Maternal literacy and health behavior: a Nepalese case study

This article addresses the question of whether literacy could be mediating the relationships of schooling to maternal health behavior in populations undergoing demographic transition. Recent studies in which literacy was directly assessed suggest a literacy pathway to demographic change. The literacy skills of 167 urban and rural mothers of school-aged children in Lalitpur District of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal were assessed by tests of reading comprehension, academic language proficiency, health media skills and health narrative skill, as part of studies in the urban and rural communitiesthat included a maternal interview and ethnographic fieldwork on the contexts of family life, health care and female schooling. Regression analysis of the data indicates the retention of literacy skills in adulthood and their influence on health behavior; ethnographic evidence shows that selective bias in school attainment does not account for the results. Further direct assessment studies are recommended

Further Examination of the Geographic Range of Eriogonum corymbosum var. nilesii (Polygonaceae, Eriogoneae)

The wild buckwheat Eriogonum corymbosum is widely distributed throughout the southwestern United States, forming a complex of eight varieties. E. corymbosum var. nilesii is a predominantly yellow-flowered variant reported primarily from Clark Co., Nevada. A previous genetic study by our research group found that var. nilesii is genetically distinct from other E. corymbosum varieties, based on a limited number of populations. Here, we assess genetic variation in 14 newly sampled yellow-flowered populations from southern Nevada, southern Utah, and northern Arizona, and compare them to genetic variation in six populations of previously determined E. corymbosum varieties. Of the new populations, we identified four as var. nilesii, four as var. aureum, three as var. glutinosum, two as apparent hybrids involving vars. aureum and nilesii, and one as a more distantly related admixture involving E. thompsoniae. Our results extend the range and area of E. corymbosum var. nilesii considerably from that traditionally stated in the literature. However, this extended range is confined to the Mojave Desert region of southern Nevada, and the number of known populations remains limited

In-Patient Evolution of a High-Persister Escherichia coli Strain With Reduced In Vivo Antibiotic Susceptibility

Gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections (GNB-BSI) are common and frequently lethal. Despite appropriate antibiotic treatment, relapse of GNB-BSI with the same bacterial strain is common and associated with poor clinical outcomes and high healthcare costs. The role of persister cells, which are sub-populations of bacteria that survive for prolonged periods in the presence of bactericidal antibiotics, in relapse of GNB-BSI is unclear. Using a cohort of patients with relapsed GNB-BSI, we aimed to determine how the pathogen evolves within the patient between the initial and subsequent episodes of GNB-BSI and how these changes impact persistence. Usin

Phenotypic and functional analyses show stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells better mimic fetal rather than adult hepatocytes

Background & Aims: Hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs), differentiated from pluripotent stem cells by the use of soluble factors, can model human liver function and toxicity. However, at present HLC maturity and whether any deficit represents a true fetal state or aberrant differentiation is unclear and compounded by comparison to potentially deteriorated adult hepatocytes. Therefore, we generated HLCs from multiple lineages, using two different protocols, for direct comparison with fresh fetal and adult hepatocytes. Methods: Protocols were developed for robust differentiation. Multiple transcript, protein and functional analyses compared HLCs to fresh human fetal and adult hepatocytes. Results: HLCs were comparable to those of other laboratories by multiple parameters. Transcriptional changes during differentiation mimicked human embryogenesis and showed more similarity to pericentral than periportal hepatocytes. Unbiased proteomics demonstrated greater proximity to liver than 30 other human organs or tissues. However, by comparison to fresh material, HLC maturity was proven by transcript, protein and function to be fetal-like and short of the adult phenotype. The expression of 81% phase 1 enzymes in HLCs was significantly upregulated and half were statistically not different from fetal hepatocytes. HLCs secreted albumin and metabolized testosterone (CYP3A) and dextrorphan (CYP2D6) like fetal hepatocytes. In seven bespoke tests, devised by principal components analysis to distinguish fetal from adult hepatocytes, HLCs from two different source laboratories consistently demonstrated fetal characteristics. Conclusions: HLCs from different sources are broadly comparable with unbiased proteomic evidence for faithful differentiation down the liver lineage. This current phenotype mimics human fetal rather than adult hepatocytes

In vivo rate-determining steps of tau seed accumulation in Alzheimer's disease.

[Figure: see text].We acknowledge funding from Sidney Sussex College Cambridge (GM) and the European Research Council Grant Number 669237 (to D.K.) and the Royal Society (to D.K.). The Cambridge Brain Bank is supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre

Can on-site management mitigate nitrogen deposition impacts in non-wooded habitats?

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major cause of plant biodiversity loss, with serious implications for appropriate management of protected sites. Reducing N emissions is the only long-term solution. However, on-site management has the potential to mitigate some of the adverse effects of N deposition. In this paper we review how management activities such as grazing, cutting, burning, hydrological management and soil disturbance measures can mitigate the negative impacts of N across a range of temperate habitats (acid, calcareous and neutral grasslands, sand dunes and other coastal habitats, heathlands, bogs and fens). The review focuses mainly on European habitats, which have a long history of N deposition, and it excludes forested systems. For each management type we distinguish between actions that improve habitat suitability for plant species of conservation importance, and actions that immobilize N or remove it from the system. For grasslands and heathlands we collate data on the quantity of N removal by each management type. Our findings show that while most activities improve habitat suitability, the majority do little to slow or to reduce the amount of N accumulating in soil pools at current deposition rates. Only heavy cutting/mowing with removal in grasslands, high intensity burns in heathlands and sod cutting remove more N than comes in from deposition under typical management cycles. We conclude by discussing some of the unintended consequences of managing specifically for N impacts, which can include damage to non-target species, alteration of soil processes, loss of the seedbank and loss of soil carbon