A wager on the future: a practicable response to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the stubborn fact of process

In this article we focus on public health’s wager on the social implications of a daily antiretroviral pill to prevent HIV, referred to as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). The wager is shown to rely on modes of inquiry overly tied to what is known of the present in order to predict the future. Although such inquiry is not unusual when social research is called upon to assist health policy, predictive methodologies are unable to appreciate the dynamic and thus indeterminate nature of process. We ask: what mode of inquiry might practicably appreciate that what happens in the present will have a bearing on the future, without foreclosing on unknown possibles? Drawing on speculative and pragmatic philosophy, we reflect on our own qualitative research on PrEP to suggest that conventional methodological approaches can contribute to the future without seeking to determine what it will become

Coral microbiome composition along the northern Red Sea suggests high plasticity of bacterial and specificity of endosymbiotic dinoflagellate communities

Background The capacity of reef-building corals to tolerate (or adapt to) heat stress is a key factor determining their resilience to future climate change. Changes in coral microbiome composition (particularly for microalgal endosymbionts and bacteria) is a potential mechanism that may assist corals to thrive in warm waters. The northern Red Sea experiences extreme temperatures anomalies, yet corals in this area rarely bleach suggesting possible refugia to climate change. However, the coral microbiome composition, and how it relates to the capacity to thrive in warm waters in this region, is entirely unknown. Results We investigated microbiomes for six coral species (Porites nodifera, Favia favus, Pocillopora damicornis, Seriatopora hystrix, Xenia umbellata, and Sarcophyton trocheliophorum) from five sites in the northern Red Sea spanning 4° of latitude and summer mean temperature ranges from 26.6 °C to 29.3 °C. A total of 19 distinct dinoflagellate endosymbionts were identified as belonging to three genera in the family Symbiodiniaceae (Symbiodinium, Cladocopium, and Durusdinium). Of these, 86% belonged to the genus Cladocopium, with notably five novel types (19%). The endosymbiont community showed a high degree of host-specificity despite the latitudinal gradient. In contrast, the diversity and composition of bacterial communities of the surface mucus layer (SML)—a compartment particularly sensitive to environmental change—varied significantly between sites, however for any given coral was species-specific. Conclusion The conserved endosymbiotic community suggests high physiological plasticity to support holobiont productivity across the different latitudinal regimes. Further, the presence of five novel algal endosymbionts suggests selection of certain genotypes (or genetic adaptation) within the semi-isolated Red Sea. In contrast, the dynamic composition of bacteria associated with the SML across sites may contribute to holobiont function and broaden the ecological niche. In doing so, SML bacterial communities may aid holobiont local acclimatization (or adaptation) by readily responding to changes in the host environment. Our study provides novel insight about the selective and endemic nature of coral microbiomes along the northern Red Sea refugia

The Microprocessor controls the activity of mammalian retrotransposons

More than half of the human genome is made of transposable elements whose ongoing mobilization is a driving force in genetic diversity; however, little is known about how the host regulates their activity. Here, we show that the Microprocessor (Drosha-DGCR8), which is required for microRNA biogenesis, also recognizes and binds RNAs derived from human long interspersed element 1 (LINE-1), Alu and SVA retrotransposons. Expression analyses demonstrate that cells lacking a functional Microprocessor accumulate LINE-1 mRNA and encoded proteins. Furthermore, we show that structured regions of the LINE-1 mRNA can be cleaved in vitro by Drosha. Additionally, we used a cell culture–based assay to show that the Microprocessor negatively regulates LINE-1 and Alu retrotransposition in vivo. Altogether, these data reveal a new role for the Microprocessor as a post-transcriptional repressor of mammalian retrotransposons and a defender of human genome integrity.S.R.H. was supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship and a Marie Curie CIG-Grant (PCIG10-GA-2011-303812). M.P. and E.E. were supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science (BIO2011-23920) and by the Sandra Ibarra Foundation (CSD2009-00080). M.P. is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. J.L.G.-P. is supported by FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG, CICE-FEDER-P09-CTS-4980, PeS-FEDER-PI-002, FIS-FEDER-PI11/01489 and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (IECS-55007420). J.F.C. was supported by Core funding from the Medical Research Council and by the Wellcome Trust (grant 095518/B/11/Z)

Empirically probing the quantity–quality model

This paper estimates the causal effects of family size on girls’ education in Mexico, exploiting prenatal son preference as a source of random variation in the propensity to have more children within an Instrumental Variables framework. It finds no evidence of family size having an adverse effect on education. The paper then weakens the identification assumption and allows for the possibility that the instrument is invalid. It finds that the effects of family size on girls’ schooling remain extremely modest at most. Families that are relatively large compensate for reduced per child resources by increasing maternal labour supply

HIV Status Communication with Sex Partners and Associated Factors Among High-Risk MSM and Transgender Women in Lima, Peru

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) are key populations in the HIV epidemic. HIV status communication between sex partners can inform decisions regarding sexual behavior. MSM and TW were asked about HIV status communication with sex partners at baseline, 9- and 18-months. GEE models assessed associations with HIV status communication at baseline using prevalence ratios (PRs) and longitudinally using odds ratios (ORs). At baseline, those who had previously had an HIV test, disclosed their HIV status to 42 % of their sex partners. HIV status communication was associated with knowing their sex partner's HIV status at baseline (aPR 5.20) and longitudinally (aOR 1.86). HIV positivity at baseline was negatively associated with HIV status communication during follow-up (aOR 0.55). All reported aPRs and aORs have p < 0.05. Interventions promoting HIV status communication and more frequent HIV testing should be explored as current efforts are insufficient

Tumor necrosis factor-α in human American tegumentary leishmaniasis

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Protozoologia. Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Hormonal. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Protozoologia. Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Hormonal. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Protozoologia. Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Hormonal. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Protozoologia. Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Hormonal. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Protozoologia. Laboratório de Imunidade Celular e Hormonal. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα ) is a cytokine produced by activated macrophages and other cells. In order to verify whether the serum levels of TNFα in American tegumentary leishmaniasis patients are associated with the process of cure or aggravation of the disease, 41 patients were studied: 26 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and 15 of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). During active disease the serum levels of TNFα of MCL patients were significantly higher than those of CL patients and control subjects (healthy individuals and cutaneous lesions from other etiologies). The MCL patients had serum titers of TNFα significantly lower at the end of antimonial therapy than before therapy. After a six-month follow-up, the MCL patients had serum levels of TNFα similar to those observed at the end of the therapy as well as to those of CL patients and control subjects. No significant variation in the serum levels of TNFα was observed in CL patients throughout the study period (before, at the end of therapy and after a six-month follow-up). The possible relationship between the high TNFα serum levels and severity of the disease is discussed