Reproductive health services for refugees by refugees in Guinea I: family planning.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive studies of family planning (FP) in refugee camps are relatively uncommon. This paper examines gender and age differences in family planning knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Sierra Leonean and Liberian refugees living in Guinea. METHODS: In 1999, a cross-sectional survey was conducted of 889 reproductive-age men and women refugees from 48 camps served by the refugee-organised Reproductive Health Group (RHG). Sampling was multi-stage with data collected for socio-demographics, family planning, sexual health, and antenatal care. Statistics were calculated for selected indicators. RESULTS: Women knew more about FP, although men's education reduced this difference. RHG facilitators were the primary source of reproductive health information for all respondents. However, more men then women obtained information from non-health sources, such as friends and media. Approval of FP was high, significantly higher in women than in men (90% vs. 70%). However, more than 40% reported not having discussed FP with their partner. Perceived service quality was an important determinant in choosing where to get contraceptives. Contraceptive use in the camps served by RHG was much higher than typical for either refugees' country of origin or the host country (17% vs. 3.9 and 4.1% respectively), but the risk of unwanted pregnancy remained considerable (69%). CONCLUSION: This refugee self-help model appeared largely effective and could be considered for reproductive health needs in similar settings. Having any formal education appeared a major determinant of FP knowledge for men, while this was less noticeable for women. Thus, FP communication strategies for refugees should consider gender-specific messages and channels

Development and application of high-throughput amplified fragment length polymorphism technique in Calluna vulgaris (Ericaceae)

Calluna vulgaris is an important ornamental crop of the horticultural industry in Europe. In order to improve breeding of this species, especially of the most important trait of 'bud-flowering', the implementation of molecular techniques that allow rapid, reproducible and efficient screening of whole segregating populations e.g. for molecular marker and mapping approaches is a requirement. We therefore aimed to introduce the powerful tool of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP\uae), a widely and successfully applied method, into our methodological assortment. As an essential prerequisite, the isolated DNA should be of adequate quality which is a common obstacle when dealing with woody species and their interfering secondary components/metabolites. The results of screening different and modified DNA isolation protocols are described. As the outcome of our evaluations of reaction conditions during the AFLP\uae procedure, we circumstantiate a functional protocol ranging from DNA extraction to visualization of AFLP\uae banding patterns for the woody crop C. vulgaris. This method is suitable for high throughput genetic applications and may even be transferable to other species. In addition, costs are reduced by reasonable reagents and multiplexing assays

Spongiibacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov., a halophilic marine bacterium isolated from the boreal sponge Haliclona sp. 1

Strain HAL40bT was isolated from the marine sponge Haliclona sp. 1 collected at the Sula Ridge off the Norwegian coast and characterized by physiological, biochemical and phylogenetic analyses. The isolate was a small rod with a polar flagellum. It was aerobic, Gram-negative and oxidase- and catalase-positive. Optimal growth was observed at 20–30 °C, pH 7–9 and in 3 % NaCl. Substrate utilization tests were positive for arabinose, Tween 40 and Tween 80. Enzyme tests were positive for alkaline phosphatase, esterase lipase (C8), leucine arylamidase, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase. The predominant cellular fatty acid was C17 : 1 ω8, followed by C17 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω7. Analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight MS was used to characterize the strain, producing a characteristic low-molecular-mass protein pattern that could be used as a fingerprint for identification of members of this species. The DNA G+C content was 69.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis supported by 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison classified the strain as a member of the class Gammaproteobacteria. Strain HAL40bT was only distantly related to other marine bacteria including Neptunomonas naphthovorans and Marinobacter daepoensis (type strain sequence similarity >90 %). Based on its phenotypic, physiological and phylogenetic characteristics, it is proposed that the strain should be placed into a new genus as a representative of a novel species, Spongiibacter marinus gen. nov., sp. nov.; the type strain of Spongiibacter marinus is HAL40bT (=DSM 17750T =CCUG 54896T)

The EU-Turkey customs union: A model for future euro-med integration

The EU-Turkey CU has been a major instrument of integration of the Turkish economy into the EU and global markets, offering powerful tools to reform the Turkish economy. The experience can serve as an example to those SEMC that would like to get their economies closer to European and global markets. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015

Clinical and pathogenic significance of S100A4 overexpression in systemic sclerosis

Objectives: We have studied the damage-associated molecular pattern protein S100A4 as a driver of fibroblast activation in systemic sclerosis (SSc).// Methods: S100A4 protein concentration was measured by ELISA in serum of SSc (n=94) and healthy controls (n=15). Protein expression in skin fibroblast cultures from diffuse cutaneous SSc (SScF, n=6) and healthy controls (normal fibroblasts (NF), n=6) was assessed. Recombinant S100A4 and a high affinity anti-S100A4 neutralising monoclonal antibody (AX-202) were tested on SScF and NF.// Results: Median (range) S100A4 (ng/mL) was higher in serum of SSc (89.9 (15.0–240.0)) than healthy controls (71.4 (7.9–131.8); p=0.027). There was association with SSc-interstitial lung disease (p=0.025, n=55), scleroderma renal crisis (p=0.026, n=4). Median (range) S100A4 (ng/mL) was higher in culture supernatants of SScF (4.19 (0.52–8.42)) than NF controls (0.28 (0.02–3.29); p1.5) induced in NF by S100A4 were also constitutively overexpressed, and downregulated by AX-202, in SScF. Pathway mapping of these S100A4 dependent genes in SSc showed the most significant enriched Kegg pathways (FDR <0.001) were regulation of stem cell pluripotency (4.6-fold) and metabolic pathways (1.9-fold).// Conclusion: Our findings provide compelling evidence for a profibrotic role for S100A4 in SSc and suggest that serum level may be a biomarker of major organ manifestations and disease severity. This study supports examining the therapeutic potential of targeting S100A4 in SSc

Deformation of intrasalt beds recorded by magnetic fabrics

Funding Information Israel Science Foundation (ISF). Grant Number: 868/17 Israeli Government. Grant Number: 40706 Israel Science Foundation. Grant Number: 868/17Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Features of mammalian microRNA promoters emerge from polymerase II chromatin immunoprecipitation data

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA regulators of protein coding genes. miRNAs play a very important role in diverse biological processes and various diseases. Many algorithms are able to predict miRNA genes and their targets, but their transcription regulation is still under investigation. It is generally believed that intragenic miRNAs (located in introns or exons of protein coding genes) are co-transcribed with their host genes and most intergenic miRNAs transcribed from their own RNA polymerase II (Pol II) promoter. However, the length of the primary transcripts and promoter organization is currently unknown. Methodology: We performed Pol II chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-chip using a custom array surrounding regions of known miRNA genes. To identify the true core transcription start sites of the miRNA genes we developed a new tool (CPPP). We showed that miRNA genes can be transcribed from promoters located several kilobases away and that their promoters share the same general features as those of protein coding genes. Finally, we found evidence that as many as 26% of the intragenic miRNAs may be transcribed from their own unique promoters. Conclusion: miRNA promoters have similar features to those of protein coding genes, but miRNA transcript organization is more complex. © 2009 Corcoran et al