Genetic and morphological contrasts between wild and anthropogenic populations of Agave parryi var. huachucensis in south-eastern Arizona.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: At least seven species of Agave, including A. parryi, were cultivated prehistorically in Arizona, serving as important sources of food and fibre. Many relict populations from ancient cultivation remain in the modern landscape, offering a unique opportunity to study pre-Columbian plant manipulation practices. This study examined genetic and morphological variation in six A. p. var. huachucensis populations of unknown origin to compare them with previous work on A. parryi populations of known origin, to infer their cultivation history and to determine whether artificial selection is evident in populations potentially managed by early agriculturalists. METHODS: Six A. p. var. huachucensis and 17 A. parryi populations were sampled, and morphometric, allozyme and microsatellite data were used to compare morphology and genetic structure in purportedly anthropogenic and wild populations, as well as in the two taxa. Analysis of molecular variance and Bayesian clustering were performed to partition variation associated with taxonomic identity and hypothesized evolutionary history, to highlight patterns of similarity among populations and to identify potential wild sources for the planting stock. KEY RESULTS: A p. var. huachucensis and A. parryi populations differed significantly both morphologically and genetically. Like A. parryi, wild A. p. var. huachucensis populations were more genetically diverse than the inferred anthropogenic populations, with greater expected heterozygosity, percentage of polymorphic loci and number of alleles. Inferred anthropogenic populations exhibited many traits indicative of past active cultivation: greater morphological uniformity, fixed heterozygosity for several loci (non-existent in wild populations), fewer multilocus genotypes and strong differentiation among populations. CONCLUSIONS: Where archaeological information is lacking, the genetic signature of many Agave populations in Arizona can be used to infer their evolutionary history and to identify potentially fruitful sites for archaeological investigation of ancient settlements and cultivation practices. The same approach can clearly be adopted for other species in similar situations.

Managing diversity: Domestication and gene flow in Stenocereus stellatus Riccob. (Cactaceae) in Mexico.

Microsatellite markers (N = 5) were developed for analysis of genetic variation in 15 populations of the columnar cactus Stenocereus stellatus, managed under traditional agriculture practices in central Mexico. Microsatellite diversity was analyzed within and among populations, between geographic regions, and among population management types to provide detailed insight into historical gene flow rates and population dynamics associated with domestication. Our results corroborate a greater diversity in populations managed by farmers compared with wild ones (H E = 0.64 vs. 0.55), but with regional variation between populations among regions. Although farmers propagated S. stellatus vegetatively in home gardens to diversify their stock, asexual recruitment also occurred naturally in populations where more marginal conditions have limited sexual recruitment, resulting in lower genetic diversity. Therefore, a clear-cut relationship between the occurrence of asexual recruitment and genetic diversity was not evident. Two managed populations adjacent to towns were identified as major sources of gene movement in each sampled region, with significant migration to distant as well as nearby populations. Coupled with the absence of significant bottlenecks, this suggests a mechanism for promoting genetic diversity in managed populations through long distance gene exchange. Cultivation of S. stellatus in close proximity to wild populations has led to complex patterns of genetic variation across the landscape that reflects the interaction of natural and cultural processes. As molecular markers become available for nontraditional crops and novel analysis techniques allow us to detect and evaluate patterns of genetic diversity, genetic studies provide valuable insights into managing crop genetic resources into the future against a backdrop of global change. Traditional agriculture systems play an important role in maintaining genetic diversity for plant species.

Correlates of physical activity and the theory of planned behavior between African American women who are physically active and those who are not.

Many people have positive intention to engage in physical activity but fail to act. In general, Physical activity (PA) levels among Americans are declining. However, when compared to all other racial groups, middle aged African American women (AAW) have the lowest rate of PA participation. The lack of physical activity has dire illness consequences for AAW Despite significant efforts to increase physical activity to levels that benefit health, the need to understand successful translation of intention to engage in physical activity, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control is warranted in order to design theoretically derived culturally tailored interventions to increase physical activity participation among middle aged AAW. Moreover, there is a paucity of studies that use theoretical underpinnings to elucidate the differences between middle aged AAW who are physically active and those who are not physically active. Therefore, the Theory of Planned Behavior's (TPB) measuring the constructs of intention, subjective norm, attitude, and perceived behavioral control was used to guide the design of this study. One-hundred-fifty-three respondents completed the socio-demographic profile, a Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire (TPBQ), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient indicated the highest correlation between intention and attitude r (137) = .740, p < .001. The correlation between intention and perceived behavior control was r (137) = .546, p < .001; intention and physical activity r (137) = .439, p < .001; attitude and perceived behavior control r (137) = .487, p < .001; and attitude and physical activity r (137) = .429, p < .001 demonstrated a moderately strong positive relationship. Subjective norm and perceived behavior control demonstrate the smallest correlational significance r (137) = .264, p <.001. Multiple regression analysis revealed attitude towards physical activity, and perceived behavior control for physical activity were statistically and clinically significant predictors of physical activity among the middle-aged African American women in this study.

Spatial and spatial-temporal clustering analysis of hemorrhagic disease in white-tailed deer in the southeastern USA: 1980-2003.

We used the space-time K function and Kulldorff's scan statistic to analyze the spatial and spatial-temporal clustering of hemorrhagic disease (HD) in white-tailed deer in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The HD occurrence data were binary presence/absence data acquired annually on a county basis from 1980 to 2003. Space-time K function was employed to globally examine the existence of spatial-temporal clustering in the HD data. Three approaches of Kulldorff's scan statistic, i.e., spatial clustering analysis for the entire period, spatial-temporal clustering analysis, and spatial clustering analysis by individual years, were applied to detect potential HD clusters. Statistically significant spatial clusters and spatial-temporal clusters were detected in the five southeastern states during the 24-year study period. Some clusters were observed in multiple years. Clusters were most evident in west Alabama, south Alabama, central South Carolina, and along the border between South Carolina and North Carolina. The identification of HD clusters may provide a means to better understand the causal factors related to the HD outbreaks. Results also have potential application in improving or designing effective surveillance programs for this disease.

Evaluating the utility of microsatellites for investigations of autopolyploid taxa.

Autopolyploid taxa present numerous challenges for population genetic analyses due to difficulties determining allele dosage. Dosage ambiguity hinders accurate assessment of allele frequencies, multilocus genotypes (MLGTs), as well as levels and patterns of clonality. The pervasiveness of polyploidy in the evolutionary history of plant taxa makes this a recurring problem. Whereas diploidization of loci may occur over time, duplication of at least some loci is still frequently evident. Fortunately, with high-quality allozyme gels, it is possible to accurately infer allele dosage and, thus, determine exact MLGTs. However, accurately assessing dosage of microsatellite peaks is nearly impossible when studying wild populations with a large number of alleles per locus. Even if precise knowledge of genotypes is not required, for comparable numbers of alleles per locus and loci, the number of "phenotypes" is always lower with microsatellites than allozymes due to the inability to assess allele dosage. Microsatellite loci typically have more alleles per locus relative to allozymes although fewer loci are generally employed. Here, we present a mathematical model for comparing the relative utility of simple sequence repeat (SSR) versus allozyme markers to discriminate MLGTs. For example, the average plant allozyme study (2.6 alleles per locus, 10 polymorphic loci) has better discriminating power than SSR markers with 10 alleles at each of 3 loci, 9 alleles at 4 loci, 6 alleles at 5 loci, 5 alleles at 6 loci, and 4 alleles at 8 loci, demonstrating the value of assessing the relative discriminating power of these markers.

Inferring ancient Agave cultivation practices from contemporary genetic patterns.

Several Agave species have played an important ethnobotanical role since prehistory in Mesoamerica and semiarid areas to the north, including central Arizona. We examined genetic variation in relict Agave parryi populations northeast of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona, remnants from anthropogenic manipulation over 600 years ago. We used both allozymes and microsatellites to compare genetic variability and structure in anthropogenically manipulated populations with putative wild populations, to assess whether they were actively cultivated or the result of inadvertent manipulation, and to determine probable source locations for anthropogenic populations. Wild populations were more genetically diverse than anthropogenic populations, with greater expected heterozygosity, polymorphic loci, effective number of alleles and allelic richness. Anthropogenic populations exhibited many traits indicative of past active cultivation: fixed heterozygosity for several loci in all populations (nonexistent in wild populations); fewer multilocus genotypes, which differed by fewer alleles; and greater differentiation among populations than was characteristic of wild populations. Furthermore, manipulated populations date from a period when changes in the cultural context may have favoured active cultivation near dwellings. Patterns of genetic similarity among populations suggest a complex anthropogenic history. Anthropogenic populations were not simply derived from the closest wild A. parryi stock; instead they evidently came from more distant, often more diverse, wild populations, perhaps obtained through trade networks in existence at the time of cultivation.

Social environment alters central distribution of estrogen receptor alpha in juvenile prairie voles.

It is well established that social environment, particularly isolation, has a significant impact on social behaviors and neuroendocrine responses. Estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) expression in limbic structures and associated nuclei is related to the display of social behaviors. We hypothesized that the stress of isolation would cause changes in the pattern of ERalpha expression in the brain. Using a highly social (typically monogamous and biparental) rodent species, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), we housed juvenile voles with a sibling, stranger or in isolation for either 4 days or 21 days. Housing manipulations began following weaning from parents and group housed siblings. Rodents may be especially sensitive to manipulations of their social environment during this juvenile period. In particular, female prairie voles are induced ovulators, reliant upon exposure to an unrelated male (male urine) to become reproductively active. ERalpha immunoreactivity was quantified in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) and medial amygdala (MeA). Significantly fewer ERalpha immunoreactive (ERalpha-ir) cells were labeled in the MPOA and BST of females isolated for 21 days compared with stranger housed females. Non-significant differences were shown in the VMH and MeA of females. No differences were found in voles isolated for 4 days. These results suggest that female prairie voles may be more sensitive than males to manipulations of their social environment during the juvenile period.

Genetic consequences of pre-Columbian cultivation for Agave murpheyi and A. delamateri (Agavaceae).

Pre-Columbian farmers cultivated several species of agave in central Arizona from ca. A.D. 600-1350. Because of the longevity and primarily asexual reproduction of these species, relict agave clones remain in the landscape and provide insights into pre-Columbian agricultural practices. We analyzed variation in allozyme allele frequencies to infer genetic effects of prehistoric cultivation on Agave murpheyi and A. delamateri, specifically to estimate genetic diversity and structure, to determine whether cultivated populations descended from a single clone, and to examine regional-scale genetic variation. Agave murpheyi maintained more genetic diversity at the species and population levels than A. delamateri, and A. murpheyi populations typically included more multilocus genotypes. Relict plants from prehistoric fields reflect a more complex history than descent from a single clone; A. murpheyi populations may have included more diversity initially because bulbils (produced routinely in A. murpheyi but not A. delamateri) and possibly seed would have facilitated transport of genetically diverse planting stock. Genetic variation in both cultigens was lower than in most contemporary commercial crops but similar to that observed in modern traditional agricultural systems.

Integrating qualitative and qualitative survey techniques. 1986-87.

As "educational diagnosis," which targeted the health behaviors of mothers with regards to malaria and diarrhea in their young children, was carried out over a three-week period in November 1985 in Rwanda, East Africa. The study used the methodological technique of triangulation, in which both quantitative and qualitative data collection efforts are used to find answers to the same or similar sets of questions. Findings include estimates of health care utilization and medication usage and illustrate how multiple methods of data collection can maximize both the amount of usable data and the degree of confidence in the validity of data obtained, even with relatively small samples. In particular, the qualitative technique of focus group interviewing, which provided information on the sociocultural, economic, and historical contexts of the Rwandese health care system, provided an explanation of why there is relatively little self-care or home treatment for these diseases in Rwandese society.

Care management for low-risk patients with heart failure: a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Nurse care management programs for patients with chronic illness have been shown to be safe and effective. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a telephone-mediated nurse care management program for heart failure reduced the rate of rehospitalization for heart failure and for all causes over a 1-year period. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial of usual care with nurse management versus usual care alone in patients hospitalized for heart failure from May 1998 through October 2001. SETTING: 5 northern California hospitals in a large health maintenance organization. PATIENTS: Of 2786 patients screened, 462 met clinical criteria for heart failure and were randomly assigned (228 to intervention and 234 to usual care). INTERVENTION: Nurse care management provided structured telephone surveillance and treatment for heart failure and coordination of patients' care with primary care physicians. MEASUREMENTS: Time to first rehospitalization for heart failure or for any cause and time to a combined end point of first rehospitalization, emergency department visit, or death. RESULTS: At 1 year, half of the patients had been rehospitalized at least once and 11% had died. Only one third of rehospitalizations were for heart failure. The rate of first rehospitalization for heart failure was similar in both groups (proportional hazard, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.46 to 1.57]). The rate of all-cause rehospitalization was similar (proportional hazard, 0.98 [CI, 0.76 to 1.27]). LIMITATIONS: The findings of this study, conducted in a single health care system, may not be generalizable to other health care systems. The overall effect of the intervention was minor. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with heart failure at low risk on the basis of sociodemographic and medical attributes, nurse care management did not statistically significantly reduce rehospitalizations for heart failure or for any cause. Such programs may be less effective for patients at low risk than those at high risk.

High rates of sustained smoking cessation in women hospitalized with cardiovascular disease: the Women's Initiative for Nonsmoking (WINS).

BACKGROUND: Although men hospitalized with cardiovascular disease (CVD) show high smoking-cessation rates, similar data for women are lacking. We tested the efficacy of smoking-cessation intervention in women hospitalized for CVD. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this randomized controlled trial conducted from 1996 to 2001, 277 women diagnosed with CVD (mean age 61+/-10 years) were randomly assigned within 1 of 12 San Francisco Bay Area hospitals to a usual-care group (UG; n=135) or intervention group (IG; n=142). Baseline histories were obtained, and interviews to ascertain self-reported smoking status occurred at 6, 12, 24, and 30 months after hospitalization. The UG received strong physician's advice, a self-help pamphlet, and a list of community resources. The IG received strong physician's advice and a nurse-managed cognitive behavioral relapse-prevention intervention at bedside, with telephone contact at intervals after discharge. The groups were similar demographically and had smoked cigarettes for a median of 38 (IG) or 40 (UG) years. Time to resumption of continuous smoking was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and risk differences between groups were determined. Time smoke-free was significantly greater for the IG than the UG (P=0.038). Point prevalence for nonsmoking at the interviews was somewhat greater for the IG than the UG (P>0.15 at all times). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive behavioral intervention resulted in longer average times to resumption of smoking, but in these 2 groups of older women with limited social and financial resources, long-term success rates were similar. Systematic identification of smokers and even the brief intervention afforded the UG yielded a high smoking-cessation rate over time.

Planning STI/HIV prevention among refugees and mobile populations: situation assessment of Sudanese refugees.

This article reflects an investigation of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours and HIV/STI prevalence of Sudanese refugees and Ethiopian sex workers in 1992. It represents one of the earliest such investigations within an African refugee population. The investigation took place in the Dimma refugee settlement in south-western Ethiopia and study participants included Sudanese refugee men and women and Ethiopian female sex workers. Methods used for this investigation included focus group discussions, behavioural surveys and serologic testing. The main outcome measures of the investigation were HIV/STI knowledge, attitudes and behaviours and biological markers for HIV, syphilis and herpes simplex 2. The study findings indicate that in the early 1990s, knowledge about AIDS and condom use was low among Sudanese refugee women and not one reported having ever used a condom. Furthermore, sexual contact between refugee men and sex workers was frequent during the time of this study and the prevalence of HIV and other STIs was high. The results confirm a widely held assumption that highly mobile and transient populations in Africa are susceptible to STIs and HIV, in large part due to their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours.

The social organization of commercial sex work in Moscow, Russia.

BACKGROUND: Increased poverty, unemployment, and migration place the Russian population at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). A qualitative study was undertaken to clarify the organization of sex work and describe the likely contributions of different types of sex work to disease transmission. GOAL: The goal of the study was to describe the social-organizational patterns of sex work in Moscow, Russia. STUDY DESIGN: Four qualitative data collection methods were used: semistructured telephone interviews, semistructured face-to-face individual and group interviews with key informants, systematic and unobtrusive naturalistic observations, and geomapping. RESULTS: Intermittent, truck stop, and railway station sex workers may be the most important groups in the dissemination of STIs. Sex work is widely disseminated throughout the city. Identifiable positions in the social organization of street sex work include pimps, assistant female pimps, guards, drivers, "indicators," the sex workers themselves, and recruitment "pluckers." CONCLUSION: The Moscow sex market may be an adjustive response of the social system to the economic pressures in Russia. Sex work in Moscow has great potential for disseminating STIs throughout Russia and beyond. Understanding of these issues may enhance the impact of STI prevention programs.

Women's Initiative for Nonsmoking (WINS V): under-use of nicotine replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in a nurse-managed smoking cessation program. DESIGN: A cohort design nested within the WINS randomized clinical trial was used with follow-up at 2, 7, 21, 28, and 90 days. SETTING: The study took place in 10 hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area. SUBJECTS: Participants included 142 women hospitalized with cardiovascular disease (CVD). OUTCOME MEASURE: The outcome measure was the use of NRT after having been assessed as eligible for its use. INTERVENTION: NRT was used as an adjunct in the behavioral intervention protocol. NRT was recommended during the hospital intervention and during the 90-day outpatient phase. RESULTS: Of 142 women in the intervention group, 127 met the criteria for NRT use. During the 5 follow-up assessments, the reported NRT use ranged from 9% to 22%. CONCLUSION: A low NRT use rate among women with CVD is evident. The results suggest that future research about NRT myths pertaining to women is needed. Nurses can help patients dispel these myths and prevent smoking relapse in women with CVD.