The immune response to malaria in utero.

Malaria causes tremendous early childhood morbidity and mortality, providing an urgent impetus for the development of a vaccine that is effective in neonates. However, the infant immune response to malaria may be influenced by events that occur well before birth. Placental malaria infection complicates one quarter of all pregnancies in Africa and frequently results in exposure of the fetus to malaria antigens in utero, while the immune system is still developing. Some data suggest that in utero exposure to malaria may induce immunologic tolerance that interferes with the development of protective immunity during childhood. More recently, however, a growing body of evidence suggests that fetal malaria exposure can prime highly functional malaria-specific T- and B-cells, which may contribute to postnatal protection from malaria. In utero exposure to malaria also impacts the activation and maturation of fetal antigen presenting cells and innate lymphocytes, which could have implications for global immunity in the infant. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how various components of the fetal immune system are altered by in utero exposure to malaria, discuss factors that may tilt the critical balance between tolerance and adaptive immunity, and consider the implications of these findings for malaria prevention strategies

Alien Registration- Feeney, Doris E. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/24563/thumbnail.jp

Longitudinal Aging Study in India: Vision, Design, Implementation, and Some Early Results

India is poised to experience a dramatic rise in its aging population in coming decades, yet comprehensive research and effective policy to confront this transition are lacking. According to projections constructed by the United Nations Population Division, the share of Indians aged 60 and over will increase from 8% today to 19% by 2050 (representing 323 million people, more than the entire US population in 2011). This demographic shift will pose significant challenges. India’s traditional reliance on private family networks to provide older people with care, companionship, and financial support will be stressed not only by the increasing number of aging Indians who rely on it, but also by changing household dynamics and patterns of spatial mobility among younger family members. The Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) is intended to inform the design and expansion of a new generation of institutions – public and private – for the care and support of India’s population of older people by providing comprehensive data to the scientific and policy community. LASI is an evidence base for analyzing the (1) health, (2) economic and financial resources, and (3) living arrangements and social connections of older Indians. It enhances opportunities for cross-national analysis by adding India to the growing number of countries with harmonized data on their older populations. LASI surveys will be carried out every two years, providing longitudinal data to support research and policy development. This paper provides an overview of the conception and content of the 2010 LASI pilot survey that was conducted in four states: Punjab, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Kerala. We highlight key aspects of the field work, such as response rates and interview duration, and discuss the breadth and quality of the economic, health, and social data collected. We pay close attention to the cultural and geographic diversity LASI is able to capture, and bring to light interesting patterns in, and relationships among, measures of health, social connectedness, labor force participation, and hardship among the elderly.aging, longitudinal, India

Press Statement of Major League Presidents Joseph E. Cronin and Charles S. Feeney Regarding Curt Flood Lawsuit

Press Statement of Major League Presidents Joseph E. Cronin and Charles S. Feeney Regarding Curt Flood Lawsuit

Insights from Pennsylvania: Marketing agritourism for the American cider culture

Destinations and activities for travelers are greatly influenced by official tourism agencies that promote their local resources. Marketing for well-known places like breweries or vineyards can be straight forward, but destinations without clear descriptions can be more challenging. This paper examined how cider is defined, promoted, and marketed by official tourism websites to evaluate its potential for supporting the agritourism industry given the resurgence in craft beverages and increased public interest to purchase local products. Discrepancies between federal and state regulations of cider contribute to the public’s lack of awareness of what cider is, who can make it, and how it can be sold. A Quantitative Content Analysis (QCA) was used to evaluate how cider was marketed as a travel opportunity, particularly with its connections for agritourism. The methodology includes a set of questions that systematically evaluate text, graphics, and videos displayed on official tourism websites. While this study focused on Pennsylvania, it also compared and contrasted marketing strategies of other top cider-producing states. Results indicate that food and drink tourism is important and most states promote locally made beverages. Although cider was included in many of these promotions, it was inconsistently placed amongst other products. Cooperation and communication between local, state, and federal agencies in addition to local businesses could potentially improve cider sales and bring economic opportunities to rural communities wanting to increase agritourism

Pediatric Response to Second-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa

Background: With improved access to pediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings, more children could experience first-line ART treatment failure. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis using electronic medical records from HIV-infected children who initiated ART at McCord Hospital's Sinikithemba Clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, from August 2003 to December 2010. We analyzed all records from children who began second-line ART due to first-line treatment failure. We used logistic regression to compare viral outcomes in Protease Inhibitor (PI)-based versus Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor (NNRTI)-based second-line ART, controlling for time on first-line ART, sex, and whether HIV genotyping guided the regimen change. Results: Of the 880 children who initiated ART during this time period, 80 (9.1%) switched to second-line ART due to therapeutic failure of first-line ART after a median of 95 weeks (IQR 65–147 weeks). Eight (10%) of the failures received NNRTI-based second-line ART, all of whom failed a PI-based first-line regimen. Seventy (87.5%) received PI-based second-line ART, all of whom failed a NNRTI-based first-line regimen. Two children (2.5%) received non-standard dual therapy as second-line ART. Six months after switching ART regimens, the viral suppression rate was significantly higher in the PI group (82%) than in the NNRTI group (29%; p = 0.003). Forty-one children (51%) were tested for genotypic resistance prior to switching to second-line ART. There was no significant difference in six month viral suppression (p = 0.38) between children with and without genotype testing. Conclusion: NNRTI-based second-line ART carries a high risk of virologic failure compared to PI-based second-line ART

Noradrenergic Pharmacotherapy, Intracerebral Infusion and Adrenal Transplantation Promote Functional Recovery After Cortical Damage

The research described in this review briefly summarizes evidence that short term pharmacological enhancement of noradrenergic (NA) synaptic activity, combined with symptom relevant experience (SRE), promotes functional recovery of some symptoms of cortical damage in rat, cat and human beings even when treatment is initiated from days to weeks after injury. A summary is provided of the numerous drugs tested in rodent cortical injury models which have been proven useful for predicting beneficial or harmful effects on behavioral outcome in human stroke. The pattern of drug effects indicates a central role for NA in functional recovery. Additionally, studies of the effects of direct intraventricular infusion of monoamine neurotransmitters are reviewed and further support the hypothesized role of NA in recovery from some symptoms of cortical injury. The site of NA/SRE interaction to promote recovery from hemiplegia apparently involves the cerebellar hemisphere contralateral to the cortical injury. Microinfusions of NA into the contra- but not ipsilaterai cerebellar hemisphere dramatically enhance recovery. Furthermore, like its systemic action, microinfusion of the α1- NA receptor antagonist, phenoxybenzamine, reinstates hemiplegia. A “permanent” symptom of motor cortex injury in the cat is the complete loss of tactile placing contralateral to the injury which does not spontaneously recover for as long as seven years after ablation. This posturai reflex is temporarily restored for 8-12 hours following amphetamine administration. However, this permanently lost reflex can be enduringly restored by transplanting catecholamine secreting adrenal tissue into the wound cavity. The experiment is reviewed in detail and involves chromaffin cell autografts into the frontal cortex ablation wound cavity producing a restoration of tactile placing for the 7-10 month duration of the study. This enduring restoration of tactile placing is considered a result of the release of catecholamines into the CNS from the grafted chromaffin cells found, by histochemical methods, surviving 7-10 months after transplant. Lastly, we attribute these delayed treatment effects to an attenuation of a diaschisis, or remote functional depression, in morphologically intact areas anatomically connected to the area of injury. The widespread reduction of glycolytic and oxidative metabolism, produced by focal cortical injury, is normalized by the same treatment which alleviates symptoms and is worsened by drugs which exacerbate deficits. These data support the hypothesis that providing SRE during a period of enhanced NA synaptic activity produces an enduring functional recovery after cortical injury by attenuating remote functional depression. This treatment for enhancing recovery is especially attractive since it is effective even when begun weeks after cortical damage

Feasibility and initial efficacy of project-based treatment for people with ABI

Background: Communication impairments are common and pervasive for people a long time following acquired brain injury (ABI). These impairments have a significant impact on a person's quality of life (QOL) post‐injury. Project‐based treatment is a treatment approach that could have an impact on communication skills and QOL for people with ABI a long‐term post‐injury. This treatment is embedded in a context of meaningful activities chosen by people with ABI, whereby, as a group, they work collaboratively to achieve a tangible end product. Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of project‐based treatment on improving the communication skills and QOL for people with ABI. Methods & Procedures: An exploratory controlled trial with alternate allocation of groups, and follow‐up at 6–8 weeks, was completed. Twenty‐one people with chronic ABI were recruited in groups of two to three from community settings, allocated to either a TREATMENT (n = 11) or WAITLIST group (n = 10). Participants attended a 20‐h group‐based treatment over 6 weeks where they worked towards achieving a project that helped others. To determine feasibility, four criteria were used: demand, implementation, practicality and acceptability. A range of communication and QOL outcomes was used to determine a fifth feasibility criterion, initial efficacy. Some of these criteria were additionally used to evaluate the feasibility of the outcomes. Outcomes & Results: All participants received the treatment as allocated with high attendance and no dropouts. The treatment was feasible to deliver as intended and was highly acceptable to participants. Medium and large effect sizes were found from pre‐ to post‐treatment, and from pre‐treatment to follow‐up for measures of conversation, perceived communicative ability and QOL. Conclusions & Implications: Project‐based treatment is feasible with indications of initial efficacy for both communication skills and QOL. The treatment provides a promising new approach for improving communication skills and QOL in people with chronic acquired brain injuries in the community setting

Measurement using flexural ultrasonic transducers in high pressure environments

The flexural ultrasonic transducer comprises a metallic membrane to which an active element such as a piezoelectric ceramic is attached. The normal modes of the membrane are exploited to generate and receive the desired ultrasonic wave. Flexural ultrasonic transducers are popular due to their ability to couple to different media without requiring matching layers. There is growing demand for ultrasound measurement using flexural ultrasonic transducers in high pressure environments, such as in gas metering. However, their sealing increases the risk of transducer deformation as the pressure level is raised, due to pressure imbalance between the internal cavity of the transducer and the external environment. In this study, a novel form of flexural ultrasonic transducer for operation in high pressure environments, those above 100 bar, is shown alongside key measurement strategies. Different methods can be used to enable pressure equalization between the internal cavity and the external environment, one of which is venting and used in this study. Dynamic performance is monitored via pitch-catch ultrasound measurement in air up to 130 bar. The results suggest the suitability of the vented transducer for operation in high pressure environments compared to the classical flexural ultrasonic transducer, constituting a significant development in ultrasonic measurement