Fermi Surface Reconstruction in CeRh1−x_{1-x}Cox_{x}In5_{5}

The evolution of the Fermi surface of CeRh$_{1-x}$Co$_x$In$_5$ was studied as a function of Co concentration $x$ via measurements of the de Haas-van Alphen effect. By measuring the angular dependence of quantum oscillation frequencies, we identify a Fermi surface sheet with $f$-electron character which undergoes an abrupt change in topology as $x$ is varied. Surprisingly, this reconstruction does not occur at the quantum critical concentration $x_c$, where antiferromagnetism is suppressed to T=0. Instead we establish that this sudden change occurs well below $x_c$, at the concentration x ~ 0.4 where long range magnetic order alters its character and superconductivity appears. Across all concentrations, the cyclotron effective mass of this sheet does not diverge, suggesting that critical behavior is not exhibited equally on all parts of the Fermi surface.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The use of thermographic imaging to evaluate therapeutic response in human tumour xenograft models

YesNon-invasive methods to monitor tumour growth are an important goal in cancer drug development. Thermographic imaging systems offer potential in this area, since a change in temperature is known to be induced due to changes within the tumour microenvironment. This study demonstrates that this imaging modality can be applied to a broad range of tumour xenografts and also, for the first time, the methodology’s suitability to assess anti-cancer agent efficacy. Mice bearing subcutaneously implanted H460 lung cancer xenografts were treated with a novel vascular disrupting agent, ICT-2552, and the cytotoxin doxorubicin. The effects on tumour temperature were assessed using thermographic imaging over the first 6 hours post-administration and subsequently a further 7 days. For ICT-2552 a significant initial temperature drop was observed, whilst for both agents a significant temperature drop was seen compared to controls over the longer time period. Thus thermographic imaging can detect functional differences (manifesting as temperature reductions) in the tumour response to these anti-cancer agents compared to controls. Importantly, these effects can be detected in the first few hours following treatment and therefore the tumour is observable non-invasively. As discussed, this technique will have considerable 3Rs benefits in terms of reduction and refinement of animal use.University of Bradfor

Dog‐assisted interventions and outcomes for older adults in residential long‐term care facilities: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Objective To comprehensively review studies on dog‐assisted interventions (DAIs) among older people in residential long‐term care facilities (RLTCFs) and to provide an overview of their interventions, outcomes and methodological quality. Method We searched 18 electronic databases to identify English articles (published January 2000–December 2019) reporting on well‐defined DAIs targeting older adults (≥65 years) in RLTCF. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers. Descriptive statistics were produced for quantitative studies, with key themes identified among qualitative studies. Where possible, estimates were pooled from randomised controlled trials using random effects meta‐analyses. Results Forty‐three relevant studies (39 quantitative; 4 qualitative) were identified. The majority of quantitative studies were assessed as low‐quality according to the MMAT criteria (n = 26, 67%). Almost half of the quantitative studies (n = 18, 46%) found no significant changes over time or between groups across outcomes measured. The most salient intervention effects included improved social functioning (n = 10), reduced depressive symptoms (n = 6) and loneliness (n = 5). A random‐effects meta‐analysis revealed a medium effect in favour of DAT on reducing depressive or loneliness symptoms (pooled SMD: 0.66, 95%CI 0.21–1.11; I2 = 50.5; five trials), relative to treatment as usual. However, compared to treatment as usual, no overall effect of DAI on activities of daily living was detected (p = .737). Key themes from qualitative studies included (a) animals as effective transitional objects, (b) the therapeutic value of pets and (c) the significance of the care environment and stakeholders in facilitating DAI. Implications for practice The findings of this review indicate that while DAI has value for older people in RLTCF, challenges remain in accurately measuring its impact to provide a stronger evidence‐base. Standardisation of DAI service design, delivery and evaluation is required for future research and practice in providing holistic care for older adults

Alcohol consumption and sport: a cross-sectional study of alcohol management practices associated with at-risk alcohol consumption at community football clubs

BackgroundExcessive alcohol consumption is responsible for considerable harm from chronic disease and injury. Within most developed countries, members of sporting clubs participate in at-risk alcohol consumption at levels above that of communities generally. There has been limited research investigating the predictors of at-risk alcohol consumption in sporting settings, particularly at the non-elite level. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the alcohol management practices and characteristics of community football clubs and at-risk alcohol consumption by club members.MethodsA cross sectional survey of community football club management representatives and members was conducted. Logistic regression analysis (adjusting for clustering by club) was used to determine the association between the alcohol management practices (including alcohol management policy, alcohol-related sponsorship, availability of low- and non-alcoholic drinks, and alcohol-related promotions, awards and prizes) and characteristics (football code, size and location) of sporting clubs and at-risk alcohol consumption by club members.ResultsMembers of clubs that served alcohol to intoxicated people [OR: 2.23 (95% CI: 1.26-3.93)], conducted &lsquo;happy hour&rsquo; promotions [OR: 2.84 (95% CI: 1.84-4.38)] or provided alcohol-only awards and prizes [OR: 1.80 (95% CI: 1.16-2.80)] were at significantly greater odds of consuming alcohol at risky levels than members of clubs that did not have such alcohol management practices. At-risk alcohol consumption was also more likely among members of clubs with less than 150 players compared with larger clubs [OR:1.45 (95% CI: 1.02-2.05)] and amongst members of particular football codes.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest a need and opportunity for the implementation of alcohol harm reduction strategies targeting specific alcohol management practices at community football clubs.<br /

De la competencia a la cooperación: los cambios de paradigmas en la ecología basada en rasgos cambian nuestro entendimiento de los procesos que estructuran a las comunidades microbianas

Prevailing social, economic and political ideas and paradigms constitute the lens through which scientists observe, assess, and understand the world. This affects how we interpret and understand the mechanisms governing the interaction between organisms and has led, in most cases, to dominant explanations and paradigms that are difficult to overthrow. This is the case of ecological theory, whose perspectives have followed the rationale of societal changes. From the industrial revolution to very recently, species competition for resources was regarded as one of the main drivers of species interactions. Nowadays, a new and rapidly growing way of thinking emerged, fueled by the high sequencing capacities, ultra-resolution microscopy and the slowly growing number of different social and gender perspectives participating in ecological studies: that living beings are not just single organisms interacting with other single organisms, but complex communities of macro- and microorganisms living and evolving together. The information emerging from this field is bringing new light to previously disregarded aspects of the ecological interactions that, in our opinion, will change the main paradigms in ecology. As members of a South American scientific network of Aquatic Microbial Ecology (MicroSudAqua), here we propose to explore alternative explanations for ecological observations, searching for new traits accounting for cooperation between microorganisms as a fundamental evolutionary and ecological strategy.Las ideas y paradigmas sociales, económicos y políticos prevalecientes constituyen la lente a través de la cual las científicas y los científicos observamos, evaluamos y comprendemos el mundo. A menudo, esto impregna y afecta la interpretación de los mecanismos que rigen las interacciones entre organismos, y llega a generar paradigmas difíciles de poner en discusión. Un ejemplo es el caso de la teoría ecológica, cuyas perspectivas han seguido la lógica de los cambios sociales. Desde la época de la Revolución Industrial hasta muy recientemente, la competencia interespecífica por los recursos se consideró como una de las formas principales en que las especies interactúan. En la actualidad, presenciamos un cambio en la forma de pensar; su crecimiento es veloz, impulsado por las capacidades de secuenciación masiva, la microscopía de ultra resolución y la cantidad cada vez mayor de diferentes perspectivas sociales y de género con la que se abordan los estudios de ecología. Esta nueva perspectiva implica que los seres vivos no son organismos solitarios que interactúan con otros organismos solitarios, sino comunidades complejas de macro y microorganismos que conviven y evolucionan juntos. La información que emerge de este campo está dando nuevos aportes a aspectos antes ignorados de las interacciones ecológicas; en nuestra opinión, estos aportes cambiarán los principales paradigmas de la ecología. Como integrantes de la Red Científica Sudamericana de Ecología Microbiana Acuática (MicroSudAqua), en este trabajo exploramos explicaciones alternativas de las observaciones ecológicas, buscando nuevos rasgos que den cuenta de la cooperación entre microorganismos como una estrategia evolutiva y ecológica fundamental

Evidence for involvement of the alcohol consumption WDPCP gene in lipid metabolism, and liver cirrhosis

Data availability: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its Supplementary Information files).Supplementary Information is available onlikne at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-47371-7#Sec25 .A CC BY or equivalent licence is applied to the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) arising from this submission, in accordance with the grant’s open access conditions.Copyright ©.The Author(s) 2023. Biological pathways between alcohol consumption and alcohol liver disease (ALD) are not fully understood. We selected genes with known effect on (1) alcohol consumption, (2) liver function, and (3) gene expression. Expression of the orthologs of these genes in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster was suppressed using mutations and/or RNA interference (RNAi). In humans, association analysis, pathway analysis, and Mendelian randomization analysis were performed to identify metabolic changes due to alcohol consumption. In C. elegans, we found a reduction in locomotion rate after exposure to ethanol for RNAi knockdown of ACTR1B and MAPT. In Drosophila, we observed (1) a change in sedative effect of ethanol for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, GPN1, ARPC1B, and SCN8A, (2) a reduction in ethanol consumption for RNAi knockdown of TENM2, (3) a reduction in triradylglycerols (TAG) levels for RNAi knockdown of WDPCP, TENM2, and GPN1. In human, we observed (1) a link between alcohol consumption and several metabolites including TAG, (2) an enrichment of the candidate (alcohol-associated) metabolites within the linoleic acid (LNA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) metabolism pathways, (3) a causal link between gene expression of WDPCP to liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. Our results imply that WDPCP might be involved in ALD.R.P. was supported by Rutherford Fund fellowship from the Medical Research Council (MR/R026505/1 and MR/R026505/2). B.A., X.J., and F.O. were supported by Rutherford Fund from Medical Research Council MR/R026505/2. R.M. was funded by the President’s PhD Scholarship from Imperial College London. PE is Director of the MRC Centre for Environment and Health and acknowledges support from the Medical Research Council (MR/S019669/1). PE also acknowledges support from the UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London (UKDRI-5001), Health Data Research UK London (HDRUK-1004231) and the British Heart Foundation Imperial College London Centre for Research Excellence (BHF-RE/18/4/34215). The Airwave Health Monitoring Study was funded by the UK Home Office (780- TETRA, 2003-2018) and is currently funded by the MRC and ESRC (MR/R023484/1) with additional support from the NIHR Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre in collaboration with Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust. R.C.P is supported by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI-5001), which receives its funding from UK DRI Ltd, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Work in LMM’s laboratory is supported by the UK Medical Research Council, intramural project MC_UU_00025/3 (RG94521). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the sponsors. We thank Prof. Ulrike Heberlein, (Janelia Research Campus, Virginia, USA) for generously providing us the hppy17-51 fly lines. This research was funded, in whole or in part, by the Medical Research Council (MR/R026505/1 and MR/R026505/2)

A new human chromogranin A (CgA) immunoradiometric assay involving monoclonal antibodies raised against the unprocessed central domain (145-245)

Chromogranin A (CgA), a major protein of chromaffin granules, has been described as a potential marker for neuroendocrine tumours. Because of an extensive proteolysis which leads to a large heterogeneity of circulating fragments, its presence in blood has been assessed in most cases either by competitive immunoassays or with polyclonal antibodies. In the present study, 24 monoclonal antibodies were raised against native or recombinant human CgA. Their mapping with proteolytic peptides showed that they defined eight distinct epitopic groups which spanned two-thirds of the C-terminal part of human CgA. All monoclonal antibodies were tested by pair and compared with a reference radioimmunoassay (RIA) involving CGS06, one of the monoclonal antibodies against the 198–245 sequence. It appears that CgA C-terminal end seems to be highly affected by proteolysis and the association of C-terminal and median-part monoclonal antibodies is inadequate for total CgA assessment. Our new immunoradiometric assay involves two monoclonal antibodies, whose contiguous epitopes lie within the median 145–245 sequence. This assay allows a sensitive detection of total human CgA and correlates well with RIA because dibasic cleavage sites present in the central domain do not seem to be affected by degradation. It has been proved to be efficient in measuring CgA levels in patients with neuroendocrine tumours. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig