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BackgroundAdolescents are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Many youths with asymptomatic STI or related symptoms do not seek treatment and may not be screened if accessing the health care system for other reasons.ObjectiveWe examined intervention completion and changes in the number of new patients, the number of STI or HIV tests, and the sexual risk profile of patients over time to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-driven text messaging strategy to connect youth to STI and HIV services.MethodsThe intervention enlisted consecutive patients at an adolescent medicine clinic to send a text message to 5 peers they believed were sexually active and lived in the clinic's service area. The intervention was evaluated using an interrupted time-series design in which baseline clinic service levels were documented during a 35-week lead-in period, followed by a 20-week intervention implementation period, and a 16-week period of continued clinic observation. Clinic and patient data were obtained through chart abstraction from intake forms that occurred during the entire study period. Analyses conducted in 2015 used a generalized linear mixed model.ResultsOf the 153 patients approached to participate, 100 agreed to send SMS text messages. Most (n=55, 55%) reported no concerns with sending the text message. No adverse events or negative outcomes were reported. Adolescent STI testing, positive test results, and reported risk behavior increased post intervention, although this was not statistically significant, likely because of the small sample size.ConclusionsGiven low youth uptake of health care services, and STI/HIV screening, in particular, new strategies are needed to address access barriers. Common approaches for reaching youth are resource-intensive and often miss those not connected to school or community programs. The peer-based text messaging strategy showed promise for both increasing the number of youths accessing health services and finding youths engaging in sexual risk behaviors and most in need of sexual health screening and services.

BackgroundWhile rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are extremely high among adolescents and young adults in the United States, rates of HIV and STI testing remain low. Given the ubiquity of mobile phones and the saliency of peers for youths, text messaging strategies may successfully promote HIV or STI testing among youths. ObjectiveThis study aimed to understand the types of messages youths believe were motivating and persuasive when asked to text friends to encourage them to seek HIV or STI testing services at a neighborhood clinic. MethodsWe implemented an adolescent peer-based text messaging intervention to encourage clinic attendance and increase STI and HIV testing among youths (n=100) at an adolescent clinic in San Francisco, California. Participants were asked to send a text message to 5 friends they believed were sexually active to encourage their friends to visit the clinic and receive STI or HIV screening. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the content of the text messages sent and received during the clinic visit. Member checking and consensus coding were used to ensure interrater reliability and significance of themes. ResultsWe identified four themes in the messages sent by participants: (1) calls to action to encourage peers to get tested, (2) personalized messages with sender-specific information, (3) clinic information such as location and hours, and (4) self-disclosure of personal clinic experience. We found that nearly all text messages included some combination of 2 or more of these broad themes. We also found that youths were inclined to send messages they created themselves, as opposed to sending the same message to each peer, which they tailored to each individual to whom they were sent. Many (40/100, 40%) received an immediate response to their message, and most participants reported receiving at least 1 positive response, while a few reported that they had received at least 1 negative response. There were some differences in responses depending on the type of message sent. ConclusionsGiven the high rates of STI and HIV and low rates of testing among adolescents, peer-driven text messaging interventions to encourage accessing care may be successful at reaching this population. This study suggests that youths are willing to text message their friends, and there are clear types of messages they develop and use. Future research should use these methods with a large, more diverse sample of youths and young adults for long-term evaluation of care seeking and care retention outcomes to make progress in reducing HIV and STI among adolescents and young adults.

Simple Summary: Natural plant products have been used medicinally for thousands of years by Native Americans in the United States to treat a wide array of ailments. However, there remains a need to investigate the therapeutic potential or effectiveness of these traditional approaches as little remains known. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of aqueous extracts prepared from four plants traditionally used in Indiana, USA, to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and infection with human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), a major respiratory pathogen of infants and the elderly. Traditional approaches employing natural plant products to treat a wide array of ailments have been documented and described for thousands of years. However, there remains limited scientific study of the therapeutic potential or effectiveness of ethnobotanical applications. Increases in the incidence of cancer and emerging infectious diseases demonstrate a growing need for advances in the development of therapeutic options. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of aqueous extracts prepared from four plants, purple aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (L.) Nemsom), common sage (Salvia lyrata (L.)), northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume), and lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina (K.) Koch)) traditionally used in Native American medicine in Indiana, USA. Using a combination of cytotoxicity assays, immunofluorescence microscopy, and antiviral assays, we found that sage and spicebush extracts exhibit cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects on HeLa cell proliferation and that sage, spicebush, and aster extracts were capable of significantly inhibiting human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), a major respiratory pathogen of infants and the elderly. Chemical analysis of the four extracts identified four major compounds which were subsequently evaluated to identify the responsible constituents in the extracts. While none of the identified compounds were shown to induce significant impacts on HeLa cell proliferation, two of the compounds, (1S)-(-)-Borneol and 5-(hydroxymethyl)-furfural, identified in sage and spicebush, respectively, were shown to have antiviral activities. Our data suggest that several of the extracts tested exhibited either anti-proliferative or antiviral activity supporting future further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAdolescents are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. Many youths with asymptomatic STI or related symptoms do not seek treatment and may not be screened if accessing the health care system for other reasons. ObjectiveWe examined intervention completion and changes in the number of new patients, the number of STI or HIV tests, and the sexual risk profile of patients over time to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-driven text messaging strategy to connect youth to STI and HIV services. MethodsThe intervention enlisted consecutive patients at an adolescent medicine clinic to send a text message to 5 peers they believed were sexually active and lived in the clinic’s service area. The intervention was evaluated using an interrupted time-series design in which baseline clinic service levels were documented during a 35-week lead-in period, followed by a 20-week intervention implementation period, and a 16-week period of continued clinic observation. Clinic and patient data were obtained through chart abstraction from intake forms that occurred during the entire study period. Analyses conducted in 2015 used a generalized linear mixed model. ResultsOf the 153 patients approached to participate, 100 agreed to send SMS text messages. Most (n=55, 55%) reported no concerns with sending the text message. No adverse events or negative outcomes were reported. Adolescent STI testing, positive test results, and reported risk behavior increased post intervention, although this was not statistically significant, likely because of the small sample size. ConclusionsGiven low youth uptake of health care services, and STI/HIV screening, in particular, new strategies are needed to address access barriers. Common approaches for reaching youth are resource-intensive and often miss those not connected to school or community programs. The peer-based text messaging strategy showed promise for both increasing the number of youths accessing health services and finding youths engaging in sexual risk behaviors and most in need of sexual health screening and services.

This study identifies and summarizes potential risks to operations, regulatory compliance, supply chains, and infrastructure of the electric power industry from changing surface water conditions resulting from global climate change. The results help inform companies/utilities seeking to incorporate climate change risk in their planning and decision‐making processes by ranking risk severity and likelihood of occurrence on both a regional basis and by risk receptor. The assessment includes identification of potential risks to: (1) thermal generating, (2) hydroelectric, (3) land‐based renewable generating, and (4) transmission and distribution assets. These risks may result from such projected changes as reduced water availability (e.g., for hydroelectric or once‐through cooling), increased water temperatures (e.g., decrease in cooling efficiency, inability to meet discharge permit conditions), increased flood severity (e.g., increased streambank erosion and/or damage to river‐adjacent infrastructure), and decreased water quality (e.g., from increased transport of sediment and dissolved solids). The potential risks identified from this qualitative risk‐assessment are documented in a graphical format depicting both severity and likelihood. This approach allows for comparison of risks across a portfolio and for future prioritization of adaptation strategies. A total of 32 risks were identified in the study, including nine risks to infrastructure, six risks to operations, four risks to supply chain, and 13 environmental/regulatory risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) specializes in feeding on conifer cone seeds but will feed opportunistically on a wide variety of other food items, including fungi, eggs, small vertebrates, and invertebrates. In much of their range, Red Squirrels experience fluctuations in the availability of their primary diet (conifer seeds) seasonally and annually because of variation in seed production. We document a seemingly uncommon or unreported feeding behaviour by a Red Squirrel in a year of an exceedingly low conifer cone production in Yukon, Canada: a squirrel foraging for and feeding on aphids hidden within galls formed on Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera). We searched for community-reported observations of Red Squirrels through iNaturalist and found additional evidence of apparently similar gall feeding behaviour elsewhere in Canada. We estimate that aphids can be a substantial source of caloric energy for Red Squirrels. Our observation represents another example of the diet breadth of Red Squirrels during periods of low conifer seed availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the authors experience of activism coming in the form of young adult literature.

Abstract Background Surveys have generally found that individuals more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine are female, live in the western United States, are likely to have a health complaint, and have a higher socioeconomic status than do nonusers. What is not known is the extent to which those who use complementary and alternative medicine also engage in positive health behaviors, such as smoking cessation or increased physical activity and/or exhibit fewer health risk factors such as obesity. This has been identified as a key research question in a recent Institute of Medicine report. In the present study we sought to determine whether the use of complementary and alternative medicine is associated with health behaviors or risk factors known to impact on health status. Methods The current study is a cross-sectional regression analysis using data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. Data were collected in-person from 31,044 adults throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Results After controlling for a range of other factors, we found that engaging in leisure-time physical activity, having consumed alcohol in one's life but not being a current heavy drinker, and being a former smoker are independently associated with the use of CAM. Obese individuals are slightly less likely to use CAM than individuals with a healthy body-mass index. No significant associations were observed between receipt of an influenza vaccine and CAM use. Conclusion Those engaging in positive health behaviors and exhibiting fewer health risk factors are more likely to use CAM than those who forgo positive health behaviors or exhibit more health risk factors. The fact that users of CAM tend to pursue generally healthy lifestyles suggests that they may be open to additional recommendations toward optimizing their health.