Collagen-related biomarkers in severe sepsis: a big stretch?

Biomedical scientists are aggressively investigating biomarkers of disease and injury. The rationale for identifying biomarkers during pathological states, such as severe sepsis, is to improve clinical prognostication and stratify therapeutic interventions for optimal recovery. An added benefit of biomarker studies is knowledge genesis on pathophysiological mechanisms, critical information that provides a basis for hypothesis-driven research. Unfortunately, biomarkers rarely alter our clinical approach in severe sepsis as they are often non-specific, lack adequate sensitivity and/or are difficult to measure and interpret accurately. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of severe sepsis, and the unique genetically derived susceptibilities of individuals, it is highly unlikely that one or even a handful of biomarkers will provide adequate biomedical information for clinical guidance. Thus, biomarkers will ultimately alter clinical decision making only once a panel of promising biomarkers is identified, maximizing sensitivity and specificity, and then adequately scrutinized with quantitative scoring methods over large populations of patients

Diabetic ketoacidosis-associated stroke in children and youth

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a state of severe insulin deficiency, either absolute or relative, resulting in hyperglycemia and ketonemia. Although possibly underappreciated, up to 10 of cases of intracerebral complications associated with an episode of DKA, and/or its treatment, in children and youth are due to hemorrhage or ischemic brain infarction. Systemic inflammation is present in DKA, with resultant vascular endothelial perturbation that may result in coagulopathy and increased hemorrhagic risk. Thrombotic risk during DKA is elevated by abnormalities in coagulation factors, platelet activation, blood volume and flow, and vascular reactivity. DKA-associated cerebral edema may also predispose to ischemic injury and hemorrhage, though cases of stroke without concomitant cerebral edema have been identified. We review the current literature regarding the pathogenesis of stroke during an episode of DKA in children and youth. Copyright © 2011 Jennifer Ruth Foster et al

Diabetic Ketoacidosis-Associated Stroke in Children and Youth

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a state of severe insulin deficiency, either absolute or relative, resulting in hyperglycemia and ketonemia. Although possibly underappreciated, up to 10% of cases of intracerebral complications associated with an episode of DKA, and/or its treatment, in children and youth are due to hemorrhage or ischemic brain infarction. Systemic inflammation is present in DKA, with resultant vascular endothelial perturbation that may result in coagulopathy and increased hemorrhagic risk. Thrombotic risk during DKA is elevated by abnormalities in coagulation factors, platelet activation, blood volume and flow, and vascular reactivity. DKA-associated cerebral edema may also predispose to ischemic injury and hemorrhage, though cases of stroke without concomitant cerebral edema have been identified. We review the current literature regarding the pathogenesis of stroke during an episode of DKA in children and youth

Life history trade-offs, the intensity of competition, and coexistence in novel and evolving communities under climate change

University of Aberdeen School of Biological Sciences provided funds to support this study in the form of a MSc project allowance to G.M. and a start-up grant to L.T.L. R.N.F.’s salary is funded by a UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) PhD-ship awarded to the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPostprin

Does the Stock Market Value Brands? A Qualitative Investigation into Ladbroke Group's Decision to Change Name

This paper uses a market signalling perspective to examine investor reactions to firm announcements. Its primary focus is on the increasingly important role of behavioural finance in influencing investor decisions to buy stocks and also examines the controversial issue of brand accounting. Through a series of qualitative interviews with both industry experts and hotel executives, this study has partially confirmed that the stock market values strong brand names more than others. Fashionable, international and socially responsible brands appear to be valued most highly by investors. By analysing the decision of Ladbroke Group PLC to change its name to Hilton Group PLC new insights are offered into why corporations might wish to change names. The research reveals that as companies are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of corporate reputation, they are managing their corporate names more actively and treating them as corporate brands rather than merely trade names. However, the lack of a consistent and universal method for measuring brand equity continues to limit the extent to which the brand-stock market relationship can be explore

Biokinetics Of microbial consortia using biogenic sulfur as a novel electron donor for sustainable denitrification

In this study, the biokinetics of autotrophic denitrification with biogenic S0 (ADBIOS) for the treatment of nitrogen pollution in wastewaters were investigated. The used biogenic S0, a by-product of gas desulfurization, was an elemental microcrystalline orthorhombic sulfur with a median size of 4.69 µm and a specific surface area of 3.38 m2/g, which made S0 particularly reactive and bioavailable. During denitritation, the biomass enriched on nitrite (NO2–) was capable of degrading up to 240 mg/l NO2–-N with a denitritation activity of 339.5 mg NO2–-N/g VSS·d. The use of biogenic S0 induced a low NO2–-N accumulation, hindering the NO2–-N negative impact on the denitrifying consortia and resulting in a specific denitrification activity of 223.0 mg NO3–-N/g VSS·d. Besides Thiobacillus being the most abundant genus, Moheibacter and Thermomonas were predominantly selected for denitrification and denitritation, respectively

The X-ray spectrum of RX J1914.4+2456 revisited

It has been proposed that RX J1914.4+2456 is a stellar binary system with an orbital period of 9.5 mins. As such it shares many similar properties with RX J0806.3+1527 (5.4 mins). However, while the X-ray spectrum of RX J0806.3+1527 can be modelled using a simple absorbed blackbody, the X-ray spectrum of RX J1914.4+2456 has proved difficult to fit using a physically plausible model. In this paper we re-examine the available X-ray spectra of RX J1914.4+2456 taken using XMM-Newton. We find that the X-ray spectra can be fitted using a simple blackbody and an absorption component which has a significant enhancement of neon compared to the solar value. We propose that the material in the inter-binary system is significantly enhanced with neon. This makes its intrinsic X-ray spectrum virtually identical to RX J0806.3+1527. We re-access the X-ray luminosity of RX J1914.4+2456 and the implications of these results.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

The Role of Sphingomyelin and Ceramide in Motor Neuron Diseases

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) are motor neuron diseases (MNDs) characterised by progressive motor neuron degeneration, weakness and muscular atrophy. Lipid dysregulation is well recognised in each of these conditions and occurs prior to neurodegeneration. Several lipid markers have been shown to predict prognosis in ALS. Sphingolipids are complex lipids enriched in the central nervous system and are integral to key cellular functions including membrane stability and signalling pathways, as well as being mediators of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. This review highlights the metabolism of sphingomyelin (SM), the most abundant sphingolipid, and of its metabolite ceramide, and its role in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration, focusing on MNDs. We also review published lipidomic studies in MNDs. In the 13 studies of patients with ALS, 12 demonstrated upregulation of multiple SM species and 6 demonstrated upregulation of ceramides. SM species also correlated with markers of clinical progression in five of six studies. These data highlight the potential use of SM and ceramide as biomarkers in ALS. Finally, we review potential therapeutic strategies for targeting sphingolipid metabolism in neurodegeneration

Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest : A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures

Aim: High quality evidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can measure the long-term impact of CA. The aim of this study was to critically appraise the evidence of psychometric quality and acceptability of measures used in the assessment of HRQoL in cardiac arrest survivors. Methods: Systematic literature searches (2004-2017) and named author searches to identify articles pertaining to the measurement of HRQoL. Data on study quality, measurement and practical properties were extracted and assessed against international standards. Results: From 356 reviewed abstracts, 69 articles were assessed in full. 25 provided evidence for 10 measures of HRQoL: one condition-specific; three generic profile measures; two generic index; and four utility measures. Although limited, evidence for measurement validity was strongest for the HUI3 and SF-36. However, evidence for reliability, content validity, responsiveness and interpretability and acceptability was generally limited or not available in the CA population for all measures. Conclusions: This review has demonstrated that a measure of quality of life specific to OHCA survivors is not available. Limited evidence of validity exists for one utility measure - the HUI3 - and a generic profile - the SF-36. Robust evidence of the quality and acceptability of HRQoL measures in OHCA was limited or not available. Future collaborative research must seek to urgently establish the relevance and acceptability of these measures to OHCA survivors, to establish robust evidence of essential measurement and practical properties over the short and long-term, and to inform future HRQoL assessment in the OHCA population. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe