Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children.

Funder: NIHR Imperial BRCFever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

Transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation (tES and TMS) for addiction medicine: A consensus paper on the present state of the science and the road ahead

There is growing interest in non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as a novel treatment option for substance-use disorders (SUDs). Recent momentum stems from a foundation of preclinical neuroscience demonstrating links between neural circuits and drug consuming behavior, as well as recent FDA-approval of NIBS treatments for mental health disorders that share overlapping pathology with SUDs. As with any emerging field, enthusiasm must be tempered by reason; lessons learned from the past should be prudently applied to future therapies. Here, an international ensemble of experts provides an overview of the state of transcranial-electrical (tES) and transcranial-magnetic (TMS) stimulation applied in SUDs. This consensus paper provides a systematic literature review on published data – emphasizing the heterogeneity of methods and outcome measures while suggesting strategies to help bridge knowledge gaps. The goal of this effort is to provide the community with guidelines for best practices in tES/TMS SUD research. We hope this will accelerate the speed at which the community translates basic neuroscience into advanced neuromodulation tools for clinical practice in addiction medicine

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection ar

New age-determination method based on fast growth rate of Cape hake Merluccius capensis in Namibia

Namibia’s most important commercial fisheries resource, the shallow-water Cape hake Merluccius capensis, is currently assessed using statistical catch-at-age analysis. Age data obtained from otoliths constitute an important data component of this model. Recent age-validation studies of M. capensis showed that growth was previously underestimated. We investigated this new fast-growth hypothesis (FGH) by using measurements and counts of translucent zones (T1 to T14, from otolith core to edge) on two survey otolith samples covering the entire range of fish lengths. We compared three hypotheses of periodicity of otolith zone formation and show that, if all zones are counted, T2 (at 9.0 mm otolith length), T5, T8, T11 and T14 are most likely to be annuli. A conversion from the slow-growth-hypothesis (SGH, currently used) age data was calculated as: FGH age group = round (0.41[SGH age group] + 0.25), and this formula should be applied to compute and test updated catch-at-age data in a future hake stock assessment. Additional adjustment for the hake stock assessment following the FGH, such as the timing of recruitment in winter and catches in summer, should be considered in future assessments. Keywords: age validation, annual age determination, fast-growth hypothesis, Merluccius paradoxus, otolith length, slow-growth hypothesi

Stock separation of the shallow-water hake Merluccius capensis in the Benguela ecosystem using otolith shape analysis

The fishing industry is an important economic sector in Namibia and South Africa, with the shallow-water hake Merluccius capensis being an important target species. Recent genetic studies of M. capensis found two stocks in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, one in the north (17–29° S) and one in the south (29–36° S), and a proposed mixed stock in the Orange River area (around 29° S). The present study investigated the use of otolith shape analysis for purposes of stock-structure analysis of M. capensis.  Merluccius capensis otolith samples were collected during demersal-trawl surveys along the Benguela, for the years 1992, 2004 and 2005. Different years were selected to investigate temporal stability in otolith shape in the northern Benguela. A total of 1 628 otolithimages were analysed using the shapeR library in R. Otolith shape was analysed using wavelet transformation, and ANOVA-like permutation tests indicated no significant differences between the northern (17°31′–25°29′ S) and central (25°30′–29°05′ S) Benguela for all years but showed significant differences between the northern and southern (29°05′–35°50′ S) Benguela. This study therefore demonstrated that otolith shape could be used for stock discrimination of M. capensis. It confirmed one stock of M. capensis in the northern and central Benguela and another in the southern Benguela, which supports the current, separate management approach for this species. It also showed some differences in otolith shape from the 1990s to the 2000s, which could be explained by increased movement of the southern Benguela stock to the northern Benguela and increased hybridisation in the later years. Keywords: fishery management units, imaging techniques, otolith morphometrics, package ‘shapeR’, stock identification, stock  structure, wavelet metho

Leukocyte-rich PRP versus leukocyte-poor PRP - The role of monocyte/macrophage function in the healing cascade

The mechanism of action of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is thought to be related to the biomolecules present in α-granules. However, for the healing process to occur, an inflammatory phase is also deemed necessary. Leukocytes present in the inflammatory phase release both pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules. The latter may play an important role in the process of “inflammatory regeneration”. Thus, we propose that in the context of healing, both platelets and leukocytes play an important role, specifically due to the macrophage's plasticity to switch from the M1 to M2 fraction. Therefore, we propose that PRP products derived from the buffy coat may be more beneficial than detrimental from a standpoint of the regenerative potential of PRP101S7S12sem informaçãosem informaçã

Altered insula activation in anticipation of changing emotional states: Neural mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility in special operations forces personnel

10.1097/WNR.0b013e3283503275NeuroReport234234-239NERP