Follow-up after paediatric intensive care treatment: parental postraumatic stress

Aim: To study the prevalence of posttraumatic stress in parents after an acute admission to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to determine risk factors for the development of posttraumatic stress. Methods: Parents completed posttraumatic stress questionnaires three months after their child's discharge. This questionnaire measures both symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and enables determination of the full psychiatric diagnosis of PTSD. Medical and demographic data concerning their child were gathered from physical evaluations three months after discharge. Of 250 eligible families, 144 (57.6%) participated in this study. The questionnaires were completed by 140 mothers and 107 fathers. Results: More than three-quarters of the parents experienced persistent symptoms of PTSD. In 21 mothers (15.0%) and 10 fathers (9.3%), the full psychiatric diagnosis of PTSD was determined. In six families, both parents had PTSD. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between symptoms of PTSD of the mothers and the fathers. No obvious medical risk factors could be distinguished. Conclusion: The unexpected admission of a child to a PICU is a stressful event associated with parental posttraumatic stress. Treatment should not end after discharge. Follow-up care is warranted and research should be focused on prevention of these symptoms. © 2007 The Author(s)

Muscle fibre size and myonuclear positioning in trained and aged humans

Changes in myonuclear architecture and positioning are associated with exercise adaptations and ageing. However, data on the positioning and number of myonuclei following exercise are inconsistent. Additionally, whether myonuclear domains (MNDs; i.e., the theoretical volume of cytoplasm within which a myonucleus is responsible for transcribing DNA) and myonuclear positioning are altered with age remains unclear. The aim of this investigation was to investigate relationships between age and activity status and myonuclear domains and positioning. Vastus lateralis muscle biopsies from younger endurance-trained (YT) and older endurance-trained (OT) individuals were compared with age-matched untrained counterparts (YU and OU; OU samples were acquired during surgical operation). Serial, optical z-slices were acquired throughout isolated muscle fibres and analysed to give three-dimensional coordinates for myonuclei and muscle fibre dimensions. The mean cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle fibres from OU individuals was 33%–53% smaller compared with the other groups. The number of nuclei relative to fibre CSA was 90% greater in OU compared with YU muscle fibres. Additionally, scaling of MND volume with fibre size was altered in older untrained individuals. The myonuclear arrangement, in contrast, was similar across groups. Fibre CSA and most myonuclear parameters were significantly associated with age in untrained individuals, but not in trained individuals. These data indicate that regular endurance exercise throughout the lifespan might better preserve the size of muscle fibres in older age and maintain the relationship between fibre size and MND volumes. Inactivity, however, might result in reduced muscle fibre size and altered myonuclear parameters

IMPLEMENTASI MATERI EKOLOGI HEWAN PADA PRAKTIKUM PENGAMATAN POPULASI BURUNG CENDERAWASIH

Kawasan hutan Isyo Hills Kampung Rhepang Muaif merupakan kawasan konservasi in-situ yang didalamnya tersimpan berbagai taksa hewan diantaranya burung Cenderawasih. Kawasan ini menjadi unik dan memiliki manfaat yang sangat baik bagi habitat di dalamnya karena telah dikelola secara baik dan profesional. Keunikan spesies dan keberadaan kawasan yang baik bagi habitatnya menjadi pilihan sebagai tempat pelaksanaan praktikum dan merupakan bagian dari kegiatan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat. Kegiatan praktikum atau PKM ini diikuti oleh 35 orang mahasiswa dan 1 orang dosen Program Studi Pendidikan Biologi, Jurusan Pendidikan Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Cenderawasih. Kegiatan ini memiliki tujuan yang sangat baik yaitu sebagai implementasi materi Ekologi Hewan yang telah diperoleh selama perkuliahan. Dalam pelaksanaan praktikum ini, tentunya ada penerapan metode jelajah dan titik point yang digunakan untuk mengamati keberadaan satwa burung Cenderawasih. Data yang dapat dikumpulkan dari hasil pengamatan menemukan 1 individu Cenderawasih Dua Belas Antena (Seleucidis melanoleuca), 1 individu jantan dan 1 individu betina Cenderawasih Kuning (Paradisaea minor) dan 2 individu Cenderawasih Paruh Sabit Paruh Putih (Drepanornis bruijnii). Kegiatan praktikum ini menunjukkan bahwa kawasan hutan Isyo Hills kampung Rhepang Muaif sebagai kawasan konservasi in-situ sangat baik untuk keberlangsungan 3 spesies burung Cenderawasih yang hidup di dalamnya

Cryptosporidium Priming Is More Effective than Vaccine for Protection against Cryptosporidiosis in a Murine Protein Malnutrition Model

Cryptosporidium is a major cause of severe diarrhea, especially in malnourished children. Using a murine model of C. parvum oocyst challenge that recapitulates clinical features of severe cryptosporidiosis during malnutrition, we interrogated the effect of protein malnutrition (PM) on primary and secondary responses to C. parvum challenge, and tested the differential ability of mucosal priming strategies to overcome the PM-induced susceptibility. We determined that while PM fundamentally alters systemic and mucosal primary immune responses to Cryptosporidium, priming with C. parvum (106 oocysts) provides robust protective immunity against re-challenge despite ongoing PM. C. parvum priming restores mucosal Th1-type effectors (CD3+CD8+CD103+ T-cells) and cytokines (IFNγ, and IL12p40) that otherwise decrease with ongoing PM. Vaccination strategies with Cryptosporidium antigens expressed in the S. Typhi vector 908htr, however, do not enhance Th1-type responses to C. parvum challenge during PM, even though vaccination strongly boosts immunity in challenged fully nourished hosts. Remote non-specific exposures to the attenuated S. Typhi vector alone or the TLR9 agonist CpG ODN-1668 can partially attenuate C. parvum severity during PM, but neither as effectively as viable C. parvum priming. We conclude that although PM interferes with basal and vaccine-boosted immune responses to C. parvum, sustained reductions in disease severity are possible through mucosal activators of host defenses, and specifically C. parvum priming can elicit impressively robust Th1-type protective immunity despite ongoing protein malnutrition. These findings add insight into potential correlates of Cryptosporidium immunity and future vaccine strategies in malnourished children

Alcoholic beverages and risk of renal cell cancer

Using a mailed questionnaire, we investigated the risk of renal cell cancer in relation to different types of alcoholic beverages, and to total ethanol in a large population-based case–control study among Swedish adults, including 855 cases and 1204 controls. Compared to non-drinkers, a total ethanol intake of >620 g month−1 was significantly related to a decreased risk of renal cell cancer (odds ratio (OR) 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.4–0.9; P-value for trend=0.03). The risk decreased 30–40% with drinking more than two glasses per week of red wine (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–0.9), white wine (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4–1.0), or strong beer (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4–1.0); there was a clear linear trend of decreasing risk with increasing consumption of these beverages (P-values for trends <0.05)

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of physical activity levels among South African adults in Cape Town and Mount Frere communities in 2008-2009

BACKGROUND: Physical activity has been linked to reduced risk of various cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and premature mortality. We investigated the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of physical activity among adults in urban and rural communities in South Africa. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey comprising 1733 adults aged ?35 years from the Cape Town (urban) and Mount Frere (rural) sites of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study. Physical activity was assessed using the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to relate physical activity with socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: Overall, 74% of participants engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. In the adjusted regression models, women were 34% less likely to engage in vigorous physical activity (OR =0.66, 95%-CI = 0.47-0.93). Physical activity decreased with age, varied with marital status, education and occupation, always in differential ways between urban and rural participants (all interactions p ? 0.047). For instance, in urban settings, those with secondary education were more likely to engage in moderate physical activity (OR = 2.06, 95%-CI = 1.08-3.92) than those with tertiary education. Single people were more likely to engage in high physical activity (OR = 2.10, 95%-CI = 1.03-4.28) than divorced. Overall, skilled participants were more likely to engage in vigorous physical activity (OR = 2.07, 95%-CI = 1.41-3.05) driven by significant effect in rural area (OR = 2.70, 95%-CI = 1.51-4.83). Urban participants were more likely to engage in moderate physical activity (OR = 1.67, 95%-CI = 1.31-2.13) than rural participants. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent chronic diseases among South Africans, attention should be paid to specific policies and interventions aimed at promoting PA among young adults in rural and urban setting, and across the social-economic diversity

The Cortisol Response to Anticipated Intergroup Interactions Predicts Self-Reported Prejudice

Objectives: While prejudice has often been shown to be rooted in experiences of threat, the biological underpinnings of this threat–prejudice association have received less research attention. The present experiment aims to test whether activations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, due to anticipated interactions with out-group members, predict self-reported prejudice. Moreover, we explore potential moderators of this relationship (i.e., interpersonal similarity; subtle vs. blatant prejudice). Methodology/Principal findings: Participants anticipated an interaction with an out-group member who was similar or dissimilar to the self. To index HPA activation, cortisol responses to this event were measured. Then, subtle and blatant prejudices were measured via questionnaires. Findings indicated that only when people anticipated an interaction with an out-group member who was dissimilar to the self, their cortisol response to this event significantly predicted subtle (r =.50) and blatant (r =.53) prejudice. Conclusions: These findings indicate that prejudicial attitudes are linked to HPA-axis activity. Furthermore, when intergroup interactions are interpreted to be about individuals (and not so much about groups), experienced threat (or its biological substrate) is less likely to relate to prejudice. This conclusion is discussed in terms of recent insights from social neuroscience

Phylogenetic Relationships and Evolutionary Patterns of the Order Collodaria (Radiolaria)

Collodaria are the only group of Radiolaria that has a colonial lifestyle. This group is potentially the most important plankton in the oligotrophic ocean because of its large biomass and the high primary productivity associated with the numerous symbionts inside a cell or colony. The evolution of Collodaria could thus be related to the changes in paleo-productivity that have affected organic carbon fixation in the oligotrophic ocean. However, the fossil record of Collodaria is insufficient to trace their abundance through geological time, because most collodarians do not have silicified shells. Recently, molecular phylogeny based on nuclear small sub-unit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) confirmed Collodaria to be one of five orders of Radiolaria, though the relationship among collodarians is still unresolved because of inadequate taxonomic sampling. Our phylogenetic analysis has revealed four novel collodarian sequences, on the basis of which collodarians can be divided into four clades that correspond to taxonomic grouping at the family level: Thalassicollidae, Collozoidae, Collosphaeridae, and Collophidae. Comparison of the results of our phylogenetic analyses with the morphological characteristics of each collodarian family suggests that the first ancestral collodarians had a solitary lifestyle and left no silica deposits. The timing of events estimated from molecular divergence calculations indicates that naked collodarian lineages first appeared around 45.6 million years (Ma) ago, coincident with the diversification of diatoms in the pelagic oceans. Colonial collodarians appeared after the formation of the present ocean circulation system and the development of oligotrophic conditions in the equatorial Pacific (ca. 33.4 Ma ago). The divergence of colonial collodarians probably caused a shift in the efficiency of primary production during this period