GREGARINA LUTESCENS N. SP. INFECTING THE HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD HARMONIA AXYRIDIS (COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE).

Gregarina lutescens n. sp. is described from the alimentary canal of the harlequin ladybird or multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) collected from prairie fleabane, Erigeron strigosus, at Peru State College, Peru, Nemaha Co.

First Insights into Population Structure and Genetic Diversity Versus Host Specificity in Trypanorhynch Tapeworms Using Multiplexed Shotgun Genotyping.

Theory predicts relaxed host specificity and high host vagility should contribute to reduced genetic structure in parasites while strict host specificity and low host vagility should increase genetic structure. Though these predictions are intuitive, they have never been explicitly tested in a population genomic framework. Trypanorhynch tapeworms, which parasitize sharks and rays (elasmobranchs) as definitive hosts, are the only order of elasmobranch tapeworms that exhibit considerable variability in their definitive host specificity.

REVISION OF CORONOEPIMERITUS WITH DESCRIPTION OF CORONOEPIMERITUS OTOENSIS N. SP. INFECTING THE ADMIRABLE GRASSHOPPER SYRBULA ADMIRABILIS (ORTHOPTERA: ACRIDIDAE).

Herein, we reaffirm the validity of Coronoepimeritus and its junior synonym, Quadruspinospora, provide new combinations for existing species of Quadruspinospora, recognize Monospinospora n. gen. to receive Coronoepimeritus monospinus, and describe Coronoepimeritus otoensis n.

Physiological and Perceptual Response to a Live Collegiate Esports Tournament.

Competitive esports has grown rapidly across the globe justifying a need to quantify the physiological stress response to this environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the physiological and perceptual responses in a live collegiate esports tournament. Male members of the University of Mississippi Esports team ( = 14; age = 19.

Fifteen Years of Sm-p80-Based Vaccine Trials in Nonhuman Primates: Antibodies From Vaccinated Baboons Confer Protection and From and Identification of Putative Correlative Markers of Protection.

Recent advances in systems biology have shifted vaccine development from a largely trial-and-error approach to an approach that promote rational design through the search for immune signatures and predictive correlates of protection. These advances will doubtlessly accelerate the development of a vaccine for schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease that currently affects over 250 million people. For over 15 years and with contributions of over 120 people, we have endeavored to test and optimize Sm-p80-based vaccines in the non-human primate model of schistosomiasis.

Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections Among College Students in a Rural Midwest Setting.

The objective of this research was to assess that knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding sexual heath among rural college students in Nebraska. We administered an electronic survey (n = 125) that was adapted from the YRBSS and National College Health Assessment to compare results to national estimates. Results show condom use was below the national average (38.

Chronic whipworm infection exacerbates Schistosoma mansoni egg-induced hepatopathology in non-human primates.

Background: Schistosomiasis continues to inflict significant morbidity and mortality in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The disease endemicity overlaps with the transmission of other parasitic diseases. Despite the ubiquity of polyparasitism in tropical regions, particularly in rural communities, little is known about the impact of multiple helminth infections on disease progression.

Rural-Urban Differences in Roles and Support for Community Health Workers in the Midwest.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act supports the integration of community health workers (CHWs) into the health care workforce, but little is known about integration and current roles of CHWs among employers in community settings. This analysis of 97 employers described the roles of CHWs in Nebraska and found significant differences between CHWs practicing in rural and urban areas in organization types employing CHWs, funding sources, and minority populations served. The findings suggest that the utility of CHWs is widely recognized among employers, but deliberate support will be needed to better define the roles of CHWs to meet the needs of the increasingly diverse demographic.

Process Evaluation of the BearStand Behavioral Intervention: A Social Cognitive Theory-Based Approach to Reduce Occupational Sedentary Behavior.

Objective: Describe the process evaluation of the behavioral intervention group of a multicomponent workplace intervention, BearStand, to reduce employees' sitting time using sit-stand workstations and behavioral strategies.

Methods: Process evaluation metrics: dose delivered, dose-received exposure, dose-received satisfaction, and context were collected using an online survey. Participants included employees of a US university.

Gregarine Oocyst Production is a Function of Gametocyst Size.

Gregarine transmission depends upon the environmental encounter rate between viable infective oocysts and suitable hosts. Many factors determine the abundance and distribution of gregarine oocysts in the environment, but the primary factors are oocyst distribution, environmental persistence, and production rate. Prior studies have demonstrated factors affecting oocyst distribution and environmental persistence, but oocyst production rate is poorly understood.

Sm-p80-based schistosomiasis vaccine: double-blind preclinical trial in baboons demonstrates comprehensive prophylactic and parasite transmission-blocking efficacy.

Schistosomiasis is of public health importance to an estimated one billion people in 79 countries. A vaccine is urgently needed. Here, we report the results of four independent, double-blind studies of an Sm-p80-based vaccine in baboons.

antigen Sm-p80: prophylactic efficacy using TLR4 agonist vaccine adjuvant glucopyranosyl lipid A-Alum in murine and non-human primate models.

Sm-p80, the large subunit of calpain, is a leading candidate for a schistosomiasis vaccine. The prophylactic and antifecundity efficacy of Sm-p80 has been tested in three animal models (mouse, hamster and baboon) using a multitude of vaccine formulations and approaches. In our continual effort to enhance the vaccine efficacy, in this study, we have utilized the adjuvant, synthetic hexa-acylated lipid A derivative, glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA) formulated in aluminum (GLA-Alum) with recombinant Sm-p80.

Sm-p80-based vaccine trial in baboons: efficacy when mimicking natural conditions of chronic disease, praziquantel therapy, immunization, and Schistosoma mansoni re-encounter.

Sm-p80-based vaccine efficacy for Schistosoma mansoni was evaluated in a baboon model of infection and disease. The study was designed to replicate a human vaccine implementation scenario for endemic regions in which vaccine would be administered following drug treatment of infected individuals. In our study, the Sm-p80-based vaccine reduced principal pathology producing hepatic egg burdens by 38.

Community Health Worker Employer Survey: Perspectives on CHW Workforce Development in the Midwest.

A statewide Community Health Worker Employer Survey was administered to various clinical, community, and faith-based organizations (n = 240) across a range of rural and urban settings in the Midwest. At least 80% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that items characterized as supervisory support were present in their work environment. Thirty-six percent of respondents currently employed CHWs, over half (51%) of survey respondents reported seeing the need to hire/work with more CHWs, and 44% saw the need for CHWs increasing in the future.

Schistosoma egg-induced liver pathology resolution by Sm-p80-based schistosomiasis vaccine in baboons.

Schistosomiasis remains a serious chronic debilitating hepato-intestinal disease. Current control measures based on mass drug administration are inadequate due to sustained re-infection rates, low treatment coverage and emergence of drug resistance. Hence, there is an urgent need for a schistosomiasis vaccine for disease control.

The self-curing phenomenon of schistosome infection in rhesus macaques: insight from in vitro studies.

A reduction in the burden of schistosomiasis is potentially achievable by integrating a schistosomiasis vaccine with current control measures. Here, we determine parasite-specific in vitro responses of B, T, and NK cells from naive uninfected rhesus macaques to Schistosoma mansoni (Sm) egg (SmEA) and worm antigen (SmWA) preparations isolated from infected baboons. Pronounced B cell responses to SmEA and NK cell responses to both SmEA and SmWA were observed.

Telehealth Delivery of Mental Health Services: An Analysis of Private Insurance Claims Data in the United States.

Objective: This study characterizes telehealth claims for mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) services by using national private claims data.

Methods: Telehealth-related mental health service claims were identified with private claims data from 2009 to 2013. These data-provided by the Health Care Cost Institute-included claims from Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealth for more than 50 million individuals per year.

A Systematic Review of Rural, Theory-based Physical Activity Interventions.

Objectives: This systematic review synthesized the scientific literature on theory-based physical activity (PA) interventions in rural populations.

Methods: PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify studies with a rural study sample, PA as a primary outcome, use of a behavioral theory or model, randomized or quasi-experimental research design, and application at the primary and/or secondary level of prevention.

Results: Thirty-one studies met our inclusion criteria.

Myxobolus lepomis n. sp. (Cnidaria: Myxobolidae), a gill myxozoan infecting Lepomis marginatus Holbrook and Lepomis miniatus Jordan (Perciformes: Centrarchidae), in the Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, USA.

A parasitological survey of freshwater fishes in the Big Thicket National Preserve in southeast Texas revealed myxozoan infections in two species of sunfish, Lepomis marginatus Holbrook and Lepomis miniatus Jordan (Perciformes: Centrarchidae). Pseudocysts were elongate-oval, 988 × 485 µm (ex L. marginatus) and 800 × 606 µm (ex L.

Gastrointestinal helminths of Coyotes () from Southeast Nebraska and Shenandoah area of Iowa.

Aim: This survey was carried out on the carcasses of 29 coyotes from Southeastern Nebraska and Shenandoah area of Iowa to document the helminths present in the intestinal track of these carnivorous animals.

Materials And Methods: A total of 29 adult coyote carcasses were generously donated in the autumn and winter (November-February) of 2014-2015 by trappers, fur buyers and hunters of Southeast Nebraska and Shenandoah area of Iowa. The intestine of individual animals were examined for the recovery of helminth parasites as per the established procedures.

Theoretical Antecedents of Standing at Work: An Experience Sampling Approach Using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Time spent sitting has been associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, obesity, and mental health impairments. However, 75% of Americans spend most of their days sitting, with work-sitting accounting for 63% of total daily sitting time. Little research examining theory-based antecedents of standing or sitting has been conducted.

When proglottids and scoleces conflict: phylogenetic relationships and a family-level classification of the Lecanicephalidea (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda).

This study presents the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the interrelationships of the morphologically diverse elasmobranch-hosted tapeworm order Lecanicephalidea, based on molecular sequence data. With almost half of current generic diversity having been erected or resurrected within the last decade, an apparent conflict between scolex morphology and proglottid anatomy has hampered the assignment of many of these genera to families. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of two nuclear markers (D1-D3 of lsrDNA and complete ssrDNA) and two mitochondrial markers (partial rrnL and partial cox1) for 61 lecanicephalidean species representing 22 of the 25 valid genera were conducted; new sequence data were generated for 43 species and 11 genera, including three undescribed genera.

Environmental Persistence and Infectivity of Oocysts of Two Species of Gregarines, Blabericola migrator and Blabericola cubensis (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Blabericolidae), Parasitizing Blaberid Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae).

For apicomplexan parasites using an oral-fecal transmission route with significant environmental exposure, the environmental persistence and infectivity of the oocyst has a direct impact on local infection dynamics, including the ability to withstand extended periods without readily available hosts. Herein we quantify the environmental persistence and infectivity of the oocysts of 2 septate gregarine species at controlled temperature and humidity and demonstrate that they can persist over multiple generational time spans. Species of Blabericola generally complete their endogenous life cycles from oocyst to oocyst within 10 days.