African desert dust in the Caribbean atmosphere: Microbiology and public health

Air samples collected on St. John in the U.S.Virgin Islands were screened for the presenceof viable bacteria and fungi to determine ifthe number of cultivatable microbes in theatmosphere differed between ``clear atmosphericconditions' and ``African dust-events.' Resultsindicate that during ``African dust-events,' thenumbers of cultivatable airborne microorganismscan be 2 to 3 times that found during ``clearatmospheric conditions.' Direct microbialcounts of air samples using an epifluorescentmicroscopy assay demonstrated that during an``African dust-event,' bacteria-like andvirus-like particle counts were approximatelyone log greater than during ``clear atmosphericconditions.' Bacteria-like particles exhibitingautofluoresence, a trait of phototrophs, wereonly detected during an ``African dust-event.'     

African dust clouds are associated with increased paediatric asthma accident and emergency admissions on the Caribbean island of Trinidad

A retrospective ecological study of paediatric asthma patients who attended the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of the Paediatric Priority Care Facility at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in relation to Saharan dust visibility and other climatic variables for the period 23 May 2001 to 13 May 2002 was undertaken to determine if there is an association between paediatric A&E asthma visits and Saharan dust cloud cover. A Poisson regression model was used to determine the statistical relationship between acute paediatric asthma A&E visits and Saharan dust cover with and without other variables such as climatic parameters and month. During the study period, there were 2,655 A&E visits for acute asthma. There was an association between increased paediatric asthma admissions and increased Saharan dust cover. The best fitting model estimated that in one month, such as June, a deterioration of visibility due to increased Saharan dust cover from no dust (visibility =16 km) to very dusty (visibility =7 km) would increase a daily admission rate of 7.8 patients to 9.25 when climate variables such as barometric pressure and humidity were kept constant.     

Partner notification methods for African American men being treated for trichomoniasis: a consideration of main men, Second Hitters, and Third Players

This pilot study sought information on African American men's preferences for partner notification methods for a common sexually transmitted infection called trichomoniasis. Two focus groups of African American men were convened at a public STI clinic where they were being treated for trichomoniasis. The groups identified a sexual hierarchy in men's preferences for methods of partner notification. The hierarchy consisted of main men (Cake Daddies), second men (Second Hitters), and third or fourth men (Third Players), with placement depending on age, income, and social status. Health department employees affirmed the existence of a sexual hierarchy in a separate focus group. Sexual and economic bartering formed the basis of the hierarchy, and the secrecy involved in such arrangements presented a considerable challenge for STI control. Disease intervention specialists who were responsible for contact tracing spoke of cat-and-mouse methods in contacting the men without understanding fully exactly how the hierarchy influenced men's responses to partner notification. The findings suggest that STI control efforts must take the sexual hierarchy and its privacy implications into account if partner notification methods are to be acceptable to African American men.     

Incidence,mortality and receptor status of breast cancer in African Caribbean women: Data from the cancer registry of Guadeloupe

BackgroundGeographical disparities in breast cancer incidence and outcomes are reported worldwide. Women of African descent show lower incidence, higher mortality rates and earlier age of onset. We analyzed data from the cancer registry of Guadeloupe for the period 2008–2013.MethodsWe describe breast cancer characteristics by molecular subtype, as well as estimated observed and net survival. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine associations between cancer subtypes and death rate, adjusted for variables of interest.ResultsOverall, 1275 cases were recorded with a mean age at diagnosis of 57(±14) years. World standardized incidence and mortality were respectively 71.9/100,000 and 14.1/100,000 person-years. Age-specific incidence rates were comparable to European and US populations below the age of 45, and higher in Guadeloupean women aged between 45 and 55 years. Overall, 65.1% of patients were hormone receptor (HR)+ and 20.1% were HR-. Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) accounted for 14% of all cases, and were more frequent in patients under 40 (21.6% vs. 13.4%, p = 0.02). Five-year net survival was 84.9% [81.4-88.6]. It was higher for HR+/Her2+ and HR+/Her2- subtypes, and lower for HR-/Her2+ and TNBC patients.ConclusionWe found high age-specific incidence rates of breast cancer in women aged 45 to 55 years, which warrants further investigation in our population. However, this population of mainly African descent had good overall survival rates, and data according to subtypes are consistent with those reported internationally. These results may suggest that poorer survival in other African descent populations may not be an inherent feature of the disease but may be amenable to improvement.     

Intraspecific variation in sand-diving and predator avoidance behavior of green razorfish,Xyrichtys splendens (Pisces,Labridae): effect on courtship and mating success

Synopsis Green razorfish are Caribbean wrasses that live in harems on shallow sand or seagrass beds, which offer little cover for predator avoidance (PA). Field observations showed that non-conspecific fishes that intruded were either attacked, ignored, or actively avoided. Food competitors and small piscivores were attacked by male razorfish. Razorfish PA behaviors varied among three habitats with different substratum compositions, suggesting that these fish possess phenotypic plasticity for PA behavior. In a rocky-rubble habitat, razorfish dove into the coarse sand for PA, but most sand dives observed there were to soften a small site for future PA. In a sandbed habitat, they hid among coral branches and dove into the sand when attacked; few maintenance dives were observed as soft sand was widespread. In a seagrass habitat, they hid among blades of grass for PA, and dove into the sand less frequently than at the other sites. Some female razorfish that were transferred among habitats adopted PA behaviors similar to those of females in the new site, while others did not, suggesting that behavioral plasticity is not universal in this species. Razorfish spawned lower in the water column in the presence of natural predators and a predator model, than when these were absent. When the predator model was introduced into a male's territory during spawning periods, there was a reduction in his courtship rate, but not in the number of spawns he achieved. Predation pressure may reduce males' long-term fitness by causing decreased courtship rates which can facilitate sex change in harem females.     

Marker-assisted determination of the relationship between body size and reproductive success and consequences for evaluation of adaptive life histories

We tested for differences in the predicted optimal ages at first maturity in brook charr ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) in Freshwater River, Newfoundland, when life-history data were collated based on the marker-assisted estimation of the relationship between body size and reproductive success rather than using fecundity as a surrogate for reproductive success. Jointly with capture–recapture data to estimate the growth and survival costs of reproduction, we found that weak relationships between body size and reproductive success generate selection against delayed maturation. This finding would not have held for females if the relationship between body size and fecundity had been used as a surrogate for the relationship between body size and reproductive success. This shows that predictions of optimal life histories can be qualitatively changed when using molecular markers to directly evaluate age- and/or size-specific effects of body size on reproductive success.     

Life span and ovarian dynamics of the pine beauty moth, Panolis flammea (D&S): the effect of low temperatures after adult emergence on reproductive success

Abstract Adult female Panolis flammea were kept at 2^oC either immediately after emergence from the pupae or immediately after mating, for periods ranging from 5 to 20 days and then placed at 15^oC together with a male moth, food supply and suitable oviposition site ( Pinus contorta foliage). Weight loss over the storage period was directly proportional to the time spent at 2^oC irrespective of whether the moths were virgin or mated. Pre-oviposition period decreased significantly from the control after more than 5 days at 2^oC, but there was no significant difference between late mated and early mated moths. The post-storage life span of late mated and early mated moths decreased in proportion to the time spent at 2^oC but late mated moths had significantly longer life spans than early mated moths. Moths mated prior to storage were significantly less fecund than moths mated after storage except those moths kept at 2^oC for 20 days where the fecundities of both treatments were identical (c. 45 eggs/female). These results are discussed in relation to the conditions likely to be experienced by P.flammea in the field and their bearing on the population dynamics of this insect.