Nutritional Status of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study

Objectives. This is a pilot study of the dietary intake and nutrient status of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method. Nutritional assessment of 43 children aged 6–12 with ADHD was performed using a 3-day food record, 24-hour recall, and serum assessors. Results. Macronutrient intake and consumption of Low-Nutrient Foods were comparable to population norms; however, 66% were found to be deficient in zinc and 23% in copper. Conclusions. This pilot study reports the food intake and nutrient status of children with ADHD and shows a predisposition for low zinc and copper status in ADHD

Validating differential volatilome profiles in Parkinson’s disease

Contains fulltext : 231972.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access

Spatial prediction of the concentration of selenium (Se) in grain across part of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Grain and soil were sampled across a large part of Amhara, Ethiopia in a study motivated by prior evidence of selenium (Se) deficiency in the Region's population. The grain samples (teff, Eragrostis tef, and wheat, Triticum aestivum) were analysed for concentration of Se and the soils were analysed for various properties, including Se concentration measured in different extractants. Predictive models for concentration of Se in the respective grains were developed, and the predicted values, along with observed concentrations in the two grains were represented by a multivariate linear mixed model in which selected covariates, derived from remote sensor observations and a digital elevation model, were included as fixed effects. In all modelling steps the selection of predictors was done using false discovery rate control, to avoid over-fitting, and using an α-investment procedure to maximize the statistical power to detect significant relationships by ordering the tests in a sequence based on scientific understanding of the underlying processes likely to control Se concentration in grain. Cross-validation indicated that uncertainties in the empirical best linear unbiased predictions of the Se concentration in both grains were well-characterized by the prediction error variances obtained from the model. The predictions were displayed as maps, and their uncertainty was characterized by computing the probability that the true concentration of Se in grain would be such that a standard serving would not provide the recommended daily allowance of Se. The spatial variation of grain Se was substantial, concentrations in wheat and teff differed but showed the same broad spatial pattern. Such information could be used to target effective interventions to address Se deficiency, and the general procedure used for mapping could be applied to other micronutrients and crops in similar settings

tropiTree:an NGS-based EST-SSR resource for 24 tropical tree species

The development of genetic tools for non-model organisms has been hampered by cost, but advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have created new opportunities. In ecological research, this raises the prospect for developing molecular markers to simultaneously study important genetic processes such as gene flow in multiple non-model plant species within complex natural and anthropogenic landscapes. Here, we report the use of bar-coded multiplexed paired-end Illumina NGS for the de novo development of expressed sequence tag-derived simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers at low cost for a range of 24 tree species. Each chosen tree species is important in complex tropical agroforestry systems where little is currently known about many genetic processes. An average of more than 5,000 EST-SSRs was identified for each of the 24 sequenced species, whereas prior to analysis 20 of the species had fewer than 100 nucleotide sequence citations. To make results available to potential users in a suitable format, we have developed an open-access, interactive online database, tropiTree (http://bioinf.hutton.ac.uk/tropiTree), which has a range of visualisation and search facilities, and which is a model for the efficient presentation and application of NGS data

Patient, informal caregiver and care provider acceptance of a hospital in the home program in Ontario, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hospital in the home programs have been implemented in several countries and have been shown to be safe substitutions (alternatives) to in-patient hospitalization. These programs may offer a solution to the increasing demands made on tertiary care facilities and to surge capacity. We investigated the acceptance of this type of care provision with nurse practitioners as the designated principal home care providers in a family medicine program in a large Canadian urban setting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients requiring hospitalization to the family medicine service ward, for any diagnosis, who met selection criteria, were invited to enter the hospital in the home program as an alternative to admission. Participants in the hospital in the home program, their caregivers, and the physicians responsible for their care were surveyed about their perceptions of the program. Nurse practitioners, who provided care, were surveyed and interviewed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten percent (104) of admissions to the ward were screened, and 37 patients participated in 44 home hospital admissions. Twenty nine patient, 17 caregiver and 38 provider surveys were completed. Most patients (88%–100%) and caregivers (92%–100%) reported high satisfaction levels with various aspects of health service delivery. However, a significant proportion in both groups stated that they would select to be treated in-hospital should the need arise again. This was usually due to fears about the safety of the program. Physicians (98%–100%) and nurse practitioners also rated the program highly. The program had virtually no negative impact on the physician workload. However nurse practitioners felt that the program did not utilize their full expertise.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Provision of hospital level care in the home is well received by patients, their caregivers and health care providers. As a new program, investment in patient education about program safety may be necessary to ensure its long term success. A small proportion of hospital admissions were screened for this program. Appropriate dissemination of program information to family physicians should help buy-in and participation. Nurse practitioners' skills may not be optimally utilized in this setting.</p

Connecting Mutations of the RNA Polymerase II C-Terminal Domain to Complex Phenotypic Changes Using Combined Gene Expression and Network Analyses

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit in DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) is essential for mRNA synthesis and processing, through coordination of an astounding array of protein-protein interactions. Not surprisingly, CTD mutations can have complex, pleiotropic impacts on phenotype. For example, insertions of five alanine residues between CTD diheptads in yeast, which alter the CTD's overall tandem structure and physically separate core functional units, dramatically reduce growth rate and result in abnormally large cells that accumulate increased DNA content over time. Patterns by which specific CTD-protein interactions are disrupted by changes in CTD structure, as well as how downstream metabolic pathways are impacted, are difficult to target for direct experimental analyses. In an effort to connect an altered CTD to complex but quantifiable phenotypic changes, we applied network analyses of genes that are differentially expressed in our five alanine CTD mutant, combined with established genetic interactions from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Genome Database (SGD). We were able to identify candidate genetic pathways, and several key genes, that could explain how this change in CTD structure leads to the specific phenotypic changes observed. These hypothetical networks identify links between CTD-associated proteins and mitotic function, control of cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms, and expression of cell wall and membrane components. Such results can help to direct future genetic and biochemical investigations that tie together the complex impacts of the CTD on global cellular metabolism

Exactly Soluble Sector of Quantum Gravity

Cartan's spacetime reformulation of the Newtonian theory of gravity is a generally-covariant Galilean-relativistic limit-form of Einstein's theory of gravity known as the Newton-Cartan theory. According to this theory, space is flat, time is absolute with instantaneous causal influences, and the degenerate `metric' structure of spacetime remains fixed with two mutually orthogonal non-dynamical metrics, one spatial and the other temporal. The spacetime according to this theory is, nevertheless, curved, duly respecting the principle of equivalence, and the non-metric gravitational connection-field is dynamical in the sense that it is determined by matter distributions. Here, this generally-covariant but Galilean-relativistic theory of gravity with a possible non-zero cosmological constant, viewed as a parameterized gauge theory of a gravitational vector-potential minimally coupled to a complex Schroedinger-field (bosonic or fermionic), is successfully cast -- for the first time -- into a manifestly covariant Lagrangian form. Then, exploiting the fact that Newton-Cartan spacetime is intrinsically globally-hyperbolic with a fixed causal structure, the theory is recast both into a constraint-free Hamiltonian form in 3+1-dimensions and into a manifestly covariant reduced phase-space form with non-degenerate symplectic structure in 4-dimensions. Next, this Newton-Cartan-Schroedinger system is non-perturbatively quantized using the standard C*-algebraic technique combined with the geometric procedure of manifestly covariant phase-space quantization. The ensuing unitary quantum field theory of Newtonian gravity coupled to Galilean-relativistic matter is not only generally-covariant, but also exactly soluble.Comment: 83 pages (TeX). A note is added on the early work of a remarkable Soviet physicist called Bronstein, especially on his insightful contribution to "the cube of theories" (Fig. 1) -- see "Note Added to Proof" on pages 71 and 72, together with the new references [59] and [61

Day hospital versus admission for acute psychiatric disorders

Backgroun

Soil and landscape factors influence geospatial variation in maize grain zinc concentration in Malawi

Dietary zinc (Zn) deficiency is widespread globally, and in particular among people in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In Malawi, dietary sources of Zn are dominated by maize and spatially dependent variation in grain Zn concentration, which will affect dietary Zn intake, has been reported at distances of up to ~ 100 km. The aim of this study was to identify potential soil properties and environmental covariates which might explain this longer-range spatial variation in maize grain Zn concentration. Data for maize grain Zn concentrations, soil properties, and environmental covariates were obtained from a spatially representative survey in Malawi (n = 1600 locations). Labile and non-labile soil Zn forms were determined using isotopic dilution methods, alongside conventional agronomic soil analyses. Soil properties and environmental covariates as potential predictors of the concentration of Zn in maize grain were tested using a priori expert rankings and false discovery rate (FDR) controls within the linear mixed model (LMM) framework that informed the original survey design. Mean and median grain Zn concentrations were 21.8 and 21.5 mg kg−1, respectively (standard deviation 4.5; range 10.0–48.1). A LMM for grain Zn concentration was constructed for which the independent variables: soil pH(water), isotopically exchangeable Zn (ZnE), and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) extractable Zn (ZnDTPA) had predictive value (p < 0.01 in all cases, with FDR controlled at < 0.05). Downscaled mean annual temperature also explained a proportion of the spatial variation in grain Zn concentration. Evidence for spatially dependent variation in maize grain Zn concentrations in Malawi is robust within the LMM framework used in this study, at distances of up to ~ 100 km. Spatial predictions from this LMM provide a basis for further investigation of variations in the contribution of staple foods to Zn nutrition, and where interventions to increase dietary Zn intake (e.g. biofortification) might be most effective. Other soil and landscape factors influencing spatially dependent variation in maize grain Zn concentration, along with factors operating over shorter distances such as choice of crop variety and agronomic practices, require further exploration beyond the scope of the design of this survey