An empirical analysis of sustainability of Fiji¿s trade deficits

This paper investigates the sustainability of Fijiÿs trade deficits in the context of recent, unprecedented fiscal expansion and private sector credit. Employing various tests for determining structural break in the time series and cointegration test, the study results support the existence of a long run equilibrium relationship between exports and imports in Fiji implying that trade deficits are only a short-term phenomena and hence, sustainable in the long run

An empirical analysis of sustainability of Fiji¿s trade deficits

This paper investigates the sustainability of Fijiÿs trade deficits in the context of recent, unprecedented fiscal expansion and private sector credit. Employing various tests for determining structural break in the time series and cointegration test, the study results support the existence of a long run equilibrium relationship between exports and imports in Fiji implying that trade deficits are only a short-term phenomena and hence, sustainable in the long run

End-of-life care in the intensive care unit: the perceived barriers, supports, and changes needed

Objective. To identify perceived barriers, supports and changes needed to improve end-of-life care (EOLC) in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to compare physicians’ perceptions with those of nurses. Methods. We conducted a survey of critical care physicians and nurses in an academic medical center via a 3-item survey with open-ended statements regarding the strongest barriers, supports and changes needed to improve EOLC in ICU. Results. Thirty-four percent of all respondents identified physicians as the biggest barrier and thirty-three percent recognized nursing staff as the strongest support towards optimal EOLC. Improved communication was identified by 30% of respondents as the change most needed to improve EOLC. No significant differences between physicians and nurses were observed. Conclusions. Critical care physicians and nurses identified similar barriers, supports and the changes most needed to improve EOLC in the ICU. Recognition of physicians as the strongest barrier, and communication as the change most needed indicate areas for improvement. The finding of nurses as the strongest support for good EOLC provides the opportunity to strengthen their role in the care of the dying patient. Further study of these findings will help develop strategies to improve EOLC in the ICU

Periconceptional ethanol exposure induces a sex specific diuresis and increase in AQP2 and AVPR2 in the kidneys of aged rat offspring

Maternal alcohol consumption can impair renal development and program kidney dysfunction in offspring. Given that most women who drink alcohol cease consumption upon pregnancy recognition, we aimed to investigate the effect of alcohol around the time of conception (PC:EtOH) on offspring renal development and function. Rats received a liquid diet ±12.5% v/v ethanol from 4\ua0days before to 4\ua0days after mating. At postnatal day 30, nephron number was assessed. Urine flow and electrolyte (Na, K, Cl) excretion was measured at 6 and 19\ua0months and blood pressure at 12\ua0months. At 19\ua0months, kidneys were collected for gene and protein analysis and assessment of collecting duct length. At postnatal day 30, PC:EtOH offspring had fewer nephrons. At 6\ua0months, PC:EtOH exposure did not alter urine flow nor affect blood pressure at 12\ua0months. At 19\ua0months, female but not male offspring exposed to PC:EtOH drank more water and had a higher urine flow despite no differences in plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations. Aqp2 mRNA and Avpr2 mRNA and protein expression was increased in kidneys from female PC:EtOH offspring but collecting duct lengths were similar. Immunofluorescent staining revealed diffuse cytoplasmic distribution of AQP2 protein in kidneys from PC:EtOH females, compared with controls with apical AQP2 localization. PC:EtOH resulted in a low nephron endowment and in female offspring, associated with age-related diuresis. Changes in expression and cellular localization of AQP2 likely underpin this disturbance in water homeostasis and highlight the need for alcohol to be avoided in early pregnancy

BMP-7 Treatment Increases M2 Macrophage Differentiation and Reduces Inflammation and Plaque Formation in Apo E-/- Mice

Inflammation plays a fundamental role in the inception and development of atherosclerosis (ATH). Mechanisms of inflammation include the infiltration of monocytes into the injured area and subsequent differentiation into either pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages or anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. We have previously published data suggesting bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) enhances M2 macrophage differentiation and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion in vitro. In this regard, we hypothesized BMP-7 would inhibit plaque formation in an animal model of ATH through monocytic plasticity mediation. ATH was generated in male and female Apo E(-/-) mice via partial left carotid artery (PLCA) ligation and mice were divided into 3 groups: Sham, PLCA, and PLCA+BMP-7 (200 ug/kg; i.v.). Our data suggest that BMP-7 inhibits plaque formation and increases arterial systolic velocity. Furthermore, we report inhibition of monocyte infiltration and a decrease in associated pro-inflammatory cytokines (MCP-1, TNF-α, and IL-6) in the PLCA+BMP-7 mice. In contrast, our data suggest a significant (p<0.05) increase in M2 macrophage populations with consequential enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1RA, IL-10, and Arginase 1) expression following BMP-7 treatment. We have also observed that mechanisms promoting monocyte into M2 macrophage differentiation by BMP-7 involve the upregulation and activation of the BMP-7 receptor (BMP-7RII). In conclusion, we report that BMP-7 has the potential to mediate cellular plasticity and mitigate the inflammatory immune response, which results in decreased plaque formation and improved blood velocity

Draft genome sequence of pigeonpea (cajanus cajan), an orphan legume crop of resource-poor farmers

Pigeonpea is an important legume food crop grown primarily by smallholder farmers in many semi-arid tropical regions of the world. We used the Illumina next-generation sequencing platform to generate 237.2 Gb of sequence, which along with Sanger-based bacterial artificial chromosome end sequences and a genetic map, we assembled into scaffolds representing 72.7% (605.78 Mb) of the 833.07 Mb pigeonpea genome. Genome analysis predicted 48,680 genes for pigeonpea and also showed the potential role that certain gene families, for example, drought tolerance-related genes, have played throughout the domestication of pigeonpea and the evolution of its ancestors. Although we found a few segmental duplication events, we did not observe the recent genome-wide duplication events observed in soybean. This reference genome sequence will facilitate the identification of the genetic basis of agronomically important traits, and accelerate the development of improved pigeonpea varieties that could improve food security in many developing countries