Bench-to-bedside review: Association of genetic variation with sepsis

Susceptibility and response to infectious disease is, in part, heritable. Initial attempts to identify the causal genetic polymorphisms have not been entirely successful because of the complexity of the genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that influence susceptibility and response to infectious disease and because of flaws in study design. Potential associations between clinical outcome from sepsis and many inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms, innate immunity pathway gene polymorphisms, and coagulation cascade polymorphisms have been observed. Confirmation in large, well conducted, multicenter studies is required to confirm current findings and to make them clinically applicable. Unbiased investigation of all genes in the human genome is an emerging approach. New, economical, high-throughput technologies may make this possible. It is now feasible to genotype thousands of tag single nucleotide polymorphisms across the genome in thousands of patients, thus addressing the issues of small sample size and bias in selecting candidate polymorphisms and genes for genetic association studies. By performing genome-wide association studies, genome-wide scans of nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, and testing for differential allelic expression and copy number polymorphisms, we may yet be able to tease out the complex influence of genetic variation on susceptibility and response to infectious disease

Placement stability: a review of the literature

This literature review was commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills to provide a summary of current knowledge on patterns of placement stability for children looked after by local authorities. It offers an appraisal of research that has been undertaken in England since 1989. The timeframe focuses attention on studies undertaken following the implementation of the Children Act 1989, with the exception of Child Care Now: A survey of placement patterns (Rowe et al., 1989) which has also been included on the basis that it describes movement in and out of care and within the system for a large sample of looked after children 1

Human adult stem cells derived from adipose tissue and bone marrow attenuate enteric neuropathy in the guinea-pig model of acute colitis

No grant i

Neuroprotective potential of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy in acute stages of TNBS-induced colitis in Guinea-pigs

No grant i

Critical Role of Nutrition in Improving Quality of Care: An Interdisciplinary Call to Action to Address Adult Hospital Malnutrition

AbstractThe current era of health care delivery, with its focus on providing high-quality, affordable care, presents many challenges to hospital-based health professionals. The prevention and treatment of hospital malnutrition offers a tremendous opportunity to optimize the overall quality of patient care, improve clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. Unfortunately, malnutrition continues to go unrecognized and untreated in many hospitalized patients. This article represents a call to action from the interdisciplinary Alliance to Advance Patient Nutrition to highlight the critical role of nutrition intervention in clinical care and to suggest practical ways to promptly diagnose and treat malnourished patients and those at risk for malnutrition. We underscore the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to addressing malnutrition both in the hospital and in the acute post-hospital phase. It is well recognized that malnutrition is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Although data vary across studies, available evidence shows that early nutrition intervention can reduce complication rates, length of hospital stay, readmission rates, mortality, and cost of care. The key is to systematically identify patients who are malnourished or at risk and to promptly intervene. We present a novel care model to drive improvement, emphasizing the following six principles: (1) create an institutional culture where all stakeholders value nutrition; (2) redefine clinicians' roles to include nutrition care; (3) recognize and diagnose all malnourished patients and those at risk; (4) rapidly implement comprehensive nutrition interventions and continued monitoring; (5) communicate nutrition care plans; and (6) develop a comprehensive discharge nutrition care and education plan

Voting procedures and parliamentary representation in the European Parliament

Parliamentary representation is a fluid concept. Yet, while the behaviour of elected representatives during roll call votes has been widely analysed, we know little about how parliamentarians act when their individual voting choices are not made public. This paper explores the relationship between voting procedures and the likelihood that Members of the European Parliament prioritise the interests of their EP party group versus the interests of their national party. Using an original survey, I find that MEPs are more likely to prioritise the interests of their national party over those of their EP party group when voting by show of hands or electronically, as opposed to by roll call. Moreover, this voting procedure effect is particularly salient among MEPs elected from 2004/07 accession countries

The influence of ethanol as a solvent on the gibberellic acid-induced germination of Brachyscome and Allittia (Asteraceae) seeds

Published online 16 February 2018Gibberellic acid (GA₃) is routinely used as a germination stimulant for seeds. However, the methods used to dissolve GA₃ powder – particularly if using organic solvents – have the potential to affect germination outcomes. In this study we examined the influence of the solvent ethanol, used to dissolve GA₃, on the seed germination of 14 species of Brachyscome and two species of Allittia. These species are important Australian native composites with potential for use in habitat restoration. Seeds of 11 of these species were found to be particularly responsive to GA₃. However, the use of a low concentration of ethanol (0.5%) to dissolve GA₃ affected subsequent germination outcomes, with four species responding positively and eight negatively to this solvent. The pure effect of GA₃ was therefore masked by the presence of small concentrations of ethanol, whose effects varied between the species examined. Because of these potentially confounding effects of ethanol, we recommend the use of pure water for dissolution of GA₃ when testing seed germination responses in these genera.Rina Aleman, Manfred Jusaitis, Joan Gibbs, Phil Ainsley and Fleur Tive

Differential Gene Expression in Normal Human Mammary Epithelial Cells Treated with Malathion Monitored by DNA Microarrays

Organophosphate pesticides are a major source of occupational exposure in the United States. Moreover, malathion has been sprayed over major urban populations in an effort to control mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. Previous research, reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of malathion has been inconclusive, although malathion is a known endocrine disruptor. Here, interindividual variations and commonality of gene expression signatures have been studied in normal human mammary epithelial cells from four women undergoing reduction mammoplasty. The cell strains were obtained from the discarded tissues through the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (sponsors: National Cancer Institute and National Disease Research Interchange). Interindividual variation of gene expression patterns in response to malathion was observed in various clustering patterns for the four cell strains. Further clustering identified three genes with increased expression after treatment in all four cell strains. These genes were two aldo–keto reductases (AKR1C1 and AKR1C2) and an estrogen-responsive gene (EBBP). Decreased expression of six RNA species was seen at various time points in all cell strains analyzed: plasminogen activator (PLAT), centromere protein F (CPF), replication factor C (RFC3), thymidylate synthetase (TYMS), a putative mitotic checkpoint kinase (BUB1), and a gene of unknown function (GenBank accession no. AI859865). Expression changes in all these genes, detected by DNA microarrays, have been verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Differential changes in expression of these genes may yield biomarkers that provide insight into interindividual variation in malathion toxicity

Nutrition Screening and Assessment in Hospitalized Patients

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141744/1/ncp0483.pd