2,947 research outputs found
Comparison of bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton dynamics during a phytoplankton bloom in a fjord mesocosm
The bacterioneuston is the community of Bacteria present in surface microlayers, the
thin surface film that forms the interface between aquatic environments and the
atmosphere. In this study we compared bacterial cell abundance and bacterial
community structure of the bacterioneuston and the bacterioplankton (from the
subsurface water column) during a phytoplankton bloom mesocosm experiment.
Bacterial cell abundance, determined by flow cytometry, followed a typical
bacterioplankton response to a phytoplankton bloom, with Synechococcus and high
nucleic acid (HNA) bacterial cell numbers initially falling, probably due to selective
protist grazing. Subsequently HNA and low nucleic acid (LNA) bacterial cells
increased in abundance but Synechococcus did not. There was no significant
difference between bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton cell abundances during the
experiment. Conversely, distinct and consistent differences between the
bacterioneuston and the bacterioplankton community structure were observed. This
was monitored simultaneously by Bacteria 16S rRNA gene terminal restriction
fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
(DGGE). The conserved patterns of community structure observed in all of the
mesocosms indicate that the bacterioneuston is distinctive and non-random
A second independent audit of electroconvulsive therapy in England, 2019: Usage, demographics, consent, and adherence to guidelines and legislation
Objectives. To assess progress towards improving the administering of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in England since an audit covering 2011, 2013 and 2015. The same information was gathered, for 2019, on usage, demographics, consent, and adherence to national guidelines and the Mental Health Act.
Design and Methods. Freedom of Information Act requests were sent to 56 National Health Service Trusts.
Results. Thirty-seven trusts (66%) provided data. The gradual decline in the use of ECT in England has levelled off at about 2,500 people per year. There was a 47-fold difference between the Trusts with the highest and lowest rates per capita. Most recipients are still women (67%), and over 60 (58%). Only one Trust could report how many people received psychological therapy prior to ECT, as required by government (N.I.C.E.) guidelines. More than a third of ECT (37%) is still given without consent, with 18% of Trusts non-compliant with legislation concerning second opinions. There were slight declines, compared to a previous audit, in the use of standardised depression scales, down to 30%, and standardised measures of cognitive dysfunction, down to 24%. Only six Trusts provided any data for positive outcomes; seven for adverse effects. None provided data on efficacy or adverse effects beyond end of treatment. Twelve used identical sentences to each other, verbatim, in response to one or more questions.
Conclusions. Given the apparent failure of current monitoring and accrediting ECT clinics in England, by the Royal College of Psychiatristsâ ECT Accreditation Service (ECTAS), an independent government sponsored review is urgently needed
Norovirus Infection in Children with Acute Gastroenteritis, Madagascar, 2004â2005
Of 237 children with acute gastroenteritis in Antananarivo, Madagascar, during May 2004âMay 2005, 14 (â6%) were infected with norovirus. Seasonality (NovemberâDecember peak) was detected. Reverse transcriptionâPCR identified GII as the most common genogroup. GIs belonged to GI.1, GI.3, and GI.4. Noroviruses in Madagascar show extensive genetic diversity
Human Astrovirus Gastroenteritis in Children, Madagascar, 2004â2005
We report data regarding the molecular epidemiology of human astrovirus (HAstV) infections among children in Madagascar. In a 13-month study, 5 HAstV isolates were detected in fecal samples from 237 children (2.1%) by reverse transcriptionâPCR. Phylogenetic analysis showed the cocirculation of usual and unusual HAstVs
Disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 is essential for normal hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis function
Psychiatric disorders arise due to an interplay of genetic and environmental factors, including stress. Studies in rodents have
shown that mutants for Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1), a well-accepted genetic risk factor for mental illness, display
abnormal behaviours in response to stress, but the mechanisms through which DISC1 affects stress responses remain poorly
understood. Using two lines of zebrafish homozygous mutant for disc1, we investigated behaviour and functioning of the
hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, the fish equivalent of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we
show that the role of DISC1 in stress responses is evolutionarily conserved and that DISC1 is essential for normal functioning
of the HPI axis. Adult zebrafish homozygous mutant for disc1 show aberrant behavioural responses to stress. Our studies
reveal that in the embryo, disc1 is expressed in neural progenitor cells of the hypothalamus, a conserved region of the vertebrate
brain that centrally controls responses to environmental stressors. In disc1 mutant embryos, proliferating rx3Ăž hypothalamic
progenitors are not maintained normally and neuronal differentiation is compromised: rx3-derived ff1bĂž neurons,
implicated in anxiety-related behaviours, and corticotrophin releasing hormone (crh) neurons, key regulators of the stress axis,
develop abnormally, and rx3-derived pomcĂž neurons are disorganised. Abnormal hypothalamic development is associated
with dysfunctional behavioural and neuroendocrine stress responses. In contrast to wild type siblings, disc1 mutant larvae
show altered crh levels, fail to upregulate cortisol levels when under stress and do not modulate shoal cohesion, indicative of
abnormal social behaviour. These data indicate that disc1 is essential for normal development of the hypothalamus and for
the correct functioning of the HPA/HPI axis
Effect of human rotavirus vaccine on severe diarrhea in African infants.
BACKGROUND: Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe gastroenteritis among young children worldwide. Data are needed to assess the efficacy of the rotavirus vaccine in African children. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in South Africa (3166 infants; 64.1% of the total) and Malawi (1773 infants; 35.9% of the total) to evaluate the efficacy of a live, oral rotavirus vaccine in preventing severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Healthy infants were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive two doses of vaccine (in addition to one dose of placebo) or three doses of vaccine--the pooled vaccine group--or three doses of placebo at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age. Episodes of gastroenteritis caused by wild-type rotavirus during the first year of life were assessed through active follow-up surveillance and were graded with the use of the Vesikari scale. RESULTS: A total of 4939 infants were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of the three groups; 1647 infants received two doses of the vaccine, 1651 infants received three doses of the vaccine, and 1641 received placebo. Of the 4417 infants included in the per-protocol efficacy analysis, severe rotavirus gastroenteritis occurred in 4.9% of the infants in the placebo group and in 1.9% of those in the pooled vaccine group (vaccine efficacy, 61.2%; 95% confidence interval, 44.0 to 73.2). Vaccine efficacy was lower in Malawi than in South Africa (49.4% vs. 76.9%); however, the number of episodes of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis that were prevented was greater in Malawi than in South Africa (6.7 vs. 4.2 cases prevented per 100 infants vaccinated per year). Efficacy against all-cause severe gastroenteritis was 30.2%. At least one serious adverse event was reported in 9.7% of the infants in the pooled vaccine group and in 11.5% of the infants in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Human rotavirus vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis among African infants during the first year of life. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00241644.
Application of the Ceditest FMDV type O and FMDV-NS enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of antibodies against Foot-and-mouth disease virus in selected livestock and wildlife species in Uganda
Diagnosis and control of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) requires rapid and sensitive diagnostic tests. Two antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, Ceditest® FMDV-NS for the detection of antibodies against the nonstructural proteins of all FMDV serotypes and Ceditest® FMDV type O for the detection of antibodies against serotype O, were evaluated under African endemic conditions where the presence of multiple serotypes and the use of nonpurified vaccines complicate serological diagnosis. Serum samples from 218 African buffalo, 758 cattle, 304 goats, and 88 sheep were tested using both kits, and selected samples were tested not only in serotype-specific ELISAs for antibodies against primarily FMDV serotype O, but also against other serotypes. The FMDV-NS assay detected far more positive samples (93%) than the FMDV type O assay (30%) in buffalo (P < 0.05), with predominant antibodies against the South African Territories (SAT) serotypes, while the seroprevalence was generally comparable in cattle with antibodies against serotype O elicited by infection and/or vaccination. However, some districts had higher seroprevalence using the FMDV type O assay indicating vaccination without infection, while 1 cattle herd with antibodies against the SAT serotypes had far more positive samples (85%) using the FMDV-NS versus the FMDV type O (10%), consistent with the latter test\u27s lower sensitivity for antibodies against SAT serotypes. Based on the current investigation, the FMDV type O ELISA may be limited by the presence of SAT serotypes. The FMD NS assay worked well as a screening test for antibodies against all FMDV serotypes present in Uganda; however, as long as nonpurified vaccines are applied in the region, this test cannot be used to differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals
Epigenetics and primary care
Epigenetics is the study of how changes to chromosome structure record and/ or transmit changes in the expression of genes. Epigenetic mechanisms act during development to control mechanisms such as cell proliferation and differentiation, tissue formation, organogenesis, and the emergence of physiological function. They also act throughout life to regulate gene expression over the long term. Epigenetic mechanisms respond to a wide range of biological signals, including stimuli from the external and social environments. So, why should this matter to general practice?
We know that poverty and socioeconomic deprivation are directly linked to premature mortality and morbidity.1 We also know that, despite universal access to free health care, inequitable healthcare outcomes persist in socioeconomically deprived populations.2 Although some of the disease-causing effects of poverty and deprivation are biologically direct, such as inadequate diet or exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and other toxins, there may also be later-emerging effects, in which epigenetic mechanisms play a part
- âŚ