Differences in grass pollen allergen exposure across Australia

© 2015 The Authors © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia. Objective: Allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma are important chronic diseases posing serious public health issues in Australia with associated medical, economic, and societal burdens. Pollen are significant sources of clinically relevant outdoor aeroallergens, recognised as both a major trigger for, and cause of, allergic respiratory diseases. This study aimed to provide a national, and indeed international, perspective on the state of Australian pollen data using a large representative sample. Methods: Atmospheric grass pollen concentration is examined over a number of years within the period 1995 to 2013 for Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney, including determination of the 'clinical' grass pollen season and grass pollen peak. Results: The results of this study describe, for the first time, a striking spatial and temporal variability in grass pollen seasons in Australia, with important implications for clinicians and public health professionals, and the Australian grass pollen-allergic community. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that static pollen calendars are of limited utility and in some cases misleading. This study also highlights significant deficiencies and limitations in the existing Australian pollen monitoring and data. Implications: Establishment of an Australian national pollen monitoring network would help facilitate advances in the clinical and public health management of the millions of Australians with asthma and allergic rhinitis

Multicentric validation of proteomic biomarkers in urine specific for diabetic nephropathy

Background: Urine proteome analysis is rapidly emerging as a tool for diagnosis and prognosis in disease states. For diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN), urinary proteome analysis was successfully applied in a pilot study. The validity of the previously established proteomic biomarkers with respect to the diagnostic and prognostic potential was assessed on a separate set of patients recruited at three different European centers. In this case-control study of 148 Caucasian patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 and duration >= 5 years, cases of DN were defined as albuminuria >300 mg/d and diabetic retinopathy (n = 66). Controls were matched for gender and diabetes duration (n = 82). Methodology/Principal Findings: Proteome analysis was performed blinded using high-resolution capillary electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry (CE-MS). Data were evaluated employing the previously developed model for DN. Upon unblinding, the model for DN showed 93.8% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity, with an AUC of 0.948 (95% CI 0.898-0.978). Of 65 previously identified peptides, 60 were significantly different between cases and controls of this study. In <10% of cases and controls classification by proteome analysis not entirely resulted in the expected clinical outcome. Analysis of patient's subsequent clinical course revealed later progression to DN in some of the false positive classified DN control patients. Conclusions: These data provide the first independent confirmation that profiling of the urinary proteome by CE-MS can adequately identify subjects with DN, supporting the generalizability of this approach. The data further establish urinary collagen fragments as biomarkers for diabetes-induced renal damage that may serve as earlier and more specific biomarkers than the currently used urinary albumin

Urinary Collagen Fragments Are Significantly Altered in Diabetes: A Link to Pathophysiology

Background: The pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM) is variable, comprising different inflammatory and immune responses. Proteome analysis holds the promise of delivering insight into the pathophysiological changes associated with diabetes. Recently, we identified and validated urinary proteomics biomarkers for diabetes. Based on these initial findings, we aimed to further validate urinary proteomics biomarkers specific for diabetes in general, and particularity associated with either type 1 (T1D) or type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methodology/Principal Findings: Therefore, the low-molecular-weight urinary proteome of 902 subjects from 10 different centers, 315 controls and 587 patients with T1D (n = 299) or T2D (n = 288), was analyzed using capillary-electrophoresis mass-spectrometry. The 261 urinary biomarkers (100 were sequenced) previously discovered in 205 subjects were validated in an additional 697 subjects to distinguish DM subjects (n = 382) from control subjects (n = 315) with 94% (95% CI: 92-95) accuracy in this study. To identify biomarkers that differentiate T1D from T2D, a subset of normoalbuminuric patients with T1D (n = 68) and T2D (n = 42) was employed, enabling identification of 131 biomarker candidates (40 were sequenced) differentially regulated between T1D and T2D. These biomarkers distinguished T1D from T2D in an independent validation set of normoalbuminuric patients (n = 108) with 88% (95% CI: 81-94%) accuracy, and in patients with impaired renal function (n = 369) with 85% (95% CI: 81-88%) accuracy. Specific collagen fragments were associated with diabetes and type of diabetes indicating changes in collagen turnover and extracellular matrix as one hallmark of the molecular pathophysiology of diabetes. Additional biomarkers including inflammatory processes and pro-thrombotic alterations were observed. Conclusions/Significance: These findings, based on the largest proteomic study performed to date on subjects with DM, validate the previously described biomarkers for DM, and pinpoint differences in the urinary proteome of T1D and T2D, indicating significant differences in extracellular matrix remodeling

Characterisation of different polymorphs of tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminium(III) using solid-state NMR and DFT calculations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Organic light emitting devices (OLED) are becoming important and characterisation of them, in terms of structure, charge distribution, and intermolecular interactions, is important. Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)-aluminium(III), known as Alq₃, an organomettalic complex has become a reference material of great importance in OLED. It is important to elucidate the structural details of Alq₃in its various isomeric and solvated forms. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a useful tool for this which can also complement the information obtained with X-ray diffraction studies.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report here ²⁷Al one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) multiple-quantum magic-angle spinning (MQMAS) NMR studies of the meridional (<it>α</it>-phase) and the facial (<it>δ</it>-phase) isomeric forms of Alq₃. Quadrupolar parameters are estimated from the 1D spectra under MAS and anisotropic slices of the 2D spectra and also calculated using DFT (density functional theory) quantum-chemical calculations. We have also studied solvated phase of Alq₃containing ethanol in its lattice. We show that both the XRD patterns and the quadrupolar parameters of the solvated phase are different from both the <it>α</it>-phase and the <it>δ</it>-phase, although the fluorescence emission shows no substantial difference between the <it>α</it>-phase and the solvated phase. Moreover, we have shown that after the removal of ethanol from the matrix the solvated Alq₃has similar XRD patterns and quadrupolar parameters to that of the <it>α</it>-phase.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The 2D MQMAS experiments have shown that all the different modifications of Alq₃have ²⁷Al in single unique crystallographic site. The quadrupolar parameters predicted using the DFT calculation under the isodensity polarisable continuum model resemble closely the experimentally obtained values. The solvated phase of Alq₃containing ethanol has structural difference from the <it>α</it>-phase of Alq₃(containing meridional isomer) from the solid-state NMR studies. Solid-state NMR can hence be used as an effective complementary tool to XRD for characterisation and structural elucidation.</p

Structure and Ionic Conductivity in the Mixed-Network Former Chalcogenide Glass System [Na2S]2/3[(B2S3)x(P2S5)1–x]1/3

Glasses in the system [Na2S]2/3[(B2S3)x(P2S5)1–x]1/3 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) were prepared by the melt quenching technique, and their properties were characterized by thermal analysis and impedance spectroscopy. Their atomic-level structures were comprehensively characterized by Raman spectroscopy and 11B, 31P, and 23Na high resolution solid state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR techniques. 31P MAS NMR peak assignments were made by the presence or absence of homonuclear indirect 31P–31P spin–spin interactions as detected using homonuclear J-resolved and refocused INADEQUATE techniques. The extent of B–S–P connectivity in the glassy network was quantified by 31P{11B} and 11B{31P} rotational echo double resonance spectroscopy. The results clearly illustrate that the network modifier alkali sulfide, Na2S, is not proportionally shared between the two network former components, B and P. Rather, the thiophosphate (P) component tends to attract a larger concentration of network modifier species than predicted by the bulk composition, and this results in the conversion of P2S74–, pyrothiophosphate, Na/P = 2:1, units into PS43–, orthothiophosphate, Na/P = 3:1, groups. Charge balance is maintained by increasing the net degree of polymerization of the thioborate (B) units through the formation of covalent bridging sulfur (BS) units, B–S–B. Detailed inspection of the 11B MAS NMR spectra reveals that multiple thioborate units are formed, ranging from neutral BS3/2 groups all the way to the fully depolymerized orthothioborate (BS33–) species. On the basis of these results, a comprehensive and quantitative structural model is developed for these glasses, on the basis of which the compositional trends in the glass transition temperatures (Tg) and ionic conductivities can be rationalized. Up to x = 0.4, the dominant process can be described in a simplified way by the net reaction equation P1 + B1 P0 + B4, where the superscripts denote the number of BS atoms for the respective network former species. Above x = 0.4, all of the thiophosphate units are of the P0 type and both pyro- (B1) and orthothioborate (B0) species make increasing contributions to the network structure with increasing x. In sharp contrast to the situation in sodium borophosphate glasses, four-coordinated thioborate species are generally less abundant and heteroatomic B–S–P linkages appear to not exist. On the basis of this structural information, compositional trends in the ionic conductivities are discussed in relation to the nature of the charge-compensating anionic species and the spatial distribution of the charge carriers

Future Climate Projections in Africa: Where Are We Headed?

This paper offers an overview of how climate change is already affecting farmers across eastern and southern Africa, and how it will continue to affect them in the future. The rising temperatures and increased rainfall variability associated with climate change are undermining the livelihoods and food security of Africa’s farmers, most of whom work at a subsistence level and also face problems of poverty, inadequate infrastructure and poor governance. To address these problems, governments and development organizations have promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA). These projects, however, have been constrained by inadequate data and predictions regarding future climate change. In particular, farmers in Africa need better projections of the climate hazards for specific regions. Historical weather data at the local level contains many gaps, and the continuing collection of such data could be much improved. Strengthening the database of observed weather is critical to understanding the changes that have occurred already, to project future changes, and to plan appropriately to address them. Once collected and analyzed, climate data must be communicated in ways that help decision-makers understand climate impacts. Good tools are available—such as ClimateWizard.org and Servir ClimateServ—but practitioners at the local level must have the access and training to use them. Even in places where projections are uncertain, steps can be taken now to implement CSA practices and make farmers more resilient in the face of climate change

Na-23 NMR microimaging: a tool for non-invasive monitoring of sodium distribution in living plants

Detailed knowledge of the sodium (Na) distribution within the tissues of highly salt-tolerant Australian native species could help in understanding the physiological adaptations of salt-tolerance or salt-sensitive plants. Na-23 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) microimaging is presented as a tool to achieve this goal. Maps of the Na distribution in stem tissue were obtained with an in-plane resolution of approximately 125 mum and a slice thickness of 4 mm. Simultaneously recorded high resolution H-1 NMR images showing water distribution in the same slice with 31 mum in-plane resolution and 1 mm slice thickness, were used as an anatomical reference together with optical micrographs that were taken immediately after the NMR experiments were completed. To quantify the Na concentration, reference capillaries with known NaCl concentrations were located in the NMR probe together with the plant sample. Average concentration values calculated from signal intensities in the tissue and the capillaries were compared with concentration values obtained from atomic emission photometry and optical microscopy performed on digested stem sections harvested immediately after NMR experiments. Results showed that Na-23 NMR microimaging has great potential for physiological studies of salt stress at the macroscopic level, and may become a unique tool for diagnosing salt tolerance and sensitivity