Mobility and Citizenship in the Shadow of the Euro Crisis: Explaining New Trends in Immigration and Naturalization across Europe

Austerity, slow growth, rising unemployment have had worrying effects on the countries of the European Union in the aftermath of the Euro crisis. Fears of the Eurozone’s demise, although somewhat abated for the moment, continue to bring political and economic uncertainty to citizens and governments across the continent. One relatively unexplored consequence of the Euro crisis and the uncertainty it has engendered has been the new changes in mobility and citizenship acquisition trends within the EU. During periods of economic crisis, immigrants often find themselves pushed across borders by slow growth and high unemployment at home in search of better economic opportunities that pull them abroad. During the Euro crisis, while governments have been restricting flows of third-­‐country nationals within Europe in general, many Europeans have taken advantage mobility rights within the Schengen area and have gone in search of better opportunities elsewhere in the EU. For many, the economic benefits of mobility are alluring. However, new evidence suggests that the Euro crisis is increasing the economic benefits of citizenship acquisition as well, prompting new trends in naturalization across a growing number of countries. How has the crisis affected immigration and naturalization trends across Europe in its aftermath

Understanding and Counteracting Fatigue in Flight Crews

The materials included in the collection of documents describe the research of the NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Group (FCG), which examines the extent to which fatigue, sleep loss, and circadian disruption affect flight-crew performance. The group was formed in 1980 in response to a Congressional request to examine a possible safety problem of uncertain magnitude due to transmeridian flying and a potential problem due to fatigue in association with various factors found in air-transport operations and was originally called the Fatigue/Jet Lag Program. The goals of the FCG are: (1) the development and evaluation of strategies for mitigating the effects of sleepiness and circadian disruption on pilot performance levels; (2) the identification and evaluation of objective approaches for the prediction of alertness changes in flight crews; and (3) the transfer and application of research results to the operational field via classes, workshops, and safety briefings. Some of the countermeasure approaches that have been identified to be scientifically valid and operationally relevant are brief naps (less than 40 min) in the cockpit seat and 7-min activity breaks, which include postural changes and ambulation. Although a video-based alertness monitor based on slow eyelid closure shows promise in other operational environments, research by the FCG has demonstrated that in its current form at the time of this reporting, it is not feasible to implement it in the cockpit. Efforts also focus on documenting the impact of untreated fatigue on various types of flight operations. For example, the FCG recently completed a major investigation into the effects of ultra-long-range flights (20 continuous hours in duration) on the alertness and performance of pilots in order to establish a baseline set of parameters against which the effectiveness of new ultra-long-range fatigue remedies can be judged

Population-based differences in the outcome and presentation of lung cancer patients based upon racial, histologic, and economic factors in all lung patients and those with metastatic disease

To investigate the interrelation between economic, marital, and known histopathologic/therapeutic prognostic factors in presentation and survival of patients with lung cancer in nine different ethnic groups. A retrospective review of the SEER database was conducted through the years 2007-2012. Population differences were assessed via chi-square testing. Multivariable analyses (MVA) were used to detect overall survival (OS) differences in the total population (TP, N = 153,027) and for those patients presenting with Stage IV (N = 70,968). Compared to Whites, Blacks were more likely to present with younger age, male sex, lower income, no insurance, single/widowed partnership, less squamous cell carcinomas, and advanced stage; and experience less definitive surgery, lower OS, and lung cancer-specific (LCSS) survival. White Hispanics presented with younger age, higher income, lower rates of insurance, single/widowed partnership status, advanced stage, more adenocarcinomas, and lower rates of definitive surgery, but no difference in OS and LCSS than Whites. In the TP and Stage IV populations, MVAs revealed that OS was better or equivalent to Whites for all other ethnic groups and was positively associated with insurance, marriage, and higher income. Blacks presented with more advanced disease and were more likely to succumb to lung cancer, but when adjusted for prognostic factors, they had a better OS in the TP compared to Whites. Disparities in income, marital status, and insurance rather than race affect OS of patients with lung cancer. Because of their presentation with advanced disease, Black and Hispanics are likely to have increased benefit from lung cancer screening

Population-based differences in the outcome and presentation of lung cancer patients based upon racial, histologic, and economic factors in all lung patients and those with metastatic disease

To investigate the interrelation between economic, marital, and known histopathologic/therapeutic prognostic factors in presentation and survival of patients with lung cancer in nine different ethnic groups. A retrospective review of the SEER database was conducted through the years 2007-2012. Population differences were assessed via chi-square testing. Multivariable analyses (MVA) were used to detect overall survival (OS) differences in the total population (TP, N = 153,027) and for those patients presenting with Stage IV (N = 70,968). Compared to Whites, Blacks were more likely to present with younger age, male sex, lower income, no insurance, single/widowed partnership, less squamous cell carcinomas, and advanced stage; and experience less definitive surgery, lower OS, and lung cancer-specific (LCSS) survival. White Hispanics presented with younger age, higher income, lower rates of insurance, single/widowed partnership status, advanced stage, more adenocarcinomas, and lower rates of definitive surgery, but no difference in OS and LCSS than Whites. In the TP and Stage IV populations, MVAs revealed that OS was better or equivalent to Whites for all other ethnic groups and was positively associated with insurance, marriage, and higher income. Blacks presented with more advanced disease and were more likely to succumb to lung cancer, but when adjusted for prognostic factors, they had a better OS in the TP compared to Whites. Disparities in income, marital status, and insurance rather than race affect OS of patients with lung cancer. Because of their presentation with advanced disease, Black and Hispanics are likely to have increased benefit from lung cancer screening

Integrative analysis of the microbiome and metabolome of the human intestinal mucosal surface reveals exquisite inter-relationships

Background: Consistent compositional shifts in the gut microbiota are observed in IBD and other chronic intestinal disorders and may contribute to pathogenesis. The identities of microbial biomolecular mechanisms and metabolic products responsible for disease phenotypes remain to be determined, as do the means by which such microbial functions may be therapeutically modified. Results: The composition of the microbiota and metabolites in gut microbiome samples in 47 subjects were determined. Samples were obtained by endoscopic mucosal lavage from the cecum and sigmoid colon regions, and each sample was sequenced using the 16S rRNA gene V4 region (Illumina-HiSeq 2000 platform) and assessed by UPLC mass spectroscopy. Spearman correlations were used to identify widespread, statistically significant microbial-metabolite relationships. Metagenomes for identified microbial OTUs were imputed using PICRUSt, and KEGG metabolic pathway modules for imputed genes were assigned using HUMAnN. The resulting metabolic pathway abundances were mostly concordant with metabolite data. Analysis of the metabolome-driven distribution of OTU phylogeny and function revealed clusters of clades that were both metabolically and metagenomically similar. Conclusions: The results suggest that microbes are syntropic with mucosal metabolome composition and therefore may be the source of and/or dependent upon gut epithelial metabolites. The consistent relationship between inferred metagenomic function and assayed metabolites suggests that metagenomic composition is predictive to a reasonable degree of microbial community metabolite pools. The finding that certain metabolites strongly correlate with microbial community structure raises the possibility of targeting metabolites for monitoring and/or therapeutically manipulating microbial community function in IBD and other chronic diseases

Crew factors in flight operations 2: Psychophysiological responses to short-haul air transport operations

Seventy-four pilots were monitored before, during, and after 3- or 4-day commercial short-haul trip patterns. The trips studied averaged 10.6 hr of duty per day with 4.5 hr of flight time and 5.5 flight segments. The mean rest period lasted 12.5 hr and occurred progressively earlier across successive days. On trip nights, subjects took longer to fall asleep, slept less, woke earlier, and reported lighter, poorer sleep with more awakenings than on pretrip nights. During layovers, subjective fatigue and negative affect were higher, and positive affect and activation lower, than during pretrip, in-flight, or posttrip. Pilots consumed more caffeine, alcohol, and snacks on trip days than either pretrip or posttrip. Increases in heart rate over mid-cruise were observed during descent and landing, and were greater for the pilot flying. Heart-rate increases were greater during takeoff and descent under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) than under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The following would be expected to reduce fatigue in short-haul operations: regulating duty hours, as well as flight hours; scheduling rest periods to begin at the same time of day, or progressively later, across the days of a trip; and educating pilots about alternatives to alcohol as a means of relaxing before sleep

Toll-Like Receptor 4 Regulates Chronic Stress-Induced Visceral Pain in Mice

Background Functional gastrointestinal disorders, which have visceral hypersensitivity as a core symptom, are frequently comorbid with stress-related psychiatric disorders. Increasing evidence points to a key role for toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in chronic pain states of somatic origin. However, the central contribution of TLR4 in visceral pain sensation remains elusive. Methods With pharmacological and genetic approaches, we investigated the involvement of TLR4 in the modulation of visceral pain. The TLR4-deficient and wild-type mice were exposed to chronic stress. Visceral pain was evaluated with colorectal distension. Protein expression levels for TLR4, Cd11b, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (glial cells markers) were quantified in the lumbar region of the spinal cord, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus. To evaluate the effect of blocking TLR4 on visceral nociception, TAK-242, a selective TLR4 antagonist, was administered peripherally (intravenous) and centrally (intracerebroventricular and intra-PFC) (n = 10–12/experimental group). Results The TLR4 deficiency reduced visceral pain and prevented the development of chronic psychosocial stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity. Increased expression of TLR4 coupled with enhanced glia activation in the PFC and increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines were observed after chronic stress in wild-type mice. Administration of a TLR4 specific antagonist, TAK-242, attenuated visceral pain sensation in animals with functional TLR4 when administrated centrally and peripherally. Moreover, intra-PFC TAK-242 administration also counteracted chronic stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity. Conclusions Our results reveal a novel role for TLR4 within the PFC in the modulation of visceral nociception and point to TLR4 as a potential therapeutic target for the development of drugs to treat visceral hypersensitivity.The work described herein was supported by the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), through the Irish Government’s National Development Plan. The authors and their work were supported by SFI (Grant Numbers 02/CE/B124 and 07/CE/B1368 and SFI/12/RC/2273)

Association of Human Herpesvirus-6B with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Steve Jacobson and colleagues report finding human herpesvirus-6B DNA in brain resections from 11 of 16 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, strengthening the evidence for a role for this virus in this condition

Pharmacological Effects of Asiatic acid in Glioblastoma Cells under Hypoxia

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Despite current treatment options including surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin, the median survival rate remains low (<16 months). Combined with increasing drug resistance and the inability of some compounds to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), novel compounds are being sought for the treatment of this disease. Here, we aimed to examine the pharmacological effect of Asiatic acid (AA) in glioblastoma under hypoxia. To investigate the effects of AA on cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis and wound healing, SVG p12 fetal glia and U87-MG grade IV glioblastoma cells were cultured under normoxic (21% O2) and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. In normoxia, AA reduced cell viability in U87-MG cells in a time and concentration-dependent manner. A significant decrease in viability, compared to cisplatin, was observed following 2hrs of AA treatment with no significant changes in cell proliferation or cell cycle progression observed. Under hypoxia, a significantly greater number of cells underwent apoptosis in comparison to cisplatin. While cisplatin showed a reduction in wound healing in normoxia, a significantly greater reduction was observed following AA treatment. An overall reduction in wound healing was observed under hypoxia. The results of this study show that AA has cytotoxic effects on glioma cell lines and has the potential to become an alternative treatment for glioblastoma