T-Cell Subsets Predict Mortality in Malnourished Zambian Adults Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedTo estimate the prognostic value of T-cell subsets in Zambian patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to assess the impact of a nutritional intervention on T-cell subsets.This work was supported by European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership grant # IP.2009.33011.004; trial foods were prepared and supplied by Nutriset, Malauney, Franc

Irish drug abusers II: their psychological characteristics.

This is the second in a series of 3 articles based on a study of a cohort of Irish drug abusers. This article attempts to identify the psychological traits of drug abusers within the cohort. The cohort consists of 100 drug abusers who attend a drug advisory and treatment centre in Dublin for the first time between November 1977 and February 1979. Three psychosocial, scales (GEFT, NSQ, and PFS) were administered to each subject. Overall, the results indicate that subjects who participated in the study, while of average or above average intelligence, were poorly psychologically adjusted, characterised by a poor sense of identity, a high level of suggestibility and a tendency towards emotional dependence. Their overall level of intelligence was within or above the normal range

Neuromuscular, endocrine, and perceptual fatigue responses during different length between-match microcycles in professional rugby league players

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in neuromuscular, perceptual and hormonal measures following professional rugby league matches during different length between-match microcycles. Methods: Twelve professional rugby league players from the same team were assessed for changes in countermovement jump (CMJ) performance (flight time and relative power), perceptual responses (fatigue, well-being and muscle soreness) and salivary hormone (testosterone [T] and cortisol [C]) levels during 5, 7 and 9 d between-match training microcycles. All training was prescribed by the club coaches and was monitored using the session-RPE method. Results: Lower mean daily training load was completed on the 5 d compared with the 7 and 9 d microcycles. CMJ flight time and relative power, perception of fatigue, overall well-being and muscle soreness were significantly reduced in the 48 h following the match in each microcycle (P < .05). Most CMJ variables returned to near baseline values following 4 d in each microcycle. Countermovement jump relative power was lower in the 7 d microcycle in comparison with the 9 d microcycle (P < .05). There was increased fatigue at 48 h in the 7 and 9 d microcycles (P < .05) but had returned to baseline in the 5 d microcycle. Salivary T and C did not change in response to the match. Discussion: Neuromuscular performance and perception of fatigue are reduced for at least 48 h following a rugby league match but can be recovered to baseline levels within 4 d. These findings show that with appropriate training, it is possible to recover neuromuscular and perceptual measures within 4 d after a rugby league match. © Human Kinetics, Inc

Multi-serotype pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage prevalence in vaccine naïve Nepalese children, assessed using molecular serotyping.

Invasive pneumococcal disease is one of the major causes of death in young children in resource poor countries. Nasopharyngeal carriage studies provide insight into the local prevalence of circulating pneumococcal serotypes. There are very few data on the concurrent carriage of multiple pneumococcal serotypes. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and serotype distribution of pneumococci carried in the nasopharynx of young healthy Nepalese children prior to the introduction of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine using a microarray-based molecular serotyping method capable of detecting multi-serotype carriage. We conducted a cross-sectional study of healthy children aged 6 weeks to 24 months from the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal between May and October 2012. Nasopharyngeal swabs were frozen and subsequently plated on selective culture media. DNA extracts of plate sweeps of pneumococcal colonies from these cultures were analysed using a molecular serotyping microarray capable of detecting relative abundance of multiple pneumococcal serotypes. 600 children were enrolled into the study: 199 aged 6 weeks to <6 months, 202 aged 6 months to < 12 months, and 199 aged 12 month to 24 months. Typeable pneumococci were identified in 297/600 (49.5%) of samples with more than one serotype being found in 67/297 (20.2%) of these samples. The serotypes covered by the thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine were identified in 44.4% of samples containing typeable pneumococci. Application of a molecular serotyping approach to identification of multiple pneumococcal carriage demonstrates a substantial prevalence of co-colonisation. Continued surveillance utilising this approach following the introduction of routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccinates in infants will provide a more accurate understanding of vaccine efficacy against carriage and a better understanding of the dynamics of subsequent serotype and genotype replacement

Cell-matrix interactions regulate mesenchymal stem cell response to hydrostatic pressure.

Both hydrostatic pressure (HP) and cell-matrix interactions have independently been shown to regulate the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the response of MSCs to hydrostatic pressure will depend on the biomaterial within which the cells are encapsulated. Bone-marrow-derived MSCs were seeded into either agarose or fibrin hydrogels and exposed to 10 MPa of cyclic HP (1 Hz, 4 h per day, 5 days per week for 3 weeks) in the presence of either 1 or 10 ng ml(-1) of TGF-β3. Agarose hydrogels were found to support a spherical cellular morphology, while MSCs seeded into fibrin hydrogels attached and spread, with clear stress fiber formation. Hydrogel contraction was also observed in MSC-fibrin constructs. While agarose hydrogels better supported chondrogenesis of MSCs, HP only enhanced sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) accumulation in fibrin hydrogels, which correlated with a reduction in fibrin contraction. HP also reduced alkaline phosphatase activity in the media for both agarose and fibrin constructs, suggesting that this stimulus plays a role in the maintenance of the chondrogenic phenotype. This study demonstrates that a complex relationship exists between cell-matrix interactions and hydrostatic pressure, which plays a key role in regulating the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs

Anomalous Nernst effect in Co2MnSi thin films

Separation of the anomalous Nernst and spin Seebeck voltages in bilayer devices is often problematic when both layers are metallic, and the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) becomes non-negligible. Co2MnSi, a strong candidate for the spin generator in spin Seebeck devices, is a predicted half-metal with 100% spin polarisation at the Fermi energy, however, typically B2 or L21 order is needed to achieve this. We demonstrate the optimisation of thin film growth of Co2MnSi on glass, where choice of deposition and annealing temperature can promote various ordered states. The contribution from the ANE is then investigated to inform futuremeasurements of the spin Seebeck. A maximum ANE coefficient of 0.662 µV K−1 is found for an A2 disordered polycrystalline Co2MnSi film. This value is comparable to ordered Heuslerthin films deposited onto single crystal substrates but obtained at a far lower fabrication temperature and material cost.</div

Postdischarge interventions for children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have poor long-term outcomes following discharge, with high rates of mortality, morbidity, and impaired neurodevelopment. There is currently minimal guidance on how to support children with SAM following discharge from inpatient treatment. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine whether postdischarge interventions can improve outcomes in children recovering from complicated SAM. METHODS: Systematic searches of 4 databases were undertaken to identify studies of interventions delivered completely or partially after hospital discharge in children aged 6-59 mo, following inpatient treatment of SAM. The main outcome of interest was mortality. Random-effects meta-analysis was undertaken where ≥2 studies were sufficiently similar in intervention and outcome. RESULTS: Ten studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, recruiting 39-1781 participants in 7 countries between 1975 and 2015. Studies evaluated provision of zinc (2 studies), probiotics or synbiotics (2 studies), antibiotics (1 study), pancreatic enzymes (1 study), and psychosocial stimulation (4 studies). Six studies had unclear or high risk of bias in ≥2 domains. Compared with standard care, pancreatic enzyme supplementation reduced inpatient mortality (37.8% compared with 18.6%, P < 0.05). In meta-analysis there was some evidence that prebiotics or synbiotics reduced mortality (RR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.51, 1.00; P = 0.049). Psychosocial stimulation reduced mortality in meta-analysis of the 2 trials reporting deaths (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.87), and improved neurodevelopmental scores in ≥1 domain in all studies. There was no evidence that zinc reduced mortality in the single study reporting deaths. Antibiotics reduced infectious morbidity but did not reduce mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Several biological and psychosocial interventions show promise in improving outcomes in children following hospitalization for SAM and require further exploration in larger randomized mortality trials. This study was registered with PROSPERO as CRD42018111342 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=111342)

From Theory-Inspired to Theory-Based Interventions: A Protocol for Developing and Testing a Methodology for Linking Behaviour Change Techniques to Theoretical Mechanisms of Action

BACKGROUND: Understanding links between behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and mechanisms of action (the processes through which they affect behaviour) helps inform the systematic development of behaviour change interventions. PURPOSE: This research aims to develop and test a methodology for linking BCTs to their mechanisms of action. METHODS: Study 1 (published explicit links): Hypothesised links between 93 BCTs (from the 93-item BCT taxonomy, BCTTv1) and mechanisms of action will be identified from published interventions and their frequency, explicitness and precision documented. Study 2 (expert-agreed explicit links): Behaviour change experts will identify links between 61 BCTs and 26 mechanisms of action in a formal consensus study. Study 3 (integrated matrix of explicit links): Agreement between studies 1 and 2 will be evaluated and a new group of experts will discuss discrepancies. An integrated matrix of BCT-mechanism of action links, annotated to indicate strength of evidence, will be generated. Study 4 (published implicit links): To determine whether groups of co-occurring BCTs can be linked to theories, we will identify groups of BCTs that are used together from the study 1 literature. A consensus exercise will be used to rate strength of links between groups of BCT and theories. CONCLUSIONS: A formal methodology for linking BCTs to their hypothesised mechanisms of action can contribute to the development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions. This research is a step towards developing a behaviour change 'ontology', specifying relations between BCTs, mechanisms of action, modes of delivery, populations, settings and types of behaviour