David S. Senchina

Roma health issues: a review of the literature and discussion

Objectives. Roma health issues are under-studied from a comprehensive, epidemiological perspective. The Roma peoples (including ‘Travellers’) have been living in and around Central and Eastern Europe for centuries, and may be one of the oldest systematically oppressed minority groups in Europe. This review examines the research literature in regard to the health and epidemiology of this group with the aim of examining the breadth and depth of the literature and reflecting on the primary and applied research needed to address the health needs of Roma groups. Design. Internet, database and ancestral searches were conducted via such electronic databases as Medline and PubMed. Ancestral searches involved consulting previous literature reviews in select topical areas and obtaining all appropriate, primary literature. The time parameters of the search began with the year 1990 to current but was later expanded to 1985–2003 in order to capture slightly older published work. Results. This paper describes what is known concerning Roma health via a review of the published studies, with special emphasis on population health and epidemiological studies. One hundred and twenty-nine articles are reviewed and discussed. The majority of research (50%) examines the genetic characteristics of this group. Conclusions. Surveillance and population health indices for this international minority population is scarce to lacking in the published literature. Concluding comments focus on the unique character of the study population and the need for scientific studies of Roma health issues and the cultural concerns which might affect them.

Age effects on macrophage function vary by tissue site, nature of stimulant, and exercise behavior.

We explored the effects of aging on macrophage function in male BALB/c mice from three age groups: young (2 months), middle-aged (12 months), and old (21 months). Macrophages were collected from alveoli, peritonea, and spleens of each age group. Cells were cultured in vitro with LPS or LPS+IFN-gamma and assayed for production of IL-1, IL-12, NO, and TNF-alpha. Using herpes simplex virus-1, age-related changes in intrinsic antiviral resistance (plaque assay) and extrinsic antiviral resistance (NO and TNF-alpha production) were determined in alveolar and/or peritoneal macrophages. Effects of chronic exercise on age-related macrophage changes were examined. In vitro, macrophages from the alveoli and spleen of older mice generally produced more cytokine and NO compared to younger counterparts. Conversely, macrophages from the peritonea of older mice generally produced less cytokine and NO in vitro compared to younger counterparts. Alveolar macrophages from both old and young mice showed higher intrinsic antiviral resistance to HSV-1 compared to middle-aged mice, while peritoneal macrophages from young mice showed reduced intrinsic resistance compared to those from both middle-aged and old mice. When challenged with HSV-1, a trend towards decreased peritoneal macrophage production of TNF-alpha and decreased alveolar macrophage production of IL-12 with advancing age was found. Chronic moderate exercise tended to reverse age-associated changes in macrophage function in old mice.

Phenetic Comparison of Seven Echinacea Species Based on Immunomodulatory Characteristics

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare similarities and differences in immune response among Echinacea species, which are commonly used to treat upper respiratory infections. The investigation involved two components: acquisition of immunomodulatory data reported here for the first time, and combined phenetic analysis of these data along with previous reports. Experimental data were obtained by stimulating human PBMC in vitro with extracts from Echinacea spp. and assaying production of three cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β] interleukin-2 [IL-2], and tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α]). Phenetic analyses were employed to compare responses across the entire data set, including UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) and neighbor-joining methods. In the immune experiments conducted for this investigation, E. angustifolia,E. paradoxa, E. purpurea, E. simulata, andE. tennesseensis extracts significantly augmented IL-1 β and TNF-α production, whereas no extracts significantly modulated IL-2. All phenetic methods produced similar dendrograms, revealing two species pairs (E. angustifolia + E. simulata and E. pallida + E.sanguinea) where both species cluster tightly and have similar immune-response profiles. These two species-pairs are maximally dissimilar from each other. The remaining species (E. paradoxa, E. purpurea, and E. tennesseensis) occupy intermediate positions in the dendrogram. Our results suggest that Echinacea spp. act heterogeneously on immune function. The utility of these data for science and industry is discussed.

Ethnobotany of poison ivy, poison oak, and relatives (Toxicodendron spp., Anacardiaceae) in America: Veracity of historical accounts

Abstract Historical accounts detail numerous uses for poison ivy, poison oak, and other American Toxicodendron spp. (Anacardiaceae), despite their toxicity. The veracity of these accounts has recently been called into question by several sources. In this investigation, a multidisciplinary, hypothesis-driven approach was used to critically evaluate the veracity of such accounts by employing field studies, laboratory experiments, and literature review. Accounts regarding uses in textile production or religious rites were found to be more feasible to evaluate than those pertaining to cooking or medicine. Findings from this study suggest a new interpretation of such accounts and provide novel information regarding both the biology and ethnobotany of these plants.

Beetle Interactions with Poison Ivy and Poison Oak (Toxicodendron P. Mill. sect. Toxicodendron, Anacardiaceae)

Abstract Fifty years ago, The Coleopterists Bulletin featured a series of articles on beetles and their interactions with the plant genus Toxicodendron P. Mill. section Toxicodendron (the poison ivies and poison oaks). Subsequent to the series, little progress has been made towards a better understanding of these relationships. The present work uses both original observations from field studies as well as a historical review of previous data to synthesize a more robust picture of coleopteran-Toxicodendron relationships. In addition to enumerating previously unrecognized associations, this paper demonstrates that numerous coleopteran taxa interact with Toxicodendron spp. in both mutualistic and parasitic capacities.

215. Effect of exercise on immunity and depression vary by body weight status and type of exercise

Obesity/overweight conditions are associated with reduced response to vaccines and increased levels of inflammatory factors. Two different types of long term exercise interventions were compared for their effects on depression, inflammatory responses and immunity to influenza vaccine in overweight and normal weight older adults. Subjects were divided into a CARDIO exercise group (moderate intensity exercise, 3 /week, 30–45 min) or FLEX exercise group (low intensity stretching/weight training, 3 /week, 30–45 min) for 1 year. Prior to the intervention, increased BMI was significantly correlated with reduced antibody to influenza vaccine, reduced T-cell proliferative response to influenza, and increased serum CRP and PBMC production of TNFalpha and IL-6. After the intervention, overweight subjects (BMI > 30) in the CARDIO group had significantly greater decreases in depression score compared to overweight subjects in the FLEX group or normal weight subjects in the CARDIO group. After the intervention, in the CARDIO group, antibody response, PBMC TNFalpha and IL-6 were no longer different between overweight and normal weight individuals. However, in the FLEX group, overweight subjects tended to have poorer antibody response to recall antigen, increased serum CRP, and increased IL-6 and TNFalpha production by PBMC. These findings suggest that CARDIO exercise reduces depression score to greater extent than FLEX exercise in overweight subjects, and that CARDIO exercise attenuates the negative effects of overweight/obesity on immune function.

96 Exercise reduces viral burden and enhances innate and adaptive immune responses to influenza infection in aged mice

of confounding factors, including the patient s medical condition. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine whether a relatively stable marker of chronic inflammation, circulating levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), was associated with cognitive function in a community sample of 480 healthy adults aged 30–54 years (mean = 45). Participants (228 male; 81.5% Caucasian, 18.5% African-American) were enrolled in the Adult Health and Behavior (AHAB) project, an ongoing study of cardiovascular risk. All participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. After controlling for age, sex, race, current smoking, and years of education, levels of circulating IL-6 were inversely associated with short-term spatial memory and flexibility (Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS): Spatial Span, p < .02), delayed verbal memory (WMS: Logical Memory, p < .02), executive functioning (Stroop task, p < .02). There was no association between IL-6 level and verbal learning or short-term verbal memory (WMS ñ Logical Memory (Immediate Recall) or Verbal Paired Associates tasks) or selective attention (Digit Vigilance Task). These data provide initial evidence that cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes are associated with a decline in spatial memory, learning, and cognition in humans that is consistent with the animal literature. This raises the possibility that increases in circulating levels of IL-6 with advancing age play a role in cognitive decline.