Post-TTM Rebound Pyrexia after Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Results in Sterile Inflammation and Apoptosis in Cardiomyocytes

Introduction. Fever is frequently observed after acute ischemic events and is associated with poor outcome and higher mortality. Targeted temperature management (TTM) is recommended for neuroprotection in comatose cardiac arrest survivors, but pyrexia after rewarming is proven to be detrimental in clinical trials. However, the cellular mechanisms and kinetics of post- TTM rebound pyrexia remain to be elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the effects of cooling and post-TTM pyrexia on the inflammatory response and apoptosis in a cardiomyocyte ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury model. Methods. HL-1 cardiomyocytes were divided into the following groups to investigate the effect of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R), hypothermia (33.5°C), and pyrexia (40°C): normoxia controls maintained at 37°C and warmed to 40°C, OGD/R groups maintained at 37°C and cooled to 33.5°C for 24 h with rewarming to 37°C, and OGD/R pyrexia groups further warmed from 37 to 40°C. Caspase-3 and RBM3 were assessed by Western blot and TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, SOCS3, iNOS, and RBM3 transcriptions by RT-qPCR. Results. OGD-induced oxidative stress (iNOS) in cardiomyocytes was attenuated post-TTM by cooling. Cytokine transcriptions were suppressed by OGD, while reperfusion induced significant TNF-α transcription that was exacerbated by cooling. Significant inductions of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and SOCS3 were observed in noncooled, but not in cooled and rewarmed, OGD/R-injured cardiomyocytes. Further warming to pyrexia induced a sterile inflammatory response in OGD/R-injured groups that was attenuated by previous cooling, but no inflammation was observed in pyrexic normoxia groups. Moreover, cytoprotective RBM3 expression was induced by cooling but suppressed by pyrexia, correlating with apoptotic caspase-3 activation. Conclusion. Our findings show that maintaining a period of post-TTM “therapeutic normothermia” is effective in preventing secondary apoptosis-driven myocardial cell death, thus minimizing the infarct area and further release of mediators of the innate sterile inflammatory response after acute IR injury

Superconductivity at 2.3 K in the misfit compound (PbSe)1.16(TiSe2)2

The structural misfit compound (PbSe)1.16(TiSe2)2 is reported. It is a superconductor with a Tc of 2.3 K. (PbSe)1.16(TiSe2)2 derives from a parent compound, TiSe2, which shows a charge density wave transition and no superconductivity. The crystal structure, characterized by high resolution electron microscopy and powder x-ray diffraction, consists of two layers of 1T-TiSe2 alternating with a double layer of (100) PbSe. Transport measurements suggest that the superconductivity is induced by charge transfer from the PbSe layers to the TiSe2 layers.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Physical Review

Peningkatan Aktivitas Pembelajaran dan Hasil Belajar Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan dengan Metode Diskusi Kelompok pada Siswa Kelas IV S Ekolah Dasar Negeri 03 Semayang Kabupaten Sanggau

The pourpose of the research iis to know the improving studeng activity of civics at grade IV student of SD 03 Semayang by using group discussion method. The method of this research is descriptive method using qualitative way in which the data or evidence is analyzed after collecting the data from the field. The subject of the research is 22 students of grade IV at elementary school 03 Semayang. The result of data analyzing show that after using group discussion method for 2 cycles, the student learning activity improves 19% at first cycles become 59 at second cycles. Increasing the presentage of student learning activity influences the improving students outcome in achiving KKM of Civic at school that is 60. In wich, the research shows that the student can achive KKm about 41% at first cycle increase 91% at the second cycle. So that, it can be conduded that by improving student learning activity using group discussion method can influence the improving student aoutcome at grade IV student of elementary school 03 Semayang

Sustainable coffee supply chain management: a case study in Buon Me Thuot City, Daklak, Vietnam

This paper aims to analyze and discuss the evolution towards sustainable coffee supply chain and its management in Vietnam. Coffee is a major agricultural export commodity of Vietnam with the export value accounts for 3% of national GDP in 2014 and provides a livelihood for approximately 2.6 million people. However, the sector is facing enormous challenges as the current farming methods and processing infrastructure have been unsustainable resulting in many catastrophic impacts on the environment such as deforestation and soil degradation that have the potential to lead to a decrease in the quality of coffee beans. Using a case study in Buon Me Thuot City, Daklak, Vietnam, the paper analyses the key factors influencing the sustainable coffee supply chain management in Vietnam. Our analysis confirms that although productivity is high, and farmers have positive experiences in this sector, sustainability issues are emerging. For instance, the farmers have experienced soil erosion and a lack of water and as such are now more willing to incorporate sustainability initiatives in their production and processing

The evolution of social health insurance in Vietnam and its role towards achieving universal health coverage

Our research examines the development of social health insurance (SHI) in Vietnam between 1992 and 2016 and SHI's role as a financial mechanism towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC). We reviewed and analysed legislation from the Government of Vietnam (GoV) and performance data from the GoV and the World Bank. Stages of development were identified from legislative change leading to change in SHI functioning as a public financing mechanism: revenue collection, pooling of risk, and purchasing. Movement towards UHC was assessed relative to: population coverage, benefit coverage, and financial protection. Vietnam has implemented SHI through five stages: Stage I (1992–1998), Stage II (1998–2005), Stage III (2005–2008), Stage IV (2008–2014), and Stage V (2014 onwards). Coverage has widened from a compulsory scheme for civil servants and pensioners and a voluntary scheme for others, to a scheme that targets the entire population. However, UHC has not been achieved with 19% of the population uninsured in 2016 and high out-of-pocket payments. The benefit package includes a wide range of services and many expensive medications and considered to be generous. It is recommended that Vietnam focus on improving population coverage rather than further expanding the benefit package to achieve UHC

Low-pass shotgun sequencing of the barley genome facilitates rapid identification of genes, conserved non-coding sequences and novel repeats

BACKGROUND: Barley has one of the largest and most complex genomes of all economically important food crops. The rise of new short read sequencing technologies such as Illumina/Solexa permits such large genomes to be effectively sampled at relatively low cost. Based on the corresponding sequence reads a Mathematically Defined Repeat (MDR) index can be generated to map repetitive regions in genomic sequences. RESULTS: We have generated 574 Mbp of Illumina/Solexa sequences from barley total genomic DNA, representing about 10% of a genome equivalent. From these sequences we generated an MDR index which was then used to identify and mark repetitive regions in the barley genome. Comparison of the MDR plots with expert repeat annotation drawing on the information already available for known repetitive elements revealed a significant correspondence between the two methods. MDR-based annotation allowed for the identification of dozens of novel repeat sequences, though, which were not recognised by hand-annotation. The MDR data was also used to identify gene-containing regions by masking of repetitive sequences in eight de-novo sequenced bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones. For half of the identified candidate gene islands indeed gene sequences could be identified. MDR data were only of limited use, when mapped on genomic sequences from the closely related species Triticum monococcum as only a fraction of the repetitive sequences was recognised. CONCLUSION: An MDR index for barley, which was obtained by whole-genome Illumina/Solexa sequencing, proved as efficient in repeat identification as manual expert annotation. Circumventing the labour-intensive step of producing a specific repeat library for expert annotation, an MDR index provides an elegant and efficient resource for the identification of repetitive and low-copy (i.e. potentially gene-containing sequences) regions in uncharacterised genomic sequences. The restriction that a particular MDR index can not be used across species is outweighed by the low costs of Illumina/Solexa sequencing which makes any chosen genome accessible for whole-genome sequence sampling

Detection of coronary artery disease by magnetic resonance myocardial perfusion imaging with various contrast medium doses: first european multi-centre experience

Aims Magnetic resonance (MR) first-pass myocardial perfusion imaging during hyperaemia detects coronary artery stenoses in humans with test sensitivity depending on contrast medium (CM)-induced signal change in myocardium. In this prospective multi-centre study, the effect of CM dose on myocardial signal change and on diagnostic performance was evaluated using a stress-only approach. Methods and results Ninety-four patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were randomised to 0.05,0.10, or 0.15 mmol/kg body weight of an extravascular CM (Gd-DTPA) and X-ray coronary angiography was performed within 30 days prior/after the MR examination. A multi-slice MR technique with identical hardware and software in all centres was used during hyperaemia (adenosine 0.14 mg/kg/min) to monitor myocardial CM wash-in kinetics and data were analysed semi-automatically in a core laboratory. Protocol violations resulted in 80 complete studies with CAD (defined as ⩾1 vessel with diameter stenosis ⩾50% on quantitative coronary angiography) present in 19/29, 13/24, and 20/27 patients for doses 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In normal myocardium, the upslope increased with CM dose (overall-p<0.0001, ANOVA). For CAD detection the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve for subendocardial data (3 slices with quality score<4 representing 86% of cases) was 0.91±0.07 and 0.86±0.08 for doses 2 and 3, respectively, and was lower for dose 1 (0.53±0.13, p<0.01 and p<0.02 vs. doses 2 and 3, respectively). Corresponding sensitivities/specificities (95% confidence intervals) for pooled doses 2/3 were 93% (77-99%; ns vs. dose 1) and 75% (48-92%;p<0.05 vs. dose 1), respectively. Conclusions With increasing doses of CM, a higher signal response in the myocardium was achieved and consequently this stress-only protocol, with CM doses of 0.10-0.15 mmol/kg combined with a semi-automatic analysis, yielded a high diagnostic performance for the detection of CA

Correction: Responses of deposition and bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes region to policy and other large-scale drivers of mercury emissions

Correction for ‘Responses of deposition and bioaccumulation in the Great Lakes region to policy and other large-scale drivers of mercury emissions’ by J. A. Perlinger et al., Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2018, 20, 195–209. In the original article, there were errors in some numerical values in Table 3 and in the text in Sections 3.1 and 4.1. The corrected Table and Sections are shown below. The changes are to the magnitudes of mercury species deposition to the Great Lakes region, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Adirondack region of the Lakes basin. The changes to the Adirondack values reduce the numerical differences in these magnitudes compared to magnitudes of total mercury deposition to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The changes to the mercury species deposition to the Great Lakes region and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan have no implications. The changes do not impact the conclusions of the article

Assessment of Aspergillus flavus Infection and Aflatoxin Contamination in Groundnut in Southern Vietnam

Groundnut is an important food and cash crop in Vietnam with a high export potential. Limited studies of foods in the country have indicated that aflatoxin contamination is a problem in groundnut and maize. Vietnam considers the aflatoxin problem in groundnut to be of great importance, especially in view of Vietnam's expanding trade in this commodity, and the increasing use of groundnut cake as animal feed, Systematic surveys were conducted to assess Aspergillus flevus infection and aflatoxin contamination in groundnuts from farmers' fields and marketsloil mills in the major groundnut-growing areas of southern Vietnam. Results indicated that preharvest aflatoxin contamination is not likely to be a serious problem in adequately irrigated groundnuts. However, groundnuts grown under residual moisture or limited irrigation can be contaminated under conducive environmental conditions prevailing in the winter-spring season as evidenced by moderate to high aflatoxin levels found in some samples. Soilborne diseases such as stemlpod rot and bacterial wilt prevalent in many parts of southern Vietnam are likely to encourage A. flavus invasion of podlseed in the field. It is emphasized that the aflatoxin problem should be viewed holistically as contamination can be pre- and postharvest with many factors influencing, e,g., the crop rotation, soil moisture, soilborne pests and diseases, crop produce drying and storage conditions. A brochure on "Aflatoxin contamination problems in groundnuts and groundnut products" was prepared (in English and Vietnamese) and distributed to many farmers, traders, and extension and research workers to enhance awareness of the aflatoxin problem and management option