Bacteriological quality and intake of acidified drinking water in Wistar rats is pH-dependent

The effects of acidification of drinking water on bacteriological quality and water intake in adult, male Wistar rats. was studied in 2 consecutive experiments. HCl was used to aeidify water to pH 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5. Control groups received untreatedtap or demineralized water. Acidification of water with HCl to pH 2.5 effectively prevented growth of aerobic bacteria in the drinking water bottles after a number of days, but also caused a reproducible decline in water intake when compared to untreated water. A reduced water intake may indicate disturbed wellbeing and may interfere with experimental results. Acidification to pH 3.0 also kept bacteriological counts low and did not reduce water intake when compared to rats drinkingnon-acidified water. Acidification to pH 3.5 led to high bacteriological counts after a few days. On the basis of these 2 experiments, acidification of drinking water with 1101 to pH 3.0 is advised

Acrylamides with hydrolytically labile carbonate ester side chains as versatile building blocks for well-defined block copolymer micelles via RAFT polymerization

En route towards improved delivery systems for targeted chemotherapy, we propose a straightforward approach for the hydrophobic modification of the acrylamide N-(2-Hydroxyethyl) acrylamide (HEAm). An ethyl or benzyl group was introduced via a hydrolytically sensitive carbonate ester yielding HEAm-EC and HEAm-BC, respectively. Block copolymers of HEAm, respectively PEG and HEAm-EC or HEAm-BC were successfully synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, obtaining a library of well-defined block copolymers with different degrees of polymerization (DP). To further explore the versatility of our approach in terms of polymer synthesis, self-assembly, drug solubilization and in vitro cell interaction, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyHEAm as hydrophilic polymer blocks were compared. The block copolymers formed micellar nanoparticles (10-100 nm) in PBS and could efficiently solubilize hydrophobic dyes and anti-cancer drugs. Benzyl carbonate ester side chains increased micellar stability and drug loading capacity. Moreover, PEG as hydrophilic block showed in comparison to HEAm more promising results concerning both colloidal stability and drug loading capacity. Confocal microscopy showed that the micelles could efficiently deliver a hydrophobic dye inside the cells. Finally, we also demonstrated efficient formulation of the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel with an in vitro cancer cell killing performance comparable or even better than the two commercial PTX nano-formulations Abraxane and Genexol-PM at equal drug dose. In conclusion, modification of HEAm through carbonate linkages offers a versatile platform for the design of degradable polymers with potential for biomedical applications

The 18S ribosomal RNA sequence of the sea anemone <i>Ammonia sulcata</i> and its evolutionary position among other eukaryotes

Evolutionary trees based on partial small ribosomal subunit RNA sequences of 22 metazoa species have been published [(1988) Science 239, 748-753]. In these trees, cnidarians (Radiata) seemed to have evolved independently from the Bilateria, which is in contradiction with the general evolutionary view. In order to further investigate this problem, the complete srRNA sequence of the sea anemone Ammonia sulcata was determined and evolutionary trees were constructed using a matrix optimization method. In the tree thus obtained the sea anemone and Bilateria together form a monophyletic cluster, with the sea anemone forming the first line of descent of the metazoan group

Thyroid Hormone Receptors in Two Model Species for Vertebrate Embryonic Development: Chicken and Zebrafish

Chicken and zebrafish are two model species regularly used to study the role of thyroid hormones in vertebrate development. Similar to mammals, chickens have one thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) and one TRβ gene, giving rise to three TR isoforms: TRα, TRβ2, and TRβ0, the latter with a very short amino-terminal domain. Zebrafish also have one TRβ gene, providing two TRβ1 variants. The zebrafish TRα gene has been duplicated, and at least three TRα isoforms are expressed: TRαA1-2 and TRαB are very similar, while TRαA1 has a longer carboxy-terminal ligand-binding domain. All these TR isoforms appear to be functional, ligand-binding receptors. As in other vertebrates, the different chicken and zebrafish TR isoforms have a divergent spatiotemporal expression pattern, suggesting that they also have distinct functions. Several isoforms are expressed from the very first stages of embryonic development and early chicken and zebrafish embryos respond to thyroid hormone treatment with changes in gene expression. Future studies in knockdown and mutant animals should allow us to link the different TR isoforms to specific processes in embryonic development

Coverage determinants of breast cancer screening in Flanders:an evaluation of the past decade

Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in the developed world. In order to find developing cancers in an early stage, BC screening is commonly used. In Flanders, screening is performed in and outside an organized breast cancer screening program (BCSP). However, the determinants of BC screening coverage for both screening strategies are yet unknown. Objective To assess the determinants of BC screening coverage in Flanders. Methods Reimbursement data were used to attribute a screening status to each woman in the target population for the years 2008-2016. Yearly coverage data were categorized as screening inside or outside BCSP or no screening. Data were clustered by municipality level. A generalized linear equation model was used to assess the determinants of screening type. Results Over all years and municipalities, the median screening coverage rate inside and outside BCSP was 48.40% (IQR: 41.50-54.40%) and 14.10% (IQR: 9.80-19.80%) respectively. A higher coverage rate outside BSCP was statistically significantly (P < 0.001) associated with more crowded households (OR: 3.797, 95% CI: 3.199-4.508), younger age, higher population densities (OR: 2.528, 95% CI: 2.455-2.606), a lower proportion of unemployed job seekers (OR: 0.641, 95% CI: 0.624-0.658) and lower use of dental care (OR: 0.969, 95% CI: 0.967-0.972). Conclusion Coverage rate of BC screening is not optimal in Flanders. Women with low SES that are characterized by younger age, living in a high population density area, living in crowded households, or having low dental care are less likely to be screened for BC in Flanders. If screened, they are more likely to be screened outside the BCSP

Black Hole Meiosis

The enumeration of BPS bound states in string theory needs refinement. Studying partition functions of particles made from D-branes wrapped on algebraic Calabi-Yau 3-folds, and classifying states using split attractor flow trees, we extend the method for computing a refined BPS index, arXiv:0810.4301. For certain D-particles, a finite number of microstates, namely polar states, exclusively realized as bound states, determine an entire partition function (elliptic genus). This underlines their crucial importance: one might call them the `chromosomes' of a D-particle or a black hole. As polar states also can be affected by our refinement, previous predictions on elliptic genera are modified. This can be metaphorically interpreted as `crossing-over in the meiosis of a D-particle'. Our results improve on hep-th/0702012, provide non-trivial evidence for a strong split attractor flow tree conjecture, and thus suggest that we indeed exhaust the BPS spectrum. In the D-brane description of a bound state, the necessity for refinement results from the fact that tachyonic strings split up constituent states into `generic' and `special' states. These are enumerated separately by topological invariants, which turn out to be partitions of Donaldson-Thomas invariants. As modular predictions provide a check on many of our results, we have compelling evidence that our computations are correct.Comment: 46 pages, 8 figures. v2: minor changes. v3: minor changes and reference adde

Advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of Pay-for-Quality programs in Belgium

Advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of the introduction of ‘Pay for Quality’ programmes in Belgiu

The Role of Socio-Demographic Factors in the Coverage of Breast Cancer Screening:Insights From a Quantile Regression Analysis

Background: In Flanders, breast cancer (BC) screening is performed in a population-based breast cancer screening program (BCSP), as well as in an opportunistic setting. Women with different socio-demographic characteristics are not equally covered by BC screening. Objective: To evaluate the role of socio-demographic characteristics on the lowest 10th and highest 90th quantile levels of BC screening coverage. Methods: The 2017 neighborhood-level coverage rates of 8,690 neighborhoods with women aged 50-69 and eligible for BCSP and opportunistic screening were linked to socio-demographic data. The association between socio-demographic characteristics and the coverage rates of BCSP and opportunistic screening was evaluated per quantile of coverage using multivariable quantile regression models, with specific attention to the lowest 10th and highest 90th quantiles. Results: The median coverage in the BCSP was 50%, 33.5% in the 10th quantile, and 64.5% in the 90th quantile. The median coverage of the opportunistic screening was 12, 4.2, and 24.8% in the 10th and 90th quantile, respectively. A lower coverage of BCSP was found in neighborhoods with more foreign residents and larger average household size, which were considered indicators for a lower socioeconomic status (SES). However, a higher average personal annual income, which was considered an indicator for a higher SES, was also found in neighborhoods with lower coverage of BCSP. For these neighborhoods, that have a relatively low and high SES, the negative association between the percentage of foreign residents, average household size, and average personal annual income and the coverage in the BCSP had the smallest regression coefficient and 95% confidence interval (CI) values were -0.75 (95% CI: -0.85, -0.65), -13.59 (95% CI: -15.81, -11.37), and -1.05 (95% CI: -1.18, -0.92), respectively, for the 10th quantile. The neighborhoods with higher coverage of opportunistic screening had a relatively higher average personal annual income, with the largest regression coefficient of 1.72 (95% CI: 1.59, 1.85) for the 90th quantile. Conclusions: Women from relatively low and high SES neighborhoods tend to participate less in the BCSP, whereas women with a relatively high SES tend to participate more in opportunistic screening. For women from low SES neighborhoods, tailored interventions are needed to improve the coverage of BCSP