Association of adenovirus 36 infection with adiposity and inflammatory-related markers in children.

CONTEXT: Although animal studies suggest that adenovirus 36 (Ad36) infection is linked to obesity and systemic inflammation, human data are scant and equivocal. OBJECTIVE: Associations of Ad36 infection with total body adiposity and inflammatory-related markers were determined in 291 children aged 9-13 years (50% female, 49% black). DESIGN: Fasting blood samples were measured for presence of Ad36-specific antibodies and TNF-α, IL-6, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Fat mass and fat-free soft tissue mass were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of Ad36 seropositivity [Ad36(+)] was 42%. There was a higher percentage of Ad36(+) children in the highest tertiles of TNF-α and IL-6 compared with their respective middle and lowest tertiles (both P < .03). There was also a trend toward a higher prevalence of Ad36(+) children in the highest tertile of VEGF compared with tertiles 1 and 2 (P = .05). Multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for age, race, sex, and fat-free soft tissue mass, revealed that compared with children with the lowest TNF-α, IL-6, and VEGF levels (tertile 1), the adjusted odds ratios for Ad36(+) were 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-4.0], 2.4 (95% CI 1.4-4.0), and 1.8 (95% CI 1.0-3.3), respectively, for those in the highest TNF-α, IL-6, and VEGF levels (tertile 3). No association was observed between Ad36(+) and greater levels of fat mass or MCP-1 (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: In children, our data suggest that Ad36(+) may be associated with biomarkers implicated in inflammation but not with greater levels of fat mass.

Regeneration by skeletomotor axons in neonatal rats is topographically selective at an early stage of reinnervation.

The seven sectors of the rat's serratus anterior (SA) muscle are innervated topographically by motor neurons of spinal cord segments C6 and C7 whose axons travel in the long thoracic (LT) nerve. That pattern is roughly mapped early in development and gains its final precision postnatally. The segmentotopic pattern is reestablished better in neonates than adults after cutting the LT nerve. We examined the process of reinnervation to see whether segmental selectivity is reestablished at the outset or whether it arises by rearrangement of the regenerated axons. Recordings were made from muscle fibers 1 to 70 days following a cryogenic lesion of the LT nerve done within 48 h of birth, as well as from sham-operated and unoperated control rats. Reinnervation of all sectors of SA occurred within a week after freezing the nerve. Reinnervation by C6 and C7 motor neurons was topographically selective though not quite to the degree found in controls. The precision observed during the first week of reinnervation did not improve over the next 9 weeks. Thus, selectivity exists from the start rather than being a more random reinnervation subsequently sharpened by elimination of inappropriate connections. The number of muscle fibers innervated by both C6 plus C7 motor neurons was greater after reinnervation than in controls. There was a significant decrease in the percentage of these dually innervated fibers over the initial few weeks of reinnervation but there was no difference among the reinnervated sectors of SA. Reinnervation of SA under optimal conditions resembles normal development in that there is a degree of topographic selectivity of (re)innervation that is present even at the earliest time periods studied. Unlike normal development the topographic selectivity after neonatal reinnervation does not improve over time, and fibers receiving a dual segmental innervation are not preferentially located in sectors where there is the most overlap in segmental projection.

Branching patterns of the rat phrenic nerve during development and reinnervation.

Previous studies have shown that the phrenic motor nucleus in the rat projects onto the diaphragm muscle, forming an orderly topographic map. Moreover, this topography is partially restored upon reinnervation. This orderly map is expressed prior to birth, suggesting that early contacts between nerve and muscle are topographically appropriate. The phrenic divides during embryonic development into rostral and caudal branches, and motor axons preferentially enter the appropriate branch. In an effort to understand the mechanisms that underlie the choices growing phrenic neurons make in selecting their appropriate muscle targets, we examined the patterns of branching displayed by the phrenic nerve during development and reinnervation. In all muscles studied the phrenic nerve splits into three primary branches, rostral, caudal, and crural. At a coarse level the pattern of branching of the phrenic is remarkably consistent from animal to animal and at all ages of development. At a finer level of resolution, however, there is an asymmetry between right and left hemidiaphragms. Moreover, the precise emergence of any particular branch is unpredictable, resulting in an overall incongruence in branching architecture from animal to animal. The hemidiaphragm muscle grows unevenly, particularly on the right side, resulting in greater muscle fiber elongation medially. Upon reinnervation, the same coarse pattern of branching is reestablished, but the higher order pattern is much simpler and muscle growth is slower than in controls. These results suggest that very early in development primary branches of the phrenic funnel axons into three well-defined zones in the muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antecedents of psychological stress.

In an effort to further understand the antecedents of psychological stress, this study tested two competing stress formulations. One formulation, called the traditional model, proposes that stress is a multiplicative function of perceived consequences and the degree of disparity between perceived demand and perceived ability. Given high consequences, stress is presumed to reach its maximum when demand is substantially greater than ability (overload) or when ability is substantially greater than demand (underload). The other formulation, the revised model, proposes that stress is a multiplicative function of perceived consequences and the degree of correspondence between perceived demand and perceived ability. Stress is presumed to reach its maximum when high consequences are combined with a close match between demand and ability resulting in high uncertainty. The formulations were tested in a naturally occurring stress setting, a classroom which required students to give class presentations. The results offered substantial support for the proposition that overload situations are stress inducing, no support for the traditional model's position that overload and underload conditions are equally stressing, and no support for the revised model. Also, stress varied independently of perceived consequences. Several methodological issues were discussed, including a crucial one questioning the use of absolute levels of discrepancy rather than signed levels of discrepancy between perceived ability and demand in the models.

Behaviorally based measures for assessing the non-clinical performance of expanded function dental auxiliaries in team settings.

Retranslation of expectations technique was used to develop behaviorally-anchored scales for evaluating the performance effectiveness of expanded function dental auxiliaries (EFDAs) working in extended dental health teams. The resulting instrument focuses on the evaluator's judgment of specific acts in eight dimensions of performance.

Designing and implementing relevant courses in dental management.

1. Dentist managerial behavior as defined by the dimensions described here is significantly related to dental team effectiveness. 2. Dental management courses and clinical experiences should be based, at least in part, on these dimensions of dentist managerial behavior.

Development of scales to measure provider attitudes toward expanded duty dental auxiliaries.

Much of the research on attitudes toward utilizing EDDAs has been rather haphazard in its measurement aspects. Examining responses to single items or summing across a series of items without any empirical rationale for such summing cannot be justified given current knowledge about measuring attitudes. The scales developed here are appreciably better from a psychometric point of view than scales reported in the dental literature to date. The use of standardized measuring instruments would facilitate cross-study comparisons. Such a process is presently not feasible because each researcher is using his own idiosyncratic scales of unknown psychometric characteristics. The three scales developed here to measure (1) the value of expanding auxiliary functions, (2) patient reaction to the use of EDDAs, and (3) satisfaction with changed dentist role may permit more standardized measurement of at least some aspects of provider and future provider attitudes toward the utilization of expanded duty dental auxiliaries.

Behaviorally based measures for evaluating the nonclinical performance of dentists in team settings.

Retranslations of expectations technique was used to develop behaviorally anchored scales for evaluating dentists' utilization of expanded duty dental auxiliaries. To enhance the reliability and validity of such instruments the project focused on specific acts and decisions of the dentist which are either effective or ineffective in accomplishing the health team's tasks.