Risk factors for coronary heart disease in the Indians of Durban

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major problem in migrant Indians throughout the world. In South Africa it has reached 'epidemic' proportions. A field survey was conducted among Indians in the metropolitan area of Durban to determine the prevalence and known risk factors for CHD. In a study of 778 subjects aged 15 - 69 years (408 men), 15,3% (sex and age adjusted 13,4%) had a history of CHD. The important risk factors in men were hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, diabetes, and smoking, and in women diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, and hypertriglyceridaemia. The minor risk factors were hyperuricaemia, sedentary occupation, obesity in women and a positive family history of CHD. A study of the major risk factors leading to CHD showed that 52% (sex and age adjusted 45,5%) had at least one major risk factor at the higher (level A) and 68% (sex and age adjusted 61,9%) at the lower (level B) risk levels. Diabetes mellitus was strongly associated with a positive history of CHD. In 47,6% (sex and age adjusted 48,2%) of the total group resting ECG abnormalities were found that could be coded. Because of the severe nature of CHD in the migrant Indian, an immediate and intensive programme of primary prevention of CHD risk factors should be instituted

Biosurfactant production and surface translocation are regulated by PlcR in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 under low nutrient conditions

Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 can respond to nutrient changes by adopting different forms of surface translocation. The B. cereus ATCC 14579 DeltaplcR mutant, but not the wild type, formed dendritic (branched) patterns on EPS [a low-nutrient medium that contains 7.0 g K(2)HPO(4), 3.0 g KH(2)PO(4), 0.1 g MgSO(4).7H(2)O, 0.1 g (NH(4))(2)SO(4), 0.01 g CaCl(2), 0.001 g FeSO(4), 0.1 g NaCl, 1.0 g glucose, and 125 mg yeast extract per liter] containing 0.7% agar. The dendritic patterns formed by sliding translocation of nonflagellated cells are enhanced under low-nutrient conditions and require sufficient production of a biosurfactant, which appears to be repressed by PlcR. The wild-type and complemented strains failed to slide on the surface of EPS agar because of the production of low levels of biosurfactant. Precoating EPS agar surfaces with surfactin (a biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis) or biosurfactant purified from the DeltaplcR mutant rescued the ability of the wild-type and complemented strains to slide. When grown on a nutrient-rich medium like Luria-Bertani agar, both the wild-type and DeltaplcR mutant strains produced flagella. The wild type was hyperflagellated and elongated and exhibited swarming behavior, while the DeltaplcR mutant was multiflagellated and the cells often formed long chains but did not swarm. Thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses suggested that the biosurfactant purified from the DeltaplcR mutant was a lipopeptide and had a mass of 1,278.1722 (m/z). This biosurfactant has hemolytic activity and inhibited the growth of several gram-positive bacteria

TOC1 clock protein phosphorylation controls complex formation with NF-YB/C to repress hypocotyl growth

Plant photoperiodic growth is coordinated by interactions between circadian clock and light signaling networks. How post‐translational modifications of clock proteins affect these interactions to mediate rhythmic growth remains unclear. Here, we identify five phosphorylation sites in the Arabidopsis core clock protein TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 (TOC1) which when mutated to alanine eliminate detectable phosphorylation. The TOC1 phospho‐mutant fails to fully rescue the clock, growth, and flowering phenotypes of the toc1 mutant. Further, the TOC1 phospho‐mutant shows advanced phase, a faster degradation rate, reduced interactions with PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTOR 3 (PIF3) and HISTONE DEACETYLASE 15 (HDA15), and poor binding at pre‐dawn hypocotyl growth‐related genes (PHGs), leading to a net de‐repression of hypocotyl growth. NUCLEAR FACTOR Y subunits B and C (NF‐YB/C) stabilize TOC1 at target promoters, and this novel trimeric complex (NF‐TOC1) acts as a transcriptional co‐repressor with HDA15 to inhibit PIF‐mediated hypocotyl elongation. Collectively, we identify a molecular mechanism suggesting how phosphorylation of TOC1 alters its phase, stability, and physical interactions with co‐regulators to precisely phase PHG expression to control photoperiodic hypocotyl growth

Prioritizing otological surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The initial cases of pulmonary infection with the novel corona virus SARS-CoV-2, causing COVID-19, occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019 and January 2020 (1). The spread through human-to-human transmission has led to a pandemic with disastrous consequences all over the world. The exponential rate of transmission and no existing vaccine has been a great challenge for all health care systems. A strategy to flatten the curve of transmission was put forward to adjust to the capacities of hospitals and particularly the intensive care units. Governments implemented isolation and social distancing upon societies either with laws or with strong recommendations

Predictors of morbidity and in‐hospital mortality following procedure‐related cardiac tamponade

BACKGROUND: Cardiac tamponade (CT) can be a complication following invasive cardiac procedures. We assessed CT following common cardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures to facilitate risk prediction of associated morbidity and in-hospital mortality. METHODS: Patients who underwent various EP procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab (ablations and device implantations) were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM, respectively) from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Patient demographics, presence of comorbidities, CT-related events, and in-hospital death were also abstracted from the NIS database. RESULTS: The frequency of CT-related events in patients with EP intervention from 2010 to 2017 ranged from 3.4% to 7.0%. In-hospital mortality related to CT-related events was found to be 2.2%. Increasing age was the only predictor of higher mortality in atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) groups (OR [95% CI]: AF ablation = 11.15 [1.70–73.34], p = .01; CRT = 1.41 [1.05–1.90], p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: In the real-world setting, CT-related events in EP procedures were found to be 3.4%–7.0% with in-hospital mortality of 2.2%. Older patients undergoing AF ablation were found to have higher mortality

Introducing a new breed of wine yeast: interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast and Saccharomyces mikatae

Interspecific hybrids are commonplace in agriculture and horticulture; bread wheat and grapefruit are but two examples. The benefits derived from interspecific hybridisation include the potential of generating advantageous transgressive phenotypes. This paper describes the generation of a new breed of wine yeast by interspecific hybridisation between a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae wine yeast strain and Saccharomyces mikatae, a species hitherto not associated with industrial fermentation environs. While commercially available wine yeast strains provide consistent and reliable fermentations, wines produced using single inocula are thought to lack the sensory complexity and rounded palate structure obtained from spontaneous fermentations. In contrast, interspecific yeast hybrids have the potential to deliver increased complexity to wine sensory properties and alternative wine styles through the formation of novel, and wider ranging, yeast volatile fermentation metabolite profiles, whilst maintaining the robustness of the wine yeast parent. Screening of newly generated hybrids from a cross between a S. cerevisiae wine yeast and S. mikatae (closely-related but ecologically distant members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto clade), has identified progeny with robust fermentation properties and winemaking potential. Chemical analysis showed that, relative to the S. cerevisiae wine yeast parent, hybrids produced wines with different concentrations of volatile metabolites that are known to contribute to wine flavour and aroma, including flavour compounds associated with non-Saccharomyces species. The new S. cerevisiae x S. mikatae hybrids have the potential to produce complex wines akin to products of spontaneous fermentation while giving winemakers the safeguard of an inoculated ferment.Jennifer R. Bellon, Frank Schmid, Dimitra L. Capone, Barbara L. Dunn, Paul J. Chamber

OSM-11 Facilitates LIN-12 Notch Signaling during Caenorhabditis elegans Vulval Development

Notch signaling is critical for cell fate decisions during development. Caenorhabditis elegans and vertebrate Notch ligands are more diverse than classical Drosophila Notch ligands, suggesting possible functional complexities. Here, we describe a developmental role in Notch signaling for OSM-11, which has been previously implicated in defecation and osmotic resistance in C. elegans. We find that complete loss of OSM-11 causes defects in vulval precursor cell (VPC) fate specification during vulval development consistent with decreased Notch signaling. OSM-11 is a secreted, diffusible protein that, like previously described C. elegans Delta, Serrate, and LAG-2 (DSL) ligands, can interact with the lineage defective-12 (LIN-12) Notch receptor extracellular domain. Additionally, OSM-11 and similar C. elegans proteins share a common motif with Notch ligands from other species in a sequence defined here as the Delta and OSM-11 (DOS) motif. osm-11 loss-of-function defects in vulval development are exacerbated by loss of other DOS-motif genes or by loss of the Notch ligand DSL-1, suggesting that DOS-motif and DSL proteins act together to activate Notch signaling in vivo. The mammalian DOS-motif protein Deltalike1 (DLK1) can substitute for OSM-11 in C. elegans development, suggesting that DOS-motif function is conserved across species. We hypothesize that C. elegans OSM-11 and homologous proteins act as coactivators for Notch receptors, allowing precise regulation of Notch receptor signaling in developmental programs in both vertebrates and invertebrates

An Evaluation of the Fe-N Phase Diagram Considering Long-Range Order of N Atoms in γ'-Fe4N1-x and ε-Fe2N1-z

The chemical potential of nitrogen was described as a function of nitrogen content for the Fe-N phases α-Fe[N], γ'-Fe4N1-x, and ε-Fe2N1-z. For α-Fe[N], an ideal, random distribution of the nitrogen atoms over the octahedral interstices of the bcc iron lattice was assumed; for γ'-Fe4N1-x and ε-Fe2N1-z, the occurrence of a long-range ordered distribution of the nitrogen atoms over the octahedral interstices of the close packed iron sublattices (fcc and hcp, respectively) was taken into account. The theoretical expressions were fitted to nitrogen-absorption isotherm data for the three Fe-N phases. The α/α + γ', α + γ'/γ', γ'/γ' + ε, and γ' + ε/ε phase boundaries in the Fe-N phase diagram were calculated from combining the quantitative descriptions for the absorption isotherms with the known composition of NH3/H2 gas mixtures in equilibrium with coexisting α and γ' phases and in equilibrium with coexisting γ' and ε phases. Comparison of the present phase boundaries with experimental data and previously calculated phase boundaries showed a major improvement as compared to the previously calculated Fe-N phase diagrams, where long-range order for the nitrogen atoms in the γ' and ε phases was not accounted for

Monitoring the coastal zone using earth observation::application of linear spectral unmixing to coastal dune systems in Wales

Coastal sand dune systems across temperate Europe are presently characterized by a high level of ecological stabilization and a subsequent loss of biological diversity. The use of continuous monitoring within these systems is vital to the preservation of species richness, particularly with regard to the persistence of early stage pioneer species dependent on a strong sediment supply. Linear spectral unmixing was applied to archived Landsat data (1975?2014) and historical aerial photography (1941?1962) for monitoring bare sand (BS) cover dynamics as a proxy for ecological dune stabilization. Using this approach, a time series of change was calculated for Kenfig Burrows, a 6-km2 stabilized dune system in South Wales, during 1941?2014. The time series indicated that a rapid level of stabilization had occurred within the study area over a period of 75 years. Accuracy assessment of the data indicated the suitability of medium-resolution imagery with an RMSE of <10% across all images and a difference of <3% between observed and predicted BS area. Temporal resolution was found to be a significant factor in the representation of BS cover with fluctuations occurring on a sub-decadal scale, outside of the margin of error introduced through the use of medium-resolution Landsat imagery. This study demonstrates a tractable approach for mapping and monitoring ecologically sensitive regions at a subLandsat pixel levelpublishersversionPeer reviewe