Circadian rhythm of hepatic cytosolic and nuclear estrogen and androgen receptors

Mammalian liver is a sex steroid-responsive tissue. The effects of these hormones presumably are mediated by hepatic estrogen receptors (ER) and androgen receptors (AR). Serum levels of sex hormones display circadian rhythms. Further, estrogens and androgens are commonly administered; administration of these agents is associated frequently with liver disease. Therefore, we investigated whether the cytosolic and nuclear sex steroid receptors also display a similar circadian rhythm, and whether variations occurred in the distribution of receptors between cytosolic and nuclear compartments. Animals were killed every 4 h from midnight till the following midnight; cytosolic and nuclear levels of both ER and AR were measured. Cytosolic ER reached a maximum level at 4 am, and a minimum at 8 pm and midnight of both days. Nuclear ER was highest at 8 am and lowest at 4 pm and 8 pm, a pattern which parallels variations in serum estradiol levels. Cytosolic AR was highest at 8 pm and lowest at midnight and 4 am. Nuclear AR was highest at 4 am and lowest at 4 pm and 8 pm. The highest level of nuclear AR does not correspond to the maximum serum testosterone level, which occurred at 4 pm. The total hepatic content of both ER and AR was not constant over the 24-h period, but varied considerably with time of day. These studies suggest that both ER and AR show a distinct circadian rhythm in subcellular compartmentalization, and that total hepatic content of ER and AR varies significantly during a 24-h period. © 1986

Story Map Caminhos d’O Conspirador: um percurso literário na vila de Marvão com Branquinho da Fonseca

Os autores pretendem apresentar uma nova forma de divulgação da investigação em turismo literário, num formato mais atrativo, recorrendo às novas tecnologias e bem assim, aferir as suas potencialidades. A ferramenta tecnológica utilizada foi o story map que permite combinar mapas na Web com aplicações e templates que incorporam funções interativas e mapas dinâmicos. Um dos recursos utilizados na produção do story map foi a base de dados do Museu Virtual de Turismo (MUVITUR) em cujo site o produto final será disponibilizado. Os conteúdos e itinerários turísticos literários organizados por especialistas permitem envolver os viajantes online nas geografias imaginárias, para as quais os escritores nos remetem. Experiências virtuais mais envolventes possibilitam a cada utilizador a descoberta dos melhores percursos por territórios literários. O objeto do presente trabalho foi o conto “O Conspirador”, de Branquinho da Fonseca (1905-1974) tendo o percurso na vila de Marvão sido enriquecido com desenhos e fotografias da sua autoriaThe authors intend to present a more attractive format to disseminate research in literary tourism, making use of new technologies. The story map is the technological tool used, and it allows the combination of online maps with apps and templates that incorporate interactive functions and dynamic maps. One of the resources the authors use in the production of the story map is the database of the Virtual Tourism Museum (MUVITUR) on whose website the final product will be made available. The literary content and tourist itineraries organized by specialists allow online travellers to be involved in imaginary geographies created by writers. More engaging virtual experiences enable users to discover the best routes through literary territories. The object of the present study was the short story “O Conspirador”, by Branquinho da Fonseca (1905-1974) and the itinerary in the village of Marvão was enhanced by drawings and photographs authored by the writer.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intergenerational Communication – an interdisciplinary mapping review of research between 1996 and 2017

Concerns have been raised regarding the limited opportunities for intergenerational communication both outside and within the family. This “mapping review” draws together empirical literature in the topic published since 1996. Three hundred and twenty-four published studies met inclusion criteria, based on abstract review. The contents of each study were subjected to thematic analysis and nine broad themes emerged. These were (1) Dynamics of relationships, (2) Health & Well-being, (3) Learning & Literacy, (4) Attitudes, (5) Culture, (6) Digital, (7) Space, (8) Professional Development, and (9) Gender & Sexual Orientation. Studies commonly intersected disciplinary research areas. There was a marked rise across three key academic journals since 2007. An emergent finding was that a third of the studies relate to programs addressing intergenerational interventions, but many of these were primarily descriptive and failed to specify a primary outcome. Review implications and future research directions are discussed

Drug discovery for Chagas disease should consider Trypanosoma cruzi strain diversity.

This opinion piece presents an approach to standardisation of an important aspect of Chagas disease drug discovery and development: selecting Trypanosoma cruzi strains for in vitro screening. We discuss the rationale for strain selection representing T. cruzi diversity and provide recommendations on the preferred parasite stage for drug discovery, T. cruzi discrete typing units to include in the panel of strains and the number of strains/clones for primary screens and lead compounds. We also consider experimental approaches for in vitro drug assays. The Figure illustrates the current Chagas disease drug-discovery and development landscape

Frequency and management of maternal infection in health facilities in 52 countries (GLOSS): a 1-week inception cohort study

Background: Maternal infections are an important cause of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. We report the main findings of the WHO Global Maternal Sepsis Study, which aimed to assess the frequency of maternal infections in health facilities, according to maternal characteristics and outcomes, and coverage of core practices for early identification and management. Methods: We did a facility-based, prospective, 1-week inception cohort study in 713 health facilities providing obstetric, midwifery, or abortion care, or where women could be admitted because of complications of pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum, or post-abortion, in 52 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). We obtained data from hospital records for all pregnant or recently pregnant women hospitalised with suspected or confirmed infection. We calculated ratios of infection and infection-related severe maternal outcomes (ie, death or near-miss) per 1000 livebirths and the proportion of intrahospital fatalities across country income groups, as well as the distribution of demographic, obstetric, clinical characteristics and outcomes, and coverage of a set of core practices for identification and management across infection severity groups. Findings: Between Nov 28, 2017, and Dec 4, 2017, of 2965 women assessed for eligibility, 2850 pregnant or recently pregnant women with suspected or confirmed infection were included. 70·4 (95% CI 67·7–73·1) hospitalised women per 1000 livebirths had a maternal infection, and 10·9 (9·8–12·0) women per 1000 livebirths presented with infection-related (underlying or contributing cause) severe maternal outcomes. Highest ratios were observed in LMICs and the lowest in HICs. The proportion of intrahospital fatalities was 6·8% among women with severe maternal outcomes, with the highest proportion in low-income countries. Infection-related maternal deaths represented more than half of the intrahospital deaths. Around two-thirds (63·9%, n=1821) of the women had a complete set of vital signs recorded, or received antimicrobials the day of suspicion or diagnosis of the infection (70·2%, n=1875), without marked differences across severity groups. Interpretation: The frequency of maternal infections requiring management in health facilities is high. Our results suggest that contribution of direct (obstetric) and indirect (non-obstetric) infections to overall maternal deaths is greater than previously thought. Improvement of early identification is urgently needed, as well as prompt management of women with infections in health facilities by implementing effective evidence-based practices.Fil: Althabe, Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Espinoza, Marisa Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Pasquale, Julia. No especifíca;Fil: Hernández Muñoz, Rosalinda. No especifíca;Fil: Carvajal, Javier. No especifíca;Fil: Escobar, María Fernanda. No especifíca;Fil: Cecatti, José Guilherme. No especifíca;Fil: Ribeiro Do Valle, Carolina C.. No especifíca;Fil: Mereci, Wilson. No especifíca;Fil: Vélez, Paola. No especifíca;Fil: Pérez, Aquilino M.. No especifíca;Fil: Vitureira, Gerardo. No especifíca;Fil: Leroy, Charlotte. No especifíca;Fil: Roelens, Kristien. No especifíca;Fil: Vandenberghe, Griet. No especifíca;Fil: Aguemon, Christiane Tshabu. No especifíca;Fil: Cisse, Kadari. No especifíca;Fil: Ouedraogo, Henri Gautier. No especifíca;Fil: Kannitha, Cheang. No especifíca;Fil: Rathavy, Tung. No especifíca;Fil: Tebeu, Pierre Marie. No especifíca;Fil: Bustillo, Carolina. No especifíca;Fil: Bredy, Lara. No especifíca;Fil: Herrera Maldonado, Nazarea. No especifíca;Fil: Abdosh, Abdulfetah Abdulkadir. No especifíca;Fil: Teklu, Alula M.. No especifíca;Fil: Kassa, Dawit Worku. No especifíca;Fil: Kumar, Vijay. No especifíca;Fil: Suri, Vanita. No especifíca;Fil: Trikha, Sonia. No especifíca

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London