Structure and Feedback in 30 Doradus I: Observations

We have completed a a new optical imaging and spectrophotometric survey of a 140 x 80 pc$^2$ region of 30 Doradus centered on R136, covering key optical diagnostic emission lines including \Ha, \Hb, \Hg, [O III] $\lambda\lambda$4363, 4959, 5007, [N II] $\lambda\lambda$6548, 6584, [S II] $\lambda\lambda$6717, 6731 [S III] $\lambda$6312 and in some locations [S III] $\lambda$9069. We present maps of fluxes and intensity ratios for these lines, and catalogs of isolated ionizing stars, elephant-trunk pillars, and edge-on ionization fronts. The final science-quality spectroscopic data products are available to the public. Our analysis of the new data finds that, while stellar winds and supernovae undoubtedly produce shocks and are responsible for shaping the nebula, there are no global spectral signatures to indicate that shocks are currently an important source of ionization. We conclude that the considerable region covered by our survey is well described by photoionization from the central cluster where the ionizing continuum is dominated by the most massive O stars. We show that if 30 Dor were viewed at a cosmological distance, its integrated light would be dominated by its extensive regions of lower surface-brightness rather than by the bright, eye-catching arcs.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ

Parents and GPs’ understandings and beliefs about food allergy testing in children with eczema:qualitative interview study within the Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests (TEST) feasibility trial

Aim To explore parent and general practitioner (GP) understanding and beliefs about food allergy testing for children with eczema.Design and setting Qualitative interview study in UK primary care within the Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests feasibility trial.Participants Semi-structured interviews with parents of children with eczema taking part in the feasibility study and GPs at practices hosting the study.Results 21 parents and 11 GPs were interviewed. Parents discussed a range of potential causes for eczema, including a role for food allergy. They believed allergy testing to be beneficial as it could potentially identify a cure or help reduce symptoms and they found negative tests reassuring, suggesting to them that no dietary changes were needed. GPs reported limited experience and uncertainty regarding food allergy in children with eczema. While some GPs believed referral for allergy testing could be appropriate, most were unclear about its utility. They thought it should be reserved for children with severe eczema or complex problems but wanted more information to advise parents and help guide decision making.Conclusions Parents’ motivations for allergy testing are driven by the desire to improve their child’s condition and exclude food allergy as a possible cause of symptoms. GPs are uncertain about the role of allergy testing and want more information about its usefulness to support parents and help inform decision making.Trial registration number ISRCTN15397185

The Strayed Reveller, No. 1

The Strayed Reveller is a literary magazine of stories, songs, poems, essays, reviews and artwork by students at Stephen F. Austin State University. It is published monthly andsponsered by the School of Liberal Arts and Department of English.https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/reveller/1000/thumbnail.jp

Parents and GPs' understandings and beliefs about food allergy testing in children with eczema: Qualitative interview study within the Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests (TEST) feasibility trial

Aim To explore parent and general practitioner (GP) understanding and beliefs about food allergy testing for children with eczema. Design and setting Qualitative interview study in UK primary care within the Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests feasibility trial. Participants Semi-structured interviews with parents of children with eczema taking part in the feasibility study and GPs at practices hosting the study. Results 21 parents and 11 GPs were interviewed. Parents discussed a range of potential causes for eczema, including a role for food allergy. They believed allergy testing to be beneficial as it could potentially identify a cure or help reduce symptoms and they found negative tests reassuring, suggesting to them that no dietary changes were needed. GPs reported limited experience and uncertainty regarding food allergy in children with eczema. While some GPs believed referral for allergy testing could be appropriate, most were unclear about its utility. They thought it should be reserved for children with severe eczema or complex problems but wanted more information to advise parents and help guide decision making. Conclusions Parents' motivations for allergy testing are driven by the desire to improve their child's condition and exclude food allergy as a possible cause of symptoms. GPs are uncertain about the role of allergy testing and want more information about its usefulness to support parents and help inform decision making

Differential gene expression between wild-type and Gulo-deficient mice supplied with vitamin C

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that hepatic vitamin C (VC) levels in VC deficient mice rescued with high doses of VC supplements still do not reach the optimal levels present in wild-type mice. For this, we used a mouse scurvy model (sfx) in which the L-gulonolactone oxidase gene (Gulo) is deleted. Six age- (6 weeks old) and gender- (female) matched wild-type (WT) and sfx mice (rescued by administering 500 mg of VC/L) were used as the control (WT) and treatment (MT) groups (n = 3 for each group), respectively. Total hepatic RNA was used in triplicate microarray assays for each group. EDGE software was used to identify differentially expressed genes and transcriptomic analysis was used to assess the potential genetic regulation of Gulo gene expression. Hepatic VC concentrations in MT mice were significantly lower than in WT mice, even though there were no morphological differences between the two groups. In MT mice, 269 differentially expressed transcripts were detected (≥ twice the difference between MT and WT mice), including 107 up-regulated and 162 down-regulated genes. These differentially expressed genes included stress-related and exclusively/predominantly hepatocyte genes. Transcriptomic analysis identified a major locus on chromosome 18 that regulates Gulo expression. Since three relevant oxidative genes are located within the critical region of this locus we suspect that they are involved in the down-regulation of oxidative activity in sfx mice

Test‐guided dietary management of eczema in children: A randomized controlled feasibility trial (TEST)

BackgroundParents commonly ask about food allergy tests, to find a cause for their child's eczema, yet the value of routine testing is uncertain.ObjectiveTo determine whether a clinical trial comparing test‐guided dietary advice versus usual care, for the management of eczema, is feasible.MethodsChildren (>3 months and [less than] 5 years) with mild‐to‐severe eczema, recruited via primary care, were individually randomized (1:1) to intervention or usual care. Intervention participants underwent structured allergy history and skin prick tests (SPT) with dietary advice for cow's milk, hen's egg, wheat, peanut, cashew and codfish. All participants were followed up for 24 weeks. A sample of doctors and parents was interviewed. Registration ISRCTN15397185.ResultsFrom 1059 invitation letters sent to carers of potentially eligible children, 84 were randomized (42 per group) with mean age of 32.4 months (SD 13.9) and POEM of 8.7 (4.8). Of the 42, 6 (14%) intervention participants were advised to exclude one or more foods, most commonly egg, peanut or milk. By participant, 1/6 had an oral food challenge (negative); 3/6 were told to exclude until review in allergy clinic; and 6/6 advised a home dietary trial (exclusion and reintroduction of food over 4–6 weeks) – with 1/6 partially completing it. Participant retention (four withdrawals) and data completeness (74%–100%) were acceptable and contamination low (two usual care participants had allergy tests). There were three minor SPT‐related adverse events. During follow‐up, 12 intervention and 8 usual care participants had minor, unrelated adverse events plus one unrelated hospital admission.ConclusionsIt is possible to recruit, randomize and retain children with eczema from primary care into a trial of food allergy screening and to collect the outcomes of interest. Changes to recruitment and inclusion criteria are needed in a definitive trial, to ensure inclusion of younger children from more diverse backgrounds

End of life care in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the qualitative literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>End of life (EoL) care in sub-Saharan Africa still lacks the sound evidence-base needed for the development of effective, appropriate service provision. It is essential to make evidence from all types of research available alongside clinical and health service data, to ensure that EoL care is ethical and culturally appropriate. This article aims to synthesize qualitative research on EoL care in sub-Saharan Africa to inform policy, practice and further research. It seeks to identify areas of existing research; describe findings specifically relevant to the African context; and, identify areas lacking evidence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Relevant literature was identified through eight electronic databases: AMED, British Nursing Index & Archive, CINAHL, EMBASE, IBSS, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Social Sciences Citation Index; and hand searches. Inclusion criteria were: published qualitative or mixed-method studies in sub-Saharan Africa, about EoL care. Study quality was assessed using a standard grading scale. Relevant data including findings and practice recommendations were extracted and compared in tabular format.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 407 articles initially identified, 51 were included in the qualitative synthesis. Nineteen came from South Africa and the majority (38) focused on HIV/AIDS. Nine dealt with multiple or unspecified conditions and four were about cancer. Study respondents included health professionals, informal carers, patients, community members and bereaved relatives. Informal carers were typically women, the elderly and children, providing total care in the home, and lacking support from professionals or the extended family. Twenty studies focused on home-based care, describing how programmes function in practice and what is needed to make them effective. Patients and carers were reported to prefer institutional care but this needs to be understood in context. Studies focusing on culture discussed good and bad death, culture-specific approaches to symptoms and illness, and the bereavement process.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data support or complement the findings from quantitative research. The review prompts a reconsideration of the assumption that in Africa the extended family care for the sick, and that people prefer home-based care. The review identifies areas relevant for a research agenda on socio-cultural issues at the EoL in sub-Saharan Africa.</p

TEST (Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests):protocol for feasibility randomised controlled trial of allergy tests in children with eczema, including economic scoping and nested qualitative study

Background Early-onset eczema is associated with food allergy, and allergic reactions to foods can cause acute exacerbations of eczema. Parents often pursue dietary restrictions as a way of managing eczema and seek allergy testing for their children to guide dietary management. However, it is unclear whether test-guided dietary management improves eczema symptoms, and whether the practice causes harm through reduced use of conventional eczema treatment or unnecessary dietary restrictions. The aim of the TEST (Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests) study is to determine the feasibility of conducting a trial comparing food allergy testing and dietary advice versus usual care, for the management of eczema in children. Methods and analysis Design: a single centre, two-group, individually randomised, feasibility RCT with economic scoping and a nested qualitative study. Setting: GP surgeries in the West of England. Participants: children aged over 3 months and less than 5 years with mild to severe eczema. Interventions: allergy testing (structured allergy history and skin prick tests) or usual care. Sample size and outcome measures: we aim to recruit 80 participants and follow them up using 4-weekly questionnaires for 24 weeks. Nested qualitative study: We will conduct ~20 interviews with parents of participating children, 5-8 interviews with parents who decline or withdraw from the trial and ~10 interviews with participating GPs. Economic scoping: We will gather data on key costs and outcomes to assess the feasibility of carrying out a cost-effectiveness analysis in a future definitive trial. Ethics and dissemination The study has been reviewed by the Health Research Authority and given a favourable opinion by the NHS REC (West Midlands – South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee, Reference Number 18/WM/0124). Findings will be submitted for presentation at conferences and written up for publication in peer-reviewed journals

Transcriptomic profiling of host-parasite interactions in the microsporidian <i>Trachipleistophora hominis</i>

BACKGROUND: Trachipleistophora hominis was isolated from an HIV/AIDS patient and is a member of a highly successful group of obligate intracellular parasites. METHODS: Here we have investigated the evolution of the parasite and the interplay between host and parasite gene expression using transcriptomics of T. hominis-infected rabbit kidney cells. RESULTS: T. hominis has about 30 % more genes than small-genome microsporidians. Highly expressed genes include those involved in growth, replication, defence against oxidative stress, and a large fraction of uncharacterised genes. Chaperones are also highly expressed and may buffer the deleterious effects of the large number of non-synonymous mutations observed in essential T. hominis genes. Host expression suggests a general cellular shutdown upon infection, but ATP, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar production appear enhanced, potentially providing the parasite with substrates it cannot make itself. Expression divergence of duplicated genes, including transporters used to acquire host metabolites, demonstrates ongoing functional diversification during microsporidian evolution. We identified overlapping transcription at more than 100 loci in the sparse T. hominis genome, demonstrating that this feature is not caused by genome compaction. The detection of additional transposons of insect origin strongly suggests that the natural host for T. hominis is an insect. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the evolution of contemporary microsporidian genomes is highly dynamic and innovative. Moreover, highly expressed T. hominis genes of unknown function include a cohort that are shared among all microsporidians, indicating that some strongly conserved features of the biology of these enormously successful parasites remain uncharacterised. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1989-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Dysregulation of the mTOR Pathway Mediates Impairment of Synaptic Plasticity in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Background: The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an evolutionarily conserved Ser/Thr protein kinase that plays a pivotal role in multiple fundamental biological processes, including synaptic plasticity. We explored the relationship between the mTOR pathway and b-amyloid (Ab)-induced synaptic dysfunction, which is considered to be critical in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methodology/Principal Findings: We provide evidence that inhibition of mTOR signaling correlates with impairment in synaptic plasticity in hippocampal slices from an AD mouse model and in wild-type slices exposed to exogenous Ab1-42. Importantly, by up-regulating mTOR signaling, glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitors rescued LTP in the AD mouse model, and genetic deletion of FK506-binding protein 12 (FKBP12) prevented Ab-induced impairment in long-term potentiation (LTP). In addition, confocal microscopy demonstrated co-localization of intraneuronal Ab42 with mTOR. Conclusions/Significance: These data support the notion that the mTOR pathway modulates Ab-related synaptic dysfunctio