COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in a Community With Large Numbers of Immigrants and Refugees.

Refugee and immigrant populations are extremely vulnerable to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccination is a critical tool in mitigating these consequences, but these same communities often lack access to COVID-19 vaccines. We describe the efforts of a community-based primary care clinic in Clarkston, Georgia to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines in a culturally sensitive manner to address this health disparity and vaccine hesitancy.

Treating rural pediatric obesity through telemedicine: outcomes from a small randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary weekly family-based behavioral group delivered via telemedicine to rural areas, compared with a standard physician visit intervention. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 58 rural children and their families comparing a family-based behavioral intervention delivered via telemedicine to a structured physician visit condition. Outcome measures included child body mass index z-score (BMIz), 24-hr dietary recalls, accelerometer data, Child Behavior Checklist, Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale, and feasibility and fidelity. RESULTS: Child BMIz outcomes were not statistically different between the 2 groups (F = 0.023, p = .881). Improvements in BMIz, nutrition, and physical activity were seen for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both telemedicine and structured physician visit may be feasible and acceptable methods of delivering pediatric obesity treatment to rural children.

Poly(glycoamidoamine)s: a broad class of carbohydrate-containing polycations for nucleic acid delivery.

In the era of nucleic acid therapeutics, there is an urgent need for non-viral delivery vehicles that can cross the extracellular and intracellular barriers and deliver nucleic acids to specific intracellular regions. This paper reviews the development of a subclass of polymer-based delivery vehicles termed poly(glycoamidoamine)s (PGAAs). The general design of this family consists of carbohydrate residues copolymerized with oligoethyleneamine units, which have proven to be an effective motif that promotes polyplex formation, efficient cellular internalization, high gene expression and low cytotoxicity with cultured cell lines and primary cell types. We then discuss the structure-property relationships of the PGAA class of delivery vehicles and studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms involved in cellular internalization and trafficking.

Treating rural pediatric obesity through telemedicine: baseline data from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To describe baseline characteristics of participants in a pediatric obesity intervention tailored specifically to rural families delivered via telemedicine. METHODS: Randomized-control trial comparing a family-based behavioral intervention to a usual care condition. Participants Fifty-eight first through fifth graders and their parents from the rural Midwest. Measures Demographic, body mass index (BMI), Actigraph activity monitor information, 24-h dietary recalls, Child Behavior Checklist, Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale. RESULTS: Child mean BMI was in the 94th percentile for weight. Average daily dietary intake exceeded 2,000 kcal and children consumed over eight servings of high-calorie, low-nutrient-dense foods. Children are engaged in approximately 65 min of moderate, 12 min of vigorous and over 300 min of sedentary physical activity daily. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline data suggest children in rural areas may engage in adequate physical activity but eat many daily servings of energy-dense foods. Rural families may benefit from a comprehensive, rurally tailored obesity-related health behavior intervention.

The use of TeleMedicine in the treatment of paediatric obesity: feasibility and acceptability.

To assess the feasibility of conducting empirically supported family-based paediatric obesity group treatment via TeleMedicine. Seventeen families were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (physician visit, TeleMedicine). Measures included feasibility, satisfaction and intervention outcome measures such as BMI percentile, and nutrition and activity behaviours. Measures were completed at baseline, post-treatment and at 1-year follow-up. Analyses indicate that both feasibility and satisfaction data regarding the TeleMedicine intervention were positive. Intervention outcome indicates no change in BMI percentile or nutrition and activity behaviours for either treatment group. A behavioural family-based weight loss intervention delivered via TeleMedicine was well received by both parents and providers. Due to the small sample size, null findings regarding intervention outcome should be interpreted with caution. Future research should focus on methods to increase the impact of this intervention on key outcome variables.