Interventions to prevent or treat obesity in preschool children: a review of evaluated programs

Objective: To identify effective programs to prevent or treat overweight among 2‐ to <6‐year‐old children. Research Methods and Procedures: We searched six databases to identify evaluated intervention programs assessing changes in weight status or body fat and systematically summarized study attributes and outcomes. Results: Four of the seven studies (two intervention, two prevention) documented significant reductions in weight status or body fat. Among these, three sustained reductions at 1 or 2 years after program initiation, three incorporated a framework/theory, two actively and one passively involved parents, three included multicomponent strategies, and all four monitored behavioral changes. Of the three (prevention) studies that did not show reduction in weight or fat status, all performed assessments between 4 and 9 months after program initiation, and one used a multicomponent strategy. Other significant changes reported were reductions in television viewing, cholesterol, and parental restriction of child feeding. Discussion: The paucity of studies limits our ability to generalize findings. Among the available studies, multicomponent programs with 1‐ to 2‐year follow‐up in clinics or child care settings were successful in their impact on weight; they were likely enhanced by parental involvement. Both treatment programs and two of five prevention programs reduced weight/fat status. Our review highlights the need to evaluate more programs, advocate for use of a framework/behavioral theory and objective behavioral measures, further examine the impact of involving parents and the impact of intervention duration and follow‐up time, strengthen prevention programs, and further evaluate successful programs in other settings and among other racial/ethnic groups.     

Epidemiological Panel Studies of Older Adults: New Frontiers in the Research on Human– Animal Interaction

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses epidemiological studies of older adults and human–animal interaction (HAI), and potential relevance to future research on HAI and animal-assisted interventions (AAI) in aging populations. Key issues in epidemiological work are discussed, including target populations, treatment/exposures, follow up, and endpoint measures as they relate to interacting with or owning companion animals. In outlining the limits in our current state of knowledge, we also make recommendations for the design and analysis of epidemiological studies to advance research on HAI and aging.     

Leaf litter decomposition in an ephemeral karst lake (Chaney Lake,Kentucky, U.S.A.)

Litter decomposition in temporary aquatic environments has not been experimentally studied as much as it has in perennial systems. However, litter is likely a critical resource for organisms inhabiting ephemeral aquatic habitats. In this study, we used litterbags under different conditions of submergence and water physical and chemical properties/characteristics to study mass and nutrient losses of terrestrial materials in an ephemeral karst lake in south-central Kentucky (USA). In the first experiment, which was designed to compare decomposition rates in submerged and dry sites, total mass and carbon declined more rapidly in the litter at fully submerged sites than in dry sites. In the second experiment, which was designed to compare decomposition rates in two different submerged environments, total mass and carbon showed similar decomposition trends between the two submerged areas with different seasonal temperature patterns. Nitrogen patterns were variable but in general nitrogen levels increased in the litter in both experiments over a period of several months. These results are similar to those found in some perennially inundated systems and indicate that litter decomposition dynamics in this temporary lake can be greatly affected by lake hydrology. Year-to-year variations in hydrology may thus have strong impacts on nutrient and energy release within this system, which may affect the organisms within this karst lake and in other areas of the karst ecosystem that are ecologically connected to it.     

Miniaturization: an overview of biotechnologies for monitoring the physiology and pathophysiology of rodent animal models

Recent advances in bioengineering technologies have made it possible to collect high-quality reproducible data quantitatively in a wide range of laboratory animal species, including rodents. Several of these technologies are incorporated into a plan called Miniaturization, which aims to design, develop, and maintain rodent animal models to study the pathophysiology and therapy of human diseases. Laser Doppler flowmetry, digital sonomicrometry, bioelectrical impedance, and microdialysis are some of the most widely used methods under the plan because they cause minimal pain and distress, reduce the number of animals used in biomedical research, and allow chronic, nonterminal assessment of physiological parameters in rodents. An overview of each of these technologies and their major applications in rodents used for biomedical research is provided.     

High survival rate of a critically endangered species, the Azores Bullfinch Pyrrhula murina, as a contribution to population recovery

This paper reports analyses of a capture–mark–recapture (CMR) dataset of 149 Azores Bullfinches ringed on S?o Miguel island (Azores) between 2005 and 2007, and recaptured–resighted on a monthly basis over a 4-year period (2005–2008) throughout their breeding range. We examined the effect of time, age (adults vs. juveniles), gender (adult males and females), and environmental covariates (temperature, rainfall, NAO index) on survival probabilities. The modelling found a high and constant monthly survival probability (mean ± SE) estimated at 0.96 ± 0.01, similar between both adults and juveniles and independent of environmental conditions and gender. These findings agree with expectations from island-based life-history theory where relatively mild conditions and lack of predators should favour high survival rates to compensate for the low reproductive output. The annual survival rate was estimated at 0.62, which was also consistent with this pattern when compared with survival estimates of mainland bullfinch and passerine species on other subtropical islands obtained in similar CMR studies. Based on a canonical estimator, the size of the studied population (mean ± SE) was estimated at 1608 ± 326 individuals. Given that the population size was only around 120–400 individuals in the early 1990s, we suggest that the high survival probabilities currently applying to this critically endangered species may have substantially contributed to the recent recovery of this population. Future research studies on the species’ demography should continue to monitor survival in order to measure the effect of management interventions currently taking place within the range of the Azores Bullfinch, including the restoration of the biodiversity rich laurel forest, but also focusing on nest success, which is important for understanding population dynamics.     

Spatially resolved simulations of the spread of COVID-19 in three European countries

We explore the spatial and temporal spread of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus under containment measures in three European countries based on fits to data of the early outbreak. Using data from Spain and Italy, we estimate an age dependent infection fatality ratio for SARS-CoV-2, as well as risks of hospitalization and intensive care admission. We use them in a model that simulates the dynamics of the virus using an age structured, spatially detailed agent based approach, that explicitly incorporates governmental interventions and changes in mobility and contact patterns occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak in each country. Our simulations reproduce several of the features of its spatio-temporal spread in the three countries studied. They show that containment measures combined with high density are responsible for the containment of cases within densely populated areas, and that spread to less densely populated areas occurred during the late stages of the first wave. The capability to reproduce observed features of the spatio-temporal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 makes this model a potential candidate for forecasting the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in other settings, and we recommend its application in low and lower-middle income countries which remain understudied.     

Hydrothermal vents and the origin of life

Submarine hydrothermal vents are geochemically reactive habitats that harbour rich microbial communities. There are striking parallels between the chemistry of the H(2)-CO(2) redox couple that is present in hydrothermal systems and the core energy metabolic reactions of some modern prokaryotic autotrophs. The biochemistry of these autotrophs might, in turn, harbour clues about the kinds of reactions that initiated the chemistry of life. Hydrothermal vents thus unite microbiology and geology to breathe new life into research into one of biology's most important questions - what is the origin of life?     

The multifunctional LigB adhesin binds homeostatic proteins with potential roles in cutaneous infection by pathogenic Leptospira interrogans

Leptospirosis is a potentially fatal zoonotic disease in humans and animals caused by pathogenic spirochetes, such as Leptospira interrogans. The mode of transmission is commonly limited to the exposure of mucous membrane or damaged skin to water contaminated by leptospires shed in the urine of carriers, such as rats. Infection occurs during seasonal flooding of impoverished tropical urban habitats with large rat populations, but also during recreational activity in open water, suggesting it is very efficient. LigA and LigB are surface localized proteins in pathogenic Leptospira strains with properties that could facilitate the infection of damaged skin. Their expression is rapidly induced by the increase in osmolarity encountered by leptospires upon transition from water to host. In addition, the immunoglobulin-like repeats of the Lig proteins bind proteins that mediate attachment to host tissue, such as fibronectin, fibrinogen, collagens, laminin, and elastin, some of which are important in cutaneous wound healing and repair. Hemostasis is critical in a fresh injury, where fibrinogen from damaged vasculature mediates coagulation. We show that fibrinogen binding by recombinant LigB inhibits fibrin formation, which could aid leptospiral entry into the circulation, dissemination, and further infection by impairing healing. LigB also binds fibroblast fibronectin and type III collagen, two proteins prevalent in wound repair, thus potentially enhancing leptospiral adhesion to skin openings. LigA or LigB expression by transformation of a nonpathogenic saprophyte, L. biflexa, enhances bacterial adhesion to fibrinogen. Our results suggest that by binding homeostatic proteins found in cutaneous wounds, LigB could facilitate leptospirosis transmission. Both fibronectin and fibrinogen binding have been mapped to an overlapping domain in LigB comprising repeats 9-11, with repeat 11 possibly enhancing binding by a conformational effect. Leptospirosis patient antibodies react with the LigB domain, suggesting applications in diagnosis and vaccines that are currently limited by the strain-specific leptospiral lipopolysaccharide coats.