Letter from Frances B. Hatcher, as well as letters of recommendation from Luther M. Defoe, A. Ross Hill, J. C. Jones, and Sam Frank Taylor

Letter concerning a position in the mathematics department at Utah Agricultural College, as well as recommendations

Thick blood film examination for Plasmodium falciparum malaria has reduced sensitivity and underestimates parasite density

BACKGROUND: Thick blood films are routinely used to diagnose Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Here, they were used to diagnose volunteers exposed to experimental malaria challenge. METHODS: The frequency with which blood films were positive at given parasite densities measured by PCR were analysed. The poisson distribution was used to calculate the theoretical likelihood of diagnosis. Further in vitro studies used serial dilutions to prepare thick films from malaria cultures at known parasitaemia. RESULTS: Even in expert hands, thick blood films were considerably less sensitive than might have been expected from the parasite numbers measured by quantitative PCR. In vitro work showed that thick films prepared from malaria cultures at known parasitaemia consistently underestimated parasite densities. CONCLUSION: It appears large numbers of parasites are lost during staining. This limits their sensitivity, and leads to erroneous estimates of parasite density

Computational assessment of environmental hazards of nitroaromatic compounds: influence of the type and position of aromatic ring substituents on toxicity

This study summarizes the results of our recent QSAR and QSPR investigations on prediction of numerous aspects of environmental behavior of nitro compounds. In this study, we applied the QSAR/QSPR models previously developed by our group for virtual screening of energetic compounds, their precursors and other compounds containing nitro groups. To make predictions on the environmental impact of nitro compounds, we analyzed the trends in the change of the experimentally obtained and QSAR/QSPR-predicted values of aqueous solubility, lipophilicity, Ames mutagenicity, bioavailability, blood–brain barrier penetration, aquatic toxicity on T. pyriformis and acute oral toxicity on rats as a function of chemical structure of nitro compounds. All the models were developed using simplex descriptors in combination with random forest (RF) modeling techniques. We interpreted the possible environmental impact (different toxicological properties) in terms of dividing considered nitro compounds based on hydrophobic and hydrophilic characteristics and in terms of the influence of their molecular fragments that promote and interfere with toxicity. In particular, we found that, in general, the presence of amide or tertiary amine groups leads to an increase in toxicity. Also, it was predicted that compounds containing a NO2 group in the para-position of a benzene ring are more toxic than meta-isomers, which, in turn, are more toxic than ortho-isomers. In general, we concluded that hydrophobic nitroaromatic compounds, especially the ones with electron-accepting substituents, halogens and amino groups, are the most environmentally hazardous

The role of host PrP in Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies

AbstractPrP has a central role in the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), and mutations and polymorphisms in host PrP can profoundly alter the host's susceptibility to a TSE agent. However, precisely how host PrP influences the outcome of disease has not been established. To investigate this we have produced by gene targeting a series of inbred lines of transgenic mice expressing different PrP genes. This allows us to study directly the influence of the host PrP gene in TSEs. We have examined the role of glycosylation, point mutations, polymorphisms and PrP from different species on host susceptibility and the disease process both within the murine species and across species barriers

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis to inform physiotherapy practice: An introduction with reference to the lived experience of cerebellar ataxia

The attached file is a pre-published version of the full and final paper which can be found at the link below.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Qualitative research methods that focus on the lived experience of people with health conditions are relatively underutilised in physiotherapy research. This article aims to introduce interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a research methodology oriented toward exploring and understanding the experience of a particular phenomenon (e.g., living with spinal cord injury or chronic pain, or being the carer of someone with a particular health condition). Researchers using IPA try to find out how people make sense of their experiences and the meanings they attach to them. The findings from IPA research are highly nuanced and offer a fine grained understanding that can be used to contextualise existing quantitative research, to inform understanding of novel or underresearched topics or, in their own right, to provoke a reappraisal of what is considered known about a specified phenomenon. We advocate IPA as a useful and accessible approach to qualitative research that can be used in the clinical setting to inform physiotherapy practice and the development of services from the perspective of individuals with particular health conditions.This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund

Transcriptomic signature of bexarotene (rexinoid LGD1069) on mammary gland from three transgenic mouse mammary cancer models

Background: The rexinoid bexarotene (LGD1069, Targretin) is a highly selective retinoid × receptor (RXR) agonist that inhibits the growth of pre-malignant and malignant breast cells. Bexarotene was shown to suppress the development of breast cancer in transgenic mice models without side effects. The chemopreventive effects of bexarotene are due to transcriptional modulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Our goal in the present study was to obtain a profile of the genes modulated by bexarotene on mammary gland from three transgenic mouse mammary cancer models in an effort to elucidate its molecular mechanism of action and for the identification of biomarkers of effectiveness. Methods: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was employed to profile the transcriptome of p53-null, MMTV-ErbB2, and C3(1)-SV40 mammary cells obtained from mice treated with bexarotene and their corresponding controls. Results: This resulted in a dataset of approximately 360,000 transcript tags representing over 20,000 mRNAs from a total of 6 different SAGE libraries. Analysis of gene expression changes induced by bexarotene in mammary gland revealed that 89 genes were dysregulated among the three transgenic mouse mammary models. From these, 9 genes were common to the three models studied. Conclusion: Analysis of the indicated core of transcripts and protein-protein interactions of this commonly modulated genes indicate two functional modules significantly affected by rexinoid bexarotene related to protein biosynthesis and bioenergetics signatures, in addition to the targeting of cancer-causing genes related with cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis.Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicada

The FLASSH study: protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating falls prevention after stroke and two sub-studies

This randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-factorial falls prevention program for stroke survivors who are at high risk of falling when they return home after rehabilitation. Intervention will consist of a home exercise program as well as individualised falls prevention and injury minimisation strategies based on identified risk factors for falls. Additionally, two sub-studies will be implemented in order to explore other key areas related to falls in this population. The first of these is a longitudinal study evaluating the relationship between fear of falling, falls and function over twelve months, and the second evaluates residual impairment in gait stability and obstacle crossing twelve months after discharge from rehabilitation

\u27Struggling with Language\u27 : Indigenous movements for Linguistic Security and the Politics of Local Community

In this article, I explore the relationship between linguistic diversity and political power. Specifically, I outline some of the ways that linguistic diversity has served as a barrier to the centralization of power, thus constraining, for example, the political practice of empire-formation. A brief historical example of this dynamic is presented in the case of Spanish colonialism of the 16th-century. The article proceeds then to demonstrate how linguistic diversity remains tied to struggles against forms of domination. I argue that in contemporary indigenous movements for linguistic security, the languages themselves are not merely conceived of as the object of the political struggle, but also as the means to preserve a space for local action and deliberation – a ‘politics of local community’. I show that linguistic diversity and the devolution of political power to the local level are in a mutually reinforcing relationship. Finally, I consider the implications of this thesis for liberal theorizing on language rights, arguing that such theory cannot fully come to terms with this political-strategic dimension of language struggles