Insights Into the Effects of Mucosal Epithelial and Innate Immune Dysfunction in Older People on Host Interactions With Streptococcus pneumoniae

In humans, nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae is common and although primarily asymptomatic, is a pre-requisite for pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Together, these kill over 500,000 people over the age of 70 years worldwide every year. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have been largely successful in reducing IPD in young children and have had considerable indirect impact in protection of older people in industrialized country settings (herd immunity). However, serotype replacement continues to threaten vulnerable populations, particularly older people in whom direct vaccine efficacy is reduced. The early control of pneumococcal colonization at the mucosal surface is mediated through a complex array of epithelial and innate immune cell interactions. Older people often display a state of chronic inflammation, which is associated with an increased mortality risk and has been termed ‘Inflammageing’. In this review, we discuss the contribution of an altered microbiome, the impact of inflammageing on human epithelial and innate immunity to S. pneumoniae, and how the resulting dysregulation may affect the outcome of pneumococcal infection in older individuals. We describe the impact of the pneumococcal vaccine and highlight potential research approaches which may improve our understanding of respiratory mucosal immunity during pneumococcal colonization in older individuals

Testing stock market convergence: a non-linear factor approach

This paper applies the Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75(6):1771–1855, 2007) method to test for convergence in stock returns to an extensive dataset including monthly stock price indices for five EU countries (Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK) as well as the US between 1973 and 2008. We carry out the analysis on both sectors and individual industries within sectors. As a first step, we use the Stock and Watson (J Am Stat Assoc 93(441):349–358, 1998) procedure to filter the data in order to extract the long-run component of the series; then, following Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75(6):1771–1855, 2007), we estimate the relative transition parameters. In the case of sectoral indices we find convergence in the middle of the sample period, followed by divergence, and detect four (two large and two small) clusters. The analysis at a disaggregate, industry level again points to convergence in the middle of the sample, and subsequent divergence, but a much larger number of clusters is now found. Splitting the cross-section into two subgroups including euro area countries, the UK and the US respectively, provides evidence of a global convergence/divergence process not obviously influenced by EU policies

Quantum Yield Calculations for Strongly Absorbing Chromophores

This article demonstrates that a commonly-made assumption in quantum yield calculations may produce errors of up to 25% in extreme cases and can be corrected by a simple modification to the analysis.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by Journal of Fluorescenc

Ética, direito e internet: desafios morais no espaço virtual

RESUMO: O artigo trata de considerações sobre ética na contemporaneidade nas suas relações com a internet. Adota-se a perspectiva de que os comportamentos éticos são necessários para estabelecer princípios sociais que orientam desde a elaboração de leis até as condutas individuais. Sendo assim, no espaço virtual, que é a extensão da vida social, deve-se buscar regras éticas mínimas para a convivência no ambiente online. Objetiva-se analisar alguns conceitos que envolvem a ética, bem como a internet e assuntos correlatos para estabelecer, na medida do possível, um mínimo de ‘dever ser’ ético no ambiente virtual. Optou-se pela pesquisa bibliográfica e documental e as considerações serão expostas pelo método dedutivo. Justifica-se a pesquisa pelo fato de estarmos em uma realidade social onde as relações humanas, físicas e virtuais, têm-se tornado cada vez mais globais pelo uso da internet. Neste sentido, surgem desafios éticos para regular o espaço virtual de maneira a aumentar o espectro de proteção da dignidade humana.PALAVRAS CHAVE: Ética; moral; internet; espaço virtual; inclusão digital.ABSTRACT: The article deals with considerations of ethics in contemporary society and its internet relations. It adopts the perspective that ethical behavior is needed to establish social principles that guide from drafting laws to individual behavior. So, in the virtual space, which is the extension of social life, a minimum of ethical rules must be seek for coexistence in the online environment. The objective is to analyze some concepts involving ethics, as well as the internet and related information to establish, as far as possible, a minimum of 'ought' ethical in the virtual environment. We opted for bibliographical and documentary research, and some considerations on the subject will be exposed by the deductive method. The research is justified by the fact the human relations, virtual and physical, are becoming strongly global by the internet use. In this way, ethical challenges arise to regulate the virtual space in order to increase the protection spectrum of human dignity.KEY WORDS: Ethics; moral; internet; virtual space; digital inclusion.Submetido em: 09-04-2017Aprovado em: 14-07-201

Produtos de contraste iodados

A aplicação na medicina dos produtos de contraste iodados é uma realidade com a qual a generalidade dos médicos deve estar familiarizada. Através de uma abordagem sucinta, o presente artigo pretende simplificar a compreensão dos diversos tipos de contraste, suas propriedades, utilidade clínica e reacções adversas

Nutritional value of meat lipid fraction from red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) obtained from wild and farmed specimens

Research Areas; Agriculture, Dairy & Animal ScienceArticle in International JournalABSTRACT - The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a feathered game species of great socioeconomic importance in its native range and also in the UK. The aim of this study was to present a detailed comparison of meat's lipid fraction obtained from wild and farm-raised specimens and simultaneously compare the breast and leg meat portions. Meat from wild specimens had a significant (P < 0.05) lower proportion of saturated fatty acid (less 5.1%) and presented better P/S and n-6/n-3 ratios, and atherogenicity index than farm-raised counterparts. The wild specimens presented significant (P < 0.001) higher contents of total vitamin E (8.8 vs. 2.2 mu g/g of fresh meat), is for that reason less prone to lipid peroxidation than farm-raised specimens. Meat portions differed significantly (P < 0.05) on total lipid and total cholesterol contents and in all partial sums of fatty acids. The breast was leaner (0.86 vs. 1.47 g/100 g of meat), with lower total cholesterol (37.5 vs. 54.7 mg/100 g of meat), lower saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acid, and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (less 0.27, 0.28, 0.10, and 0.11 g/100 g of fresh meat, correspondingly). Regarding the fatty acid ratios and lipid quality indexes, breast meat presents better n-6/n-3 ratio and atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes.CIISAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Do topical repellents divert mosquitoes within a community? Health equity implications of topical repellents as a mosquito bite prevention tool.

OBJECTIVES: Repellents do not kill mosquitoes--they simply reduce human-vector contact. Thus it is possible that individuals who do not use repellents but dwell close to repellent users experience more bites than otherwise. The objective of this study was to measure if diversion occurs from households that use repellents to those that do not use repellents. METHODS: The study was performed in three Tanzanian villages using 15%-DEET and placebo lotions. All households were given LLINs. Three coverage scenarios were investigated: complete coverage (all households were given 15%-DEET), incomplete coverage (80% of households were given 15%-DEET and 20% placebo) and no coverage (all households were given placebo). A crossover study design was used and coverage scenarios were rotated weekly over a period of ten weeks. The placebo lotion was randomly allocated to households in the incomplete coverage scenario. The level of compliance was reported to be close to 100%. Mosquito densities were measured through aspiration of resting mosquitoes. Data were analysed using negative binomial regression models. FINDINGS: Repellent-users had consistently fewer mosquitoes in their dwellings. In villages where everybody had been given 15%-DEET, resting mosquito densities were fewer than half that of households in the no coverage scenario (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR]=0.39 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25-0.60); p<0.001). Placebo-users living in a village where 80% of the households used 15%-DEET were likely to have over four-times more mosquitoes (IRR=4.17; 95% CI: 3.08-5.65; p<0.001) resting in their dwellings in comparison to households in a village where nobody uses repellent. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that high coverage of repellent use could significantly reduce man-vector contact but with incomplete coverage evidence suggests that mosquitoes are diverted from households that use repellent to those that do not. Therefore, if repellents are to be considered for vector control, strategies to maximise coverage are required