bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Individual, Psychosocial, and Environmental Correlates of 4-Year Declines in Walking Among Middle-to-Older Aged Adults
Authors: Shimura Hiroko , Winkler Elisabeth , Owen Neville 
Published: November 2014

Background:We examined associations of individual, psychosocial and environmental characteristics with 4-year changes in walking among middle-to-older aged adults; few such studies have employed prospective designs.Methods:Walking for transport and walking for recreation were assessed during 2003–2004 (baseline) and 2007–2008 (follow-up) among 445 adults aged 50–65 years residing in Adelaide, Australia. Logistic regression analyses examined predictors of being in the highest quintile of decline in walking (21.4 minutes/day or more reduction in walking for transport; 18.6 minutes/day or more reduction in walking for recreation).Results:Declines in walking for transport were related to higher level of walking at baseline, low perceived benefits of activity, low family social support, a medium level of social interaction, low sense of community, and higher neighborhood walkability. Declines in walking for recreation were related to higher level of walking at baseline, low self-efficacy for activity, low family social support, and a medium level of available walking facilities.Conclusions:Declines in middle-to-older aged adults’ walking for transport and walking for recreation have differing personal, psychosocial and built-environment correlates, for which particular preventive strategies may be developed. Targeted campaigns, community-based programs, and environmental and policy initiatives can be informed by these findings.
A Physical Activity Program for Swedish Physically Inactive Female High School Students: A Controlled Intervention Study
Authors: Kahlin Yvonne , Werner Suzanne , Alricsson Marie 
Published: November 2014

Background:Physical activity and sport participation often decline during adolescence.Aim:To investigate if physical exercise during 6 months could lead to a positive behavior of physical activity, improve physical fitness and self-related health in physically inactive female high school students.Methods:A prospective cluster-randomized controlled intervention study included 104 physically inactive female high school students, 60 in an intervention group and 44 controls. At baseline there were no group differences regarding self-related health. The intervention group exercised at least once per week. A questionnaire and physical fitness tests were used for evaluation, at baseline and 6 months later.Results:The intervention group improved their self-related health compared with the controls (P = .012). When divided into a regular (n = 27) and an irregular training group (n = 33) the regular training group improved their self-related health compared with the controls, while the irregular training group did not differ from the other groups. Maximal oxygen consumption was improved in the intervention group compared with the controls (P < .001). No group differences were found in muscle strength and endurance.Conclusion:Physical exercise at least once per week during 6 months improved physical fitness (maximal oxygen consumption) and self-related health in physically inactive female high school students.
Resistance Training During Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes
Authors: White Erin , Pivarnik Jim , Pfeiffer Karin 
Published: November 2014

Background:Approximately 10% of women engage in resistance training during pregnancy; however there is limited research on this activity. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between resistance training and adverse outcomes.Methods:Women completed an online survey and recalled their exercise habits during each trimester of their most recent pregnancy within the previous 5 years. Women also reported pregnancy and birth outcomes. Participants were then categorized into 3 groups based on leisure-time exercise: 1) Resistance + aerobic training (RTAE), 2) Aerobic exercise only (AE), and 3) no exercise (NE).Results:284 women completed the survey. Women in the RTAE group resistance trained on average 2.9 days/week for 27.3 minutes/session. The prevalences of hypertensive disorders (HD) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were significantly lower in the RTAE group when compared with the grouping of AE + NE women. Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) was the strongest factor related to both GDM and HD. There was no difference in the risk of preterm labor, mode of delivery, or gestational age at delivery by exercise status.Conclusions:Our results suggest that women can safely engage in aerobic exercise and resistance training for muscular endurance 3 days/week for 30 minutes throughout gestation.
Accelerometer-Assessed Sedentary and Physical Activity Behavior and Its Association With Vision Among U.S. Adults With Diabetes
Authors: Loprinzi Paul D. , Pariser Gina , Ramulu Pradeep Y. 
Published: November 2014

Background:To examine the association between accelerometer-assessed physical activity and visual acuity among a nationally representative sample of adults with evidence of diabetes.Methods:Six hundred seventy adult participants with diabetes (age 20 to 85) from the 2003–2006 NHANES cycles constituted the analyzed sample. Participants wore an accelerometer for 7 days to quantify time spent in sedentary behavior, light-intensity physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Visual acuity was objectively assessed for each eye.Results:In multivariable models, every 1-hour increment in daily sedentary behavior was associated with 23% greater likelihood (OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.01–1.52) of having uncorrected refractive error as opposed to normal sight. Performing more than 5 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with a 82% lower likelihood of having vision impairment as opposed to normal sight (OR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.06–0.50) while every 1-hour increment in daily light-intensity physical activity was, after adjustments, independently associated with a 38% lower likelihood of vision impairment (OR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.42–0.92).Conclusion:People with diabetes spending more time in sedentary behavior and less time performing light or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are more likely to have poorer vision.
Associations of Leisure-Time Sitting in Cars With Neighborhood Walkability
Authors: Koohsari Mohammad Javad , Sugiyama Takemi , Kaczynski Andrew T. , Owen Neville 
Published: November 2014

Background:Too much sitting, including time spent sitting in cars, is associated with poor health outcomes. Identifying the built-environment attributes that may reduce vehicular sitting time can inform future initiatives linking the public health, urban design, and transportation sectors.Methods:Data collected in 2003–2004 from adult residents (n = 2521) of Adelaide, Australia were used. Logistic regression analyses examined associations of prolonged time spent sitting in cars during leisure time (30 min/day or more) with neighborhood walkability and its components (dwelling density; intersection density; land use mix; net retail area ratio).Results:Lower overall walkability was significantly associated with a higher odds (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.21–1.70) of spending prolonged time in cars. For analyses with walkability components, lower net retail area ratio, lower residential density, and lower intersection density were significantly associated with prolonged sitting in cars.Conclusion:This study found that residents of high walkable neighborhoods tended to spend less time sitting in cars. In particular, higher net retail area ratio, an indicator of tightly spaced commercial areas, was strongly associated with less time in cars. Policy and planning initiatives to reduce car use require further evidence, particularly on the influence of neighborhood retail areas.
Costs Associated With Women’s Physical Activity Musculoskeletal Injuries: The Women’s Injury Study
Authors: Kaplan Robert M. , Herrmann Alison K. , Morrison James T. , DeFina Laura F. , Morrow James R. 
Published: November 2014

Background:Despite benefits of physical activity (PA), exercise is also associated with risks. Musculoskeletal injury (MSI) risk increases with exercise frequency/intensity. MSI is associated with costs including medical care and time lost from work.Purpose:To evaluate the economic costs associated with PA-related MSIs in community-dwelling women.Method:Participants included 909 women in the Women’s Injury Study reporting PA behaviors and MSI incidence weekly via the Internet for up to 3 years (mean follow-up 1.89 years). Participants provided consent to obtain health records. Costs were estimated by medical records and self-reports of medical care. Components included physician visits, medical facility contacts, medication costs, and missed work.Results:Of 909 participants, 243 reported 323 episodes of expenditure or contact with the health care system associated with PA. Total costs of episodes ranged from $0–$18,934. Modal cost was $0 (mean = $433 ± $1670). Costs were positively skewed with nearly all participants reporting no or very low costs.Conclusions:About 1 in 4 community-dwelling women who are physically active experienced a PA-related MSI. The majority of injuries were minor, and large expenses associated with MSI were rare. The long-term health benefits and costs savings resulting from PA likely outweigh the minor costs associated with MSI from a physically-active lifestyle.
Cationic Liposomal Sodium Stibogluconate (SSG), a Potent Therapeutic Tool for Treatment of Infection by SSG-Sensitive and -Resistant Leishmania donovani
Authors: Sinha Roma , Roychoudhury Jayeeta , Palit Partha , Ali Nahid 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

Pentavalent antimonials have been the first-line treatment for leishmaniasis for decades. However, the development of resistance to sodium stibogluconate (SSG) has limited its use, especially for treating visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The present work aims to optimize a cationic liposomal formulation of SSG for the treatment of both SSG-sensitive (AG83) and SSG-resistant (GE1F8R and CK1R)
Leishmania donovani
infections. Parasite killing was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and microscopic counting of Giemsa-stained macrophages. Macrophage uptake studies were carried out by confocal microscopic imaging. Parasite-liposome interactions were visualized through transmission electron microscopy. Toxicity tests were performed using assay kits. Organ parasite burdens were determined by microscopic counting and limiting dilution assays. Cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and flow cytometry. Although all cationic liposomes studied demonstrated leishmanicidal activity, phosphatidylcholine (PC)-dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB) vesicles were most effective, followed by PC-stearylamine (SA) liposomes. Since entrapment of SSG in PC-DDAB liposomes demonstrated enhanced ultrastructural alterations in promastigotes, PC-DDAB-SSG vesicles were further investigated
in vitro
and
in vivo
. PC-DDAB-SSG could effectively alleviate SSG-sensitive and SSG-resistant
L. donovani
infections in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow of BALB/c mice at a dose of SSG (3 mg/kg body weight) not reported previously. The parasiticidal activity of these vesicles was attributed to better interactions with the parasite membranes, resulting in direct killing, and generation of a strong host-protective environment, necessitating a very low dose of SSG for effective cures.
A Chemical Rescue Screen Identifies a Plasmodium falciparum Apicoplast Inhibitor Targeting MEP Isoprenoid Precursor Biosynthesis
Authors: Wu Wesley , Herrera Zachary , Ebert Danny , Baska Katie , Cho Seok H. , DeRisi Joseph L. , Yeh Ellen 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

The apicoplast is an essential plastid organelle found in
Plasmodium
parasites which contains several clinically validated antimalarial-drug targets. A chemical rescue screen identified MMV-08138 from the “Malaria Box” library of growth-inhibitory antimalarial compounds as having specific activity against the apicoplast. MMV-08138 inhibition of blood-stage
Plasmodium falciparum
growth is stereospecific and potent, with the most active diastereomer demonstrating a 50% effective concentration (EC
50
) of 110 nM. Whole-genome sequencing of 3 drug-resistant parasite populations from two independent selections revealed E688Q and L244I mutations in
P. falciparum
IspD, an enzyme in the MEP (methyl-
d
-erythritol-4-phosphate) isoprenoid precursor biosynthesis pathway in the apicoplast. The active diastereomer of MMV-08138 directly inhibited PfIspD activity
in vitro
with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC
50
) of 7.0 nM. MMV-08138 is the first PfIspD inhibitor to be identified and, together with heterologously expressed PfIspD, provides the foundation for further development of this promising antimalarial drug candidate lead. Furthermore, this report validates the use of the apicoplast chemical rescue screen coupled with target elucidation as a discovery tool to identify specific apicoplast-targeting compounds with new mechanisms of action.
Systematic Review of Biomarkers To Monitor Therapeutic Response in Leishmaniasis
Authors: Kip Anke E. , Balasegaram Manica , Beijnen Jos H. , Schellens Jan H. M. , de Vries Peter J. , Dorlo Thomas P. C. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTRecently, there has been a renewed interest in the development of new drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis. This has spurred the need for pharmacodynamic markers to monitor and compare therapies specifically for visceral leishmaniasis, in which the primary recrudescence of parasites is a particularly long-term event that remains difficult to predict. We performed a systematic review of studies evaluating biomarkers in human patients with visceral, cutaneous, and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, which yielded a total of 170 studies in which 53 potential pharmacodynamic biomarkers were identified. In conclusion, the large majority of these biomarkers constituted universal indirect markers of activation and subsequent waning of cellular immunity and therefore lacked specificity. Macrophage-related markers demonstrate favorable sensitivity and times to normalcy, but more evidence is required to establish a link between these markers and clinical outcome. Most promising are the markers directly related to the parasite burden, but future effort should be focused on optimization of molecular or antigenic targets to increase the sensitivity of these markers. In general, future research should focus on the longitudinal evaluation of the pharmacodynamic biomarkers during treatment, with an emphasis on the correlation of studied biomarkers and clinical parameters.
Immune Characterization of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites with a Shared Genetic Signature in a Region of Decreasing Transmission
Authors: Bei Amy K. , Diouf Ababacar , Miura Kazutoyo , Larremore Daniel B. , Ribacke Ulf , Tullo Gregory , Moss Eli L. , Neafsey Daniel E. , Daniels Rachel F. , Zeituni Amir E. , Nosamiefan Iguosadolo , Volkman Sarah K. , Ahouidi Ambroise D. , Ndiaye Daouda , Dieye Tandakha , Mboup Souleymane , Buckee Caroline O. , Long Carole A. , Wirth Dyann F. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

As the intensity of malaria transmission has declined,
Plasmodium falciparum
parasite populations have displayed decreased clonal diversity resulting from the emergence of many parasites with common genetic signatures (CGS). We have monitored such CGS parasite clusters from 2006 to 2013 in Thiès, Senegal, using the molecular barcode. The first, and one of the largest observed clusters of CGS parasites, was present in 24% of clinical isolates in 2008, declined to 3.4% of clinical isolates in 2009, and then disappeared. To begin to explore the relationship between the immune responses of the population and the emergence and decline of specific parasite genotypes, we have determined whether antibodies to CGS parasites correlate with their prevalence. We measured (i) antibodies capable of inhibiting parasite growth in culture and (ii) antibodies recognizing the surfaces of infected erythrocytes (RBCs). IgG obtained from volunteers in 2009 showed increased reactivity to the surfaces of CGS-parasitized erythrocytes over IgG from 2008. Since
P. falciparum
EMP-1 (PfEMP-1) is a major variant surface antigen, we used
var
Ups quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and sequencing with degenerate DBL1α domain primers to characterize the
var
genes expressed by CGS parasites after short-term
in vitro
culture. CGS parasites show upregulation of UpsA
var
genes and 2-cysteine-containing PfEMP-1 molecules and express the same dominant
var
transcript. Our work indicates that the CGS parasites in this cluster express similar
var
genes, more than would be expected by chance in the population, and that there is year-to-year variation in immune recognition of surface antigens on CGS parasite-infected erythrocytes. This study lays the groundwork for detailed investigations of the mechanisms driving the expansion or contraction of specific parasite clones in the population.
New Iron Acquisition System in Bacteroidetes
Authors: Manfredi Pablo , Lauber Frédéric , Renzi Francesco , Hack Katrin , Hess Estelle , Cornelis Guy R. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACTCapnocytophaga canimorsus, a dog mouth commensal and a member of theBacteroidetesphylum, causes rare but often fatal septicemia in humans that have been in contact with a dog. Here, we show thatC. canimorsusstrains isolated from human infections grow readily in heat-inactivated human serum and that this property depends on a typical polysaccharide utilization locus (PUL), namely,PUL3in strain Cc5. PUL are a hallmark ofBacteroidetes, and they encode various products, including surface protein complexes that capture and process polysaccharides or glycoproteins. The archetype system is theBacteroides thetaiotaomicronSus system, devoted to starch utilization. Unexpectedly,PUL3conferred the capacity to acquire iron from serotransferrin (STF), and this capacity required each of the seven encoded proteins, indicating that a whole Sus-like machinery is acting as an iron capture system (ICS), a new and unexpected function for Sus-like machinery. No siderophore could be detected in the culture supernatant ofC. canimorsus, suggesting that the Sus-like machinery captures iron directly from transferrin, but this could not be formally demonstrated. The seven genes of the ICS were found in the genomes of several opportunistic pathogens from theCapnocytophagaandPrevotellagenera, in different isolates of the severe poultry pathogenRiemerellaanatipestifer, and in strains ofBacteroides fragilisandOdoribacter splanchnicusisolated from human infections. Thus, this study describes a new type of ICS that evolved inBacteroidetesfrom a polysaccharide utilization system and most likely represents an important virulence factor in this group.
Control of Acid Resistance Pathways of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Strain EDL933 by PsrB, a Prophage-Encoded AraC-Like Regulator
Authors: Yang Ji , Russell Thomas W. , Hocking Dianna M. , Bender Jennifer K. , Srikhanta Yogitha N. , Tauschek Marija , Robins-Browne Roy M. 
Published: November 2014

ABSTRACT

Enterohemorrhagic
Escherichia coli
(EHEC) O157:H7 causes bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and is the most prevalent
E. coli
serotype associated with food-borne illness worldwide. This pathogen is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and has a low infectious dose that has been estimated to be between 10 and 100 cells. We and others have previously identified three prophage-encoded AraC-like transcriptional regulators, PatE, PsrA, and PsrB in the EHEC O157:H7 EDL933 strain. Our analysis showed that PatE plays an important role in facilitating survival of EHEC under a number of acidic conditions, but the contribution of PsrA and PsrB to acid resistance (AR) was unknown. Here, we investigated the involvement of PsrA and PsrB in the survival of
E. coli
O157:H7 in acid. Our results showed that PsrB, but not PsrA, enhanced the survival of strain EDL933 under various acidic conditions. Transcriptional analysis using promoter-
lacZ
reporters and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that PsrB activates transcription of the
hdeA
operon, which encodes a major acid stress chaperone, by interacting with its promoter region. Furthermore, using a mouse model, we showed that expression of PsrB significantly enhanced the ability of strain EDL933 to overcome the acidic barrier of the mouse stomach. Taken together, our results indicate that EDL933 acquired enhanced acid tolerance via horizontally acquired regulatory genes encoding transcriptional regulators that activate its AR machinery.
Influence of childcare practices on nutritional status of Ghanaian children: a regression analysis of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Amugsi Dickson A , Mittelmark Maurice B , Lartey Anna , Matanda Dennis J , Urke Helga B 
Published: November 2014

ObjectivesGuided by the UNICEF framework for childcare, this study examined the association of childcare practices (CCP) with infant and young children's growth (height-for-age Z-scores, HAZ), and investigated whether care practices are more important to growth in some sociodemographic subgroups of children.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingUrban and rural Ghana.ParticipantsThe study sample comprised 1187 dyads of mothers aged 15–49 years and their youngest child (aged 6–36 months).ResultsThe results showed that CCP was a significant predictor of HAZ, after controlling for covariates/confounders at child, maternal and household levels. Children with higher CCP scores had higher HAZ. A 1-unit increase in the CCP score was associated with a 0.17-unit increase in HAZ. Child's and mother's age, number of children under 5 years, place of residence, maternal weight and wealth index were also significantly associated with HAZ. Statistical interaction analyses revealed no subgroup differences in the CCP/HAZ relationship.ConclusionsThis study found a significant, positive association between CCP and child growth, after accounting for other important determinants of child growth at maternal and household levels. This calls for research into the effects on growth of various CCP components, with longitudinal cohort study designs that can disentangle causal relationships.
MUC1-C Induces the LIN28B→LET-7→HMGA2 Axis to Regulate Self-Renewal in NSCLC
Authors: Alam Maroof , Ahmad Rehan , Rajabi Hasan , Kufe Donald 
Published: November 2014

Abstract
The LIN28B→let-7 pathway contributes to regulation of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem cell self-renewal. The oncogenic MUC1-C transmembrane protein is aberrantly overexpressed in lung and other carcinomas; however, there is no known association between MUC1-C and the LIN28B→let-7 pathway. Here in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), silencing MUC1-C downregulates the RNA-binding protein LIN28B and coordinately increases the miRNA let-7. Targeting MUC1-C function with a dominant-negative mutant or a peptide inhibitor provided confirming evidence that MUC1-C induces LIN28B→let-7 signaling. Mechanistically, MUC1-C promotes NF-κB p65 chromatin occupancy of the LIN28B first intron and activates LIN28B transcription, which is associated with suppression of let-7. Consistent with let-7–mediated inhibition of HMGA2 transcripts, targeting of MUC1-C also decreases HMGA2 expression. HMGA2 has been linked to stemness, and functions as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of let-7–mediated regulation of the TGFβ coreceptor TGFBR3. Accordingly, targeting MUC1-C suppresses HMGA2 mRNA and protein, which is associated with decreases in TGFBR3, reversal of the EMT phenotype, and inhibition of self-renewal capacity. These findings support a model in which MUC1-C activates the ⇑LIN28B→⇓let-7→⇑HMGA2 axis in NSCLC and thereby promotes EMT traits and stemness.
Implications: A novel pathway is defined in which MUC1-C drives LIN28B→let-7→HMGA2 signaling, EMT, and self-renewal in NSCLC. Mol Cancer Res; 13(3); 449–60. ©2014 AACR.