1,268 research outputs found
A study on cercarial dermatitis in Khuzestan province, south western Iran
BACKGROUND: Cercarial dermatitis' or swimmer's itch' is an itchy inflammatory response to the penetration of the skin by non-human schistosome parasites. In the hot season, (May to September) in Khuzestan province in the south west of Iran, swimming in canals and agriculture activities in swampy areas are common. This survey was made on people from villages north of Ahwaz city in south west Iran, to estimate cercarial dermatitis in this region. METHODS: 2000 people were observed for clinical signs of cercarial dermatitis. Also 2000 Lymnaea gedrosiana snails were collected from agriculture canals and examined for animal schistosome cercariae during 1998â2000. RESULTS: From this survey 1.1% of people had pruritic maculopapular rash on their feet, hands or other parts of body. From the total of examined snails, 2.4% were found to be infected with bird schistosome cercariae including Trichobilharzia species. CONCLUSION: Cercarial dermatitis could be a health problem in this area. This is the first report of cercarial dermatitis from this region of Iran
SWITCH: rationale, design, and implementation of a community, school, and family-based intervention to modify behaviors related to childhood obesity
Mysid crustaceans as standard models for the screening and testing of endocrine-disrupting chemicals
Author Posting. © Springer, 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ecotoxicology 16 (2007): 205-219, doi:10.1007/s10646-006-0122-0.Investigative efforts into the potential endocrine-disrupting effects of chemicals have mainly
concentrated on vertebrates, with significantly less attention paid to understanding potential
endocrine disruption in the invertebrates. Given that invertebrates account for at least 95% of all
known animal species and are critical to ecosystem structure and function, it remains essential to
close this gap in knowledge and research. The lack of progress regarding endocrine disruption in
invertebrates is still largely due to: (1) our ignorance of mode-of-action, physiological control, and
hormone structure and function in invertebrates; (2) lack of a standardized invertebrate assay; (3)
the irrelevance to most invertebrates of the proposed activity-based biological indicators for
endocrine disruptor exposure (androgen, estrogen and thyroid); (4) limited field studies. Past and
ongoing research efforts using the standard invertebrate toxicity test model, the mysid shrimp, have
aimed at addressing some of these issues. The present review serves as an update to a previous
publication on the use of mysid shrimp for the evaluation of endocrine disruptors (Verslycke et al.,
2004a). It summarizes recent investigative efforts that have significantly advanced our
understanding of invertebrate-specific endocrine toxicity, population modeling, field studies, and
transgeneration standard test development using the mysid model.Supported by a Fellowship of the Belgian American Educational Foundation
Cold gas accretion in galaxies
Evidence for the accretion of cold gas in galaxies has been rapidly
accumulating in the past years. HI observations of galaxies and their
environment have brought to light new facts and phenomena which are evidence of
ongoing or recent accretion:
1) A large number of galaxies are accompanied by gas-rich dwarfs or are
surrounded by HI cloud complexes, tails and filaments. It may be regarded as
direct evidence of cold gas accretion in the local universe. It is probably the
same kind of phenomenon of material infall as the stellar streams observed in
the halos of our galaxy and M31. 2) Considerable amounts of extra-planar HI
have been found in nearby spiral galaxies. While a large fraction of this gas
is produced by galactic fountains, it is likely that a part of it is of
extragalactic origin. 3) Spirals are known to have extended and warped outer
layers of HI. It is not clear how these have formed, and how and for how long
the warps can be sustained. Gas infall has been proposed as the origin. 4) The
majority of galactic disks are lopsided in their morphology as well as in their
kinematics. Also here recent accretion has been advocated as a possible cause.
In our view, accretion takes place both through the arrival and merging of
gas-rich satellites and through gas infall from the intergalactic medium (IGM).
The infall may have observable effects on the disk such as bursts of star
formation and lopsidedness. We infer a mean ``visible'' accretion rate of cold
gas in galaxies of at least 0.2 Msol/yr. In order to reach the accretion rates
needed to sustain the observed star formation (~1 Msol/yr), additional infall
of large amounts of gas from the IGM seems to be required.Comment: To appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics Reviews. 34 pages.
Full-resolution version available at
http://www.astron.nl/~oosterlo/accretionRevie
The home environment and childhood obesity in low-income households: indirect effects via sleep duration and screen time
Background
Childhood obesity disproportionally affects children from low-income households. With the aim of informing interventions, this study examined pathways through which the physical and social home environment may promote childhood overweight/obesity in low-income households.
Methods
Data on health behaviors and the home environment were collected at home visits in low-income, urban households with either only normal weight (nĂąâŹâ°=ĂąâŹâ°48) or predominantly overweight/obese (nĂąâŹâ°=ĂąâŹâ°55) children aged 6ĂąâŹâ13 years. Research staff conducted comprehensive, in-person audits of the foods, media, and sports equipment in each household. Anthropometric measurements were collected, and childrenĂąâŹâąs physical activity was assessed through accelerometry. Caregivers and children jointly reported on child sleep duration, screen time, and dietary intake of foods previously implicated in childhood obesity risk. Path analysis was used to test direct and indirect associations between the home environment and child weight status via the health behaviors assessed.
Results
Sleep duration was the only health behavior associated with child weight status (ORĂąâŹâ°=ĂąâŹâ°0.45, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.77), with normal weight children sleeping 33.3 minutes/day longer on average than overweight/obese children. The best-fitting path model explained 26% of variance in child weight status, and included paths linking chaos in the home environment, lower caregiver screen time monitoring, inconsistent implementation of bedtime routines, and the presence of a television in childrenĂąâŹâąs bedrooms to childhood overweight/obesity through effects on screen time and sleep duration.
Conclusions
This study adds to the existing literature by identifying aspects of the home environment that influence childhood weight status via indirect effects on screen time and sleep duration in children from low-income households. Pediatric weight management interventions for low-income households may be improved by targeting aspects of the physical and social home environment associated with sleep
Inactivation of CBF/NF-Y in postnatal liver causes hepatocellular degeneration, lipid deposition, and endoplasmic reticulum stress
We previously demonstrated that CBF activity is needed for cell proliferation and early embryonic development. To examine the in vivo function of CBF in differentiated hepatocytes, we conditionally deleted CBF-B in hepatocytes after birth. Deletion of CBF-B resulted in progressive liver injury and severe hepatocellular degeneration 4 weeks after birth. Electron microscopic examination demonstrated pleiotropic changes of hepatocytes including enlarged cell and nuclear size, intracellular lipid deposition, disorganized endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondrial abnormalities. Gene expression analyses showed that deletion of CBF-B activated expression of specific endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-regulated genes. Inactivation of CBF-B also inhibited expression of C/EBP alpha, an important transcription factor controlling various metabolic processes in adult hepatocytes. Altogether, our study reveals for the first time that CBF is a key transcription factor controlling ER function and metabolic processes in mature hepatocytes
What do parents think about parental participation in school-based interventions on energy balance-related behaviours? a qualitative study in 4 countries
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Overweight and obesity in youth has increased dramatically. Therefore, overweight prevention initiatives should start early in life and target modifiable energy balance-related behaviours. Parental participation is often advocated as important for school-based interventions, however, getting parents involved in school-based interventions appears to be challenging based on earlier intervention experiences. The purpose of this study was to get insight into the determinants of and perspectives on parental participation in school-interventions on energy balance-related behaviours (physical activity, healthy eating, sedentary behaviours) in parents of ten- to twelve-year olds in order to develop an effective parental module for school-based interventions concerning energy balance-related behaviours.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four countries (Belgium, Hungary, Norway and Spain) conducted the focus group research based on a standardised protocol and a semi-structured questioning route. A variation in parental socio-economic status (SES) and parental school involvement was taken into account when recruiting the parents. The audio taped interviews were transcribed, and a qualitative content analysis of the transcripts was conducted in each country.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventeen focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 92 parents (12 men, 80 women). Physical activity was considered to be a joint responsibility of school and parents, nutrition as parent's responsibility but supported by the school, and prevention of sedentary behaviours as parent's sole responsibility. Parents proposed interactive and practical activities together with their child as the best way to involve them such as cooking, food tasting, nutrition workshops, walking or cycling tours, sport initiations together with their child. Activities should be cheap, on a convenient moment, focused on their children and not on themselves, not tutoring, not theoretical, and school-or home-based.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Parents want to be involved in activities related to energy balance-related behaviours if this implies 'doing things together' with their child at school or at home.</p
Advanced age is associated with worsened outcomes and a unique genomic response in severely injured patients with hemorrhagic shock
Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV
The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of âs = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pTâ„20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60â€pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2â€{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration
Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets
containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass
energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The
measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1.
The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary
decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from
the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is
used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive
b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the
range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet
cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the
range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets
and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are
compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed
between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG +
Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet
cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive
cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse
momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final
version published in European Physical Journal
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