249 research outputs found
siRNA-induced immunostimulation through TLR7 promotes antitumoral activity against HPV-driven tumors in vivo
Oncogene-specific downregulation mediated by RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising avenue for cancer therapy. In addition to specific gene silencing, in vivo RNAi treatment with short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can initiate immune activation through innate immune receptors including Toll-like receptors, (TLRs) 7 and 8. Two recent studies have shown that activation of innate immunity by addition of tri-phosphate motifs to oncogene-specific siRNAs, or by co-treatment with CpG oligos, can potentiate siRNA antitumor effects. To date, there are no reports on applying such approach against human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven cancers. Here, we characterized the antitumor effects of non-modified siRNAs that can target a specific oncogene and/or recruit the innate immune system against HPV-driven tumors. Following the characterization of silencing efficacy and TLR7 immunostimulatory potential of 15 siRNAs targeting the HPV type 16 E6/E7 oncogenes, we identified a bifunctional siRNA sequence that displayed both potent gene silencing and active immunostimulation effect. In vivo systemic administration of this siRNA resulted in reduced growth of established TC-1 tumors in C57BL/6 mice. Ablation of TLR7 recruitment via 2ā²O-methyl modification of the oligo backbone reduced these antitumor effects. Further, a highly immunostimulatory, but non-HPV targeting siRNA was also able to exert antitumoral effects although for less prolonged time compared with the bifunctional siRNA. Collectively, our work demonstrates for the first time that siRNA-induced immunostimulation can have antitumoral effects against HPV-driven tumors in vivo, even independent of gene silencing efficacy
Entanglement and Timing-Based Mechanisms in the Coherent Control of Scattering Processes
The coherent control of scattering processes is considered, with electron
impact dissociation of H used as an example. The physical mechanism
underlying coherently controlled stationary state scattering is exposed by
analyzing a control scenario that relies on previously established entanglement
requirements between the scattering partners. Specifically, initial state
entanglement assures that all collisions in the scattering volume yield the
desirable scattering configuration. Scattering is controlled by preparing the
particular internal state wave function that leads to the favored collisional
configuration in the collision volume. This insight allows coherent control to
be extended to the case of time-dependent scattering. Specifically, we identify
reactive scattering scenarios using incident wave packets of translational
motion where coherent control is operational and initial state entanglement is
unnecessary. Both the stationary and time-dependent scenarios incorporate
extended coherence features, making them physically distinct. From a
theoretical point of view, this work represents a large step forward in the
qualitative understanding of coherently controlled reactive scattering. From an
experimental viewpoint, it offers an alternative to entanglement-based control
schemes. However, both methods present significant challenges to existing
experimental technologies
Bushfires and Mothersā Mental Health in Pregnancy and Recent Post-Partum
Background: The compounding effects of climate change catastrophes such as bushfires and pandemics impose significant burden on individuals, societies, and their economies. The enduring effects of such syndemics on mental health remain poorly understood, particularly for at-risk populations (e.g., pregnant women and newborns). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of direct and indirect exposure to the 2019/20 Australian Capital Territory and South-Eastern New South Wales bushfires followed by COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of pregnant women and mothers with newborn babies. Methods: All women who were pregnant, had given birth, or were within three months of conceiving during the 2019/2020 bushfires, lived within the catchment area, and provided consent were invited to participate. Those who consented were asked to complete three online surveys. Mental health was assessed with the DASS-21 and the WHO-5. Bushfire, smoke, and COVID-19 exposures were assessed by self-report. Cross-sectional associations between exposures and mental health measures were tested with hierarchical regression models. Results: Of the women who participated, and had minimum data (n = 919), most (>75%) reported at least one acute bushfire exposure and 63% reported severe smoke exposure. Compared to Australian norms, participants had higher depression (+12%), anxiety (+35%), and stress (+43%) scores. Women with greater exposure to bushfires/smoke but not COVID-19 had poorer scores on all mental health measures. Conclusions: These findings provide novel evidence that the mental health of pregnant women and mothers of newborn babies is vulnerable to major climate catastrophes such as bushfires.</p
The effect of cigarette smoking during Pregnancy on endocrine Pancreatic Function and Fetal growth: a Pilot study
Introduction: Cigarette smoking in pregnancy is a common cause of fetal growth restriction. We aimed to investigate endocrine pancreatic function of motherinfant dyads in relation to cigarette smoking, as a possible mechanism for the poor fetal growth.
Methods: Prospective study of smoking mothers (10 cigarettes or more per day, self-reported to the midwife) and non-smoker control mothers during their first pregnancy. Insulin, glucose, C-peptide, HbA1C, fructosamine, prolactin, serotonin, and cortisol were measured in maternal blood at 2426 weeks and in umbilical cord blood at birth. Cotinine was also measured in cord blood.
Results: Of 37 smokers and 36 non-smokers recruited, cord blood was obtainable from 38 babies (19 in each group). In utero cigarette exposure was associated with lower birthweight (3,035 +/- 490 versus 3,405 +/- 598 g, p = 0.005), with linear modeling of the smoking cohort showing a 41 g reduction for every increase of one cigarette smoked per day (95% CI -71 to -11 g, p = 0.010). There were no differences between groups in indices of maternal or perinatal endocrine pancreatic dysfunction. Heavier smoking independently correlated with higher maternal fasting levels of glucose (p = 0.044) and C-peptide (p = 0.011). We did not observe any significant associations between the daily number of cigarettes and any of the cord blood parameters. We also looked for differences between cohorts based on infant gender. Serotonin levels were higher in smoking mothers with male fetuses (p = 0.01 to p = 0.004).
Conclusion: Endocrine pancreatic dysfunction does not appear to be a major contributing factor to nicotine-associated fetal growth restriction. The higher serotonin levels in smoking mothers carrying male infants is of uncertain significance but could be a manifestation of gender differences in susceptibility to the long-term effects of cigarette smoking.This study was supported by the Nepean Medical Research
Foundation
Thermal Instability in Gravitationally-Stratified Plasmas: Implications for Multi-Phase Structure in Clusters and Galaxy Halos
We study the interplay among cooling, heating, conduction, and magnetic
fields in gravitationally stratified plasmas using simplified, plane-parallel
numerical simulations. Since the physical heating mechanism remains uncertain
in massive halos such as groups or clusters, we adopt a simple,
observationally-motivated prescription which enforces global thermal
equilibrium when averaged over large scales. The plasma remains susceptible to
local thermal instability, however, and cooling drives an inward flow of
material. In contrast to previous results, we argue that the thermal stability
of the plasma is independent of its convective stability. We find that the
ratio of the cooling timescale to the dynamical timescale t_cool/t_ff controls
the saturation of the thermal instability: when t_cool/t_ff < 1, the plasma
develops extended multi-phase structure, whereas when t_cool / t_ff > 1 it does
not. (In a companion paper, we show that the criterion for thermal instability
in a spherical potential is somewhat less stringent, t_cool / t_ff < 10.) When
thermal conduction is anisotropic with respect to the magnetic field, the
criterion for multi-phase structure is essentially independent of the thermal
conductivity of the plasma. Our criterion for local thermal instability to
produce multi-phase structure is an extension of the cold vs. hot accretion
modes in galaxy formation that applies at all radii in hot halos, not just to
the virial shock. We show that this criterion is consistent with data on
multi-phase gas in the ACCEPT sample of clusters; in addition, when t_cool /
t_ff > 1, the net cooling rate to low temperatures and the mass flux to small
radii are suppressed enough relative to models without heating to be
qualitatively consistent with star formation rates and x-ray line emission in
groups and clusters.Comment: This is an electronic version of an article published in Monthly
Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 419, Issue 4, pp. 3319-333
Maternal super-obesity and perinatal outcomes in Australia: A national population-based cohort study
Ā© 2015 Sullivan et al. Background: Super-obesity is associated with significantly elevated rates of obstetric complications, adverse perinatal outcomes and interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors, management and perinatal outcomes of super-obese women giving birth in Australia. Methods: A national population-based cohort study. Super-obese pregnant women (body mass index (BMI) >50 kg/m2 or weight >140 kg) who gave birth between January 1 and October 31, 2010 and a comparison cohort were identified using the Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System (AMOSS). Outcomes included maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Prevalence estimates calculated with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. Results: 370 super-obese women with a median BMI of 52.8 kg/m2 (range 40.9-79.9 kg/m2) and prevalence of 2.1 per 1 000 women giving birth (95 % CI: 1.96-2.40). Super-obese women were significantly more likely to be public patients (96.2 %), smoke (23.8 %) and be socio-economically disadvantaged (36.2 %). Compared with other women, super-obese women had a significantly higher risk for obstetric (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.42, 95 % CI: 1.77-3.29) and medical (AOR: 2.89, 95 % CI: 2.64-4.11) complications during pregnancy, birth by caesarean section (51.6 %) and admission to special care (HDU/ICU) (6.2 %). The 372 babies born to 365 super-obese women with outcomes known had significantly higher rates of birthweight ā„4500 g (AOR 19.94, 95 % CI: 6.81-58.36), hospital transfer (AOR 3.81, 95 % CI: 1.93-7.55) and admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (AOR 1.83, 95 % CI: 1.27-2.65) compared to babies of the comparison group, but not prematurity (10.5 % versus 9.2 %) or perinatal mortality (11.0 (95 % CI: 4.3-28.0) versus 6.6 (95 % CI: 2.6- 16.8) per 1 000 singleton births). Conclusions: Super-obesity in pregnancy in Australia is associated with increased rates of pregnancy and birth complications, and with social disadvantage. There is an urgent need to further address risk factors leading to super-obesity among pregnant women and for maternity services to better address pre-pregnancy and pregnancy care to reduce associated inequalities in perinatal outcomes
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection in Greece: the changing prevalence during a ten-year period and its antigenic profile
BACKGROUND: To evaluate changes in H pylori infection prevalence in Greece during a ten-year period, and to examine its antigenic profile. METHODS: Three groups of patients were studied. Group O-87: Banked serum samples of 200 consecutive adult outpatients, from the Hepato-Gastroenterology clinic of a teaching hospital at Athens, collected in 1987. Group O-97: Serum samples of 201 similarly selected outpatients from the same Unit, collected in 1997. Group BD-97: Serum samples of 120 consecutive blood donors from the same hospital, collected in 1997. H pylori IgG antibody seroprevalence was studied by a quantitative ELISA. Antigenic profile was studied by western-blot IgG assay, in 62 IgG positive patients of O-97 and BD-97. Results were analyzed by conventional statistics and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: The H pylori seroprevalence increased with age in the three tested groups. In O-97, seroprevalence did not differ from that, in BD-97. On the contrary, there was a significant decrease in seropositivity between O-87 and O-97 (59.5% vs 49.2%, p = 0.039). Multiple regression analysis showed that age over 35 years (OR:3.45, 95% CI:1.59ā7.49, p = 0.002) and year of patients' selection ā that is 1987 or 1997 ā (OR:1.73, 95% CI:1.14ā2.65 for 1987, p = 0.010), were independent risk factors of H pylori infection. The seroprevalence of CagA+ and VacA+ strains was 77.4% and 58.5%, respectively, and type I(CagA+/VacA+) strains were significantly more common than type II(CagA-/VacA-) strains (59.7% vs 22.6%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: During a ten-year period, we found a significant decrease of H pylori infection in Greece and our data support the birth cohort phenomenon as an explanation for the age-dependent increase of H pylori infection. The prevalence of CagA and/or VacA positive strains is relatively high, in a country with low incidence of gastric cancer
Calibration of Ultraviolet, Mid-infrared, and Radio Star Formation Rate Indicators
We present calibrations for star formation rate (SFR) indicators in the ultraviolet, mid-infrared, and radio-continuum bands, including one of the first direct calibrations of 150 MHz as an SFR indicator. Our calibrations utilize 66 nearby star-forming galaxies with Balmer-decrement-corrected luminosities, which span five orders of magnitude in SFR and have absolute magnitudes of -24 < M_r < -12. Most of our photometry and spectrophotometry are measured from the same region of each galaxy, and our spectrophotometry has been validated with SDSS photometry, so our random and systematic errors are small relative to the intrinsic scatter seen in SFR indicator calibrations. We find that the Wide-field Infrared Space Explorer W4 (22.8 Ī¼m), Spitzer 24 Ī¼m, and 1.4 GHz bands have tight correlations with the Balmer-decrement-corrected HĪ± luminosity, with a scatter of only 0.2 dex. Our calibrations are comparable to those from the prior literature for L* galaxies, but for dwarf galaxies, our calibrations can give SFRs that are far greater than those derived from most previous literature
Crop updates 2006 - Farming Systems
This session covers nineteen papers from different authors:
SOIL AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
1. Inveer inve$tment, Wayne Pluske, Nutrient Management Systems
2. KASM, the potassium in Agricultural System Model,Bill Bowden and Craig Scanlan, DAWA Northam and UWA, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences
3. Long term productivity and economic benefits of subsurface acidity management from surface and subsurface liming, Stephen Davies, Chris Gazey and Peter Tozer, Department of Agriculture
4. Furrow and ridges to prevent waterlogging, Dr Derk Bakker, Department of Agriculture
5. Nitrous oxide emissions from a cropped soil in Western Australia, Louise Barton1, David Gatter2, Renee Buck1, Daniel Murphy1, Christoph Hinz1and Bill Porter2
1School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 2Department of Agriculture
GROWER DECISIONS
6. Managing the unmanageable, Bill Bowden Department of Agriculture
7. Review of climate model summaries reported in Department of Agricultureās Season Outlook, Meredith Fairbanks, Department of Agriculture
8. Mapping the frost risk in Western Australia, Nicolyn Short and Ian Foster, Department of Agriculture
9. .35 kg/ha.day and other myths, James Fisher, Doug Abrecht and Mario DāAntuono, Department of Agriculture
10. Gaining with growers ā Lessons from a successful alliance of WA Grower Groups, Tracey M. Gianatti, Grower Group Alliance
11. WA Agribusiness Trial Network Roundup ā 2005, Paul Carmody, Local Farmer Group Network, UWA
12. Drivers of no-till adoption, Frank DāEmdenabc, Rick Llewellynabdand Michael Burtonb,aCRC Australian Weed Management; bSchool of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UWA. cDepartment of Agriculture, dCSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Adelaide
PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY
13. Maintaining wheat and lupin yields using phase pastures and shielded sprayers to manage increasing herbicide resistance, Caroline Peek, Nadine Eva, Chris Carter and Megan Abrahams, Department of Agriculture
14. Analaysis of a wheat-pasture rotation in the 330mm annual rainfall zone using the STEP model, Andrew Blake and Caroline Peek, Department of Agriculture
15. Response to winter drought by wheat on shallow soil with low seeding rate and wide row spacing, Paul Blackwell1, Sylvain Pottier2and Bill Bowden1 1 Department of Agriculture; 2Esitpa (France)
16. How much yield variation do you need to justify zoning inputs? Michael Robertson and Greg Lyle, CSIRO Floreat, Bill Bowden, Department of Agriculture; Lisa Brennan, CSIRO Brisbane
17. Automatic guidance and wheat row position: On-row versus between-row seeding at various rates of banded P fertilisers, Tony J. Vyn1, Simon Teakle2, Peter Norris3and Paul Blackwell4,1Purdue University, USA; 2Landmark; 3Agronomy for Profit; 4 Department of Agriculture
18. Assessing the sustainability of high production systems (Avon Agricultural Systems Project), Jeff Russell and James Fisher, Department of Agriculture, Roy Murray-Prior and Deb Pritchard, Muresk Institute; Mike Collins, ex WANTFA,
19. The application of precision agriculture techniques to assess the effectiveness of raised beds on saline land in WA, Derk Bakker, Greg Hamilton, Rob Hetherington, Andrew Van Burgel and Cliff Spann, Department of Agricultur
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