Evaluation of Cellular Fibronectin Plasma Levels as a Useful Staging Tool in Different Stages of Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder and Renal Cell Carcinoma

Reliable markers for both renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCC) are lacking

The role of neutrophils in pregnancy, term and preterm labour

Neutrophils are surveillance cells, and the first to react and migrate to sites of inflammation and infection following a chemotactic gradient. Neutrophils play a key role in both sterile inflammation and infection, performing a wide variety of effector functions such as degranulation, phagocytosis, ROS production and release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Healthy term labour requires a sterile pro-inflammatory process, whereas one of the most common causes of spontaneous preterm birth is microbial driven. Peripheral neutrophilia has long been described during pregnancy, and evidence exists demonstrating neutrophils infiltrating the cervix, uterus and foetal membranes during both term and preterm deliveries. Their presence supports a role in tissue remodelling via their effector functions. In this review, we describe the effector functions of neutrophils. We summarise the evidence to support their role in healthy pregnancy and labour and describe their potential contribution to microbial driven preterm birth

Nxele, Ntsikana and the origins of the Xhosa religious reaction

The sudden expulsion of the Xhosa across the Fish River in 1811–12 created a practical and conceptual crisis which the traditional political authorities were unable to resolve. Two commoners, Nxele and Ntsikana, emerged in this vacuum, each proposing his own solution to the problems posed by the white irruption. Although these responses were religious responses, they were neither irrational nor incomprehensible. Xhosa religion had long functioned as an instrument for the control of the material world. By incorporating selected Christian concepts with the Xhosa world-view, Nxele and Ntsikana were able to provide the Xhosa with acceptable explanations of past events and prescriptions for future action. Nxele urged resistance and Ntsikana preached submission, but an examination of their personal histories shows that these final conclusions were more the product of exterior pressure than interior revelation. It may be suggested that the future reputations of the two men, like their past actions, will be determined more by the popular mood than by anything they themselves did or said

Visceral leishmaniasis patients display altered composition and maturity of neutrophils as well as impaired neutrophil effector functions

Immunologically, active visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is characterised by profound immunosuppression, severe systemic inflammatory responses and an impaired capacity to control parasite replication. Neutrophils are highly versatile cells, which play a crucial role in the induction as well as the resolution of inflammation, the control of pathogen replication and the regulation of immune responses. Neutrophil functions have been investigated in human cutaneous leishmaniasis, however, their role in human visceral leishmaniasis is poorly understood. In the present study we evaluated the activation status and effector functions of neutrophils in patients with active VL and after successful anti-leishmanial treatment. Our results show that neutrophils are highly activated and have degranulated; high levels of arginase, myeloperoxidase and elastase, all contained in neutrophils’ granules, were found in the plasma of VL patients. In addition, we show that a large proportion of these cells are immature. We also analysed effector functions of neutrophils that are essential for pathogen clearance and show that neutrophils have an impaired capacity to release neutrophil extracellular traps, produce reactive oxygen species and phagocytose bacterial particles, but not Leishmania parasites. Our results suggest that impaired effector functions, increased activation and immaturity of neutrophils play a key role in the pathogenesis of VL

Soft believers and hard unbelievers in the Xhosa cattle-killing

A substantial minority, perhaps 15 per cent of all Xhosa, refused to obey the prophetess Nongqawuse's orders to kill their cattle and destroy their corn. This divided Xhosaland into two parties, the amathamba (‘soft’ ones, or believers) and the amagogotya (‘hard’ ones, or unbelievers). The affiliation of individuals was partly determined by a number of factors – lungsickness in cattle, political attitude towards the Cape Colony, religious beliefs, kinship, age and gender – but a systematic analysis of each of these factors in turn suggests that none of them was sufficiently important to constitute the basis of either party. The key to understanding the division lies in an analysis of the indigenous Xhosa terms ‘soft’ and ‘hard’. ‘Softness’ in Xhosa denotes the submissiveness of the individual to the common will of the community, whereas ‘hardness’ denotes the determination of the individual to pursue his own ends, even at communal expense. Translated into social terms, the ‘soft’ believers were those who remained committed to the mutual aid ethic of the declining precolonial society, whereas the ‘hard’ unbelievers were those who sought to seize advantage of the new opportunities offered by the colonial presence to increase their wealth and social prominence. The conflict between the social and personal imperatives was well expressed by Chief Smith Mhala, the unbelieving son of a believing father, when he said, ‘They say I am killing my father – so I would kill him before I would kill my cattle.’ Certainly, the division between amathamba and amagogotya ran much deeper than the division between belief and unbelief, and the Xhosa, in conferring these names, seem to have recognized the fact

The central beliefs of the Xhosa cattle-killing

The Xhosa cattle-killing movement of 1856–7 cannot be explained as a superstitious ‘pagan reaction’ to the intrusion of colonial rule and Christian civilization. It owes its peculiar form to the lungsickness epidemic of 1854, which carried off over 100,000 Xhosa cattle. The Xhosa theory of disease indicated that the sick cattle had been contaminated by the witchcraft practices of the people, and that these tainted cattle would have to be slaughtered lest they infect the pure new cattle which were about to rise. The idea of the resurrection of the dead was partly due to the Xhosa belief that the dead do not really die or depart from the world of the living, and partly to the Xhosa myth of creation, which held that all life originated in a certain cavern in the ground which might yet again pour forth its blessings on the earth. Christian doctrines, transmitted through the prophets Nxele and Mhlakaza, supplemented and elaborated these indigenous Xhosa beliefs. The Xhosa and the Christian elements united together in the person of the expected redeemer Sifuba-sibanzi (the broad-chested one). The central beliefs of the Xhosa cattle-killing were neither irrational nor atavistic. Ironically, it was probably because they were so rational and so appropriate that they ultimately proved to be so deadly

Guiding cities under increased droughts: The limits to sustainable urban futures

Climate change is likely to increase droughts. The vulnerability of cities to droughts is increasing worldwide. Policy responses from cities to droughts lack consideration of long-term climatic and socio-economic scenarios, and focus on short-term emergency actions that disregard sustainability in the connected regional and river basin systems. We aim to explore the dynamics of the water-energy-land nexus in urban systems suffering increased climate change-related droughts, and their implications for sustainability. We complement a case study with a literature review providing cross-regional insights, and detail pervasive knowledge, policy and ambition gaps in the interaction between cities and droughts. We show that water availability with low emissions, without compromising ecosystems and with low costs to society, poses a local-scale limit to sustainable urban growth, a new concept delineating the limits to growth in cities. We conclude that urban and river basin planners need to institutionalize transparency and cross-sectoral integration in multi-sector partnerships, to consider long-term land use planning together with water and energy, and to apply integrated climate services to cities. Our study reveals the importance of including land, water and energy in long-term urban planning, and to connect them with the county, region, river basin and global scales. © 2021 The Author(s)The authors would like to express their gratitude for limited contributions, comments and discussions that helped to improve the manuscript to Muhamad Bahri, Jörg Cortekar, Mirabela Marin, Serban Octavian Davidescu, Iñaki Torres Cobián, and to two anonymous reviewers that helped to substantially improve the manuscript. Valuable feedback obtained in two conference sessions co‑lead by some of the authors (at Adaptation Futures 2018 in Cape Town, and at the 4th European Climate Change Adaptation conference, in Lisbon in 2019) is acknowledged. The authors acknowledge financial support from the project CLISWELN funded by ERA4CS. ERA4CS is an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and CLISWELN is funded by BMBF (DE), UEFISCDI (RO), BMBWF and FFG (AT), and MINECO (ES), with co-funding from the European Union (Grant 690462 ). This paper and the content included in it do not represent the opinion of the European Union, and the European Union is not responsible for any use that might be made of its content. Marta OlazabalThe authors would like to express their gratitude for limited contributions, comments and discussions that helped to improve the manuscript to Muhamad Bahri, Jörg Cortekar, Mirabela Marin, Serban Octavian Davidescu, Iñaki Torres Cobián, and to two anonymous reviewers that helped to substantially improve the manuscript. Valuable feedback obtained in two conference sessions co‑lead by some of the authors (at Adaptation Futures 2018 in Cape Town, and at the 4th European Climate Change Adaptation conference, in Lisbon in 2019) is acknowledged. The authors acknowledge financial support from the project CLISWELN funded by ERA4CS. ERA4CS is an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and CLISWELN is funded by BMBF (DE), UEFISCDI (RO), BMBWF and FFG (AT), and MINECO (ES), with co-funding from the European Union (Grant 690462 ). This paper and the content included in it do not represent the opinion of the European Union, and the European Union is not responsible for any use that might be made of its content. Marta Olazaba

Will porcine somatotropin (pST) lower pork quality?

The types and diameters of muscle fibers from 30 barrows that had received daily injections of porcine somatotropin (pST) or a placebo and were fed dietary lysine at .6, .8, 1.0 or 1.2% were determined. Fiber data indicated that pST slightly increases the anaerobic metabolic potential of longissimus muscle. The higher levels of lysine caused enlargement of muscle cells. Earlier research has shown that this type of muscle biochemistry contributes to development of PSE muscle. Thus, use of pST in certain strains of pigs may lead to reductions in muscle quality.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 16, 198

Effects of daily porcine somatotropin administration on tile performance and carcass characteristics of finishing swine

One hundred forty-four pigs (72 barrows and 72 gilts) were utilized in six treatments with six pens each to evaluate four levels of daily porcine somatotropin (pST) injections (0, 1, 3, or 5 mg/d) in combination with diets containing 13 or 16% crude protein (CP). One randomly selected pig from each pen was slaughtered when it reached a weight between 230 and 240 lb. Daily feed intake (ADFI), tenth rib backfat, and estimated percentage of lean pork were reduced in pigs fed the 13% CP diet and injected with 3 mg/d pST compared to pigs fed the same diet and injected daily with a placebo. Feed intake was reduced in pigs fed the 16% CP diet and injected daily with 3 and 5 mg/d pST. Improvement in feed conversion (F/G), tenth rib backfat, and estimated percentage lean pork occurred when pigs fed the 16% CP diet were injected with 1 mg/d, with greater improvements occurring at the 3 and 5 mg/d levels of pST. The improvement in F/G and the greater magnitude of response observed in pigs fed 16% CP diets compared to the response of pigs fed the 13% CP diet indicate that both the performance and carcass characteristics of pigs injected with pST are dependent on the dietary CP content.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 16, 198