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Background. Student-athletes are one subgroup of college students in the United States at risk for dating violence and sexual risk behaviors. Despite this, research on student-athletes’ dating behaviors is limited; existing research pertains primarily to NCAA Division I athletes, and focuses on male student-athletes as perpetrators of dating and sexual violence. While some existing programs aim to reduce dating violence and promote healthy relationships, these programs are education-based, and not tailored to the specific strengths and challenges of student-athletes. We therefore designed Supporting Prevention in Relationships for Teams (SPoRT), a novel, four-session prevention intervention for Division III student-athletes of all genders to reduce dating violence and sexual risk behavior by targeting knowledge and skills identified in pilot research, incorporating psychoeducation with techniques from cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, bystander intervention, and normative feedback. Methods. This study represents stage 1 of the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development, evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of SPoRT. We describe the development, content, and proposed delivery methods for SPoRT, and evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the program using a mixed-methods approach. Thirty college student-athletes (12 men, 18 women) completed questionnaires and participated in focus groups to provide feedback on the program’s length, timing, group size and dynamics, content, and suggestions for making the SPoRT prevention intervention more feasible and acceptable. Results. Our recruitment procedures were successful, and participants rated the program as feasible in terms of delivery methods and logistics. Participants liked that SPoRT was developed based on pilot data collected from student-athletes, brief, skills-based, and tailored to athletic team needs. SPoRT was perceived as appropriate and relevant to student-athlete needs in terms of dating violence and sexual risk prevention knowledge and skills. Most participants (63%) rated the program as “excellent” and said they would recommend it to others. Conclusions. We found SPoRT to be both feasible and acceptable in terms of content and delivery. Suggested modifications will be incorporated into the SPoRT healthy relationships prevention intervention to be tested in an NIH Stage I efficacy trial. Trial Registration: Not applicable.

Leukodystrophies are defined as differences in normal myelin development and maintenance in the central nervous system. They typically present as white matter imaging abnormalities in young children with delayed developmental milestones. As the scientific community begins to better understand and research the mechanisms underlying leukodystrophies, clinical trials and approved therapies for specific disorders are becoming available. These interventions, ranging from repurposing of existing small molecules to recently approved gene therapies, are highly dependent on early diagnosis. It is essential for pediatricians to identify affected individuals promptly, but they face challenges including lack of awareness of the disorders and nonspecific symptom presentation (e.g., cognitive or motor developmental delay). This review provides five hypothetical clinical presentations and describes the disease mechanisms, typical symptoms, and treatments currently available for common leukodystrophies: Krabbe Disease, Aicardi Goutières Syndrome (AGS), Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), Alexander Disease (AxD), Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), and X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD.) This review educates pediatricians to recognize the presentation of leukodystrophies in affected children. These clinical vignettes can serve as a framework for pediatricians to identify potentially treatable rare disorders among their patients.

JAK Inhibition in the Aicardi–Goutieres Syndrome Patients with the Aicardi–Goutieres syndrome, an autosomal recessive disorder that affects the central nervous system, immune system, and skin, have...

This study was focused on the utilization of a recombinant expression system to produce a unique modified subunit vaccine possessing a self-contained delivery system which could potentially improve the uptake and delivery of vaccine products as well their immunogenic potential. For this purpose the A-layer protein (At-R) associated with the fish pathogen atypical Aeromonas salmonicida was cloned and modified by the genetic fusion of the protein transduction domain (MTS) derived from Kaposi fibroblast growth factor (At-MTS). The potential for these proteins to be employed as antigens for oral immunization of goldfish was examined by encapsulation of At-R, At-MTS and the control, BSA, into biodegradable alginate gel macrospheres which were fed to goldfish in place of standard pellet fish feed. The bead physical properties were modified only in the presence of At-R and the temporal release of proteins was significantly less when At-MTS was employed. Western blot analysis of serum samples collected from fish following intubation with the recombinant proteins determined that the rate of protein uptake from the digestive tract into the blood system improved considerably when MTS was fused to At-R. Experimental fish were fed one of three protein-alginate formulae on a schedule of 3 days/week or 5 days/month for a period of 2 months. After 1 month, animals fed on the 5-day protocol demonstrated increased serum antibody titers while following an additional month of feeding this level decreased and titers were found to be higher in fish maintained on the 3-day regime. Fish fed At-MTS maintained the highest titer at the end of 2-month period. To determine whether the diminished antibody titers were a result of oral tolerance fish were injected intraperitoneally with the At-R antigen. Only experimental groups which had been fed At-R or At-MTS demonstrated increased antibody titers which paralleled a typical secondary humoral response. In spite of the presence of an increased titer to A-protein, vaccinated fish did not demonstrate resistance to infection with atypical A. salmonicida.

This study was focused on the utilization of a recombinant expression system to produce a unique modified subunit vaccine possessing a self-contained delivery system which could potentially improve the uptake and delivery of vaccine products as well their immunogenic potential. For this purpose the A-layer protein (At-R) associated with the fish pathogen atypical Aeromonas salmonicida was cloned and modified by the genetic fusion of the protein transduction domain (MTS) derived from Kaposi fibroblast growth factor (At-MTS). The potential for these proteins to be employed as antigens for oral immunization of goldfish was examined by encapsulation of At-R, At-MTS and the control, BSA, into biodegradable alginate gel macrospheres which were fed to goldfish in place of standard pellet fish feed. The bead physical properties were modified only in the presence of At-R and the temporal release of proteins was significantly less when At-MTS was employed. Western blot analysis of serum samples collected from fish following intubation with the recombinant proteins determined that the rate of protein uptake from the digestive tract into the blood system improved considerably when MTS was fused to At-R. Experimental fish were fed one of three protein-alginate formulae on a schedule of 3 days/week or 5 days/month for a period of 2 months. After 1 month, animals fed on the 5-day protocol demonstrated increased serum antibody titers while following an additional month of feeding this level decreased and titers were found to be higher in fish maintained on the 3-day regime. Fish fed At-MTS maintained the highest titer at the end of 2-month period. To determine whether the diminished antibody titers were a result of oral tolerance fish were injected intraperitoneally with the At-R antigen. Only experimental groups which had been fed At-R or At-MTS demonstrated increased antibody titers which paralleled a typical secondary humoral response. In spite of the presence of an increased titer to A-protein, vaccinated fish did not demonstrate resistance to infection with atypical A. salmonicida.