The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain

Insects migrating at high altitude over southern Britain have been continuously monitored by automatically-operating, vertical-looking radars over a period of several years. During some occasions in the summer months, the migrants were observed to form well-defined layer concentrations, typically at heights of 200-400 m, in the stable night-time atmosphere. Under these conditions, insects are likely to have control over their vertical movements and are selecting flight heights which are favourable for long-range migration. We therefore investigated the factors influencing the formation of these insect layers by comparing radar measurements of the vertical distribution of insect density with meteorological profiles generated by the UK Met. Office’s Unified Model (UM). Radar-derived measurements of mass and displacement speed, along with data from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps provided information on the identity of the migrants. We present here three case studies where noctuid and pyralid moths contributed substantially to the observed layers. The major meteorological factors influencing the layer concentrations appeared to be: (a) the altitude of the warmest air, (b) heights corresponding to temperature preferences or thresholds for sustained migration and (c), on nights when air temperatures are relatively high, wind-speed maxima associated with the nocturnal jet. Back-trajectories indicated that layer duration may have been determined by the distance to the coast. Overall, the unique combination of meteorological data from the UM and insect data from entomological radar described here show considerable promise for systematic studies of high-altitude insect layering

Axillary silicone lymphadenopathy presenting with a lump and altered sensation in the breast: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Silicone lymphadenopathy is a rare but recognised complication of procedures involving the use of silicone. It has a poorly understood mechanism but is thought to occur following the transportation of silicone particles from silicone-containing prostheses to lymph nodes by macrophages.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report of a case involving a 35-year-old woman who presented to the breast clinic with a breast lump and altered sensation below her left nipple 5 years after bilateral cosmetic breast augmentations. A small lump was detected inferior to the nipple but clinical examination and initial ultrasound investigation showed both implants to be intact. However, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging of both breasts revealed both intracapsular and extracapsular rupture of the left breast prosthesis. The patient went on to develop a flu-like illness and tender lumps in the left axilla and right mastoid regions. An excision biopsy of the left axillary lesion and replacement of the ruptured implant was performed. Subsequent histological analysis showed that the axillary lump was a lymph node containing large amounts of silicone.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The exclusion of malignancy remains the priority when dealing with lumps in the breast or axilla. Silicone lymphadenopathy should however be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients in whom silicone prostheses are present.</p

Morphological characteristics of motor neurons do not determine their relative susceptibility to degeneration in a mouse model of severe spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a leading genetic cause of infant mortality, resulting primarily from the degeneration and loss of lower motor neurons. Studies using mouse models of SMA have revealed widespread heterogeneity in the susceptibility of individual motor neurons to neurodegeneration, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. Data from related motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggest that morphological properties of motor neurons may regulate susceptibility: in ALS larger motor units innervating fast-twitch muscles degenerate first. We therefore set out to determine whether intrinsic morphological characteristics of motor neurons influenced their relative vulnerability to SMA. Motor neuron vulnerability was mapped across 10 muscle groups in SMA mice. Neither the position of the muscle in the body, nor the fibre type of the muscle innervated, influenced susceptibility. Morphological properties of vulnerable and disease-resistant motor neurons were then determined from single motor units reconstructed in Thy.1-YFP-H mice. None of the parameters we investigated in healthy young adult mice - including motor unit size, motor unit arbor length, branching patterns, motor endplate size, developmental pruning and numbers of terminal Schwann cells at neuromuscular junctions - correlated with vulnerability. We conclude that morphological characteristics of motor neurons are not a major determinant of disease-susceptibility in SMA, in stark contrast to related forms of motor neuron disease such as ALS. This suggests that subtle molecular differences between motor neurons, or extrinsic factors arising from other cell types, are more likely to determine relative susceptibility in SMA

A Rapid Detection of Meat Spoilage using an Electronic Nose and Fuzzy-Wavelet systems

Freshness and safety of muscle foods are generally considered as the most important parameters for the food industry. To address the rapid detection of meat spoilage microorganisms during aerobic or modified atmosphere storage, an electronic nose with the aid of fuzzy wavelet network has been considered in this research. The proposed model incorporates a clustering pre-processing stage for the definition of fuzzy rules. The dual purpose of the proposed modelling approach is not only to classify beef samples in the respective quality class (i.e. fresh, semi-fresh and spoiled), but also to predict their associated microbiological population directly from volatile compounds fingerprints. Comparison results against neural networks and neurofuzzy systems indicated that the proposed modelling scheme could be considered as a valuable detection methodology in food microbiolog

Earliest Triassic microbialites in the South China Block and other areas; controls on their growth and distribution

Earliest Triassic microbialites (ETMs) and inorganic carbonate crystal fans formed after the end-Permian mass extinction (ca. 251.4 Ma) within the basal Triassic Hindeodus parvus conodont zone. ETMs are distinguished from rarer, and more regional, subsequent Triassic microbialites. Large differences in ETMs between northern and southern areas of the South China block suggest geographic provinces, and ETMs are most abundant throughout the equatorial Tethys Ocean with further geographic variation. ETMs occur in shallow-marine shelves in a superanoxic stratified ocean and form the only widespread Phanerozoic microbialites with structures similar to those of the Cambro-Ordovician, and briefly after the latest Ordovician, Late Silurian and Late Devonian extinctions. ETMs disappeared long before the mid-Triassic biotic recovery, but it is not clear why, if they are interpreted as disaster taxa. In general, ETM occurrence suggests that microbially mediated calcification occurred where upwelled carbonate-rich anoxic waters mixed with warm aerated surface waters, forming regional dysoxia, so that extreme carbonate supersaturation and dysoxic conditions were both required for their growth. Long-term oceanic and atmospheric changes may have contributed to a trigger for ETM formation. In equatorial western Pangea, the earliest microbialites are late Early Triassic, but it is possible that ETMs could exist in western Pangea, if well-preserved earliest Triassic facies are discovered in future work

Índice de Massa Corporal, Idade, Maturação Sexual e a Incidência de Hiperlordose Lombar em crianças e adolescentes

Introduction: Hyperlordosis can cause several degenerative spinal pathologies in children and adolescents. Objective: Determine whether body mass index, age and sexual maturation predict the occurrence of hyperlordosis in children and adolescents. Method: The study analyzed 380 students aged between 10 and 18 years. Body mass index was evaluated using the reference values suggested by the Fitnessgram test battery, and sexual maturation through Tanner’s scale of self-assessed pubic hair growth. Postural assessment was conducted using the DIPA photogrammetry method, version 3.1. (Digital Image Based Postural Assessment) The SPSS 24.0 program was used to analyze the data, and the following statistical tests were applied: chi squared, Mann-Whitney, Fisher’s exact and binary logistic regression. Results: There was statistical significance between hyperlordosis, girls’ age and puberty in boys (p 0.05). Conclusion: The girls’ age and boys’ stage of puberty were associated with the occurrence of hyperlordosis.Introdução: A Hiperlordose lombar pode ocasionar diversas patologias degenerativas na coluna vertebral de crianças e adolescentes. Objetivo: Identificar se o Índice de Massa Corporal, a Idade e a Maturação Sexual são previsores da ocorrência da hiperlordose lombar em crianças e adolescentes. Método: O estudo analisou 380 estudantes entre 10 e 18 anos. O Índice de Massa Corporal foi avaliado por meio dos valores de referência sugeridos pela bateria de testes Fitnessgram e a maturação sexual por meio da auto-avaliação da pilosidade pubiana de Tanner. A avaliação postural foi realizada pelo método de fotogrametria DIPA versão 3.1. (Avaliação Postural Baseada em Imagem Digital). Para análise dos dados foi utilizado o programa SPSS 24.0, tendo sido aplicados os testes estatísticos: Qui-Quadrado, Mann Whitney, Exato de Fisher e Regressão Logística Binária. Resultados: Observou-se que houve significância estatística entre a Hiperlordose lombar e a idade das meninas e a puberdade dos meninos (p0,05). Conclusão: A idade das meninas e a puberdade dos meninos foi associada à ocorrência da hiperlordose lombar.This study was funded by CIEC (Center for Investigations in Childhood Studies), Strategic Project UID/CED/00317/2013, via National FCT (Science and Technology Foundation) funds and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), via COMPETE 2020 – Competitivity and Internalization Operational Program (POCI) under reference number POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562

Combination of photothermal, prodrug and tumor cell camouflage technologies for triple-negative breast cancer treatment

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains the most challenging breast cancer subtype. In the presented work, we have combined several emerging technologies to build up a nanoplatform for TNBC treatment: photothermal therapy, prodrug design and tumor cell camouflage formulation. First, we synthesized a paclitaxel (PTX) based prodrug PTX-SS, and then conjugated it to the surface of gold nanorod (Au NR) @ mesoporous silica (MSN) core-shell nanoparticles (Au@MSN-NH2 NPs). Subsequently, doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded into the Au@PTXSS-MSN NPs and further coated with cell membranes isolated from MDA-MB-231 cells to form cell camouflaged Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs. The Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs exhibited very good DOX loading capacity and the prodrug strategy enabled the precise adjustability of PTX-SS loading to achieve the optimized ratio between PTX and DOX to maximize the synergistic effect of these two drugs, as well as enabled GSH-responsive intracellular drug release. More interestingly, the cell membrane coating not only protected the drug from premature release, but also significantly improved the targeting ability of NPs to breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. The NPs also showed good photothermal responsiveness with clear improvement in inhibiting MDA-MB231 cell proliferation under laser irradiation. The in vivo studies further confirmed the effectiveness of Au@PTXSS-MSN/DOX@CM NPs on TNBC tumor inhibition in 4T1 cell grafted tumor mice model. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Feasibility of using quadriceps-strengthening exercise to improve pain and sleep in a severely demented elder with osteoarthritis – a case report

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, which is prevalent among older adults in nursing homes, causes significant pain and suffering, including disturbance of nocturnal sleep. One nonpharmacologic treatment option is quadriceps-strengthening exercise, however, the feasibility of such a treatment for reducing pain from OA in severely demented elders has not been studied. This report describes our test of the feasibility of such an exercise program, together with its effects on pain and sleep, in a severely demented nursing home resident. CASE PRESENTATION: The subject was an elderly man with severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental Status Exam score 4) and knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence radiographic grade 4). He was enrolled in a 5-week, 10-session standardized progressive-resistance training program to strengthen the quadriceps, and completed all sessions. Pain was assessed with the Western Ontario and MacMaster OA Index (WOMAC) pain subscale, and sleep was assessed by actigraphy. The patient was able to perform the exercises, with a revision to the protocol. However, the WOMAC OA pain subscale proved inadequate for measuring pain in a patient with low cognitive functioning, and therefore the effects on pain were inconclusive. Although his sleep improved after the intervention, the influence of his medications and the amount of daytime sleep on his nighttime sleep need to be considered. CONCLUSIONS: A quadriceps-strengthening exercise program for treating OA of the knee is feasible in severely demented elders, although a better outcome measure is needed for pain

The All-Data-Based Evolutionary Hypothesis of Ciliated Protists with a Revised Classification of the Phylum Ciliophora (Eukaryota, Alveolata)

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