Socioeconomic Differences in the Impact of Smoking Tobacco and Alcohol Prices on Smoking in India

The threat posed by smoking to health in India is severe. Already 1 in 5 of all adult male deaths and 1 in 20 of all adult female deaths at ages 30-69 are due to smoking and India will soon have 1 million smoking deaths a year. Increasing tobacco prices has been found to be the single most effective method to reduce smoking. Yet, bidis, the most common form of smoked tobacco in India, are largely untaxed, while cigarettes are taxed at about 40% of retail price, well below the 65–80% rate noted by the World Bank in countries with effective tobacco control policies. Moreover, low and stagnant tax rates have occurred in a period in which all tobacco products have become more affordable with income growth. First, we use data from the most recent three consecutive quinquennial National Sample Survey (NSS) rounds (NSS 50, 55 and 61 conducted in 1993/94, 1999/00 and 200/05) and a two-equation system of budget shares and unit values that attempts to correct for quality and measurement error. Second, we pool data from the most recent nine rounds of NSS (NSS 55-57, 59-64, conducted between 1999/00 to 2007/08). Our analyses of single and repeated cross-sections yield own-price elasticity for bidis that are roughly in keeping with existing evidence. We find that a 10% increase in bidi prices would reduce the demand for bidis by about 6 to 9.5%. We find, however, that own-price elasticity for cigarettes in India is substantially larger than previously thought. Our estimates suggest that cigarette users are at least as responsive as bidi users to price changes. On the whole, our analyses suggest that low SES households are likely more responsive to price changes than high SES households. Our analyses also uncovers important and policy-relevant cross-prices effects. Findings from this study provide additional evidence of the effectiveness of tobacco prices at reducing tobacco use.

CCRS proposal for evaluating LANDSAT-4 MSS and TM data

The measurement of registration errors in LANDSAT MSS data is discussed as well as the development of a revised algorithm for the radiometric calibration of TM data and the production of a geocoded TM image

Parvovirus-derived endogenous viral elements in two South American rodent genomes

We describe endogenous viral elements (EVEs) derived from parvoviruses (family <i>Parvoviridae</i>) in the long-tailed chinchilla (<i>Chinchilla lanigera</i>) and degu (<i>Octodon degus</i>) genomes. The novel EVEs include Dependovirus-related elements, and representatives of a clearly distinct parvovirus lineage that also has endogenous representatives in marsupial genomes. In the degu, one dependovirus-derived EVEs was found to encode an intact reading frame, and was differentially expressed <i>in vivo</i>, with increased expression in the liver

Inflammatory stress of pancreatic beta cells drives release of extracellular heat-shock protein 90α

A major obstacle in predicting and preventing the development of autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D) in at-risk individuals is the lack of well-established early biomarkers indicative of ongoing beta cell stress during the pre-clinical phase of disease. Recently, serum levels of the α cytoplasmic isoform of heat-shock protein 90 (hsp90) were shown to be elevated in individuals with new-onset T1D. We therefore hypothesized that hsp90α could be released from beta cells in response to cellular stress and inflammation associated with the earliest stages of T1D. Here, human beta cell lines and cadaveric islets released hsp90α in response to stress induced by treatment with a combination of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1β, tumour necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ. Mechanistically, hsp90α release was found to be driven by cytokine-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress mediated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), a pathway that can eventually lead to beta cell apoptosis. Cytokine-induced beta cell hsp90α release and JNK activation were significantly reduced by pre-treating cells with the endoplasmic reticulum stress-mitigating chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid. The hsp90α release by cells may therefore be a sensitive indicator of stress during inflammation and a useful tool in assessing therapeutic mitigation of cytokine-induced cell damage linked to autoimmunity

Tenacibaculum adriaticum sp. nov., from bryozoans in the Adriatic Sea

A rod-shaped, translucent yellow-pigmented, Gram-negative bacterium, strain B390(T), was isolated from the bryozoan Schizobrachiella sanguinea collected in the Adriatic Sea, near Rovinj, Croatia. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated affiliation to the genus Tenacibaculum, with sequence similarity levels of 94.8-97.3 % to type strains of species with validly published names. It grew at 5-34 degrees C, with optimal growth at 18-26 degrees C, and only in the presence of NaCl or sea salts. In contrast to other type strains of the genus, strain B390(T) was able to hydrolyse aesculin. The predominant menaquinone was MK-6 and major fatty acids were iso-C-15:0, iso-C-15:0 3-OH and iSO-C-15:1. The DNA G + C content was 31.6 mol%. DNA-DNA hybridization and comparative physiological tests were performed with type strains Tenacibaculum aestuarii JCM 13491(T) and Tenacibaculum lutimaris DSM 16505 T, since they exhibit 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities above 97%. These data, as well as phylogenetic analyses, suggest that strain B390(T) (=DSM 18961(T) =JCM 14633(T)) should be classified as the type strain of a novel species within the genus Tenacibaculum, for which the name Tenacibaculum adriaticum sp. nov. is proposed

Phylogeny.fr: robust phylogenetic analysis for the non-specialist

Phylogenetic analyses are central to many research areas in biology and typically involve the identification of homologous sequences, their multiple alignment, the phylogenetic reconstruction and the graphical representation of the inferred tree. The Phylogeny.fr platform transparently chains programs to automatically perform these tasks. It is primarily designed for biologists with no experience in phylogeny, but can also meet the needs of specialists; the first ones will find up-to-date tools chained in a phylogeny pipeline to analyze their data in a simple and robust way, while the specialists will be able to easily build and run sophisticated analyses. Phylogeny.fr offers three main modes. The ‘One Click’ mode targets non-specialists and provides a ready-to-use pipeline chaining programs with recognized accuracy and speed: MUSCLE for multiple alignment, PhyML for tree building, and TreeDyn for tree rendering. All parameters are set up to suit most studies, and users only have to provide their input sequences to obtain a ready-to-print tree. The ‘Advanced’ mode uses the same pipeline but allows the parameters of each program to be customized by users. The ‘A la Carte’ mode offers more flexibility and sophistication, as users can build their own pipeline by selecting and setting up the required steps from a large choice of tools to suit their specific needs. Prior to phylogenetic analysis, users can also collect neighbors of a query sequence by running BLAST on general or specialized databases. A guide tree then helps to select neighbor sequences to be used as input for the phylogeny pipeline. Phylogeny.fr is available at: http://www.phylogeny.fr

Cigarette packaging, warnings, prices, and contraband: A discrete choice experiment among smokers in Ontario, Canada

In Canada, despite substantial decline, tobacco use remains the leading risk factor responsible for mortality and morbidity. There is overwhelming evidence that higher tobacco taxes reduce tobacco use, even if high taxes create an incentive to avoid or evade tobacco taxes. Recently, in addition to taxes, plain and standardized packaging and printing a warning on each cigarette have been lauded to reduce tobacco use. In November 2019, Canada became the country with the most comprehensive cigarette packaging regulations; and in June 2022, Canada proposed to print health warnings on individual cigarettes, the first jurisdiction to ever do so. The regulations came into force on August 1, 2023, and are being implemented through a stepwise approach. Our objective was to examine the effects of plain and standardized packaging, warning on cigarettes, price, and the availability of illicit cigarettes on intention to purchase and risk perceptions. We conducted a discrete choice experiment, and examined heterogeneity in preferences using latent class models among smokers in Ontario, Canada. We found that using latent class analyses was essential in quantifying preferences for attributes of cigarettes and cigarette packs. First, nearly half of smokers stated a preference for cheaper illicit cigarettes in a branded pack without any health warnings, regardless of the licit cigarette alternatives. For about 20% of respondents, plain packaging and especially warning on cigarette sticks decreased the probability of stating a purchasing preference for these alternatives. Third, about a third of respondents chose competing alternatives with mostly one attribute in mind, price. Lastly, none of the products and attributes seem to have significantly influenced risk perception. Our findings attest to the importance of prices and taxes, to the potential of warnings on cigarette sticks to control tobacco use, and indicate that efforts to restrict the availability of illicit cigarettes may yield substantial benefits

Assessing healthcare providers' knowledge and practices relating to insecticide-treated nets and the prevention of malaria in Ghana, Laos, Senegal and Tanzania

Abstract Background Research evidence is not always being disseminated to healthcare providers who need it to inform their clinical practice. This can result in the provision of ineffective services and an inefficient use of resources, the implications of which might be felt particularly acutely in low- and middle-income countries. Malaria prevention is a particularly compelling domain to study evidence/practice gaps given the proven efficacy, cost-effectiveness and disappointing utilization of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Methods This study compares what is known about ITNs to the related knowledge and practices of healthcare providers in four low- and middle-income countries. A new questionnaire was developed, pilot tested, translated and administered to 497 healthcare providers in Ghana (140), Laos (136), Senegal (100) and Tanzania (121). Ten questions tested participants' knowledge and clinical practice related to malaria prevention. Additional questions addressed their individual characteristics, working context and research-related activities. Ordinal logistic regressions with knowledge and practices as the dependent variable were conducted in addition to descriptive statistics. Results The survey achieved a 75% response rate (372/497) across Ghana (107/140), Laos (136/136), Senegal (51/100) and Tanzania (78/121). Few participating healthcare providers correctly answered all five knowledge questions about ITNs (13%) or self-reported performing all five clinical practices according to established evidence (2%). Statistically significant factors associated with higher knowledge within each country included: 1) training in acquiring systematic reviews through the Cochrane Library (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.30-4.73); and 2) ability to read and write English well or very well (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.05-2.70). Statistically significant factors associated with better clinical practices within each country include: 1) reading scientific journals from their own country (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10-2.54); 2) working with researchers to improve their clinical practice or quality of working life (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.04-1.98); 3) training on malaria prevention since their last degree (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.17-2.39); and 4) easy access to the internet (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.08-2.14). Conclusions Improving healthcare providers' knowledge and practices is an untapped opportunity for expanding ITN utilization and preventing malaria. This study points to several strategies that may help bridge the gap between what is known from research evidence and the knowledge and practices of healthcare providers. Training on acquiring systematic reviews and facilitating internet access may be particularly helpful

In search of lost introns

Many fundamental questions concerning the emergence and subsequent evolution of eukaryotic exon-intron organization are still unsettled. Genome-scale comparative studies, which can shed light on crucial aspects of eukaryotic evolution, require adequate computational tools. We describe novel computational methods for studying spliceosomal intron evolution. Our goal is to give a reliable characterization of the dynamics of intron evolution. Our algorithmic innovations address the identification of orthologous introns, and the likelihood-based analysis of intron data. We discuss a compression method for the evaluation of the likelihood function, which is noteworthy for phylogenetic likelihood problems in general. We prove that after $O(nL)$ preprocessing time, subsequent evaluations take $O(nL/\log L)$ time almost surely in the Yule-Harding random model of $n$-taxon phylogenies, where $L$ is the input sequence length. We illustrate the practicality of our methods by compiling and analyzing a data set involving 18 eukaryotes, more than in any other study to date. The study yields the surprising result that ancestral eukaryotes were fairly intron-rich. For example, the bilaterian ancestor is estimated to have had more than 90% as many introns as vertebrates do now