All in it together? The effects of recession on population health and health inequalities in England and Sweden, 1991 to 2010

This article is the first to comparatively examine the effects of two recessions on population health and health inequalities in the two historically contrasting welfare states of England and Sweden. Data from 1991–2010 on self-reported general health, age, gender, and educational status were obtained from the Health Survey for England, the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions, and the European Union Survey of Income and Living Conditions, for individuals aged over 16. Generalized linear models were used to test the effects of recessions on self-reported health and educational inequalities in health. Overall, recessions had a significant positive effect on the health of women—but not men—in both England (4%) and Sweden (7%). In England, this improvement was only enjoyed by the most educated women, with the health of less educated women declining during recession. In contrast, in Sweden, the health of all women improved significantly during recession regardless of their educational status, although the most educated benefitted the most. Relative educational inequalities in self-reported health therefore increased during recessions in both countries by 14 percent (England) and 17 percent (Sweden) but for different reasons. This study suggests that Sweden's welfare state protects the health of all during recessions

A Fermi Surface study of Ba1−x_{1-x}Kx_{x}BiO3_{3}

We present all electron computations of the 3D Fermi surfaces (FS's) in Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$BiO$_{3}$ for a number of different compositions based on the selfconsistent Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation (KKR-CPA) approach for incorporating the effects of Ba/K substitution. By assuming a simple cubic structure throughout the composition range, the evolution of the nesting and other features of the FS of the underlying pristine phase is correlated with the onset of various structural transitions with K doping. A parameterized scheme for obtaining an accurate 3D map of the FS in Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$BiO$_{3}$ for an arbitrary doping level is developed. We remark on the puzzling differences between the phase diagrams of Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$BiO$_{3}$ and BaPb$_{x}$Bi$_{1-x}$O$_{3}$ by comparing aspects of their electronic structures and those of the end compounds BaBiO$_{3}$, KBiO$_3$ and BaPbO$_3$. Our theoretically predicted FS's in the cubic phase are relevant for analyzing high-resolution Compton scattering and positron-annihilation experiments sensitive to the electron momentum density, and are thus amenable to substantial experimental verification.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Association between Plasma Antibody Response and Protection in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss Immersion Vaccinated against Yersinia ruckeri

A key hallmark of the vertebrate adaptive immune system is the generation of antigen-specific antibodies from B cells. Fish are the most primitive gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates) possessing an adaptive immune system. Vaccination of rainbow trout against enteric redmouth disease (ERM) by immersion in Yersinia ruckeri bacterin confers a high degree of protection to the fish. The immune mechanisms responsible for protection may comprise both cellular and humoral elements but the role of specific immunoglobulins in this system has been questioned and not previously described. The present study demonstrates significant increase in plasma antibody titers following immersion vaccination and significantly reduced mortality during Y. ruckeri challenge

Evidence That Lipopolisaccharide May Contribute to the Cytokine Storm and Cellular Activation in Patients with Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) affects organs rich in lymphocytes, being characterized by intense Leishmania-induced T-cell depletion and reduction in other hematopoietic cells. In other infectious and non-infectious diseases in which the immune system is affected, such as HIV-AIDS and inflammatory bowel disease, damage to gut-associated lymphocyte tissues occurs, enabling luminal bacteria to enter into the circulation. Lipopolisaccharide (LPS) is a bacterial product that stimulates macrophages, leading to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other soluble factors such as MIF, which in turn activate lymphocytes. Continuous and exaggerated stimulation causes exhaustion of the T-cell compartment, contributing to immunosuppression

Structural transformations of Li2C2 at high pressures

Structural changes of Li2C2 under pressure were studied by synchrotron x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell under hydrostatic conditions and by using evolutionary search methodology for crystal structure prediction. We show that the high-pressure polymorph of Li2C2, which forms from the Immm ground-state structure (Z = 2) at around 15 GPa, adopts an orthorhombic Pnma structure with Z = 4. Acetylide C2 dumbbells characteristic of Immm Li2C2 are retained in Pnma Li2C2. The structure of Pnma Li2C2 relates closely to the anticotunnite-type structure. C2 dumbbell units are coordinated by nine Li atoms, as compared to eight in the antifluorite structure of Immm Li2C2. First-principles calculations predict a transition of Pnma Li2C2 at 32 GPa to a topologically identical phase with a higher Cmcm symmetry. The coordination of C2 dumbbell units by Li atoms is increased to 11. The structure of Cmcm Li2C2 relates closely to the Ni2 In-type structure. It is calculated that Cmcm Li2C2 becomes metallic at pressures above 40 GPa. In experiments, however, Pnma Li2C2 is susceptible to irreversible amorphization

Regulatory T Cells Suppress T Cell Activation at the Pathologic Site of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis

Suppression of T cell response is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Regulatory T cell (Treg) mediated immune-suppression is reported in animal models of Leishmania infection. However, their precise role among human patients still requires pathologic validation. The present study is aimed at understanding the frequency dynamics and function of Treg cells in the blood and bone marrow (BM) of VL patients. The study included 42 parasitologically confirmed patients, 17 healthy contact and 9 normal bone marrow specimens (NBM). We show i) the selective accumulation of Treg cells at one of the disease inflicted site(s), the BM, ii) their in vitro expansion in response to LD antigen and iii) persistence after successful chemotherapy. Results indicate that the Treg cells isolated from BM produces IL-10 and may inhibit T cell activation in IL-10 dependent manner. Moreover, we observed significantly higher levels of IL-10 among drug unresponsive patients, suggesting their critical role in suppression of immunity among VL patients. Our results suggest that IL-10 plays an important role in suppression of host immunity in human VL and possibly determines the efficacy of chemotherapy

Leishmania infantum Amastigotes Enhance HIV-1 Production in Cocultures of Human Dendritic Cells and CD4+ T Cells by Inducing Secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a potentially deadly parasitic disease afflicting millions worldwide. Although itself an important infectious illness, VL has also emerged as an opportunistic disease among patients infected with HIV-1. This is partly due to the increasing overlap between urban regions of high HIV-1 transmission and areas where Leishmania is endemic. Furthermore, VL increases the development and clinical progression of AIDS-related diseases. Conversely, HIV-1-infected individuals are at greater risk of developing VL or suffering relapse. Finally, HIV-1 and Leishmania can both productively infect cells of the macrophage-dendritic cell lineage, resulting in a cumulative deficiency of the immune response. We therefore studied the effect of Leishmania infantum on HIV-1 production when dendritic cells (DCs) are cocultured with autologous CD4+ T cells. We show that amastigotes promote virus replication in both DCs and lymphocytes, due to a parasite-mediated production of soluble factors by DCs. Micro-beads array analyses indicate that Leishmania infantum amastigotes infection induces a higher secretion of several cytokines in these cells, and use of specific neutralizing antibodies revealed that the Leishmania-induced increase in HIV-1 replication is due to IL-6 and TNF-α. These findings suggest that Leishmania's presence within DC/T-cell conjugates leads to an enhanced HIV-1 production

Restoration of IFNγR Subunit Assembly, IFNγ Signaling and Parasite Clearance in Leishmania donovani Infected Macrophages: Role of Membrane Cholesterol

Despite the presence of significant levels of systemic Interferon gamma (IFNγ), the host protective cytokine, Kala-azar patients display high parasite load with downregulated IFNγ signaling in Leishmania donovani (LD) infected macrophages (LD-MØs); the cause of such aberrant phenomenon is unknown. Here we reveal for the first time the mechanistic basis of impaired IFNγ signaling in parasitized murine macrophages. Our study clearly shows that in LD-MØs IFNγ receptor (IFNγR) expression and their ligand-affinity remained unaltered. The intracellular parasites did not pose any generalized defect in LD-MØs as IL-10 mediated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation remained unaltered with respect to normal. Previously, we showed that LD-MØs are more fluid than normal MØs due to quenching of membrane cholesterol. The decreased rigidity in LD-MØs was not due to parasite derived lipophosphoglycan (LPG) because purified LPG failed to alter fluidity in normal MØs. IFNγR subunit 1 (IFNγR1) and subunit 2 (IFNγR2) colocalize in raft upon IFNγ stimulation of normal MØs, but this was absent in LD-MØs. Oddly enough, such association of IFNγR1 and IFNγR2 could be restored upon liposomal delivery of cholesterol as evident from the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiment and co-immunoprecipitation studies. Furthermore, liposomal cholesterol treatment together with IFNγ allowed reassociation of signaling assembly (phospho-JAK1, JAK2 and STAT1) in LD-MØs, appropriate signaling, and subsequent parasite killing. This effect was cholesterol specific because cholesterol analogue 4-cholestene-3-one failed to restore the response. The presence of cholesterol binding motifs [(L/V)-X1–5-Y-X1–5-(R/K)] in the transmembrane domain of IFNγR1 was also noted. The interaction of peptides representing this motif of IFNγR1 was studied with cholesterol-liposome and analogue-liposome with difference of two orders of magnitude in respective affinity (KD: 4.27×10−9 M versus 2.69×10−7 M). These observations reinforce the importance of cholesterol in the regulation of function of IFNγR1 proteins. This study clearly demonstrates that during its intracellular life-cycle LD perturbs IFNγR1 and IFNγR2 assembly and subsequent ligand driven signaling by quenching MØ membrane cholesterol

Trends in poverty risks among people with and without limiting-longstanding illness by employment status in Sweden, Denmark, and the United Kingdom during the current economic recession – a comparative study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found higher employment rates and lower risk of relative poverty among people with chronic illness in the Nordic countries than in the rest of Europe. However, Nordic countries have not been immune to the general rise in poverty in many welfare states in recent decades. This study analysed the trends in poverty risks among a particularly vulnerable group in the labour market: people with limiting-longstanding illness (LLSI), examining the experience of those with and without employment, and compared to healthy people in employment in Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data from EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) on people aged 25–64 years in Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom (UK) were analysed between 2005 and 2010. Age-standardised rates of poverty risks (<60% of national median equalised disposable income) were calculated. Odds ratios (ORs) of poverty risks were estimated using logistic regression. RESULTS: In all three countries, non-employed people with LLSI had considerably higher prevalence of poverty risk than employed people with or without LLSI. Rates of poverty risk in the UK for non-employed people with LLSI were higher than in Sweden and Denmark. Over time, the rates of poverty risk for Swedish non-employed people with LLSI in 2005 (13.8% CI=9.7-17.8) had almost doubled by 2010 (26.5% CI=19.9-33.1). For both sexes, the inequalities in poverty risks between non-employed people with LLSI and healthy employed people were much higher in the UK than in Sweden and Denmark. Over time, however, the odds of poverty risk among British non-employed men and women with LLSI compared with their healthy employed counterparts declined. The opposite trend was seen for Swedish men: the odds of poverty risk for non-employed men with LLSI compared with healthy employed men increased from OR 2.8 (CIs=1.6-4.7) in 2005 to OR 5.3 (CIs=3.2-8.9) in 2010. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing poverty risks among the non-employed people with LLSI in Sweden over time are of concern from a health equity perspective. The role of recent Swedish social policy changes should be further investigated