Precautionary advice about mobile phones: Public understandings and intended responses

The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright @ Taylor & FrancisThere is a widespread academic and policy debate about public responses to precaution in public health campaigns. This paper explores these issues in relation to the precautionary stance adopted in the UK around the regulation of mobile telecommunications. The aim of the paper is to examine the nature of attitudes to precaution, and the way in which these, along with other relevant variables, relate to the intention to adopt relevant behaviours. The results from an experimental study (n = 173) indicate that people distinguish between two dimensions of precaution: firstly in relation to its value or necessity per se and secondly as anchored to notions of governance. The two variables differentially relate to other variables including trust and uncertainty, and are predictive of intended behaviour change indirectly, through worry about mobile phone risks. Precautionary advice was generally interpreted as causing concern rather than providing reassurance. The results suggest that precaution may be considered a valuable stance but this does not mean that it is seen as good governance or that it will reduce concern. Whilst the discourse of precaution is aimed at reducing concern, it appears that the uptake of relevant behaviours is largely triggered by worry

Cluster Dynamical Mean-field calculations for TiOCl

Based on a combination of cluster dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) and density functional calculations, we calculated the angle-integrated spectral density in the layered $s=1/2$ quantum magnet TiOCl. The agreement with recent photoemission and oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments is found to be good. Th e improvement achieved with this calculation with respect to previous single-site DMFT calculations is an indication of the correlated nature and low-dimensionality of TiOCl.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, improved version as publishe

RitR is an archetype for a novel family of redox sensors in the streptococci that has evolved from two-component response regulators and is required for pneumococcal colonization

To survive diverse host environments, the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae must prevent its self-produced, extremely high levels of peroxide from reacting with intracellular iron. However, the regulatory mechanism(s) by which the pneumococcus accomplishes this balance remains largely enigmatic, as this pathogen and other related streptococci lack all known redox-sensing transcription factors. Here we describe a two-component-derived response regulator, RitR, as the archetype for a novel family of redox sensors in a subset of streptococcal species. We show that RitR works to both repress iron transport and enable nasopharyngeal colonization through a mechanism that exploits a single cysteine (Cys128) redox switch located within its linker domain. Biochemical experiments and phylogenetics reveal that RitR has diverged from the canonical two-component virulence regulator CovR to instead dimerize and bind DNA only upon Cys128 oxidation in air-rich environments. Atomic structures show that Cys128 oxidation initiates a "helical unravelling" of the RitR linker region, suggesting a mechanism by which the DNA-binding domain is then released to interact with its cognate regulatory DNA. Expanded computational studies indicate this mechanism could be shared by many microbial species outside the streptococcus genus

Bovine Lactoferrin Prevents Invasive Fungal Infections in Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Lactoferrin is a mammalian milk glycoprotein involved in innate immunity. Recent data show that bovine lactoferrin (bLF) prevents late-onset sepsis in preterm very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from a multicenter randomized controlled trial where preterm VLBW neonates randomly received bLF (100 mg/day; group A1), bLF + Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (10(6) colony-forming units per day; group A2), or placebo (group B) for 6 weeks. Here we analyze the incidence rates of fungal colonization, invasive fungal infection (IFI), and rate of progression from colonization to infection in all groups. RESULTS: This study included 472 neonates whose clinical, nutritional, and demographical characteristics were similar. Overall, the incidence of fungal colonization was comparable (17.6%, 16.6%, and 18.5% in A1, A2, and B, respectively; P = .89 [A1] and .77 [A2]). In contrast, IFIs were significantly decreased in A1 and A2 (0.7% and 2.0%, respectively) compared with B (7.7%; P = .002 [A1] and .02 [A2]), and this was significantly true both in <1000 g (0.9% [A1] and 5.6% [A2], vs 15.0%) and in 1001 to 1500 g infants (0% and 0% vs 3.7%). The progression rate colonization-infection was significantly lower in the bLF groups: 3.7% (A1) and 12% (A2), vs 41.9%; P < .001 (A1) and P = .02 (A2). No IFI-attributable deaths occurred in the treatment groups, versus 2 in placebo. No adverse effects or intolerances occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic oral administration of bLF reduces the incidence of IFI in preterm VLBW neonates. No effect is seen on colonization. The protective effect on IFI is likely due to limitation of ability of fungal colonies to progress toward invasion and systemic disease in colonized infants

Age-Period-Cohort Analysis of 1990–2003 Incidence Time Trends of Childhood Diabetes in Italy: The RIDI Study

OBJECTIVE - To investigate age-period-cohort effects on the temporal trend of type 1 diabetes in children age 0-14 years in Italian registries. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - This report is based on 5,180 incident cases in the period 1990-2003 from the Registry for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Italy (RIDI). Multilevel (random intercept) Poisson regression models were used to model the effects of sex, age, calendar time, and birth cohorts on temporal trends, taking into account the registry-level variance component. RESULTS - The incidence rate was 12.26 per 100,000 personyears and significantly higher in boys (13.13 [95% CI 12.66-13.62]) than in girls (11.35 [10.90-11.82]). Large geographical variations in incidence within Italy were evident; incidence was highest in Sardinia, intermediate in Central-Southern Italy, and high in Northern Italy, particularly in the Trento Province, where the incidence rate was 18.67 per 100,000 person-years. An increasing temporal trend was evident (2.94% per year [95% CI 2.22-3.67]). With respect to the calendar period 1990-1992, the incidence rates increased linearly by 15, 27, 35, and 40% in the following time periods (P for trend &lt; 0.001). With respect to the 1987-1993 birth cohort, the incidence rate ratio increased approximately linearly from 0.63 (95% CI 0.54-0.73) in the 1975-1981 cohort to 1.38 (1.06-1.80) in the 1999-2003 cohort. The best model, however, included sex, age, and a linear time trend (drift). CONCLUSIONS - Large geographical variations and an increasing temporal trend in diabetes incidence are evident among type 1 diabetic children in Italy. Age-period-cohort analysis shows that the variation over time has a linear component that cannot be ascribed to either the calendar period or the birth cohort

Trends in incidence of childhood cancer in Australia, 1983–2006

Cancer risk is increased substantially in adult kidney transplant recipients, but the long-term risk of cancer in childhood recipients is unclear. Using the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry, the authors compared overall and site-specific incidences of cancer after transplantation in childhood recipients with population-based data by using standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). Among 1734 childhood recipients (median age 14 years, 57% male, 85% white), 289 (16.7%) developed cancer (196 nonmelanoma skin cancers, 143 nonskin cancers) over a median follow-up of 13.4 years. The 25-year cumulative incidences of any cancer were 27% (95% confidence intervals 24-30%), 20% (17-23%) for nonmelanoma skin cancer, and 14% (12-17%) for nonskin cancer (including melanoma). The SIR for nonskin cancer was 8.23 (95% CI 6.92-9.73), with the highest risk for posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (SIR 45.80, 95% CI 32.71-62.44) and cervical cancer (29.4, 95% CI 17.5-46.5). Increasing age at transplantation (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] per year 1.10, 95% CI 1.06-1.14), white race (aHR 3.36, 95% CI 1.61-6.79), and having a functioning transplant (aHR 2.27, 95% CI 1.47-3.71) were risk factors for cancer. Cancer risk, particularly for virus-related cancers, is increased substantially after kidney transplantation during childhood

Optical study of orbital excitations in transition-metal oxides

The orbital excitations of a series of transition-metal compounds are studied by means of optical spectroscopy. Our aim was to identify signatures of collective orbital excitations by comparison with experimental and theoretical results for predominantly local crystal-field excitations. To this end, we have studied TiOCl, RTiO3 (R=La, Sm, Y), LaMnO3, Y2BaNiO5, CaCu2O3, and K4Cu4OCl10, ranging from early to late transition-metal ions, from t_2g to e_g systems, and including systems in which the exchange coupling is predominantly three-dimensional, one-dimensional or zero-dimensional. With the exception of LaMnO3, we find orbital excitations in all compounds. We discuss the competition between orbital fluctuations (for dominant exchange coupling) and crystal-field splitting (for dominant coupling to the lattice). Comparison of our experimental results with configuration-interaction cluster calculations in general yield good agreement, demonstrating that the coupling to the lattice is important for a quantitative description of the orbital excitations in these compounds. However, detailed theoretical predictions for the contribution of collective orbital modes to the optical conductivity (e.g., the line shape or the polarization dependence) are required to decide on a possible contribution of orbital fluctuations at low energies, in particular in case of the orbital excitations at about 0.25 eV in RTiO3. Further calculations are called for which take into account the exchange interactions between the orbitals and the coupling to the lattice on an equal footing.Comment: published version, discussion of TiOCl extended to low T, improved calculation of orbital excitation energies in TiOCl, figure 16 improved, references updated, 33 pages, 20 figure

Dupilumab Efficacy on Asthma Functional, Inflammatory, and Patient-Reported Outcomes across Different Disease Phenotypes and Severity: A Real-Life Perspective

Dupilumab is currently approved for the treatment of Type 2 severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Few studies have specifically reported on dupilumab efficacy on asthma outcomes as a primary objective in a real-life setting, in patients with and without CRSwNP. Our study aimed to explore the efficacy of dupilumab on functional, inflammatory, and patient-reported outcomes in asthma patients across different disease phenotypes and severity, including mild-to-moderate asthma coexisting with CRSwNP. Data from 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up were analyzed. Asthma (FEV1%, Tiffeneau%, ACT, FeNO, oral steroid use, exacerbation rate, and blood eosinophilia) and polyposis (SNOT22, VAS, NPS) outcomes showed a rapid (3 months) and sustained (6 and 12 months) significant change from baseline, despite most of the patients achieving oral steroid withdrawal. According to the sensitivity analysis, the improvement was not conditioned by either the presence of polyposis or severity of asthma at baseline. Of note, even in the case of milder asthma forms, a significant further improvement was recorded during dupilumab treatment course. Our report provides short-, medium-, and long-term follow-up data on asthma outcomes across different diseases phenotypes and severity, contributing to the real-world evidence related to dupilumab efficacy on upper and lower airways T2 inflammation