Advancing Nutrition in the International Food Assistance Agenda: Progress and Future Directions Identified at the 2018 Food Assistance for Nutrition Evidence Summit.

BACKGROUND: Global food insecurity persists despite continued international attention, necessitating evidence-based food assistance interventions that adequately address nutritional concerns. In June 2018, the US Agency for International Development's Office of Food for Peace through the Food Aid Quality Review (FAQR) project sponsored a "Food Assistance for Nutrition Evidence Summit" to share evidence relevant to policy and programmatic decision-making and to identify critical evidence gaps. OBJECTIVE: This article presents 4 priority areas to advance nutrition in the international food assistance agenda generated through presentations and discussions with the food assistance community at the Evidence Summit. METHODS: Priority areas were identified after the Evidence Summit using a combination of FAQR team discussions, review of presentations and official notes, and supporting literature. RESULTS: Key priority areas to advance nutrition in the international food assistance agenda are as follows: (1) increase research funding for food assistance in all contexts, paying particular attention to emergency settings; (2) research and adopt innovative ingredients, technology, and delivery strategies in food assistance products and programs that encourage long-term well-being; (3) redefine and expand indicators of nutritional status to capture contextual information about the outcomes of food assistance interventions; and (4) augment communication and collaboration across the food assistance ecosystem. CONCLUSIONS: These priorities are critical in a time of increased humanitarian need and will be key to fostering long-term resilience among vulnerable groups.

Restriction of Retrotransposon Mobilization in Schizosaccharomyces pombe by Transcriptional Silencing and Higher-Order Chromatin Organization.

Uncontrolled propagation of retrotransposons is potentially detrimental to host genome integrity. Therefore, cells have evolved surveillance mechanisms to restrict the mobility of these elements. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe the Tf2 LTR retrotransposons are transcriptionally silenced and are also clustered in the nucleus into structures termed Tf bodies. Here we describe the impact of silencing and clustering on the mobility of an endogenous Tf2 element. Deletion of genes such as set1(+) (histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferase) or abp1(+) (CENP-B homolog) that both alleviate silencing and clustering, result in a corresponding increase in mobilization. Furthermore, expression of constitutively active Sre1, a transcriptional activator of Tf2 elements, also alleviates clustering and induces mobilization. In contrast, clustering is not disrupted by loss of the HIRA histone chaperone, despite high levels of expression, and in this background, mobilization frequency is only marginally increased. Thus, mutations that compromise transcriptional silencing but not Tf bodies are insufficient to drive mobilization. Furthermore, analyses of mutant alleles that separate the transcriptional repression and clustering functions of Set1 are consistent with control of Tf2 propagation via a combination of silencing and spatial organization. Our results indicate that host surveillance mechanisms operate at multiple levels to restrict Tf2 retrotransposon mobilization.

Heterochromatin assembly and transcriptome repression by Set1 in coordination with a class II histone deacetylase.

Histone modifiers play essential roles in controlling transcription and organizing eukaryotic genomes into functional domains. Here, we show that Set1, the catalytic subunit of the highly conserved Set1C/COMPASS complex responsible for histone H3K4 methylation (H3K4me), behaves as a repressor of the transcriptome largely independent of Set1C and H3K4me in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Intriguingly, while Set1 is enriched at highly expressed and repressed loci, Set1 binding levels do not generally correlate with the levels of transcription. We show that Set1 is recruited by the ATF/CREB homolog Atf1 to heterochromatic loci and promoters of stress-response genes. Moreover, we demonstrate that Set1 coordinates with the class II histone deacetylase Clr3 in heterochromatin assembly at prominent chromosomal landmarks and repression of the transcriptome that includes Tf2 retrotransposons, noncoding RNAs, and regulators of development and stress-responses. Our study delineates a molecular framework for elucidating the functional links between transcriptome control and chromatin organization.

Multifaceted genome control by Set1 Dependent and Independent of H3K4 methylation and the Set1C/COMPASS complex.

Histone modifiers are critical regulators of chromatin-based processes in eukaryotes. The histone methyltransferase Set1, a component of the Set1C/COMPASS complex, catalyzes the methylation at lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me), a hallmark of euchromatin. Here, we show that the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe Set1 utilizes distinct domain modules to regulate disparate classes of repetitive elements associated with euchromatin and heterochromatin via H3K4me-dependent and -independent pathways. Set1 employs its RNA-binding RRM2 and catalytic SET domains to repress Tf2 retrotransposons and pericentromeric repeats while relying on its H3K4me function to maintain transcriptional repression at the silent mating type (mat) locus and subtelomeric regions. These repressive functions of Set1 correlate with the requirement of Set1C components to maintain repression at the mat locus and subtelomeres while dispensing Set1C in repressing Tf2s and pericentromeric repeats. We show that the contributions of several Set1C subunits to the states of H3K4me diverge considerably from those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae orthologs. Moreover, unlike S. cerevisiae, the regulation of Set1 protein level is not coupled to the status of H3K4me or histone H2B ubiquitination by the HULC complex. Intriguingly, we uncover a genome organization role for Set1C and H3K4me in mediating the clustering of Tf2s into Tf bodies by antagonizing the acetyltransferase Mst1-mediated H3K4 acetylation. Our study provides unexpected insights into the regulatory intricacies of a highly conserved chromatin-modifying complex with diverse roles in genome control.

Measures and procedures utilized to determine the added value of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints (MPKs) has been assessed using a variety of outcome measures in a variety of health and health-related domains. However, if the patient is to receive a prosthetic knee joint that enables him to function optimally in daily life, it is vital that the clinician has adequate information about the effects of that particular component on all aspects of persons' functioning. Especially information concerning activities and participation is of high importance, as this component of functioning closely describes the person's ability to function with the prosthesis in daily life. The present study aimed to review the outcome measures that have been utilized to assess the effects of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints (MPK), in comparison with mechanically controlled prosthetic knee joints, and aimed to classify these measures according to the components and categories of functioning defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Subsequently, the gaps in the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of MPKs were determined. METHODS: A systematic literature search in 6 databases (i.e. PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline and PsychInfo) identified scientific studies that compared the effects of using MPKs with mechanically controlled prosthetic knee joints on persons' functioning. The outcome measures that have been utilized in those studies were extracted and categorized according to the ICF framework. Also, a descriptive analysis regarding all studies has been performed. RESULTS: A total of 37 studies and 72 outcome measures have been identified. The majority (67%) of the outcome measures that described the effects of using an MPK on persons' actual performance with the prosthesis covered the ICF body functions component. Only 31% of the measures on persons' actual performance investigated how an MPK may affect performance in daily life. Research also typically focused on young, fit and active persons. CONCLUSIONS: Scientifically valid evidence regarding the performance of persons with an MPK in everyday life is limited. Future research should specifically focus on activities and participation to increase the understanding of the possible functional added value of MPKs.

A preliminary investigation into the feasibility and efficacy of a CD-ROM-based cognitive-behavioral self-help intervention for bulimia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Many patients with bulimia nervosa find it hard to access evidence-based treatment such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a novel CD-ROM-based cognitive-behavioral multimedia self-help intervention for the treatment of bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Patients with bulimia nervosa referred to a catchment area-based eating disorder service were offered eight sessions of a novel CD-ROM cognitive-behavioral self-help treatment without any added therapist input. We report here the take-up and drop-out rates and efficacy of this intervention. RESULTS: Of 60 participants who were offered the intervention, 47 took it up. At follow-up, there were significant reductions in binging and compensatory behaviors, most clearly in self-induced vomiting. DISCUSSION: This intervention has potential as a first step in the treatment of bulimia nervosa and for dissemination to nonspecialist settings.

Adrenal hemorrhage: a comparison of traumatic and nontraumatic deaths.

The purpose of this study was both to define the incidence of adrenal injury/hemorrhage in fatal motor vehicle accidents and myocardial infarctions and determine if adrenal hemorrhage is a terminal event or is caused by the traumatic event. Two hundred sixty-nine deaths were caused by motor vehicle accidents or blunt force, with 21 (7.8%) patients experiencing adrenal hemorrhage. Two hundred sixty-two deaths resulted from myocardial infarction with none of these patients experiencing adrenal hemorrhage. The 7% incidence of adrenal hemorrhage or injury is in the range previously reported in the literature. The statistically significant difference in the incidence of adrenal hemorrhage in this study suggests that the hemorrhage is the result of injury rather than a terminal event. Thus, we have concluded that some patients with severe blunt abdominal trauma may benefit from exogenous steroid administration, since the adrenal hemorrhage is caused by the traumatic event.

The changing trends of uterine cancer and cytology: a study of morbidity and mortality trends over a twenty year period.

Data on squamous carcinoma of the cervix from a 20 year study period (1955 to 1974) in metropolitan Toledo revealed a 66% reduction of the average annual age-adjusted incidence rate and a 61% reduction in death rate of cervical squamous carcinoma when the first time period (1955 to 1958) was compared with the last time period (1971 to 1974). The decrease for both morbidity and mortality rates was more pronounced in women age 50 years and younger. The age-adjusted death rate during this study period revealed 15.5/100,000 for black women and 8.7/100,000 for white women. The reduction in death rate of 83% in black women is more prominent than 54.5% in white women. The decrease in both morbidity and mortality for cervical squamous carcinoma has a close relation to cytologic screening activity. The factors of age and race, probably related to socioeconomic status, are two known determinants of risk for cervical squamous carcinoma. Data for endometrial carcinoma during this study period revealed 15.5/100,000 women in the average age-adjusted incidence and an increase of 13.8% in average yearly rates when the first time period (1955 to 1958) were compared with the last time period (1971 to 1974). The peak age was 60 to 64 years old in the first time period and shifted to 70 to 74 years old in the last time period. The trend in metropolitan Toledo is comparable to that of Louisville, Kentucky. The mass cytologic screening program which contributed to a remarkable reduction in morbidity and mortality for the cervical squamous carcinoma, did not have any beneficial effect on endometrial carcinoma.