Exploring political influences on evidence-based non-communicable disease prevention across four countries.

Implementation of evidence-based practices can improve efficiency and effectiveness of public health efforts. Few studies have explored the political contextual factors that impact implementation of evidence-based non-communicable disease prevention (EBNCDP). This study aimed to do so in Australia, Brazil, China and the United States.

Clinical characteristics of Black patients with hypertensive urgency.

Background: Hypertensive urgency is defined as a severely elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) of ≥ 180 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of ≥ 120 mmHg, in the absence of end organ damage. It is known that there are racial differences in prevalence and severity of hypertension but there is a dearth of studies looking at hypertensive urgency in Black populations living in Europe.

Aims: We sought to define the clinical characteristics of Black patients presenting with hypertensive urgency, in order to better define the risks and complications this growing population of patients faces.

Author Correction: Basolateral protrusion and apical contraction cooperatively drive Drosophila germ-band extension.

In the version of this Article originally published, the authors cited the wrong articles for reference numbers 18, 30 and 31; the correct ones are listed below. Furthermore, four additional references have been inserted at numbers 37, 38, 39 and 40 as in the list below, and the original references 37-40 have been renumbered. These corrections have been made in the online versions of the Article.

BAK/BAX macropores facilitate mitochondrial herniation and mtDNA efflux during apoptosis.

Mitochondrial apoptosis is mediated by BAK and BAX, two proteins that induce mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, leading to cytochrome c release and activation of apoptotic caspases. In the absence of active caspases, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) triggers the innate immune cGAS/STING pathway, causing dying cells to secrete type I interferon. How cGAS gains access to mtDNA remains unclear.

Inactivation of Salmonella and Surrogate Bacteria on Cashews and Macadamia Nuts Exposed to Commercial Propylene Oxide Processing Conditions.

Propylene oxide (PPO), a chemical fumigant, has been validated to reduce Salmonella on bulk almonds but has not been evaluated for other tree nuts. There is a need to identify nonpathogenic surrogate microorganisms whose inactivation is comparable to that of Salmonella to assure effective PPO processing parameters in different packaging configurations without introducing Salmonella into the pasteurization facility. The objective of this research was to compare the reduction of Salmonella and three potential surrogate bacterial strains, Enterococcus faecium ATCC 8459, Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8042, or Staphylococcus carnosus ATCC 51365, on cashews and macadamia nuts processed by using PPO.

Acknowledgement and support matter: A brief report on gender identity and sexual orientation at a large, urban university.

Objective: To examine reporting trends of students identifying as LGBTQIA+ following changes made to the ACHA-NCHA-II survey about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Methods: Data were analyzed from two sources for the purpose of triangulation: the ACHA-NCHA-II 2016 survey specific to our university and an electronic audience response survey.

Participants: Primary analyses included first-year students from the ACHA-NCHA-II data (N = 158; spring 2016) and the audience response survey (N = 1,452; August 2016).

Dengue virus infection-enhancement activity in neutralizing antibodies of healthy adults before dengue season as determined by using FcγR-expressing cells.

Background: Antibodies are critical responses to protect the host from dengue virus(DENV) infection. Antibodies target DENV by two pathologic mechanisms: virus neutralization and infection enhancement. In dengue patients, the absence of neutralizing activity in the presence of FcγR implies that infection-enhancing activity hampers the neutralizing activity of antibodies, which could potentially lead to symptomatic presentations and severe clinical outcomes.

Discordant Findings on 18F-NaF and 99mTc-HDP Bone Scans in a Patient With ATTR Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Cardiac amyloidosis is an important cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. Bone scintigraphy with [Tc]hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (Tc-HDP) and [F]sodium fluoride (F-NaF) have been investigated in the noninvasive diagnosis of transthyretin (ATTR)-related cardiac amyloidosis. We present a case of a 76-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer who underwent Tc-HDP bone scintigraphy with an incidental finding of diffuse left ventricular abnormal uptake suggesting ATTR cardiac amyloidosis.

Measurement of sedentary behaviour in population health surveys: a review and recommendations.

Background: The purpose of this review was to determine the most valid and reliable questions for targeting key modes of sedentary behaviour (SB) in a broad range of national and international health surveillance surveys. This was done by reviewing the SB modules currently used in population health surveys, as well as examining SB questionnaires that have performed well in psychometric testing.

Methods: Health surveillance surveys were identified via scoping review and contact with experts in the field.

Coupling optogenetics and light-sheet microscopy, a method to study Wnt signaling during embryogenesis.

Optogenetics allows precise, fast and reversible intervention in biological processes. Light-sheet microscopy allows observation of the full course of Drosophila embryonic development from egg to larva. Bringing the two approaches together allows unparalleled precision into the temporal regulation of signaling pathways and cellular processes in vivo.

The effect of repeated light-dark shifts on uterine receptivity and early gestation in mice undergoing embryo transfer.

Female shift workers are at increased risk for negative reproductive outcomes, and animal evidence suggests that manipulation of the light-dark cycle is detrimental to early gestation in female mice. Specifically, failure of implantation may be responsible for these findings. The objective of this study was to better delineate which reproductive processes are vulnerable to detrimental effects of maternal circadian disturbance.

Immune Activation and Benefit From Avelumab in EBV-Positive Gastric Cancer.

Response to immune checkpoint therapy can be associated with a high mutation burden, but other mechanisms are also likely to be important. We identified a patient with metastatic gastric cancer with meaningful clinical benefit from treatment with the anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody avelumab. This tumor showed no evidence of high mutation burden or mismatch repair defect but was strongly positive for presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encoded RNA.

Strong population structure deduced from genetics, otolith chemistry and parasite abundances explains vulnerability to localized fishery collapse in a large Sciaenid fish, .

As pressure on coastal marine resources is increasing globally, the need to quantitatively assess vulnerable fish stocks is crucial in order to avoid the ecological consequences of stock depletions. Species of Sciaenidae (croakers, drums) are important components of tropical and temperate fisheries and are especially vulnerable to exploitation. The black-spotted croaker, , is the only large sciaenid in coastal waters of northern Australia where it is targeted by commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers due to its food value and predictable aggregating behaviour.

Seascape genomics reveals fine-scale patterns of dispersal for a reef fish along the ecologically divergent coast of Northwestern Australia.

Understanding the drivers of dispersal among populations is a central topic in marine ecology and fundamental for spatially explicit management of marine resources. The extensive coast of Northwestern Australia provides an emerging frontier for implementing new genomic tools to comparatively identify patterns of dispersal across diverse and extreme environmental conditions. Here, we focused on the stripey snapper (Lutjanus carponotatus), which is important to recreational, charter-based and customary fishers throughout the Indo-West Pacific.

Geometric constraints alter cell arrangements within curved epithelial tissues.

Organ and tissue formation are complex three-dimensional processes involving cell division, growth, migration, and rearrangement, all of which occur within physically constrained regions. However, analyzing such processes in three dimensions in vivo is challenging. Here, we focus on the process of cellularization in the anterior pole of the early embryo to explore how cells compete for space under geometric constraints.

Obesity-Induced Infertility in Male Mice Is Associated With Disruption of Crisp4 Expression and Sperm Fertilization Capacity.

Approximately 15% of human couples of reproductive age have impaired fertility, and the male component accounts for about half of these cases. The etiology is usually unknown, but high correlation with the increase in obesity rates is documented. In this study, we show that diet-induced and genetically obese mice display copulatory behavior comparable to controls, but the number of females impregnated by obese males is remarkably low.

Sensitized mutagenesis screen in Factor V Leiden mice identifies thrombosis suppressor loci.

Factor V Leiden ( ) is a common genetic risk factor for venous thromboembolism in humans. We conducted a sensitized -ethyl--nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screen for dominant thrombosuppressor genes based on perinatal lethal thrombosis in mice homozygous for ( ) and haploinsufficient for tissue factor pathway inhibitor ( ). deficiency enhanced the survival of mice, demonstrating that lethality is genetically suppressible.

Maintenance of macrophage transcriptional programs and intestinal homeostasis by epigenetic reader SP140.

Epigenetic "readers" that recognize defined posttranslational modifications on histones have become desirable therapeutic targets for cancer and inflammation. SP140 is one such bromodomain- and plant homeodomain (PHD)-containing reader with immune-restricted expression, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within associate with Crohn's disease (CD). However, the function of SP140 and the consequences of disease-associated SNPs have remained unclear.

Decoding temporal interpretation of the morphogen Bicoid in the early embryo.

Morphogen gradients provide essential spatial information during development. Not only the local concentration but also duration of morphogen exposure is critical for correct cell fate decisions. Yet, how and when cells temporally integrate signals from a morphogen remains unclear.

Sexually dimorphic distribution of Prokr2 neurons revealed by the Prokr2-Cre mouse model.

Prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2) is predominantly expressed in the mammalian central nervous system. Loss-of-function mutations of PROKR2 in humans are associated with Kallmann syndrome due to the disruption of gonadotropin releasing hormone neuronal migration and deficient olfactory bulb morphogenesis. PROKR2 has been also implicated in the neuroendocrine control of GnRH neurons post-migration and other physiological systems.

Sedentary Behavior Research Network (SBRN) - Terminology Consensus Project process and outcome.

Background: The prominence of sedentary behavior research in health science has grown rapidly. With this growth there is increasing urgency for clear, common and accepted terminology and definitions. Such standardization is difficult to achieve, especially across multi-disciplinary researchers, practitioners, and industries.

Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA): Validity, objectivity, and reliability evidence for children 8-12 years of age.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to develop an assessment of the fundamental, combined, and complex movement skills required to support childhood physical literacy. The secondary aim was to establish the feasibility, objectivity, and reliability evidence for the assessment.

Methods: An expert advisory group recommended a course format for the assessment that would require children to complete a series of dynamic movement skills.