Mucosal immune responses to respiratory syncytial virus

Despite over half a century of research, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced bronchiolitis remains a major cause of hospitalisation in infancy, while vaccines and specific therapies still await development. Our understanding of mucosal immune responses to RSV continues to evolve, but recent studies again highlight the role of Type-2 immune responses in RSV disease and hint at the possibility that it dampens Type-1 antiviral immunity. Other immunoregulatory pathways implicated in RSV disease highlight the importance of focussing on localised mucosal responses in the respiratory mucosa, as befits a virus that is essentially confined to the ciliated respiratory epithelium. In this review, we discuss studies of mucosal immune cell infiltration and production of inflammatory mediators in RSV bronchiolitis and relate these studies to observations from peripheral blood. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of studying the nasal mucosa in a disease that is most severe in the lower airway. A fresh focus on studies of RSV pathogenesis in the airway mucosa is set to revolutionise our understanding of this common and important infection

Post-prandial amino acid changes in gilthead sea bream

Following a meal, a series of physiological changes occurs in fish as they digest, absorb and assimilate ingested nutrients. This study aims to assess post-prandial free amino acid (FAA) activity in gilthead sea bream consuming a partial marine protein (fishmeal) replacement. Sea bream were fed diets where 16 and 27% of the fishmeal protein was replaced by plant protein. The essential amino acid (EAA) composition of the white muscle, liver and gut of sea bream was strongly correlated with the EAA composition of the 16% protein replacement diet compared to the 27% protein replacement diet. The mean FAA concentration in the white muscle and liver changed at 4 to 8 h after a meal and was not different to pre-feeding (0 h) and at 24 h after feeding. It was confirmed in this study that 16% replacement of marine protein with plant protein meets the amino acid needs of sea bream. Overall, the present study contributes towards understanding post-prandial amino acid profiles during uptake, tissue assimilation and immediate metabolic processing of amino acids in sea bream consuming a partial marine protein replacement. This study suggests the need to further investigate the magnitude of the post-prandial tissue-specific amino acid activity in relation to species-specific abilities to regulate metabolism due to dietary nutrient utilization

Trait impulsivity influences behavioural and physiological responses to threat in a virtual environment

Trait impulsivity represents a tendency to take action without forethought or consideration of consequences. This trait is multifaceted and can be decomposed into attentional, motor and non-planning subtypes of impulsivity. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how subtypes of trait impulsivity responded to different degrees of threat within room-scale virtual reality (VR) with respect to behaviour and level of physiological activation. Thirty-four participants were required to negotiate a virtual environment (VE) where they walked at height with the continuous threat of a virtual ‘fall.’ Behavioural measures related to the speed of movement, interaction frequency and risk were collected. Participants also wore ambulatory sensors to collect data from electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodermal activity (EDA). Our results indicated that participants who scored highly on non-planning impulsivity exhibited riskier behaviour and higher skin conductance level (SCL). Participants with higher motor impulsivity interacted with more objects in the VE when threat was high, they also exhibited contradictory indicators of physiological activation. Attentional impulsivity was associated with a greater number of falls across the VE. The results demonstrate that subtypes of trait impulsivity respond to threats via different patterns of behaviour and levels of physiological activation, reinforcing the multifaceted nature of the trait

Ages for exoplanet host stars

Age is an important characteristic of a planetary system, but also one that is difficult to determine. Assuming that the host star and the planets are formed at the same time, the challenge is to determine the stellar age. Asteroseismology provides precise age determination, but in many cases the required detailed pulsation observations are not available. Here we concentrate on other techniques, which may have broader applicability but also serious limitations. Further development of this area requires improvements in our understanding of the evolution of stars and their age-dependent characteristics, combined with observations that allow reliable calibration of the various techniques.Comment: To appear in "Handbook of Exoplanets", eds. Deeg, H.J. & Belmonte, J.A, Springer (2018

Description and evaluation of a bench porcine model for teaching surgical residents vascular anastomosis skills

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Numerous models, of variable quality, exist to impart the complex skills required to perform vascular anastomosis. These models differ with regard to the kinds of materials used, as well as their sizes, the time needed for their preparation, their availability, and the associated costs. The present study describes a bench model that uses formalin-fixed porcine aorta, and its evaluation by young surgical residents during a recent skills course.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The aortic segments used were a by-product of slaughtering. They were fixed and stored after harvesting for eventual use. Ten young surgical residents participated, and each performed one end-to-side vascular anastomosis. The evaluation was a questionnaire maintaining anonymity of the participant containing questions addressing particular aspects of the model and the experiences of the trainee, along with their ratings concerning the need for a training course to learn vascular anastomosis techniques. The scoring on the survey was done using a global 6-point rating scale (Likert Scale). In addition, we ranked the present model by reviewing the current literature for models that address vascular anastomosis skills.</p> <p>The trainees who participated were within their first two years of training (1.25 ± 0.46). A strong agreement in terms of the necessity of training for vascular anastomosis techniques was evident among the participating trainees (5.90 ± 0.32), who had only few prior manual experiences (total number 1.50 ± 0.53). The query revealed a strong agreement that porcine aorta is a suitable model that fits the needs for training vascular anastomosis skills (5.70 ± 0.48). Only a few bench models designed to teach surgical residents vascular anastomosis techniques were available in the literature.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The preparatory and financial resources needed to perform anastomosis skills training using porcine aorta are few. The presented bench model appears to be appropriate for learning vascular anastomosis skills, as rated by the surgical trainees themselves.</p

Local delivery of nitric oxide prevents endothelial dysfunction in periodontitis

AIMS: Increased cardiovascular disease risk underlies elevated rates of mortality in individuals with periodontitis. A key characteristic of those with increased cardiovascular risk is endothelial dysfunction, a phenomenon synonymous with deficiencies of bioavailable nitric oxide (NO), and prominently expressed in patients with periodontitis. Also, inorganic nitrate can be reduced to NO in vivo to restore NO levels, leading us to hypothesise that its use may be beneficial in reducing periodontitis-associated endothelial dysfunction. Herein we sought to determine whether inorganic nitrate improves endothelial function in the setting of periodontitis and if so to determine the mechanisms underpinning any responses seen. METHOD AND RESULTS: Periodontitis was induced in mice by placement of a ligature for 14 days around the second molar. Treatment in vivo with potassium nitrate, either prior to or following establishment of experimental periodontitis, attenuated endothelial dysfunction, as determined by assessment of acetylcholine-induced relaxation of aortic rings, compared to control (potassium chloride treatment). These beneficial effects were associated with a suppression of vascular wall inflammatory pathways (assessed by quantitative-PCR), increases in the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 and reduced tissue oxidative stress due to attenuation of xanthine oxidoreductase-dependent superoxide generation. In patients with periodontitis, plasma nitrite levels were not associated with endothelial function indicating dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that inorganic nitrate protects against, and can partially reverse pre-existing, periodontitis-induced endothelial dysfunction through restoration of nitrite and thus NO levels. This research highlights the potential of dietary nitrate as adjunct therapy to target the associated negative cardiovascular outcomes in patients with periodontitis

A Large Scale Double Beta and Dark Matter Experiment: GENIUS

The recent results from the HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW experiment have demonstrated the large potential of double beta decay to search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. To increase by a major step the present sensitivity for double beta decay and dark matter search much bigger source strengths and much lower backgrounds are needed than used in experiments under operation at present or under construction. We present here a study of a project proposed recently, which would operate one ton of 'naked' enriched GErmanium-detectors in liquid NItrogen as shielding in an Underground Setup (GENIUS). It improves the sensitivity to neutrino masses to 0.01 eV. A ten ton version would probe neutrino masses even down to 10^-3 eV. The first version would allow to test the atmospheric neutrino problem, the second at least part of the solar neutrino problem. Both versions would allow in addition significant contributions to testing several classes of GUT models. These are especially tests of R-parity breaking supersymmetry models, leptoquark masses and mechanism and right-handed W-boson masses comparable to LHC. The second issue of the experiment is the search for dark matter in the universe. The entire MSSM parameter space for prediction of neutralinos as dark matter particles could be covered already in a first step of the full experiment - with the same purity requirements but using only 100 kg of 76Ge or even of natural Ge - making the experiment competitive to LHC in the search for supersymmetry. The layout of the proposed experiment is discussed and the shielding and purity requirements are studied using GEANT Monte Carlo simulations. As a demonstration of the feasibility of the experiment first results of operating a 'naked' Ge detector in liquid nitrogen are presented.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, see also http://pluto.mpi-hd.mpg.de/~betalit/genius.htm

A primary cutaneous adenoid-cystic carcinoma in a young woman. Differential diagnosis and clinical implications

Primary cutaneous adenoid-cystic carcinoma (PCACC) is a rare slow-growing neoplasm of disputed histogenesis characterized by a cribriform pattern at histology and local aggressive behaviour. Up to date about 60 cases of PCACC have been reported in the literature. This tumour is most common in the scalp, affects middle-aged and older individuals (mean age 59) and has predilection for women. We describe an unexpected case of PCACC in a 32-years-old woman referred to our clinic for a subcutaneous nodule in the scalp showing a slow growth and indolent course. The differential diagnosis and the clinical management of this PCACC patient, successfully treated with a wide local excision, are presented and discussed

Kinematics of Galactic Centre clouds shaped by shear-seeded solenoidal turbulence

The Central Molecular Zone (CMZ; the central ∼500 pc of the Galaxy) is a kinematically unusual environment relative to the Galactic disc, with high-velocity dispersions and a steep size–linewidth relation of the molecular clouds. In addition, the CMZ region has a significantly lower star formation rate (SFR) than expected by its large amount of dense gas. An important factor in explaining the low SFR is the turbulent state of the star-forming gas, which seems to be dominated by rotational modes. However, the turbulence driving mechanism remains unclear. In this work, we investigate how the Galactic gravitational potential affects the turbulence in CMZ clouds. We focus on the CMZ cloud G0.253+0.016 (‘the Brick’), which is very quiescent and unlikely to be kinematically dominated by stellar feedback. We demonstrate that several kinematic properties of the Brick arise naturally in a cloud-scale hydrodynamics simulation, that takes into account the Galactic gravitational potential. These properties include the line-of-sight velocity distribution, the steepened size–linewidth relation, and the predominantly solenoidal nature of the turbulence. Within the simulation, these properties result from the Galactic shear in combination with the cloud’s gravitational collapse. This is a strong indication that the Galactic gravitational potential plays a crucial role in shaping the CMZ gas kinematics, and is a major contributor to suppressing the SFR, by inducing predominantly solenoidal turbulent modes