Tropospheric reactive odd nitrogen over the South Pacific in austral springtime

The distribution of reactive nitrogen species over the South Pacific during austral springtime appears to be dominated by biomass burning emissions and possibly lightning and stratospheric inputs. The absence of robust correlations of reactive nitrogen species with source-specific tracers (e.g., C2H2 [combustion], CH3Cl [biomass burning], C2Cl4 [industrial],210Pb [continental], and 7Be [stratospheric]) suggests significant aging and processing of the sampled air parcels due to losses by surface deposition, OH attack, and dilution processes. Classification of the air parcels based on CO enhancements indicates that the greatest influence was found in plumes at 3–8 km altitude in the distributions of HNO3 and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). Here mixing ratios of these species reached 600 parts per trillion by volume (pptv), values surprisingly large for a location several thousand kilometers removed from the nearest continental areas. The mixing ratio of total reactive nitrogen (the NOy sum), operationally defined in this paper as measured (NO + HNO3 + PAN + CH3ONO2 + C2H5ONO2) + modeled (NO2), had a median value of 285 pptv within these plumes compared with 120 pptv in nonplume air parcels. Particle NO−3 was not included in this analysis of the NOy sum due to its 10- to 15-min sampling time resolution, but, in general, it was \u3c10% of the NOy sum. Comparison of the two air parcel classifications for NOy and alkyl nitrate distributions showed no perceivable plume influence, but recycling of reactive nitrogen may have masked this direct effect. In the marine boundary layer, the NOy sum averaged 50 pptv in both air parcel classifications, being somewhat isolated from the polluted conditions above it by the trade wind inversion. In this region, however, alkyl nitrates appear to have an important marine source where they comprise 20–80% of the NOy sum in equatorial and high-latitude regions over the South Pacific

Patients’ experiences of lupus related foot problems : a qualitative investigation

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can present with a variety of symptoms. Previous research has shown there is a high prevalence of lower limb and foot problems in patients with SLE associated with the musculoskeletal, vascular and neurological changes. Furthermore, there is a high prevalence of infections affecting the feet and a range of common skin and nail problems. However, it is not known how these foot problems impact upon people’s lives. Therefore, we aimed to explore this using a qualitative approach. Method: Following ethical approval, 12 participants were recruited who had a diagnosis of SLE, current and/or past experience of foot problems and were over 18 years in age. Following consent, interviews were carried out with an interpretivist phenomenological approach to both data collection and analysis. Results: Seven themes provide insight into: foot problems and symptoms; the impact of these foot problems and symptoms on activities; disclosure and diagnosis of foot problems; treatment of foot problems and symptoms; perceived barriers to professional foot care; unanswered questions about feet and foot care; and identification of the need for professional foot care and foot care advice. Conclusion: These participants tend to “self-treat” rather than disclose that they may need professional foot care. A lack of focus upon foot health within a medical consultation is attributed to the participant’s belief that it is not within the doctor’s role, even though it is noted to contribute to reduced daily activity. There is a need for feet to be included as a part of patient monitoring and for foot health management to be made accessible for people with SLE

Rapid one-step biotinylation of biological and non-biological surfaces

We describe a rapid one-step method to biotinylate virtually any biological or non-biological surface. Contacting a solution of biotin-spacer-lipid constructs with a surface will form a coating within seconds on non-biological surfaces or within minutes on most biological membranes including membrane viruses. The resultant biotinylated surface can then be used to interact with avidinylated conjugates, beads, vesicles, surfaces or cells

Working through the pain… and getting on with it — some patients’ experiences of living with Lupus-related foot problems

Background: Along with its skin manifestations, SLE can present with a variety of musculoskeletal signs and symptoms and vascular problems that can affect the feet. Furthermore, there is the potential for reduced tissue viability, leading to thinning of the skin and/or callus formation. Further, systemic resistance to viral, bacterial and fungal infections may be reduced and, together with poor tissue viability, create the opportunity for these infections to proliferate in the feet. A recent survey by the same authors (unpublished) has shown a high prevalence of these infections, with many experiencing the impact of vascular and musculoskeletal problems. To date there is no research that has explored the impact of foot problems on people’s lives. Methods: Following ethical approval, 12 participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited: diagnosed with SLE (ACR diagnosis), current and/or past experience of foot/lower limb problems and age �18 years. Consent was obtained and then conversational-style interviews were carried out with an interpretivistic phenomenological approach. The interviews were digitally recorded and complemented by field notes. An opening question was used for all participants: ‘Tell me about your experiences of having foot problems?’ If necessary, further trigger questions were used in order to maintain the conversation and the focus on foot problems. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic framework approach. The transcripts were verified by the participants and were analysed by a second researcher in order to add to the credibility of the analyses. Results: The data was organized into seven themes: Foot problems and symptoms—what they are and the feeling associated with them; Experiences of foot problems being diagnosed; Impact of foot problems on activities; Treatment of foot symptoms/problems; Perceived obstacles to professional foot care; Unanswered questions about feet and foot care; and Recognition of the need for professional foot care and foot care advice. These people experienced a wide variety of foot problems that impact significantly on activities. Some reported working through the pain in order to achieve visible normality while experiencing the negative emotions of anger, frustration and anxiety. Although some had experienced professional foot care, there were obstacles to the foot problems being diagnosed, resulting in many unanswered questions and some inappropriate selfmanagement. Conclusion: Despite reporting foot pain, negative emotions and activity restrictions related to their foot symptoms, people with SLE tend to get on with it and self-treat rather than seeking professional foot care. The lack of focus on the feet in the medical consultation is caused by the participants’ belief that it is not the consultant’s role. There is a clear need for foot assessments to be included in the medical consultation and for professional foot care to be provided

Results of a national foot health survey of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background: SLE can affect many tissues throughout the body. Anecdotally, it is suggested that people with SLE experience a range of complications in the foot and lower limb, including vascular impairment (e.g. RP), neurological impairment, poor tissue viability (e.g. ulceration), infection and foot pain. However, to date, the precise prevalence of foot complications experienced by people with SLE has not been described. The aim of this survey was to determine self-reported foot and lower limb complications experienced by people with SLE. Methods: The survey was developed via patient and practitioner focus groups. A consensus approach was used to generate items and to formulate themes, categories, question format and survey structure. The survey was checked for face and content validity prior to cognitive debriefing to ensure usability and understanding. Consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of SLE meeting the inclusion criteria attending any of seven UK clinical sites or members of Lupus UK were invited to participate. Ethical approval and participant informed consent was obtained. Results: A total of 182 survey responses were completed. For all responders, the most frequent age range was 40–49 years, mean BMI was 27 (S.D. 7) and mean disease duration was 15 years (S.D. 10). A number of vascular complications were reported, including intermittent claudication [n ¼ 100 (55%)], RP [n ¼ 94 (52%)] and splinter haemorrhage [n ¼ 39 (21%)]. Overall, 164 patients (90%) reported experiencing symptoms of peripheral vascular complications. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy were reported by 30 patients (16%), while a fall as a consequence of neuropathic symptoms was reported by 45 patients (25%). A range of skin and nail complications were reported, including callus or corns [n ¼ 130 (71%)], onychocryptosis [n ¼ 69 (38%)], rashes or blistering [n ¼ 62 (34%)] and ulceration [n ¼ 45 (25%)]. A high prevalence of infection was reported; a history of viral infection (verrucae pedis) or fungal infection (tinea pedis) was reported by 77 patients (42%), bacterial infection by 28 patients (15%) and onychomycosis by 65 patients (36%). Overall, 170 patients (93%) reported having experienced some form of tissue viability complication. Foot joint pain, stiffness and swelling was reported by 145 (80%), 136 (75%) and 94 (52%) patients, respectively. Foot-related walking impairment was reported by 67 patients (37%). Only 60 patients (33%) reported having ever been asked about their feet by a medical professional. Seventy-seven patients (42%) reported that they would benefit from the provision of general foot health care advice. Conclusion: A large number of people with SLE report vascular complications, impaired tissue viability, musculoskeletal problems and foot pain, as well as a range of infections and conditions of the skin and nails. Despite this, foot health assessment by professionals was infrequent. These results highlight the need to undertake clinical studies investigating lower limb pathologies in SLE

A Genome-Wide Analysis of Promoter-Mediated Phenotypic Noise in Escherichia coli

Gene expression is subject to random perturbations that lead to fluctuations in the rate of protein production. As a consequence, for any given protein, genetically identical organisms living in a constant environment will contain different amounts of that particular protein, resulting in different phenotypes. This phenomenon is known as “phenotypic noise.” In bacterial systems, previous studies have shown that, for specific genes, both transcriptional and translational processes affect phenotypic noise. Here, we focus on how the promoter regions of genes affect noise and ask whether levels of promoter-mediated noise are correlated with genes' functional attributes, using data for over 60% of all promoters in Escherichia coli. We find that essential genes and genes with a high degree of evolutionary conservation have promoters that confer low levels of noise. We also find that the level of noise cannot be attributed to the evolutionary time that different genes have spent in the genome of E. coli. In contrast to previous results in eukaryotes, we find no association between promoter-mediated noise and gene expression plasticity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that, in bacteria, natural selection can act to reduce gene expression noise and that some of this noise is controlled through the sequence of the promoter region alon