Trauma History and Depression Predict Incomplete Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapies in a Low Income Country

Background

As antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV becomes increasingly available in low and middle income countries (LMICs), understanding reasons for lack of adherence is critical to stemming the tide of infections and improving health. Understanding the effect of psychosocial experiences and mental health symptomatology on ART adherence can help maximize the benefit of expanded ART programs by indicating types of services, which could be offered in combination with HIV care.

Methodology

The Coping with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania (CHAT) study is a longitudinal cohort study in the Kilimanjaro Region that included randomly selected HIV-infected (HIV+) participants from two local hospital-based HIV clinics and four free-standing voluntary HIV counselling and testing sites. Baseline data were collected in 2008 and 2009; this paper used data from 36 month follow-up interviews (N = 468). Regression analyses were used to predict factors associated with incomplete self-reported adherence to ART.

Results

Incomplete ART adherence was significantly more likely to be reported amongst participants who experienced a greater number of childhood traumatic events: sexual abuse prior to puberty and the death in childhood of an immediate family member not from suicide or homicide were significantly more likely in the non-adherent group and other negative childhood events trended toward being more likely. Those with incomplete adherence had higher depressive symptom severity and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In multivariable analyses, childhood trauma, depression, and financial sacrifice remained associated with incomplete adherence.

Discussion

This is the first study to examine the effect of childhood trauma, depression and PTSD on HIV medication adherence in a low income country facing a significant burden of HIV. Allocating spending on HIV/AIDS toward integrating mental health services with HIV care is essential to the creation of systems that enhance medication adherence and maximize the potential of expanded antiretroviral access to improve health and reduce new infections.     

Mapping the low palmitate fap1 mutation and validation of its effects in soybean oil and agronomic traits in three soybean populations

Key message

fap 1 mutation is caused by a G174A change in GmKASIIIA that disrupts a donor splice site recognition and creates a GATCTG motif that enhanced its expression.

Abstract

Soybean oil with reduced palmitic acid content is desirable to reduce the health risks associated with consumption of this fatty acid. The objectives of this study were: to identify the genomic location of the reduced palmitate fap1 mutation, determine its molecular basis, estimate the amount of phenotypic variation in fatty acid composition explained by this locus, determine if there are epistatic interactions between the fap1 and fap _nc loci and, determine if the fap1 mutation has pleiotropic effects on seed yield, oil and protein content in three soybean populations. This study detected two major QTL for 16:0 content located in chromosome 5 (GmFATB1a, fap _nc) and chromosome 9 near BARCSOYSSR_09_1707 that explained, with their interaction, 66–94 % of the variation in 16:0 content in the three populations. Sequencing results of a putative candidate gene, GmKASIIIA, revealed a single unique polymorphism in the germplasm line C1726, which was predicted to disrupt the donor splice site recognition between exon one and intron one and produce a truncated KASIIIA protein. This G to A change also created the GATCTG motif that enhanced gene expression of the mutated GmKASIIIA gene. Lines homozygous for the GmKASIIIA mutation (fap1) had a significant reduction in 16:0, 18:0, and oil content; and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids content. There were significant epistatic interactions between GmKASIIIA (fap1) and fap _nc for 16:0 and oil contents, and seed yield in two populations. In conclusion, the fap1 phenotype is caused by a single unique SNP in the GmKASIIIA gene.     

AFLP genetic maps of Eucalyptus globulus and E. tereticornis

 Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis is a rapid and efficient technique for detecting large numbers of DNA markers in eucalypts. We have used AFLP markers in a two-way pseudo-testcross strategy to generate genetic maps of two clones of different Eucalyptus species (E. tereticornis and E. globulus). Of 606 polymorphic fragments scored, 487 segregated in a 1 : 1 ratio, corresponding to DNA polymorphisms heterozygous in one parent and null in the other. In the maternal E. tereticornis map, 268 markers were ordered in 14 linkage groups (919 cM); the paternal E. globulus map had 200 markers in 16 linkage groups (967 cM). Results from PGRI software were compared with MAPMAKER. The average density of markers was approximately 1 per 3.9 cM. Framework markers were ordered with an average confidence level of 90%, covering 80–100% of the estimated Eucalyptus genome size. In order to investigate the homologies between the E. tereticornis and the E. globulus genetic linkage maps, we included 19 markers segregating 3 : 1 in the analysis. Some homeologous linkage groups were recognized. The linkage data developed in these maps will be used to detect loci controlling commercially important traits. Received: 17 July 1997 / Accepted: 13 October 1997     

Susceptibility of Paulownia elongata to Agrobacterium and production of transgenic calli and hairy roots by in vitro inoculation

Susceptibility of Paulownia elongata S.Y. Hu (princess tree) to Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes was demonstrated by inoculating in vitro shoots. Shoots had a gall formation frequency of ≥83% when inoculated with any of three A. tumefaciens strains (542, A281, or C58). Timing of gall appearance and type of callus proliferation differed among A. tumefaciens strains. Rapidly proliferating callus was produced from explants that were inoculated with A. tumefaciens. Hairy roots were produced directly from wound sites on 33% of shoots inoculated with A. rhizogenes strain R1601. Rapidly growing detached roots were produced from explants that were inoculated with A. rhizogenes. Opine analyses demonstrated the expression of foreign genes in proliferating galls/hairy roots shortly after emergence from wound sites and in callus and roots after 12 weeks of in vitro culture. Southern analyses demonstrated the presence of tDNA in long-term callus and root cultures. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparative genetic linkage maps of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus grandis</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> and their F<Subscript>1</Subscript> hybrid based on a double pseudo-backcross mapping approach

Comparative genetic mapping in interspecific pedigrees presents a powerful approach to study genetic differentiation, genome evolution and reproductive isolation in diverging species. We used this approach for genetic analysis of an F₁ hybrid of two Eucalyptus tree species, Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden.) and Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.). This wide interspecific cross is characterized by hybrid inviability and hybrid abnormality. Approximately 20% of loci in the genome of the F₁ hybrid are expected to be hemizygous due to a difference in genome size between E. grandis (640 Mbp) and E. globulus (530 Mbp). We investigated the extent of colinearity between the two genomes and the distribution of hemizygous loci in the F₁ hybrid using high-throughput, semi-automated AFLP marker analysis. Two pseudo-backcross families (backcrosses of an F₁ individual to non-parental individuals of the parental species) were each genotyped with more than 800 AFLP markers. This allowed construction of de novo comparative genetic linkage maps of the F₁ hybrid and the two backcross parents. All shared AFLP marker loci in the three single-tree parental maps were found to be colinear and little evidence was found for gross chromosomal rearrangements. Our results suggest that hemizygous AFLP loci are dispersed throughout the E. grandis chromosomes of the F₁ hybrid.Communicated by O. Savolainen     

Characterization of two laccases of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) expressed in tobacco BY-2 cells

We previously showed that eight laccase genes (Lac 1–Lac 8) are preferentially expressed in differentiating xylem and are associated with lignification in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) [Sato et al. (2001) J Plant Res 114:147–155]. In this study we generated transgenic tobacco suspension cell cultures that express the pine Lac 1 and Lac 2 proteins, and characterized the abilities of these proteins to oxidize monolignols. Lac 1 and Lac 2 enzymatic activities were detected only in the cell walls of transgenic tobacco cells, and could be extracted with high salt. The optimum pH for laccase activity with coniferyl alcohol as substrate was 5.0 for Lac 1 and between 5.0 and 6.0 for Lac 2. The activities of Lac 1 and Lac 2 increased as the concentration of CuSO₄ in the reaction mixtures increased in the range from 1 to 100 μM. Both enzymes were able to oxidize coniferyl alcohol and to produce dimers of coniferyl alcohol. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Lac 1 and Lac 2 are involved in lignification in differentiating xylem of loblolly pine.     

Genetics of postzygotic isolation in Eucalyptus: whole-genome analysis of barriers to introgression in a wide interspecific cross of Eucalyptus grandis and E. globulus

The genetic architecture of hybrid fitness characters can provide valuable insights into the nature and evolution of postzygotic reproductive barriers in diverged species. We determined the genome-wide distribution of barriers to introgression in an F(1) hybrid of two Eucalyptus tree species, Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden.) and E. globulus (Labill.). Two interspecific backcross families (N = 186) were used to construct comparative, single-tree, genetic linkage maps of an F(1) hybrid individual and two backcross parents. A total of 1354 testcross AFLP marker loci were evaluated in the three parental maps and a substantial proportion (27.7% average) exhibited transmission ratio distortion (alpha = 0.05). The distorted markers were located in distinct regions of the parental maps and marker alleles within each region were all biased toward either of the two parental species. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate the position and effect of transmission ratio distorting loci (TRDLs) in the distorted regions of each parental linkage map. The relative viability of TRDL alleles ranged from 0.20 to 0.72. Contrary to expectation, heterospecific (donor) alleles of TRDLs were favored as often as recurrent alleles in both backcrosses, suggesting that positive and negative heterospecific interactions affect introgression rates in this wide interspecific pedigree.