Maximizing the Impact of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Zambia by Targeting High-Risk Men: A Pre/Post Program Evaluation.

A well-documented barrier to voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is financial loss due to the missed opportunity to work while undergoing and recovering from VMMC. We implemented a 2-phased outcome evaluation to explore how enhanced demand creation and financial compensation equivalent to 3 days of missed work influence uptake of VMMC among men at high risk of HIV exposure in Zambia. In Phase 1, we implemented human-centered design-informed interpersonal communication.

Experiences of participation in a population-based survey on violence: Emotional discomfort, disclosure concerns, and the perceived value of participation among adolescents and young adults.

The accurate measurement of violence depends on high-quality data collected using methods that ensure participant confidentiality, privacy, and safety. To assess survey participants' emotional distress, discomfort, and self-perceived value of participating in the Honduras (2017), El Salvador (2017), Cote d'Ivoire (2018), and Lesotho (2018) Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys, which include sensitive topics such as sexual, physical, and emotional violence, we investigated individual self-reported distress and perceived value of participation by age, sex, and other demographic factors. We also examined the associations between past experiences of violence and both self-reported distress and perceived value of survey participation.

3-D Culture of Marine Sponge Cells for Production of Bioactive Compounds.

Production of sponge-derived bioactive compounds in vitro has been proposed as an alternative to wild harvest, aquaculture, and chemical synthesis to meet the demands of clinical drug development and manufacture. Until recently, this was not possible because there were no marine invertebrate cell lines. Recent breakthroughs in the development of sponge cell lines and rapid cell division in improved nutrient media now make this approach a viable option.

Participatory Surveillance of COVID-19 in Lesotho via Weekly Calls: Protocol for Cell Phone Data Collection.

Background: The increase in cell phone ownership in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) has created an opportunity for low-cost, rapid data collection by calling participants on their cell phones. Cell phones can be mobilized for a myriad of data collection purposes, including surveillance. In LMIC, cell phone-based surveillance has been used to track Ebola, measles, acute flaccid paralysis, and diarrheal disease, as well as noncommunicable diseases.

Sexual Violence Prevalence and Related Pregnancy Among Girls and Young Women: A Multicountry Analysis.

This study aims to quantify the prevalence of forced sex, pressured sex, and related pregnancy among adolescent girls and young women in five low- and middle-income countries. Nationally representative, cross-sectional household surveys were conducted in Haiti, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, and Uganda among girls and young women aged 13 to 24 years. A stratified three-stage cluster sample design was used.

Breakthrough in Marine Invertebrate Cell Culture: Sponge Cells Divide Rapidly in Improved Nutrient Medium.

Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are among the oldest Metazoa and considered critical to understanding animal evolution and development. They are also the most prolific source of marine-derived chemicals with pharmaceutical relevance. Cell lines are important tools for research in many disciplines, and have been established for many organisms, including freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates.

Prevalence of Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among Persons Aged 13-24 Years - Four Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2013-2015.

Violence is a major public health and human rights concern, claiming over 1.3 million lives globally each year (1). Despite the scope of this problem, population-based data on physical and sexual violence perpetration are scarce, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (2,3).

HIV Testing Services in Africa: Are They Sustainable?

HIV testing services (HTS) are an essential component of a national response to the HIV epidemic, and in lower and middle income countries, at least 150 million persons are tested annually. HIV testing is necessary to identify persons in need of antiretroviral treatment, which has been documented to be highly effective not only for treatment but also for prevention of HIV transmission to both adults and children. An assessment of the recent literature on sustainability of health and HIV services suggests that organizational performance, flexibility, and integration with other health interventions contribute to sustainability of HIV services and programs.

Alteration of the alkaloid profile in genetically modified tobacco reveals a role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase in nicotine N-demethylation.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme of the tetrahydrofolate (THF)-mediated one-carbon (C1) metabolic network. This enzyme catalyzes the reduction of 5,10-methylene-THF to 5-methyl-THF. The latter donates its methyl group to homocysteine, forming methionine, which is then used for the synthesis of S-adenosyl-methionine, a universal methyl donor for numerous methylation reactions, to produce primary and secondary metabolites.

Feasibility of using a World Health Organization-standard methodology for Sample Vital Registration with Verbal Autopsy (SAVVY) to report leading causes of death in Zambia: results of a pilot in four provinces, 2010.

Background: Verbal autopsy (VA) can be used to describe leading causes of death in countries like Zambia where vital events registration does not produce usable data. The objectives of this study were to assess the feasibility of using verbal autopsy to determine age-, sex-, and cause-specific mortality in a community-based setting in Zambia and to estimate overall age-, sex-, and cause-specific mortality in the four provinces sampled.

Methods: A dedicated census was conducted in regions of four provinces chosen by cluster-sampling methods in January 2010.

Couples' voluntary counselling and testing and nevirapine use in antenatal clinics in two African capitals: a prospective cohort study.

Background: With the accessibility of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services in sub-Saharan Africa, more women are being tested for HIV in antenatal care settings. Involving partners in the counselling and testing process could help prevent horizontal and vertical transmission of HIV. This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of couples' voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT) in antenatal care and to measure compliance with PMTCT.

Sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics of Colonia residents: the role of life stage in predicting health risks and diabetes status in a disadvantaged Hispanic population.

An assessment of the risk or diagnosis of diabetes in a random sample of 386 adult border residents found 46% obese, 12% at risk for diabetes, and 18% diagnosed with diabetes. While obesity was associated with greater diabetes risk, > 50% of obese adults reported not being told of their diabetes risk. Independent of other characteristics, boomers were at increased risk (OR 3.

What the better half is thinking: A comparison of men's and women's responses and agreement between spouses regarding reported sexual and reproductive behaviors in Rwanda.

Objective: To compare responses to a sexual behavioral survey of spouses in cohabiting heterosexual relationships in Kigali, Rwanda.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Methods: Husbands and wives in 779 cohabiting couples were interviewed separately with parallel questionnaires.

Health-related quality of life among Mexican Americans living in colonias at the Texas-Mexico border.

Understanding influences on health-related quality of life (HRQL) is critical in order to track and improve the health of poor, vulnerable populations and reduce health disparities. However, studies assessing HRQL of minorities are relatively scarce. The purpose of this study was to document personal and socioenvironmental correlates to HRQL.

Promotion of couples' voluntary counselling and testing for HIV through influential networks in two African capital cities.

Background: Most new HIV infections in Africa are acquired from cohabiting heterosexual partners. Couples' Voluntary Counselling and Testing (CVCT) is an effective prevention strategy for this group. We present our experience with a community-based program for the promotion of CVCT in Kigali, Rwanda and Lusaka, Zambia.

Environmental and contextual influences on school violence and its prevention.

School violence has received unprecedented attention in recent years, particularly since the infamous events unfolded in Littleton, Colorado at Columbine High School. For many Americans, such events were not imagined possible while for others, they confirmed the need for urgent and careful examination of the nature and scope of school violence. It appears, however, that school violence research has been relegated to the individual level of analysis.

Gene silencing from plant DNA carried by a Geminivirus.

The geminivirus tomato golden mosaic virus (TGMV) replicates in nuclei and expresses genes from high copy number DNA episomes. The authors used TGMV as a vector to determine whether episomal DNA can cause silencing of homologous, chromosomal genes. Two markers were used to asses silencing: (1) the sulfur allele (su) of magnesium chelatase, an enzyme required for chlorophyll formation; and (2) the firefly luciferase gene (luc).

Transposon tagging of the sulfur gene of tobacco using engineered maize Ac/Ds elements.

The Sulfur gene of tobacco is nuclearly encoded. A Su allele at this locus acts as a dominant semilethal mutation and causes reduced accumulation of chlorophyll, resulting in a yellow color in the plant. An engineered transposon tagging system, based upon the maize element Ac/Ds, was used to mutate the gene.

Mapping the Root-Knot Nematode Resistance Gene (Rk) in Tobacco with RAPD Markers.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was conducted to map the Rk gene in tobacco which conditions resistance to races 1 and 3 of the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. Resistant burley tobacco genotype NC 528, containing the Rk gene, and the susceptible cultivar Ky 14 were screened with 1,500 random decamers. A low rate of genetic polymor-phism (<10%) was detected among these lines.

Subcellular localization of celery mannitol dehydrogenase. A cytosolic metabolic enzyme in nuclei.

Mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) is the first enzyme in mannitol catabolism in celery (Apium graveolens L. var dulce [Mill] Pers. cv Florida 638).

Sugar Repression of Mannitol Dehydrogenase Activity in Celery Cells.

We present evidence that the activity of the mannitol-catabolizing enzyme mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) is repressed by sugars in cultured celery (Apium graveolens L.) cells. Furthermore, this sugar repression appears to be mediated by hexokinases (HKs) in a manner comparable to the reported sugar repression of photosynthetic genes.

Immunolocalization of mannitol dehydrogenase in celery plants and cells.

Immunolocalization of mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) in celery (Apium graveolens L.) suspension cells and plants showed that MTD is a cytoplasmic enzyme. MTD was found in the meristems of celery root apices, in young expanding leaves, in the vascular cambium, and in the phloem, including sieve-element/companion cell complexes, parenchyma, and in the exuding phloem sap of cut petioles.

Sequence analysis of a mannitol dehydrogenase cDNA from plants reveals a function for the pathogenesis-related protein ELI3.

Mannitol is the most abundant sugar alcohol in nature, occurring in bacteria, fungi, lichens, and many species of vascular plants. Celery (Apium graveolens L.), a plant that forms mannitol photosynthetically, has high photosynthetic rates thought to results from intrinsic differences in the biosynthesis of hexitols vs.