Protecting Free-Living Dormice: Molecular Identification of Cestode Parasites in Captive Dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) Destined for Reintroduction

The success of any population translocation programme relies heavily on the measures implemented to control and monitor the spread of disease. Without these measures, programmes run the risk of releasing immunologically naïve species or, more dangerously, introducing novel infectious agents to native populations. As a precaution, a reintroduction programme for the common or hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, in England screens dormice before release following captive breeding. Using PCR sequencing of a range of genes, we tested whether the same species of tapeworm(s) were present in captive and free-living dormice. Whilst only Rodentolepis straminea were identified in free-living dormice, cestode ova found in a captive individual produced a molecular match closely related to Hymenolepis microstoma and a previously unrecorded Rodentolepis species. To prevent putting at risk the free-living population, we recommended the continued treatment of dormice showing tapeworm infection before release. Our work demonstrates how molecular techniques can be used to inform reintroduction programmes, reduce risk from disease and increase chances of reintroduction success

Sibling relationships and family functioning in siblings of early adolescents, adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder

The purpose of the study was to investigate how family functioning (defined as the ability that family members hold to manage stressful events, and intimate and social relationships), the degree to which family members feel happy and fulfilled with each other (called family satisfaction), and the demographical characteristics of siblings (age and gender) impacted on sibling relationships. The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems and Behavioral Systems constituted the theoretical frameworks that guided our study. Eighty-six typically developing adolescents and young adults having a sister or a brother with autism spectrum disorder were enrolled. Results indicated that the youngest age group (early adolescents) reported to engage more frequently in negative behaviors with their siblings with ASD than the two older age groups (middle adolescents and young adults). No significant differences were found among the three age groups regarding behaviors derived from attachment, caregiving and affiliative systems. Family satisfaction and age significantly predicted behaviors during sibling interactions. Suggestions on prevention and intervention programs were discussed in order to prevent parentification among typically developing siblings and decrease episodes of quarrels and overt conflicts between brothers and sisters with and without AS

Can precursors improve the transmission of energy at optical frequencies?

The recent interest in precursors has been fuelled by the possibility of using them for the efficient transmission of information through absorbing media at radio or optical frequencies. Here we demonstrate that the low attenuation experienced by the Brillouin precursor is attributed to the inherently low absorption of dispersive media near DC, a characteristic already exploited with communications systems using the extremely low frequency (ELF) band. Pulses, regardless of their temporal width and carrier frequency, always obey Beer's law as long as they propagate in the linear time invariant regime. We conclude with an FDTD simulation of the Maxwell–Bloch equations that shows how optical coherent bleaching effects, which take place in the linear time variant regime of the Lorentz oscillator model, can cause sustained deviations from Beer's law over relatively long distances of water

Inductively guided circuits for ultracold dressed atoms

Recent progress in optics, atomic physics and material science has paved the way to study quantum effects in ultracold atomic alkali gases confined to non-trivial geometries. Multiply connected traps for cold atoms can be prepared by combining inhomogeneous distributions of DC and radio-frequency electromagnetic fields with optical fields that require complex systems for frequency control and stabilization. Here we propose a flexible and robust scheme that creates closed quasi-one-dimensional guides for ultracold atoms through the ‘dressing’ of hyperfine sublevels of the atomic ground state, where the dressing field is spatially modulated by inductive effects over a micro-engineered conducting loop. Remarkably, for commonly used atomic species (for example, 7Li and 87Rb), the guide operation relies entirely on controlling static and low-frequency fields in the regimes of radio-frequency and microwave frequencies. This novel trapping scheme can be implemented with current technology for micro-fabrication and electronic control

Use of a liquid nicotine delivery product to promote smoking cessation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite access to various pharmacotherapies and counseling support to aid cessation, smokers typically demonstrate quit rates below 50%. This report describes the results of a Phase 2a study exploring the efficacy of a liquid nicotine delivery system as an aid to smoking cessation assessed after 12 weeks of therapy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A single-arm Phase 2a study was conducted. Community-based smokers (ages 18+ years, smoking at least 10 cigarettes daily for the past year and interested in making a quit attempt) were recruited and completed clinic visits at 2 week intervals over the 12 week study period where carbon monoxide levels were assessed and the Smoke-Break product was rated on taste and overall satisfaction. Participants were provided with a supply of liquid nicotine cigarettes (e.g., Smoke-Break) at each clinic visit. A total of 69 smokers were enrolled and received the intervention product (intention to treat group, ITT) and 52 smokers verified participation (according to protocol group, ATP).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The cessation rate at 12 weeks after the baseline visit, assessed as the bioverified point prevalence of abstinence, was 71.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58.8%-83.5%) in the ATP group and 53.6% (41.8%-65.4%) in the ITT group. Participants rated the liquid nicotine delivery system highly and also expressed general satisfaction. Few adverse events were identified with no serious adverse events.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results support the efficacy of the liquid nicotine delivery system in smoking cessation. If this nicotine delivery product proves to be effective in larger trials, it could represent an inexpensive, readily accessible and well-tolerated agent to promote smoking cessation.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as study NCT00715871.</p

THG113.31, a specific PGF2alpha receptor antagonist, induces human myometrial relaxation and BKCa channel activation

BACKGROUND: PGF2alpha exerts a significant contractile effect on myometrium and is central to human labour. THG113.31, a specific non-competitive PGF2alpha receptor (FP) antagonist, exerts an inhibitory effect on myometrial contractility. The BKCa channel is ubiquitously encountered in human uterine tissue and plays a significant role in modulating myometrial cell membrane potential and excitability. The objective of this study was to investigate potential BKCa channel involvement in the response of human myometrium to THG113.31. METHODS: Single and whole-cell electrophysiological BKCa channel recordings from freshly dispersed myocytes, were investigated in the presence and absence of THG113.31. Functional studies investigated the effects of THG113.31 on isolated spontaneous myometrial contractions, in the presence and absence of the BKCa channel blocker, iberiotoxin. RESULTS: Single channel recordings identified the BKCa channel as a target of THG113.31. THG113.31 significantly increased the open state probability of these channels [control 0.023+/-0.006; 10 microM THG113.31 0.087+/-0.012 (P = 0.009); and 50 microM THG113.31 0.1356+/-0.018 (P = 0.001)]. In addition, THG113.31 increased whole-cell BKCa currents over a range of membrane potentials, and this effect was reversed by 100 nanoM IbTX. Isometric tension studies demonstrated that THG113.31 exerted a significant concentration-dependent relaxant effect on human myometrial tissue and pre-incubation of strips with IbTX abolished this effect on spontaneously occurring contractions. CONCLUSION: These data suggests that activation of the BKCa channel may contribute, at least partially, to the uterorelaxant effect of THG113.31

Expression of Wnt gene family and frizzled receptors in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

[Abstract] Genes of the Wnt and Frizzled class, expressed in HNSCC tissue and cell lines, have an established role in cell morphogenesis and differentiation, and also they have oncogenic properties. We studied Wnt and Fz genes as potential tumor-associated markers in HNSCC by qPCR. Expression levels of Wnt and Fz genes in 22 unique frozen samples from HNSCC were measured. We also assessed possible correlation between the expression levels obtained in cancer samples in relation to clinicopathologic outcome. Wnt-1 was not expressed in the majority of the HNSCC studied, whereas Wnt-5A was the most strongly expressed by the malignant tumors. Wnt-10B expression levels were related with higher grade of undifferentiation. Related to Fz genes, Fz-5 showed more expression levels in no-affectation of regional lymph nodes. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses suggest a reduced time of survival for low and high expression of Wnt-7A and Fz-5 mRNA, respectively. qPCR demonstrated that HNSCC express Wnt and Fz members, and suggested that Wnt and Fz signaling is activated in HNSCC cells

Informing investment to reduce inequalities: a modelling approach

Background: Reducing health inequalities is an important policy objective but there is limited quantitative information about the impact of specific interventions. Objectives: To provide estimates of the impact of a range of interventions on health and health inequalities. Materials and methods: Literature reviews were conducted to identify the best evidence linking interventions to mortality and hospital admissions. We examined interventions across the determinants of health: a ‘living wage’; changes to benefits, taxation and employment; active travel; tobacco taxation; smoking cessation, alcohol brief interventions, and weight management services. A model was developed to estimate mortality and years of life lost (YLL) in intervention and comparison populations over a 20-year time period following interventions delivered only in the first year. We estimated changes in inequalities using the relative index of inequality (RII). Results: Introduction of a ‘living wage’ generated the largest beneficial health impact, with modest reductions in health inequalities. Benefits increases had modest positive impacts on health and health inequalities. Income tax increases had negative impacts on population health but reduced inequalities, while council tax increases worsened both health and health inequalities. Active travel increases had minimally positive effects on population health but widened health inequalities. Increases in employment reduced inequalities only when targeted to the most deprived groups. Tobacco taxation had modestly positive impacts on health but little impact on health inequalities. Alcohol brief interventions had modestly positive impacts on health and health inequalities only when strongly socially targeted, while smoking cessation and weight-reduction programmes had minimal impacts on health and health inequalities even when socially targeted. Conclusions: Interventions have markedly different effects on mortality, hospitalisations and inequalities. The most effective (and likely cost-effective) interventions for reducing inequalities were regulatory and tax options. Interventions focused on individual agency were much less likely to impact on inequalities, even when targeted at the most deprived communities

Surface and Temporal Biosignatures

Recent discoveries of potentially habitable exoplanets have ignited the prospect of spectroscopic investigations of exoplanet surfaces and atmospheres for signs of life. This chapter provides an overview of potential surface and temporal exoplanet biosignatures, reviewing Earth analogues and proposed applications based on observations and models. The vegetation red-edge (VRE) remains the most well-studied surface biosignature. Extensions of the VRE, spectral "edges" produced in part by photosynthetic or nonphotosynthetic pigments, may likewise present potential evidence of life. Polarization signatures have the capacity to discriminate between biotic and abiotic "edge" features in the face of false positives from band-gap generating material. Temporal biosignatures -- modulations in measurable quantities such as gas abundances (e.g., CO2), surface features, or emission of light (e.g., fluorescence, bioluminescence) that can be directly linked to the actions of a biosphere -- are in general less well studied than surface or gaseous biosignatures. However, remote observations of Earth's biosphere nonetheless provide proofs of concept for these techniques and are reviewed here. Surface and temporal biosignatures provide complementary information to gaseous biosignatures, and while likely more challenging to observe, would contribute information inaccessible from study of the time-averaged atmospheric composition alone.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, review to appear in Handbook of Exoplanets. Fixed figure conversion error