Opticks

A treatise of the reflexions, refractions, inflexions and colours of light. Also two treatises of the species and magnitude of curvilinear figures

The Nikumaroro bones identification controversy: First-hand examination versus evaluation by proxy — Amelia Earhart found or still missing?

YesAmerican celebrity aviator Amelia Earhart was lost over the Pacific Ocean during her press-making 1937 round-the-world flight. The iconic woman pilot remains a media interest nearly 80 years after her disappearance, with perennial claims of finds pinpointing her location. Though no sign of the celebrity pilot or her plane have been definitively identified, possible skeletal remains have been attributed to Earhart. The partial skeleton was recovered and investigated by British officials in 1940. Their investigation concluded that the remains were those of a stocky, middle-aged male. A private historic group re-evaluated the British analysis in 1998 as part of research to establish Gardner (Nikumaroro) Island as the crash site. The 1998 report discredited the British conclusions and used cranial analysis software (FORDISC) results to suggest that the skeleton was potentially a Northern European woman, and consistent with Amelia Earhart. A critical review of both investigations and contextual evidence shows that the original British osteological analyses were made by experienced, reliable professionals, while the cranial analysis is unreliable given the available data. Without access to the missing original bones, it is impossible to be definitive, but on balance, the most robust scientific analysis and conclusions are those of the original British finding indicating that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to a robust, middle-aged man, not Amelia Earhart

Dengue seroconversion among Israeli travelers to tropical countries.

We tested for dengue seroconversion among 104 Israeli young adults who traveled to tropical countries for at least 3 months. Seven (6. 7%) seroconverted during travel; four (3.8%) had immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies; one was symptomatic with borderline IgM and a rise in IgG; two others (1.9%) had a rise in IgG titers, without detectable IgM. All four IgM-positive patients had traveled to Southeast Asia

Dosage of single low-dose primaquine to stop malaria transmission

This work was supported by the National Fund for Innovation and Development of Science and Technology (FONDOCYT), Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic (grant numbers 2013-2A2- 002 and 2014-2A2-073), the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme, under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (grant numbers NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000013 and NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000023) and the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (grant numbers SFRH/BPD/76614/2011 to M. I. V., SFRH/BD/129769/2017 to M.S. and IF/00143/2015 to P. E. F)

Uncoupling of ATP-Mediated Calcium Signaling and Dysregulated Interleukin-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by Nanomolar Thimerosal

Dendritic cells (DCs), a rare cell type widely distributed in the soma, are potent antigen-presenting cells that initiate primary immune responses. DCs rely on intracellular redox state and calcium (Ca(2+)) signals for proper development and function, but the relationship between these two signaling systems is unclear. Thimerosal (THI) is a mercurial used to preserve vaccines and consumer products, and is used experimentally to induce Ca(2+) release from microsomal stores. We tested adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-mediated Ca(2+) responses of DCs transiently exposed to nanomolar THI. Transcriptional and immunocytochemical analyses show that murine myeloid immature DCs (IDCs) and mature DCs (MDCs) express inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP(3)R) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca(2+) channels, known targets of THI. IDCs express the RyR1 isoform in a punctate distribution that is densest near plasma membranes and within dendritic processes, whereas IP(3)Rs are more generally distributed. RyR1 positively and negatively regulates purinergic signaling because ryanodine (Ry) blockade a) recruited 80% more ATP responders, b) shortened ATP-mediated Ca(2+) transients > 2-fold, and c) produced a delayed and persistent rise (≥ 2-fold) in baseline Ca(2+). THI (100 nM, 5 min) recruited more ATP responders, shortened the ATP-mediated Ca(2+) transient (≥ 1.4-fold), and produced a delayed rise (≥ 3-fold) in the Ca(2+) baseline, mimicking Ry. THI and Ry, in combination, produced additive effects leading to uncoupling of IP(3)R and RyR1 signals. THI altered ATP-mediated interleukin-6 secretion, initially enhancing the rate of cytokine secretion but suppressing cytokine secretion overall in DCs. DCs are exquisitely sensitive to THI, with one mechanism involving the uncoupling of positive and negative regulation of Ca(2+) signals contributed by RyR1

Classificatory multiplicity: intimate partner violence diagnosis in emergency department consultations

Aims and Objectives The aim of this research was to explore the naming, or classification, of physical assaults by a partner as ‘intimate partner violence’ during emergency department consultations. Background Research continues to evidence instances when intimate partner physical violence is ‘missed’ or unacknowledged during emergency department consultations. Methods Theoretically this research was approached through complexity theory and the sociology of diagnosis. Research design was an applied, descriptive and explanatory, multiple-method approach that combined: qualitative semi-structured interviews with service users (n=8) and emergency department practitioners (n=9), and qualitative and quantitative document analysis of emergency department health records (n=28). Results This study found that multiple classifications of intimate partner violence were mobilised during emergency department consultations and that these different versions of intimate partner violence held different diagnostic categories, processes, and consequences. Conclusion The construction of different versions of intimate partner violence in emergency department consultations could explain variance in people’s experiences and outcomes of consultations. The research found that the classificatory threshold for ‘intimate partner violence’ was too high. Strengthening systems of diagnosis (identification and intervention) so that all incidents of partner violence are named as ‘intimate partner violence’ will reduce the incidence of missed cases and afford earlier specialist intervention to reduce violence and limit its harms. Relevance to Clinical Practice This research found that identification of and response to intimate partner violence, even in contexts of severe physical violence, was contingent. By lowering the classificatory threshold so that all incidents of partner violence are named as ‘intimate partner violence’, practitioners could make a significant contribution to reducing missed intimate partner violence during consultations and improving health outcomes for this population. This research has relevance for practitioners in any setting where service-user report of intimate partner violence is possible.   SUMMARY BOX What does this paper contribute to wider global community? • Identification of and response to intimate partner violence, even in contexts of severe physical violence was found to be contingent. • Classification of intimate partner violence was connected to: legal duty to respond statutory frameworks of risk of harms; socio-cultural discourses about what counts as intimate partner violence; and health care practitioners’ perceptions of usual modes of disclosure. • Connecting all reports of partner perpetrated violence to intimate partner violence identification and intervention will reduce missed cases in health consultations and mobilise earlier intervention to reduce violence and limit its harms. • The sociology of diagnosis is a valuable conceptual tool for examining variance in identification and response for a wide range of determinants of health of concern for nurses and allied professions

Population-based laboratory surveillance for Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium sp. infections in a large Canadian health region

BACKGROUND: Giardia lamblia (intestinalis) and Cryptosporidium parvum are the two most important intestinal parasites infecting North Americans but there is a paucity of active population-based surveillance data from Canada. This study determined the incidence of and demographic risk factors for developing Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium sp. infections in a general Canadian population. METHODS: Population-based laboratory surveillance was conducted among all residents of the Calgary Health Region (CHR; population ≅ 1 million) during May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2002. RESULTS: Giardia sp. infection occurred at a rate of 19.6 per 100,000 populations per year. Although the yearly incidence was stable, a significant seasonal variation was observed with a peak in late summer to early fall. Males were at higher risk for development of this infection as compared to females (21.2 vs. 17.9 per 100,000/yr; relative risk (RR) 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00–1.40, p = 0.047), and there was a significant decrease in risk associated with an increasing age. Cryptosporidium sp. infection occurred at an overall rate of 6.0 per 100,000 populations per year although a large outbreak of Cryptosporidium sp. infections occurred in the second half of the summer of 2001. During August and September of 2001, the incidence of cryptosporidiosis was 55.1 per 100,000 per year as compared to 3.1 per 100,000 per year for the remainder of the surveillance period (p < 0.0001). Cryptosporidiosis was largely a disease of children with an incidence of 17.8 per 100,000 per year occurring among those aged < 20 years of age compared to 1.25 per 100,000 per year for adults ≥ 20 years of age (RR 14.19; 95% CI, 9.77–21.11; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study provides important information on the occurrence and demographic risk groups for acquisition of giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis in a non-selected Canadian population