Community structure of coral microbiomes is dependent on host morphology.

Background: The importance of symbiosis has long been recognized on coral reefs, where the photosynthetic dinoflagellates of corals (Symbiodiniaceae) are the primary symbiont. Numerous studies have now shown that a diverse assemblage of prokaryotes also make-up part of the microbiome of corals. A subset of these prokaryotes is capable of fixing nitrogen, known as diazotrophs, and is also present in the microbiome of scleractinian corals where they have been shown to supplement the holobiont nitrogen budget.

Diversity, Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of the Prevalent Brown Algal Genus Lobophora in the Greater Caribbean Sea, Including the Description of Five New Species.

Distributed in tropical and warm-temperate waters worldwide, Lobophora species are found across the Greater Caribbean (i.e., Caribbean sensu stricto, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda).

A genomic view of the reef-building coral Porites lutea and its microbial symbionts.

Corals and the reef ecosystems that they support are in global decline due to increasing anthropogenic pressures such as climate change. However, effective reef conservation strategies are hampered by a limited mechanistic understanding of coral biology and the functional roles of the diverse microbial communities that underpin coral health. Here, we present an integrated genomic characterization of the coral species Porites lutea and its microbial partners.

Elevated CO Has Little Influence on the Bacterial Communities Associated With the pH-Tolerant Coral, Massive spp.

Ocean acidification (OA) as a result of increased anthropogenic CO input into the atmosphere carries consequences for all ocean life. Low pH can cause a shift in coral-associated microbial communities of CO-sensitive corals, however, it remains unknown whether the microbial community is also influenced in corals known to be more tolerant to high CO/low pH. This study profiles the bacterial communities associated with the tissues of the CO-tolerant coral, massive spp.

A member of the Roseobacter clade, Octadecabacter sp., is the dominant symbiont in the brittle star Amphipholis squamata.

Symbiotic associations with subcuticular bacteria (SCB) have been identified and studied in many echinoderms, including the SCB of the brooding brittle star, Amphipholis squamata. Previous studies on the SCB of A. squamata placed the isolated bacterium, designated as AS1, in the genus Vibrio (Gammaproteobacteria), but subsequent studies suggested that the SCB of echinoderms belong to the Alphaproteobacteria.

Diazotroph diversity and nitrogen fixation in the coral Stylophora pistillata from the Great Barrier Reef.

Diazotrophs, both Bacteria and Archaea, capable of fixing nitrogen (N), are present in the tissues and mucous, of corals and can supplement the coral holobiont nitrogen budget with fixed nitrogen (N) in the form of ammonia (NH). Stylophora pistillata from Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef collected at 5 and 15 m, and experimentally manipulated in the laboratory, showed that the rates of net photosynthesis, steady state quantum yields of photosystem II (PSII) fluorescence (∆F/F') and calcification varied based on irradiance as expected. Rates of N fixation were, however, invariant across treatments while the amount of fixed N contributing to Symbiodinium spp.

Comparative Genomics of Color Morphs In the Coral Montastraea cavernosa.

Montastraea cavernosa is a common coral in the Caribbean basin found in several color morphs. To investigate the causes for brown and orange morphs we undertook a genomics approach on corals collected at the same time and depth in the Bahamas. The coral holobiont includes the host, symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium spp.

Diversity and stability of coral endolithic microbial communities at a naturally high pCO reef.

The health and functioning of reef-building corals is dependent on a balanced association with prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. The coral skeleton harbours numerous endolithic microbes, but their diversity, ecological roles and responses to environmental stress, including ocean acidification (OA), are not well characterized. This study tests whether pH affects the diversity and structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic algal communities associated with skeletons of Porites spp.

Allelochemicals Produced by Brown Macroalgae of the Lobophora Genus Are Active against Coral Larvae and Associated Bacteria, Supporting Pathogenic Shifts to Vibrio Dominance.

Unlabelled: Pervasive environmental stressors on coral reefs are attributed with shifting the competitive balance in favor of alternative dominants, such as macroalgae. Previous studies have demonstrated that macroalgae compete with corals via a number of mechanisms, including the production of potent primary and secondary metabolites that can influence coral-associated microbial communities. The present study investigates the effects of the Pacific brown macroalga Lobophora sp.

Insights into the Coral Microbiome: Underpinning the Health and Resilience of Reef Ecosystems.

Corals are fundamental ecosystem engineers, creating large, intricate reefs that support diverse and abundant marine life. At the core of a healthy coral animal is a dynamic relationship with microorganisms, including a mutually beneficial symbiosis with photosynthetic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium spp.) and enduring partnerships with an array of bacterial, archaeal, fungal, protistan, and viral associates, collectively termed the coral holobiont.

Environmental drivers of microbial community shifts in the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta, over a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient.

The giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta, is a high microbial abundance sponge found on Caribbean coral reefs along shallow to mesophotic depth gradients where multiple abiotic factors change with depth. Sponges were collected along a depth gradient at Little Cayman (LC) and Lee Stocking Island (LSI), and the microbiome of these samples was analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Statistically significant shifts in community structure and dissimilarity (∼ 40%) were detected from 10 to 90 m in LC sponges, but a similar shift was not identified in sponges from 10 to 60 m at LSI (only 17% dissimilar).

"You need to get them where they feel it": Conflicting Perspectives on How to Maximize the Structure of Text-Message Psychological Interventions for Adolescents.

Mobile psychological interventions are of growing interest, particularly for populations with little access to traditional mental health services. Optimum structural components of these interventions are unknown. In this study, twenty-one adolescents (age 13-17) with past two week depressive symptoms were recruited from the emergency department to participate in a semi-structured interview, to inform development of a text-message-based depression prevention intervention.

Outcomes of a Tailored Intervention for Cigarette Smoking Cessation Among Latinos Living With HIV/AIDS.

Introduction: Tobacco use has emerged as a leading killer among persons living with HIV, with effective approaches to tobacco treatment still unknown. HIV infection is nearly 3 times as prevalent in Latinos than in non-Latino Whites. This study reports the results of a randomized trial comparing a tailored intervention to brief counseling for smoking cessation among Latino smokers living with HIV (LSLWH).

Attitudes Toward Computer Interventions for Partner Abuse and Drug Use Among Women in the Emergency Department.

Background: Drug use and partner abuse often coexist among women presenting to the emergency department (ED). Technology offers one solution to the limited time and expertise available to address these problems.

Aims: The aims of this study were to explore womens' attitudes about use of computers for screening and intervening in drug use and partner abuse.

Explaining the Efficacy of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention: A Qualitative Study of Message Framing and Messaging Preferences Among US Men Who have Sex with Men.

We investigated message comprehension and message framing preferences for communicating about PrEP efficacy with US MSM. We conducted eight focus groups (n = 38) and n = 56 individual interviews with MSM in Providence, RI. Facilitators probed comprehension, credibility, and acceptability of efficacy messages, including percentages, non-numerical paraphrases, efficacy ranges versus point estimates, and success- versus failure-framed messages.

A Qualitative Study of Medical Mistrust, Perceived Discrimination, and Risk Behavior Disclosure to Clinicians by U.S. Male Sex Workers and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for Biomedical HIV Prevention.

Access to biomedical HIV prevention technologies such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) requires individuals to disclose risk behavior to clinicians, but experiences of discrimination and medical mistrust may limit disclosure among male sex workers and other MSM. We explored experiences of perceived discrimination, medical mistrust, and behavior disclosure among male sex workers compared to other men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted 56 interviews with MSM and compared findings about medical mistrust, discrimination, and disclosure for 31 men who engaged in sex work vs.

Twelve-month physical activity outcomes in Latinas in the Seamos Saludables trial.

Background: Physical activity interventions designed for Latinas have shown short-term behavior change, but longer-term change and maintenance is rarely measured.

Purpose: To assess physical activity change at 12 months, following 6-month tapered completion of an RCT of a physical activity intervention for Latinas.

Methods: Two hundred sixty-six underactive (<60 minutes/week physical activity) Latinas were randomized to an individually tailored, culturally and linguistically adapted physical activity intervention, or a wellness contact control.

Access to healthcare, HIV/STI testing, and preferred pre-exposure prophylaxis providers among men who have sex with men and men who engage in street-based sex work in the US.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising strategy for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who engage in sex work. But access will require routine HIV testing and contacts with healthcare providers. This study investigated men's healthcare and HIV testing experiences to inform PrEP implementation.

Natural volcanic CO2 seeps reveal future trajectories for host-microbial associations in corals and sponges.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are rapidly rising causing an increase in the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in the ocean and a reduction in pH known as ocean acidification (OA). Natural volcanic seeps in Papua New Guinea expel 99% pure CO2 and thereby offer a unique opportunity to explore the effects of OA in situ. The corals Acropora millepora and Porites cylindrica were less abundant and hosted significantly different microbial communities at the CO2 seep than at nearby control sites <500 m away.

An interdisciplinary framework for measuring and supporting adherence in HIV prevention trials of ARV-based vaginal rings.

Introduction: Product adherence and its measurement have emerged as a critical challenge in the evaluation of new HIV prevention technologies. Long-acting ARV-based vaginal rings may simplify use instructions and require less user behaviour, thereby facilitating adherence. One ARV-based ring is in efficacy trials and others, including multipurpose rings, are in the pipeline.

Acceptability, language, and structure of text message-based behavioral interventions for high-risk adolescent females: a qualitative study.

Purpose: To elucidate key elements surrounding acceptability/feasibility, language, and structure of a text message-based preventive intervention for high-risk adolescent females.

Methods: We recruited high-risk 13- to 17-year-old females screening positive for past-year peer violence and depressive symptoms, during emergency department visits for any chief complaint. Participants completed semistructured interviews exploring preferences around text message preventive interventions.

User-identified gel characteristics: a qualitative exploration of perceived product efficacy of topical vaginal microbicides.

Research has demonstrated that certain vaginal gel products--microbicides containing antiretroviral drugs--may reduce HIV infection risk among women. But for vaginal gels to avert HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), at-risk women must be willing to use them as directed. These products must therefore be "acceptable" to women and an important component of acceptability is users' perception that the product will work to prevent infection.

"Set it and forget it": women's perceptions and opinions of long-acting topical vaginal gels.

Women's initial understandings and anticipated acceptability of long-acting vaginal gels as potential anti-HIV microbicides was investigated by exploring the perceptibility variables associated with prototype formulations. Four focus groups with 29 women, aged 18-45, were conducted to consider gel prototypes with varied physicochemical and rheological properties. Participants responded favorably to the concept of long-acting vaginal gels as microbicides.

Designing a multipurpose technology for acceptability and adherence.

Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) are new tools aimed at reducing or preventing multiple and overlapping sexual and reproductive health risks faced by women and couples around the globe. While MPTs could prove more acceptable and easier to adhere to than single-purpose prevention products, continuing high rates of HIV and unintended pregnancy remind us that these new products will need to be efficacious, acceptable and effectively used to achieve a public health impact. In this paper, we describe how a range of research methods can be applied during the pre-clinical phase of product development to inform decisions related to formulation and vehicle or product delivery mechanisms, and consider how choices in product-related characteristics may influence future demand for, delivery and use of future products.

Designing preclinical perceptibility measures to evaluate topical vaginal gel formulations: relating user sensory perceptions and experiences to formulation properties.

Abstract The effectiveness of any biomedical prevention technology relies on both biological efficacy and behavioral adherence. Microbicide trials have been hampered by low adherence, limiting the ability to draw meaningful conclusions about product effectiveness. Central to this problem may be an inadequate conceptualization of how product properties themselves impact user experience and adherence.