In vivo changes in plasma acute phase protein levels in the rat induced by slow release of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF

Administration of large doses of cytokines by injection is required to induce changes in acute phase protein levels. Comparisons were made in the rat of the effects of administering recombinant human cytokines by injection with continuous release from implanted osmotic minipumps. Continuous release of interleukin-1β (0.2–2.1 ng h-1) induced dose-related changes in the plasma levels of albumin, seromucoid proteins, haptoglobin and caeruloplasmin; interleukin-1α had similar effects but required higher doses (2–21 ng h-1). Tumour necrosis factor α (50 ng h-1) only significantly increased seromucoid levels, whereas IL-6 (3–30 ng h-1) induced haptoglobin and caeruloplassynthesis. This method provides a better technique for studying the in rive effects of cytokines which may be relevant to the release mechanisms in inflammation

Theory and simulation of gelation, arrest and yielding in attracting colloids

We present some recent theory and simulation results addressing the phenomena of colloidal gelation at both high and low volume fractions, in the presence of short-range attractive interactions. We discuss the ability of mode-coupling theory and its adaptations to address situations with strong heterogeneity in density and/or dynamics. We include a discussion of the effect of attractions on the shear-thinning and yield behaviour under flow.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Psychopolitics: Peter Sedgwick’s legacy for mental health movements

This paper re-considers the relevance of Peter Sedgwick's Psychopolitics (1982) for a politics of mental health. Psychopolitics offered an indictment of ‘anti-psychiatry’ the failure of which, Sedgwick argued, lay in its deconstruction of the category of ‘mental illness’, a gesture that resulted in a politics of nihilism. ‘The radical who is only a radical nihilist’, Sedgwick observed, ‘is for all practical purposes the most adamant of conservatives’. Sedgwick argued, rather, that the concept of ‘mental illness’ could be a truly critical concept if it was deployed ‘to make demands upon the health service facilities of the society in which we live’. The paper contextualizes Psychopolitics within the ‘crisis tendencies’ of its time, surveying the shifting welfare landscape of the subsequent 25 years alongside Sedgwick's continuing relevance. It considers the dilemma that the discourse of ‘mental illness’ – Sedgwick's critical concept – has fallen out of favour with radical mental health movements yet remains paradigmatic within psychiatry itself. Finally, the paper endorses a contemporary perspective that, while necessarily updating Psychopolitics, remains nonetheless ‘Sedgwickian’

Poor school attendance and exclusion: A systematic review protocol on educational risk factors for self-harm and suicidal behaviours

This is the final version. Available from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this record.Introduction Schools have an important role in recognising and preventing self-harm and suicidal behaviour in their students, however little is known about which educational factors are associated with heightened risk We will systematically review the existing evidence on two key educational performance indicators that are routinely collected by school administrative systems: School attendance and exclusion We will investigate their association with self-harm and suicidal behaviour in school-age children and adolescents Knowledge of this association could help inform suicide prevention strategies at clinical, school and population levels Methods and analysis We will conduct a systematic search of Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, British Education Index and Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) from 1 January 1990, and conduct a manual search for additional references We aim to identify studies that explore the association between poor school attendance or exclusion and self-harm or suicidal behaviours in school-age children and adolescents Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts and full-text documents and independently extract relevant data for analysis Study quality will be assessed using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale A descriptive analysis will be performed, and where appropriate, results will be combined in meta-analyses Ethics and dissemination This is a systematic review of published literature, and therefore ethical approval will not be sought We will publish reports in health and education journals, present our work at conferences focused on school mental health and communicate our findings to practitioners and managers in public health, education and child mental health.Wellcome TrustMedical Research Council (MRC)National Institute of Health Research (NIHR

A simple, azulene-based colorimetric probe for the detection of nitrite in water

We describe the synthesis and evaluation of an azulene-based chemodosimeter for nitrite. The probe was found to undergo two distinct color changes upon introduction of aqueous nitrite ion. A near-instant formation of a grey color provides a qualitative indication of the presence of nitrite, followed by the formation of a deep-yellow/ orange color, the endpoint from which quantitative data can be derived. The azulene probe exhibits 1:1 stoichiometry of reaction with nitrite in water, and is selective for nitrite over other anions. The azulene probe was applied to determine nitrite content in cured meat, and compared with the British Standard testing procedure (Griess test). The value obtained from the azulene-based probe agreed closely with the standard test. Our procedure only requires the preparation of one standard solution, instead of the three required for the standard Griess test.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 66599

Can syndromic surveillance help forecast winter hospital bed pressures in England?

BACKGROUND: Health care planners need to predict demand for hospital beds to avoid deterioration in health care. Seasonal demand can be affected by respiratory illnesses which in England are monitored using syndromic surveillance systems. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between syndromic data and daily emergency hospital admissions. METHODS: We compared the timing of peaks in syndromic respiratory indicators and emergency hospital admissions, between 2013 and 2018. Furthermore, we created forecasts for daily admissions and investigated their accuracy when real-time syndromic data were included. RESULTS: We found that syndromic indicators were sensitive to changes in the timing of peaks in seasonal disease, especially influenza. However, each year, peak demand for hospital beds occurred on either 29th or 30th December, irrespective of the timing of syndromic peaks. Most forecast models using syndromic indicators explained over 70% of the seasonal variation in admissions (adjusted R square value). Forecast errors were reduced when syndromic data were included. For example, peak admissions for December 2014 and 2017 were underestimated when syndromic data were not used in models. CONCLUSION: Due to the lack of variability in the timing of the highest seasonal peak in hospital admissions, syndromic surveillance data do not provide additional early warning of timing. However, during atypical seasons syndromic data did improve the accuracy of forecast intensity

The politics of in/visibility: carving out queer space in Ul'yanovsk

<p>In spite of a growing interest within sexualities studies in the concept of queer space (Oswin 2008), existing literature focuses almost exclusively on its most visible and territorialised forms, such as the gay scene, thus privileging Western metropolitan areas as hubs of queer consumer culture (Binnie 2004). While the literature has emphasised the political significance of queer space as a site of resistance to hegemonic gender and sexual norms, it has again predominantly focused on overt claims to public space embodied in Pride events, neglecting other less open forms of resistance.</p><p> This article contributes new insights to current debates about the construction and meaning of queer space by considering how city space is appropriated by an informal queer network in Ul’ianovsk. The group routinely occupied very public locations meeting and socialising on the street or in mainstream cafés in central Ul’ianovsk, although claims to these spaces as queer were mostly contingent, precarious or invisible to outsiders. The article considers how provincial location affects tactics used to carve out communal space, foregrounding the importance of local context and collective agency in shaping specific forms of resistance, and questioning ethnocentric assumptions about the empowering potential of visibility.</p&gt

Dual-function cellulose composites for fluorescence detection and removal of fluoride

A biodegradable and robust fluorogenic cellulose material for simultaneous fluoride recognition and adsorption at environmentally significant levels is presented. The fluorescent modified cellulose (FMC) containing a boronic acid-based anthracene group as a fluorescent signaling unit displays a selective fluorescence enhancement with F−. On the other hand, Cl−, Br−, SO42−, H2PO4−and ClO4− did not induce significant changes in fluorescence. Furthermore, FMC shows excellent F− adsorption over a wide range of pH with a low dosage. Equilibrium studies demonstrate that the adsorption of F− follows the Langmuir model in an aqueous solution. While, adsorption kinetics were found to follow the pseudo-second-order model. The simplicity of the method and the ability to detect and remove fluoride in waste water is noteworthy given the problems associated with fluoride pollution in drinking water.</p