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Objective and Participants: The authors sought an updated examination of attitudes toward Human Papillomavirus (HPV) catch-up vaccination among college students at a private religious university. Methods: A total of 1557 college students completed a 62-question survey of religious and HPV vaccination attitudes during the fall of 2021. Students’ willingness to receive catch-up HPV vaccination and willingness to vaccinate a future child against HPV were recorded. Results: Of the 46.8% of students who reported being unvaccinated or unaware of vaccination status, ~26% reported being uninterested in receiving catch-up HPV vaccination; ~22% of all students surveyed reported being unwilling to vaccinate a future child against HPV. The strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy included religious concerns about sexual abstinence and safety concerns. Conclusions: College health professionals can increase the rate of HPV vaccination among college students and subsequent future generations by addressing the safety and utility of the vaccine regardless of intentions for sexual abstinence prior to marriage. Additionally, rather than a uniform approach to all students who self-identify as Christian, an effort to identify and discuss the unique religiously influenced beliefs of individual students is recommended when discussing HPV vaccination.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used to reduce the flammability of plastics, textiles, and electronics. BFRs vary in their chemical properties and structures, and it is expected that these differences alter their biological interactions and toxicity. Zebrafish were used as the model organism for assessing the toxicity of nine structurally-diverse BFRs. In addition to monitoring for overt toxicity, the rate of spontaneous movement, and acetylcholinesterase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were assessed following exposure. The toxicities of BFRs tested can be ranked by LC50 as tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) < 4,4′-isopropylidenebis[2-(2,6-dibromophenoxyl)ethanol] (TBBPA-OHEE) < Pentabromochlorocyclohexane (PBCH) < 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) < hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) < hexabromobenzene (HBB) < Tetrabromophthalic anhydride (PHT4). No adverse effect was observed in di(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) or dibromoneopentyl glycol (DBNPG)-treated embryos. The rate of spontaneous movement was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner following exposure to four of the nine compounds. GST activity was elevated following treatment with PBCH, TBBPA, HBCD, and HBB. The results indicate that exposure to several BFRs may activate an antioxidant response and alter behavior during early development. Some of the BFRs, such as TBBPA and TBBPA-OHEE, induced adverse effects at concentrations lower than chemicals that are currently banned. These results suggest that zebrafish are sensitive to exposure to BFRs and can be used as a comparative screening model, as well as to determine alterations in behavior following exposure and probe mechanisms of action.

GlutathioneS-transferases (GSTs) constitute a family of detoxification enzymes that catalyze the conjugation of glutathione with a variety of hydrophobic compounds, including drugs and their metabolites, to yield water-soluble derivatives that are excreted in urine or bile. Profiling the effect of small molecules on GST activity is an important component in the characterization of drug candidates and compound libraries. Additionally, specific GST isozymes have been implicated in drug resistance, especially in cancer, and thus represent potential targets for intervention. To date, there are no sensitive miniaturized high-throughput assays available for GST activity detection. A series of GST substrates containing a masked luciferin moiety have been described recently, offering the potential for configuring a sensitive screening assay via coupled luciferase reaction and standard luminescence detection. We report on the optimization and miniaturization of this homogeneous method to 1,536-well format using GSTs from 3 different species: mouse isozyme A4-4, human isozymes A1-1, M1-1, and P1-1, and the major GST from the parasitic wormSchistosoma japonicum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]