Para-infectious brain injury in COVID-19 persists at follow-up despite attenuated cytokine and autoantibody responses

To understand neurological complications of COVID-19 better both acutely and for recovery, we measured markers of brain injury, inflammatory mediators, and autoantibodies in 203 hospitalised participants; 111 with acute sera (1–11 days post-admission) and 92 convalescent sera (56 with COVID-19-associated neurological diagnoses). Here we show that compared to 60 uninfected controls, tTau, GFAP, NfL, and UCH-L1 are increased with COVID-19 infection at acute timepoints and NfL and GFAP are significantly higher in participants with neurological complications. Inflammatory mediators (IL-6, IL-12p40, HGF, M-CSF, CCL2, and IL-1RA) are associated with both altered consciousness and markers of brain injury. Autoantibodies are more common in COVID-19 than controls and some (including against MYL7, UCH-L1, and GRIN3B) are more frequent with altered consciousness. Additionally, convalescent participants with neurological complications show elevated GFAP and NfL, unrelated to attenuated systemic inflammatory mediators and to autoantibody responses. Overall, neurological complications of COVID-19 are associated with evidence of neuroglial injury in both acute and late disease and these correlate with dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses acutely

Balancing Ecosystems, Harvests, and Seafood Markets

Recognition of competition and predator–prey interactions among species has led some to promote the concept of balanced harvesting, whereby fisheries would remove a proportional, sustainable fraction of all species in the fish community. Practical implementation of such a strategy hinges on understanding the current degree of species selection in fisheries and the factors that drive this selection. This interdisciplinary study measured ecosystem–market symmetry in the New England region by tracking species composition from ecosystem production, to catch, landings, and seafood markets. Strong species selection occurred in the catch and in seafood markets but not by discarding, which suggests that that requiring full retention of all species caught may make a limited contribution to promoting ecosystem–market symmetry. Results from a group of citizen scientists indicate that higher priced species were generally more available in seafood markets and that availability diminished rapidly with distance from shore. We conclude that market-based selection may be reduced through a combination of locavore consumer education and global marketing strategies

Message Art : Exhibitions and Public Lectures on the Subjects of Social and Political Commentary in the Arts

Bloom comments on five exhibitions that gather over 75 American artists around the theme of "art with a message", examining the delicate balance between art as propaganda and art that draws attention to social ills; subjects discussed range from the Rosenberg era and occupied Palestine, to Vietnam and Israeli landscape. Includes three artist's statements

Alumni : University of Massachusetts at Amherst Art Alumni Invitational Exhibition

This retrospective catalogue of works by ten American artists is centered on selected alumni of the University of Massachussetts. Includes short artist's statements. Biographical notes

L’Imaginaire au féminin : du liminal à l’animal…

Au seuil d’une révolution dans les rapports entre espèces, penser le féminin d’abord en relation au liminal puis à l’animal s’est imposé comme une évidence : tandis que l’éco-féminisme se redéfinit de manière plurielle face aux enjeux environnementaux d’aujourd’hui et de demain, le concept " d’exception humaine " se trouve au centre de toutes les préoccupations. À l’heure où les avancées de la primatologie et de l’éthologie se multiplient, des spécialistes d’horizons théoriques et culturels différents disposant d’outils d’analyse en pleine évolution ont été convoqués pour permettre, hors des sentiers battus et de la pensée unique, des explorations croisées, accompagnés d’artistes dont le témoignage assure au propos une dimension poïétique ancrée dans l’expérience. Ève et le Serpent, la Dame à la Licorne, la Belle et la Bête : ce sont les questions soulevées par ce lien censément privilégié et immémorial entre la femme et l’animal, ce lien dont l’existence supposée n’a cessé de hanter l’imaginaire humain, qui sont examinées sans ambages et sans tabous dans une approche diachronique et transculturelle, des Métamorphoses d’Ovide aux Femmes qui courent avec les loups, en passant par les mythes, fables, contes et récits animaliers modernes et postmodernes, mais aussi par l’examen de diverses formes de représentation - littéraires, cinématographiques, plastiques et multimédia - de ce lien tissé par l’imaginaire au féminin dans son rapport secret à la liminalité de notre humanité. Marie-Lise PAOLI, MCF en littérature des pays anglophones à l'université Bordeaux Montaigne, responsable de l'Équipe de Recherches Créativité et Imaginaire des Femmes (ERCIF, E.A. 4593 CLARE), a notamment co-dirigé des ouvrages transdisciplinaires tels que Marges et territoires chorégraphiques de Pina Bausch (L'Arche, 2013) et Dire les maux (MSH A, 2015)

Prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding in the early postnatal period in Sydney, Australia

Abstract Background Optimal breastfeeding has benefits for the mother-infant dyads. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of cessation of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in the early postnatal period in a culturally and linguistically diverse population in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Methods The study used routinely collected perinatal data on all live births in 2014 (N = 17,564) in public health facilities in two Local Health Districts in Sydney, Australia. The prevalence of mother’s breastfeeding intention, skin-to-skin contact, EBF at birth, discharge and early postnatal period (1–4 weeks postnatal) were estimated. Multivariate logistic regression models that adjusted for confounders were conducted to determine association between cessation of EBF in the early postnatal period and socio-demographic, psychosocial and health service factors. Results Most mothers intended to breastfeed (92%), practiced skin-to-skin contact (81%), exclusively breastfed  at delivery (90%) and discharge (89%). However, the prevalence of EBF declined (by 27%) at the early postnatal period (62%). Younger mothers (<20 years) and mothers who smoked cigarettes in pregnancy were more likely to cease EBF in the early postnatal period compared to older mothers (20–39 years) and those who reported not smoking cigarettes, respectively [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) =2.7, 95%CI 1.9–3.8, P <0.001 and AOR = 2.5, 95%CI 2.1–3.0, P <0.001, respectively]. Intimate partner violence, assisted delivery, low socio-economic status, pre-existing maternal health problems and a lack of partner support were also associated with early cessation of EBF in the postnatal period. Conclusions Our findings suggest that while most mothers intend to breastfeed, and commence EBF at delivery and at discharge, the maintenance of EBF in the early postnatal period is sub-optimal. This highlights the need for efforts to promote breastfeeding in the wider community along with targeted actions for disadvantaged groups and those identified to be at risk of early cessation of EBF to maximise impact