CX3CR1 Polymorphisms are associated with atopy but not asthma in German children

Chemokines and their receptors are involved in many aspects of immunity. Chemokine CX3CL1, acting via its receptor CX3CR1, regulates monocyte migration and macrophage differentiation as well as T cell-dependent inflammation. Two common, nonsynonymous polymorphisms in CX3CR1 have previously been shown to alter the function of the CX3CL1/CX3CR1 pathway and were suggested to modify the risk for asthma. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight technology, we genotyped polymorphisms Val249Ile and Thr280Met in a cross-sectional population of German children from Munich (n = 1,159) and Dresden ( n = 1,940). For 249Ile an odds ratio of 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.63-0.96; p = 0.017) and for 280Met an odds ratio of 0.71 ( 95% confidence interval 0.56-0.89; p = 0.004) were found with atopy in Dresden but not in Munich. Neither polymorphism was associated with asthma. Thus, amino acid changes in CX3CR1 may influence the development of atopy but not asthma in German children. Potentially, other factors such as environmental effects may modify the role of CX3CR1 polymorphisms. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Exogenous hydrogen sulfide gas does not induce hypothermia in normoxic mice

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S, 80 ppm) gas in an atmosphere of 17.5% oxygen reportedly induces suspended animation in mice; a state analogous to hibernation that entails hypothermia and hypometabolism. However, exogenous H2S in combination with 17.5% oxygen is able to induce hypoxia, which in itself is a trigger of hypometabolism/hypothermia. Using non-invasive thermographic imaging, we demonstrated that mice exposed to hypoxia (5% oxygen) reduce their body temperature to ambient temperature. In contrast, animals exposed to 80 ppm H2S under normoxic conditions did not exhibit a reduction in body temperature compared to normoxic controls. In conclusion, mice induce hypothermia in response to hypoxia but not H2S gas, which contradicts the reported findings and putative contentions

A solution of the coincidence problem based on the recent galactic core black hole mass density increase

A mechanism capable to provide a natural solution to two major cosmological problems, i.e. the cosmic acceleration and the coincidence problem, is proposed. A specific brane-bulk energy exchange mechanism produces a total dark pressure, arising when adding all normal to the brane negative pressures in the interior of galactic core black holes. This astrophysically produced negative dark pressure explains cosmic acceleration and why the dark energy today is of the same order to the matter density for a wide range of the involved parameters. An exciting result of the analysis is that the recent rise of the galactic core black hole mass density causes the recent passage from cosmic deceleration to acceleration. Finally, it is worth mentioning that this work corrects a wide spread fallacy among brane cosmologists, i.e. that escaping gravitons result to positive dark pressure.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

ENGAGING CLINICIANS IN A PRE-IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT OF THE WOMEN & PERSON-EMPOWERED COMMUNITY ACCESS FOR REPRODUCTIVE EQUITY (WE CARE) INTERVENTION

Objectives: To assess clinicians’ perspectives on WE CARE (an emergency department (ED) family planning counseling and referral intervention that uses an online health tool and community health workers) to inform intervention design for implementation. Methods: We conducted one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, and Obstetrics & Gynecology clinicians until thematic saturation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) informed the interview guide and was used to code all transcripts. A CFIR expert conducted an external coding audit. Results: We interviewed 30 clinicians (female (77%), ED staff (47%), white (63%), and attending physicians (43%)). WE CARE was highly acceptable. Dominant CFIR domains include: (1) Clinicians suggested Design Quality and Packaging modifications, particularly the referral processes, to promote successful implementation; (2) transportation and insurance were essential Patient Needs and Resources; (3) WE CARE was Compatible with the Value of “no missed opportunity” to help patients; (4) Compatibility with Work Processes – WE CARE posed scheduling and reimbursement challenges to clinics; (5) Clinicians expressed concerns about an ED Culture of reproductive health frustrations, resistance to change, and competing priorities. Others identified the ED “safety net” culture and long wait times as assets to the intervention; (6) WE CARE had a significant Relative Advantage over the status quo. A few clinicians identified more advantageous alternatives (e.g., WE CARE in the clinic, home, or community settings); (7) Engaging Key Stakeholders throughout the hospital was a critical implementation element. Conclusions: Clinicians contextualized several implementation constructs relevant to designing and implementing an ED family planning intervention

What is a clinical pathway? Refinement of an operational definition to identify clinical pathway studies for a Cochrane systematic review

Clinical pathways (CPWs) are a common component in the quest to improve the quality of health. CPWs are used to reduce variation, improve quality of care, and maximize the outcomes for specific groups of patients. An ongoing challenge is the operationalization of a definition of CPW in healthcare. This may be attributable to both the differences in definition and a lack of conceptualization in the field of clinical pathways. This correspondence article describes a process of refinement of an operational definition for CPW research and proposes an operational definition for the future syntheses of CPWs literature. Following the approach proposed by Kinsman et al. (BMC Medicine 8(1):31, 2010) and Wieland et al. (Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 17(2):50, 2011), we used a four-stage process to generate a five criteria checklist for the definition of CPWs. We refined the operational definition, through consensus, merging two of the checklist's criteria, leading to a more inclusive criterion for accommodating CPW studies conducted in various healthcare settings. The following four criteria for CPW operational definition, derived from the refinement process described above, are (1) the intervention was a structured multidisciplinary plan of care; (2) the intervention was used to translate guidelines or evidence into local structures; (3) the intervention detailed the steps in a course of treatment or care in a plan, pathway, algorithm, guideline, protocol or other 'inventory of actions' (i.e. the intervention had time-frames or criteria-based progression); and (4) the intervention aimed to standardize care for a specific population. An intervention meeting all four criteria was considered to be a CPW. The development of operational definitions for complex interventions is a useful approach to appraise and synthesize evidence for policy development and quality improvement

Interacting polytropic gas model of phantom dark energy in non-flat universe

By introducing the polytropic gas model of interacting dark energy, we obtain the equation of state for the polytropic gas energy density in a non-flat universe. We show that for even polytropic index by choosing $K>Ba^{\frac{3}{n}}$, one can obtain $\omega^{\rm eff}_{\Lambda}<-1$, which corresponds to a universe dominated by phantom dark energy.Comment: 7 page

Chiral Analysis of Quenched Baryon Masses

We extend to quenched QCD an earlier investigation of the chiral structure of the masses of the nucleon and the delta in lattice simulations of full QCD. Even after including the meson-loop self-energies which give rise to the leading and next-to-leading non-analytic behaviour (and hence the most rapid variation in the region of light quark mass), we find surprisingly little curvature in the quenched case. Replacing these meson-loop self-energies by the corresponding terms in full QCD yields a remarkable level of agreement with the results of the full QCD simulations. This comparison leads to a very good understanding of the origins of the mass splitting between these baryons.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure

Filtering spin with tunnel-coupled electron wave guides

We show how momentum-resolved tunneling between parallel electron wave guides can be used to observe and exploit lifting of spin degeneracy due to Rashba spin-orbit coupling. A device is proposed that achieves spin filtering without using ferromagnets or the Zeeman effect.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTex

A ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex disrupts actin cytoskeleton assembly and blocks cytokinesis

The dinuclear Ru(II) complex [(Ru(phen) 2 ) 2 (tpphz)] 4+ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, tpphz = tetrapyridophenazine) “RuRuPhen” blocks the transformation of G-actin to F-actin filaments with no disassembly of pre-formed F-actin. Molecular docking studies indicate multiple RuRuPhen molecules bind to the surface of G-actin but not the binding pockets of established actin polymerisation inhibitors. In cells, addition of RuRuPhen causes rapid disruption to actin stress fibre organisation, compromising actomyosin contractility and cell motility, due to this effect RuRuPhen interferes with late-stage cytokinesis. Immunofluorescent microscopy reveals that RuRuPhen causes cytokinetic abscission failure by interfering with ESCRT complex recruitmen

Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods

Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures. In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.