A preliminary analysis on the effect of copper on Anopheles coluzzii insecticide resistance in vegetable farms in Benin.

The use of agrochemicals in vegetable production could influence the selection for insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information on the potential contribution of agrochemicals to insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes breeding on vegetable farms in southern Benin. A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices study was conducted with 75 vegetable farmers from Houeyiho and Seme to determine the main agrochemicals used in vegetable production, and the concentration and frequency of application, among other details. Mosquitoes and breeding water were sampled from the farms for analysis. Bioassays were conducted on mosquitoes, while breeding water was screened for heavy metal and pesticide residue contamination. Lambda-cyhalothrin was the main insecticide (97.5%) used by farmers, and Anopheles coluzzii was the main mosquito identified. This mosquito species was resistant (30-63% mortality rate) to λ-cyhalothrin. It was also observed that 16.7% of the examined breeding sites were contaminated with λ-cyhalothrin residues. Furthermore, copper contamination detected in mosquito breeding sites showed a positive correlation (r = 0.81; P = 0.0017) with mosquito resistance to λ-cyhalothrin. The presence of copper in λ-cyhalothrin-free breeding sites, where mosquitoes have developed resistance to λ-cyhalothrin, suggests the involvement of copper in the insecticide resistance of malaria vectors; this, however, needs further investigation

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Glioblastoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations based on multi-dimensional and comprehensive characterization of more than 500 glioblastoma tumors (GBMs). We identify several novel mutated genes as well as complex rearrangements of signature receptors including EGFR and PDGFRA. TERT promoter mutations are shown to correlate with elevated mRNA expression, supporting a role in telomerase reactivation. Correlative analyses confirm that the survival advantage of the proneural subtype is conferred by the G-CIMP phenotype, and MGMT DNA methylation may be a predictive biomarker for treatment response only in classical subtype GBM. Integrative analysis of genomic and proteomic profiles challenges the notion of therapeutic inhibition of a pathway as an alternative to inhibition of the target itself. These data will facilitate the discovery of therapeutic and diagnostic target candidates, the validation of research and clinical observations and the generation of unanticipated hypotheses that can advance our molecular understanding of this lethal cancer

Lip reading for the deafened child; a handbook for teachers,

Mode of access: Internet

Heritage Language learning for Chinese Australians: the role of habitus

The relationship between Heritage Language and ethnic identity has gained significant research ground in social psychological and poststructural scholarship, with empirical evidence largely emerging from the North American settings. There is little pertinent sociological work conducted outside North America. To fill this gap, this sociological study sets its scene in an Australian context. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the study examines the contribution of Chinese Australians’ Chineseness to their Chinese Heritage Language proficiency. Two hundred and thirty young Chinese Australians completed the online survey. Results from multiple regression indicate that habitus of Chineseness is one of the significant predictors for the Chinese Heritage Language proficiency of these young people. The study makes a theoretical contribution to investigate ethnic identity – Heritage Language link through the notion of habitus and makes a methodological contribution to quantify this habitus

Ethnicity-related DMD Genotype Landscapes in European and Non-European Countries

Objective Genetic diagnosis and mutation identification are now compulsory for Duchenne (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophies (BMD), which are due to dystrophin (DMD) gene mutations, either for disease prevention or personalized therapies. To evaluate the ethnic-related genetic assortments of DMD mutations, which may impact on DMD genetic diagnosis pipelines, we studied 328 patients with DMD and BMD from non-European countries. Methods We performed a full DMD mutation detection in 328 patients from 10 Eastern European countries (Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Ukraine,and Russia) and 2 non-European countries (Cyprus and Algeria). We used both conventional methods (multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification [MLPA] followed by gene-specific sequencing) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) as a pivotal study ran in 28 patients where DMD mutations were already identified by standard techniques. WES output was also in-terrogated forDMDgene modifiers. Results We identified DMD gene mutations in 222 male patients. We identified a remarkable allele heterogeneity among different populations with a mutation landscape often country specific. We also showed that WES is effective for picking up all DMD deletions and small mutations and its adoption could allow a detection rate close to 90% of all occurring mutations. Gene modifiers haplotypes were identified with some ethnic-specific configurations. Conclusions Our data provide unreported mutation landscapes in different countries, suggesting that ethnicity may orient genetic diagnosis flowchart, which can be adjusted depending on the mutation type frequency, with impact in drug eligibility