Lupinosis and rates of stocking of lupin stubbles

Lupin stubbles provide valuable summer sheep feed but under some conditions the fungus Phomopsis rossiana (for which lupins are the host plant) produces a toxin that causes lupinosis. Results from research at Badaingarra Research Station over the 1973-74 and 1974- 75 summers have shown that sheep liver damage associated with lupin stubble grazing is likely to be more severe at high than low stocking rates

Nephritogenic autoantibodies but absence of nephritis in Il-12p35–deficient mice with pristane-induced lupus

Nephritogenic autoantibodies but absence of nephritis in Il-12p35–deficient mice with pristane-induced lupus.BackgroundThere is strong evidence that Th1 cytokines are essential for disease in murine models of lupus. Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is essential for Th1 cell differentiation and induces interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production. Paradoxically, it has been suggested that an IL-12 defect drives the pathogenesis of lupus, although its precise role remains unclear. We investigated the role of IL-12 for lupus-like disease induced by pristane. IL-12p35–deficient (-/-) and control (+/+) BALB/c mice were treated with pristane or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).MethodsProteinuria was measured and renal pathology evaluated 10 months after treatment. Sera were analyzed for autoantibodies and total immunoglobulin levels. Cytokine expression and production was analyzed.ResultsPristane induced nephritogenic autoantibodies and renal immunoglobulin and complement deposition in both IL-12 -/- and +/+ mice. However, proliferative pathology and proteinuria were absent in IL-12-/- mice, whereas pristane induced severe nephritis in one third of the +/+ mice. As expected, cytokine balance was skewed toward a Th2 response in pristane-treated IL-12 -/- mice.ConclusionThese data indicate that renal immune complex deposition can occur in the absence of IL-12p35, but that structural renal damage requires the presence of IL-12p35 or mediators induced by this molecule, such as IFN-γ. In contrast to the abrogation of nephritogenic autoantibodies by the lack of IFN-γ, such antibodies are induced by pristane in IL-12p35–deficient mice. Absence of structural renal disease, despite the presence of nephritogenic autoantibodies in pristane-treated IL-12-/- mice, indicates that antibody deposition alone is not sufficient for the development of lupus nephritis in this model

A brief intervention for weight control based on habit-formation theory delivered through primary care: results from a randomised controlled trial

Background: Primary care is the 'first port of call' for weight control advice, creating a need for simple, effective interventions that can be delivered without specialist skills. Ten Top Tips (10TT) is a leaflet based on habit-formation theory that could fill this gap. The aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that 10TT can achieve significantly greater weight loss over 3 months than ‘usual care’. Methods: A two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial in primary care. Adults with obesity were identified from 14 primary care providers across England. Patients were randomised to either 10TT or 'usual care' and followed up at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. The primary outcome was weight loss at 3 months, assessed by a health professional blinded to group allocation. Difference between arms was assessed using a mixed-effect linear model taking into account the health professionals delivering 10TT, and adjusted for baseline weight. Secondary outcomes included body mass index, waist circumference, the number achieving a 5% weight reduction, clinical markers for potential comorbidities, weight loss over 24 months and basic costs. Results: Five-hundred and thirty-seven participants were randomised to 10TT (n=267) or to ‘usual care' (n=270). Data were available for 389 (72%) participants at 3 months and for 312 (58%) at 24 months. Participants receiving 10TT lost significantly more weight over 3 months than those receiving usual care (mean difference =−0.87kg; 95% confidence interval: −1.47 to −0.27; P=0.004). At 24 months, the 10TT group had maintained their weight loss, but the ‘usual care’ group had lost a similar amount. The basic cost of 10TT was low, that is, around £23 ($32) per participant. Conclusions: The 10TT leaflet delivered through primary care is effective in the short-term and a low-cost option over the longer term. It is the first habit-based intervention to be used in a health service setting and offers a low-intensity alternative to ‘usual care’

Applied Interventions in the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity Through the Research of Professor Jane Wardle

Purpose of Review Obesity presents a challenge for practitioners, policy makers, researchers and for those with obesity themselves. This review focuses on psychological approaches to its management and prevention in children and adults. Recent Findings Through exploring the work of the late Professor Jane Wardle, we look at the earliest behavioural treatment approaches and how psychological theory has been used to develop more contemporary approaches, for example incorporating genetic feedback and habit formation theory into interventions. We also explore how Jane has challenged thinking about the causal pathways of obesity in relation to eating behaviour. Beyond academic work, Jane was an advocate of developing interventions which had real-world applications. Summary Therefore, we discuss how she not only developed new interventions but also made these widely available and the charity that she established

Linking working memory and long-term memory: A computational model of the learning of new words

The nonword repetition (NWR) test has been shown to be a good predictor of children’s vocabulary size. NWR performance has been explained using phonological working memory, which is seen as a critical component in the learning of new words. However, no detailed specification of the link between phonological working memory and long-term memory (LTM) has been proposed. In this paper, we present a computational model of children’s vocabulary acquisition (EPAM-VOC) that specifies how phonological working memory and LTM interact. The model learns phoneme sequences, which are stored in LTM and mediate how much information can be held in working memory. The model’s behaviour is compared with that of children in a new study of NWR, conducted in order to ensure the same nonword stimuli and methodology across ages. EPAM-VOC shows a pattern of results similar to that of children: performance is better for shorter nonwords and for wordlike nonwords, and performance improves with age. EPAM-VOC also simulates the superior performance for single consonant nonwords over clustered consonant nonwords found in previous NWR studies. EPAM-VOC provides a simple and elegant computational account of some of the key processes involved in the learning of new words: it specifies how phonological working memory and LTM interact; makes testable predictions; and suggests that developmental changes in NWR performance may reflect differences in the amount of information that has been encoded in LTM rather than developmental changes in working memory capacity. Keywords: EPAM, working memory, long-term memory, nonword repetition, vocabulary acquisition, developmental change

β-glucan-dependent shuttling of conidia from neutrophils to macrophages occurs during fungal infection establishment

The initial host response to fungal pathogen invasion is critical to infection establishment and outcome. However, the diversity of leukocyte-pathogen interactions is only recently being appreciated. We describe a new form of interleukocyte conidial exchange called "shuttling." In Talaromyces marneffei and Aspergillus fumigatus zebrafish in vivo infections, live imaging demonstrated conidia initially phagocytosed by neutrophils were transferred to macrophages. Shuttling is unidirectional, not a chance event, and involves alterations of phagocyte mobility, intercellular tethering, and phagosome transfer. Shuttling kinetics were fungal-species-specific, implicating a fungal determinant. β-glucan serves as a fungal-derived signal sufficient for shuttling. Murine phagocytes also shuttled in vitro. The impact of shuttling for microbiological outcomes of in vivo infections is difficult to specifically assess experimentally, but for these two pathogens, shuttling augments initial conidial redistribution away from fungicidal neutrophils into the favorable macrophage intracellular niche. Shuttling is a frequent host-pathogen interaction contributing to fungal infection establishment patterns

Interferon-γ is required for lupus nephritis in mice treated with the hydrocarbon oil pristane

BACKGROUND: Although the precise mechanisms leading to lupus nephritis remain obscure, both TH1 and TH2 cytokines have been implicated. The present study examined the roles of interleukin (IL)-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in a novel inducible form of lupus that develops in non-autoimmune mice treated with the hydrocarbon oil pristane. METHODS: BALB/c IL-4 or IFN-gamma deficient mice (IL-4 -/-, IFNgamma -/-) and wild type controls (+/+) received either pristane or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) IP. Serial sera were analyzed for anti-DNA/chromatin, anti-RNP/Sm, and total immunoglobulin levels. Proteinuria was measured and kidneys were examined by direct immunofluorescence and light microscopy. RESULTS: Renal disease did not develop in pristane-treated IFN-gamma -/- mice, as assessed by the absence of capillary immune deposits, glomerular pathology and proteinuria whereas IL-4 -/- mice developed renal disease similar to +/+ mice. Production of IgG anti-single stranded DNA and anti-chromatin antibodies was abrogated in IFN-gamma -/- mice. In contrast, these autoantibodies were produced at similar or higher frequencies and levels by IL-4 -/- versus wild-type mice. The frequency of anti-nRNP/Sm was markedly reduced in IFN-gamma -/- mice. IL-4 deficiency had little effect on the production of anti-DNA/chromatin and anti-nRNP/Sm. CONCLUSIONS: IFN-gamma is essential for the induction of nephritis and anti-DNA/chromatin following pristane exposure in BALB/c mice, suggesting that genetic or environmental factors influencing TH1-TH2 balance could be an important determinant of renal disease in lupus

The efficacy of social role models to increase motivation to obtain vaccination against hepatitis B among men who have sex with men

This study assessed the effects of role models in persuasive messages about risk and social norms to increase motivation to obtain hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM at risk for HBV in The Netherlands (N = 168) were recruited online via a range of websites and were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (risk communication: yes and no) × 2 (social norms communication: yes and no) factorial design. In each condition, participants subsequently provided self-completed assessments of their perceived risk of HBV infection, perceived social norms regarding HBV vaccination and their intention to obtain vaccination against HBV. Risk communication and social norms communication that used social role models were effective in significantly increasing men's intention to obtain vaccination against HBV. No additive effect was found for a combined message. Mediation analyses showed that communications influenced intention via perceived risk and social norms. Findings extend previous theorizing and research and show that both role model-based risk communication and social norms communication can be effective in increasing intentions to obtain HBV vaccination in MSM. This knowledge contributes to the development of effective health promotion to increase HBV vaccination in MSM. © The Author 2010