Proinflammatory cytokines are elevated in serum of patients with multiple system atrophy.

Despite several lines of evidence from preclinical and post-mortem studies suggesting that inflammation is involved in Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), no previous studies have measured peripheral indices of inflammation in MSA patients

Demographic characteristics and cytokine levels in patients with MSA with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) and MSA with cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C).

a<p>Pearson’s chi-square.</p>b<p>Mann-Whitney U-test.</p><p>IQL = inter quartile range; SD = standard deviation.</p><p>CRP = C-reactive protein; IL-6 = Interleukin-6; sIL-2R = soluble interleukin-2 receptor; TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α; HAD = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; FACIT = Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy; SCOPA = Scales for Outcomes in PD; UPDRS = Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale.</p

Delignified and Densified Cellulose Bulk Materials with Excellent Tensile Properties for Sustainable Engineering

Today’s materials research aims at excellent mechanical performance in combination with advanced functionality. In this regard, great progress has been made in tailoring the materials by assembly processes in bottom-up approaches. In the field of wood-derived materials, nanocellulose research has gained increasing attention, and materials with advanced properties were developed. However, there are still unresolved issues concerning upscaling for large-scale applications. Alternatively, the sophisticated hierarchical scaffold of wood can be utilized in a top-down approach to upscale functionalization, and one can profit at the same time from its renewable nature, CO₂ storing capacity, light weight, and good mechanical performance. Nevertheless, for bulk wood materials, a wider multipurpose industrial use is so far impeded by concerns regarding durability, natural heterogeneity as well as limitations in terms of functionalization, processing, and shaping. Here, we present a novel cellulose bulk material concept based on delignification and densification of wood resulting in a high-performance material. A delignification process using hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid was optimized to delignify the entire bulk wooden blocks and to retain the highly beneficial structural directionality of wood. In a subsequent step, these cellulosic blocks were densified in a process combining compression and lateral shear to gain a very compact cellulosic material with entangled fibers while retaining unidirectional fiber orientation. The cellulose bulk materials obtained by different densification protocols were structurally, chemically, and mechanically characterized revealing superior tensile properties compared to native wood. Furthermore, after delignification, the cellulose bulk material can be easily formed into different shapes, and the delignification facilitates functionalization of the bioscaffold

Democracy and education spending in Africa

While it is widely believed that electoral competition influences public spending decisions, there has been relatively little effort to examine how recent democratization in the developing world has resulted in changes in basic service provision. There have been even fewer attempts to investigate whether democracy matters for public spending in the poorest developing countries, where “weak institutions” may mean that the formal adoption of electoral competition has little effect on policy. In this paper I confront these questions directly, asking whether the shift to multiparty competition in African countries has resulted in increased spending on primary education. I develop an argument, illustrated with a game-theoretic model, which suggests that the need to obtain an electoral majority may have prompted African governments to spend more on education, and to prioritize primary schools over universities within the education budget. I test three propositions from the model using panel data on electoral competition and education spending in African countries. I find clear evidence that democratically elected African governments have spent more on primary education, while spending on universities appears unaffected by democratization