Forty-eight crossbred ewes were subjected to heat stress of short or long duration during the last third of gestation in a completely randomized design to determine the effects of maternal heat stress on lamb birth weight, lamb conformation and subsequent preweaning growth rate. Ewe treatments were spring range pasture, confinement on slotted floors in a heated room maintained between 28 to 38 C or in a slotted floor barn with feed intake equal to the feed intake of the 38 C housed ewes. Treatment exposure averaged 25 and 53 days for short and long duration, respectively. Lamb birth weights of heated, range and restricted fed ewes were 3.18, 4.57 and 4.16 kg, respectively. After adjustment for sex and multiple birth effects, birth weight of lambs from hot environment ewes were smaller (P<.01) for both durations of treatment. Lamb birth weights from heated ewes were smaller than those of lambs from restricted fed ewes (P<.05). Relative kidney and liver weights were greater in lambs from heated ewes (P<.05). Relative muscle weights and relative linear equivalent bone lengths were not different among ewe treatments. Lambs from heated ewes had 30 and 56-day weights similar to those of lambs from range and restricted fed ewe groups. Small Iambs resulting from maternal heat stress of 25 or 53 days duration are proportional dwarfs and occur independently of ewe level of nutrition. Department of Animal Science. 2Studies were conducted at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson, IL. The cooperation of Drs. M. E. Mansfield and D. Drori is gratefully appreciated.

Background: Huntington disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disease leading to progressive motor, cognitive, and behavioral decline. Subtle changes in these domains are detectable up to 15 years before a definitive motor diagnosis is made. This period, called prodromal HD, provides an opportunity to examine lifestyle behaviors that may impact disease progression. Theoretical Framework: Physical activity relates to decreased rates of brain atrophy and improved cognitive and day-to-day functioning in Alzheimer disease and healthy aging populations. Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the impact of physical activity on disease progression in HD and paid little attention to the prodromal phase. Methods: We conducted analyses of associations among current physical activity level, current and retrospective rate of change for hippocampus and striatum volume, and cognitive, motor, and day-to-day functioning variables. Participants were 48 gene-expanded cases with prodromal and early-diagnosed HD and 27 nongene-expanded control participants. Participants wore Fitbit Ultra activity monitors for three days and completed the self-reported International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Hippocampal and striatal white matter volumes were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Cognitive tests included the Stroop Color and Word Test, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Motor function was assessed using the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale total motor score (TMS). Day-to-day functioning was measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) version 2.0. Results: Higher Fitbit activity scores were significantly related to better scores on the SDMT and WHODAS in case participants but not in controls. Fitbit activity scores tracked better with TMS scores in the group as a whole, though the association did not reach statistical significance in the case participants. Higher Fitbit activity scores related to less day-to-day functioning decline in retrospective slope analyses. Fitbit activity scores did not differ significantly between cases and controls. Conclusions: This is the first known study examining the associations between activity level and imaging, motor, cognitive, and day-to-day functioning outcomes in prodromal and early HD. Preliminary results suggest physical activity positively correlates with improved cognitive and day-to-day functioning and possibly motor function in individuals in the prodromal and early phase of the condition.

Nearly half of African-American women have hypertension, which increases their risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. A plethora of consumer health information products and services exist to inform people with hypertension and to promote self-management among them. Promotion of information sharing by African-American women represents a promising, culturally applicable strategy for consumer health information services focused on hypertension self-management. Yet how African-American women share hypertension information with others is unclear. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to examine practices of information sharing in African-American women with hypertension. Thirteen women (mean age 5 73, SD 5 9.87) participated in one of 2 focus groups held at an urban community health center. Thematic analysis revealed that the women shared information about how they self-managed their blood pressure i) with female family members and friends, ii) about ways in which they adapted self-management strategies to work for them, iii) mostly in group settings, and iv) because they wanted to prevent others from suffering and reinforce their own knowledge about hypertension selfmanagement. New findings emerged regarding assessing "readiness" for information. Study findings will be used to inform the design of an information-sharing intervention to support self-management of hypertension in African-American women.Although the prevalence of hypertension increases with age across all populations, rates in African-American women are among the highest (Mozaffarian et al., 2016). Hypertension, blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg, must be controlled to prevent kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and death (Valderrama et al., 2012). Self-management of hypertension requires improved diet, increased exercise, and medication adherence (James et al., 2014). Many consumer health information products and services exist to inform and promote hypertension self-management among AfricanAmericans.Promotion of information sharing by African-American women represents a promising, culturally applicable strategy for consumer health information services focused on hypertension self-management. Guided by studies examining the

Background: Sedentary behavior (SED) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) have important implications for health; however, little is known about predictors of these behaviors during pregnancy. Methods: This cohort study measured SED (activPAL) and MVPA (GT3X) in each trimester of pregnancy. Univariate associations of demographic, socioeconomic, and pregnancy health-related factors with SED or MVPA were calculated. Associations with P < .10 were included in stepwise linear regression models to determine independent predictors in each trimester. Results: Pregnant women (n = 127) were age 31.0 (4.9) years and 78% white. In regression models across trimesters, fewer children ≤ age 5 in the household (P < .04) and primarily sitting job activity (P < .008) were related to higher SED and use of assisted reproductive technology (P < .05) was associated with higher MVPA. In at least one trimester, younger age was related to higher SED (P = .014); no history of pregnancy loss (P < .04), being married (P = .003), employed (P < .004, full time or student), white race (P = .006), and higher education (P = .010) were associated with higher MVPA. Conclusions: Predictors of SED in pregnancy were more consistent, and differed from predictors of MVPA. These findings may help identify women at risk of high SED or low MVPA, though future research in larger samples is needed.

Background: Inflammation is a common factor in adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Behavioral factors influence inflammatory markers and APOs but rarely have been investigated simultaneously in pregnancy. Our purpose was to determine how diet, physical activity, and obesity are associated with interleukin (IL)-6 in early and late pregnancy. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of 49 overweight/obese pregnant women. Health behavior data, including diet quality using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®); physical activity (Leisure Time Physical Activity scale); body mass index (BMI); and plasma IL-6 concentrations were collected at 13–16 weeks (early pregnancy) and 34–36 weeks (late pregnancy) gestation. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the amount of variance explained in early and late pregnancy IL-6 concentrations by early and late pregnancy diet, physical activity, and BMI. Results: Early diet and early BMI were the strongest predictors of early IL-6 concentrations (R2 = 0.43; p < .001) and late IL-6 concentrations (R2 = 0.30; p < .001). Late BMI predicted late IL-6 (R2 = .11; p = .02). Change in diet over pregnancy predicted late IL-6 (R2 = 0.17; p = .03). Conclusion: These findings suggest that maternal diet and BMI in early pregnancy, which likely reflects prepregnancy status, may have a greater impact on inflammatory processes than factors later in pregnancy. Future work should assess if behavioral factors before pregnancy produce similar relationships to those reported here, which may clarify the timing and type of lifestyle interventions to effectively reduce APOs.