Impact of ergothioneine, hercynine, and histidine on oxidative degradation of hyaluronan and wound Healing

A high-molecular weight hyaluronan is oxidatively degraded by Cu(II) ions and ascorbate—the so called Weissberger biogenic oxidative system—which is one of the most potent generators of reactive oxygen species, namely •OH radicals. Ergothioneine, hercynine, or histidine were loaded into chitosan/hyaluronan composite membranes to examine their effect on skin wound healing in ischemic rabbits. We also explored the ability of ergothioneine, hercynine, or histidine to inhibit hyaluronan degradation. Rotational viscometry showed that ergothioneine decreased the degree of hyaluronan radical degradation in a dose-dependent manner. While histidine was shown to be potent in scavenging •OH radicals, however, hercynine was ineffective. In vivo results showed that the addition of each investigated agent to chitosan/hyaluronan membranes contributed to a more potent treatment of ischemic skin wounds in rabbits compared to untreated animals and animals treated only with chitosan/hyaluronan membranes

How important are faces for person re-identification?

This paper investigates the dependence of existing state-of-the-art person re-identification models on the presence and visibility of human faces. We apply a face detection and blurring algorithm to create anonymized versions of several popular person re-identification datasets including Market1501, DukeMTMC-reID, CUHK03, Viper, and Airport. Using a cross-section of existing state-of-the-art models that range in accuracy and computational efficiency, we evaluate the effect of this anonymization on re-identification performance using standard metrics. Perhaps surprisingly, the effect on mAP is very small, and accuracy is recovered by simply training on the anonymized versions of the data rather than the original data. These findings are consistent across multiple models and datasets. These results indicate that datasets can be safely anonymized by blurring faces without significantly impacting the performance of person reidentification systems, and may allow for the release of new richer re-identification datasets where previously there were privacy or data protection concerns

Inhibition of human BK polyomavirus replication by small noncoding RNAs

Small noncoding RNAs regulate a variety of cellular processes, including genomic imprinting, chromatin remodeling, replication, transcription, and translation. Here, we report small replication-regulating RNAs (srRNAs) that specifically inhibit DNA replication of the human BK polyomavirus (BKV) in vitro and in vivo. srRNAs from FM3A murine mammary tumor cells were enriched by DNA replication assay-guided fractionation and hybridization to the BKV noncoding control region (NCCR) and synthesized as cDNAs. Selective mutagenesis of the cDNA sequences and their putative targets suggests that the inhibition of BKV DNA replication is mediated by srRNAs binding to the viral NCCR, hindering early steps in the initiation of DNA replication. Ectopic expression of srRNAs in human cells inhibited BKV DNA replication in vivo. Additional srRNAs were designed and synthesized that specifically inhibit simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication in vitro. These observations point to novel mechanisms for regulating DNA replication and suggest the design of synthetic agents for inhibiting replication of polyomaviruses and possibly other viruses

Increased weight gain during the long interdialytic period Is associated with minor effects on blood pressure control in clinically stable in-centre haemodialysis patients

Background/Aims: Three-day-a-week chronic haemodialysis (cHD) involves 1 long (72 h) and 2 short (48 h) inter-dialytic periods (IDPs), We aimed to determine whether BP control following the long IDP is inferior to the short IDPs. Methods: All pre- and post-dialysis BP and weight measurements over a 4-week period were retrospectively analyzed among 135 clinically stable cHD patients at 2 academic centres with comparisons between measurements recorded following short and long IDPs. Subsequently, 23 clinically stable cHD patients underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) during the final day/night cycle of the long IDP and 1 short IDP within the same week. Results: In combined and separate analyses of the 2 retrospective cohorts, pre-dialysis BP parameters were not different following long and short IDPs despite greater inter-dialytic weight gain (IDWG) during the long IDP. Subgroup analyses of the total cohort showed no evidence for inferior BP control during the long IDP among those with high %IDWG. In the ABPM study, nocturnal hypertension and loss of nocturnal dipping were frequent, Furthermore, daytime systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure were modestly higher during the last day/night cycle of the long compared with short IDP, Conclusion: In stable cHD patients, the greater IDWG that occurred during the long IDP was not associated with overtly inferior BP control as reflected in pre-dialysis BP measurements. However, modestly higher daytime SBP was evident towards the end of the long IDP by 24 h ABPM. Thus, while fluid gain has well-documented associations with hypertension and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, the excess IDWG that occurs during the long IDP exerts relatively minor effects on BP control in patients on well-established dialysis regimens that are better identified by ambulatory monitoring. (C) 2018 S. Karger AG, Base

N-Alkyl-1,5-dideoxy-1,5-imino-l-fucitols as fucosidase inhibitors: Synthesis, molecular modelling and activity against cancer cell lines

1,5-Dideoxy-1,5-imino-l-fucitol (1-deoxyfuconojirimycin, DFJ) is an iminosugar that inhibits fucosidases. Herein, N-alkyl DFJs have been synthesised and tested against the ¿-fucosidases of T. maritima (bacterial origin) and B. taurus (bovine origin). The N-alkyl derivatives were inactive against the bacterial fucosidase, while inhibiting the bovine enzyme. Docking of inhibitors to homology models, generated for the bovine and human fucosidases, was carried out. N-Decyl-DFJ was toxic to cancer cell lines and was more potent than the other N-alkyl DFJs studied.Research presented herein was supported by Science Foundation Ireland (07/IN.1/B966), the Irish Research Council (GOI PhD Scholarships to JZ, AN) and the European Commission through COST Action CM1106. The authors thank Guan-Nan Wang for recording NMR spectra and to Nadine Martinet for organization of the COST Action CM1106 screening library that led to identification of the activity for 16. The authors thank Dr. Stephen Rea and Dr. Helen Dodson for gifts of tumour cells

LGBTQ+ Special Edition Editorial Journal of Nursing Management

Globally, there is an imperative in providing access to appropriate and responsive healthcare for all citizens (World Health Organization, 2016). There is an increased interest in how these concerns extend to wider populations such those people identifying as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ+) (Government Equalities Office, 2018). However, there remains significant gaps in the research evidence around the distinct supports and services available to meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ populations. This is evident in the shortcomings that exist in the education and practice development requirements of nurses and other allied health professionals (McCann & Brown, 2020). International responses to discrimination and social exclusion are becoming more evident in health inequality and human rights legislative documents in order to address concerns that can impact significantly upon the lives LGBTQ+ people (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2015; Royal College of Nursing, 2016). For some LGBTQ+ people, issues related to minority stress can result in depression, anxiety, suicidality, loneliness and isolation (Institute of Medicine, 2011)

Exploring the role and impact of visual art groups with multiple stakeholders in recovery-oriented mental health services

The full text of this article will not be available in ULIR until the embargo expires on the 16/12/2022This arts-based study explored the role and impact of visual art in supporting collaborative working between service users and staff in a recovery-oriented mental health service in Ireland. A total of two service users and five staff members took part in three visual art focus groups led by a qualified art therapist. Afterwards, service user and staff experiences of focus group participation was investigated through individual semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. Three original artworks were created in three focus groups, each of which represented how stakeholders wished their recovery-oriented service to develop in future. Analysis of interviews describing experiences of working with fellow mental health stakeholders in the focus groups revealed five common themes including: ‘Group art-marking engenders collaboration’, ‘The physicality of being in the art-making space evokes sensory experience’, ‘Group art-making can offer a sense of liberation’, ‘Group art-making raises questions about self-revelation’ and ‘Group art-making enables an atmosphere of equitity’. Findings suggest that when facilitated by an art therapist, group visual art making can offer stakeholders a creative, liberating and equitable environment that can foster the concept of co-production that is foundational to effective recovery-oriented working in mental healt

Urease and Nitrification Inhibitors—As Mitigation Tools for Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Sustainable Dairy Systems: A Review

Currently, nitrogen fertilizers are utilized to meet 48% of the total global food demand. The demand for nitrogen fertilizers is expected to grow as global populations continue to rise. The use of nitrogen fertilizers is associated with many negative environmental impacts and is a key source of greenhouse and harmful gas emissions. In recent years, urease and nitrification inhibitors have emerged as mitigation tools that are presently utilized in agriculture to prevent nitrogen losses and reduce greenhouse and harmful gas emissions that are associated with the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers. Both classes of inhibitor work by different mechanisms and have different physiochemical properties. Consequently, each class must be evaluated on its own merits. Although there are many benefits associated with the use of these inhibitors, little is known about their potential to enter the food chain, an event that may pose challenges to food safety. This phenomenon was highlighted when the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide was found as a residual contaminant in milk products in 2013. This comprehensive review aims to discuss the uses of inhibitor technologies in agriculture and their possible impacts on dairy product safety and quality, highlighting areas of concern with regards to the introduction of these inhibitor technologies into the dairy supply chain. Furthermore, this review discusses the benefits and challenges of inhibitor usage with a focus on EU regulations, as well as associated health concerns, chemical behavior, and analytical detection methods for these compounds within milk and environmental matrices.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irelan

Modelling the potential benefits of increased active travel

This research examines the behavioural response of commuters within the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), Ireland, to a range of policy incentives designed to encourage travellers to make greater use of sustainable travel modes for work. Several policy measures were evaluated using discrete choice and four stage modelling methods, to estimate the propensity of commuters to shift to active modes use (walking and cycling) rather than single occupancy vehicle (SOV). As a means of appraising the hypothetical introduction of a range of active mode policy incentives, a stated preference experiment (SP) was created as an instrument for gathering decision making, mode choice and socio-demographic data from a sample of commuters in the GDA, based on a number of designed policy scenarios. Extensive transport modelling work was subsequently conducted with the National Transport Authority (NTA) of Ireland using the National Regional Modelling System (RMS). A representation of the policy changes explored in the SP experiment was made in this four-stage transport model in order to produce real-life estimates of trip making behaviour and mode share, to test the behavioural response of the introduction of the policy incentives. Changes to parameters in the Mode Choice and Trip Assignment stages of the four-stage model were made to account for improvements made to the infrastructure and time attributes of walking and cycling in the model. The modifications were made based on ‘Do Nothing/Base’, ‘Do Something’, and ‘Do Maximum’ scenarios, which were determined by attribute level values taken from the SP survey. The findings produced in this study show a marked inelasticity of commuters to react in response to improvements made to the level of service of cycling, while on the contrary exhibiting high levels of elasticity to changes made to pedestrian infrastructure. Outputs from these model scenarios found that pedestrians in the GDA were most sensitive to the policy incentives tested. The results highlight that investing in improvements to the public realm may be a more worthwhile investment in order to encourage a modal shift to walking for commuting trip purposes.Environmental Protection Agenc

Locative reverb: Artistic practice, sound technology, and the grammatization of the listener in the city

There are various ways that artists use technology in exploring the relation of sound to the urban environment, which has different impacts on the listener in relation to place. The rising prominence of these works is connected to a broader sonic turn in urban studies and art, underscoring a rising emphasis on the influence of sound on multisensory experience. Using Bernard Stiegler’s consideration of technology as pharmakon (or the condition of duality in which something is both poison and cure, bringing both benefit and harm), and his definition of technological grammatization, how artistic use of technology mediates the relationship of the urban environment to the listener through sound is studied through a pharmacological approach in order to nuance the possibilities of artistic critical engagement, emphasising how this can include unintended consequences of re-enforcing certain listener behaviours. At the same time, considerations of how artistic repurposing of listening technology can provide new modes of urban engagement are taken into account, where sound offers the impetus for what Brandon LaBelle (2017) refers to as sonic agency.Peer reviewed2022-12-3