Educating health care professionals in advocacy for childhood obesity prevention in their communities: integrating public health and primary care in the Be Our Voice project.

Objectives: We assessed the perceived need for and the effectiveness of the Be Our Voice advocacy training. In this training, health care professionals learned public health strategies to advocate for environmental systems changes to prevent childhood obesity in their communities.

Methods: We assessed 13 trainings across 8 pilot sites.

Consensus recommendations from the strategic planning summit for pain and palliative care pharmacy practice.

Pain and symptoms related to palliative care (pain and palliative care [PPC]) are often undertreated. This is largely owing to the complexity in the provision of care and the potential discrepancy in education among the various health care professionals required to deliver care. Pharmacists are frequently involved in the care of PPC patients, although pharmacy education currently does not offer or require a strong curriculum commitment to this area of practice.

A urea channel from Bacillus cereus reveals a novel hexameric structure.

Urea is exploited as a nitrogen source by bacteria, and its breakdown products, ammonia and bicarbonate, are employed to counteract stomach acidity in pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori. Uptake in the latter is mediated by UreI, a UAC (urea amide channel) family member. In the present paper, we describe the structure and function of UACBc, a homologue from Bacillus cereus.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic changes associated with aging and implications for drug therapy.

The population of older adults continues to increase, and polypharmacy in this population is more the rule than the exception. Physiologic changes that occur with aging result in multiple alterations to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs, which, in turn, increase the risk of adverse drug reactions. Consideration of initial dose adjustment, along with frequent medication reconciliation and analysis of the medication list, are keys to providing optimal pharmaceutical care for elderly patients.

Improving psychotherapeutic medication prescribing in Florida: implementation of the Florida Medicaid Drug Therapy Management Program (MDTMP).

This paper describes a program that was established by Florida Medicaid to improve the quality of prescribing of psychotherapeutic medications. It relates the process used for defining quality medication treatment including the definitions of unusual psychotherapeutic medication indicators (UPMI). It details the results of analysis of FY 2007-2008 pharmacy claims data using these indicators that enabled the Program to identify practices and prescribers that required targeted interventions.

Recombinant production of the therapeutic peptide lunasin.

Background: Lunasin is a chemopreventive peptide produced in a number of plant species. It comprises a helical region with homology to a region of chromatin binding proteins, an Arg-Gly-Asp cell adhesion motif and eight aspartic acid residues. In vitro studies indicate that lunasin suppresses chemical and oncogene driven transformation of mammalian cells.

Medication use among Canadian seniors.

As they age, many seniors develop a progressively more complex mix of health conditions. Multiple prescription medications are often required to help manage these conditions and control symptoms, with the goal of maintaining seniors' health for as long as possible. This article explores trends in the number and types of medications used by seniors on public drug programs in Canada.

Ecological responses to UV radiation: interactions between the biological effects of UV on plants and on associated organisms.

Solar ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation (280-315 nm) has a wide range of effects on terrestrial ecosystems, yet our understanding of how UV-B influences the complex interactions of plants with pest, pathogen and related microorganisms remains limited. Here, we report the results of a series of experiments in Lactuca sativa which aimed to characterize not only key plant responses to UV radiation in a field environment but also consequential effects for plant interactions with a sap-feeding insect, two model plant pathogens and phylloplane microorganism populations. Three spectrally modifying filters with contrasting UV transmissions were used to filter ambient sunlight, and when compared with our UV-inclusive filter, L.

Policies to support obesity prevention for children: a focus on of early childhood policies.

Policies at many levels may help to shape environments that promote healthy weight and prevent obesity. We present policies to support obesity prevention for young children. We highlight policy Sand environmental systems change examples in the areas of promoting breastfeeding and providing healthy affordable food and information about food in community and child care settings and promoting physical activity in child care and the community.

Assessment of hospice health professionals' knowledge, views, and experience with medical marijuana.

The medicinal and recreational use of cannabis has been controversial, especially in the United States. Marijuana for medicinal use is approved in 14 U.S.

Using HIV notification data to identify priority migrant groups for HIV prevention, New South Wales, 2000-2008.

Non-Australian-born people comprise a third of HIV notifications in Australia. With increasing numbers of immigrants in Australia, public health and health promotion programs will need to adapt to the emerging epidemic of HIV among people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. This study uses HIV notification data to compare Australian-born and non-Australian-born cases in New South Wales and aims to determine if income of source country is useful in identifying high priority CALD groups.

Family triad perceptions of mild cognitive impairment.

Objectives: We examined subjective perceptions of memory loss among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and two other relatives in order to improve understanding of family coping. We also investigated contextual conditions associated with perceptions of family dynamics and relationships.

Method: We conducted interviews with 56 family triads (the elder with MCI, the primary care partner, and a secondary care partner).

Exposure to antipsychotic medications over a 4-year period among children who initiated antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday.

Purpose: This study aims the following: (i) to describe the exposure to antipsychotic medications over a 4-year period experienced by a cohort of children who initiated antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday; and (ii) to identify variables associated with the risk of antipsychotic exposure.

Methods: Children were identified who initiated an index episode of antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday in Florida's fee for service Medicaid program. With the use of claims data, the medication utilization of these children was tracked during the year before and the 4 years following the start of their index episodes (pre-index and four post-index periods).

WITHDRAWN: The effect of molecular design on the physical and biological properties of complementary self-assembling peptides.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.

Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and melatonin among rotating shift nurses.

Objective: To determine the effect of physical activity and sedentary behavior on melatonin levels in a group of rotating shift nurses.

Methods: Physical activity and sedentary behaviors for 118 nurses were recorded during both a day shift and a night shift using activity diaries, and concentrations of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin were analyzed for each shift.

Results: During the day shift, energy expended in moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity between 3 PM and 7 AM was negatively associated with melatonin levels (P = 0.

Disparity in posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis among African American pregnant women.

To determine whether African American women expecting their first infant carry a disproportionate burden of posttraumatic stress disorder morbidity, we conducted a comparative analysis of cross-sectional data from the initial psychiatric interview in a prospective cohort study of posttraumatic stress disorder effects on childbearing outcomes. Participants were recruited from maternity clinics in three health systems in the Midwestern USA. Eligibility criteria were being 18 years or older, able to speak English, expecting a first infant, and less than 28 weeks gestation.

Tyrosine 381 in E. coli copper amine oxidase influences substrate specificity.

Copper amine oxidases are important for the metabolism of a range of biogenic amines. Here, we focus on substrate specificity in the E. coli copper amine oxidase (ECAO) and specifically the role of Tyr 381.

PIMS sequencing extension: a laboratory information management system for DNA sequencing facilities.

Background: Facilities that provide a service for DNA sequencing typically support large numbers of users and experiment types. The cost of services is often reduced by the use of liquid handling robots but the efficiency of such facilities is hampered because the software for such robots does not usually integrate well with the systems that run the sequencing machines. Accordingly, there is a need for software systems capable of integrating different robotic systems and managing sample information for DNA sequencing services.

Dissecting the mechanism of oxygen trafficking in a metalloenzyme.

A key question in the biological activation of oxygen is how the protein matrix regulates the delivery of oxygen to its site of activation. We are using Escherichia coli copper amine oxidase as a model system to investigate the roles played by both local active site residues as well as long range interactions in this process. We have generated active site mutants, as well as mutants in the putative oxygen delivery channel and characterised their affects on enzyme structure and catalysis.

Thienopyrrole acetic acids as antagonists of the CRTH2 receptor.

The bioisosteric replacement of the indole core of CRTH2 antagonists using thienopyrroles was investigated, resulting in potent antagonists with good selectivity over DP1. Early ADME/PK assessment of this chemotype demonstrated bioavailability in mice.

Early diagnoses and psychotherapeutic medication treatment experiences of a cohort of children under 6 years old who received antipsychotic treatment in Florida's Medicaid program.

Objective: To describe the diagnostic characteristics and psychotherapeutic medication experiences of a cohort of children who received antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday.

Methods: Children enrolled in Florida's Medicaid program were identified as having initiated an index episode of antipsychotic treatment before their sixth birthday. The characteristics of these children were compared to nonrecipients who were less than 6 years old on January 1, 2004.

Enhanced expression and purification of fungal galactose oxidase in Escherichia coli and use for analysis of a saturation mutagenesis library.

Galactose oxidase (GO) displays broad primary alcohol substrate specificity and so offers potential for engineering new substrate specificity by directed evolution. Producing variant libraries of sufficient complexity ideally requires expression of functional protein in a host such as Escherichia coli. Wild-type GO is produced by the fungus Fusarium graminiarum and is expressed poorly in E.