Prevention of HIV and other STIs in rural Senegal: a study of prevention-related events collected by sentinel observers

We conducted a study of AIDS/STI prevention-related events based on a network of sentinel observers over a 35-month period in three rural communities of Senegal (May 2000 - March 2003). In one of these communities we also conducted a population-based study on self-reported prevention events and attitudes towards AIDS. Sentinel observers recorded 1 590 AIDS/STI prevention-related events. More than half of the reported events were radio programmes.The proportion of events on the occasion of which therapies was addressed increased significantly between 2000 and 2001, from less than 3% to about 10%, while sharp decreases in the proportion of events dealing with condoms and STIs, both from around 25% to less than 15%, were observed at the same time. The population-based survey indicated that men were more influenced by individual events like informal discussions or radio programmes while women seemed to be more influenced by collective events such as public meetings and school education. Keywords: rural Africa,AIDS/STI prevention-related events, sentinel observers, population-based survey.RÉSUMÉNous avons mené une étude des événements relatifs à la prévention du SIDA et des IST à l\'aide d\'un réseau d\'observateurs-sentinelles sur une durée de 35 mois (mai 2000 - mars 2003) dans trois communautés rurales du Sénégal. Dans l\'une d\'elle, nous avons également conduit en population générale une étude des événements autodéclarés relatifs à la prévention et des attitudes vis-à-vis du SIDA. Les observateurs-sentinelles ont enregistré 1 590 événements. Plus de la moitié concernaient des émissions de radio. La part des événements faisant état des traitements du SIDA a augmenté de 3% à 10% entre 2000 et 2001 alors que celles des événements qui faisaient état du préservatif d\'une part et des IST d\'autre part, ont chuté toutes deux de 25% à 15% sur la même période. L\'enquête en population générale a révélé que les hommes étaient plus influencés par les événements individuels comme les discussion informelles ou les programmes radiodiffusés alors que les femmes semblaient avoir été plus sensibles aux événements collectifs du type réunion publique ou cours donnés à l\'école. Mots clés: Afrique, zone rurale, SIDA/STI, événements relatifs à la prévention, observateurs-sentinelles, enquête en population générale.Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, Vol 2(2) 2005: 251-25

Réponse à la double inoculation mycorhizienne et rhizobienne du niébé (variété, KVX396-4-5-2D) cultivé au Burkina Faso

Le niébé vit en symbiose avec des champignons mycorhiziens arbusculaires (CMA) et rhizobiums du sol susceptibles d’améliorer sa nutrition hydrominérale et sa croissance. Cette étude avait pour objectif d’évaluer la réponse du niébé (variété KVX 396-4-5-2D) à l’inoculation rhizobienne et/ou mycorhizienne. KVX 396-4-5-2D (KVX) a été inoculée en serre avec cinq inoculums de CMA [Glomus aggregatum (Ga), Glomus mossae (Gm), Rhizophagus irregularis (Ri), Glomus fasciculatum (Gf), Glomus verrucullosum (Gv)] et une souche de rhizobium (ORS 3409). Après 45 jours de culture, les plants ont été récoltés et les paramètres de croissance (hauteur et biomasses), de mycorhization et de nodulation ont été mesurés. Les résultats montrent que l’inoculation améliore la croissance en hauteur et la biomasse totale des plants de KVX. La souche Ga améliore de 70% la production de biomasse totale de KVX. Aussi, la double inoculation ORS3409+Ga est plus bénéfique aux plants de la variété de niébé utilisée avec une amélioration de la croissance en hauteur de 8,82%. De ces résultats, il ressort que l’inoculum Ga améliore significativement la croissance de la variété de niébé KVX au stade floraison-fructification.Mots clés : Champignons mycorhiziens arbusculaires, rhizobium, inoculation, niébé

Interaction of the mu-opioid receptor with GPR177 (Wntless) inhibits Wnt secretion: potential implications for opioid dependence

BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist drugs produce analgesia. However, long-term exposure to opioid agonists may lead to opioid dependence. The analgesic and addictive properties of opioid agonist drugs are mediated primarily via the mu-opioid receptor (MOR). Opioid agonists appear to alter neuronal morphology in key brain regions implicated in the development of opioid dependence. However, the precise role of the MOR in the development of these neuronal alterations remains elusive. We hypothesize that identifying and characterizing novel MOR interacting proteins (MORIPs) may help to elucidate the underlying mechanisms involved in the development of opioid dependence. RESULTS: GPR177, the mammalian ortholog of Drosophila Wntless/Evi/Sprinter, was identified as a MORIP in a modified split ubiquitin yeast two-hybrid screen. GPR177 is an evolutionarily conserved protein that plays a critical role in mediating Wnt protein secretion from Wnt producing cells. The MOR/GPR177 interaction was validated in pulldown, coimmunoprecipitation, and colocalization studies using mammalian tissue culture cells. The interaction was also observed in rodent brain, where MOR and GPR177 were coexpressed in close spatial proximity within striatal neurons. At the cellular level, morphine treatment caused a shift in the distribution of GPR177 from cytosol to the cell surface, leading to enhanced MOR/GPR177 complex formation at the cell periphery and the inhibition of Wnt protein secretion. CONCLUSIONS: It is known that chronic morphine treatment decreases dendritic arborization and hippocampal neurogenesis, and Wnt proteins are essential for these processes. We therefore propose that the morphine-mediated MOR/GPR177 interaction may result in decreased Wnt secretion in the CNS, resulting in atrophy of dendritic arbors and decreased neurogenesis. Our results demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for GPR177 in regulating cellular response to opioid drugs

Identifying the Origins of Microstructural Defects Such as Cracking within Ni‐Rich NMC811 Cathode Particles for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

The next generation of automotive lithium‐ion batteries may employ NMC811 materials; however, defective particles are of significant interest due to their links to performance loss. Here, it is demonstrated that even before operation, on average, one‐third of NMC811 particles experience some form of defect, increasing in severity near the separator interface. It is determined that defective particles can be detected and quantified using low resolution imaging, presenting a significant improvement for material statistics. Fluorescence and diffraction data reveal that the variation of Mn content within the NMC particles may correlate to crystallographic disordering, indicating that the mobility and dissolution of Mn may be a key aspect of degradation during initial cycling. This, however, does not appear to correlate with the severity of particle cracking, which when analyzed at high spatial resolutions, reveals cracking structures similar to lower Ni content NMC, suggesting that the disconnection and separation of neighboring primary particles may be due to electrochemical expansion/contraction, exacerbated by other factors such as grain orientation that are inherent in such polycrystalline materials. These findings can guide research directions toward mitigating degradation at each respective length‐scale: electrode sheets, secondary and primary particles, and individual crystals, ultimately leading to improved automotive ranges and lifetimes

Antidepressant treatment and cultural differences - a survey of the attitudes of physicians and patients in Sweden and Turkey

<b>Background</b><br></br> The presenting symptoms of depression can be influenced by cultural differences. This study was conducted to compare the presenting symptoms and response to antidepressant medication of patients in Sweden and Turkey, two culturally different European countries. <br></br> <b>Methods</b><br></br> Recruitment was triggered when adult patients were diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder by a primary care physician and prescribed an antidepressant. Physicians and patients recorded presenting symptoms and completed relevant questionnaires just before and 8 weeks after starting treatment with an antidepressant. These included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale, the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), and Likert scales gauging the importance of physical and psychological symptoms. Patients also rated severity of prominent symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress, sleep and pain) from zero to ten. The outcomes were compared between patients from Sweden and Turkey using Fisher's Exact test and two-sample t-tests. <br></br> <b>Results</b><br></br> The study was conducted in 460 patients (107, 23.3% in Sweden; 353, 76.7% in Turkey). Presenting symptoms differed between Sweden and Turkey, with Turkish patients more likely to present with physical symptoms, and report a higher number of physical symptoms (mean 2.4 vs. 1.4, p<0.001). In both countries, the diagnosis made by the physician differed from that derived from the HADS score at the start of the study. The HADS diagnosis varied between the countries with significantly different proportions of patients in each country being diagnosed with depression alone, anxiety alone or depression with anxiety. While all symptoms improved after antidepressant treatment in both countries, Turkish patients showed a greater degree of response than Swedish patients in depression (p=0.048), stress (p=0.014) and pain (p<0.001) as measured by the prominent symptoms assessment (PSA). <b>Conclusions</b><br></br> The presenting symptoms of patients diagnosed with a depressive or anxiety disorder by a primary care physician and prescribed an antidepressant differ between Turkey and Sweden. Patients in Turkey were more likely to present with physical symptoms than patients in Sweden and present with more physical symptoms. After 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment, the improvement from baseline was greater in Turkish patients, and this was reflected in their improved functioning

Quantifying the Detrimental Impacts of Land-Use and Management Change on European Forest Bird Populations

The ecological impacts of changing forest management practices in Europe are poorly understood despite European forests being highly managed. Furthermore, the effects of potential drivers of forest biodiversity decline are rarely considered in concert, thus limiting effective conservation or sustainable forest management. We present a trait-based framework that we use to assess the detrimental impact of multiple land-use and management changes in forests on bird populations across Europe. Major changes to forest habitats occurring in recent decades, and their impact on resource availability for birds were identified. Risk associated with these changes for 52 species of forest birds, defined as the proportion of each species' key resources detrimentally affected through changes in abundance and/or availability, was quantified and compared to their pan-European population growth rates between 1980 and 2009. Relationships between risk and population growth were found to be significantly negative, indicating that resource loss in European forests is an important driver of decline for both resident and migrant birds. Our results demonstrate that coarse quantification of resource use and ecological change can be valuable in understanding causes of biodiversity decline, and thus in informing conservation strategy and policy. Such an approach has good potential to be extended for predictive use in assessing the impact of possible future changes to forest management and to develop more precise indicators of forest health

Minimal change in structural, functional and inflammatory markers of lung disease in newborn screened infants with cystic fibrosis at one year

BACKGROUND: With the widespread introduction of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF), there has been considerable emphasis on the need to develop objective markers of lung health that can be used during infancy. We hypothesised that in a newborn screened (NBS) UK cohort, evidence of airway inflammation and infection at one year would be associated with adverse structural and functional outcomes at the same age. METHODS: Infants underwent lung function testing, chest CT scan and bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at 1 year of age when clinically well. Microbiology cultures were also available from routine cough swabs. RESULTS: 65 infants had lung function, CT and BAL. Mean (SD) lung clearance index and forced expiratory volume in 0.5 s z-scores were 0.9(1.2) and -0.6(1.1) respectively; median Brody II CF-CT air trapping score on chest CT =0 (interquartile range 0-1, maximum possible score 27). Infants isolating any significant pathogen by 1 yr of age had higher LCI z-score (mean difference 0.9; 95%CI:0.4-1.4; p = 0.001) and a trend towards higher air trapping scores on CT (p = 0.06). BAL neutrophil elastase was detectable in 23% (10/43) infants in whom BAL supernatant was available. This did not relate to air trapping score on CT. CONCLUSIONS: In this UK NBS cohort at one year of age, lung and airway damage is much milder and associations between inflammation, abnormal physiology and structural changes were at best weak, contrary to our hypothesis and previously published reports. Continued follow-up will clarify longer term implications of these very mild structural, functional and inflammatory changes

The degradation of p53 and its major E3 ligase Mdm2 is differentially dependent on the proteasomal ubiquitin receptor S5a.

p53 and its major E3 ligase Mdm2 are both ubiquitinated and targeted to the proteasome for degradation. Despite the importance of this in regulating the p53 pathway, little is known about the mechanisms of proteasomal recognition of ubiquitinated p53 and Mdm2. In this study, we show that knockdown of the proteasomal ubiquitin receptor S5a/PSMD4/Rpn10 inhibits p53 protein degradation and results in the accumulation of ubiquitinated p53. Overexpression of a dominant-negative deletion of S5a lacking its ubiquitin-interacting motifs (UIM)s, but which can be incorporated into the proteasome, also causes the stabilization of p53. Furthermore, small-interferring RNA (siRNA) rescue experiments confirm that the UIMs of S5a are required for the maintenance of low p53 levels. These observations indicate that S5a participates in the recognition of ubiquitinated p53 by the proteasome. In contrast, targeting S5a has no effect on the rate of degradation of Mdm2, indicating that proteasomal recognition of Mdm2 can be mediated by an S5a-independent pathway. S5a knockdown results in an increase in the transcriptional activity of p53. The selective stabilization of p53 and not Mdm2 provides a mechanism for p53 activation. Depletion of S5a causes a p53-dependent decrease in cell proliferation, demonstrating that p53 can have a dominant role in the response to targeting S5a. This study provides evidence for alternative pathways of proteasomal recognition of p53 and Mdm2. Differences in recognition by the proteasome could provide a means to modulate the relative stability of p53 and Mdm2 in response to cellular signals. In addition, they could be exploited for p53-activating therapies. This work shows that the degradation of proteins by the proteasome can be selectively dependent on S5a in human cells, and that this selectivity can extend to an E3 ubiquitin ligase and its substrate

New ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs from the European lower cretaceous demonstrate extensive ichthyosaur survival across the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary

Background Ichthyosauria is a diverse clade of marine amniotes that spanned most of the Mesozoic. Until recently, most authors interpreted the fossil record as showing that three major extinction events affected this group during its history: one during the latest Triassic, one at the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary (JCB), and one (resulting in total extinction) at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. The JCB was believed to eradicate most of the peculiar morphotypes found in the Late Jurassic, in favor of apparently less specialized forms in the Cretaceous. However, the record of ichthyosaurs from the Berriasian–Barremian interval is extremely limited, and the effects of the end-Jurassic extinction event on ichthyosaurs remains poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Based on new material from the Hauterivian of England and Germany and on abundant material from the Cambridge Greensand Formation, we name a new ophthalmosaurid, Acamptonectes densus gen. et sp. nov. This taxon shares numerous features with Ophthalmosaurus, a genus now restricted to the Callovian–Berriasian interval. Our phylogenetic analysis indicates that Ophthalmosauridae diverged early in its history into two markedly distinct clades, Ophthalmosaurinae and Platypterygiinae, both of which cross the JCB and persist to the late Albian at least. To evaluate the effect of the JCB extinction event on ichthyosaurs, we calculated cladogenesis, extinction, and survival rates for each stage of the Oxfordian–Barremian interval, under different scenarios. The extinction rate during the JCB never surpasses the background extinction rate for the Oxfordian–Barremian interval and the JCB records one of the highest survival rates of the interval. Conclusions/Significance There is currently no evidence that ichthyosaurs were affected by the JCB extinction event, in contrast to many other marine groups. Ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs remained diverse from their rapid radiation in the Middle Jurassic to their total extinction at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous