Modulation of Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis by Interleukin-37

Background and Aims: Chronic inflammation induces liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and potentially liver cancer. Kupffer cells modulate hepatic stellate cells by secreting immunologically active proteins as TGF-beta. TGF-beta promotes liver fibrosis via the activation of Sma- and Mad-related protein 3. IL-37 broadly suppresses innate and adaptive immune responses. Intracellular IL-37 interacts with Smad3. We hypothesize that IL-37 downregulates the activation of hepatic Kupffer and stellate cells and interferes with the TGF-beta signaling cascade to modulate liver fibrogenesis. Methods: The role of IL-37 on liver inflammation and fibrogenesis was assessed in three mouse models as well as isolated Kupffer- and stellate cells. Serum IL-37 was tested by ELISA in a clinical cohort and correlated with liver disease severity. Results: Transgene expression of IL-37 in mice extends survival, reduces hepatic damage, expression of early markers of fibrosis and histologically assessed liver fibrosis after bile duct ligation. IL-37tg mice were protected against CCl4-induced liver inflammation. Colitis-associated liver inflammation and fibrosis was less severe in IL-10 knockout IL-37tg mice. Spontaneous and LPS/TGF-beta-induced cytokine release and profibrogenic gene expression was lower in HSC and KC isolated from IL-37tg mice and IL-37 overexpressing, IL-1 beta stimulated human LX-2 stellate cells. However, administration of recombinant human IL-37 did not modulate fibrosis pathways after BDL in mice, LX2 cells or murine HSCs. In a large clinical cohort, we observed a positive correlation of serum IL-37 levels with disease severity in liver cirrhosis. Conclusions: Predominantly intracellular IL-37 downregulates liver inflammation and fibrosis. The correlation of serum IL-37 with disease severity in cirrhosis suggests its potential as a novel target modulating the course of liver fibrosis

Universities and public libraries supporting student success: an exploratory study

As universities seek new ways to engage and support students in their learning, in Australia, students from regional and remote areas pose a challenge for universities given their geographical, social and technological isolation compared with their metropolitan counterparts. Much of the literature that address challenges associated with distance learning focus on teaching, course design and ways of accessing learning materials. Little is known about the provision of learning support services. Public libraries are well placed within their communities to assist university students with their learning needs. The aim of this research was to explore the idea of universities and public library services working together to support regional student success. The University of Southern Queensland, provided the context for this study. Semi-structured interviews with representatives from public library services in regional areas of Queensland were conducted to find out what service is currently being provided to students; challenges, opportunities and related issues. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that told the ‘story’ within the data. Findings suggest there is an opportunity for universities and public libraries to work together to support regional student success, and that this opportunity is worthy of further discussion and exploration

A multi-decade record of high quality fCO2 data in version 3 of the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT)

The Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) is a synthesis of quality-controlled fCO2 (fugacity of carbon dioxide) values for the global surface oceans and coastal seas with regular updates. Version 3 of SOCAT has 14.7 million fCO2 values from 3646 data sets covering the years 1957 to 2014. This latest version has an additional 4.6 million fCO2 values relative to version 2 and extends the record from 2011 to 2014. Version 3 also significantly increases the data availability for 2005 to 2013. SOCAT has an average of approximately 1.2 million surface water fCO2 values per year for the years 2006 to 2012. Quality and documentation of the data has improved. A new feature is the data set quality control (QC) flag of E for data from alternative sensors and platforms. The accuracy of surface water fCO2 has been defined for all data set QC flags. Automated range checking has been carried out for all data sets during their upload into SOCAT. The upgrade of the interactive Data Set Viewer (previously known as the Cruise Data Viewer) allows better interrogation of the SOCAT data collection and rapid creation of high-quality figures for scientific presentations. Automated data upload has been launched for version 4 and will enable more frequent SOCAT releases in the future. High-profile scientific applications of SOCAT include quantification of the ocean sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and its long-term variation, detection of ocean acidification, as well as evaluation of coupled-climate and ocean-only biogeochemical models. Users of SOCAT data products are urged to acknowledge the contribution of data providers, as stated in the SOCAT Fair Data Use Statement. This ESSD (Earth System Science Data) “living data” publication documents the methods and data sets used for the assembly of this new version of the SOCAT data collection and compares these with those used for earlier versions of the data collection (Pfeil et al., 2013; Sabine et al., 2013; Bakker et al., 2014). Individual data set files, included in the synthesis product, can be downloaded here: doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.849770. The gridded products are available here: doi:10.3334/CDIAC/OTG.SOCAT_V3_GRID

An immune dysfunction score for stratification of patients with acute infection based on whole-blood gene expression

Dysregulated host responses to infection can lead to organ dysfunction and sepsis, causing millions of global deaths each year. To alleviate this burden, improved prognostication and biomarkers of response are urgently needed. We investigated the use of whole-blood transcriptomics for stratification of patients with severe infection by integrating data from 3149 samples from patients with sepsis due to community-acquired pneumonia or fecal peritonitis admitted to intensive care and healthy individuals into a gene expression reference map. We used this map to derive a quantitative sepsis response signature (SRSq) score reflective of immune dysfunction and predictive of clinical outcomes, which can be estimated using a 7- or 12-gene signature. Last, we built a machine learning framework, SepstratifieR, to deploy SRSq in adult and pediatric bacterial and viral sepsis, H1N1 influenza, and COVID-19, demonstrating clinically relevant stratification across diseases and revealing some of the physiological alterations linking immune dysregulation to mortality. Our method enables early identification of individuals with dysfunctional immune profiles, bringing us closer to precision medicine in infection.peer-reviewe

Aboriginal paintings from Australia

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Two Aboriginal children on a boulder, one of the Kunkarangkalpa women, Musgrave Ranges, South Australia, ca. 1940s [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer from inscription and reference sources.; In album: Central Australia photograph album.; Inscriptions: "Kurtarunkara Stone, where one of the Severn Sisters landed on Earth"--Below image.; Condition: Faded, yellowing, silvering.; The photograph published by Mountford have been cropped differently.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4903322; Published in: Nomads of the Australian desert / Charles P. Mountford. Adelaide : Rigby, 1976, p. 479 (pl. 618), with caption: Boulder, vulva of one of the Kunkarangkalpa women; dotted line, a, track of penis of Nirunja

Aboriginal child asleep in a coolamon, central Australia, ca. 1940s [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer from inscription.; In album: Central Australia photograph album.; Inscriptions: "Native child asleep in wooden dish"--Below image.; Condition: Faded, yellowing, silvering.; The photograph published by Mountford has been cropped differently.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4900623; Published in: Aborigines and their country / Charles P. Mountford. Rigby : Adelaide, 1969, p. 101, with caption: As baby's cradle

Aboriginal man hollowing out a wooden dish with a stone adze, central Australia, ca. 1940s [picture].

Title devised by cataloguer from inscription and reference sources.; In album: Central Australia photograph album.; Inscriptions: "Hollowing out a wooden dish with stone adze"--Below image.; Condition: Silvering.; The photograph published by Mountford has been cropped differently.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4926887; Published in: Aborigines and their country / Charles P. Mountford. Rigby : Adelaide, 1969, p. 98, with caption: Aboriginal making wooden dish

Aboriginal boy climing a tree near Ernabella, South Australia, 1940 [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer from inscription.; In album: Central Australia photograph album.; Inscriptions: "Abo climbing tree"--Below image; "Boy climbing tree"--In pencil on verso.; Condition: Faded, yellowing, silvering.; The photograph published by Mountford has been cropped differently.; Location identified as near Ernabella from information in Mountford book.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4900133; Published in: Aborigines and their country / Charles P. Mountford. Rigby : Adelaide, 1969, p. 87, with caption: Boy climbing tree for wood grubs.; Published in: Brown men and red sand / Charles Mountford. Melbourne : Sun Books, 1967, opposite p. 17, with caption: 'When the meal was finished the children started to play.'

Aboriginal man with the bloodwood tree (Corymbia opaca) that represents parentie with a stomach ache at Unari-nalku, Mann Ranges, South Australia, 1940 [picture] /

Title devised by cataloguer from inscription and reference sources.; In album: Central Australia photograph album.; Inscriptions: "Unari Tree. Parenti with severe stomach ache"--Below image.; Condition: Faded, yellowing, silvering.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4903080; Published in: Brown men and red sand / Charles Mountford. Melbourne : Sun Books, 1967, opposite page 145, with caption: 'Nintaka...ate so many mistletoe berries that they gave him a severe stomach ache. The blood-wood tree, with a large bole near the ground, is visible evidence of the pain.'