Social Ecology of Children’s Vulnerability to Environmental Pollutants

BACKGROUND: The outcomes of exposure to neurotoxic chemicals early in life depend on the properties of both the chemical and the host’s environment. When our questions focus on the toxicant, the environmental properties tend to be regarded as marginal and designated as covariates or confounders. Such approaches blur the reality of how the early environment establishes enduring biologic substrates. OBJECTIVES: In this commentary, we describe another perspective, based on decades of biopsychological research on animals, that shows how the early, even prenatal, environment creates permanent changes in brain structure and chemistry and behavior. Aspects of the early environment—encompassing enrichment, deprivation, and maternal and neonatal stress—all help determine the functional responses later in life that derive from the biologic substrate imparted by that environment. Their effects then become biologically embedded. Human data, particularly those connected to economically disadvantaged populations, yield equivalent conclusions. DISCUSSION: In this commentary, we argue that treating such environmental conditions as confounders is equivalent to defining genetic differences as confounders, a tactic that laboratory research, such as that based on transgenic manipulations, clearly rejects. The implications extend from laboratory experiments that, implicitly, assume that the early environment can be standardized to risk assessments based on epidemiologic investigations. CONCLUSIONS: The biologic properties implanted by the early social environment should be regarded as crucial elements of the translation from laboratory research to human health and, in fact, should be incorporated into human health research. The methods for doing so are not clearly defined and present many challenges to investigators

Canine candidate genes for dilated cardiomyopathy: annotation of and polymorphic markers for 14 genes

BackgroundDilated cardiomyopathy is a myocardial disease occurring in humans and domestic animals and is characterized by dilatation of the left ventricle, reduced systolic function and increased sphericity of the left ventricle. Dilated cardiomyopathy has been observed in several, mostly large and giant, dog breeds, such as the Dobermann and the Great Dane. A number of genes have been identified, which are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in the human, mouse and hamster. These genes mainly encode structural proteins of the cardiac myocyte.ResultsWe present the annotation of, and marker development for, 14 of these genes of the dog genome, i.e. alpha-cardiac actin, caveolin 1, cysteine-rich protein 3, desmin, lamin A/C, LIM-domain binding factor 3, myosin heavy polypeptide 7, phospholamban, sarcoglycan delta, titin cap, alpha-tropomyosin, troponin I, troponin T and vinculin. A total of 33 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms were identified for these canine genes and 11 polymorphic microsatellite repeats were developed.ConclusionThe presented polymorphisms provide a tool to investigate the role of the corresponding genes in canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy by linkage analysis or association studies

CDC2/SPDY transiently associates with endoplasmic reticulum exit sites during oocyte maturation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mammalian oocytes acquire competence to be fertilized during meiotic maturation. The protein kinase CDC2 plays a pivotal role in several key maturation events, in part through controlled changes in CDC2 localization. Although CDC2 is involved in initiation of maturation, a detailed analysis of CDC2 localization at the onset of maturation is lacking. In this study, the subcellular distribution of CDC2 and its regulatory proteins cyclin B and SPDY in combination with several organelle markers at the onset of pig oocyte maturation has been investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that CDC2 transiently associates with a single domain, identified as a cluster of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exit sites (ERES) by the presence of SEC23, in the cortex of maturing porcine oocytes prior to germinal vesicle break down. Inhibition of meiosis resumption by forskolin treatment prevented translocation of CDC2 to this ERES cluster. Phosphorylated GM130 (P-GM130), which is a marker for fragmented Golgi, localized to ERES in almost all immature oocytes and was not affected by forskolin treatment. After removal of forskolin from the culture media, the transient translocation of CDC2 to ERES was accompanied by a transient dispersion of P-GM130 into the ER suggesting a role for CDC2 in redistributing Golgi components that have collapsed into ERES further into the ER during meiosis. Finally, we show that SPDY, rather than cyclin B, colocalizes with CDC2 at ERES, suggesting a role for the CDC2/SPDY complex in regulating the secretory pathway during oocyte maturation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data demonstrate the presence of a novel structure in the cortex of porcine oocytes that comprises ERES and transiently accumulates CDC2 prior to germinal vesicle breakdown. In addition, we show that SPDY, but not cyclin B, localizes to this ERES cluster together with CDC2.</p

Recommendation of RILEM TC 261-CCF: test method to determine the flexural creep of fibre reinforced concrete in the cracked state

[EN] To date there is no clear consensus about how creep of cracked FRC structural elements should be considered. In recent years, different methodologies have been developed for multiple stress cases. The absence of a standardised methodology to evaluate flexural creep in the cracked state has hindered general comparisons and conclusions that could lead to significant advances in this topic. Since 2014, the study of the creep behaviour of cracked FRC has been coordinated by the RILEM TC 261-CCF. All the available creep methodologies were analysed in terms of procedure, equipment and results. A comprehensive Round-Robin Test (RRT) on the creep behaviour of cracked sections of FRC was proposed and undertaken by a total of 19 participant laboratories from 14 countries all over the world. The analysis and conclusions of the RRT results and the different methodologies provided the basis for this recommendation. This recommendation focuses on the test method to evaluate the flexural creep of FRC specimens in the cracked state. Guidelines on specimen production, detailed test equipment, experimental setup and test procedure as well as the definitions of the most relevant parameters are provided.Llano-Torre, A.; Serna Ros, P. (2021). Recommendation of RILEM TC 261-CCF: test method to determine the flexural creep of fibre reinforced concrete in the cracked state. Materials and Structures. 54(3):1-20. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-021-01675-0S120543Theodorakopoulos D (1995) Creep characteristics of glass reinforced cement under flexural loading. Cement Concr Compos 17:267–279Chanvillard G, Roque O (1999) Behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete cracked section under sustained load. High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (HPFRCC 3) Mainz, Germany, pp 239–250, RILEM PRO 06Kurt S, Balaguru P (2000) Post crack creep of polymeric fibre-reinforced concrete in flexure. Cem Concr Res 30(2):183–190Mackay J, Trottier JF (2004) Post-crack behavior of steel and synthetic FRC under flexural creep. In: Shotcrete, Proc. 2nd Intnl. Conf. on Engineering, Cairns, Australia (2004), pp 183–192Kusterle W (2009) Viscous material behaviour of solids- creep of polymer fibre reinforced concrete. In: Proc. 5th Central European Congress on Concrete Engineering. obv, Baden, pp 95–100Arango S, Serna P, Martí-Vargas JR, García-Taengua E (2012) A test method to characterize flexural creep behaviour of pre-cracked FRC specimens. Exp Mech 52(8):1067–1078Zerbino RL, Barragan BE (2012) Long-term behaviour of cracked steel fibre-reinforced concrete beams under sustained loading. ACI Mater J 109(2):215–224Abrishambaf A, Barros JAO, Cunha VMCF (2015) Time-dependent flexural behaviour of cracked steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete panels. Cem Concr Res 72:21–36Buratti N, Mazzotti C (2016) Experimental tests on the long-term behaviour of SFRC and MSFRC in bending and direct tension. In: Proceedings of the BEFIB 2016, 9th RILEM international symposium on fiber reinforced concrete, pp. 163–174, Vancouver, Canada, 19–21 Sept 2016Babafemi AJ, Boshoff WP (2015) Tensile creep of macro-synthetic fibre reinforced concrete (MSFRC) under uni-axial tensile loading. Cement Concr Compos 55:62–69Vrijdaghs R, di Prisco M, Vandewalle L (2018) Uniaxial tensile creep of a cracked polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete. Mater Struct 51:5. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-017-1132-5Vasanelli E, Micelli F, Aiello MA, Plizzari G (2013) Long term behaviour of FRC flexural beams under sustained load. Eng Struct 56:1858–1867Bernard ES (2010) Influence of fibre type on creep deformation of cracked fibre-reinforced shotcrete panels. ACI Mater J 107(5):474–480EFNARC (2012) Testing sprayed concrete—Creep test on square panelLarive C, Rogat D, Chamoley D, Regnard A, Pannetier T, Thuaud C (2016) Influence of fibres on the creep behaviour of reinforced sprayed concrete. In: Proceedings of ITA World Tunnel Congress WTC 2016, April 22‐28, San Francisco, United StatesMonetti DH, Llano-Torre A, Torrijos MC, Giaccio G, Zerbino R, Martí-Vargas JR, Serna P (2019) Long-term behavior of cracked fiber reinforced concrete under service conditions. Construct Build Mater; 196:649–658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.10.230Llano-Torre A., Martí-Vargas JR, Serna P (2020) Flexural and compressive creep behavior of UHPFRC specimens. Construct Build Mater; 244:118254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118254Serna P, Llano-Torre A and Cavalaro S H P (ed) (2017) Creep behaviour in cracked sections of fibre reinforced concrete: proceedings of the international RILEM Workshop FRC-CREEP 2016. RILEM bookseries 14 (Dordrecht: Springer)Llano-Torre A, Serna P, Cavalaro SHP (2016) International round robin test on creep behavior of FRC supported by the RILEM TC 261-CCF. In: Proceedings of the BEFIB 2016, 9th RILEM international symposium on fiber reinforced concrete, pp 127–140, Vancouver, Canada, 19–21 Sept 2016Serna P, Llano-Torre A, García-Taengua E, Martí-Vargas JR (2015) Database on the long-term behaviour of FRC: a useful tool to achieve overall conclusions. In: Proceedings of the 10th international conference on mechanics and physics of Creep, Shrinkage, and Durability of Concrete and Concrete Structures, Vienna, September 2015, pp 1544–1553Llano-Torre A., Serna P. (eds) Round-Robin test on creep behaviour in cracked sections of FRC: experimental program, results and database analysis. RILEM State-of-the-Art Reports. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72736-9ASTM International (2015) C1812/C1812M-15e1 Standard Practice for Design of Journal Bearing Supports to be Used in Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beam Tests. West Conshohocken, PA; ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/C1812_C1812M-15E0

Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis in Young Adults – a review of two cases

We present two cases of clinically extensive bilateral DVTs associated with inferior vena caval thrombosis. Young patients presenting with symptoms of DVT should be investigated not only to establish any thrombophilic pre-disposition, but to ascertain the proximal extent of thrombus which may itself influence treatment

Interpreting intracorporeal landscapes: how patients visualize pathophysiology and utilize medical images in their understanding of chronic musculoskeletal illness

Medical science and other sources, such as the media, increasingly inform the general public's understanding of disease. There is often discordance between this understanding and the diagnostic interpretations of health care practitioners (HCPs). In this paper - based on a supra-analysis of qualitative interview data from two studies of joint pain, including osteoarthritis - we investigate how people imagine and make sense of the pathophysiology of their illness, and how these understandings may affect self-management behavior. We then explore how HCPs' use of medical images and models can inform patients' understanding. In conceptualizing their illness to make sense of their experience of the disease, individuals often used visualizations of their inner body; these images may arise from their own lay understanding, or may be based on images provided by HCPs. When HCPs used anatomical models or medical images judiciously, patients' orientation to their illness changed. Including patients in a more collaborative diagnostic event that uses medical images and visual models to support explanations about their condition may help them to achieve a more meaningful understanding of their illness and to manage their condition more effectively. Implications for Rehabilitation Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a leading cause of pain and years lived with disability, and despite its being common, patients and healthcare professionals often have a different understanding of the underlying disease. An individual's understanding of his or her pathophysiology plays an important role in making sense of painful joint conditions and in decision-making about self-management and care. Including patients in a more collaborative diagnostic event using medical images and anatomical models to support explanations about their symptoms may help them to better understand their condition and manage it more effectively. Using visually informed explanations and anatomical models may also help to reassure patients about the safety and effectiveness of core treatments such as physical exercise and thereby help restore or improve patients' activity levels and return to social participation