Cards on the Table: Critical Reflections on a Participatory Research Method

This article critically reflects on the limitations and challenges of using Cards on the Table (COTT), a participatory research method used to evaluate experiences of participation in art projects. The focus of this article is on the application of COTT as part of our evaluation of BE PART, a four-year Creative Europe Program of the European Union that ran from 2019 to 2023. The COTT method is informed by community research and participation action research, but here we highlight the ambiguous and messy nature of researching with such a broad and varied network of communities. We illustrate the tension between our desire to research in a co-productive, community-led, and action-oriented way and the realities of conducting research with a vast network of participants and limited time and budget

Supplemental feeding during pregnancy compared with maternal supplementation during lactation does not affect schooling and cognitive development through late adolescence.

BACKGROUND: The long-term impact of early malnutrition on human capital outcomes remains unclear, and existing evidence has come largely from observational studies. OBJECTIVE: We compared the impact of a nutritional supplement given during pregnancy or lactation in rural Gambia on educational performance and cognitive ability in offspring at their maturity. DESIGN: This study was a follow-up of a randomized trial of prenatal high protein and energy supplementation conducted between 1989 and 1994. Subjects were 16-22 y of age at follow-up, and information was collected on schooling achievement and cognitive ability by using the Raven's progressive matrices test, Mill Hill vocabulary test, and forward and backward digit-span tests. RESULTS: A total of 1459 individuals were traced and interviewed and represented 71% of the original cohort and 81% of the surviving cohort. There was no difference in cognitive ability or educational attainment between treatment groups by using any of the methods of assessment. CONCLUSION: We have shown little evidence to support a long-term effect of prenatal protein-energy supplementation compared with supplementation during lactation on cognitive development in rural Gambians. This trial was registered at http://www.controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN72582014

A Rare Case of Isolated Jejunal Metastasis Arising from Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction: Carcinoma of the lung is a common and highly aggressive malignancy, with dissemination at presentation in approximately half of all cases.Presentation of the case: Herein, we report a rare case of a single jejunal metastasis arising from a primary non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), who presented with a history of abdominal discomfort and bleeding per rectum with associated anorexia and unintentional weight loss, one year after a successful lobectomy.Conclusion: Isolated jejunal metastasis in the absence of widespread dissemination is certainly a rare presentation and as a result, there should always be an index of suspicion regarding possible small bowel metastasis in those lung cancer patients presenting with bowel related symptoms

Fungal communities isolated from dead apple leaves from orchards in Quebec

Le champignon causant la tavelure du pommier, Venturia inaequalis, hiverne dans les feuilles mortes de pommier (Malus pumila) sous forme de pseudothèces. Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de monter une collection de champignons afin de vérifier subséquemment leur résistance au froid et leur potentiel antagoniste contre V. inaequalis et d'acquérir des connaissances sur la microflore des feuilles mortes de pommiers. Des champignons ont été isolés sur des feuilles mortes de pommiers récoltées au printemps et à l'automne de 1993. Au total, 345 isolats fongiques provenant de 49 genres ont été identifiés. Quinze genres sont rapportés pour la première fois comme colonisateurs des feuilles de pommiers en Amérique du Nord.Venturia inaequalis, the causal agent of apple scab, overwinters in apple (Malus pumila) leaves on the orchard floor by producing pseudothecia. The objectives of this survey were to make a collection of fungi to be subsequently tested for their potential as psychrophile biocontrol agents against V. inaequalis and to acquire knowledge on the diversity of the microflora of dead apple leaves. Fungi were recovered from dead apple leaves collected in the spring and fall of 1993. A total of 345 isolates from 49 genera were identified. Fifteen gene were not previously recorded as colonizers of apple leaves in North America

Modelling the functional connectivity of landscapes for greater horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum at a local scale

Context: The importance of habitat connectivity for wildlife is widely recognised. However, assessing the movement of species tends to rely on radio-tracking or GPS evidence, which is difficult and costly to gather. Objectives: To examine functional connectivity of greater horseshoe bats (GHS, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) at a local scale using Circuitscape software; comparing our results against expert opinion ‘fly ways’. Methods: Expert opinions were used to rank and score five environmental layers influencing GHS movement, generating resistance scores. The slope and resistance scores of these layers were varied, and validated against independent ground truthed GHS activity data, until a unimodal peak in correlation was identified for each layer. The layers were combined into a multivariate model and re-evaluated. Radiotracking studies were used to further validate the model, and the transferability was tested at other roost locations. Results: Functional connectivity models could be created using bat activity data. Models had the ability to be transferred between roost locations, although site-specific validation is strongly recommended. For all other bat species recorded, markedly more (125%) bat passes occurred in the top quartile of functional connectivity compared to any of the lower three quartiles. Conclusion: The model predictions identify areas of key conservation importance to habitat connectivity for GHS that are not recognised by expert opinion. By highlighting landscape features that act as barriers to movement, this approach can be used by decision-makers as a tool to inform local management strategies

At the crossroads of survival and death : the reactive oxygen species-ethylene-sugar triad and the unfolded protein response

Upon stress, a trade-off between plant growth and defense responses defines the capacity for survival. Stress can result in accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and other organelles. To cope with these proteotoxic effects, plants rely on the unfolded protein response (UPR). The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), ethylene (ETH), and sugars, as well as their crosstalk, in general stress responses is well established, yet their role in UPR deserves further scrutiny. Here, a synopsis of current evidence for ROS-ETH-sugar crosstalk in UPR is discussed. We propose that this triad acts as a major signaling hub at the crossroads of survival and death, integrating information from ER, chloroplasts, and mitochondria, thereby facilitating a coordinated stress response

The effect of interrupted anti-retroviral treatment on the reconstitution of memory and naive T cells during tuberculosis treatment in HIV patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis

Background: The reconstitution of cellular immune components contributes to clinical outcome of HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection. Interruption of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) could lead to perturbations in reconstitution of T cells in HIV/ tuberculosis (TB) patients. Objectives: To ascertain the effect of interrupted ART on reconstitution of CD4+ and CD8+ T sub-sets in TB patients.Methods: Participants with HIV (CD4>350 cells/μL) and TB were recruited under a larger phase 3 open label randomised controlled clinical trial. The CD45RO and CD62L markers were measured on CD4+ and CD8+ cells by flow cytometry. Samples were analysed at baseline, 3, 6, 12 months.Results: There was a significant increase of naive CD8+ cells (p = 0.003) and a decrease in effector CD8+ cells (p = 0.004) among participants in ART/TB treatment arm during the first 6 months. Withdrawing ART led to naive CD8+ cells reduction (p=0.02) to values close to baseline. An increase of naive CD8+ cells after 6 months of TB treatment in TB alone treatment arm (p=0.01) was observed. A trend towards increment of naive CD4+ sub sets in either treatment arms was observed.Conclusion: Interrupting ART alters CD8+ but not CD4+ sub-sets in patients with less advanced HIV infection and TB.Keywords: Interrupted anti-retroviral treatment, memory and naive T cells, HIV patients, active pulmonary tuberculosis

Comparison of 10 efficient protocols for photodynamic therapy of actinic keratosis: How relevant are effective light dose and local damage in predicting the complete response rate at 3 months?

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