Performance Of Natural Dermo-Resistant Oyster Stocks-Survival, Disease, Growth, Condition And Energy Reserves

To determine if natural populations of the eastern oyster possess resistance to Perkinsus marinus, progeny representing several oyster stocks from the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico were deployed at two sites within the Chesapeake Bay. Mortality, P. marinas infection (prevalence and intensity), shell height, condition index, and energy reserves (glycogen, protein, and lipid) were compared between these stocks. Oyster stocks from the Chesapeake Bay had higher intensities of Dermo infection than Louisiana stocks, with differences among individual stocks. Throughout the 2-y study, a natural Dermo-resistant stock from Tangier Sound (CTS), was identified. Despite infection intensities approaching those of a susceptible Rappahannock River stock (CRB) and higher than a Gulf of Mexico stock (LOB), CTS consistently had lower mortality for the 2-y grow out, and was comparable to a hatchery disease-resistant strain (XB). At a site (Port Kinsale) where the significant parasite was P. marinus, the LOB stock grew to the largest shell heights and bad significantly lower intensities of infection. However, the performance of the LOB stock was comparatively poorer at the other deployment site (Regent Point) where MSX was present. Shell heights were highest overall in the CRB stock at Regent Point, despite high susceptibility to disease. Condition index varied between stocks, although not necessarily along trends of disease resistance since condition was highest in the CRB and XB stocks. Variations in energy reserves were strongly influenced by season, but not disease, or stock origin. The present study shows that differences between stocks contain an underlying genetic component. Differences seen between deployed stocks in mortality, growth, and condition have strong implications for development of selective criteria for an aquaculture-based industry

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis beyond childhood: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.

BACKGROUND: There are sparse and conflicting data regarding the long-term clinical course of atopic dermatitis (AD). Although often described as a childhood disease, newer population-based estimates suggest the prevalence of pediatric and adult disease may be similar. METHODS: Our objective was to determine whether there is a decline in the prevalence of AD in population-based cohorts of patients followed longitudinally beyond childhood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis including studies assessing AD prevalence across 3 or more points in time. The primary outcome was weighted overall risk difference (percentage decrease in AD prevalence). RESULTS: Of 2080 references reviewed, 7 studies with 13 515 participants were included. Participants were assessed at 3-6 time points, ranging from age 3 months to 26 years. The percentage decrease in prevalence after age 12 was 1%, which was not significantly different from zero (95% confidence interval -2%-5%). Similar results were found with other age cut-offs. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AD in longitudinal birth cohort studies is similar in childhood and adolescence/early adulthood

The effect of high-intensity aerobic interval training on markers of systemic inflammation in sedentary populations

© 2017, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Purpose: This study examined the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT; 30 s sprint, 4–5 min passive recovery) and prolonged intermittent sprint training (PIST; 10 s sprint, 2–3 min moderate exercise) on the systemic inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), aerobic capacity, and anthropometry in a middle-aged, sedentary population. Methods: Fifty-five sedentary adults (age 49.2 ± 6.1 years) were randomised into HIIT (n = 20), PIST (n = 21), or a sedentary control group (CTRL n = 14). HIIT and PIST performed three training sessions per week for 9 weeks on a cycle ergometer, matched for total high-intensity time, while CTRL continued normal sedentary behaviours. Pre- and post-intervention testing involved measures of anthropometry, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), and venous blood collection for analyses of CRP and TNF-α. Results: HIIT and PIST increased VO2peak compared to CTRL (+3.66 ± 2.23 and 3.74 ± 2.62 mL kg min−1). A group × time interaction (p = 0.042) and main effect of time (p = 0.026) were evident for waist girth, with only HIIT showing a significant reduction compared to CTRL (−2.1 ± 2.8 cm). TNF-α and CRP showed no group × time interaction or time effect (p > 0.05). Conclusions: In sedentary individuals, 9 weeks of HIIT or PIST were effective to improve aerobic capacity; however, only HIIT significantly reduced waist girth and WHR compared to CTRL. Markers of systemic inflammation remained unchanged across all groups. Accordingly, for inflammation and VO2peak, the distribution of sprints and the active or passive recovery periods are inconsequential provided that total duration of high-intensity efforts is similar

Looking back at superfluid helium

A few years after the discovery of Bose Einstein condensation in several gases, it is interesting to look back at some properties of superfluid helium. After a short historical review, I comment shortly on boiling and evaporation, then on the role of rotons and vortices in the existence of a critical velocity in superfluid helium. I finally discuss the existence of a condensate in a liquid with strong interactions, and the pressure variation of its superfluid transition temperature.Comment: Conference "Bose Einstein Condensation", Institut henri Poincare, Paris, 29 march 200

Fermions on adS

We construct the Feynman propagator for Dirac fermions on anti-de Sitter space-time and present an analytic expression for the bi-spinor of parallel transport. We then renormalise the vacuum expectation value of the stress-energy tensor and end by analysing its renormalised expectation value at finite temperatures

Pulmonary contusion in a collegiate diver: a case report

Abstract Introduction Pulmonary contusions typically occur after high-energy trauma and have rarely been reported as occurring during participation in sports. This is the first reported case of a pulmonary contusion occurring in a sport other than football. Case Presentation A 19-year-old Caucasian man impacted the water awkwardly after diving off a one-meter springboard. He complained of chest discomfort and produced immediate hemoptysis. Computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary contusion. The athlete recovered without complications and returned to activity one week after injury. Conclusion Immediate hemoptysis following blunt chest trauma during sports activity may indicate an underlying pulmonary contusion. No specific guidelines exist for return to athletic competition following pulmonary contusion, but a progressive return to activities once symptoms resolve appears to be a reasonable approach.</p

Implications for policy and planning to foster solidarity between the generations and enhance healthy life among older adults.

This policy document is a compilation of the studies of the five Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in Working Package 2 of the EuroAgeism project (WP2). WP2 explores ageism in access to goods and services: social and health services (formal, informal), and appropriate drug treatment. It examines the origins, manifestations, and consequences of ageism in social life, social and health care services, and medication treatment. The integration of the five programmes of individual study provides an opportunity to identify common threads of contextual influences on the manifestation of ageism and its negative outcomes, such as poor access to goods and services, including access for people living with dementia; social support; and health and social care, including timely and appropriate medications. Given its multidimensional nature, ageism has to be studied from a multi-disciplinary perspective to consider the individual (micro), social (meso) and structural (macro) levels together. As such, through the five ESRs programmes of study, WP2 will compare and contrast the intersections between individuals and society. This analysis involves ageist attitudes and behaviours perpetuated by the media and held by older adults, by others in their social environment and those of service providers. WP2 addresses ageism as a factor that impacts all aspects of life, including social relations, media, social care and health care. This policy document provides a synthesis of the five programmes of work to highlight the implications for, and to inform policy on, fostering solidarity between generations and enhancing healthy life among older adults. The EuroAgeism project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement number 764632

Human metacognition across domains: insights from individual differences and neuroimaging

Metacognition is the capacity to evaluate and control one's own cognitive processes. Metacognition operates over a range of cognitive domains, such as perception and memory, but the neurocognitive architecture supporting this ability remains controversial. Is metacognition enabled by a common, domain-general resource that is recruited to evaluate performance on a variety of tasks? Or is metacognition reliant on domain-specific modules? This article reviews recent literature on the domain-generality of human metacognition, drawing on evidence from individual differences and neuroimaging. A meta-analysis of behavioral studies found that perceptual metacognitive ability was correlated across different sensory modalities, but found no correlation between metacognition of perception and memory. However, evidence for domain-generality from behavioral data may suffer from a lack of power to identify correlations across model parameters indexing metacognitive efficiency. Neuroimaging data provide a complementary perspective on the domain-generality of metacognition, revealing co-existence of neural signatures that are common and distinct across tasks. We suggest that such an architecture may be appropriate for "tagging" generic feelings of confidence with domain-specific information, in turn forming the basis for priors about self-ability and modulation of higher-order behavioral control

Using coloured filters to reduce the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay

Background: Meares Irlen Syndrome (MIS), otherwise known as “visual stress”, is one condition that can cause difficulties with reading. Aim: This study aimed to compare the effect of two coloured-filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in children with reading delay. Methods: The study design was a pre-test, post-test, randomized head-to-head comparison of two filter systems on the symptoms of visual stress in school children. A total of 68 UK mainstream schoolchildren with significant impairment in reading ability completed the study. Results: The filter systems appeared to have a large effect on the reported symptoms between pre and post three-month time points (d = 2.5, r = 0.78). Both filter types appeared to have large effects (Harris d = 1.79, r = 0.69 and DRT d = 3.22, r = 0.85). Importantly, 35% of participants’ reported that their symptoms had resolved completely; 72% of the 68 children appeared to gain improvements in three or more visual stress symptoms. Conclusion and significance: The reduction in symptoms, which appeared to be brought about by the use of coloured filters, eased the visual discomfort experienced by these children when reading. This type of intervention therefore has the potential to facilitate occupational engagement

The role for saxagliptin within the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: an update from the 2010 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 46th annual meeting and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 70th scientific session

Saxagliptin is a potent, selective DPP4 inhibitor. Highlights from abstracts presented at the 2010 meetings of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the American Diabetes Association include studies and analyses that shed light on the promising role for saxagliptin within the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data show that saxagliptin combination therapy improves HbA1c levels compared with placebo, particularly in patients with high HbA1c at baseline, long duration of disease, low baseline creatinine clearance, and low homeostasis model assessment 2 β-cell function at baseline. These efficacy benefits are achieved without any increase in hypoglycemia or other adverse events. The study results also show that the saxagliptin plus metformin combination is a good candidate for initial therapy in drug-naïve patients treated for as long as 72 weeks. Survey data presented confirm that hypoglycemia (and fear of hypoglycemia) is a barrier to patients' acceptance of diabetes treatment, limiting its efficacy. Therefore, therapies such as saxagliptin that have a low risk of hypoglycemia may be more acceptable to patients in helping them to achieve glycemic control and to optimize their quality of life. In patients with renal impairment, for whom metformin is contraindicated, saxagliptin monotherapy is a promising option for antidiabetic management as, when given at a reduced dose, it is well-tolerated with a safety profile similar to that of placebo