No abstract

In the limb bud of the 5-day-old avian embryo, when primary muscle fibre formation is beginning and before specific muscles appear, differences in the expression of fast and slow myosin heavy chain genes can be detected among primary fibres of the premuscle masses. Myoblasts that form colonies of fibres of specific types can be isolated from these limb buds. To assess the role of myoblast commitment in specifying fibre types during embryonic development, we cloned myoblasts of specific types from embryonic and adult muscles, transfected them with a reporter gene, and transferred them into developing limb buds. After transfer, cloned myoblasts formed fibres in the limb with the same patterns of myosin heavy chain gene expression as the fibres they formed in cell culture. These results demonstrate that initial skeletal muscle fibre type diversity during avian limb development can originate, in part, from the commitment of distinct myoblast types to the formation of specific fibre types.

Chronic hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer and the largest health disparity between Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs) and the general US population. The Hep B Free model was launched to eliminate hepatitis B infection by increasing hepatitis B awareness, testing, vaccination, and treatment among APIs by building a broad, community-wide coalition. The San Francisco Hep B Free campaign is a diverse public/private collaboration unifying the API community, health care system, policy makers, businesses, and the general public in San Francisco, California. Mass-media and grassroots messaging raised citywide awareness of hepatitis B and promoted use of the existing health care system for hepatitis B screening and follow-up. Coalition partners reported semi-annually on activities, resources utilized, and system changes instituted. From 2007 to 2009, over 150 organizations contributed approximately $1,000,000 in resources to the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign. 40 educational events reached 1,100 healthcare providers, and 50% of primary care physicians pledged to screen APIs routinely for hepatitis B. Community events and fairs reached over 200,000 members of the general public. Of 3,315 API clients tested at stand-alone screening sites created by the campaign, 6.5% were found to be chronically infected and referred to follow-up care. A grassroots coalition that develops strong partnerships with diverse organizations can use existing resources to successfully increase public and healthcare provider awareness about hepatitis B among APIs, promote routine hepatitis B testing and vaccination as part of standard primary care, and ensure access to treatment for chronically infected individuals.

Background: Previous smallpox ring vaccination models based on contact tracing over a network suggest that ring vaccination would be effective, but have not explicitly included response logistics and limited numbers of vaccinators.

The highest users of repeat testing are those who are practicing the highest risk behaviors and have the highest incidence of HIV. This suggests that prevention messages should be modified to more explicitly address the behaviors that are putting individuals at high risk for HIV.

Asians are disproportionately affected by chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection and its fatal consequences. The Hep B Free campaign was launched to eliminate HBV in San Francisco by increasing awareness, testing, vaccination and linkage to care. The campaign conducted 306 street intercept and telephone interviews of San Francisco Asians to assess current levels of HBV knowledge, testing behaviors and effectiveness of existing campaign media materials. One-third of respondents ranked HBV as a key health issue in the Asian community, second to diabetes. General HBV awareness is high (85%); however, a majority could not name an effective prevention method. Sixty percent reported having been tested for HBV; provider recommendation was the most often cited reason for testing. Respondents reported a high level of trust in their providers to correctly assess which health issues they may be at risk for developing and test accordingly, confirming that efforts to increase HBV testing among Asians must simultaneously mobilize the public to request testing and compel providers to test high-risk patients. Regarding community awareness, more than half reported hearing more about HBV recently; younger respondents were more likely to have encountered campaign materials and recall correct HBV facts. Assessment of specific campaign materials found that while upbeat images and taglines captured attention and destigmatized HBV, messages that emphasize the pervasiveness and deadly consequence of infection were more likely to drive respondents to seek education and testing. The campaign used survey results to focus efforts on more intensive provider outreach and to create messages for a new public outreach media campaign.

No abstract

Routine testing is the most cost-effective approach to identifying new HIV infections. However, using risk histories may be similarly cost-effective under various assumptions. Both routine testing and using risk histories are more cost-effective than current practices.