Age and Hair Cortisol Levels as Predictors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Chronic psychosocial stress is known to adversely impact immune function. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, occupational stress among workers in healthcare was at an unprecedented level due to risks of infection and work demands. We performed a nested case-control study to investigate the associations between chronic stress and the risks of contracting SARS-CoV-2.

Differences in Self-Reported Stress Versus Hair and Nail Cortisol Among Adolescent and Young Adult Males.

Background: Chronic stress causes harmful physiological responses that yield increased inflammation and subsequent health conditions. Stress is an important measure among minoritized populations who face social situations that predispose risk to developing mental health problems. Hair and fingernail cortisol have been studied as retrospective measures of chronic stress and to demonstrate biological response to social situations.

Hair and nail cortisol levels are associated and affected by glucocorticoid use.

Hair and nail cortisol is increasingly studied as a physiologic proxy for chronic stress response. Glucocorticoid use is an expected confounder for cortisol measurement, yet there remains little evidence of whether external cortisol use should be subject to exclusion in study subjects. In a group of 209 youth (15-22 year-olds), we analyzed hair and fingernail cortisol concentrations.

Biobehavioral Predictors of Pain Intensity, Pain Interference, and Chronic Pain Episodes: A Prospective Cohort Study of African-American Adults.

Racial disparities in pain experiences are well-established, with African-American (AA) adults reporting higher rates of daily pain, increased pain severity, and greater pain-related interference compared to non-Hispanic Whites. However, the biobehavioral factors that predict the transition to chronic pain among AA adults are not well understood. This prospective cohort study provided a unique opportunity to evaluate predictors of chronic pain onset among 130 AA adults (81 women), ages 18 to 44, who did not report chronic pain at their baseline assessment and subsequently completed follow-up assessments at 6- and 12-months.

Bridging the Gap: Engaging Black Men in Lung Cancer Research Through Barbershop Collaboration.

Health disparities persist among Black men, notably in the context of lung cancer and stress-related health outcomes. This study explores these disparities through a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, citizen science, and social network theory, leveraging the expertise and trust of Black barbers as community leaders. The purpose is to understand the nuanced connections between stress and lung cancer in this demographic.

Targeting the 'DNA methylation mark': Analysis of early epigenetic-alterations in children chronically exposed to arsenic.

Chronic exposure to arsenic causes adverse health effects in children. Aberrant epigenetic modifications including altered DNA methylation pattern are one of the major steps towards malignant transformation of cells. Our group has previously identified significant alteration in DNA methylation mark in arsenic exposed adults, affecting major biological pathways.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lead (Pb) as "cardiovascular disruptors" in 9-11-year-old children living in Syracuse, New York, United States.

Objective: Per- and polyfluoro-alkyl substances (PFAS) and lead (Pb) are ubiquitous environmental toxicants with apparent impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. As one possible mechanism for this increased risk, we have previously demonstrated an association between Pb exposure and heightened cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress, a CVD risk factor. The present study expands this approach and considers both PFAS and Pb exposures (and the possible interaction).

Race, cortisol, and subclinical cardiovascular disease in 9- to 11-year-old children.

Background: Non-Hispanic Black Americans have a greater risk for certain subtypes of cardiovascular disease (CVD; e.g., stroke and heart failure) relative to non-Hispanic White Americans.

Exposure to Arsenic and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children, Syracuse, New York.

Importance: Studies in adults have demonstrated associations between arsenic exposure and clinical and subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). No studies to date have considered potential associations in children.

Objective: To examine the association between total urinary arsenic levels in children and subclinical indicators of CVD.

Feasibility of remote self-collection of dried blood spots, hair, and nails among people with HIV with hazardous alcohol use.

Background: The use of biomarkers in behavioral HIV research can help to address limitations of self-reported data. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many researchers to transition from standard in-person data collection to remote data collection. We present data on the feasibility of remote self-collection of dried blood spots (DBS), hair, and nails for the objective assessment of alcohol use, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and stress in a sample of people with HIV (PWH) who are hazardous drinkers.

Social Stressors, Arboviral Infection, and Immune Dysregulation in the Coastal Lowland Region of Ecuador: A Mixed Methods Approach in Ecological Perspective.

Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits arboviral diseases such as dengue (DENV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika viruses (ZIKV), is present in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Individuals at risk of mosquito-borne disease (MBD) in the urban tropics face daily challenges linked to their socio-environment conditions, such as poor infrastructure, poverty, crowding, and limited access to adequate healthcare. These daily demands induce chronic stress events and dysregulated immune responses.

Association of Sleep Quality With Greater Left Ventricular Mass in Children Aged 9 to 11 Years.

Objective: Research has consistently found associations between sleep characteristics and cardiovascular disease risk in children, adolescents, and adults. Although primarily investigated in clinical samples (e.g.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus antibodies in adults and children from upstate New York: A cross-sectional study.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of viral hepatitis around the world, especially in developing countries. Recently, HEV has also been recognized as important cause of hepatitis in Europe and Japan, however, there is a paucity of clinical data from the United States. The overall seroprevalence of HEV antibodies is around 10% in the United States, but considerable variation is seen based on geographic location, year, and assay used.

Linking metal (Pb, Hg, Cd) industrial air pollution risk to blood metal levels and cardiovascular functioning and structure among children in Syracuse, NY.

Background: Exposure to air pollution has been linked to individual health effects in occupational environments and communities proximate to air pollution sources. Use of estimated chemical concentrations from the Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model, derived from the Toxics Release Inventory, can help approximate some contributions to individual lifetime exposure to risk from air pollution and holds potential for linkages with specific health outcome data.

Objectives: Our objectives were: (1) use regression modeling to test for associations between observed blood metal concentrations in children and RSEI total air concentrations of the same metals released from proximate manufacturing facilities; (2) determine the relative contribution of RSEI air pollution to blood metal concentrations; and (3) examine associations between chronic metal exposure and cardiovascular functioning and structure in study participants.

Vacation's lingering benefits, but only for those with low stress jobs.

Vacationing provides potential recovery from work stress and is associated with cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. This study considered psychological variables that might change as a vacation is approaching (fade-in) or after a vacation ends (fade-out) and how these associations might vary as a function of ongoing work stress. Sixty workers eligible for paid time off were recruited from the community.

The Case for Undergraduate Research Journals.

This note addresses the important role of undergraduate research journals in the undergraduate research experience. Peer review by professional researchers is identified as the most essential ingredient in establishing the relevance of these journals as venues for research dissemination. Included are examples of three such journals-Spora, SIAM Undergraduate Research Online, and the American Journal of Undergraduate Research-with demonstrated success in supporting the undergraduate research experience.

Dietary contributions to increased background lead, mercury, and cadmium in 9-11 Year old children: Accounting for racial differences.

Background: Initial interest in the adverse consequences of exposure to lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd) focused on relatively high exposures through environmental or occupational sources; however, recent evidence suggests even low-level background exposure to non-essential metals might be detrimental, particularly for children's health and development. One potentially important source of increased background levels of non-essential toxic metals is diet.

Objectives: We considered whether differences in diet are associated with levels of non-essential metals in blood and whether racial differences in metals are mediated by dietary differences.

Do vacations alter the connection between stress and cardiovascular activity? The effects of a planned vacation on the relationship between weekly stress and ambulatory heart rate.

To examine how the association between psychological stress and ambulatory heart rate varies in the weeks before and after a planned vacation. We hypothesized that the impact of stress on heart rate would weaken in the weeks leading up to the vacation and return to normal levels in the weeks following the vacation. Fifty-four workers eligible for paid vacation time were recruited; stress ratings obtained via weekly surveys and ambulatory heart rate readings obtained via a wrist-worn consumer device were collected before and after the vacation.

Vacation frequency is associated with metabolic syndrome and symptoms.

To examine the extent to which vacationing behavior is associated with metabolic outcomes. Specifically, we consider how total vacation episodes and total vacation days from the past 12 months relate to metabolic syndrome and metabolic symptoms. Sixty-three workers eligible for paid vacation attended a lab visit during which their blood was drawn and they completed an interview assessing vacationing behavior in the past 12 months.

Background lead and mercury exposures: Psychological and behavioral problems in children.

Background: The potential harm from exposure to nonessential metals, particularly mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), has been the focus of research for years. Initial interest focused on relatively high exposures; however, recent evidence suggests that even background exposures might have adverse consequences for child development. Identifying the extent of these consequences is now a priority.

ConceptMetab: exploring relationships among metabolite sets to identify links among biomedical concepts.

Motivation: Capabilities in the field of metabolomics have grown tremendously in recent years. Many existing resources contain the chemical properties and classifications of commonly identified metabolites. However, the annotation of small molecules (both endogenous and synthetic) to meaningful biological pathways and concepts still lags behind the analytical capabilities and the chemistry-based annotations.

Low-level mercury in children: associations with sleep duration and cytokines TNF-α and IL-6.

There is a sizeable literature suggesting that mercury (Hg) exposure affects cytokine levels in humans. In addition to their signaling role in the immune system, some cytokines are also integrally associated with sleep behavior. In this cross-sectional study of 9-11 year old children (N=100), we measured total blood Hg in whole blood, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and objectively measured sleep and activity using actigraphy.

Immobilized metal affinity chromatography and human serum proteomics.

Metal-binding proteins have a pivotal role in normal and diseased states. We used metal affinity chromatography to enrich a fraction of human serum proteins on immobilized columns loaded with cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper, or lead in bis-Tris saline and these proteins were identified using LC-MS/MS. Tens of enriched proteins were identified and we here present the 20 most abundant for binding each metal.

Production of recombinant 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase from Plasmodium vivax in Escherichia coli.

Humanity is burdened by malaria as millions are infected with this disease. Although advancements have been made in the treatment of malaria, optimism regarding our fight against malaria must be tempered against the problem of drug resistance in the Plasmodium parasites causing malaria. New targets are required to overcome the resistance problem.

Fish consumption, low-level mercury, lipids, and inflammatory markers in children.

There is considerable evidence that consuming fish has numerous health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. However, fish is also the primary source of human exposure to mercury (Hg). In a cross-sectional study of 9-11 year old children (N=100), we measured fish consumption, blood lipids, total blood Hg, diurnal salivary cortisol (4 samples collected throughout the day), and performed a proteomic analysis of serum proteins using spectral count shotgun proteomics.