A curated list of genes that affect the plant ionome.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying plants' adaptation to their environment will require knowledge of the genes and alleles underlying elemental composition. Modern genetics is capable of quickly, and cheaply indicating which regions of DNA are associated with particular phenotypes in question, but most genes remain poorly annotated, hindering the identification of candidate genes. To help identify candidate genes underlying elemental accumulations, we have created the known ionome gene (KIG) list: a curated collection of genes experimentally shown to change uptake, accumulation, and distribution of elements. We have also created an automated computational pipeline to generate lists of KIG orthologs in other plant species using the PhytoMine database. The current version of KIG consists of 176 known genes covering 5 species, 23 elements, and their 1588 orthologs in 10 species. Analysis of the known genes demonstrated that most were identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and that transporter coding genes and genes altering the accumulation of iron and zinc are overrepresented in the current list.

Results of an Academic, Health Care Worksite Weight Loss Contest for Southeastern Americans: Scale Back Alabama 2011-2013.

Few studies have assessed the effectiveness of competitive incentivized worksite weight loss programs. Scale Back Alabama (SBA) is a free, state-supported program designed to promote weight loss among overweight and obese citizens. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the design and preliminary findings of SBA as a worksite intervention among employees at a collegiate institution and university hospital. In teams of 4 employees, SBA participants volunteered to engage in a 10-week competitive weight loss contest; both teams and individuals who lost significant weight were eligible for randomly drawn cash incentives. Trained staff objectively measured participants' weight before and at the conclusion of the contest. Preliminary analyses suggest that SBA as a worksite program can promote weight loss among employees, but future analyses are warranted to understand the context of these findings and determine if current results are confounded by unmeasured factors.

Characterizing workers participating in a worksite wellness health screening program using blood pressure control, self-monitoring, medication adherence, depression, and exercise.

Blood pressure control remains a serious public health issue because hypertension is the most common risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Effective management of hypertension often requires lifestyle modification and medication adherence. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of blood pressure control, medication adherence, self-monitoring of blood pressure, depression, and exercise among workers with access to health resources. Faculty and staff (N = 484) from a university and health care institution in the southeastern United States participated in biometric and questionnaire screening. The researchers used initial screening data from this worksite wellness program to describe baseline blood pressure control (< 140/90 mm Hg), self-monitoring of blood pressure, medication adherence, depression, and exercise. Overall, 63% of the workers' blood pressure was controlled; however, 23% of the sample had been prescribed antihypertensive medication to control their blood pressure. Thirty percent of the sample reported practicing blood pressure self-monitoring, 72.2% reported that they exercised, and 22% reported feeling down and depressed. More than half (64.9%) who used prescribed antihypertensive medication reported adherence to these medications.