COVID-19 National Football League (NFL) Injury Analysis: Follow-Up Study.

Background: In 2020, COVID-19 spread across the world and brought normal daily life to a halt, causing the shutdown of nearly everything in order to prevent its spread. The National Football League (NFL) similarly experienced shutdowns and the resulting effects, leaving athletes unable to train in some of the most advanced facilities with many of the best trainers in the world. A previous study, titled COVID-19 Return to Sport: NFL Injury Prevalence Analysis, determined that there was increased injury prevalence during the 2020 season, likely due to decreased physiological adaptations within athletes' bodies as a result of facility shutdowns. Understanding injury epidemiology is vital to the prevention of injuries and the development of return-to-play protocols. Objective: The objective of this study is to perform a follow-up study to COVID-19 Return to Sport: NFL Injury Prevalence Analysis in order to examine the longitudinal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on injury epidemiology. This study examines if there was a recovery to baseline levels of injuries or if there are still lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced spike in injuries. Methods: To determine if there was change in the number of injuries for each season, injury tallies collected from the 17-week-long 2018, 2019, and 2020 NFL regular seasons were compared with those from the 18-week-long 2021 and 2022 NFL regular seasons. A Kruskall-Wallis test with post hoc Dunn analysis was conducted to compare the rate of injuries per team per week between each of the 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 regular seasons. Results: The Kruskall-Wallis test revealed an H statistic of 32.61 (P<.001) for the comparison of the injury rates across the 5 seasons. The post hoc Dunn analysis showed that 2020 had a statistically significant difference when compared with each of the 2018 (P<.001), 2019 (P=.04), 2021 (P=.02), and 2022 (P=.048) seasons. The 2019 season showed no statistical significance when compared with the 2021 (P=.23) and 2022 (P=.13) seasons. Conclusions: The results of this follow-up study, combined with the previous study, show that extended training interruptions stemming from COVID-19 in 2020 induced detraining and led to increased injuries. Additionally, the results of this study show that retraining can occur, resulting in the development of injury protective factors, as injury rates returned to baseline levels after 2020. This is the first large-scale and long-term opportunity to demonstrate the effects of these principles and how they are important to understanding injury epidemiology.

An imprecise probability approach-based determination of over-represented southern African plant genera and families used in ethnopharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The analyses of patterns of over-representation of southern African traditional medicinal plants at the genus and family level provide information about the differences in plant use among southern African countries and disease categories. 'Over-representation' refers to the phenomenon whereby the proportion of plants belonging to a taxonomic group is higher in ethnobotanical pharmacopoeia than in the total flora. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to use the Imprecise Dirichlet Model (IDM) to analyse data from ten southern African countries to establish how over-represented medicinal plant families compare with over-represented genera, how over-represented medicinal taxa differ among countries in this region of Africa, and how over-represented taxa differ among six major disease categories. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Floral data for the total species composition of each country were obtained from online databases. Medicinal plant species lists were generated from published surveys, inventories, and books. IDM calculations were executed using the inverse of the cumulative beta probability density function in Microsoft Excel™. Python programming language source code was used to calculate Pearson correlation (r) values and Jaccard coefficients (J). RESULTS: Nine of forty-two over-represented medicinal plant families in southern Africa (group 1) do not have over-represented genera. Seven of the forty genera with the highest margins of over-representation belong to under-represented families. Nineteen of the forty-two over-represented families have margins of over-representation smaller than the cumulative margins of their over-represented genera. Groups of countries with similar overall flora (J ≥ 0.333) are Botswana and Namibia (group 2), Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe (group 3). The families and genera with the highest margins of over-representation are Loganiaceae and Albizia in group 1, Combretaceae and Vachellia in group 2, Dioscoreaceae and Senna in group 3, and Sapotaceae and Solanum in group 4 (South Africa). The families and genera with the highest margins of over-representation across disease categories are Ebenaceae and Albizia, Canellaceae and Dicoma, Combretaceae and Pterocelastrus, Ebenaceae and Bersama, Francoaceae and Erythrina, and Aristolochiaceae and Strychnos for plants used in the treatment of STIs, febrile and mosquito-vector diseases, microbial infections, pain, skin conditions, and female sexual/reproductive problems, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Genus-level calculations are more efficient in generating taxonomic lists that can be used for ethnopharmacological investigations due to the exclusion of under-represented genera. Limiting the size of geographical areas from which medicinal plant lists are sampled and targeting plants used to treat specific types of disease prevents the underestimation of niche over-represented taxa.

The Impacts of Stigma Against Sexual Minority Men Within and Between Various Socioecological Levels: Breaking the Vicious Cycle in Zambia.

Sexual minority men (SMM) face persistent stigma in Zambia. From a holistic perspective, we aim to explore its impacts within and between multiple socioecological levels, demonstrating how their interactions create a vicious cycle of barriers to the well-being of SMM. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 purposively recruited SMM from Lusaka, Zambia. All interviews were audio-recorded, after written consent, transcribed verbatim, and iteratively coded employing inductive (i.e., data-driven) approaches for thematic analysis using NVivo. Results suggest three key themes: (1) interpersonal socially perpetuated sexual minority stigma (SMS); (2) multidirectional interactions between psychosocial well-being and risk-taking behaviors; and (3) institutionally perpetuated SMS as a barrier to seeking and receiving health care. SMS permeates across all levels of the socioecological model to negatively impact the psychosocial well-being of SMM while acting also as a barrier to accessing HIV prevention and care. Our study necessitates structural public health intervention to decrease stigma and discrimination against SMM in Zambia, in efforts to increase their psychosocial well-being as well as their access to and utilization of HIV care by breaking the vicious cycle of SMS that pervades through the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional levels of the socioecological model.

Coping strategies among older adults living with HIV/AIDS with history of childhood sexual abuse.

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may be a risk factor for poor mental health in adulthood. Survivors may experience emotions detrimental to their social and mental wellbeing. Some of these emotions may include anger, fear, rage, helplessness, guilt, shame, which may impact their coping strategies. The aim of this study was to determine the association between CSA and coping among older adults living with HIV (OALH). Method: Data were obtained from 91 OALH via convenience sampling. The participants were recruited from an immunology clinic and were at least 50 years or older and living with HIV. CSA was operationalized using questions from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. Coping was assessed using the Brief COPE Inventory. Crude and adjusted linear regression models, controlling for age, sex, race, gender, and income were used to determine the association between CSA and each coping subscale. The analyses were conducted in SAS version 9.4. Results: Crude analyses showed statistically significant associations between CSA and specific coping strategies: humor (ß = 1.244; p = 0.0018), religion (ß = 1.122; p = 0.0291), Self-blame (ß = 1.103; p = 0.0154), planning ß = 1.197; p = 0.0196), venting (ß = 1.218; p = 0.0063), substance use (ß = 0.828; p = 0.0335) and instrumental support (ß = 0.949; p = 0.0416) After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, there was a statistically significant association between CSA and humor (ß = 1.321; p = 0.0048) and self-blame (ß = 1.046; p = 0.0382). Conclusion: OALH with a history of CSA were more likely to use humor and self-blame as coping strategies. Trauma-informed interventions should be geared towards decreasing self-blame for OALH who are CSA survivors.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Inmates at the Monrovia Central Prison, Liberia.

Determination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in key populations including prison inmates is crucial for formulating appropriate intervention approaches. However, in many low-income countries, such as Liberia, there is hardly any documentation on HBV prevalence among inmates. This study determined and evaluated the prevalence of HBV infections among incarcerated persons in the Monrovia Central Prison, Liberia. One hundred participants comprising 76 males and 24 females were studied. Participants' demographic and potential risk factors information were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire, and blood samples were collected for the analysis. Plasma was tested for five HBV serological markers, namely, HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb. The seroreactivity of actively infected persons was confirmed by nucleic acid detection. Results of the serological assay showed that 34% of the participants had been exposed to the virus and 14% were actively infected. qPCR confirmed HBV DNA in seven actively infected samples. Statistical analysis indicated that a low level of education, a history of blood transfusion, and intravenous drug use, were significant predictors of active HBV infection and HBV exposure, respectively. These findings might make the testing and vaccination of convicts against HBV infection prior to their admission into prison facilities imperative.

Assessing nursing mothers' knowledge, perceptions and uptake of Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) during pregnancy in the Ho Teaching Hospital of the Volta Region of Ghana.

Intermittent preventive therapy during pregnancy with Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is one of the potent strategies for preventing malaria in pregnancy (MiP). Factors such as the pregnant woman's knowledge and very importantly perception or belief about IPTp-SP remains key determinant of IPTp-SP uptake. This study assessed the knowledge and perception of nursing mothers and their uptake of IPTp-SP during pregnancy in the Ho Teaching Hospital. We administered a close-ended questionnaire to 303 nursing mothers and obtained their sociodemographic details as well as information on their knowledge and perception of IPTp-SP utilization. We also reviewed the nursing mothers' antenatal care (ANC) booklets to ascertain the number of times IPTp-SP was taken during pregnancy. Pearson chi-square was used to determine the association between the sociodemographic variable and the categories of knowledge, perception, and uptake of IPTp-SP. Analysis, was done using SPSS, and the p-value of less than 5% was considered statistically significant. Of the 303 nursing mothers sampled in this study, 265(87.5%) had heard about IPTp-SP of which 138(52.1%) had average knowledge of IPTp-SP. A total of 168(63.4%) had poor perception, and 168(64.6%) had adequate uptake (3-4 doses) of IPTp. Education was significantly associated with perception and uptake, with the majority of women who demonstrated excellent perception were those who had tertiary education (7, 6.35%, p = 0.05), and the majority who demonstrated excellent uptake (5 completed doses) were women who had tertiary education (47, 37.9%, p = 0.01). While knowledge was average, perception of IPTp-SP was poor for the majority of the nursing mothers which might have hampered their uptake of IPTp-SP during pregnancy. It is important that continuous assessment of the individual factors affecting the uptake of IPTp-SP be done regularly to curb the negative influences on the uptake of IPTp-SP.

Sonochemically-Induced Reduction of Alkenes to Alkanes with Ammonia.

With the progressive defossilization of our industry, hydrogen (H2 ) has been identified as a central molecule to store renewable electricity. In this context, ammonia (NH3 ) is now rapidly emerging as a promising hydrogen carrier for the future. This game change indirectly impacts the field of fine chemistry where hydrogenation reactions are widely deployed. In particular, the possibility of performing hydrogenation reactions using ammonia directly instead of hydrogen has become highly desirable but it remains a very difficult scientific task, which we address in this communication. Here we show that the N-H bond of NH3 can be cleaved within cavitation bubbles, generated by ultrasonic irradiation at a high frequency, leading to the in situ formation of a diimide, which then induces the hydrogenation of alkenes. Advantageously, this work does not involve any transition metal and releases N2 as a sole co-product.

Cathelicidins and defensins antimicrobial host defense peptides in the treatment of TB and HIV: Pharmacogenomic and nanomedicine approaches towards improved therapeutic outcomes.

Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represent a significant burden of disease on a global scale. Despite improvements in the global epidemic status, largely facilitated by increased access to pharmacotherapeutic interventions, slow progress in the development of new clinical interventions coupled with growing antimicrobial resistance to existing therapies represents a global health crisis. There is an urgent need to expand the armamentarium of TB and HIV therapeutic strategies. Host mediated immune responses represent an untapped reservoir of novel approaches for TB and HIV. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an essential aspect of the immune system. Cathelicidins and defensins AMPs have been studied for their potential applications in TB and HIV therapeutic interventions. Genetic polymorphism across different population groups may affect endogenous expression or activity of AMPs, potentially influencing therapeutic outcomes. However, certain genetic polymorphisms in autophagy pathways may alter the downstream effects of nano-delivery of cathelicidin. On the other hand, certain genetic polymorphisms in beta-defensins may provide a protective role in reducing HIV-1 mother-to-child-transmission. Pharmaceutical development of cathelicidins and defensins is disadvantaged with complex challenges. Nanoparticle formulations improve pharmacokinetics and biocompatibility while facilitating targeted drug delivery, potentially minimising the risk of immunogenicity or non-specific haemolytic activity. This review aims to explore the potential viability of using cathelicidins and defensins as novel pharmacotherapy in the management of TB and HIV, highlight potential pharmacogenomic implications in host mediated immunity and AMP therapeutic applications, as well as propose novel drug delivery strategies represented by nanomedicine for AMPs.

HIV and malaria prevalence among pregnant women with and without pre-eclampsia at the Atua Government Hospital in Ghana's eastern region.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of malaria and HIV with pre-eclampsia by evaluating their prevalence among pregnant women. METHODS: Using a case-control study design, we randomly sampled the antenatal records of 125 pregnant women with clinician-diagnosed pre-eclampsia (cases) and 125 others without pre-eclampsia (controls) who visited Atua Government Hospital in the eastern region of Ghana between June 2014 and January 2017. All selected records had available routine HIV and malaria test results and were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: In all 250 records, 122 (48.8%) were HIV positive and 35 (14.0%) had malaria. Of the 122 HIV-positive pregnant women, 29 (23.8%) were cases and 93 (76.2%) were controls; of the 35 women with malaria, one was in the case group (1/35, 2.9%) and the other 34 (97.1%) were in the control. Group. Pregnant women with pre-eclampsia had lower odds of HIV infection (odds ratio [OR] 0.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06-0.19: adjusted AOR 0.07, 95% CI 0.04-0.13, P < 0.001). Similarly, pregnant women with pre-eclampsia had lower odds of having malaria infection (OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.00-0.17, P = 0.025; adjusted OR 0.00, 95% CI 0.00-0.01, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Women with pre-eclampsia had lower odds of HIV and malaria infection in pregnancy.

COVID-19 Return to Sport: NFL Injury Prevalence Analysis.

Background: Sport injuries have been common among athletes across the globe for decades and have the potential to disrupt athletic careers, performance, and psyche. Many health professionals and organizations have undertaken injury mitigation strategies to prevent sport injuries through protective equipment, training protocols, and a host of other evidence-based practices. Many of these specialized training methods were disrupted due to protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This research examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the prevalence of athletic injuries in the National Football League (NFL). Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL teams and athletes across all levels of sport were reported to have reduced training in preparation for their seasons due to protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This study compares the prevalence of injury during the 2018, 2019, and 2020 NFL seasons, with the aim to determine the potential causes of the differences in injury prevalence. Methods: Official injury reports from each team were counted during the 17-week regular season of each year (2018, 2019, and 2020). The data were analyzed using an unpaired t test to compare the injury prevalence between each of the three seasons. Results: The 2018 season produced a total of 1561 injuries and a mean of 48.8 injuries per team. The 2019 season produced a total of 1897 injuries and a mean of 59.3 injuries per team, while the 2020 season produced a total of 2484 injuries and a mean of 77.6 injuries per team. An unpaired t test was performed using the data to compare the mean number of injuries per team during each of the seasons. Comparison of the 2020 season against the 2019 season showed a statistically significant difference (P<.001); comparison of the 2020 season to the 2018 season found a statistically significant difference (P<.001); and comparison between the 2019 and the 2018 seasons found a statistically significant difference (P=.03). Conclusions: Although the 2019 and 2018 seasons showed a statistically significant difference (P=.03), this difference is not as large when we compare the 2020 seasons versus the 2019 (P<.001) and 2018 (P<.001) seasons. The astronomical increase in injury prevalence during the 2020 season over the previous years raises the possibility that there was a reduced physiological adaptation to stress, due to the limited amount of training as a result of the closure of practice facilities in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Subjective Cognitive Decline in the US.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) among a representative sample of the adult US population. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (N = 82,688, ≥45 years). Adverse childhood experiences included sexual, physical/psychological and environmental ACEs, and a score. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association between ACEs and SCD, and SCD-related outcomes. RESULTS: Sexual (adjusted OR (aOR: 2.83; 95% CI: 2.42-3.31)), physical/psychological (aOR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.83-2.29), and environmental (aOR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.74-2.16) ACEs were associated with SCD in the past year. There was also a dose-response relationship between ACE score and SCD. CONCLUSION: ACEs were associated with SCD. Interventions to maximize cognitive health in aging and prevent future cognitive impairment should consider the potential role of ACEs among affected populations.

Conversion of Ammonia to Hydrazine Induced by High-Frequency Ultrasound.

Hydrazine is a chemical of utmost importance in our society, either for organic synthesis or energy use. The direct conversion of NH3 to hydrazine is highly appealing, but it remains a very difficult task because the degradation of hydrazine is thermodynamically more feasible than the cleavage of the N-H bond of NH3 . As a result, any catalyst capable of activating NH3 will thus unavoidably decompose N2 H4 . Here we show that cavitation bubbles, created by ultrasonic irradiation of aqueous NH3 at a high frequency, act as microreactors to activate and convert NH3 to NH species, without assistance of any catalyst, yielding hydrazine at the bubble-liquid interface. The compartmentation of in-situ-produced hydrazine in the bulk solution, which is maintained close to 30 °C, advantageously prevents its thermal degradation, a recurrent problem faced by previous technologies. This work also points towards a path to scavenge . OH radicals by adjusting the NH3 concentration.

Synergistic Effect of High-Frequency Ultrasound with Cupric Oxide Catalyst Resulting in a Selectivity Switch in Glucose Oxidation under Argon.

We report here, and rationalize, a synergistic effect between a non-noble metal oxide catalyst (CuO) and high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) on glucose oxidation. While CuO and HFUS are able to independently oxidize glucose to gluconic acid, the combination of CuO with HFUS led to a dramatic change of the reaction selectivity, with glucuronic acid being formed as the major product. By means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that, under ultrasonic irradiation of water at 550 kHz, the surface lattice oxygen of a CuO catalyst traps H· radicals stemming from the sonolysis of water, making the ring-opening of glucose energetically unfavorable and leaving a high coverage of ·OH radical on the CuO surface, which selectively oxidizes glucose to glucuronic acid. This work also points toward a path to optimize the size of the catalyst particle for an ultrasonic frequency that minimizes the damage to the catalyst, resulting in its successful reuse.

Tetraazamacrocyclic derivatives and their metal complexes as antileishmanial leads.

A total of 44 bis-aryl-monocyclic polyamines, monoaryl-monocyclic polyamines and their transition metal complexes were prepared, chemically characterized, and screened in vitro against the Leishmania donovani promastigotes, axenic amastigotes and intracellular amastigotes in THP1 cells. The IC50 and/or IC90 values showed that 10 compounds were similarly active at about 2-fold less potent than known drug pentamidine against promastigotes. The most potent compound had an IC50 of 2.82 µM (compared to 2.93 µM for pentamidine). Nine compounds were 1.1-13.6-fold more potent than pentamidine against axenic amastigotes, the most potent one being about 2-fold less potent than amphotericin B. Fourteen compounds were about 2-10 fold more potent than pentamidine, the most potent one is about 2-fold less potent than amphotericin B against intracellular amastigotes in THP1 cells. The 2 most promising compounds (FeL7Cl2 and MnL7Cl2), with strong activity against both promastigotes and amastigotes and no observable toxicity against the THP1 cells are the Fe2+- and Mn2+- complexes of a dibenzyl cyclen derivative. Only 2 of the 44 compounds showed observable cytotoxicity against THP1 cells. Tetraazamacrocyclic monocyclic polyamines represent a new class of antileishmanial lead structures that warrant follow up studies.

Mechanocatalytic Depolymerization of Cellulose With Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid Ionomers.

Here, we investigated that the mechanocatalytic depolymerization of cellulose in the presence of Aquivion, a sulfonated perfluorinated ionomer. Under optimized conditions, yields of water soluble sugars of 90-97% were obtained using Aquivion PW98 and PW66, respectively, as a solid acid catalyst. The detailed characterization of the water soluble fraction revealed (i) the selective formation of oligosaccharides with a DP up to 11 and (ii) that depolymerization and reversion reactions concomitantly occurred during the mechanocatalytic process, although the first largely predominated. More importantly, we discussed on the critical role of water contained in Aquivion and cellulose on the efficiency of the mechanocatalytic process.

Selective and Catalyst-free Oxidation of D-Glucose to D-Glucuronic acid induced by High-Frequency Ultrasound.

This systematic experimental investigation reveals that high-frequency ultrasound irradiation (550 kHz) induced oxidation of D-glucose to glucuronic acid in excellent yield without assistance of any (bio)catalyst. Oxidation is induced thanks to the in situ production of radical species in water. Experiments show that the dissolved gases play an important role in governing the nature of generated radical species and thus the selectivity for glucuronic acid. Importantly, this process yields glucuronic acid instead of glucuronate salt typically obtained via conventional (bio)catalyst routes, which is of huge interest in respect of downstream processing. Investigations using disaccharides revealed that radicals generated by high frequency ultrasound were also capable of promoting tandem hydrolysis/oxidation reactions.

Acute pain Factors predictive of post-operative pain and opioid requirement in multimodal analgesia following knee replacement.

BACKGROUND: Despite the development of multimodal analgesia for postoperative pain management, opioids are still required for effective pain relief after knee arthroplasty. We aimed to identify the determinants of post-operative pain intensity and post-operative opioid requirement in this context. METHODS: In this observational prospective study, we recorded patient characteristics, pre-operative pain intensity, anxiety and depression levels, sensitivity and pain thresholds in response to an electrical stimulus, and mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify predictors of post-operative pain at rest and opioid requirement. RESULTS: We included 109 patients. Pre-operative pain at rest (p = 0.047), anxiety level (p = 0.001) and neuropathic pain symptoms (p = 0.030) were independently and positively associated with mean post-operative pain intensity adjusted for mean post-operative morphine equivalent dose (MED). Mean post-operative pain intensity at rest was lower (p = 0.006) in patients receiving celecoxib and pregabalin in the post-operative period, with all other variables constant. Mean post-operative MED over 5 days was low, but highly variable (78.2 ± 32.1 mg, from 9.9 to 170 mg). Following adjustment for mean post-operative pain intensity, it was independently negatively correlated with age (p = 0.004), and positively correlated with associated paracetamol treatment (p = 0.031). No genetic effect was detected in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that clinicians could use the pre-operative pain profile, in terms of anxiety levels, neuropathic pain symptoms, and chronic pre-operative pain intensity, to improve the efficacy of pain management after knee surgery.

Prevalence of obesity and overweight and associated factors among financial institution workers in Accra Metropolis, Ghana: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Certain professions are associated with low physical activity. Workers in such professions spend the most part of their adult working lives less engaged in physical activity if they don't consciously exercise outside of working hours. This increases their risk of obesity and its associated diseases. This study determined the prevalence of obesity and overweight and associated factors among workers of a financial institution in Accra Metropolis, Ghana. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 workers of a financial institution in Accra using the World Health Organization's STEPS (STEPwise approach) instrument for non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance. Relevant sociodemographic information were recorded and BMI was computed for each respondent. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of obesity and overweight among the bank workers was 55.6 % (17.8 % obese and 37.8 % overweight). After adjusting for other variables, physical activity (OR = 0.34, 95 % CI = 0.13-0.89, p = 0.03), alcohol consumption (OR = 3.00, 95 % CI = 1.35, 6.68, p = 0.007), marital status (OR = 2.74, 95 % CI = 0.96-7.85, p = 0.04), sex (OR = 2.78, 95 % CI = 1.23-6.33, p = 0.01), and age (OR = 1.10, 95 % CI = 1.01-1.20, p = 0.036) were significantly associated with obesity and overweight. CONCLUSION: Being physically inactive, consumption of alcohol, being married and a female, in addition to old age, increase the risk of obesity and overweight significantly. These factors should inform policy makers in developing strategies to reduce the burden of obesity and overweight among this category of workers.

Ergot Alkaloids (Re)generate New Leads as Antiparasitics.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is a key therapy for treatment of parasitic flatworm infections of humans and livestock, but the mechanism of action of this drug is unresolved. Resolving PZQ-engaged targets and effectors is important for identifying new druggable pathways that may yield novel antiparasitic agents. Here we use functional, genetic and pharmacological approaches to reveal that serotonergic signals antagonize PZQ action in vivo. Exogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) rescued PZQ-evoked polarity and mobility defects in free-living planarian flatworms. In contrast, knockdown of a prevalently expressed planarian 5-HT receptor potentiated or phenocopied PZQ action in different functional assays. Subsequent screening of serotonergic ligands revealed that several ergot alkaloids possessed broad efficacy at modulating regenerative outcomes and the mobility of both free living and parasitic flatworms. Ergot alkaloids that phenocopied PZQ in regenerative assays to cause bipolar regeneration exhibited structural modifications consistent with serotonergic blockade. These data suggest that serotonergic activation blocks PZQ action in vivo, while serotonergic antagonists phenocopy PZQ action. Importantly these studies identify the ergot alkaloid scaffold as a promising structural framework for designing potent agents targeting parasitic bioaminergic G protein coupled receptors.

Doxycycline as an inhibitor of p-glycoprotein in the alpaca for the purpose of maintaining avermectins in the CNS during treatment for parelaphostrongylosis.

Meningeal worms (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) are a common malady of alpacas, often refractory to conventional treatments. Ivermectin is a very effective anthelmintic used against a variety of parasites but this drug is not consistently effective against alpaca meningeal worms once the parasite has gained access to the CNS, even if used in a protracted treatment protocol. Ivermectin is not effective against clinical cases of P. tenuis, raising the possibility that the drug is not sustained at therapeutic concentrations in the central nervous system (CNS). A specific protein (designated as p-glycoprotein (PGP)) effluxes ivermectin from the brain at the blood-brain barrier, thus hampering the maintenance of therapeutic concentrations of the drug in the CNS. Minocycline is a synthetic tetracycline antibiotic with an excellent safety profile in all animals tested to date. Minocycline has three unique characteristics that could be useful for treating meningeal worms in conjunction with ivermectin. First, minocycline is an inhibitor of PGP at the blood-brain barrier and this inhibition could maintain effective concentrations of ivermectin in the brain and meninges. Second, minocycline protects neurons in vivo through a number of different mechanisms and this neuroprotection could alleviate the potential untoward neurologic effects of meningeal worms. Third, minocycline is a highly lipid-soluble drug, thus facilitating efficient brain penetration. We thus hypothesized that minocycline will maintain ivermectin, or a related avermectin approved in ruminants (abamectin, doramectin, or eprinomectin), in the alpaca CNS. To test this hypothesis, we cloned the gene encoding the alpaca PGP, expressed the alpaca PGP in a heterologous expression system involving MDCK cells, and measured the ability of minocycline to inhibit the efflux of avermectins from the MDCK cells; doxycycline was used as a putative negative control (based on studies in other species). Our in vitro studies surprisingly revealed that doxycycline was effective at inhibiting the efflux of ivermectin and doramectin (minocycline had no effect). These two avermectins, in combination with doxycycline, should be considered when treating meningeal worms in alpacas.