Microbial Communities Associated With Stunted Growth Syndrome In Penaeus Vannamei Farming

Purpose: Stunted/slow growth syndrome is one of the yield-limiting diseases in Penaeus vannamei farming. Limited information is available on the aetiology of this condition, which needs to be studied to devise prophylactic measures to minimise the production losses. Amongst the factors that influence this condition, microbial communities in the growing environment play an important role. This study aimed at understanding major microbial associations of affected and healthy pond waters through shotgun metagenomics.Method: The water samples were filtered through vacuum filtration to extract suspended microbes. Subsequently, DNA was isolated from the filtrate using PowerSoil® DNA Isolation Kit. Libraries prepared from isolated DNA were sequenced using the shotgun metagenomic method on the Illumina HiSeq platform. The microbial profiling and their functional prediction of the shotgun metagenome sequences were carried out using stand-alone versions of Kaiju, OmicsBox respectively. Results: The taxonomic classification results revealed that species of Oceanospirillum, and vibrio were high in the disease sample, while Rhodobacteraceae bacterium and Neptunomonas were high in the healthy sample. The alpha diversity analysis showed slightly higher diversity in the healthy sample compared to the disease infected. The taxonomic biomarkers for healthy and infected states reported in previous studies were also observed in this study. The major functional associations of both the healthy and infected groups include amino acid transport and metabolism, cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis, and energy production and conversion. Conclusion: The study identified major taxonomical and functional associations of ponds affected and unaffected with stunted growth syndrome. These associations significantly varied between the samples, indicating dysbiosis of the microbial profiles in the pond waters. This dysbiosis could be a potential cause for the manifestation of stunted growth syndrome. Microbial associations along with other pond environmental factors need to be further explored for an in-depth understanding of stunted growth syndrome.

Age- and Sex-Adjusted Reference Intervals in Tear Cytokine Levels in Healthy Subjects

Alterations in tear cytokine levels have been associated with various ocular disorders as compared to those in healthy subjects. However, age and sex are not always considered in these comparisons. In this study we aimed to establish age and sex reference intervals (RIs) for tear cytokine levels in healthy people. Tear samples were taken from 75 males and 82 females, aged 18–88 years, and tear cytokine levels were determined. Age- and sex-adjusted RIs for epidermal growth factor (EGF), fractalkine, interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (RA), IL-7, IL-8, interferon inducible protein (IP)-10, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) tear cytokine levels in a healthy sample were established using generalized additive for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) models. RIs were tested in two external samples: a validation sample of 40 individuals with normal results at four Dry Eye Disease (DED) clinical diagnostic tests (OSDI, T-BUT, corneal staining and Schirmer test); and a utility sample of 13 severe DED cases. IL-1RA, IL-8, IP-10, and MCP-1 levels showed a positive association with age, while EGF was negatively correlated. IL-7 concentration increased up to 40 years and again after 70 years, observing a quasi-linear decrease between them. For VEGF, higher levels were observed in the middle-aged range. Regarding sex-influence, fractalkine tear levels were higher in men, whereas those of IL-7, IL-8, and IP-10 were higher in women. Using the estimated age- and sex-adjusted RIs, more than 92% of the validation sample was correctly classified, and 100% of the severe DED patients in the utility sample had concentrations outside the RIs in at least two of the cytokines evaluated.

Psychological resilience predicting cardiometabolic conditions in adulthood in the Midlife in the United States Study

Early adversity is associated with poor cardiometabolic health, potentially via psychological distress. However, not everyone exposed to adversity develops significant distress. Psychological resilience and positive psychological health despite adversity may protect against unfavorable cardiometabolic outcomes that are otherwise more likely. We examined early adversity, psychological resilience, and cardiometabolic risk among 3,254 adults in the Midlife in the United States Study. Psychological resilience was defined according to both early psychosocial adversity and adult psychological health (characterized by low distress and high wellbeing) at Wave 1 (1994 to 1995). Categorical resilience was derived by cross-classifying adversity (exposed versus unexposed) and psychological health (higher versus lower). We also assessed count of adversities experienced and psychological symptoms as separate variables. Incident cardiometabolic conditions (e.g., heart attack, stroke, and diabetes) were self-reported at Waves 2 (2004 to 2005) and 3 (2013 to 2014). Secondary analyses examined biological cardiometabolic risk using a composite of biomarkers available within a Wave-2 subsample. Logistic and Poisson regressions evaluated associations of resilience with cardiometabolic health across 20 follow-up y, adjusting for relevant covariates. In this initially healthy sample, nonresilient (adversity-exposed, lower psychological health) versus resilient (adversity-exposed, high psychological health) individuals had 43% higher odds of cardiometabolic conditions (95% CI 1.10 to 1.85). Odds of cardiometabolic conditions were similar among resilient versus unexposed, psychologically healthy individuals. More adversity experiences were associated with increased odds, while better psychological health with decreased odds of cardiometabolic conditions, and effects were largely independent. Patterns were similar for objectively assessed cardiometabolic risk. Psychological resilience in midlife may protect against negative cardiometabolic impacts of early adversity.

Interrater Reliability of a Novel Goniometric Technique to Measure Scapular Protraction and Retraction

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This study describes the interrater reliability of a novel goniometric technique to measure scapular protraction and retraction. Measurements obtained by two experienced OTs demonstrated a standard error of measure of less than 4 degrees using this technique on a healthy sample of adults (N = 80). This technique may offer a more reliable method to assess scapular mobility as an essential motor component of occupational performance. Primary Author and Speaker: Nathan Short Additional Authors and Speakers: Michelle Mays, Abigail Baist, Anthony Clifton, Adam Horty, Micaela Kosty, Courtney Olson, and Riddhi Patel Contributing Authors: Thomas Almonreoder

Compliance in Ambulatory Assessment Studies: Investigating Study and Sample Characteristics as Predictors

Ambulatory assessment (AA) studies are becoming more and more popular. However, it can be challenging to motivate participants to comply with study protocols. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible predictors of compliance in AA studies with diverse samples and study designs. To do so, we extracted compliance information, study characteristics, and sample characteristics from 488 previously published studies. The average compliance across the studies was rather high. The total number of measurement occasions and the number of study days were negatively related to the compliance rate. Moreover, a higher percentage of healthy controls in clinical studies was associated with a higher compliance rate. By contrast, other study characteristics (e.g., the amount of financial compensation) and sample characteristics (clinical vs. healthy sample) were not related to compliance. The findings have implications for the design of future AA studies.

A survey on prevalence, risk factors and knowledge for oral human papilloma virus infections among university students

Aim: This study analyses the prevalence, risk factors and knowledge levels for oral human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in healthy university students. Materials & methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 452 participants. Also, oral-rinsed samples were collected for molecular screening and genotyping studies by using validated protocols. Results: The prevalence of HPV was 0.7% (HPV type 72var [0.5%; n = 2] and HPV type 13 [0.2%; n = 1]). Male circumcision and age of first sexual experience were the significant factors associated with oral HPV positivity. Several factors found to be predictors for HPV positivity including not being vaccinated. Conclusion: Here, the prevalence of oral HPV infection was low among a healthy sample pool. Further studies are suggested to clarify relations between the infection and risk factors.

Growth rates of accessory human enamel: a histological case study of a modern-day incisor from Northern England

This study investigates enamel growth of a modern-day human upper first incisor (S197) possessing an accessory cusp. Growth rates collected from the accessory enamel are compared to data collected from the primary cusp and healthy incisors from the same population. Upper first incisors (n=12) and S197 were analysed using histological methods. Daily secretion rates (DSRs) were calculated for inner, mid, and outer regions of cuspal and lateral sites. Additional DSRs were calculated for equivalent regions of S197’s accessory cusp. S197’s primary cusp DSRs were significantly faster than the accessory cusp for all lateral regions, but significantly slower in the inner and mid cuspal regions. S197’s primary cusp DSRs were also significantly faster than the healthy incisor sample for all lateral regions, but significantly slower in the inner and mid cuspal regions. The DSRs of the healthy sample were significantly faster than those of S197’s accessory cusp for all lateral regions, but significantly slower in the inner cuspal region. This case study displays that human teeth possessing accessory cusps can present varying DSRs to healthy teeth of the same population, and that accessory enamel growth may not follow the same pattern of increasing DSRs along the length of enamel prisms.

Coping Strategies and Coping Styles of Adolescents with Congenital and Acquired Disabilities (Cerebral Palsy, Oncology or Rheumatic Diseases Diagnosis)

The study aims to compare adolescents coping strategies and coping styles depending on their gender and health status. Sample was subdivided into 3 groups: 1) healthy, 2) adolescents with cerebral palsy (congenital disability), 3) adolescents with oncology and rheumatic diseases (acquired disability). The sample size is 244 adolescents from 13 to 18 years old. 86 healthy subjects (37 boys and 24 girls, M=15.03+1.39 y.o.), 61 with oncology of the brain and spinal cord (46 boys and 40 girls, M=14.96+1.52 y.o.), 46 with rheumatic diseases (17 boys and 29 girls, M=14.70+1.50 y.o.), and 51 with cerebral palsy (28 boys and 23 girls, M=15.30+1.17 y.o.). The R. Carver' COPE questionnaire, adapted by Ye.I. Rasskazova, T.O. Gordeyeva, Ye.N. Osin was used. It is found that adolescents with acquired disabilities use coping strategies similar to healthy peers, in contrast to adolescents with cerebral palsy, whose coping strategies are diverse. Adolescents in two clinical groups are more likely seeking support in religion than healthy ones, which reduces the stress impact by disability. Cognitively oriented coping styles is higher among healthy sample, emotionally oriented ones among adolescents with acquired disabilities, and dysfunctional ones among adolescents with cerebral palsy. Different trends in the intensity of coping strategies in clinical and healthy groups depending on gender are revealed.