The population structure of Borrelia lusitaniae Is reflected by a population division of its Ixodes Vector

© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Populations of vector-borne pathogens are shaped by the distribution and movement of vector and reservoir hosts. To study what impact host and vector association have on tick-borne pathogens, we investigated the population structure of Borrelia lusitaniae using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Novel sequences were acquired from questing ticks collected in multiple North African and European locations and were supplemented by publicly available sequences at the Borrelia Pubmlst database (accessed on 11 February 2020). Population structure of B. lusitaniae was inferred using clustering and network analyses. Maximum likelihood phylogenies for two molecular tick markers (the mitochondrial 16S rRNA locus and a nuclear locus, Tick-receptor of outer surface protein A, trospA) were used to confirm the morphological species identification of collected ticks. Our results confirmed that B. lusitaniae does indeed form two distinguishable populations: one containing mostly European samples and the other mostly Portuguese and North African samples. Of interest, Portuguese samples clustered largely based on being from north (European) or south (North African) of the river Targus. As two different Ixodes species (i.e., I. ricinus and I. inopinatus) may vector Borrelia in these regions, reference samples were included for I. inopinatus but did not form monophyletic clades in either tree, suggesting some misidentification. Even so, the trospA phylogeny showed a monophyletic clade containing tick samples from Northern Africa and Portugal south of the river Tagus suggesting a population division in Ixodes on this locus. The pattern mirrored the clustering of B. lusitaniae samples, suggesting a potential co-evolution between tick and Borrelia populations that deserve further investigation.This research was financially supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (grant number APVV-16-0463), by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia by the transitory norm contract DL57/2016/CP1370/CT89 to Ana Cláudia Norte and MARE (MARE-UID/MAR/04292/2020), and by the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal. The National Reference Center for Borrelia was supported by the Robert-Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time-efficient physical activity intervention for older adolescents with disability : rationale and study protocol for the Burn 2 Learn adapted (B2La) cluster randomised controlled trial

Introduction Physical activity declines during adolescence, with the lowest levels of activity observed among those with disability. Schools are ideal settings to address this issue; however, few school-based interventions have been specifically designed for older adolescents with disability. Our aim is to investigate the effects of a school-based physical activity programme, involving high-intensity interval training (HIIT), on physical, mental and cognitive health in older adolescents with disability. Methods and analysis We will evaluate the Burn 2 Learn adapted (B2La) intervention using a two-arm, parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial with allocation occurring at the school level (treatment or waitlist control). Secondary schools will be recruited in two cohorts from New South Wales, Australia. We will aim to recruit 300 older adolescents (aged 15–19 years) with disability from 30 secondary schools (10 in cohort 1 and 20 in cohort 2). Schools allocated to the intervention group will deliver two HIIT sessions per week during scheduled specialist support classes. The sessions will include foundational aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises tailored to meet student needs. We will provide teachers with training, resources, and support to facilitate the delivery of the B2La programme. Study outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 6 months (primary endpoint), and 9 months. Our primary outcome is functional capacity assessed using the 6 min walk/push test. Secondary outcomes include physical activity, muscular fitness, body composition, cognitive function, quality of life, physical literacy, and on-task behaviour in the classroom. We will also conduct economic and process evaluations to determine cost-effectiveness, programme acceptability, implementation, adaptability, and sustainability in schools. Ethics and dissemination This study has received approval from the University of Newcastle (H-2021–0262) and the New South Wales Department of Education (SERAP: 2021257) human research ethics committees. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, and key stakeholders will be provided with a detailed report following the study. Trial registration number Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12621000884808

Multifunctional hybrid materials based on transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) reinforced by lanthanoid hydroxo clusters

Three pentanuclear lanthanoid hydroxo clusters of composition [Ln(OH)5(abzm)10], where Ln = Eu, Tb,Ho and abzm = di(4-allyloxy)benzoylmethanide, have been prepared. The structures have beencharacterised by means of IR, Raman, elemental analyses and X-ray diffraction, showing a pyramidalsquare-based cluster core. The clusters (Tb and Ho) exhibit Curie?Weiss Law behaviour, displayingantiferromagnetic ordering at low temperatures. The emission properties of the Eu cluster demonstratethe abzm- ligand is an efficient antenna (lex = 420 nm) only for the sensitisation of Eu luminescence inthe visible range, via energy transfer to the 5D0 state of the trivalent metal. The clusters have beenreacted in the presence of methyl methacrylate and azobisisobutyronitrile to prepare reinforcedpolymers via radical polymerisation. The obtained materials exhibit swelling upon immersion intoorganic solvents up to 110% of their original size, in agreement with the presence of cluster-crosslinked polymeric chains. Also, no loss of transparency was observed in the preparation of the materials. The characteristic red emission of the Eu cluster in also retained in the polymeric material

Formal vs. informal coach education

The training of coaches is considered central to sustaining and improving the quality of sports coaching and the ongoing process of professionalisation. Sports coaches participate in a range of learning opportunities (informal to formal) that contribute to their development to varying degrees. In this article, we present our collective understanding on the varying types of learning opportunities and their contribution to coach accreditation and development. The authors presented these views (from a sports pedagogy perspective) as part of a workshop entitled "Formal vs. Informal Coach Education" at the 2007 International Council of Coach Education Master Class in Beijing. These reflections seek to stimulate the on-going, and often sterile, debate about formal versus informal coach education/learning in order to progress scholarship in coaching

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells : a systematic reappraisal via the genostem experience

Genostem (acronym for “Adult mesenchymal stem cells engineering for connective tissue disorders. From the bench to the bed side”) has been an European consortium of 30 teams working together on human bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) biological properties and repair capacity. Part of Genostem activity has been dedicated to the study of basic issues on undifferentiated MSCs properties and on signalling pathways leading to the differentiation into 3 of the connective tissue lineages, osteoblastic, chondrocytic and tenocytic. We have evidenced that native bone marrow MSCs and stromal cells, forming the niche of hematopoietic stem cells, were the same cellular entity located abluminally from marrow sinus endothelial cells. We have also shown that culture-amplified, clonogenic and highly-proliferative MSCs were bona fide stem cells, sharing with other stem cell types the major attributes of self-renewal and of multipotential priming to the lineages to which they can differentiate (osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells/pericytes). Extensive transcription profiling and in vitro and in vivo assays were applied to identify genes involved in differentiation. Thus we have described novel factors implicated in osteogenesis (FHL2, ITGA5, Fgf18), chondrogenesis (FOXO1A) and tenogenesis (Smad8). Another part of Genostem activity has been devoted to studies of the repair capacity of MSCs in animal models, a prerequisite for future clinical trials. We have developed novel scaffolds (chitosan, pharmacologically active microcarriers) useful for the repair of both bone and cartilage. Finally and most importantly, we have shown that locally implanted MSCs effectively repair bone, cartilage and tendonWork supported by the European Community (Key action 1.2.4-3 Integrated Project Genostem, contract No 503161)

FOLFIRINOX or Gemcitabine-based Chemotherapy for Borderline Resectable and Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Multi-institutional, Patient-Level, Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer often presents as locally advanced (LAPC) or borderline resectable (BRPC). Neoadjuvant systemic therapy is recommended as initial treatment. It is currently unclear what chemotherapy should be preferred for patients with BRPC or LAPC. METHODS We performed a systematic review and multi-institutional meta-analysis of patient-level data regarding the use of initial systemic therapy for BRPC and LAPC. Outcomes were reported separately for tumor entity and by chemotherapy regimen including FOLFIRINOX (FIO) or gemcitabine-based. RESULTS A total of 23 studies comprising 2930 patients were analyzed for overall survival (OS) calculated from the beginning of systemic treatment. OS for patients with BRPC was 22.0 months with FIO, 16.9 months with gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (Gem/nab), 21.6 months with gemcitabine/cisplatin or oxaliplatin or docetaxel or capecitabine (GemX), and 10 months with gemcitabine monotherapy (Gem-mono) (p < 0.0001). In patients with LAPC, OS also was higher with FIO (17.1 months) compared with Gem/nab (12.5 months), GemX (12.3 months), and Gem-mono (9.4 months; p < 0.0001). This difference was driven by the patients who did not undergo surgery, where FIO was superior to other regimens. The resection rates for patients with BRPC were 0.55 for gemcitabine-based chemotherapy and 0.53 with FIO. In patients with LAPC, resection rates were 0.19 with Gemcitabine and 0.28 with FIO. In resected patients, OS for patients with BRPC was 32.9 months with FIO and not different compared to Gem/nab, (28.6 months, p = 0.285), GemX (38.8 months, p = 0.1), or Gem-mono (23.1 months, p = 0.083). A similar trend was observed in resected patients converted from LAPC. CONCLUSIONS In patients with BRPC or LAPC, primary treatment with FOLFIRINOX compared with Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy appears to provide a survival benefit for patients that are ultimately unresectable. For patients that undergo surgical resection, outcomes are similar between GEM+ and FOLFIRINOX when delivered in the neoadjuvant setting

Carbon budget of tidal wetlands, estuaries, and shelf waters of eastern North America

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles 32 (2018): 389-416, doi:10.1002/2017GB005790.Carbon cycling in the coastal zone affects global carbon budgets and is critical for understanding the urgent issues of hypoxia, acidification, and tidal wetland loss. However, there are no regional carbon budgets spanning the three main ecosystems in coastal waters: tidal wetlands, estuaries, and shelf waters. Here we construct such a budget for eastern North America using historical data, empirical models, remote sensing algorithms, and process‐based models. Considering the net fluxes of total carbon at the domain boundaries, 59 ± 12% (± 2 standard errors) of the carbon entering is from rivers and 41 ± 12% is from the atmosphere, while 80 ± 9% of the carbon leaving is exported to the open ocean and 20 ± 9% is buried. Net lateral carbon transfers between the three main ecosystem types are comparable to fluxes at the domain boundaries. Each ecosystem type contributes substantially to exchange with the atmosphere, with CO2 uptake split evenly between tidal wetlands and shelf waters, and estuarine CO2 outgassing offsetting half of the uptake. Similarly, burial is about equal in tidal wetlands and shelf waters, while estuaries play a smaller but still substantial role. The importance of tidal wetlands and estuaries in the overall budget is remarkable given that they, respectively, make up only 2.4 and 8.9% of the study domain area. This study shows that coastal carbon budgets should explicitly include tidal wetlands, estuaries, shelf waters, and the linkages between them; ignoring any of them may produce a biased picture of coastal carbon cycling.NASA Interdisciplinary Science program Grant Number: NNX14AF93G; NASA Carbon Cycle Science Program Grant Number: NNX14AM37G; NASA Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program Grant Number: NNX11AD47G; National Science Foundation's Chemical Oceanography Program Grant Number: OCE‐12605742018-10-0

Improvement of psychometric properties of a scale measuring inpatient satisfaction with care: a better response rate and a reduction of the ceiling effect

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective was to solve two problems of an already validated scale measuring inpatient opinion on care: 1) a high non-response rate for some items due to the "not applicable" response option and 2) a skewed score distribution with high ceiling effect.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The EQS-H scale ("échelle de qualité des soins en hospitalisation") comprised 26 items and 2 sub-scales of 13 items each, 'quality of medical information' (MI) and 'relationships with staff and daily routine' (RS). Three studies were conducted: a first mono-centre study (n = 552, response rate = 83.4%, self-completion of the scale the day before discharge) to construct a shorter version of the scale without the items with high non-response rate and maintaining those useful to ensure good internal validity (construct, convergent and divergent) and reliability; a second mono-centre study (n = 1246, response rate = 77.9%, self-completion of the scale before discharge) to confirm psychometric properties of the new version; a third multi-centre national study (n = 886, response rate 41.7%, self-completion at home 15 days after discharge) to test a new response pattern in order to reduce ceiling effect.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six items having a non-response rate >20% were deleted, increasing rates of exhaustive response to all items from 15% to 48%. Factorial analysis supported the evidence for removing 4 more items to ensure good internal validity and reliability of the new version. These good results (initial variance explained: 43%; Cronbach's α: 0.80 (MI) and 0.81 (RS)) were confirmed by the second study. The new response format produced a normalisation of the 2 scores with a large decrease in ceiling effect (25% to 4% for MI subscale and 61% to 8% for RS). Psychometric properties of the final version were excellent: the 2 subscales (8 items each) explained 66% of the variance in principal component analysis, Cronbach's α were respectively 0.92 (MI) and 0.93 (RS).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The new version of the EQS-H has better psychometric properties than the previous one. Rates of missing values are lower, and score distribution is normalized. An English version of this scale focused on quality of medical information delivered and on relationship with staff already exists, and this could be useful to conduct cross-cultural studies of health care service quality.</p

Thermal Imaging of Nanostructures by Quantitative Optical Phase Analysis

International audienceWe introduce an optical microscopy technique aimed at characterizing the heat generation arising from nanostructures, in a comprehensive and quantitative manner. Namely, the technique permits (i) mapping the temperature distribution around the source of heat, (ii) mapping the heat power density delivered by the source, and (iii) retrieving the absolute absorption cross section of light-absorbing structures. The technique is based on the measure of the thermal-induced refractive index variation of the medium surrounding the source of heat. The measurement is achieved using an association of a regular CCD camera along with a modified Hartmann diffraction grating. Such a simple association makes this technique straightforward to implement on any conventional microscope with its native broadband illumination conditions. We illustrate this technique on gold nanoparticles illuminated at their plasmonic resonance. The spatial resolution of this technique is diffraction limited, and temperature variations weaker than 1 K can be detected

Synthesis and Antiplasmodial Activity of New IndoloneN-Oxide Derivatives

Synthesis and Antiplasmodial Activity of New IndoloneN-Oxide Derivative