The effects of diets enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on systemic vaccinia virus infection

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, n-3 fatty acids), the key components of fish and flaxseed oils, are increasingly consumed by the public because of their potential health benefits and are available by prescription for hypertriglyceridemia. However, numerous studies have shown that these compounds are immunoregulatory and immunosuppressive and thus may increase susceptibility to infection. In this study, we tested the effects of the amount of fat and the types of fatty acid in the diet on infection by vaccinia virus, an acute infection that begins in the respiratory tract and spreads by viremia to internal organs. Male C57Bl6 mice (~5 week old) were fed for 3 weeks prior to infection and continuing during infection and recovery one of the following: 1) a normal low fat (13% kcal) diet, 2) a low fat diet containing n-3 PUFAs, 3) a high fat (41% kcal) diet rich in n-3 PUFAs, 4) a high fat n-6 PUFA diet, or 5) a high fat monounsaturated diet. We found no statistically significant differences in the susceptibility of mice to viral infection, morbidity, viral organ titers, recovery time, or mortality with these diets, indicating that, over this approximately 6-week time period, dietary fats did not substantially affect responses to poxviral infection

Open Mushrooms: Stickiness revisited

We investigate mushroom billiards, a class of dynamical systems with sharply divided phase space. For typical values of the control parameter of the system $\rho$, an infinite number of marginally unstable periodic orbits (MUPOs) exist making the system sticky in the sense that unstable orbits approach regular regions in phase space and thus exhibit regular behaviour for long periods of time. The problem of finding these MUPOs is expressed as the well known problem of finding optimal rational approximations of a real number, subject to some system-specific constraints. By introducing a generalized mushroom and using properties of continued fractions, we describe a zero measure set of control parameter values $\rho\in(0,1)$ for which all MUPOs are destroyed and therefore the system is less sticky. The open mushroom (billiard with a hole) is then considered in order to quantify the stickiness exhibited and exact leading order expressions for the algebraic decay of the survival probability function $P(t)$ are calculated for mushrooms with triangular and rectangular stems.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures. Includes discussion of a three-dimensional mushroo

Race/ethnicity and potential suicide misclassification: window on a minority suicide paradox?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Suicide officially kills approximately 30,000 annually in the United States. Analysis of this leading public health problem is complicated by undercounting. Despite persisting socioeconomic and health disparities, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics register suicide rates less than half that of non-Hispanic Whites.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional study uses multiple cause-of-death data from the US National Center for Health Statistics to assess whether race/ethnicity, psychiatric comorbidity documentation, and other decedent characteristics were associated with differential potential for suicide misclassification. Subjects were 105,946 White, Black, and Hispanic residents aged 15 years and older, dying in the US between 2003 and 2005, whose manner of death was recorded as suicide or injury of undetermined intent. The main outcome measure was the relative odds of potential suicide misclassification, a binary measure of manner of death: injury of undetermined intent (includes misclassified suicides) versus suicide.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Blacks (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.22-2.57) and Hispanics (1.17, 1.07-1.28) manifested excess potential suicide misclassification relative to Whites. Decedents aged 35-54 (AOR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.84-0.93), 55-74 (0.52, 0.49-0.57), and 75+ years (0.51, 0.46-0.57) showed diminished misclassification potential relative to decedents aged 15-34, while decedents with 0-8 years (1.82, 1.75-1.90) and 9-12 years of education (1.43, 1.40-1.46) showed excess potential relative to the most educated (13+ years). Excess potential suicide misclassification was also apparent for decedents without (AOR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.78-3.51) versus those with psychiatric comorbidity documented on their death certificates, and for decedents whose mode of injury was "less active" (46.33; 43.32-49.55) versus "more active."</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data disparities might explain much of the Black-White suicide rate gap, if not the Hispanic-White gap. Ameliorative action would extend from training in death certification to routine use of psychological autopsies in equivocal-manner-of-death cases.</p

A real-time, quantitative PCR method using hydrolysis probes for the monitoring of Plasmodium falciparum load in experimentally infected human volunteers

Background: The accurate quantification of Plasmodium falciparum parasite numbers by PCR is an important tool for monitoring growth kinetics in subjects infected and subsequently treated with anti-malarial agents

Drug-resistant genotypes and multi-clonality in Plasmodium falciparum analysed by direct genome sequencing from peripheral blood of malaria patients.

Naturally acquired blood-stage infections of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum typically harbour multiple haploid clones. The apparent number of clones observed in any single infection depends on the diversity of the polymorphic markers used for the analysis, and the relative abundance of rare clones, which frequently fail to be detected among PCR products derived from numerically dominant clones. However, minority clones are of clinical interest as they may harbour genes conferring drug resistance, leading to enhanced survival after treatment and the possibility of subsequent therapeutic failure. We deployed new generation sequencing to derive genome data for five non-propagated parasite isolates taken directly from 4 different patients treated for clinical malaria in a UK hospital. Analysis of depth of coverage and length of sequence intervals between paired reads identified both previously described and novel gene deletions and amplifications. Full-length sequence data was extracted for 6 loci considered to be under selection by antimalarial drugs, and both known and previously unknown amino acid substitutions were identified. Full mitochondrial genomes were extracted from the sequencing data for each isolate, and these are compared against a panel of polymorphic sites derived from published or unpublished but publicly available data. Finally, genome-wide analysis of clone multiplicity was performed, and the number of infecting parasite clones estimated for each isolate. Each patient harboured at least 3 clones of P. falciparum by this analysis, consistent with results obtained with conventional PCR analysis of polymorphic merozoite antigen loci. We conclude that genome sequencing of peripheral blood P. falciparum taken directly from malaria patients provides high quality data useful for drug resistance studies, genomic structural analyses and population genetics, and also robustly represents clonal multiplicity

Reproducibility and validity of the food frequency questionnaire for estimating habitual dietary intake in children and adolescents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A previous study reported the development a 75-item food frequency questionnaire for Japanese children (CFFQ). The first aim was to examine the reproducibility and validity of the CFFQ in order to assess dietary intake among two groups; 3-11 year old children (YC group) and 12-16 year old children (AD group). The second aim was to use the CFFQ and the FFQ for adults (AFFQ), and to determine which was better suited for assessing the intake of children in each group.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of the 103 children participated in this study. The interval between the first CFFQ and AFFQ and the second CFFQ and AFFQ was one month. Four weighted dietary records (WDRs) were conducted once a week. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the first and second FFQs were calculated to test the reproducibility of each FFQ. Pearson's correlation coefficients between WDRs and the second FFQ were calculated for the unadjusted value and sex-, age-, and energy-adjusted values to determine the validity of each FFQ.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The final number of subjects participating in the analysis was 89. The median correlation coefficients between the first and second CFFQs and AFFQs were 0.76 and 0.73, respectively. There was some over/underestimation of nutrients in the CFFQ of the YC group and in the AFFQ of the AD group. The medians of the sex-, age-, and energy-adjusted correlation coefficients were not different between the YC and AD groups for each FFQ. The correlation coefficient in sex-, age-, and energy-adjusted value revealed that the largest number of subject with high (0.50 or more) value was obtained by the CFFQ in the YC group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicated that the CFFQ might be a useful tool for assessing habitual dietary intake of children in the YC group. Although the CFFQ agreed moderately with habitual intake, it was found to underestimate intake in theAD group. However, for the AFFQ, the ability to rank habitual intake was low. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new FFQ or modify an existing FFQ to accurately assess the habitual diet of children in the AD group.</p

Perovskite solar cells: a deep analysis using current–voltage and capacitance–voltage techniques

Perovskite solar cells exhibiting~14–15% efficiency were experimentally measured using current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) techniques in order to extract material and device properties, and understand the action of photovoltaic (PV) operation. Deep analyses were carried out on dark- and illuminated I–V curves, and dark C–V curves. Results were compared with those of graded bandgap solar cells fabricated on inorganic n-type window layers. These analyses according to a physicist’s point of view lead to understand the perovskite solar cell as a graded bandgap solar cell built on a p-type window layer. I–V and C–V results show very similar behaviour and the principle of PV action is identical. Once the stability issues with perovskites are solved, these devices have very high potential of producing next generation solar cells reaching at least mid-20% efficiency values

Derivation and Validation of a Preoperative Prediction Rule for Delirium After Cardiac Surgery

Background— Delirium is a common outcome after cardiac surgery. Delirium prediction rules identify patients at risk for delirium who may benefit from targeted prevention strategies, early identification, and treatment of underlying causes. The purpose of the present prospective study was to develop a prediction rule for delirium in a cardiac surgery cohort and to validate it in an independent cohort. Methods and Results— Prospectively, cardiac surgery patients ≥60 years of age were enrolled in a derivation sample (n=122) and then a validation sample (n=109). Beginning on the second postoperative day, patients underwent a standardized daily delirium assessment, and delirium was diagnosed according to the confusion assessment method. Delirium occurred in 63 (52%) of the derivation cohort patients. Multivariable analysis identified 4 variables independently associated with delirium: prior stroke or transient ischemic attack, Mini Mental State Examination score, abnormal serum albumin, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Points were assigned to each variable: Mini Mental State Examination ≤23 received 2 points, and Mini Mental State Examination score of 24 to 27 received 1 point; Geriatric Depression Scale >4, prior stroke/transient ischemic attack, and abnormal albumin received 1 point each. In the derivation sample, the cumulative incidence of delirium for point levels of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3 was 19%, 47%, 63%, and 86%, respectively (C statistic, 0.74). The corresponding incidence of delirium in the validation sample was 18%, 43%, 60%, and 87%, respectively (C statistic, 0.75). Conclusions— Delirium occurs frequently after cardiac surgery. Using 4 preoperative characteristics, clinicians can determine cardiac surgery patients’ risk for delirium. Patients at higher delirium risk could be candidates for close postoperative monitoring and interventions to prevent delirium