Genome sequences of human coronavirus OC43 and NL63, associated with respiratory infections in Kilifi, Kenya

Coding-complete genomes of two human coronavirus OC43 strains and one NL63 strain were obtained by metagenomic sequencing of clinical samples collected in 2017 and 2018 in Kilifi, Kenya. Maximum likelihood phylogenies showed that the OC43 strains were genetically dissimilar and that the NL63 strain was closely related to NL63 genotype B viruses. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2019 Kamau et al.

Comparison of the Conceptual Map and Traditional Lecture Methods on Students’ Learning Based on the VARK Learning Style Model: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Developing skills and knowledge in nursing education remains a considerable challenge. Nurse instructors need to be aware of students' learning styles so as to meet students' individual learning preferences and optimize knowledge and understanding. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the conceptual map and the traditional lecture methods on students' learning based on the VARK learning styles model. In this randomized controlled trial, 160 students from nursing, nurse anesthetics, and midwifery disciplines with four different learning styles of visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic were selected using the convenience sampling method. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (conceptual map method) or control (traditional lecture method) groups. A medical-surgical nursing course was taught to the students in both groups over 6 weeks. Data collection tools consisted of the VARK questionnaire and pre-and postassessments. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software. Teaching using the conceptual map method had different effects on the students' learning outcomes based on their learning styles. The conceptual map method had a statistically significant impact on the students' learning in the intervention group compared with the control group in the students with a visual learning style (p ¼ .036). No statistically significant differences were reported between the groups in other three learning styles. Nurse instructors should assess students' learning styles based on the VARK model before the application of a particular teaching method to improve the quality of nursing education and facilitate deeper learning

Medicare for all

OBJECTIVES: Interferon (IFN) alpha is a key immunoregulatory cytokine secreted by activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) that constitute less than 1% of leucocytes. IFNalpha plays an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Nevertheless, the natural IFNalpha inducers in SLE as well as the different IFNalpha secreting cell types are only partially characterised. METHODS: Chromatin was purified from calf thymus. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), neutrophils and mouse bone marrow neutrophils were purified and cultured with different stimuli. IFNalpha production was estimated by flow cytometry, ELISA and a bioassay, and gene expression by quantitative real time PCR. Neutrophil activation and NETosis were analysed by flow cytometry, ELISA and confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Neutrophils produced a bioactive IFNalpha on stimulation with purified chromatin. IFNalpha secretion was observed with steady state neutrophils purified from 56 independent healthy individuals and autoimmune patients in response to free chromatin and not chromatin containing immune complexes. Chromatin induced IFNalpha secretion occurred independently of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). Neutrophil priming by granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor or IFNalpha was not necessary but PBMC sustained IFNalpha secretion by neutrophils. PDC were 27 times more efficient than neutrophils but blood neutrophils were 100 times more frequent than PDC. Finally, neutrophil activation by chromatin was associated with NETosis and DNA sensor upregulation. CONCLUSIONS: Neutrophils have the capability of producing IFNalpha on selective triggering, and we identified a natural lupus stimulus involved, unveiling a new mechanism involved in SLE. Neutrophils represent another important source of IFNalpha and important targets for future therapies aimed at influencing IFNalpha levels

Molecular epidemiology of human rhinovirus from one-year surveillance within a school setting in rural coastal Kenya

Background Human rhinovirus (HRV) is the most common cause of the common cold but may also lead to more severe respiratory illness in vulnerable populations. The epidemiology and genetic diversity of HRV within a school setting have not been previously described. Objective To characterise HRV molecular epidemiology in primary school in a rural location of Kenya. Methods Between May 2017 to April 2018, over three school terms, we collected 1859 nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) from pupils and teachers with symptoms of acute respiratory infection in a public primary school in Kilifi County, coastal Kenya. The samples were tested for HRV using real-time RT-PCR. HRV positive samples were sequenced in the VP4/VP2 coding region for species and genotype classification. Results A total of 307 NPS (16.4%) from 164 individuals were HRV positive, and 253 (82.4%) were successfully sequenced. The proportion of HRV in the lower primary classes was higher (19.8%) than upper primary classes (12.2%), p-value &0.001. HRV-A was the most common species (134/253, 53.0%), followed by HRV-C (73/253, 28.9%) and HRV-B (46/253, 18.2%). Phylogenetic analysis identified 47 HRV genotypes. The most common genotypes were A2 and B70. Numerous (up to 22 in one school term) genotypes circulated simultaneously, there was no individual re-infection with the same genotype, and no genotype was detected in all three school terms. Conclusion HRV was frequently detected among school-going children with mild ARI symptoms, and particularly in the younger age groups (&5-year-olds). Multiple HRV introductions were observed characterised by the considerable genotype diversity

Differential spatial repositioning of activated genes in Biomphalaria glabrata snails infected with Schistosoma mansoni

Copyright @ 2014 Arican-Goktas et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Schistosomiasis is an infectious disease infecting mammals as the definitive host and fresh water snails as the intermediate host. Understanding the molecular and biochemical relationship between the causative schistosome parasite and its hosts will be key to understanding and ultimately treating and/or eradicating the disease. There is increasing evidence that pathogens that have co-evolved with their hosts can manipulate their hosts' behaviour at various levels to augment an infection. Bacteria, for example, can induce beneficial chromatin remodelling of the host genome. We have previously shown in vitro that Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic cells co-cultured with schistosome miracidia display genes changing their nuclear location and becoming up-regulated. This also happens in vivo in live intact snails, where early exposure to miracidia also elicits non-random repositioning of genes. We reveal differences in the nuclear repositioning between the response of parasite susceptible snails as compared to resistant snails and with normal or live, attenuated parasites. Interestingly, the stress response gene heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 is only repositioned and then up-regulated in susceptible snails with the normal parasite. This movement and change in gene expression seems to be controlled by the parasite. Other differences in the behaviour of genes support the view that some genes are responding to tissue damage, for example the ferritin genes move and are up-regulated whether the snails are either susceptible or resistant and upon exposure to either normal or attenuated parasite. This is the first time host genome reorganisation has been seen in a parasitic host and only the second time for any pathogen. We believe that the parasite elicits a spatio-epigenetic reorganisation of the host genome to induce favourable gene expression for itself and this might represent a fundamental mechanism present in the human host infected with schistosome cercariae as well as in other host-pathogen relationships.NIH and Sandler Borroughs Wellcome Travel Fellowshi

Making sense of urban food festivals: cultural regeneration, disorder and hospitable cities

This article examines urban food festivals, and in doing so it carries out a case study of Nottingham’s Food and Drink Festival (NFDF). It contends that such festivals need to be understood in relation to local contexts, such as the reputation for alcohol-related disorder associated with Nottingham’s night-time economy. Rather than being used to attract tourism, NFDF was primarily directed at existing residents of Nottingham, where it sought to produce particular kinds of guests who would be able to invest in the city’s wider regeneration. Here, the article draws on recent academic work on hospitality in demonstrating how NFDF attempted to rebrand the city centre as a more hospitable place. It concludes by showing how visitors to NFDF exhibited a sense of generosity and pride, and argues that the meaning of urban food festivals cannot therefore simply be reduced to the logic of neoliberal governance

Orion-KL Observations with the Extended Tuning Range of the New SEPIA660 APEX Facility Instrument

During Science Verification of the new SEPIA660 facility receiver at APEX, we carried out a shallow line survey of the archetypal Kleinmann- Low Nebula in the Orion star forming region (Orion-KL). These observations cover the tuning range towards the band edges, which has recently been extended beyond ALMA Band 9 specifications. At these frequencies, atmospheric transmission is very low but still sufficient to detect bright lines in Orion-KL. We present the collected spectra and compare with surveys from the literature, demonstrating the capabilities of the instrument

The nuclear receptors of Biomphalaria glabrata and Lottia gigantea: Implications for developing new model organisms

© 2015 Kaur et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedNuclear receptors (NRs) are transcription regulators involved in an array of diverse physiological functions including key roles in endocrine and metabolic function. The aim of this study was to identify nuclear receptors in the fully sequenced genome of the gastropod snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni and compare these to known vertebrate NRs, with a view to assessing the snail's potential as a invertebrate model organism for endocrine function, both as a prospective new test organism and to elucidate the fundamental genetic and mechanistic causes of disease. For comparative purposes, the genome of a second gastropod, the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea was also investigated for nuclear receptors. Thirty-nine and thirty-three putative NRs were identified from the B. glabrata and L. gigantea genomes respectively, based on the presence of a conserved DNA-binding domain and/or ligand-binding domain. Nuclear receptor transcript expression was confirmed and sequences were subjected to a comparative phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that these molluscs have representatives of all the major NR subfamilies (1-6). Many of the identified NRs are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates, however differences exist, most notably, the absence of receptors of Group 3C, which includes some of the vertebrate endocrine hormone targets. The mollusc genomes also contain NR homologues that are present in insects and nematodes but not in vertebrates, such as Group 1J (HR48/DAF12/HR96). The identification of many shared receptors between humans and molluscs indicates the potential for molluscs as model organisms; however the absence of several steroid hormone receptors indicates snail endocrine systems are fundamentally different.The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, Grant Ref:G0900802 to CSJ, LRN, SJ & EJR [www.nc3rs.org.uk]

Phagocytosis of Enterovirus-Infected Pancreatic β-Cells Triggers Innate Immune Responses in Human Dendritic Cells

Contains fulltext : 89763.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: Type 1 diabetes is a chronic endocrine disorder in which enteroviruses, such as coxsackie B viruses and echoviruses, are possible environmental factors that can trigger or accelerate disease. The development or acceleration of type 1 diabetes depends on the balance between autoreactive effector T-cells and regulatory T-cells. This balance is particularly influenced by dendritic cells (DCs). The goal of this study was to investigate the interaction between enterovirus-infected human pancreatic islets and human DCs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In vitro phagocytosis of human or porcine primary islets or Min6 mouse insuloma cells by DCs was investigated by flow cytometry and confocal analysis. Subsequent innate DC responses were monitored by quantitative PCR and Western blotting of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). RESULTS: In this study, we show that both mock- and coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-infected human and porcine pancreatic islets were efficiently phagocytosed by human monocyte-derived DCs. Phagocytosis of CVB3-infected, but not mock-infected, human and porcine islets resulted in induction of ISGs in DCs, including the retinoic acid-inducible gene (RIG)-I-like helicases (RLHs), RIG-I, and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (Mda5). Studies with murine Min6 insuloma cells, which were also efficiently phagocytosed, revealed that increased ISG expression in DCs upon encountering CVB-infected cells resulted in an antiviral state that protected DCs from subsequent enterovirus infection. The observed innate antiviral responses depended on RNA within the phagocytosed cells, required endosomal acidification, and were type I interferon dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Human DCs can phagocytose enterovirus-infected pancreatic cells and subsequently induce innate antiviral responses, such as induction of RLHs. These responses may have important consequences for immune homeostasis in vivo and may play a role in the etiology of type 1 diabetes.1 mei 201