University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute

Krabbe disease, or globoid cell leukodystrophy, is a rare disorder caused by deficient galactosylceramidase activity and loss of myelin‐forming oligodendrocytes, resulting in progressive demyelination and severely impaired motor function. Disease symptoms in humans appear within 3–6 months of age (early infantile) and manifest as marked irritability, spasticity, and seizures. The disease is often fatal by the second year of life, with few effective treatment options. Herein we evaluated the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) administered intracranially to a 1‐month‐old rhesus macaque diagnosed with severe early‐onset Krabbe disease that displayed neurologic and behavioral symptoms similar to those of human patients. The infant was subjected to physical and neurological behavior examinations and nerve conduction velocity tests to assess efficacy, and outcomes were compared with age‐matched normal infants and Krabbe‐affected rhesus monkeys with late‐onset disease. Changes in major blood lymphocyte populations were also monitored to assess host immune cell responses. MSC administration resulted in transient improvements in coordination, ambulation, cognition, and large motor skills, which correlated with increased peripheral nerve conduction velocities and decreased latencies. Improvements also corresponded to transient increases in peripheral blood lymphocyte counts, but secondary challenge failed to elicit allo‐antibody production. Nevertheless, white cell and neutrophil counts showed dramatic increases, and CD20+ B cell counts underwent a precipitous decline at late stages of disease progression. Correlative data linking MSC administration to transient improvements in motor function suggest that MSCs should be evaluated further as an experimental therapy for rare neurodegenerative diseases. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:99–109

One way of developing culturally relevant health communication in the African American church setting is to develop spiritually based interventions, in which the health message is framed by relevant spiritual themes and scripture. In this article we describe the development of a community health advisor(CHA)-led intervention aimed at increasing informed decision making (IDM) for prostate cancer screening among church-attending African American men. Full-color print educational booklets were developed and pilot tested with extensive community participation of church-attending African American men age-eligible for screening. The intervention development phase consisted of ideas solicited from an advisory panel of African American men (N = 10), who identified core content and developed the spiritual themes. In the intervention pilot testing phase, prototypes of the intervention materials were pilot tested for graphic appeal in two focus groups (N = 16), and content was tested for acceptability and comprehension using individual cognitive response interviews (N = 10). Recommendations were made for project branding and logo and for use of graphics of real people in the educational materials. Significant feedback was obtained from the focus groups, on the graphics, colors, fonts, continuity, titles, and booklet size/shape. The importance of working closely with the community when developing interventions is discussed, as well as the importance of pilot testing of educational materials.

A federal district court injunction in Illinois will reverberate beyond the Land of Lincoln by reaffiriming policy and law for local phone competition in the USA. Chief District Judge Charles P. Kocoras reminded legislators, regulators and telecommunications executives that state regulators are to employ federal telecommunications law and policy, specifically total element long run incremental pricing (TELRIC) for unbundled network elements (UNE‐s), to administer markets for local telephone services. The genius of the decision resides in its fidelity to sedulous implementation of telecommunications statute and precedents, and by so doing, in sustaining public policy that enhances consumer welfare, stimulates investment and spurs innovation.

To determine whether HIV-1 replicates locally in the female genital tract during therapy, and to study whether endocervix is the dominant source of virus in cervicovaginal lavage fluid. Sequence analyses of HIV-1 pol were performed from cervicovaginal secretions and blood plasma of HIV-infected women failing antiretroviral therapy with detectable viral load in both compartments, as well as from drug-naive subjects. Viral RNA was extracted from cervicovaginal lavage fluid, endocervical secretions collected by Sno-strips, and blood plasma. Population sequencing of HIV-1 pol was performed using cycle sequencing. Drug resistance mutations were analyzed. Phylogenies were constructed based on synonymous positions in the sequences. Resistant virus was detected concordantly in blood and genital tract specimens, consistent with drug selection pressure in both compartments. However, drug-selected mutations often differed in each compartment, and phylogenetic analysis showed differences in virus lineage in these compartments, consistent with local replication in female genital tract. Viruses in cervicovaginal lavage and endocervical secretions were genetically distinguishable, suggesting that endocervix is not the only source of virus found in cervicovaginal lavage. These data support the hypothesis that HIV replication is compartmentalized within the female genital tract during antiretroviral therapy, which has implications for pathogenesis and for epidemiologic surveillance of drug-resistant virus.

This report describes the Distance Teaching in Community Nutrition program (DTCN), conducted through distance education. This program uses correspondence and a biweekly “live” teleconference as the media for teaching. A questionnaire determined student characteristics and opinions about the program. These results will be useful for practitioners considering similar approaches to nutrition education. This program was effective in meeting the goals of extending knowledge, providing postgraduate qualification, and servicing information needs in employment and personal settings. Overall, students were satisfied with the program, but expressed lower satisfaction with their own level of competence in community nutrition, as well as the need for increased accessibility and communication with the lecturer. Incorporation of additional community nutrition activities and opportunities to meet the lecturers should be explored. Distance education should be considered as an alternative to traditional graduate education...