Screening for primary aldosteronism- normal ranges for aldosterone and renin in three South African population groups

Objective. To establish normal ranges for plasma aldosterone, renin and aldosterone / renin (A/ R) ratio in South African normotensives under typical ou tpatient conditions, and to estimate the prevalence of primary aldosteronism (PA) among hypertensives in primary care settings.Design and methods. One hundred and thirty-six normotensive subjects and 154 sex- and age-matched hypertensives at three primary care clinics had measurements of blood pressure, plasma creatinine, K+, aldosterone, plasma renin activity, and spot urine for urinary Na+/ creatinine ratio. Medication was not withdrawn before testing.Results. Mean plasma renin activity in black normotensive subjects (0.95 ± 1.25 ng/ ml/ h, mean± standard deviation (SD)) was significantly lower than in white (2.09 ± 1.12 ng/ ml/ h; P < 0.0001) and coloured (1.81 ± 1.86 ng/ ml/ h, P = 0.013) normotensives. Mean plasma aldosterone in black normotensives (306 ± 147 pmol/ 1) was also significantly lower than in white (506 ± 324 pmol/1, P = 0.0002) and coloured (418 ± 304 pmol/1, P = 0.0148) normotensives. In hypertensives, there were no significant differences in renin or aldosterone levels between the three population groups. Urinary Na+ /creatinine ratios, an index of Na+ intake, were not significantly different in the three population groups. None of the normotensives had an A/R ratio ≥ 1 000 plus aldosterone ≥ 750, while 7.1% of hypertensives exceeded these levels, suggesting that they are appropriate criteria for screening for PA.Conclusions. A large fraction of black normotensive subjects had low renin and aldosterone levels compared with whites, suggesting a salt-retaining tendency in black subjects. These results have important implications for the interpretation of plasma renin and aldosterone levels in hypertensive patients. In primary care settings, 7.1% of hypertensives had biochemical results indicating the need for investigation of PA

Naval Narratives of Re-enactment: In Which We Serve and Sea of Fire

This essay examines two narrative examples of the Royal Navy and naval combat on screen, exploring their resemblances in the reenactment of naval history and their portrayal of the past through consistent representational strategies. In Which We Serve (Noel Coward and David Lean, 1942) and Sea of Fire (Ian Duncan, 2007) use deliberate and self-conscious recreations of the past to authenticate their interpretations of British naval history, and evince comparably conservative stances towards the Royal Navy and perceptions of its traditions. The similarity of their narratives, which describe the events leading up to the loss of two Navy destroyers, helps to reveal and reinforce the tonal, structural and stylistic parallels in their depictions. The correspondence in their portrayal of naval combat and the institution of the Royal Navy illustrates the consistencies of representation which characterise the naval war film as a distinctive, definable narrative form. Above all, their commitment to the recreation and reenactment of identifiable historical events underpins their importance in the representation and commemoration of the national, naval past. It is this aspect of both productions which is significant in the exploration of the role of visual representations to construct, affirm and broadcast pervasive and persuasive versions of popular history

The genetic and environmental hierarchical structure of anxiety and depression in the UK Biobank

Background. Anxiety and depressive disorders can be classified under a bi-dimensional model, where depression and generalized anxiety disorder are represented by distress and the other anxiety disorders, by fear. The phenotypic structure of this model has been validated, but twin studies only show partial evidence for genetic and environmental distinctions between distress and fear. Moreover, the effects of genetic variants are mostly shared between anxiety and depression, but the genome-wide genetic distinction between distress and fear remain unexplored. This study aimed to examine the degree of common genetic variation overlap between distress and fear, and their associations with the psychosocial risk factors of loneliness and social isolation. Methods. We used genome-wide data from 157,366 individuals in the UK Biobank who answered a mental health questionnaire. Results. Genetic correlations indicated that depression and generalized anxiety had a substantial genetic overlap, and that they were genetically partially distinct from fear disorders. Associations with loneliness, but not social isolation, showed that loneliness was more strongly associated with both distress disorders than with fear. Conclusions. Our findings shed light on genetic and environmental mechanisms that are common and unique to distress and fear and contribute to current knowledge on individuals’ susceptibility to anxiety and depression

Malaria, Intestinal Helminths and Other Risk Factors for Stillbirth in Ghana

Objective. The objective of the study was to assess Plasmodium/intestinal helminth infection in pregnancy and other risk factors for stillbirth in Ghana. Methods. A cross-sectional study of women presenting for delivery in two hospitals was conducted during November-December 2006. Data collected included sociodemographic information, medical and obstetric histories, and anthropometric measures. Laboratory investigations for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum and intestinal helminths, and tests for hemoglobin levels were also performed. Results. The stillbirth rate was relatively high in this population (5%). Most of the stillbirths were fresh and 24% were macerated. When compared to women with no malaria, women with malaria had increased risk of stillbirth (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–9.3). Other factors associated with stillbirth were severe anemia, low serum folate concentration, past induced abortion, and history of stillbirth. Conclusion. The fact that most of the stillbirths were fresh suggests that higher quality intrapartum care could reduce stillbirth rates

Connectionist natural language parsing

The key developments of two decades of connectionist parsing are reviewed. Connectionist parsers are assessed according to their ability to learn to represent syntactic structures from examples automatically, without being presented with symbolic grammar rules. This review also considers the extent to which connectionist parsers offer computational models of human sentence processing and provide plausible accounts of psycholinguistic data. In considering these issues, special attention is paid to the level of realism, the nature of the modularity, and the type of processing that is to be found in a wide range of parsers

Gas-permeable ethylene bags for the small scale cultivation of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 and other viruses in embryonated chicken eggs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Embryonated chicken eggs (ECE) are sometimes used for the primary isolation or passage of influenza viruses, other viruses, and certain bacteria. For small-scale experiments with pathogens that must be studied in biosafety level three (BSL3) facilities, inoculated ECE are sometimes manipulated and maintained in small egg incubators within a biosafety cabinet (BSC). To simplify the clean up and decontamination of an egg incubator in case of egg breakage, we explored whether ethylene breather bags could be used to encase ECE inoculated with pathogens. This concept was tested by determining embryo survival and examining virus yields in bagged ECE.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Virus yields acceptable for many applications were attained when influenza-, alpha-, flavi-, canine distemper-, and mousepox viruses were propagated in ECE sealed within ethylene breather bags.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For many small-scale applications, ethylene breather bags can be used to encase ECE inoculated with various viruses.</p

Genetic Decomposition of the Heritable Component of Reported Childhood Maltreatment

BACKGROUND: Decades of research have shown that environmental exposures, including self-reports of trauma, are partly heritable. Heritable characteristics may influence exposure to and interpretations of environmental factors. Identifying heritable factors associated with self-reported trauma could improve our understanding of vulnerability to exposure and the interpretation of life events. METHODS: We used genome-wide association study summary statistics of childhood maltreatment, defined as reporting of abuse (emotional, sexual, and physical) and neglect (emotional and physical) (N = 185,414 participants). We calculated genetic correlations (rg) between reported childhood maltreatment and 576 traits to identify phenotypes that might explain the heritability of reported childhood maltreatment, retaining those with |rg| > 0.25. We specified multiple regression models using genomic structural equation modeling to detect residual genetic variance in childhood maltreatment after accounting for genetically correlated traits. RESULTS: In 2 separate models, the shared genetic component of 12 health and behavioral traits and 7 psychiatric disorders accounted for 59% and 56% of heritability due to common genetic variants (single nucleotide polymorphism–based heritability [h2SNP]) of childhood maltreatment, respectively. Genetic influences on h2SNP of childhood maltreatment were generally accounted for by a shared genetic component across traits. The exceptions to this were general risk tolerance, subjective well-being, posttraumatic stress disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, identified as independent contributors to h2SNP of childhood maltreatment. These 4 traits alone were sufficient to explain 58% of h2SNP of childhood maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS: We identified putative traits that reflect h2SNP of childhood maltreatment. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying these associations may improve trauma prevention and posttraumatic intervention strategies