South Africa's diplomatic recognition of the people's republic of China: building consensus amongst dissension

Master of Arts Research Report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts degree February 2018The following research report is an analysis of the diplomatic history paradigm of South Africa’s switch in diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China to the People’s Republic of China in November 1996. Previously classified documentation from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, and the African National Congress’ Liberation Archives at Fort Hare University, and with interviews with former ANC/National Executive Committee members and Department of Foreign Affairs officials, along with the inclusion of the memoirs of the former ROC and PRC ambassadors at the time of the switch, provide valuable insight into the timing of the announcement and the factors that prompted the decision. This research aims to aid our understanding of the foreign policy decision making process under the Mandela administrationMT 201

Associations between maternal vitamin D status and porcine litter characteristics throughout gestation

Emerging evidence suggests an important role of vitamin D in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and the regulation of foetal growth across mammalian species. However, the temporal changes in maternal vitamin D status throughout gestation in the pig and the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and litter characteristics of interest across gestation remain poorly understood and under-investigated. The abundance of 25(OH)D in maternal plasma was quantified by HPLC–MS/MS at gestational days (GD) 18, 30, 45, 60 and 90 (n = 5–11 gilts/GD). Maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentrations significantly increased between GD18 and GD30 (P < 0.05). The relationship between maternal vitamin D metabolite concentrations and litter characteristics of interest including gilt weight, ovulation rate, mean litter weight, number of live foetuses, percentage prenatal survival, and sex ratio of the litter was assessed. Maternal 25(OH)D (P = 0.059) concentrations tended to be positively associated with percentage prenatal survival on GD60. On GD90, maternal 25(OH)D (P < 0.05) concentrations were inversely associated with gilt weight. Maternal plasma 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with the percentage of male foetuses in the litter on GD90 (P < 0.05). This study has provided novel insights into temporal changes in maternal vitamin D status throughout gestation and the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and the economically important litter characteristics of gilt weight, percentage prenatal survival and percentage of male foetuses in the litter. Improving the understanding of the role of vitamin D across important developmental timepoints in relation to foetal growth is essential to improve reproductive success in livestock species. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40104-022-00760-w

Cardinium symbiosis as a potential confounder of mtDNA based phylogeographic inference in Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), a vector of veterinary viruses

BACKGROUND: Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is an important Afrotropical and Palearctic vector of disease, transmitting viruses of animal health and economic signifcance including African horse sickness and bluetongue viruses. Maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria (endosymbionts) of arthropods can alter the frequency of COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) mitochondrial haplotypes (mitotypes) in a population, masking the true patterns of host movement and gene fow. Thus, this study aimed to assess the mtDNA structure of C. imicola in relation to infection with Candidatus Cardinum hertigii (Bacteroides), a common endosymbiont of Culicoides spp. METHODS: Using haplotype network analysis, COI Sanger sequences from Cardinium-infected and -uninfected C. imicola individuals were frst compared in a population from South Africa. The network was then extended to include mitotypes from a geographic range where Cardinium infection has previously been investigated. RESULTS: The mitotype network of the South African population demonstrated the presence of two broad mitotype groups. All Cardinium-infected specimens fell into one group (Fisher’s exact test, P=0.00071) demonstrating a linkage disequilibrium between endosymbiont and mitochondria. Furthermore, by extending this haplotype network to include other C. imicola populations from the Mediterranean basin, we revealed mitotype variation between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean basins (EMB and WMB) mirrored Cardinium-infection heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that the linkage disequilibrium of Cardinium and mitochondria refects endosymbiont gene fow within the Mediterranean basin but may not assist in elucidating host gene fow. Subsequently, we urge caution on the single usage of the COI marker to determine population structure and movement in C. imicola and instead suggest the complementary utilisation of additional molecular markers.A BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership studentship and a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship.https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.compm2022Veterinary Tropical Disease

RCT of the effect of berryfruit polyphenolic cultivar extract in mild steroid-naive asthma : a cross-over, placebo-controlled study

Objective: There is preclinical evidence that consumption of berryfruit extract may reduce chronic airways inflammation and modify airway remodelling in allergen-induced models of lung inflammation. We investigated the effect of berryfruit extract on the fractional expired nitric oxide (FeNO), a biomarker of eosinophilic airways inflammation, in adults with steroid-naïve asthma. Design: Randomised placebo-controlled cross-over double-blind trial. Setting: Single-centre community-based trial. Participants: 28 steroid-naïve mild asthmatics with FeNO >40 ppb, of whom 25 completed both study interventions. Interventions: Participants were randomised to receive, according to the cross-over design, 100 mg berryfruit polyphenolic extract (BFPE) or placebo for 4 weeks, with a 4-week washout period between the interventions. Primary outcome measure: The primary outcome variable was FeNO at 4 weeks, analysed by a mixed linear model, with a random effect for participant and baseline FeNo as a covariate. Results: The mean (SD) natural logarithm transformed (ln) FeNO after 4 weeks of treatment for the BFPE and placebo groups was 4.28 (0.47) and 4.22 (0.47), respectively. The paired change from baseline mean (SD) BFPE minus placebo ln FeNO was -0.03 (0.39), N=25. The mixed linear model estimate, with baseline covariate adjustment, difference in ln FeNO, was -0.002 (95% CI -0.15 to 0.14), p=0.98. This is equivalent to a ratio of geometric mean FeNO of 1.0 (95% CI 0.86 to 1.15). Conclusions: In steroid-naïve participants with mild asthma and elevated FeNO, there was no effect of BFPE on FeNO, a biomarker of eosinophilic airways inflammation. Caution is required in the extrapolation of apparent benefit in murine models of lung eosinophilia to clinical efficacy in patients with asthma

Loss of research and operational equipment in Antarctica: Balancing scientific advances with environmental impact

Antarctica has been subject to widespread, long-term and on-going human activity since the establishment of permanent research stations became common in the 1950s. Equipment may become intentionally or inadvertently lost in Antarctic marine and terrestrial environments as a result of scientific research and associated support activities, but this has been poorly quantified to date. Here we report the quantity and nature of equipment lost by the UK's national operator in Antarctica, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Over the 15-year study period (2005–2019), 125 incidents of loss were reported, with c. 23 tonnes of equipment lost of which 18% by mass was considered hazardous. The geographical distribution of lost equipment was widespread across the BAS operational footprint. However, impacts are considered low compared to those associated with research station infrastructure establishment and operation. To reduce environmental impact overall, we recommend that, where possible, better use is made of existing research station capacity to facilitate field research, thereby reducing the need for construction of new infrastructure and the generation of associated impacts. Furthermore, to facilitate reporting on the state of the Antarctic environment, we recommend that national Antarctic programmes reinvigorate efforts to comply with Antarctic Treaty System requirements to actively record the locations of past activities and make available details of lost equipment. In a wider context, analogous reporting is also encouraged in other pristine areas subject to new research activities, including in other remote Earth environments and on extra-terrestrial bodies

The genomic architecture of novel Simulium damnosum Wolbachia prophage sequence elements and implications for onchocerciasis epidemiology

Research interest in Wolbachia is growing as new discoveries and technical advancements reveal the public health importance of both naturally occurring and artificial infections. Improved understanding of the Wolbachia bacteriophages (WOs) WOcauB2 and WOcauB3 [belonging to a sub-group of four WOs encoding serine recombinases group 1 (sr1WOs)], has enhanced the prospect of novel tools for the genetic manipulation of Wolbachia. The basic biology of sr1WOs, including host range and mode of genomic integration is, however, still poorly understood. Very few sr1WOs have been described, with two such elements putatively resulting from integrations at the same Wolbachia genome loci, about 2 kb downstream from the FtsZ cell-division gene. Here, we characterize the DNA sequence flanking the FtsZ gene of wDam, a genetically distinct line of Wolbachia isolated from the West African onchocerciasis vector Simulium squamosum E. Using Roche 454 shot-gun and Sanger sequencing, we have resolved >32 kb of WO prophage sequence into three contigs representing three distinct prophage elements. Spanning ≥36 distinct WO open reading frame gene sequences, these prophage elements correspond roughly to three different WO modules: a serine recombinase and replication module (sr1RRM), a head and base-plate module and a tail module. The sr1RRM module contains replication genes and a Holliday junction recombinase and is unique to the sr1 group WOs. In the extreme terminal of the tail module there is a SpvB protein homolog—believed to have insecticidal properties and proposed to have a role in how Wolbachia parasitize their insect hosts. We propose that these wDam prophage modules all derive from a single WO genome, which we have named here sr1WOdamA1. The best-match database sequence for all of our sr1WOdamA1-predicted gene sequences was annotated as of Wolbachia or Wolbachia phage sourced from an arthropod. Clear evidence of exchange between sr1WOdamA1 and other Wolbachia WO phage sequences was also detected. These findings provide insights into how Wolbachia could affect a medically important vector of onchocerciasis, with potential implications for future control methods, as well as supporting the hypothesis that Wolbachia phages do not follow the standard model of phage evolution

Prion-like domains drive CIZ1 assembly formation at the inactive X chromosome

CIZ1 forms large assemblies at the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in female fibroblasts in an Xist lncRNA-dependent manner and is required for accurate maintenance of polycomb targets genome-wide. Here we address requirements for assembly formation and show that CIZ1 undergoes two direct interactions with Xist, via independent N- and C-terminal domains. Interaction with Xist, assembly at Xi, and complexity of self-assemblies formed in vitro are modulated by two alternatively spliced glutamine-rich prion-like domains (PLD1 and 2). PLD2 is dispensable for accumulation at existing CIZ1–Xi assemblies in wild-type cells but is required in CIZ1-null cells where targeting, assembly, and enrichment for H3K27me3 and H2AK119ub occur de novo. In contrast, PLD1 is required for both de novo assembly and accumulation at preexisting assemblies and, in vitro, drives formation of a stable fibrillar network. Together they impart affinity for RNA and a complex relationship with repeat E of Xist. These data show that alternative splicing of two PLDs modulates CIZ1’s ability to build large RNA–protein assemblies

IL-25 regulates Th17 function in autoimmune inflammation

Interleukin (IL)-25 is a member of the IL-17 family of cytokines. However, unlike the other members of this family, IL-25 promotes T helper (Th) 2 responses. We now show that IL-25 also regulates the development of autoimmune inflammation mediated by IL-17–producing T cells. We have generated IL-25–deficient (il25−/−) mice and found that they are highly susceptible to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The accelerated disease in the il25−/− mice is associated with an increase of IL-23 in the periphery and a subsequent increase in the number of inflammatory IL-17–, IFNγ-, and TNF-producing T cells that invade the central nervous system. Neutralization of IL-17 but not IFNγ in il25−/− mice prevented EAE, suggesting that IL-17 is a major disease-promoting factor. IL-25 treatment at several time points during a relapse-remitting model or chronic model of EAE completely suppressed disease. IL-25 treatment induced elevated production of IL-13, which is required for suppression of Th17 responses by direct inhibition of IL-23, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression in activated dendritic cells. Thus, IL-25 and IL-17, being members of the same cytokine family, play opposing roles in the pathogenesis of organ-specific autoimmunity

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of non-malignant CT detected incidental findings in the SUMMIT lung cancer screening cohort

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary and extrapulmonary incidental findings are frequently identified on CT scans performed for lung cancer screening. Uncertainty regarding their clinical significance and how and when such findings should be reported back to clinicians and participants persists. We examined the prevalence of non-malignant incidental findings within a lung cancer screening cohort and investigated the morbidity and relevant risk factors associated with incidental findings. We quantified the primary and secondary care referrals generated by our protocol. METHODS: The SUMMIT study (NCT03934866) is a prospective observational cohort study to examine the performance of delivering a low-dose CT (LDCT) screening service to a high-risk population. Spirometry, blood pressure, height/weight and respiratory history were assessed as part of a Lung Health Check. Individuals at high risk of lung cancer were offered an LDCT and returned for two further annual visits. This analysis is a prospective evaluation of the standardised reporting and management protocol for incidental findings developed for the study on the baseline LDCT. RESULTS: In 11 115 participants included in this analysis, the most common incidental findings were coronary artery calcification (64.2%) and emphysema (33.4%). From our protocolised management approach, the number of participants requiring review for clinically relevant findings in primary care was 1 in 20, and the number potentially requiring review in secondary care was 1 in 25. CONCLUSIONS: Incidental findings are common in lung cancer screening and can be associated with reported symptoms and comorbidities. A standardised reporting protocol allows systematic assessment and standardises onward management