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Abstract Background Bronchiectasis is a chronic respiratory condition. Persistent bacterial colonisation in the stable state with increased and sometimes altered bacterial burden during exacerbations are accepted as key features in the pathophysiology. The extent to which respiratory viruses are present during stable periods and in exacerbations is less well understood. Methods This study aimed to determine the incidence of respiratory viruses within a cohort of bronchiectasis patients with acute exacerbations at a teaching hospital and, separately, in a group of patients with stable bronchiectasis. In the group of stable patients, a panel of respiratory viruses were assayed for using real time quantitative PCR in respiratory secretions and exhaled breath. The Impact of virus detection on exacerbation rates and development of symptomatic infection was evaluated. Results Routine hospital-based viral PCR testing was only requested in 28% of admissions for an exacerbation. In our cohort of stable bronchiectasis patients, viruses were detected in 92% of patients during the winter season, and 33% of patients during the summer season. In the 2-month follow up period, 2 of 27 patients presented with an exacerbation. Conclusions This pilot study demonstrated that respiratory viruses are commonly detected in patients with stable bronchiectasis. They are frequently detected during asymptomatic viral periods, and multiple viruses are often present concurrently

What makes you not a Sikh? : a preliminary mapping of values

This study sets out to establish which Sikh values contrasted with or were shared by non-Sikh adolescents. A survey of attitude toward a variety of Sikh values was fielded in a sample of 364 non-Sikh schoolchildren aged between 13 and 15 in London. Values where attitudes were least positive concerned Sikh duties/code of conduct, festivals, rituals, prayer Gurdwara attendance, listening to scripture recitation, the amrit initiation. Sikh values empathized with by non-Sikhs concerned family pride, charity, easy access to ordination and Gurdwaras, maintaining the five Ks, seeing God in all things, abstaining from meat and alcohol and belief in the stories of Guru Nanak. Further significant differences of attitude toward Sikhism were found in comparisons by sex, age and religious affiliation. Findings are applied to teaching Sikhism to pupils of no faith adherence. The study recommends the extension of values mapping to specifically Sikh populations

A preliminary study of genetic factors that influence susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in the British cattle herd

Associations between specific host genes and susceptibility to Mycobacterial infections such as tuberculosis have been reported in several species. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) impacts greatly the UK cattle industry, yet genetic predispositions have yet to be identified. We therefore used a candidate gene approach to study 384 cattle of which 160 had reacted positively to an antigenic skin test (‘reactors’). Our approach was unusual in that it used microsatellite markers, embraced high breed diversity and focused particularly on detecting genes showing heterozygote advantage, a mode of action often overlooked in SNP-based studies. A panel of neutral markers was used to control for population substructure and using a general linear model-based approach we were also able to control for age. We found that substructure was surprisingly weak and identified two genomic regions that were strongly associated with reactor status, identified by markers INRA111 and BMS2753. In general the strength of association detected tended to vary depending on whether age was included in the model. At INRA111 a single genotype appears strongly protective with an overall odds ratio of 2.2, the effect being consistent across nine diverse breeds. Our results suggest that breeding strategies could be devised that would appreciably increase genetic resistance of cattle to bTB (strictly, reduce the frequency of incidence of reactors) with implications for the current debate concerning badger-culling

Causes of variation in BCG vaccine efficacy: examining evidence from the BCG REVAC cluster randomized trial to explore the masking and the blocking hypotheses.

BCG protection varies and in some places (nearest the equator) is low or absent. Understanding this variation can inform the efforts to develop new vaccines against tuberculosis. Two main hypotheses are used to explain this variation: under masking, new vaccines are unlikely to increase protection; under blocking new vaccines have a greater potential to be effective when BCG is not. We conducted a cluster randomized trial to explored the masking and blocking hypotheses by studying BCG vaccine efficacy of neonatal vaccination and when administered for the first or a second (revaccination) time at school age in two sites (Manaus close and Salvador further south from the equator). Seven hundred and sixty three state schools were matched on socio economic characteristics of the neighborhood and 239,934 children were randomized to vaccine (BCG vaccination at school age) or control group. Protection by first BCG vaccination at school age was high in Salvador (34%, 95% CI 7-53%, p=0.017) but low in Manaus (8%, 95% CI t0 39-40%, p=0.686). For revaccination at school age, protection was modest in Salvador (19%, 95% CI 3-33%, p=0.022) and absent in Manaus (1%, 95% CI to 27-23%, p=0.932). Vaccine efficacy for neonatal vaccination was similar in Salvador (40%, 95% CI 22-54%, p<0.001) and Manaus (36%, 95% CI 11-53%, p=0.008). Variation in BCG efficacy was marked when vaccine was given at school age but absent at birth, which points towards blocking as the dominant mechanism. New tuberculosis vaccines that overcome or by pass this blocking effect could confer protection in situations where BCG is not protective

Brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) social interactions and their implications for bovine tuberculosis epidemiology

The brushtail possum is the main reservoir of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. Disease prevalence is generally higher in males than in females. This has conventionally been assumed due to greater infection rates of males, but recent work has raised the hypothesis that it may instead be driven by survival differences. With bovine tuberculosis transmission among possums most likely occurring between individuals in close proximity, here we analyse social networks built on data from wild possums collared with contact loggers inhabiting a native New Zealand forest, to investigate whether there is mechanistic support for higher male infection rates. Our results revealed that adult female possums were generally just as connected with adult male possums as other adult males are, with male-female connection patterns not being significantly different. This result suggest that the new 'survivorship' hypothesis for the sex bias is more likely than the conventional 'infection rate' hypothesis. © 2018 Copyright 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands

Kualitas Hidup Pasien Diabetes Melitus Tipe 2 di Puskesmas Se Kota Kupang

Diabetes Mellitus is well known as a chronic disease which can lead to a decrease in quality of life in all domains. The study aims to explore the diabetic type 2 patient\u27s quality of life and find out the factors affecting in type 2 diabetic mellitus patients. The cross-sectional study design is used that included 65 patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in 11 public health centers of Kupang City. Data were collected by using Short Form Survey (SF-36) that assessed 8-scale health profile. Independent sample t-test is used to analyze the correlation between the factors affecting and the quality of life. the study showed that the QoL of DM patients decreased in all 8- health profile including physical functioning, social functioning, mental health, general health, pain, change in the role due to physical problems and emotional problems. The Study also showed there was a relationship between gender, duration of suffering from Diabetes mellitus, and complications to the quality of life. Male perceived a better quality of life than female

CHROMOMETHYLTRANSFERASE3/KRYPTONITE maintains the sulfurea paramutation in Solanum lycopersicum

Paramutation involves the transfer of a repressive epigenetic mark from a silent allele to an active homolog and, consequently, non-Mendelian inheritance. In tomato, the sulfurea (sulf) paramutation is associated with a high level of CHG hypermethylation in a region overlapping with the transcription start site (TSS) of the SlTAB2 gene that affects chlorophyll synthesis. The CCG subcontext hypermethylation is under-represented at this region relative to CTG or CAG, implicating the CHROMOMETHYLTRANSFERASE3a (CMT3) in paramutation at this locus. Consistent with this interpretation, loss of CMT3 function leads to loss of the sulf chlorosis, the associated CHG hypermethylation, and paramutation. Loss of KRYPTONITE (KYP) histone methyltransferase function has a similar effect linked to reduced H3K9me2 at the promoter region of SlTAB2 and a shift in higher order chromatin structure at this locus. Mutation of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase V (PolV) in contrast does not affect sulf paramutation. These findings indicate the involvement of a CMT3/KYP–dependent feedback loop rather than the PolV-dependent pathway leading to RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in the maintenance of paramutation

CHROMOMETHYLTRANSFERASE3/ KRYPTONITE maintain the sulfurea paramutation in Solanum lycopersicum

Paramutation involves the transfer of a repressive epigenetic mark from a silent allele to an active homologue and, consequently, non-Mendelian inheritance. In tomato the sulfurea (sulf) paramutation is associated with a high level of CHG hypermethylation in a region overlapping the transcription start site of the SlTAB2 gene that affects chlorophyll synthesis. The CCG sub-context hypermethylation is under-represented at this region relative to CTG or CAG implicating the CHROMOMETHYLTRANSFERASE3 (CMT3) in paramutation at this locus. Consistent with this interpretation, loss of CMT3 function leads to loss of the sulf chlorosis, the associated CHG hypermethylation and paramutation. Loss of KRYPTONITE (KYP) histone methyl transferase function has a similar effect linked to reduced H3K9me2 at the promoter region of SlTAB2 and a shift in higher order chromatin structure at this locus. Mutation of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase V (PolV) in contrast does not affect sulf paramutation. These findings indicate the involvement of a CMT3/KYP dependent feedback rather than the PolV-dependent pathway leading to RNA directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in the maintenance of paramutation