Sublethal responses to endrin in sediment by Stylodrilus heringianus (Lumbriculidae) as measured by a 137cesium marker layer technique

Sediment reworking rates of Stylodrilus heringianus (Oligochaeta: Lumbriculidae) were measured in microcosms containing sediments dosed with the chlorinated pesticide, endrin. Reworking rates were measured at 10[deg]C by monitoring a 137cesium marker layer burial in contaminated and uncontaminated microcosms. Endrin concentrations ranged from 3.1 to 42 000 ng/g dry sediment. Alterations in reworking rates were observed at sediment concentrations five and one half orders of magnitude below the LC50 (1 650 [mu]g/g). For the lower concentrations, marker layer burial rate data suggested possible stimulatory effects in the first 300 to 600 h, followed by significant rate decreases relative to controls. For higher concentrations, rates were equal to or slower than control rates in the first 600 h, followed by dramatic decreases in the last 600 h. High final surficial sediment endrin concentrations at the end of experiments implied worm mediated upward transport. Worm mortalities were 9.3 to 28% for the two highest concentrations (42 000 and 11 500 ng/g) and 0 to 6.7% for all other concentrations including controls. Post experimental worm dry weights were inversely related to high concentrations. Bioaccumulation factors ranged from 34 to 67 on a g dry organism to g dry sediment basis.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27083/1/0000074.pd

Sublethal responses to endrin in sediment by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Tubificidae), and in mixed-culture with Stylodrilus heringianus (Lumbriculidae)

Sediment reworking by Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri (Tubificidae) alone, and with Stylodrilus heringianus (Lumbriculidae) were measured in sediments dosed with endrin by monitoring the burial of a 137cesium marker layer. Endrin concentrations ranged from 16.1 to 81 400 ng/g dry sediment weight. Alterations in reworking rates were observed at sediment concentrations two to five orders of magnitude below LC50 values. In single species experiments with L. hoffmeisteri at low endrin concentrations, marker layer burial rate data did not suggest stimulation of reworking, as had previously been found for S. heringianus. At higher concentrations, reworking rates were equal to or slower than control rates early in experiments, followed by dramatic decreases thereafter. Reworking rates with mixed species (1:1 species ratio) suggested that the presence of S. heringianus enhanced the reworking response of L. hoffmeisteri.Post-experimental worm dry weights were inversely related to high sediment concentrations for both species. Reductions in post-experimental L. hoffmeisteri mortalities and increases in L. hoffmeisteri dry weights in mixed species tests at high endrin concentrations implied that L. hoffmeisteri benefits from the presence of S. heringianus, although the reverse was not observed.High final sediment endrin concentrations in the upper three cm implied worm mediated upward contaminant transport. Bioaccumulation factors for S. heringianus ranged from 9.7 to 43.8 and were consistently three to four times greater than bioaccumulation factors for L. hoffmeisteri (1.7 to 13.6).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27082/1/0000073.pd

West-Nile virus replicon particles infect 293T cells expressing DC-SIGNR

West-Nile virus (WNV) is an arbovirus usually transmitted to humans via a mosquito vector. Infections commonly result in febrile symptoms while rare severe neuroinvasive cases may result in encephalitis or meningitis. Studies have shown that WNV infection efficiency is enhanced by expression of DC-SIGNR on target cells, which normally do not express DC-SIGNR. To investigate WNV tropism, we established 293T kidney epithelial cell lines that stably express vector, DC-SIGNR and mutants of DC-SIGNR that lack the entire carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) or lack the C-terminal half of the CRD. We demonstrate successful surface expression of DC-SIGNR and its mutants from stablytransfected 293T cells, but not vector-transfected 293T cells. Further, we show that monoclonal antibody 120604 which binds specifically to the DC-SIGNR CRD binds to DCSIGNR expressing 293T cells, but not to vector nor any of the DC-SIGNR mutants expressing cells. Virus replicon particles (VRPs), replication-incompetent viral particles containing necessary structural proteins for infection and a viral plasmid including a GFP reporter are used to safely and conveniently study viral entry. Entry assays using WNV (NY99) VRPs as well as a variant of WNV (NY99) which contains the beta-lactamase enzyme show significant entry into DC-SIGNR expressing cell lines, but not in controls that do not express DC-SIGNR. Additionally, we show that WNV VRPs do not enter DC-SIGNR expressing cells that lack the CRD or the C-terminal half of the CRD suggesting that the Cterminal half of the CRD is required for successful entry of WNV via DC-SIGNR. Future experiments may be able to shed light on which amino acids are required for entryhttps://openriver.winona.edu/urc2018/1057/thumbnail.jp

Pediatric home mechanical ventilation: A Canadian Thoracic Society clinical practice guideline executive summary

Over the last 30 to 40 years, improvements in technology, as well as changing clinical practice regarding the appropriateness of long-term ventilation in patients with “non-curable” disorders, have resulted in increasing numbers of children surviving what were previously considered fatal conditions. This has come but at the expense of requiring ongoing, long-term prolonged mechanical ventilation (both invasive and noninvasive). Although there are many publications pertaining to specific aspects of home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in children, there are few comprehensive guidelines that bring together all of the current literature. In 2011 the Canadian Thoracic Society HMV Guideline Committee published a review of the available English literature on topics related to HMV in adults, and completed a detailed guideline that will help standardize and improve the assessment and management of individuals requiring noninvasive or invasive HMV. This current document is intended to be a companion to the 2011 guidelines, concentrating on the issues that are either unique to children on HMV (individuals under 18 years of age), or where common pediatric practice diverges significantly from that employed in adults on long-term home ventilation. As with the adult guidelines,1 this document provides a disease-specific review of illnesses associated with the necessity for long-term ventilation in children, including children with chronic lung disease, spinal muscle atrophy, muscular dystrophies, kyphoscoliosis, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, and central hypoventilation syndromes. It also covers important common themes such as airway clearance, the ethics of initiation of long-term ventilation in individuals unable to give consent, the process of transition to home and to adult centers, and the impact, both financial, as well as social, that this may have on the child\u27s families and caregivers. The guidelines have been extensively reviewed by international experts, allied health professionals and target audiences. They will be updated on a regular basis to incorporate any new information

Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals maturation as a mechanism underlying glucocorticoid resistance in B lineage ALL and re-sensitization by JNK inhibition

Glucocorticoid (GC) resistance is a continuing clinical problem in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. A proteomic approach was used to compare profiles of the B-lineage ALL GC-sensitive cell line, PreB 697, and its GC-resistant sub-line, R3F9, pre- and post-dexamethasone exposure. PAX5, a transcription factor critical to B-cell development was differentially regulated in the PreB 697 compared to the R3F9 cell line in response to GC. PAX5 basal protein expression was less in R3F9 compared to its GC-sensitive parent and confirmed to be lower in other GC-resistant sub-lines of Pre B 697 and was associated with a decreased expression of the PAX5 transcriptional target, CD19. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that increasing GC-resistance was associated with differentiation from preB-II to an immature B-lymphocyte stage. GC-resistant sub-lines were shown to have higher levels of phosphorylated JNK compared to the parent line and JNK inhibition caused re-sensitization to GC. Exploiting this maturation may be key to overcoming GC resistance and targeting signalling pathways linked to the maturation state, such as JNK, may be a novel approach

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) as an aid to rehabilitation in acute respiratory disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) can increase exercise tolerance, reduce exercise induced desaturation and improve the outcome of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic respiratory disease. It is not known whether it can be applied to increase exercise capacity in patients admitted with non-hypercapnic acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD). We investigated the acceptability and feasibility of using NIV for this purpose.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>On a single occasion, patients admitted with an acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease who were unable to cycle for five minutes at 20 watts attempted to cycle using NIV and their endurance time (T_lim) was recorded. To determine feasibility of this approach in clinical practice patients admitted with AECOPD were screened for participation in a trial of regular NIV assisted rehabilitation during their hospital admission.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 12 patients tested on a single occasion NIV increased T_limfrom 184(65) seconds to 331(229) seconds (p = 0.04) and patients desaturated less (median difference = 3.5%, p = 0.029). In the second study, 60 patients were admitted to hospital during a three month period of whom only 18(30)% were eligible to participate and of these patients, only four (7%) consented to participate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>NIV improves exercise tolerance in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory disease but the applicability of this approach in routine clinical practice may be limited.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p><url>http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN35692743</url></p

Predictors of single word spelling in English-speaking children: a cross sectional study

Background: The study aimed to explore to what extent variables associated with lexical and sublexical spelling processes predicted single word spelling ability, and whether patterns of lexical and sublexical processes were different across ages. Methods: Beginning (mean age 7-years, N=144) and advanced (mean age 9-years, N=114) English-speaking spellers completed tasks associated with sublexical processing (phonological ability and phonological short-term memory), lexical processing (visual short-term memory, visual attention span), and factors known to predict spelling (e.g., rapid automatised naming). Results: Phonological ability, rapid automatised naming, visual short-term memory and visual attention span were significant predictors of spelling accuracy for beginning spellers, while for more advanced spellers, only visual attention span was a significant predictor. Conclusions: The findings suggested that for beginning spellers, both lexical and sublexical processes are important for single word spelling, but with increasing literacy experience, lexically related variables are more important

Sleep Disturbance in Family Caregivers of Children who Depend on Medical Technology Compared to Family Caregivers of Healthy Children: The CARE to SLEEP Study

Background/Rationale: Society relies on family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology (e.g., home ventilation) to provide highly skilled and vigilant care up to 24 hours per day. Few studies exist that have measured sleep in family caregivers, and those that do have relied entirely on subjective measures. These data suggest that sleep disruption places family caregivers at risk for poor health and related outcomes that may impair their daytime function and long-term capacity for caregiving. Objectives/Research Questions: The primary aim of this study was to compare sleep and related outcomes in family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology to outcomes in family caregivers of healthy children.Methods: In a prospective cohort study (balanced per child's age), 42 family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology from a tertiary-level paediatric hospital and 43 controls from community-based paediatric clinics were recruited. Actigraphy was used for 6 days and 7 nights, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was applied to collect sleep data. At home visits, sleep diaries were collected and measures of depression (CES-D), daytime sleepiness (ESS), fatigue (MAF), quality of life (SF-12TM), sleep hygiene (SHI), and child's sleep habits (CSHQ) were administered.Results: Family caregivers of children who depend on medical technology achieved 40 minutes less sleep per night (6.56 [1.4h] vs. 7.21 [0.6], p = .02), had more nocturnal awakenings (8.00 [3.9] vs.6.01 [3.7], p = .02), and had more sleep deprived (Ph.D

A preliminary field study of the factors influencing the distribution, size, and shape of the net, and ecology of Neureclipsis crepuscularis (Walker).

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/53320/1/1754.pdfDescription of 1754.pdf : Access restricted to on-site users at the U-M Biological Station

Lettre de Rev. Wm. J. Keilty à Geo. Baby

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