Interleukin-5 transgenic mice show enhanced resistance to primary infections with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis but not primary infections with Toxacara caris

In this study, interleukin-5 (IL-5) transgenic mice with lifelong eosinophilia were assessed for resistance to primary infections with two tissue-invading nematodes, Nippostrongylus brasiliensisand Toxocara canis. Relative to nontransgenic littermates, three lines of IL-5 transgenic mice with varying degrees of eosinophilia all displayed enhanced resistance to N. brasiliensis. Although the timing of final worm expulsion was similar in transgenic and nontransgenic hosts, intestinal worms in transgenic mice were fewer in number throughout infection, failed to increase in size over the course of the infection, and were much less fecund. In contrast, T. canis larvae were recovered in similar numbers from tissues of transgenic mice with “low” or “high” eosinophilia and from nontransgenic mice. These results and other data suggest that eosinophils can contribute to host resistance to some parasite species. Parasite transit time through the host may correlate with relative sensitivity to eosinophils.Lindsay A. Dent, Christine M. Daly, Graham Mayrhofer, Trudy Zimmerman, Ann Hallett, Leon P. Bignold, Jenette Creaney, and Jim C. Parson

Deskilling the domestic kitchen: national tragedy or the making of a modern myth?**

In the UK, television cookery programmes engage the attention and enthusiasm of large audiences. Celebrity chefs are household names whose books nearly always top best-seller lists. Magazines and newspapers routinely include meal recipes and reports on food-related issues. In this sense, the domestic preparation of food has probably never attracted greater public interest. Paradoxically, much is also now said and written about the general loss of practical cooking skills. The latter takes on a special significance especially in relation to adverse changes in UK eating patterns and food safety problems. The paper contributes to an understanding of this paradox by examining what has happened to food preparation skills. The 20th century was a context for massive social and technological changes, and these were reflected in the domestic environment. Among younger cohorts many of traditional food preparation skills have atrophied but to some extent we can view this in terms of changed timescales of acquisition. Also, on the basis of historical evidence, there may be grounds for optimism in a re-evaluation of the extent and diversity of cooking skills in the past.</p

The application of microfluidic devices for viral diagnosis in developing countries

Whilst diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders are increasing in the developed world, the main threat to global health remains viral-based infectious disease. Such diseases are notably prevalent in developing countries, where they represent a major cause of mortality; however, their detection and prevention is typically hampered by poor infrastructure and a lack of resources to support the sophisticated diagnostic tools commonly found in modern laboratories. Microfluidic-based diagnostics has the potential to close the gap between developed and developing world medical needs due to the robustness and reduced operating costs such technology offers. The most recent developments in microfluidic diagnostics for viral infections have explored the separation and enumeration of immune cells, the capture and identification of viral particles, and antiviral drug evaluation within microchannels and chambers. Advances in solid-phase separation, isothermal amplification, real-time detection of nucleotide products, and improved efficiency of detection systems in microfluidic platforms have also opened up opportunities for diagnostic innovation. This chapter reviews the potential capability microfluidic technology can offer in addressing the practical challenges of providing diagnostic technology for developing countries, illustrated by research on key viral diseases