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Objective. To inform an intervention integrating family planning into HIV care, family planning (FP) knowledge, attitudes and practices, and perspectives on integrating FP into HIV care were assessed among healthcare providers in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Me

Despite increasing efforts to address the reproductive health needs of people living with HIV, a high unmet need for contraception exists among HIV+ women in sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores the fertility intentions and family planning (FP) preferen

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth and a prominent concern for school mental health providers. Indeed, schools play a key role in suicide prevention, including participating in risk assessments with students expressing suicidal ideation. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools now need to offer mental health services, including suicide risk assessment, via eHealth platforms. Post pandemic, the use of eHealth risk assessments will support more accessible services for youth living in rural and remote areas. However, as the remote environment is a new context for many schools, guidance is needed on best practices for eHealth suicide risk assessment among youth., Objective: This study aims to conduct a rapid, systematic scoping review to explore promising practices for conducting school-based suicide risk assessment among youth via eHealth (ie, information technologies that allow for remote communication)., Methods: This review included peer-reviewed articles and gray literature published in English between 2000 and 2020. Although we did not find studies that specifically explored promising practices for school-based suicide risk assessment among youth via eHealth platforms, we found 12 peer-reviewed articles and 23 gray literature documents that contained relevant information addressing our broader study purpose; thus, these 35 sources were included in this review., Results: We identified five key recommendation themes for school-based suicide risk assessment among youth via eHealth platforms in the 12 peer-reviewed studies. These included accessibility, consent procedures, session logistics, safety planning, and internet privacy. Specific recommendation themes from the 23 gray literature documents substantially overlapped with and enhanced three of the themes identified in the peer-reviewed literature-consent procedures, session logistics, and safety planning. In addition, based on findings from the gray literature, we expanded the accessibility theme to a broader theme termed youth engagement, which included information on accessibility and building rapport, establishing a therapeutic space, and helping youth prepare for remote sessions. Finally, a new theme was identified in the gray literature findings, specifically concerning school mental health professional boundaries. A second key difference between the gray and peer-reviewed literature was the former's focus on issues of equity and access and how technology can reinforce existing inequalities., Conclusions: For school mental health providers in need of guidance, we believe that these six recommendation themes (ie, youth engagement, school mental health professional boundaries, consent procedures, session logistics, safety planning, and internet privacy) represent the most promising directions for school-based suicide risk assessment among youth using eHealth tools. However, suicide risk assessment among youth via eHealth platforms in school settings represents a critical research gap. On the basis of the findings of this review, we provide specific recommendations for future research, including the need to focus on the needs of diverse youth., (©Deinera Exner-Cortens, Elizabeth Baker, Shawna Gray, Marisa Van Bavel, Rocio Ramirez Rivera, Marisa Van Bavel, Elisabeth Vezina, Aleta Ambrose, Chris Pawluk, Kelly D Schwartz, Paul D Arnold. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (https://mental.jmir.org), 21.09.2021.)

Plants are associated with a complex microbiota that contributes to nutrient acquisition, plant growth, and plant defense. Nitrogen-fixing microbial associations are efficient and well characterized in legumes but are limited in cereals, including maize. We studied an indigenous landrace of maize grown in nitrogen-depleted soils in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico. This landrace is characterized by the extensive development of aerial roots that secrete a carbohydrate-rich mucilage. Analysis of the mucilage microbiota indicated that it was enriched in taxa for which many known species are diazotrophic, was enriched for homologs of genes encoding nitrogenase subunits, and harbored active nitrogenase activity as assessed by acetylene reduction and 15N2 incorporation assays. Field experiments in Sierra Mixe using 15N natural abundance or 15N-enrichment assessments over 5 years indicated that atmospheric nitrogen fixation contributed 29%-82% of the nitrogen nutrition of Sierra Mixe maize., Competing Interests: Howard-Yana Shapiro is affiliated with Mars, Incorporated, one of the research sponsors. Author Cristobal Heitmann was unable to confirm authorship or contributions himself, and this was carried out collectively by the other co-authors.

Stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit) exerts multiple biological effects on target cells upon binding its ligand stem cell factor (SCF). Aberrant activation of c-Kit results in dysregulated signaling and is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous cancers. The development of more specific and effective c-Kit therapies is warranted given its essential role in tumorigenesis. In this study, we describe the biological properties of CK6, a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody against the extracellular region of human c-Kit. CK6 specifically binds c-Kit receptor with high affinity (EC 50 = 0.06 nM) and strongly blocks its interaction with SCF (IC 50 = 0.41 nM) in solid phase assays. Flow cytometry shows CK6 binding to c-Kit on the cell surface of human small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), melanoma, and leukemia tumor cell lines. Furthermore, exposure to CK6 inhibits SCF stimulation of c-Kit tyrosine kinase activity and downstream signaling pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and protein kinase B (AKT), in addition to reducing tumor cell line growth in vitro. CK6 treatment significantly decreases human xenograft tumor growth in NCI-H526 SCLC (T/C% = 57) and Malme-3M melanoma (T/C% = 58) models in vivo. The combination of CK6 with standard of care chemotherapy agents, cisplatin and etoposide for SCLC or dacarbazine for melanoma, more potently reduces tumor growth (SCLC T/C% = 24, melanoma T/C% = 38) compared with CK6 or chemotherapy alone. In summary, our results demonstrate that CK6 is a c-Kit antagonist antibody with tumor growth neutralizing properties and are highly suggestive of potential therapeutic application in treating human malignancies harboring c-Kit receptor.

Objective. To inform an intervention integrating family planning into HIV care, family planning (FP) knowledge, attitudes and practices, and perspectives on integrating FP into HIV care were assessed among healthcare providers in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Methods. Thirty-one mixed-method, structured interviews were conducted among a purposive sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) from 13 government HIV care facilities in Nyanza Province. Structured questions and case scenarios assessed contraceptive knowledge, training, and FP provision experience. Open-ended questions explored perspectives on integration. Data were analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. Results. Of the 31 HCWs interviewed, 45% reported previous FP training. Few providers thought long-acting methods were safe for HIV-positive women (19% viewed depot medroxyprogesterone acetate as safe and 36% viewed implants and intrauterine contraceptives as safe); fewer felt comfortable recommending them to HIV-positive women. Overall, providers supported HIV and family planning integration, yet several potential barriers were identified including misunderstandings about contraceptive safety, gendered power differentials relating to fertility decisions, staff shortages, lack of FP training, and contraceptive shortages. Conclusions. These findings suggest the importance of considering issues such as patient flow, provider burden, commodity supply, gender and cultural issues affecting FP use, and provider training in FP/HIV when designing integrated FP/HIV services in high HIV prevalence areas.

Despite increasing efforts to address the reproductive health needs of people living with HIV, a high unmet need for contraception exists among HIV+ women in sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores the fertility intentions and family planning (FP) preferences of Kenyan women accessing HIV treatment. We conducted 30 semistructured interviews and qualitatively analyzed the data with a grounded theory approach. Fears of premature death, financial hardship, and perinatal HIV transmission emerged as reasons for participants' desire to delay/cease childbearing. Participants strongly identified FP needs, yet two-thirds were using male condoms alone or no modern method of contraception. Women preferred the HIV clinic as the site of FP access for reasons of convenience, provider expertise, and a sense of belonging, though some had privacy concerns. Our findings support the acceptability of integrated FP and HIV services. Efforts to empower women living with HIV to prevent unintended pregnancies must expand access to contraceptive methods, provide confidential services, and take into account women's varied reproductive intentions.

hBD comprise a family of antimicrobial peptides that plays a role in bridging the innate and adaptive immune responses to infection. The expression of hBD-2 increases upon stimulation of numerous cell types with LPS and proinflammatory cytokines. In contrast, hBD-1 remains constitutively expressed in most cells in spite of cytokine or LPS stimulation; however, its presence in human PDC suggests it plays a role in viral host defense. To examine this, we characterized the expression of hBD-1 in innate immune cells in response to viral challenge. PDC and monocytes increased production of hBD-1 peptide and mRNA as early as 2 h following infection of purified cells and PBMCs with PR8, HSV-1, and Sendai virus. However, treatment of primary NHBE cells with influenza resulted in a 50% decrease in hBD-1 mRNA levels, as measured by qRT-PCR at 3 h following infection. A similar inhibition occurred with HSV-1 challenge of human gingival epithelial cells. Studies with HSV-1 showed that replication occurred in epithelial cells but not in PDC. Together, these results suggest that hBD-1 may play a role in preventing viral replication in immune cells. To test this, we infected C57BL/6 WT mice and mBD-1((-/-)) mice with mouse-adapted HK18 (300 PFU/mouse). mBD-1((-/-)) mice lost weight earlier and died sooner than WT mice (P=0.0276), suggesting that BD-1 plays a role in early innate immune responses against influenza in vivo. However, lung virus titers were equal between the two mouse strains. Histopathology showed a greater inflammatory influx in the lungs of mBD-1((-/-)) mice at Day 3 postinfection compared with WT C57BL/6 mice. The results suggest that BD-1 protects mice from influenza pathogenesis with a mechanism other than inhibition of viral replication.