Cumulative harm and chronic child maltreatment

In this paper, cumulative harm is defined, past approaches that have contributed to conceptualising maltreatment as an isolated event are discussed. Possible indicators of chronic maltreatment are highlighted and the potential for chronic maltreatment to have a cumulative impact on children is demonstrated using a case example. The paper focuses on the Victorian context, but the issues of cumulative harm and chronic child maltreatment have relevance to policy-makers and practitioners in other jurisdictions

Diverse fossil epacrids (Styphelioideae; Ericaceae) from early Pleistocene sediments at Stony Creek Basin, Victoria, Australia

There is currently intense interest in the radiation of the scleromorphic groups that dominate the Australian flora, but at present, only Proteaceae and Casuarinaceae have fossil records detailed enough to provide useful evidence on the timing of these radiations. This article records a diverse assemblage of fossil leaves of another major scleromorphic group, the epacrids (subfamily Styphelioideae of Ericaceae, formerly known as Epacridaceae). The fossils are from Stony Creek Basin, in the western uplands of Victoria, Australia, and are of earliest Pleistocene age (ca. 1.6 million years old). They include 19 forms sufficiently distinct as to constitute different species. This diversity is considerably greater than the extant diversity of epacrids in the region. Published taphonomic data are used to argue that the actual diversity of the source vegetation of the fossil flora may have been significantly greater and comparable to the current local species richness of the centers of diversity. Ten of the fossil species are assigned to the largest extant tribe (Styphelieae), eight are assigned to Epacrideae or Archerieae, and one is assigned to Cosmelieae. This evidence is used to argue that substantial radiation of the epacrids had occurred by the beginning of the Pleistocene

Studies on fast and slow growing Rhizobium spp. nodulating Cajanus cajan and Cicer arietinum

Fast and slow growing Rhizobium spp. isolated from Cajanus cajan and Cicer arietinum were compared in terms of colony characteristics, utilisation of carbon sources, acid production, symbiotic effectiveness and nodulating competitiveness. Fast growing isolates from C. cajan and C. arietinum formed 3–6 mm diameter colonies on yeast-extract mannitol agar after 4 days and were unlike the slow growers which produced colonies of c. 1 mm diameter after 7–10 days at 28 °C. The fast growing Rhizobium spp. from C. cajan utilised a wider range of carbon sources than the slow growing isolates from this host. Fast and slow growing strains from C. arietinum were able to utilise most of the carbon sources tested suggesting that the slow growers possessed glycolytic pathways similar to those in other fast growing species of Rhizobium. In culture, slow growing isolates from C. cajan produced a near-neutral to alkaline reaction (pH 66·7-5) whereas the fast growers from this host and both fast and slow growing isolates from C. arietinum produced an acidic reaction (pH 4·4–5·6). These data are discussed in the context of Norris' (1965) evolutionary concept of the Leguminosae. Under glassshouse conditions, fast and slow growing strains isolated from C. cajan and C. arietinum were equally effective on their respective hosts. In competition with slow growing rhizobia, half of the fast growers formed more than 70% of the nodules on C. cajan grown in sand. In all but one instance similar results were obtained when plants were grown in soil. With C. arietinum grown in sand or soil, all fast growing isolates from this host formed more than 85% of the nodules in competition with slow growing strains

The fate of porcine sperm CRISP2 from the perinuclear theca before and after in vitro fertilization

In a previous study, we reported that porcine sperm cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 (CRISP2) is localized in the post-acrosomal sheath-perinuclear theca (PT) as reduction-sensitive oligomers. In the current study, the decondensation and removal of CRISP2 was investigated during in vitro sperm capacitation, after both the induction of the acrosome reaction and in vitro fertilization. Confocal immunofluorescent imaging revealed that additional CRISP2 fluorescence appeared on the apical ridge and on the equatorial segment (EqS) of the sperm head following capacitation, likely due to cholesterol removal. After an ionophore A23187-induced acrosome reaction, CRISP2 immunofluorescence disappeared from the apical ridge and the EqS area partly not only owing to the removal of the acrosomal shroud vesicles, but to its presence in a subdomain of EqS. The fate of sperm head CRISP2 was further examined post-fertilization. In vitro matured porcine oocytes were co-incubated with boar sperm cells for 6-8 h and the zygotes were processed for CRISP2 immunofluorescent staining. Notably, decondensation of CRISP2, and thus of the sperm PT, occurred while the sperm nucleus was still fully condensed. CRISP2 was no longer detectable in fertilized oocytes in which sperm nuclear decondensation and paternal pronucleus formation were apparent. This rapid dispersal of CRISP2 in the PT is likely regulated by redox reactions for which its cysteine-rich domain is sensitive. Reduction of disulfide bridges within CRISP2 oligomers may be instrumental for PT dispersal and elimination

Seminal “priming” for protection from pre-eclampsia-a unifying hypothesis

Abstract Conventional belief holds that an immune response to ejaculate antigens should interfere with fertilisation and establishment of pregnancy. However, emerging evidence now supports the opposing view */that insemination acts to activate maternal immune mechanisms exerting a positive effect on reproductive events. In a response well documented in rodents, semen triggers an influx of antigen-presenting cells into the female reproductive tract which process and present paternal ejaculate antigens to elicit activation of lymphocytes in the adaptive immune compartment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFb), a cytokine present in abundance in seminal plasma, initiates this inflammatory response by stimulating the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in uterine tissues. Lymphocyte activation is evident in lymph nodes draining the uterus and leads to hypo-responsiveness in T-cells reactive with paternal alloantigens. TGFb has potent immune-deviating effects and is likely to be the key agent in skewing the immune response against a Type-1 bias. Prior exposure to semen in the context of TGFb can be shown to be associated with enhanced fetal Á/placental development late in gestation. In this paper, we review the experimental basis for these claims and propose the hypothesis that, in women, the partner-specific protective effect of insemination in pre-eclampsia might be explained by induction of immunological hyporesponsiveness conferring tolerance to histocompatibility antigens present in the ejaculate and shared by the conceptus.

Direct amplification of nodD from community DNA reveals the genetic diversity of Rhizobium leguminosarum in soil

Sequences of nodD, a gene found only in rhizobia, were amplified from total community DNA isolated from a pasture soil. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers used, Y5 and Y6, match nodD from Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii, R. leguminosarum biovar viciae and Sinorhizobium meliloti. The PCR product was cloned and yielded 68 clones that were identified by restriction pattern as derived from biovar trifolii [11 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) types] and 15 clones identified as viciae (seven RFLP types). These identifications were confirmed by sequencing. There were no clones related to S. meliloti nodD. For comparison, 122 strains were isolated from nodules of white clover (Trifolium repens) growing at the field site, and 134 from nodules on trap plants of T. repens inoculated with the soil. The nodule isolates were of four nodD RFLP types, with 77% being of a single type. All four of these patterns were also found among the clones from soil DNA, and the same type was the most abundant, although it made up only 34% of the trifolii-like clones. We conclude that clover selects specific genotypes from the available soil population, and that R. leguminosarum biovar trifolii was approximately five times more abundant than biovar viciae in this pasture soil, whereas S. meliloti was rare

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Individuals with HIV: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction Abnormal diurnal blood pressure (BP) rhythms may contribute to the high cardiovascular disease risk in HIV-positive (HIV+) individuals. To synthesize the current literature on ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) in HIV+ individuals, a systematic literature review and meta-analysis were performed. Methods Medical databases were searched through November 11, 2015 for studies that reported ABPM results in HIV+ individuals. Data were extracted by 2 reviewers and pooled differences between HIV+ and HIV-negative (HIV-) individuals in clinic BP and ABPM measures were calculated using random-effects inverse variance weighted models. Results Of 597 abstracts reviewed, 8 studies with HIV+ cohorts met the inclusion criteria. The 420 HIV+ and 714 HIV- individuals in 7 studies with HIV- comparison groups were pooled for analyses. The pooled absolute nocturnal systolic and diastolic BP declines were 3.16% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13%, 5.20%) and 2.92% (95% CI: 1.64%, 4.19%) less, respectively, in HIV+ versus HIV- individuals. The pooled odds ratio for non-dipping systolic BP (nocturnal systolic BP decline <10%) in HIV+ versus HIV- individuals was 2.72 (95% CI: 1.92, 3.85). Differences in mean clinic, 24-hour, daytime, or nighttime BP were not statistically significant. I2 and heterogeneity chi-squared statistics indicated the presence of high heterogeneity for all outcomes except percent DBP dipping and non-dipping SBP pattern. Conclusions An abnormal diurnal BP pattern may be more common among HIV+ versus HIV- individuals. However, results were heterogeneous for most BP measures, suggesting more research in this area is needed

Characterization of acrosin and acrosin binding protein as novel CRISP2 interacting proteins in boar spermatozoa

Background: Previously, we reported that cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 is involved in high molecular weight complexes in boar spermatozoa. These cysteine-rich secretory protein 2protein complexes are formed at the last phase of sperm formation in the testis and play a role in sperm shaping and functioning. Objectives: This study aimed to identify cysteine-rich secretory protein 2 interacting partners. These binding partner interactions were investigated under different conditions, namely, non-capacitating conditions, after the induction of in vitro sperm capacitation and subsequently during an ionophore A23187-induced acrosome reaction. Materials and Methods: The incubated pig sperm samples were subjected to protein extraction. Extracted proteins were subjected to blue native gel electrophoresis and native immunoblots. Immunoreactive gel bands were excised and subjected to liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis for protein identification. Protein extracts were also subjected to CRISP2 immunoprecipitation and analyzed by LC-MS for protein identification. The most prominent cystein-rich secretory protein 2 interacting proteins that appeared in both independent LC-MS analyses were studied with a functional in situ proximity interaction assay to validate their property to interact with cystein-rich secretory protein 2 in pig sperm. Results: Blue native gel electrophoresis and native immunoblots revealed that cystein-rich secretory protein 2 was present within a ∼150 kDa protein complex under all three conditions. Interrogation of cystein-rich secretory-protein 2-immunoreactive bands from blue native gels as well as cystein-rich secretory protein 2 immunoprecipitated products using mass spectrometry consistently revealed that, beyond cystein-rich secretory protein 2, acrosin and acrosin binding protein were among the most abundant interacting proteins and did interact under all three conditions. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting indicated that cystein-rich secretory protein 2 interacted with pro-acrosin (∼53 kDa) and Aacrosin binding protein under all three conditions and additionally to acrosin (∼35 kDa) after capacitation and the acrosome reaction. The colocalization of these interacting proteins with cystein-rich secretory protein 2 was assessed via in situ proximity ligation assays. The colocalization signal of cystein-rich secretory protein 2 and acrosin in the acrosome seemed dispersed after capacitation but was consistently present in the sperm tail under all conditions. The fluorescent foci of cystein-rich secretory protein 2 and acrsin binding protein colocalization appeared to be redistributed within the sperm head from the anterior acrosome to the post-acrosomal sheath region upon capacitation. Discussion and Conclusion: These results suggest that CRISP2 may act as a scaffold for protein complex formation and dissociation to ensure the correct positioning of proteins required for the acrosome reaction and zona pellucida penetration

Strength, Multijoint Coordination, and Sensorimotor Processing Are Independent Contributors to Overall Balance Ability

For young adults, balance is essential for participation in physical activities but is often disrupted following lower extremity injury. Clinical outcome measures such as single limb balance (SLB), Y-balance (YBT), and the single limb hop and balance (SLHB) tests are commonly used to quantify balance ability following injury. Given the varying demands across tasks, it is likely that such outcome measures provide useful, although task-specific, information. But the extent to which they are independent and contribute to understanding the multiple contributors to balance is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the associations among these measures as they relate to the different contributors to balance. Thirty-seven recreationally active young adults completed measures including Vertical Jump, YBT, SLB, SLHB, and the new Lower Extremity Dexterity test. Principal components analysis revealed that these outcome measures could be thought of as quantifying the strength, multijoint coordination, and sensorimotor processing contributors to balance. Our results challenge the practice of using a single outcome measure to quantify the naturally multidimensional mechanisms for everyday functions such as balance. This multidimensional approach to, and interpretation of, multiple contributors to balance may lead to more effective, specialized training and rehabilitation regimens