Aim: To determine the prevalence and causes of vision loss in Indigenous Australians.
Design, setting and participants: A national, stratified, random cluster sample was drawn from 30 communities ...across Australia that each included about 300 Indigenous people of all ages. A sample of non‐Indigenous adults aged ≥ 40 years was also tested at several remote sites for comparison. Participants were examined using a standardised protocol that included a questionnaire (self‐administered or completed with the help of field staff), visual acuity (VA) testing on presentation and after correction, visual field testing, trachoma grading, and fundus and lens photography. The data were collected in 2008.
Main outcome measures: VA; prevalence of low vision and blindness; causes of vision loss; rates of vision loss in Indigenous compared with non‐Indigenous adults.
Results: 1694 Indigenous children and 1189 Indigenous adults were examined, representing recruitment rates of 84% for children aged 5–15 years and 72% for adults aged ≥ 40 years. Rates of low vision (VA < 6/12 to ≥ 6/60) were 1.5% (95% CI, 0.9%–2.1%) in children and 9.4% (95% CI, 7.8%–11.1%) in adults. Rates of blindness (VA < 6/60) were 0.2% (95% CI, 0.04%–0.5%) in children and 1.9% (95% CI, 1.1%–2.6%) in adults. The principal cause of low vision in both adults and children was refractive error. The principal causes of blindness in adults were cataract, refractive error and optic atrophy. Relative risks (RRs) of vision loss and blindness in Indigenous adults compared with adults in the mainstream Australian population were 2.8 and 6.2, respectively. By contrast, RRs of vision loss and blindness in Indigenous children compared with mainstream children were 0.2 and 0.6, respectively.
Conclusion: Many causes of vision loss in our sample were readily avoidable. Better allocation of services and resources is required to give all Australians equal access to eye health services.
Full text
Available for:
FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Heterophils and neutrophils are important first cellular responders to inflammatory conditions. In addition to quantitative shifts in the numbers of these cells in blood, inflammatory disease states ...often have accompanying increases in immature precursor stages (left shift) and/or evidence of toxic change on blood film evaluation. Recognition of left shift and toxic change morphologies is a salient diagnostic finding with clinical relevance across species. The objectives of this report are to (a) review heterophil and neutrophil function and structure across the vertebrate animal kingdom, (b) compare morphologic features of left shift and toxic change in heterophils and neutrophils of non‐mammalian vertebrates (NMV) to mammals, (c) provide an image guide demonstrating the breadth of morphologic diversity of heterophil and neutrophil lineages in health and disease across taxa, and (d) discuss practical considerations for clinical pathologists and other professionals involved in the recognition and interpretation of observations in the inflammatory leukogram of NMV.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Common sea stars (Asterias rubens) are at risk of physiological stress and decline with projected shifts in oceanic conditions. This study assessed changes in coelomic fluid (CF) blood gases, ...electrolytes, osmolality, and coelomocyte counts in adult common sea stars after exposure to stressors mimicking effects from climate change for 14 days, including decreased pH (−0.4 units, mean: 7.37), hypoxia (target dissolved oxygen ~1.75 mg O2/L, mean: 1.80 mg O2/L), or increased temperature (+10 °C, mean: 17.2 °C) and compared sea star CF electrolytes and osmolality to tank water. Changes in CF blood gases, electrolytes, and/or coelomocyte counts occurred in all treatment groups after stressor exposures, indicating adverse systemic effects with evidence of increased energy expenditure, respiratory or metabolic derangements, and immunosuppression or inflammation. At baseline, CF potassium and osmolality of all groups combined were significantly higher than tank water, and, after exposures, CF potassium was significantly higher in the hypoxia group as compared to tank water. These findings indicate physiological challenges for A. rubens after stressor exposures and, given increased observations of sea star wasting events globally, this provides evidence that sea stars as a broad group are particularly vulnerable to changing oceans.
(1) Background: Standard-of-care lifestyle interventions show insufficient effectiveness for the prevention and treatment of excess weight and its associated cardiometabolic health concerns in ...adolescents, necessitating more targeted preventative approaches. Anxiety symptoms are common among adolescents, especially girls at risk for excess weight gain, and have been implicated in the onset and maintenance of disinhibited eating. Thus, decreasing elevated anxiety in this subset of adolescent girls may offer a targeted approach to mitigating disinhibited eating and excess weight gain to prevent future cardiometabolic health problems. (2) Methods: The current paper describes the protocol for a multisite pilot and feasibility randomized controlled trial of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) in
= 40 adolescent girls (age 12-17 years) with elevated anxiety symptoms and body mass index (BMI; kg/m
) ≥ 75th percentile for age/sex. (3) Results: Primary outcomes are multisite feasibility of recruitment, protocol procedures, and data collection, intervention fidelity, retention at follow-ups, and acceptability of interventions and study participation. (4) Conclusions: Findings will inform the protocol for a future fully-powered multisite randomized controlled trial to compare CBT and IPT efficacy for reducing excess weight gain and preventing adverse cardiometabolic trajectories, as well as to evaluate theoretically-informed treatment moderators and mediators.
Among adolescents, disinhibited eating and anxiety commonly co-occur. Precision intervention approaches targeting unique mechanistic vulnerabilities that contribute to disinhibited eating and anxiety ...may therefore be helpful. However, the effectiveness of such interventions hinges on knowledge of between- and within-person associations related to disinhibited eating, anxiety, and related processes.
A sample of 39 adolescent females (12-17 years) with elevated anxiety and above-average weight (BMI %ile ≥ 75th) completed measures of theoretically driven social and cognitive-behavioral variables, disinhibited eating, and anxiety via ecological momentary assessment over 7 days. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects models.
Between-person differences in social stressors were linked to emotional eating, eating in the absence of hunger, and anxiety, whereas between-person differences in negative thoughts were associated with all disinhibited eating variables and anxiety. Between-person differences in avoidance were not related to any outcome. Additionally, between-person differences in social stressors and negative thoughts-as well as within-person deviations (from person-average levels) of social stressors, negative thoughts, and avoidance-were associated with anxiety. In turn, between-person differences in anxiety predicted eating in the absence of hunger and emotional eating, and within-person deviations in anxiety were associated with emotional eating at any given time point.
Findings support elements of both the interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral models of disinhibited eating. Differential trigger effects on anxiety, both at the between- and within-person levels, and significant associations between anxiety and all eating-related outcomes, highlight the potential utility of interventions targeting individual differences in sensitivity to anxiety triggers.
Findings provide support for the interpersonal and cognitive-behavioral models of disinhibited eating, highlighting anxiety as a salient vulnerability and potential mechanistic factor underlying disinhibited eating. Social, cognitive, and behavioral variables were differentially related to anxiety across participants, suggesting potential for future intervention tailoring and intervention selection based on adolescents' sensitivity to anxiety as a trigger for disinhibited eating behavior.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
The Atlantic horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is valuable to fishing and biomedical industries, for education in public aquaria, and of ecological importance because the eggs provide a ...critical food source for migratory shorebirds. While hematologic and biochemical analyses are fundamental tools for health assessment, reports are limited for the four extant species of horseshoe crabs; L polyphemus (East Coast North America), Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (mangrove horseshoe crab Southeast Asia), Tachypleus gigas, and Tachypleus tridentatus (Southeast and East Asia).
Objectives
This prospective study measured hemolymph values to determine RIs from free‐ranging horseshoe crabs during the annual breeding aggregation in Delaware Bay, USA.
Methods
Near‐shore animals were briefly manually restrained for hemolymph collection from the cardiac sinus. Hematologic samples (25 males, 25 females) were collected for hemocytometer counts using the Natt and Herrick method. A second set of 50 animals (25 males, 25 females) was sampled for biochemistry measurands, including copper concentration by spectrophotometer, osmolality by vapor pressure osmometer, and protein electrophoresis.
Results
Total hemocyte counts varied widely (RI 6600‐44 300/µL). Electrolytes were consistent with osmoconformers living in seawater. There was a marked difference in sexes, with females showing much lower protein, glucose, and copper levels. Eleven females had multiple outliers, and all data were excluded from RI calculations.
Conclusions
Further studies of this species outside of spawning season are needed. Expanding our knowledge of horseshoe crab health is important to decreasing morbidity and mortality in research applications and maximizing longevity and overall health in display settings.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Loss of control (LOC)-eating, excess weight, and anxiety are robustly linked, and are independently associated with markers of poorer cardiometabolic health, including hypertension. However, no study ...has examined whether frequency of LOC-eating episodes among youth with anxiety symptoms and elevated weight status may confer increased risk for hypertension. We examined the relationship between LOC-eating frequency and blood pressure among 39 adolescent girls (14.9 ± 1.8 years; body mass index BMI = 29.9 ± 5.6; 61.5 % White; 20.5 % African American/Black; 5 % Multiple Races; 2.5 % Asian; 12.8 % Hispanic/Latino; 30.8 % with reported LOC-eating) with elevated anxiety and above average BMI who enrolled in a clinical trial aimed at preventing excess weight gain. LOC-eating over the past three months was assessed via clinical interview, and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) was measured with an automatic blood pressure monitor. Adjusting for age, fat mass, and height, LOC-eating episode frequency was significantly, positively associated with diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.38, p = 0.02), but not with systolic blood pressure (β = 0.13, p = 0.41). Replication studies, with larger sample sizes, participants of varying weight-strata, and prospective data are required to elucidate the relationship between LOC-eating and cardiovascular functioning in youth with elevated anxiety.
•Loss-of-control-eating and anxiety are each related to cardiometabolic outcomes.•Loss-of-control-eating was linked to diastolic, but not systolic blood pressure.•Recurrent loss-of-control-eating may be related to blood pressure in anxious youth.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Background
Total blood cell counts for fish are challenging, especially due to cell fragility. Thrombocyte aggregation, cell distortion, and lysis can occur within hours of collection; therefore, ...hemocytometer counts may not be possible for large sample numbers. Preserving whole blood in formalin offers a simple way to extend the specimen stability period for cell counts.
Objectives
The objectives of this study were to characterize and compare the analytical performance of the Natt–Herrick method for fish blood cell counts using freshly collected and formalin‐fixed specimens.
Methods
Specimens from 11 elasmobranch species (n = 36) were compared for WBC counts. WBC, RBC, and thrombocyte counts from 50 striped bass, Morone saxatilis, were compared including 2 time points for the formalin‐preserved cells (appr. 1‐week and 1‐month storage). Coefficient of variation (CV), bias, and total error (TEcalc) were calculated. TEcalc was compared with allowable total error (TEa) defined by the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment (CLIA) for human blood cell counts.
Results
The CV and TEcalc for fresh and fixed WBC and thrombocyte counts met CLIA limits. In both the fresh and preserved cells, the RBC CV and TEcalc were nearly 3 times higher than the TEa.
Conclusions
Preserving freshly collected blood in 10% formalin is a reliable method to maintain cell morphology for manual counts for up to 1 month post collection. This is especially useful for field studies, where laboratory access is limited. Further evaluation is needed to determine the clinical usefulness of the manual RBC count in fish.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
PDF
