Teaching and learning in Brussels: Sinn Féin’s strategic ‘venue shopping’ approach in the European Parliament

Sinn Féin was once staunchly Eurosceptic and has periodically campaigned against the ratification of European Union treaties in Ireland. Since the early 2000s, however, they have rejected the Eurosceptic label and self-described as ‘critically engaged’ with the European Union. This article explores how Sinn Féin have used their membership of the European Parliament and the European United Left/Nordic Green Left parliamentary group since their first Members of the European Parliament were elected in 2004, with a particular focus on the acrimonious post–Brexit referendum period. The article argues that the European Union forum is seen in terms of its utility by Sinn Féin, as a venue to teach and learn from their colleagues on their particular understanding of Irish history, nationalism and party strategy. It concludes by arguing that, in a process beginning before Brexit, the opportunities the European Union platform affords Sinn Féin have led to the adaptation of a particularly novel engagement strategy with European institutions

T cells reactive to an inducible heat shock protein induce disease in toxin-induced interstitial nephritis.

T cells reactive against immunodominant regions of inducible heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been identified in the chronic inflammatory lesions of several experimental autoimmune diseases. Since HSPs are known to be induced by a number of renal tubular epithelial cell toxins associated with chronic interstitial nephritis, we investigated the relevance of HSP expression and T cell reactivity to HSP70 in a model of progressive inflammatory interstitial nephritis. Chronic administration of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) to SJL/J mice induces HSP70 expression in renal tubular cells 4-5 wk before the development of interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrates. CdCl2 also induces HSP70 expression in cultured tubular epithelial cells from SJL/J mice. CD4+, TCR-alpha/beta+ T cell lines specific for an immunodominant HSP peptide are cytotoxic to heat stressed or CdCl2-treated renal tubular cells. Such HSP-reactive T cells mediate an inflammatory interstitial nephritis after adoptive transfer to CdCl2-treated mice at a time when immunoreactive HSP70 is detectable in the kidneys, but before the development of interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrates. T cells isolated from the nephritic kidneys of mice treated with CdCl2 for 13 wk are also cytotoxic to heat shocked or cadmium-treated tubular cells. These kidney-derived T cells additionally induced interstitial nephritis after passive transfer, indicating their pathogenic significance. Our studies strongly support a role for HSP-reactive T cells in CdCl2-induced interstitial nephritis and suggest that the induction of HSPs in the kidney by a multitude of "non-immune" events may initiate or facilitate inflammatory damage by HSP-reactive lymphocytes

We are failing to improve the evidence base for “Exercise Referral”: How a Physical Activity Referral Scheme Taxonomy can help

Abstract not available

Sustainable Tourism Development in Rote Ndao

Located in the eastern province of Nusa Tenggara Timur (West Timor), Rote Ndao is an island of 120,000 residents that can be accessed via ferry from the West Timorese capital of Kupang. Prior to East Timorese independence in 2002, Kupung saw direct international flights from Australia, since redirected through Bali and Jakarta. Rote Ndao is traditionally focused on subsistence farming and the harvesting of the Lontar Palm; however, recent years have seen an influx of foreign interest as domestic and international investors buy up large tracks of beach front property. White sand beaches and world class surfing, Rote is a quintessential island paradise and many are predicting that this remote part of eastern Indonesia will become the new Bali of the 21st century

Local association of Trypanosoma cruzi chronic infection foci and enteric neuropathic lesions at the tissue micro-domain scale

Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagas disease has two types, the cardiac form and the digestive form; some patients have symptoms of both. How the parasite causes digestive disease is poorly understood. It is known that damage to the gut’s nervous system is an important factor, but it has been unclear exactly where and when this damage occurs during the course of an infection and also why only a subset of infected people suffer from this outcome. We studied infections in mice and found certain combinations of strains of parasites and mice that exhibited symptoms similar to human digestive Chagas patients, including a problem with peristalsis that localised specifically to the colon. Using parasites that were genetically engineered to emit both bioluminescent and fluorescent light, we tracked infections over time and were able to analyse rare infected cells deep within the muscle tissue of the wall of the colon. We found evidence of damaged neurons in the same location as these infection foci over 6 months after initial infection. Our results show that digestive Chagas disease probably develops as a result of chronic infection and inflammation, which potentially changes approaches to treatment

Ozone’s Impact on Public Health: Contributions from Indoor Exposures to Ozone and Products of Ozone-Initiated Chemistry

OBJECTIVE: The associations between ozone concentrations measured outdoors and both morbidity and mortality may be partially due to indoor exposures to ozone and ozone-initiated oxidation products. In this article I examine the contributions of such indoor exposures to overall ozone-related health effects by extensive review of the literature as well as further analyses of published data. FINDINGS: Daily inhalation intakes of indoor ozone (micrograms per day) are estimated to be between 25 and 60% of total daily ozone intake. This is especially noteworthy in light of recent work indicating little, if any, threshold for ozone’s impact on mortality. Additionally, the present study estimates that average daily indoor intakes of ozone oxidation products are roughly one-third to twice the indoor inhalation intake of ozone alone. Some of these oxidation products are known or suspected to adversely affect human health (e.g., formaldehyde, acrolein, hydroperoxides, fine and ultrafine particles). Indirect evidence supports connections between morbidity/mortality and exposures to indoor ozone and its oxidation products. For example, cities with stronger associations between outdoor ozone and mortality tend to have residences that are older and less likely to have central air conditioning, which implies greater transport of ozone from outdoors to indoors. CONCLUSIONS: Indoor exposures to ozone and its oxidation products can be reduced by filtering ozone from ventilation air and limiting the indoor use of products and materials whose emissions react with ozone. Such steps might be especially valuable in schools, hospitals, and childcare centers in regions that routinely experience elevated outdoor ozone concentrations