Spatial imaging of Zn and other elements in Huanglongbing-affected grapefruit by synchrotron-based micro X-ray fluorescence investigation

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a highly destructive, fast-spreading disease of citrus, causing substantial economic losses to the citrus industry worldwide. Nutrient levels and their cellular distribution patterns in stems and leaves of grapefruit were analysed after graft-inoculation with lemon scions containing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las), the heat-tolerant Asian type of the HLB bacterium. After 12 months, affected plants showed typical HLB symptoms and significantly reduced Zn concentrations in leaves. Micro-XRF imaging of Zn and other nutrients showed that preferential localization of Zn to phloem tissues was observed in the stems and leaves collected from healthy grapefruit plants, but was absent from HLB-affected samples. Quantitative analysis by using standard references revealed that Zn concentration in the phloem of veins in healthy leaves was more than 10 times higher than that in HLB-affected leaves. No significant variation was observed in the distribution patterns of other elements such as Ca in stems and leaves of grapefruit plants with or without graft-inoculation of infected lemon scions. These results suggest that reduced phloem transport of Zn is an important factor contributing to HLB-induced Zn deficiency in grapefruit. Our report provides the first in situ, cellular level visualization of elemental variations within the tissues of HLB-affected citrus. © 2014 © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology

Laser diagnostics of pulverized coal combustion in O<inf>2</inf>/N<inf>2</inf> and O<inf>2</inf>/CO<inf>2</inf> conditions: velocity and scalar field measurements

Optical diagnostic techniques are applied to a 21 kW laboratory-scale pulverized coal–methane burner to map the reaction zone during combustion, in mixtures with varying fractions of O_2, N_2 and CO_2. Simultaneous Mie scatter and OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements have been carried out to study the effect of the oxidizer/diluent concentrations as well as the coal-loading rate. The spatial distribution of soot is captured using laser-induced incandescence (LII). Additionally, velocity profiles at selected axial locations are measured using the pairwise two-dimensional laser Doppler velocimetry technique. The OH PLIF images capture the reaction zones of pilot methane–air flames and the variation of the coal flame structure under various O_2/CO_2 compositions. Coal particles devolatilize immediately upon crossing the flame interface, so that the Mie scatter signal almost vanishes. Increasing coal-loading rates leads to higher reaction rates and shorter flames. LII measurements show that soot is formed primarily in the wake of remaining coal particles in the product regions. Finally, differences in the mean and RMS velocity field are explained by the combined action of thermal expansion and the changes in particle diameter between reacting and non-reacting flows.This work is supported by EPSRC research Grant (#EP/G062153/1). Yi Gao is supported by EPSRC Grant (#EP/K02924X/1), S. Lowe acknowledges support through an EPSRC DTA grant, M. Kamal is supported by University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (Pakistan), and Bo Tian acknowledges support from CSC.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00348-015-1965-

Combining Antigen-Based Therapy with GABA Treatment Synergistically Prolongs Survival of Transplanted ß-Cells in Diabetic NOD Mice

Antigen-based therapies (ABTs) very effectively prevent the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D) when given to young nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, however, they have little or no ability to reverse hyperglycemia in newly diabetic NOD mice. More importantly, ABTs have not yet demonstrated an ability to effectively preserve residual ß-cells in individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Accordingly, there is great interest in identifying new treatments that can be combined with ABTs to safely protect ß-cells in diabetic animals. The activation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors (GABA-Rs) on immune cells has been shown to prevent T1D, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and rheumatoid arthritis in mouse models. Based on GABA's ability to inhibit different autoimmune diseases and its safety profile, we tested whether the combination of ABT with GABA treatment could prolong the survival of transplanted ß-cells in newly diabetic NOD mice. Newly diabetic NOD mice were untreated, or given GAD/alum (20 or 100 µg) and placed on plain drinking water, or water containing GABA (2 or 6 mg/ml). Twenty-eight days later, they received syngenic pancreas grafts and were monitored for the recurrence of hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia reoccurred in the recipients given plain water, GAD monotherapy, GABA monotherapy, GAD (20 µg)+GABA (2 mg/ml), GAD (20 µg)+GABA (6 mg/ml) and GAD (100 µg)+GABA (6 mg/ml) about 1, 2-3, 3, 2-3, 3-8 and 10-11 weeks post-transplantation, respectively. Thus, combined GABA and ABT treatment had a synergistic effect in a dose-dependent fashion. These findings suggest that co-treatment with GABA (or other GABA-R agonists) may provide a new strategy to safely enhance the efficacy of other therapeutics designed to prevent or reverse T1D, as well as other T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases

Relationship of pain and fatigue with health-related quality of life and work in patients with psoriatic arthritis on TNFi: results of a multi-national real-world study

Background/Objective: The incidence of pain and/or fatigue in people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the ability to work, despite modern advanced therapeutic approaches. This real-world, international study examined these relationships in patients with PsA treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). Methods: Data from 13 countries were analysed. Patients with PsA and their physicians completed questionnaires capturing demographics, current therapy, current disease status, HRQoL and work status via Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form version 2 (SF-36v2), 3-level 5-dimension EuroQoL questionnaire, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire. Results: 640 patients with PsA were included who had been receiving TNFi for ≥3 months and had completed SF-36v2 bodily pain and vitality domains. Of these, 33.1%, 29.2% and 37.7% of patients reported no, moderate and severe pain, respectively, and 31.9%, 22.5% and 45.6% of patients reported low, moderate and severe fatigue, respectively. Scores across HRQoL variables and WPAI were significantly different across pain and fatigue cohorts (all p<0.0001), with HRQoL and WPAI measures considerably worse in patients with moderate to severe pain or fatigue than those with low pain or fatigue. Conclusions: Despite treatment with biologic agents such as TNFi, data from this global study demonstrated that substantial pain and/or fatigue persist in patients with PsA and that these are significantly associated with reduced HRQoL, physical function and work productivity. These findings suggest that there is an unmet need for additional PsA therapies

Unmet needs in psoriatic arthritis patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy: results from a large multinational real-world study

Objective: There are limited data on therapy selection and switching in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This 18 country, real-world study assessed use and switching of immunomodulatory therapy (biologic/apremilast), the extent of treatment failure and its association with reduced physical functioning, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI). Methods: PsA patients under routine care and their treating physicians provided demographics, current therapy, reasons for switching, duration of first therapy, HRQoL, HAQ-DI, and WPAI. Current immunomodulatory therapy was determined as “failing” if, after ≥ 3 months, physician-rated disease severity had worsened, remained severe, was “unstable/deteriorating,” or they were dissatisfied with disease control and/or did not consider treatment a “success.” Results: Included were 3714 PsA patients; 1455 (40.6%) had never received immunomodulatory therapy; 1796 (50.1%) had ever received 1 immunomodulatory therapy and 331 (9.2%) ≥ 1. Lack of efficacy with first immunomodulatory therapy was the most common reason for switching; patients whose physicians indicated “primary lack of efficacy” as the reason, switched after a mean of 9.4 months. Patients currently failing immunomodulator therapies (n = 246) had poorer HRQoL compared with treatment success (n = 1472) measured by EQ-5D-3L (0.60 vs 0.77%; P < 0.0001); SF-36 PCS (40.8% vs 46.1%; P < 0.0001) MCS (41.1% vs 45.3%; P < 0.0001). Physical functioning, activity, and work productivity were also more impaired (HAQ-DI: 0.88 vs 0.56; activity impairment: 46.7% vs 29.7%; overall work impairment: 35.4% vs 26.1%; all P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Poor treatment response in PsA is associated with substantial negative patient impact. In cases of primary treatment failure, timely switching is needed

Unmet needs in ankylosing spondylitis patients receiving tumour necrosis factor inhibitor therapy; results from a large multinational real-world study

Background Symptoms and comorbidities of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) considerably reduce health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and ability to work. This real-world study assessed rates of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use and switching, treatment failure, and associations between failing TNFi and HRQoL, work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI). Methods AS patients and their treating physicians completed questionnaires capturing patient demographics, clinical status, TNFi treatment history, reasons for switching TNFi, HRQoL and WPAI. Current TNFi was determined as “failing” if, after ≥3 months, physician-rated disease severity had worsened, remained severe, was “unstable/deteriorating”, physicians were dissatisfied with disease control and/or did not consider treatment a “success”. Results The analysis included 2866 AS patients from 18 countries. Of 2795 patients with complete treatment data, 916 (32.8%) patients had never received TNFi therapy, 1623 (58.1%) patients were receiving their 1st TNFi and 200 (7.2%) patients had ever received ≥2 TNFi (treatment switch). Primary or secondary lack of efficacy were the commonest reasons for switching, and the mean delay in switching after primary lack of efficacy was 11.1 months. 232 (15.4%) patients on TNFi were currently “failing” who, compared to those with treatment success, reported poorer HRQoL: 5-dimension EuroQoL (EQ-5D-3 L): 0.63 vs. 0.78; Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) mental component summary (MCS): 41.8 vs. 46.3; physical component summary (PCS): 40.2 vs. 45.1; impaired work productivity: 46.4% vs. 25.0%; and activity: 44.5% vs. 29.6%; all P < 0.001. Conclusions Among AS patients, switching TNFi is uncommon and delayed by nearly 1 year despite primary lack of efficacy. Patients currently failing TNFi experience worse physical function, HRQoL and work productivity

Major decline in malaria morbidity and mortality in the Union of Comoros between 2010 and 2014: The effect of a combination of prevention and control measures

Background. Malaria remains a public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In response to this, many countries are working towards achieving the World Health Assembly and Roll Back Malaria Partnership target of a 75% decline in malaria incidence.Objective. To assess trends in malaria morbidity and mortality in the three islands of the Comoros Archipelago from 2010 to 2014.Methods. This was a retrospective study in which all confirmed malaria cases and deaths recorded between 2010 and 2014 were accessed from the national malaria control database. Trends and comparisons in malaria incidence and case fatality rates for all age groups, including under-5 children and pregnant women, were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 16.Results. A substantial decline in malaria incidence was observed for each island between 2010 and 2014; from 75.98 cases per 1 000 population in 2010 to 0.14 in 2014 in Moheli, 60.60 to 0.02 in Anjouan and 235.36 to 5.47 in Grand Comoro. Additionally, a general reduction in malaria case fatalities was observed. In Moheli, there were no case fatalities between 2010 and 2014, while there was a decline in the case fatality rate in Anjouan (from 1.20 fatalities per 1 000 cases to 0) and Grand Comoros (0.51 to 0). There were also significant differences (p&lt;0.05) in malaria incidence and case fatalities between the three islands. A similar trend was observed for pregnant women and under-5 children.Conclusion. Our study indicates a significant decline in malaria morbidity and  mortality in the islands of Moheli, Anjouan and Grand Comoro from 2010 to 2014. This considerable reduction is attributed to a combination of malaria prevention and control interventions implemented during the study period

Social robots as psychometric tools for cognitive assessment: a pilot test

Recent research demonstrated the benefits of employing robots as therapeutic assistants and caregivers, but very little is known on the use of robots as a tool for psychological assessment. Socially capable robots can provide many advantages to diagnostic practice: engage people, guarantee standardized administration and assessor neutrality, perform automatic recording of subject behaviors for further analysis by practitioners. In this paper, we present a pilot study on testing people’s cognitive functioning via social interaction with a humanoid robot. To this end, we programmed a social robot to administer a psychometric tool for detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment, a risk factor for dementia, implementing the first prototype of robotic assistant for mass screening of elderly population. Finally, we present a pilot test of the robotic procedure with healthy adults that show promising results of the robotic test, also compared to its traditional paper version

Context-based analysis of urban air quality using an opportunistic mobile sensor network

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