Changing pattern of visceral leishmaniasis, United Kingdom, 1985-2004.

A 20-year (1985-2004) retrospective review of 39 patients with imported visceral leishmaniasis found that tourism to Mediterranean countries and HIV infection were associated with visceral leishmaniasis. Diagnosis was often delayed. Treatment with liposomal amphotericin B has improved prognosis. Visceral leishmaniasis should be made a reportable disease

New observations on Saturnella saturnus (Steinecke) Fott: the first British record of a little-known enigmatic ‘green’ alga

Saturnella saturnus was discovered in March 2014 in open-water pools on blanket peatland at the Moor House - Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, straddling Cumbria and County Durham in NE England. This is the first record for the British Isles of a little-known alga known previously only from a few peat bog areas, mainly in mainland Europe. The literature is reviewed and new observations presented on its morphology and reproduction based on LM examination of living cells. New observations on the chloroplast structure and cytoplasmic inclusions (especially oil droplets) are discussed in relation to the findings of earlier studies. Doubt attaches as whether it is a chlorophyte or a xanthophyte and the identity of small spherical inclusions that have been frequently interpreted as autospores. It occurs in Upper Teesdale in pools that are that are small, relatively newly formed and mostly well-oxygenated. Also discussed is its relationship to Trochiscia, another coloniser of peatland pools. Photographic images are presented for the first time and comments made on its ecology in the context of blanket bog conservation projects and apparent rarity

An error-tuned model for sensorimotor learning

Current models of sensorimotor control posit that motor commands are generated by combining multiple modules which may consist of internal models, motor primitives or motor synergies. The mechanisms which select modules based on task requirements and modify their output during learning are therefore critical to our understanding of sensorimotor control. Here we develop a novel modular architecture for multi-dimensional tasks in which a set of fixed primitives are each able to compensate for errors in a single direction in the task space. The contribution of the primitives to the motor output is determined by both top-down contextual information and bottom- up error information. We implement this model for a task in which subjects learn to manipulate a dynamic object whose orientation can vary. In the model, visual information regarding the context (the orientation of the object) allows the appropriate primitives to be engaged. This top-down module selection is implemented by a Gaussian function tuned for the visual orientation of the object. Second, each module's contribution adapts across trials in proportion to its ability to decrease the current kinematic error. Specifically, adaptation is implemented by cosine tuning of primitives to the current direction of the error, which we show to be theoretically optimal for reducing error. This error-tuned model makes two novel predictions. First, interference should occur between alternating dynamics only when the kinematic errors associated with each oppose one another. In contrast, dynamics which lead to orthogonal errors should not interfere. Second, kinematic errors alone should be sufficient to engage the appropriate modules, even in the absence of contextual information normally provided by vision. We confirm both these predictions experimentally and show that the model can also account for data from previous experiments. Our results suggest that two interacting processes account for module selection during sensorimotor control and learning.This work was financially supported by the Wellcome Trust (to DMW; WT097803MA, http://www.wellcome.ac.uk), the Royal Society Noreen Murray Professorship in Neurobiology (to DMW; https://royalsociety.org), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (to JRF; RGPIN/04837, http://www.nserc.ca), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (to JRF; 82837, http://www.cihr.ca). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

What Angles Can Tell Us About What Holes Are Not

In this paper I argue that holes are not objects, but should instead be construed as properties or relations. The argument proceeds by first establishing a claim about angles: that angles are not objects, but properties or relations. It is then argued that holes and angles belong to the same category, on the grounds that they share distinctive existence and identity conditions. This provides an argument in favour of categorizing holes as one categorizes angles. I then argue that a commitment to the existence of properties to be identified with holes provides sufficient resources to account for true claims about holes. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V

Profiling of Heavy Metals in Mackerel Tuna (Euthynnus affinis) and Seawater and Bottom Sediments in Sarangani Coastline, Southern Philippines

Heavy metals have the ability to accumulate in the human body and disrupt functions of some body organs. These metals can find their way into humans by consumption of metal-contaminated fish. In this study, the presence of heavy metals was assessed in muscle tissues of mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis), locally known as “kawakawa,” collected from General Santos City and Kiamba fish landing sites. Heavy metal presence was also evaluated in seawater and bottom sediments samples collected along the Sarangani coastline. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry; while mercury (Hg), through cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results revealed that the three samples from GSCFP had Hg concentrations ranging from 0.045 to 0.108 mg·kg−1, below the limit set by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). In the case of Cd, 0.095 mg·kg−1 Cd was detected from only one out of six samples taken from Kiamba, which exceeded the limit of 0.05 mg·kg−1 prescribed by the US FDA, US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the European Commission (EC). The data generally indicates that the tuna samples do not pose a serious threat to the health of the consumers. Sediments obtained from Sarangani coastline showed presence of Pb at 62.27 mg·kg−1, which is also below the 128 mg·kg−1 limit. Assessment of pollution status of the study area revealed that the bottom sediments can be classified as unpolluted to moderately polluted based on the levels of Cd, Pb, and Hg, implying minimal heavy metal exposure of this tuna species from the two sampling areas. To ensure no incremental contamination of seawater and bottom sediments occurs, developmental and anthropogenic activities, such as the indiscriminate disposal of industrial and domestic wastes that may be possible sources of heavy metals, should be regulated and more stringent effluent standards adopted

Profiling of Heavy Metals in ‘Kawakawa’ (Euthynus affinis) and Seawater and Bottom Sediments in Sarangani Coastline, Mindanao, Philippines

Heavy metals have the ability to accumulate in the human body and disrupt functions of some vital organs. These metals can find their way into humans by consumption of metal-contaminated fish. In this study, the presence of heavy metals was assessed in muscle tissues of ‘kawakawa’ tuna (Euthynnus affinis) from General Santos City Fish Port (GSCFP) and in Kiamba fish landing site, as well as seawater and bottom sediments along Sarangani coastline. The heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry; while for mercury (Hg) cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used. Results revealed that heavy metals in the three ‘kawakawa’ samples from GSCFP had Hg concentration ranging from 0.045 to 0.108 mg.kg-1 which were below the limit set by the United States Food and Drug Administration. This implies that in general, the tuna samples do not pose a serious threat to the health of the consumers. Sediments obtained from Sarangani coastline showed presence of Pb at 62.27 mg.kg-1 which is below the 128 mg.kg-1 limit. Assessment of the pollution status of the study area revealed that the bottom sediments can be classified as unpolluted to moderately polluted from all levels of Cd, Pb, and Hg, which implies minimal heavy metal exposure of tuna species in the area. To ensure that no further contamination of seawater and bottom sediments occurs, possible sources of heavy metals such as the industries, should be regulated by implementing more stringent effluent standards

Quality of Life of People Living with HIV in Australia: The Role of Stigma, Social Disconnection and Mental Health.

HIV is a manageable chronic illness, due to advances in biomedical management. However, many people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to experience psychosocial challenges, which have been associated with poorer quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to explore how psychosocial factors contributed to the QoL of PLHIV in Australia; specifically, the relationship between HIV-related stigma, social connectedness, mental health, and QoL. Participants were 122 PLHIV attending The Albion Centre (a tertiary HIV clinic in Sydney, Australia), who completed questionnaires which measured HIV-related stigma, social support, mental health symptomology and QoL. Results indicated that HIV-related stigma predicted poorer QoL, as did mental health symptomology. Conversely, social connectedness improved QoL. Additionally, social connectedness was found to mediate the relationship between HIV-related stigma and QoL, whereas the hypothesized moderating role of mental health symptomology on this model was not significant. These findings provide insight into the impact of psychosocial factors on QoL, offering practitioners various points of clinical intervention

Brief Report: The Role of Task Support in the Spatial and Temporal Source Memory of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show intact recognition (supported procedure) but impaired recall (unsupported procedure) of incidentally-encoded context. Because this has not been demonstrated for temporal source, we compared the temporal and spatial source memory of adults with ASD and verbally matched typical adults. Because of difficulties with temporal processing in ASD, we predicted ASD adults would benefit from test support for location but not temporal occurrence of studied words. We found similar levels of recognition and source memory for both groups but there was a greater effect of support on memory for location source in the ASD group. The lack of an effect of support for temporal source may simply reflect a difficulty in operationalising temporal cues

Buttressing staples with cholecyst-derived extracellular matrix (CEM) reinforces staple lines in an ex vivo peristaltic inflation model

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008Background - Staple line leakage and bleeding are the most common problems associated with the use of surgical staplers for gastrointestinal resection and anastomotic procedures. These complications can be reduced by reinforcing the staple lines with buttressing materials. The current study reports the potential use of cholecyst-derived extracellular matrix (CEM) in non-crosslinked (NCEM) and crosslinked (XCEM) forms, and compares their mechanical performance with clinically available buttress materials [small intestinal submucosa (SIS) and bovine pericardium (BP)] in an ex vivo small intestine model. Methods - Three crosslinked CEM variants (XCEM0005, XCEM001, and XCEM0033) with different degree of crosslinking were produced. An ex vivo peristaltic inflation model was established. Porcine small intestine segments were stapled on one end, using buttressed or non-buttressed surgical staplers. The opened, non-stapled ends were connected to a peristaltic pump and pressure transducer and sealed. The staple lines were then exposed to increased intraluminal pressure in a peristaltic manner. Both the leak and burst pressures of the test specimens were recorded. Results - The leak pressures observed for non-crosslinked NCEM (137.8 ± 22.3 mmHg), crosslinked XCEM0005 (109.1 ± 14.1 mmHg), XCEM001 (150.1 ± 16.0 mmHg), XCEM0033 (98.8 ± 10.5 mmHg) reinforced staple lines were significantly higher when compared to non-buttressed control (28.3 ± 10.8 mmHg) and SIS (one and four layers) (62.6 ± 11.8 and 57.6 ± 12.3 mmHg, respectively) buttressed staple lines. NCEM and XCEM were comparable to that observed for BP buttressed staple lines (138.8 ± 3.6 mmHg). Only specimens with reinforced staple lines were able to achieve high intraluminal pressures (ruptured at the intestinal mesentery), indicating that buttress reinforcements were able to withstand pressure higher than that of natural tissue (physiological failure). Conclusions - These findings suggest that the use of CEM and XCEM as buttressing materials is associated with reinforced staple lines and increased leak pressures when compared to non-buttressed staple lines. CEM and XCEM were found to perform comparably with clinically available buttress materials in this ex vivo model.Enterprise Irelan