Severity and duration of allergic conjunctivitis: are they associated with severity and duration of allergic rhinitis and asthma?

Comorbiditat al·lèrgica; Conjuntivitis al·lèrgica; Malaltia respiratòria al·lèrgicaAllergic comorbidity; Allergic conjunctivitis; Allergic respiratory diseaseComorbilidad alérgica; Conjuntivitis alérgica; Enfermedad respiratoria alérgicaObjective. The association of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) with rhinitis and/or asthma is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to apply the Consensus Document for Allergic Conjunctivitis (DECA) criteria for the classification of AC to a population of patients with AC to assess the association between the severity and duration of AC and rhinitis and/or asthma. Methods. Patients with ocular symptoms of AC who participated in the 'Alergológica 2015' study were included. The demographics, classification according to the DECA criteria, etiology, and comorbidities were evaluated by age groups (less or equal than 14 and greater than 14 years). Results. A total of 2,914 patients (age range, 1-90 years) were included in the "Alergológica 2015" study. Of these, 965 patients (33.1%) were diagnosed with AC (77.5% > 14 years). AC was classified as severe, moderate, or mild in 1.8%, 46.4%, and 51.8%, respectively; and as intermittent or persistent in 51.6% and 48.4% of the patients. AC alone occurred in 4% of patients. AC was mainly associated with rhinitis (88.4%), asthma (38.2%), food allergy (8.3%) and atopic dermatitis (3.5%). In allergic respiratory disease rhinitis preceded AC and asthma developed later. The severity and duration of AC was significantly associated with severity and duration of rhinitis (p less than 0.001 for both age groups) and asthma (p less than 0.001 only in adults). Conclusions. The application of the new DECA classification for AC reveals a direct relationship between AC, rhinitis and asthma respect to severity and duration. These relationships suggest that AC should be considered an integral part of the "one airway, one disease" hypothesis

Validation of methods for converting the original Disease Activity Score (DAS) to the DAS28

© The Author(s) 2018.The Disease Activity Score (DAS) is integral in tailoring the clinical management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and is an important measure in clinical research. Different versions have been developed over the years to improve reliability and ease of use. Combining the original DAS and the newer DAS28 data in both contemporary and historical studies is important for both primary and secondary data analyses. As such, a methodologically robust means of converting the old DAS to the new DAS28 measure would be invaluable. Using data from The Early RA Study (ERAS), a sub-sample of patients with both DAS and DAS28 data were used to develop new regression imputation formulas using the total DAS score (univariate), and using the separate components of the DAS score (multivariate). DAS were transformed to DAS28 using an existing formula quoted in the literature, and the newly developed formulas. Bland and Altman plots were used to compare the transformed DAS with the recorded DAS28 to ascertain levels of agreement. The current transformation formula tended to overestimate the true DAS28 score, particularly at the higher end of the scale. A formula which uses all separate components of the DAS was found to estimate the scores with a higher level of precision. A new formula is proposed that can be used by other early RA cohorts to convert the original DAS to DAS28.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Threat to Cedar, Cedrela odorata, Plantations in Vietnam by the Weevil, Aclees sp.

The recent decline and death of young cedar, Cedrela odorata L. (Sapindales: Meliaceae), plantations in Vietnam is caused by Aclees sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a wood-boring brown weevil. A field study was undertaken in three-year-old plantations in two districts in Thanh Hoa province in August 2008. Trees were heavily impacted by the weevil, Aclees; the infestation level (P) ranged from 80 to 100% and the average damage index (R) ranged from 1.8 to 2.8. Observations over one year enabled the life history to be determined. Eggs were laid (February to March, September to November) inside the bark from the base of the trunk up to 60 cm in height. Larvae formed extensive feeding tunnels in the inner bark and sap wood. Pupation occurred in feeding tunnels or pupal chambers in the sapwood. Adults emerged twice a year, February to March and August to October. It is concluded that Aclees is a threat to C. odorata plantations in tropical regions of the world, and quarantine measures should be implemented to reduce the risk of spread

The effect of ultrasound pretreatment on some selected physicochemical properties of black cumin (Nigella Sativa)

Background In the present study, the effects of ultrasound pretreatment parameters including irradiation time and power on the quantity of the extracted phenolic compounds quantity as well as on some selected physicochemical properties of the extracted oils including oil extraction efficiency, acidity and peroxide values, color, and refractive index of the extracted oil of black cumin seeds with the use of cold press have been studied. Methods For each parameter, three different levels (30, 60, and 90 W) for the ultrasound power and (30, 45, and 60 min) and for the ultrasound irradiation time were studied. Each experiment was performed in three replications. Results The achieved results revealed that, with enhancements in the applied ultrasound power, the oil extraction efficiency, acidity value, total phenolic content, peroxide value, and color parameters increased significantly (P 0.05). Conclusions In summary, it could be mentioned that the application of ultrasound pretreatment in the oil extraction might improve the oil extraction efficiency, the extracted oil’s quality, and the extracted phenolic compounds content.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PACAP neurons in the ventral premammillary nucleus regulate reproductive function in the female mouse.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP, Adcyap1) is a neuromodulator implicated in anxiety, metabolism and reproductive behavior. PACAP global knockout mice have decreased fertility and PACAP modulates LH release. However, its source and role at the hypothalamic level remain unknown. We demonstrate that PACAP-expressing neurons of the ventral premamillary nucleus of the hypothalamus (PMVPACAP) project to, and make direct contact with, kisspeptin neurons in the arcuate and AVPV/PeN nuclei and a subset of these neurons respond to PACAP exposure. Targeted deletion of PACAP from the PMV through stereotaxic virally mediated cre- injection or genetic cross to LepR-i-cre mice with Adcyap1fl/fl mice led to delayed puberty onset and impaired reproductive function in female, but not male, mice. We propose a new role for PACAP-expressing neurons in the PMV in the relay of nutritional state information to regulate GnRH release by modulating the activity of kisspeptin neurons, thereby regulating reproduction in female mice

The bovine alveolar macrophage DNA methylome is resilient to infection with Mycobacterium bovis

DNA methylation is pivotal in orchestrating gene expression patterns in various mammalian biological processes. Perturbation of the bovine alveolar macrophage (bAM) transcriptome, due to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection, has been well documented; however, the impact of this intracellular pathogen on the bAM epigenome has not been determined. Here, whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was used to assess the effect of M. bovis infection on the bAM DNA methylome. The methylomes of bAM infected with M. bovis were compared to those of non-infected bAM 24 hours post-infection (hpi). No differences in DNA methylation (CpG or non-CpG) were observed. Analysis of DNA methylation at proximal promoter regions uncovered >250 genes harbouring intermediately methylated (IM) promoters (average methylation of 33-66%). Gene ontology analysis, focusing on genes with low, intermediate or highly methylated promoters, revealed that genes with IM promoters were enriched for immune-related GO categories; this enrichment was not observed for genes in the high or low methylation groups. Targeted analysis of genes in the IM category confirmed the WGBS observation. This study is the first in cattle examining genome-wide DNA methylation at single nucleotide resolution in an important bovine cellular host-pathogen interaction model, providing evidence for IM promoter methylation in bAM

Hybrid biopolymer electrodes for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries in organic electrolytes

The use of earth abundant and renewable materials is encouraging for the future development of environmentally clean, safe and affordable electrodes for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries. Biohybrid electrodes based on lignin and several conducting polymers have been studied mainly for supercapacitor applications. Here, we show that biohybrid electrodes containing natural lignin and a PEDOT conjugated polymer serve as electroactive materials for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries using liquid organic electrolytes. A reversible discharge capacity of 74 mA h g−1, at C/20 (4 mA g−1) rate, was achieved in the voltage range between 1 V and 4.5 V, with peak values of up to 159 mA h g−1. These properties make the natural lignin–PEDOT hybrid material a suitable organic positive electrode for Li- and Na-ion batteries