Family Strain Research Articles

Revealing the role of microstructure architecture on strength and ductility of Ni microwires by in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction

Deformation mechanisms of cold drawn and electropolished nickel microwires are studied by performing in-situ monotonous and cyclic tensile tests under synchrotron radiation. X-ray diffraction tests allow probing elastic strains in the different grain families and establishing a link with the deformation mechanisms taking place within the microwires. The measurements were carried out on several microwires with diameters ranging from as-drawn 100 µm down to 40 µm thinned down by electropolishing. The as-drawn wires exhibit a core-shell microstructure with <111> fiber texture dominant in core and heterogeneous dual fiber texture <111> and <100> in the shell. Reduction of specimen size by electropolishing results in a higher yield stress and tensile strength along with reduced ductility. In-situ XRD analysis revealed that these differences are linked to the global variation in microstructure induced by shell removal with electropolishing, which in turn affects the load sharing abilities of grain families. This study thus proposes a new way to increase ductility and retain strength in nickel microwires across different diameters by tuning the microstructure architecture.

Å kola za delikatne ljubavnike by Svetlana Slapšak (review)

(a still unknown) context. One protagonist of “Three Figures” is a medieval Italian painter. Another is a contemporary art historian who tries to restore old paintings whose figures and colors are barely visible beneath the tracks of time. In this story, Ransom transposes anaphora to the whole text, structurally and thematically. The postcedent of the first protagonist’s story, which involves inspiration’s fickleness and a strange dog, becomes the antecedent of the art historian’s work. The story’s characters form a temporal trinity, two moments spanning the ages and the reader’s encounter with them. The triangle’s center nurtures the potential Ransom grounds as skillfully as he liberates, intriguing and delighting his fortunate readers. Ransom’s stories set free at least as many wonders as they define. Ryan Long University of Maryland Svetlana Slapšak Škola za delikatne ljubavnike Belgrade. Laguna. 2018. 389 pages. Svetlana Slapšak, an award-winning essayist and candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, has followed up her acclaimed debut novel, Ravnoteža (Equilibrium, 2016), with Škola za delikatne ljubavnike (The school for delicate lovers). The author took the title and the idea from the nineteenth-century French writer Rétif de la Bretonne, intensifying it with elements of Plato’s Phaedrus and her own experiences as a Yugoslav student in Greece during the 1970s. The story connects public and private dramas when a young girl from Yugoslavia, Nataša, stops a famous Soviet actor, Aleksej, from committing suicide close to the end of the Regime of the Colonels in 1974. Their frequent meetings transform into love, and their travels across Greece allow them to see the remains of different eras in history as well as reevaluate the politics of both small and large countries. The novel is shaped as a diary that at the same time is a novel about love, historical -political fiction, travelogue, and philosophical dialogue. The arbitrary nature of a diary allows the interpolation of essayistic fragments and translated poems from Greek, French, and Russian, which, skillfully connected, become perfect additions to the main text. The author constructs the story around several key questions: What is love? What is the relationship between love, politics, and society? What is the value of political participation by individual citizens alone? Why is freedom of learning important? Athens as “the magic mountain” and Greece, one of the main civilization centers, allow this renowned anthropologist to see time from multiple perspectives and to ask new questions about the freedom of different societies (Greece, SFR Yugoslavia, SSSR, the US, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, among Alicia Kopf Brother in Ice Trans. Mara Faye Lethem And Other Stories Catalan author Alicia Kopf writes a sort of hybrid novel—“part research notes, part fictionalized diary, part travelogue”—so deft that it received the 2017 English PEN Award. A compelling metaphorical journey that compares the struggles and strains of family to polar expeditions, this cleverly written and illustrated novel doesn’t flinch from its exploration of coming of age in the modern world. Kripi Malviya ale(theia) Hawakal This thin volume by Indian psychologist and poet Kripi Malviya is a case study in the minute made eloquent. Simple words simply put bring out the themes of psychic discovery, awareness , and transcendence that make up the work of this unique writer both on and off the page. Her expertise in multiple fields shows in the diction of technicality mixed with that of the sublime, which together portray a mind turned inside out. Nota Bene WORLDLIT.ORG 79 others); about the relationship between culture , myth, and history; and about language and democracy. In these questions, Slapšak uses collage and free association, presenting interesting examples from theater, music, and film. Readers who pick up this book for its travelogue qualities will enjoy the places depicted and appealing details that can rarely be found in travel guides. Those looking for a romance novel should respond to the progressive intimacy, characterized by both humor and sophisticated eroticism. The most demanding readers will love the exciting narrative, Slapšak’s haikulike concision in her descriptions of nature, the sharp-minded and rhythmically organized dialogues, all while continuosly discovering the importance of Plato’s...

Postmortem Interval and Diagnostic Performance of the Autopsy Methods

Postmortem studies, including the complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA), an innovative approach to post-mortem sampling and cause of death investigation, are commonly performed within 24 hours after death because the quality of the tissues deteriorates over time. This short timeframe may hamper the feasibility of the procedure. In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of the two postmortem procedures when carried out earlier and later than 24 hours after death, as well as the impact of increasing postmortem intervals (PMIs) on the results of the microbiological tests in a series of 282 coupled MIA/CDA procedures performed at the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique between 2013 and 2015. 214 procedures were conducted within 24 hours of death (early autopsies), and 68 after 24 hours of death (late autopsies). No significant differences were observed in the number of non-conclusive diagnoses (2/214 [1%] vs. 1/68 [1%] p = 0.5645 for the CDA; 27/214 [13%] vs. 5/68 [7%] p = 0.2332 for the MIA). However, increasing PMIs were associated with a raise in the number of bacteria identified (rate: 1.014 per hour [95%CI: 1.002–1.026]; p = 0.0228). This increase was mainly due to rising numbers of bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family and Pseudomonas genus strains. Thus, performing MIA or CDA more than 24 hours after death can still render reliable diagnostic results, not only for non-infectious conditions but also for many infectious diseases, although, the contribution of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. as etiological agents of infections leading to death may be overestimated.

Removal of p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Expression from Cholinergic Basal Forebrain Neurons Reduces Amyloid-β Plaque Deposition and Cognitive Impairment in Aged APP/PS1 Mice.

The degeneration of cholinergic basal forebrain (cBF) neurons in Alzheimer's disease (AD) leads to the cognitive impairment associated with this condition. cBF neurons express the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), which mediates cell death, and the extracellular domain of p75NTR can bind to amyloid beta (Aβ) and promote its degradation. Here, we investigated the contribution of cBF neuronal p75NTR to the progression of AD by removing p75NTR from cholinergic neurons in the APP/PS1 familial AD mouse strain. Conditional loss of p75NTR slowed cognitive decline and reduced both Aβ accumulation into plaques and gliosis. Expression of the amyloid protein precursor and its cleavage enzymes ADAM10 and BACE1 were unchanged. There was also no upregulation of p75NTR in non-cholinergic cell types. This indicates that a direct interaction between cBF-expressed p75NTR and Aβ does not contribute significantly to the regulation of Aβ load. Rather, loss of p75NTR from cBF neurons, which results in increased cholinergic innervation of the cortex, appears to regulate alternative, more dominant, Aβ clearance mechanisms.

New epidemic cluster of pre-extensively drug resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ural family emerging in Eastern Europe

BackgroundUral genetic family is a part of the Euro-American lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is endemic in Northern Eurasia (former Soviet Union [FSU]). These strains were long described as drug susceptible and of low virulence, but recent studies reported an increasing circulation of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Ural strains. Here, we analyzed all publicly available whole genome sequence data of Ural genotype isolates, in order to elucidate their phylogenomic diversity with a special focus on MDR and potentially epidemic clones.ResultsA total of 149 M. tuberculosis genomes of Ural isolates from FSU countries were mined from the GMTV database and TB-ARC project. We identified 6002 variable amino acid positions that were assessed for functional significance and used to build ML, NJ trees and for Bayesian TMRCA estimation. Three robust monophyletic clades were identified: Clade A (31 isolates from Russia, Belarus, Moldova), Clade B (52 isolates from Russia), and Clade C (37 isolates from Moldova, 2 from Belarus). Clade C was significantly associated with XDR or pre-XDR status compared to the pooled Clades A and B (33/39 versus 5/83, P < 0.0001). Time of origin was estimated for Clade A at 77.7–137 years ago and for Clade B at 56.3–99.2 years ago compared to the significantly more recent origin for Clade C. in silico spoligotyping identified signatures specific of the Clade A (spoligotype SIT35), and Clades B and C (both SIT262).ConclusionsA genetically compact and evolutionarily young Ural Clade C, likely originated after collapse of the Soviet Union, and reached epidemic proportions in Moldova in the last 20 years. This epidemic pre-XDR clone (mostly rifampin, isoniazid and kanamycin resistant) is characterized by a specific combination of mutations: KatG Ser315Thr, fabG1 -15C > T, RpoB Ser450Leu, RpsL Lys88Arg, eis -12G > A and EmbB Ser297Ala/T > G. Its further dissemination may occur towards both Russia and European Union and should be taken into consideration by health authorities. The identified spoligotyping signatures can serve for rapid preliminary detection and surveillance of the more hazardous pre-XDR associated strains of the Ural family, both in populations from countries of their endemic circulation and migrant communities.

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus types 1 and 2 in Erbil City and related factors

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of different types of Diabetes Mellitus; the data collected from 84 patients randomly in Layla Qasem Diabetic center in Erbil city to study some genetic factors on Diabetes Mellitus disease by depend on their ages, gender, family history, Blood group and albumin in urine. In case of age average of their age was 40% between 50_60 years old and by depending on their Gender, average of genders 70% was female and 30% male in type 2, while in type 1 40% female and 60% male. The relationship between their family strain 43% of them was positive in type 2DM, and 50% positive in type 1DM. Then we compared their blood group according to our results 39 % of them was O blood group, and in case of albumin in their urine ,in type 2 DM 35% was 30mg/l ,37% was 10mg/l, 9% was 150mg/l, and 19% was 80 mg/l .also in type 1DM 43% was 10mg/l, 11% was 150mg/l, 33% was 30 mg/l, and 13% 80mg/l . We concluded that Diabetes Mellitus in our area is more common in female than male, the percentage of the diabetes increased with age and most diabetic patients have O blood Group.

Illegitimate tasks as assessed by incumbents and supervisors: converging only modestly but predicting strain as assessed by incumbents, supervisors, and partners

ABSTRACTIllegitimate tasks are tasks that violate norms about what an employee can reasonably be expected to do. Representing a relatively recent stressor concept, illegitimate tasks have been linked to strain, but so far have been assessed only by self-report. The current multisource study investigates to what extent supervisors’ assessments of illegitimate tasks converge with incumbents’ self-reports of illegitimate tasks and predict three kinds of strain, namely psychological strain (incumbent report of exhaustion), behavioural strain (supervisors report of incivility), and family strain (partner report of work-family conflict). Low convergence between assessments was expected due to idiosyncratic appraisals but also to differing perspectives of supervisors and incumbents due to their roles, as described by the newly developed roles-as-perspectives theory proposed in this paper. Data from 166 triads were analysed by structural equation modelling and Relative Weight Analysis. Results showed that convergence between incumbent and supervisor reports of illegitimate tasks was rather low; it was higher when the supervisor had a limited span of control. Illegitimate tasks were associated with all three types of strain for both self- and supervisor reports of illegitimate tasks, indicating that the detrimental effects of illegitimate tasks cannot be explained by common method biases alone and that incumbents and supervisors have overlapping but not identical concepts of illegitimate tasks.

The influence of acculturation level and family relationships on quality of life among U.S. Chinese older adults

ABSTRACTThe present study examined the influence of acculturation level and family relationships (i.e., positive family support and negative family strain) on quality of life (QOL), using the data from the Population Study of ChINese Elderly (PINE) in Chicago (N = 3159). Controlling for sociodemographic variables and health status, it was found that individuals’ acculturation level and positive family support were positively related to QOL, whereas negative family strain was negatively associated with QOL. More importantly, higher acculturation levels were associated with increased protective effects of positive family support and reduced risk effects of negative family strain on QOL among U.S. Chinese older adults.

A multifaceted analysis of social stressors and chronic inflammation

Chronic stress has been linked to negative health outcomes, including increased inflammation, which can be measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). Prior research has focused almost exclusively on relationships between individual social and demographic stressors and CRP. The objective of this study is to assess the role of multiple potential stressors simultaneously to determine which key stressors are related to risk of high CRP, given that sustained stress and resulting inflammation may have long-term health implications. We hypothesized that negative social and environmental factors would be associated with high CRP. Data from two waves of Midlife in the United States were used to predict high CRP with variable selection procedures and logistic regression. Results indicated females, those with greater BMI, those with improvements in family strain, and those with higher A1c had a greater risk of high CRP. There was limited evidence that negative social factors were associated with CRP to the extent seen in prior literature. A key advantage of the study was testing multiple potential determinants of chronic stress and inflammation simultaneously, advancing the existing literature. Results demonstrate the potential usefulness of a multifaceted approach to evaluating the risk of chronic inflammation and high CRP.

An Engineered Aro1 Protein Degradation Approach for Increased cis,cis-Muconic Acid Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Muconic acid (MA) is a chemical building block and precursor to adipic and terephthalic acids used in the production of nylon and polyethylene terephthalate polymer families. Global demand for these important materials, coupled to their dependence on petrochemical resources, provides substantial motivation for the microbial synthesis of MA and its derivatives. In this context, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast shikimate pathway can be sourced as a precursor for the formation of MA. Here we report a novel strategy to balance MA pathway performance with aromatic amino acid prototrophy by destabilizing Aro1 through C-terminal degron tagging. Coupling of a composite MA production pathway to degron-tagged Aro1 in an aro3Δ aro4Δ mutant background led to the accumulation of 5.6 g/liter protocatechuic acid (PCA). However, metabolites downstream of PCA were not detected, despite the inclusion of genes mediating their biosynthesis. Because CEN.PK family strains of S. cerevisiae lack the activity of Pad1, a key enzyme supporting PCA decarboxylase activity, chromosomal expression of intact PAD1 alleviated this bottleneck, resulting in nearly stoichiometric conversion (95%) of PCA to downstream products. In a fed-batch bioreactor, the resulting strain produced 1.2 g/liter MA under prototrophic conditions and 5.1 g/liter MA when supplemented with amino acids, corresponding to a yield of 58 mg/g sugar.IMPORTANCE Previous efforts to engineer a heterologous MA pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been hindered by a bottleneck at the PCA decarboxylation step and the creation of aromatic amino acid auxotrophy through deleterious manipulation of the pentafunctional Aro1 protein. In light of these studies, this work was undertaken with the central objective of preserving amino acid prototrophy, which we achieved by employing an Aro1 degradation strategy. Moreover, resolution of the key PCA decarboxylase bottleneck, as detailed herein, advances our understanding of yeast MA biosynthesis and will guide future strain engineering efforts. These strategies resulted in the highest titer reported to date for muconic acid produced in yeast. Overall, our study showcases the effectiveness of careful tuning of yeast Aro1 activity and the importance of host-pathway dynamics.

Rates and Risk Factors for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology among Adult Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients and Their Informal Caregivers

Hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) can cause significant distress in patients and their informal caregivers. Despite advances in reduced-intensity conditioning and supportive care, few recent studies have reported rates of clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. Goals of the current study were to examine rates of PTSD and distress in patients and caregivers and to identify sociodemographic and clinical risk factors for PTSD. As part of an annual survivorship survey, 2157 HCT recipients and their caregivers were mailed self-report measures of PTSD and distress. Patients also completed self-report measures of sociodemographic information (eg, age, sex, employment status). Clinical variables (eg, time since transplant, transplant type) were captured in the transplant database. A total of 691 recipients (56% age 60 or above at the time of survey, 47% women, median 10.1 years post-HCT) and 333 caregivers provided PTSD data and were included in the current analyses. More caregivers reported PTSD (6.6%) than patients (3.3%; P = .02). Patients or caregivers who had PTSD reported significantly higher distress related to uncertainty, family strain, medical demands, finances, identity, and health burden (P < .0001) compared with those without PTSD. Patient but not caregiver PTSD was associated with more recent transplant (P = .01 and P = .16, respectively). Rates of PTSD are relatively low in long-term survivors of HCT and their caregivers. Nevertheless, results are consistent with other studies of cancer caregiving suggesting that caregivers often experience greater distress than patients. Timely referral to psychosocial services should be offered to both HCT recipients and caregivers reporting symptoms of PTSD.

Adaptation and validation of the Caregiver Burden Inventory in Spinal Cord Injuries (CBI-SCI).

Validation cross-sectional study. Even though caregiver burden (CB) represents a well-recognised concern among caregivers of people with a spinal cord injury (SCI), there are no specific questionnaires designed for its evaluation. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory in Spinal Cord Injury (CBI-SCI), which was modified from its original version, and specifically its construct and reliability. Multicentre study in four urban spinal units across Italy. The CBI-SCI was administered to family caregivers in outpatient clinics. CBI-SCI was administered in a toolset composed of a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Family Strain Questionnaire-Short Form (FSQ-SF), the Short Form-36 (SF-36), and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). The CBI-SCI construct validity was assessed through an exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was examined using Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient for the total scale and its subscales. Concurrent validity was evaluated performing Pearson's correlation coefficient with all instruments included in the toolset. The CBI-SCI was administered to 176 participants from February 2016 to September 2017. Factor analysis highlighted the five-factored structure of the questionnaire. The total scale Cronbach's α was 0.91 (p < 0.001). All the five subscales of CBI-SCI showed an acceptable internal consistency, ranging from 0.76 to 0.91 (p < 0.001). Pearson's correlation coefficients of the CBI-SCI with all the administered instruments were statistically significant (p < 0.001), showing congruent relations. The CBI-SCI, due to its validity and reliability, may represent a valuable instrument to evaluate the CB longitudinally in SCI.

THE CURRENT STATE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND THE COMPOSITION OF PATHOGENS OF URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN PREGNANT WOMEN

Introduction.The main treatment component of asymptomatic bacteriuria, acute cystitis and pyelonephritis in pregnant women is antibiotic therapy, which in many patients is prescribed empirically. For successful selection of the drug, it is necessary to know both the structure of pathogens and the current profile of their antibiotic resistance.Purpose of research.The study of species composition and resistance to antibiotics of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) in pregnant women in the Moscow RegionMaterials and methods.The study included 104 pregnant women with uncomplicated UTIs who were observed and treated at the Lapino Clinical Hospital between 2016 and 2017. The material for bacteriological studies was the midstream portion of urine or urine collected by a catheter.Results.90 patients had asymptomatic bacteriuria, 10 had acute cystitis, and 4 had acute gestational pyelonephritis. The structure of the pathogens of UTI is presented: E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Enterobacter cloacae. The most frequently detected pathogens were E. coli (67.3%) and E. faecalis (50%). Resistance rate of E.coli strains more than 20% was detected to ampicillin (36.4%), amoxicillin / clavulanate (23.2%), trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole (27.4%), nalidixic acid (20.7%), cephalosporins 2 and 3 generation (respectively, 25.7% and 24.3%). Resistance rate more than 20% in Enterobacteriaceae family strains was detected to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (24.4%), nalidixic acid (20.7%), cephalosporins 2 generations (21.7%). Antibiotic resistance of E.coli and other Enterobacteriaceae family taxons less than 10% was noted only with respect to carbapenems (0%) and fosfomycin (1.5% and 3.5%, respectively).Conclusions.It is expedient to use the obtained data on the composition and sensitivity profile of uropathogens in UTIs in pregnant women when choosing starting empirical antibiotic therapy. Disclosure: The study did not have sponsorship. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Child symptoms, parent behaviors, and family strain in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

How family environment and parental factors affect health status and symptoms in childhood cancer survivors is understudied. We examined the influence of family cohesion, parent distress, and overprotection on child symptom burden and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and family strain in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Parents of 213 children treated with chemotherapy only completed a survey when survivors were at least 5-year postdiagnosis. Family Environment Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory-18, Parent Protection Scale, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, and Impact on Family were used to assess family cohesion, parental distress, overprotection, child symptom burden and HRQOL, and family strain, respectively. Path analysis was conducted to quantify effects of family cohesion on family strain through parental distress, overprotection, child symptoms, and HRQOL. Lower family cohesion (β=0.06, 95% CI, 0.01-0.13), higher parental distress (β=0.35, 95% CI, 0.20-0.45), and overprotection (β=0.17, 95% CI, 0.01-0.32) were associated with more child symptom burden. More symptom burden were associated with poorer child HRQOL (β=0.66, 95% CI, 0.57-0.75), which in turn was associated with more family strain (β=0.11, 95% CI, 0.01-0.22). Lower maternal education was associated with overprotection (β=-0.23, 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.12), more child symptoms (β=-0.30, 95% CI, -0.41 to -0.16), poorer child HRQOL (β=-0.36, 95% CI, -0.46 to -0.21), and more family strain (β=-0.15, 95% CI, -0.23 to -0.08). Family and parental factors contributed to health outcomes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors. Interventions to enhance family cohesion, decrease parental distress and overprotection, and ameliorate child symptoms may improve family functioning.

Protection elicited by nasal immunization with pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) adjuvanted with bacterium-like particles against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in mice

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major respiratory tract pathogen causing high levels of mortality and morbidity in infants and the elderly. In spite of the multitude of capsular polysaccharide vaccines used to guard against pneumococcal disease, fatal pneumococcal disease remains epidemic. Immunization with pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a highly immunogenic surface protein present in all strains of S. pneumoniae, can elicit protection against deadly pneumococcal infection. We have previously evaluated PspA in systemic vaccination. However, the mucosal immune system, as a first line of defense against respiratory infection, plays the most important role against the invasion of S. pneumoniae. In this study, we employed bacterium-like particles (BLPs) as an adjuvant for a PspA mucosal vaccine. The BLPs served as a carrier for PspA proteins bound to their surface. Mice were immunized intranasally with the PspA-BLP pneumococcal vaccine consisting of PspA3 from pneumococcal family 2. Not only did the immunized mice show a high level of serum IgG antibodies but also a high level of SIgA antibodies in the respiratory tract. After immunization with the PspA3-BLP vaccine, the mice were broadly protected against fatal intranasal challenge with homologous and heterogenous pneumococcal strains of different PspA families regardless of serotype, and the colony count was notably decreased in the lungs. Therefore, the PspA3-BLP pneumococcal vaccine has the potential to serve as a novel mucosal vaccine to enhance both systemic and mucosal immune responses to this disease.

Which Relationships Really Matter for Blood Glucose Control?

Diabetes patients’ perceived social support is consistently linked to their ability to manage blood glucose (HgA1c). However, little is known about which social relationships are linked to HgA1c. We use linear regression to examine how family, marital, and friendship support/strain predict HgA1c for diabetes patients. For the marital models we included only married participants (N = 121); For the family and friend models we included all participants (N = 160). Results (Table 1) indicate that family and friend support/strain were not linked to HgA1c. However, marital strain/support were linked to HgA1c (higher strain indicated higher HgA1c and higher support indicated lower HgA1c). Broad measures of social support are typically examined to understand and improve diabetes outcomes. But, our results suggest a need to focus on the marital relationship in order to improve HgA1c control. As the quality of marital relationship are mutable and brief couple interventions are cost-efficient, standard care could expand to include a marital relationship evaluation and/or a list of referral resources. Further, the null findings for family and friend strain/support highlights the gap in our knowledge for aging single adults. The number of single adults is growing in the U.S. In the absence of marital support for these adults, we must understand if and to what extent their social environment is linked to HgA1c. Table 1.Results of the univariate linear regression models for each measure of social support. In this table we present: Unstandardized coefficients with standard error (B(SE)), 95% confidence interval (95% CI), Standardized coefficients (Beta), probability value (p-value), variance explained (R2), and effect size (Cohen’s d).VariableB(SE)95% CIBetap-valueR2Cohen’s dModel 1: Family Support.16(.19)-.22, .54.06.41.004.06Model 2: Family Strain.10(.20)-.38, .40.004.96.000.04Model 3: Friend Support.13(.19)-.25, .51.06.49.003.05Model 4: Friend Strain.07(.24)-.41, .54.02.24.000.02Model 5: Spousal Support-.57(.26)-1.06, -.07-.20.03.04.17Model 6: Spousal Strain.51(.23).06, .96.20.03.04.20 Disclosure P.N.E. Roberson: None. M. Miller: Employee; Self; Amputee Coalition. K.M. Raspovic: None. J. La Fontaine: None. F. Fincham: None. D. Wukich: None.

The Role of Current Family Relationships in Associations Between Childhood Abuse and Adult Psychological Functioning.

Childhood abuse has long-term negative effects on adult psychological well-being. This study examined whether and how adults with a history of childhood abuse may experience poor psychological functioning partly due to aspects of current family relationships. We estimated multilevel mediation models using 3 waves of longitudinal data from 3,487 participants in the study of Midlife Development in the United States. Outcomes measured included negative affect, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being. We included aspects of family relationships as mediators: perceived support, perceived strain, frequency of contact, and hours of providing instrumental and emotional support. Multilevel mediation models showed that childhood verbal and physical abuse negatively affected diverse aspects of family relationships in later adulthood (i.e., less perceived support, more perceived strain, less frequent contact, and fewer hours of providing instrumental support). We also found that less perceived support and more family strain significantly mediated the associations between childhood abuse and all 3 psychological functioning outcomes. Childhood abuse appears to hinder perceived availability of family support in adulthood, which may undermine the psychological functioning of adults with a history of childhood abuse. To improve their psychological health, interventions should focus on facilitating supportive and functional family relationships.

Parent Training for Preschool ADHD in Routine, Specialist Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Parent training is recommended for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. Evidence-based interventions are important, but only if they produce better outcomes than usual care. The authors conducted a multicenter, 2-arm, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial in routine specialist ADHD clinics in the Danish Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Children (N= 164, 3-7 years old) with ADHD received a well-established parent training program (New Forest Parenting Programme; n= 88) or treatment as usual (n= 76). The primary outcome was parent ratings of child ADHD symptoms. Secondary outcomes included teacher ratings and direct observations of ADHD symptoms. Outcomes were measured at baseline, after treatment, and at follow-up (36 weeks later). Representativeness of participants was evaluated against the total national cohort of children (N= 1,378, 3-7 years old) diagnosed with ADHD during the same period using the Danish Civil Registration System. Statistical analysis used a repeated measure model. After treatment, the parent training program was superior to treatment as usual on parent-rated ADHD symptoms (p= .009; effect size d=0.30) and on parenting self-efficacy and family strain. Effects persisted to 36 weeks after treatment. There were no effects on teacher ratings or direct observations of ADHD or on ratings of conduct problems or parenting. The clinical sample was similar to the national cohort of young children with ADHD. Evidence-based parent training has value as an intervention for preschool ADHD in routine clinical settings. As in previous trials, effects were restricted to parent-reported outcomes. Surprisingly, there were no effects on child conduct problems. A Controlled Study of Parent Training in the Treatment of ADHD in Young Children (D'SNAPP). http://clinicaltrial.gov/;NCT01684644.

Enhanced production of carotenoids using a Thraustochytrid microalgal strain containing high levels of docosahexaenoic acid-rich oil.

Results to date suggest that microalgal Thraustochytrids family strains can be used to produce high-functional omega-3 rich oil (~ 30-70% of dry cell weight) and carotenoid-based antioxidant pigments simultaneously with value-added bioactive potential. In the present study, we describe the isolation and characterization of a new Thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. from the west coastal area of Korea. This newly isolated Thraustochytrid, identified as Schizochytrium sp. through 18S rRNA analysis and named SH104, simultaneously produces high levels of DHA and carotenoid-based antioxidant pigments. An improved Schizochytrium mutant, named SHG104, was obtained from the original host strain by γ-irradiation-induced mutagenesis. Under combined temperature-shift cultivation conditions employing white-light LEDs (light-emitting diodes), Schizochytrium sp. SHG104 yielded 10.8g L-1 of biomass comprising 45.8% total lipids (32.1% DHA) and 4.6mg L-1 of astaxanthin. In addition to DHA, the main fatty acids produced by Schizochytrium sp. SHG104 were palmitic acid and a trace of other long-chain fatty acids. The carotenoid profile of SH104 and SHG104 was β-carotene, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, pheonicoxanthin and echinenone, which analyzed by HPLC and LC/APCI-MS. Furthermore, genomic analysis of Schizochytrium and Aurantiochytrium microalgae confirmed that the presence of carotenogenesis pathway enzymes and genes including geranylgeranyl diphosphate, phytoene synthase, lycopene cyclase, and cytochrome P450 hydroxylase that necessary for the production of antioxidants via a complete biosynthetic KEGG synthesis pathway. This newly isolated Schizochytrium microalga potentially have wide application as a source of antioxidants for astaxanthin-containing pigments, commercial omega-3 lipids and feed additives, such as nutritional supplements for aquaculture.

Genetic Diversity and Drug Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in a Remote Mountain Area of China

ObjectiveWe determined the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in a remote mountainous area of southwest China and evaluated the resolving ability of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping combined with variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) genotyping for Beijing family strains in association with drug resistance status. MethodsThree hundred thirty-one MTB strains were isolated from patients living in mountainous regions of southwest China, and 8-loci SNP, VNTR-15 genotyping assays, and drug susceptibility testing of 9 drugs were performed. ResultsA total of 183 [55.29% (183/331)] strains were classified into the Beijing family. Of the 183 strains, 111 (60.66%) were defined as modern Beijing strains. The most predominant modern Beijing sub-lineage and ancient Beijing sub-lineage were Bmyc10 [39.34% (72/183)] and Bmyc25 [20.77% (38/183)], respectively. Of the isolates, 19.64% (65/331) were resistant to at least 1 of the 9 anti-TB drugs and 17 [4.98% (17/331)] MTB isolates were multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Two hundred sixty-one isolates showed a clustering rate of 14.18% (37/261) and a discriminatory index of 0.9990. The Beijing lineage exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of MDR-TB, as well as resistance to isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), and para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) when analyzed independently (P = 0.005, P = 0.017, P = 0.014, and P = 0.006 respectively). The Beijing lineage was not associated with genetic clustering or resistance to any drug. In addition, genetic clustering was not associated with drug resistance. ConclusionMTB strains demonstrate high genetic diversity in remote mountainous areas of southwest China. Beijing strains, especially modern Beijing strains, are predominant in remote mountainous area of China. The combination of 8-loci SNPs and VNTR-15 genotyping is a useful tool to study the molecular epidemiology of MTB strains in this area.