH and GOGAT activity. The high levels of enzymatic activity present in L. bicolor indicate that it may play a greater role in the nitrogen metabolism of its host plant than P. tinctorius. ECM infection clearly altered the enzymatic activity in jack pine roots but the nature of these changes depended on the fungal associate. Non-ECM root systems had higher specific activities than ECM root systems for NR, GS, GDH and GDCO but GOGAT activities were the same for both the ECM and non-ECM roots. Root systems infected with L. bicolor had significantly greater NR and GDCO activity than those infected with P. tinctorius. Differences in the GS activity of the two fungi in pure culture corresponded to the GS activity of jack pine roots in symbiotic association with these fungi. While the free amino acids profiles in foots were significantly affected by ECM infection, the profile of free amino acids exported to the stem was the same for all treatments. High asparagines and low glutamine in roots infected with P. tinctorius indicates that asparagines synthetase (EC x.x.x.x) activity should be higher within this symbiotic association than in the L. bicolor association or in the non-mycorrhizal roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fimbrial subunit genes of Bacteroides nodosus may be divided into two distinct classes, based on the sequence of the major subunit gene fimA (accompanying paper -- Mattick et al., 1991). The genetic organization of the fimbrial germ region in these two clams is also distinct. Upstream of fimA in both classes in opposite transcriptional orientation is the gene aroA which encodes amino acid biosynthetic enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. However, downstream of fimA the two classes are quite different until homology is restored at a bidirectional transcription termination signal separating the fimbrial operon from a gene clpB, which appears to encode the regulatory subunit of an ATP-dependent protease. Between aroA and clpB class I strains contain, apart from fimA, only one other germ (fimB). Sequence and polymorase chain reaction analyses indicate that fimB does not have a separate promoter but rather is co-transcribed with fimA at a level attenuated by the strength of the transcription termination signal in the intergenic region. In class II strains fimA is followed by a more extended region containing three genes, which appear to have the same transcriptional arrangement as fimB. The second of these genes (fimD) may represent a functional analogue of fimb although there is no close sequence homology. The first gene (fimC) has no obvious similarity to either fimB or fimD. Beyond fimD, at the 3′ end of the class II-specific region, is a variant fimbrial subunit germ (fimZ) which is virtually identical in serogroups D and H and which appears to represent a duplicate, possibly redundant, gene closely related to the progenitor of the more divergent structural subunit fimA gene found in these strains. Comparisons of the predicted fimZ... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the impacts of social and environmental exposure on cardiovascular risks are often reported individually, the combined effect is poorly understood., Methods and Results: Using the 2022 Environmental Justice Index, socio-environmental justice index and environmental burden module ranks of census tracts were divided into quartiles (quartile 1, the least vulnerable census tracts; quartile 4, the most vulnerable census tracts). Age-adjusted rate ratios (RRs) of coronary artery disease, strokes, and various health measures reported in the Prevention Population-Level Analysis and Community Estimates data were compared between quartiles using multivariable Poisson regression. The quartile 4 Environmental Justice Index was associated with a higher rate of coronary artery disease (RR, 1.684 [95% CI, 1.660-1.708]) and stroke (RR, 2.112 [95% CI, 2.078-2.147]) compared with the quartile 1 Environmental Justice Index. Similarly, coronary artery disease 1.057 [95% CI,1.043-1.0716] and stroke (RR, 1.118 [95% CI, 1.102-1.135]) were significantly higher in the quartile 4 than in the quartile 1 environmental burden module. Similar results were observed for chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, lack of health insurance, sleep <7 hours per night, no leisure time physical activity, and impaired mental and physical health >14 days., Conclusions: The prevalence of CVD and its risk factors is highly associated with increased social and environmental adversities, and environmental exposure plays an important role independent of social factors.

Background Positive cardiometabolic health (CMH) is defined as meeting recommended levels of multiple cardiometabolic risk factors in the absence of manifest disease. Prior work finds that few individuals-particularly members of minoritized racial and ethnic groups-meet these criteria. This study investigated whether psychological assets help adolescents sustain CMH in adulthood and explored interactions by race and ethnicity. Methods and Results Participants were 3478 individuals in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (49% female; 67% White, 15% Black, 11% Latinx, 6% other [Native American, Asian, or not specified]). In Wave 1 (1994-1995; mean age=16 years), data on 5 psychological assets (optimism, happiness, self-esteem, belongingness, and feeling loved) were used to create a composite asset index (range=0-5). In Waves 4 (2008; mean age=28 years) and 5 (2016-2018; mean age=38 years), CMH was defined using 7 clinically assessed biomarkers. Participants with healthy levels of ≥6 biomarkers at Waves 4 and 5 were classified as maintaining CMH over time. The prevalence of CMH maintenance was 12%. Having more psychological assets was associated with better health in adulthood (odds ratio [OR] linear trend , 1.12 [95% CI, 1.01-1.25]). Subgroup analyses found substantive associations only among Black participants (OR, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.00-1.82]). Additionally, there was some evidence that racial and ethnic disparities in CMH maintenance may be less pronounced among participants with more assets. Conclusions Youth with more psychological assets were more likely to experience favorable CMH patterns 2 decades later. The strongest associations were observed among Black individuals. Fostering psychological assets in adolescence may help prevent cardiovascular disease and play an underappreciated role in shaping health inequities.

Objective: Detection of fetal airway compromise through imaging raises the possible need for ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedures. Despite EXIT procedures involving massive resource utilization and posing increased risk to the mother, decisions for EXIT are usually based on anecdotal experience. Our objectives were to analyze prenatal consultations with potential fetal airway obstruction for imaging and obstetric findings used to determine management strategy., Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for prenatal abnormal fetal airway consults between 2004-2019 at a quaternary pediatric facility. Data collected included demographics, imaging characteristics, delivery information, and airway management. Our primary outcome was EXIT performance and the secondary outcome was postnatal airway management. Fisher's exact test was used to compare management decisions, outcomes, and imaging findings., Results: Thirty-seven patients met inclusion criteria. The most common diagnoses observed were lymphatic malformation, teratoma, and micrognathia. Of the imaging findings collected, only midline neck mass location was associated with EXIT procedure performance. Factors associated with invasive airway support at birth were mass-induced in-utero neck extension and neck vessel compression, polyhydramnios, and micrognathia., Conclusions: Multidisciplinary input and interpretation of prenatal imaging can guide management of fetal airway-related pathology. EXIT is an overall safe procedure and can decrease risk due to airway obstruction at birth. We identified in-utero neck extension, neck vessel compression, micrognathia, and polyhydramnios as better indicators of a need for invasive airways measures at birth and suggest use of these criteria in combination with clinical judgement when recommending EXIT., Level of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1357-E1362, 2021., (© 2020 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Sleep is critical to health and functionality, and several studies have investigated the inherited component of insomnia and other sleep disorders using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, genome-wide studies focused on sleep duration are less common. Here, we used data from participants in the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC) (n = 4,401) to examine putative associations between self-reported sleep duration, demographic and lifestyle variables, and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data to better understand genetic contributions to variation in sleep duration. We employed stepwise ordered logistic regression to select our model and retained the following predictive variables: age, gender, weight, physical activity, physical activity at work, smoking status, alcohol consumption, ethnicity, and ancestry (as measured by principal components analysis) in our association testing. Several of our strongest candidate genes were previously identified in GWAS related to sleep duration (TSHZ2, ABCC9, FBXO15) and narcolepsy (NFATC2, SALL4). In addition, we have identified novel candidate genes for involvement in sleep duration including SORCS1 and ELOVL2. Our results demonstrate that the self-reported data collected through the CPMC are robust, and our genome-wide association analysis has identified novel candidate genes involved in sleep duration. More generally, this study contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of human sleep., (© 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The increasing ethnic diversity of the US workforce has created a need for research tools that can be used with multi-lingual worker populations. Developing multi-language questionnaire items is a complex process; however, very little has been documented in the literature., Methods: Commonly used English items from the Job Content Questionnaire and Quality of Work Life Questionnaire were translated by two interdisciplinary bilingual teams and cognitively tested in interviews with English-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking workers., Results: Common problems across languages mainly concerned response format. Language-specific problems required more conceptual than literal translations. Some items were better understood by non-English speakers than by English speakers. De-centering (i.e., modifying the English original to correspond with translation) produced better understanding for one item., Conclusions: Translating questionnaire items and achieving equivalence across languages require various kinds of expertise. Backward translation itself is not sufficient. More research efforts should be concentrated on qualitative approaches to developing useful research tools., (Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)