Anticoagulant rodenticide uptake in resistant rat populations

The use of potent anticogulant rodenticide ‘resistance-breakers’ is avoided due to their higher toxicity and potential to be more hazardous in the environment [6]. However, in areas where practitioners seek to control resistant rodent infestations, their use may pose less of a risk than applications of ineffective baits. Compounds to which rodents are resistant to, do not provide effective control and create a long-term source of AR in the environment. The higher quantities of anticoagulant rodenticide used show that using ineffective compounds may extend both the period and severity of exposure to non-target animals to anticoagulant rodenticides. Conversely the effective use of resistance-breakers to control anticoagulant rodenticide-resistant rat populations results in lower environmental exposure of anticoagulant rodenticides for non-targets. Of course, the relative toxicity of the different anticoagulant rodenticides will also play an important part in overall risk assessments. However, this can be outweighed by the relative exposure to different anticoagulant rodenticides in such situations

Effects of Yoga on Arm Volume among Women with Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema: A Pilot Study

Lymphedema affects 3–58% of survivors of breast cancer and can result in upper extremity impairments. Exercise can be beneficial in managing lymphedema. Yoga practice has been minimally studied for its effects on breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of yoga on arm volume, quality of life (QOL), self-reported arm function, and hand grip strength in women with BCRL. Six women with BCRL participated in modified Hatha yoga 3×/week for 8 weeks. Compression sleeves were worn during yoga sessions. Arm volume, QOL, self-reported arm function, and hand grip strength were measured at baseline, half-way, and at the conclusion of yoga practice. Arm volume significantly decreased from baseline (2423.3 ml ± 597.2) to final measures (2370.8 ml ± 577.2) (p = .02). No significant changes in QOL (p = .12), self-reported arm function (p = .34), or hand grip strength (p = .26) were found. Yoga may be beneficial in the management of lymphedema

Bcl-xL gain of function and p19ARF loss of function cooperate oncogenically with Myc in vivo by distinct mechanisms

SummaryOverexpression of Bcl-xL, loss of p19ARF, and loss of p53 all accelerate Myc oncogenesis. All three lesions are implicated in suppressing Myc-induced apoptosis, suggesting that this is a common mechanism by which they synergize with Myc. However, using an acutely switchable model of Myc-induced tumorigenesis, we demonstrate that each lesion cooperates with Myc in vivo by a distinct mechanism. While Bcl-xL blocks Myc-induced apoptosis, inactivation of p19ARF enhances it. However, this increase in apoptosis is matched by increased Myc-induced proliferation. p53 inactivation shares features of both lesions, partially suppressing apoptosis while augmenting proliferation. Bcl-xL and p19ARF loss together synergize to further accelerate Myc oncogenesis. Thus, differing lesions cooperate oncogenically with Myc by discrete mechanisms that can themselves synergize with each other

Design of the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD (SPIROMICS) AIR Study.

IntroductionPopulation-based epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air pollutants increases hospitalisations and mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but less is known about the impact of exposure to air pollutants on patient-reported outcomes, morbidity and progression of COPD.Methods and analysisThe Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD (SPIROMICS) Air Pollution Study (SPIROMICS AIR) was initiated in 2013 to investigate the relation between individual-level estimates of short-term and long-term air pollution exposures, day-to-day symptom variability and disease progression in individuals with COPD. SPIROMICS AIR builds on a multicentre study of smokers with COPD, supplementing it with state-of-the-art air pollution exposure assessments of fine particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, sulfur dioxide and black carbon. In the parent study, approximately 3000 smokers with and without airflow obstruction are being followed for up to 3 years for the identification of intermediate biomarkers which predict disease progression. Subcohorts undergo daily symptom monitoring using comprehensive daily diaries. The air monitoring and modelling methods employed in SPIROMICS AIR will provide estimates of individual exposure that incorporate residence-specific infiltration characteristics and participant-specific time-activity patterns. The overarching study aim is to understand the health effects of short-term and long-term exposures to air pollution on COPD morbidity, including exacerbation risk, patient-reported outcomes and disease progression.Ethics and disseminationThe institutional review boards of all the participating institutions approved the study protocols. The results of the trial will be presented at national and international meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals

Switching the Interpenetration of Confined Asymmetric Polymer Brushes

The interpenetration of two polymer brushes on approaching flat surfaces has been investigated. When compacting polymer brushes with an asymmetric charge on each surface, one neutral and the other weakly charged, we find that the brush interpenetration becomes a parameter that can be controlled by the pH of the hydrating solution. The switching between high and low degrees of brush interpenetration was investigated with numerical self-consistent field theory (nSCF) and experimentally using a sample environment which combines neutron reflectometry with a surface force type apparatus. Initially, a pair of uncharged poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, brushes are examined, where one of the brushes is deuterated to distinguish it from a hydrogenous counterpart. We find in both nSCF and these experiments that there is no significant overlap between the brushes as both compact into polymer blocks with little hydration. However, when a weak polyelectrolyte poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate), PDMAEMA, brush is confined against a deuterated neutral PEO brush and the pH of the hydrating solution is below the polycation’s pKa of 7.5, then the presence of charged groups on the PDMAEMA allows significant interpenetration to occur between the two polymer brushes on contact. This interpenetration remains once the polymer brushes dehydrate due to the confining pressure that is applied. Raising the pH to a value above the pKa, removes the charges from the polyelectrolyte brush resulting in little to no interpenetration between the two brushes. Therefore, by simply adjusting the pH of the hydrating solution the interpenetration state between polymer brush pairs can be switched when one brush is a weak polyelectrolyte. Since polymer brushes are widely investigated and used to reduce friction between solid surfaces, this effect may have significant implications in the design and operation of polymer brushes with controllable friction properties

А. С. Макаренко о «педагогической системе хозяйства», или еще раз о «параллельности» производительного труда и воспитания

Biofilms represent the predominant mode of microbial growth in the natural environment. Bacillus subtilis is a ubiquitous Gram-positive soil bacterium that functions as an effective plant growth-promoting agent. The biofilm matrix is composed of an exopolysaccharide and an amyloid fiber-forming protein, TasA, and assembles with the aid of a small secreted protein, BslA. Here we show that natively synthesized and secreted BslA forms surface layers around the biofilm. Biophysical analysis demonstrates that BslA can self-assemble at interfaces, forming an elastic film. Molecular function is revealed from analysis of the crystal structure of BslA, which consists of an Ig-type fold with the addition of an unusual, extremely hydrophobic “cap” region. A combination of in vivo biofilm formation and in vitro biophysical analysis demonstrates that the central hydrophobic residues of the cap are essential to allow a hydrophobic, nonwetting biofilm to form as they control the surface activity of the BslA protein. The hydrophobic cap exhibits physiochemical properties remarkably similar to the hydrophobic surface found in fungal hydrophobins; thus, BslA is a structurally defined bacterial hydrophobin. We suggest that biofilms formed by other species of bacteria may have evolved similar mechanisms to provide protection to the resident bacterial community

Refining dosing by oral gavage in the dog: A protocol to harmonise welfare

Introduction: The dog is a frequently-used, non-rodent species in the safety assessment of new chemical entities. We have a scientific and ethical obligation to ensure that the best quality of data is achieved from their use. Oral gavage is a technique frequently used to deliver a compound directly into the stomach. As with other animals, in the dog, gavage is aversive and the frequency of its use is a cause for welfare concern but little research has been published on the technique nor how to Refine it. A Welfare Assessment Framework (Hall, 2014) was previously developed for use with the laboratory-housed dog and a contrasting pattern of behaviour, cardiovascular and affective measures were found in dogs with positive and negative welfare. Methods: Using the framework, this study compared the effects of sham dosing (used to attempt to habituate dogs to dosing) and a Refined training protocol against a control, no-training group to determine the benefit to welfare and scientific output of each technique. Results: Our findings show that sham dosing is ineffective as a habituation technique and ‘primes' rather than desensitises dogs to dosing. Dogs in the control group showed few changes in parameters across the duration of the study, with some undesirable changes during dosing, while dogs in the Refined treatment group showed improvements in many parameters. Discussion: It is recommended that if there is no time allocated for pre-study training a no-sham dosing protocol is used. However, brief training periods show a considerable benefit for welfare and quality of data to be obtained from the dogs' use

Posttraumatic stress disorder and accelerated aging: PTSD and leukocyte telomere length in a sample of civilian women.

BACKGROUND: Studies in male combat veterans have suggested posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with shorter telomere length (TL). We examined the cross-sectional association of PTSD with TL in women exposed to traumas common in civilian life. METHODS: Data are from a substudy of the Nurses' Health Study II (N = 116). PTSD and subclinical PTSD were assessed in trauma-exposed women using diagnostic interviews. An array of health behaviors and conditions were assessed. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes (collected 1996-1999). Telomere repeat copy number to single gene copy number (T/S) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR telomere assay. We used linear regression models to assess associations and examine whether a range of important health behaviors (e.g., cigarette smoking) and medical conditions (e.g., hypertension) previously associated with TL might explain a PTSD-TL association. We further examined whether type of trauma exposure (e.g., interpersonal violence) was associated with TL and whether trauma type might explain a PTSD-TL association. RESULTS: Relative to not having PTSD, women with a PTSD diagnosis had shorter log-transformed TL (β = -.112, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.196, -0.028). Adjustment for health behaviors and medical conditions did not attenuate this association. Trauma type was not associated with TL and did not account for the association of PTSD with TL. CONCLUSIONS: Our results add to growing evidence that PTSD may be associated with more rapid cellular aging as measured by telomere erosion. Moreover, the association could not be explained by health behaviors and medical conditions assessed in this study, nor by type of trauma exposure

Novel flavours paired with glutamate condition increased intake in older adults in the absence of changes in liking

Previous research on the repeat exposure to a novel flavour combined with monosodium glutamate (MSG) has shown an increase in liking and consumption for the particular flavour. The aim of the current work was to investigate whether this could also be observed in the case of older people, since they are most affected by undernutrition in the developed world and ways to increase consumption of food are of significant importance for this particular age group. For this study, 40 older adults (age 65-88) repeatedly consumed potato soup with two novel flavours (lemongrass and cumin) which were either with or without a high level of MSG (5%w/w). A randomized single blind within-subject design was implemented, where each participant was exposed to both soup flavours three times over 6 days, with one of the soup flavours containing MSG. After three repeat exposures, consumption increased significantly for the soups where the flavours had contained MSG during the repeated exposure (mean weight consumed increased from 123 to 164 g, p=0.017), implying that glutamate conditioned for increased wanting and consumption, despite the fact that the liking for the soup had not increased

Trichotillometry: the reliability and practicality of hair pluckability as a method of nutritional assessment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A nutritional assessment method that is quick and easy to conduct would be extremely useful in a complex emergency, where currently there is no agreed practical and acceptable method. Hair pluckability has been suggested to be a useful method of assessing protein nutritional status. The aim was to investigate the reliability of the trichotillometer and to explore the effects of patient characteristics on hair epilation force.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three observers plucked hair from twelve participants to investigate the within- and between-observer reliability. To investigate the effect of patient characteristics on hair pluckability, 12 black African and 12 white volunteers were recruited. Participants completed a short questionnaire to provide basic information on their characteristics and hair.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean hair pluckability measurements for the 12 participants obtained by the three observers (39.5 g, 41.2 g and 32.7 g) were significantly different (p < 0.001). Significant variation between patients was also found (p < 0.001). None of the patient characteristics significantly affected hair pluckability, with the exception of age, although this relationship was not consistent.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Due to significant variation in measurements, hair pluckability does not appear to be a reliable method for assessing adult nutritional status. Hair pluckability could be a useful method of nutritional assessment in complex humanitarian emergencies but only if the reliability was improved.</p