Possible egg masses from amphibians, gastropods, and insects in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber

The eggs of fish, amphibians, and many invertebrates are soft, delicate structures that are only rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here we report egg masses preserved as inclusions in mid-Cretaceous amber deposits of Myanmar. Of five specimens recovered, three of the egg masses probably pertain to insects, but the other two appear different. One mass is composed of relatively stiff eggs that retain their shape throughout the mass and may be linked by mucoid strands. This morphology resembles that of some terrestrial molluscs. The second mass is composed of softer eggs that have compressed one another so that their shapes are strongly distorted within the mass. These eggs most closely resemble those of amphibians. Given the forest environment reconstructed for the amber locality, the eggs were presumably attached on or close to the resin producing tree

Talking about depression: a qualitative study of barriers to managing depression in people with long term conditions in primary care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The risk of depression is increased in people with long term conditions (LTCs) and is associated with poorer patient outcomes for both the depressive illness and the LTC, but often remains undetected and poorly managed. The aim of this study was to identify and explore barriers to detecting and managing depression in primary care in people with two exemplar LTCs: diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 healthcare professionals drawn predominately from primary care, along with 7 service users and 3 carers (n = 29). One focus group was then held with a set of 6 healthcare professionals and a set of 7 service users and 1 carer (n = 14). Interviews and the focus group were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed independently. The two data sets were then inspected for commonalities using a constant comparative method, leading to a final thematic framework used in this paper.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Barriers to detecting and managing depression in people with LTCs in primary care exist: i) when practitioners in partnership with patients conceptualise depression as a common and understandable response to the losses associated with LTCs - depression in the presence of LTCs is normalised, militating against its recognition and treatment; ii) where highly performanced managed consultations under the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework encourage reductionist approaches to case-finding in people with CHD and diabetes, and iii) where there is uncertainty among practitioners about how to negotiate labels for depression in people with LTCs in ways that might facilitate shared understanding and future management.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Depression was often normalised in the presence of LTCs, obviating rather than facilitating further assessment and management. Furthermore, structural constraints imposed by the QOF encouraged reductionist approaches to case-finding for depression in consultations for CHD and diabetes. Future work might focus on how interventions that draw on the principles of the chronic care model, such as collaborative care, could support primary care practitioners to better recognise and manage depression in patients with LTCs.</p

A mobile phone-based care model for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation: the care assessment platform (CAP)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac rehabilitation programs offer effective means to prevent recurrence of a cardiac event, but poor uptake of current programs have been reported globally. Home based models are considered as a feasible alternative to avoid various barriers related to care centre based programs. This paper sets out the study design for a clinical trial seeking to test the hypothesis that these programs can be better and more efficiently supported with novel Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>We have integrated mobile phones and web services into a comprehensive home- based care model for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Mobile phones with a built-in accelerometer sensor are used to measure physical exercise and WellnessDiary software is used to collect information on patients' physiological risk factors and other health information. Video and teleconferencing are used for mentoring sessions aiming at behavioural modifications through goal setting. The mentors use web-portal to facilitate personal goal setting and to assess the progress of each patient in the program. Educational multimedia content are stored or transferred via messaging systems to the patients phone to be viewed on demand. We have designed a randomised controlled trial to compare the health outcomes and cost efficiency of the proposed model with a traditional community based rehabilitation program. The main outcome measure is adherence to physical exercise guidelines.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The study will provide evidence on using mobile phones and web services for mentoring and self management in a home-based care model targeting sustainable behavioural modifications in cardiac rehabilitation patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>The trial has been registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) with number ACTRN12609000251224.</p

Changes to the Fossil Record of Insects through Fifteen Years of Discovery

The first and last occurrences of hexapod families in the fossil record are compiled from publications up to end-2009. The major features of these data are compared with those of previous datasets (1993 and 1994). About a third of families (>400) are new to the fossil record since 1994, over half of the earlier, existing families have experienced changes in their known stratigraphic range and only about ten percent have unchanged ranges. Despite these significant additions to knowledge, the broad pattern of described richness through time remains similar, with described richness increasing steadily through geological history and a shift in dominant taxa, from Palaeoptera and Polyneoptera to Paraneoptera and Holometabola, after the Palaeozoic. However, after detrending, described richness is not well correlated with the earlier datasets, indicating significant changes in shorter-term patterns. There is reduced Palaeozoic richness, peaking at a different time, and a less pronounced Permian decline. A pronounced Triassic peak and decline is shown, and the plateau from the mid Early Cretaceous to the end of the period remains, albeit at substantially higher richness compared to earlier datasets. Origination and extinction rates are broadly similar to before, with a broad decline in both through time but episodic peaks, including end-Permian turnover. Origination more consistently exceeds extinction compared to previous datasets and exceptions are mainly in the Palaeozoic. These changes suggest that some inferences about causal mechanisms in insect macroevolution are likely to differ as well

Antimicrobial activity of fatty Nacylamino acids against Grampositive foodborne pathogens

The inhibitory effect of fatty N-acylamino acids on Gram-positive food-borne pathogens was examined. Myristoyl (C14) derivatives gave the greatest activity, followed by lauroyl (C14) and palmitoyl (C14). Derivatives of aromatic amino acids were most active, particularly phenylalanine. D-Isomers were inactive, as were the esters of active derivatives. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of as low as 8.5 ·g ml-1 were obtained with myristoyl-phenylalanine (Myr-Phe), the most active derivative. Inhibitory activity was highest under mildly acidic (pH 6.0) as opposed to neutral conditions. Fatty N-acylamino acids specifically inhibited production of hemolysin (listeriolysin O) by Listeria monocytogenes. The results suggest that fatty N-acylamino acids may have some potential use as multi-functional food additives.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Effect of fatty N-acylamino acids on some functional properties of two food proteins

The effect of fatty N-acylamino acids on the foaming, emulsifying, and gelling properties of egg white and whey protein isolate was investigated. The overrun, emulsifying activity, and gelling properties of these two protein products were generally enhanced by the addition of 0.1-0.5 % of the fatty N-acylammo acids, while the foaming stability was lowered. Both lauroyl (C12) and myristoyl (C14) derivatives were highly effective, particularly the derivatives of phenylalanine and methionine. The palmitoyl (C16) and stearoyl (C16) derivatives were less effective, while the esters of active derivatives did not affect protein functionality. The thermal characteristics of the proteins were modified by fatty N-acylaraino acids and were related to changes in functional properties. The results suggest the potential use of fatty N-acylamino acids as multifunctional food additives.link_to_subscribed_fulltex