The Effect of Pteridines and Pteridine Analogues on the Growth and Development of the Cellular Slime Mold Dictyostelium Discoideum

The present work is concerned with the effect of pteridines and pteridine analogues on growth and development of D. discoideum. Protein and DNA synthesis during growth and development and the action of p-aminobenzoic add and sulfanilamide on growth and development were examined. The antagonistic effect of p-aminobenzoic acid on the inhibitory action of sulfanilamide on cells of D. discoideum was also examined

Building the economic evidence case for social prescribing

Understanding the economic impact of social prescribing remains an urgent priority for the National Academy of Social Prescribing (NASP). As yet it is unclear how much data exists within the different systems to enable economic analyses of the impact of social prescribing schemes to be conducted. The complexity in understanding the economic impact of social prescribing—and indeed all non-clinical community-based approaches to health—is compounded by the multisector nature of social prescribing. Furthermore, a variety of approaches are being used to test similar but different understandings of both cost and value, including social value, cost, benefit and economic value. There are a growing range of reports and peer-reviewed publications that focus on the impact of social prescribing on health and social care demand, some of which have economic analyses and some which remain as potential data sets for economic analyses. At least one third of all outcomes (if not more) are directly related to the social determinants of health1,2 (SDH) which are not taken into account with economic analysis focused only on health service usage. This range of outcomes experienced by service users2-4 is driving many researchers to conduct economic analyses that attempt to assign value to outcomes beyond the health sector, for instance using social return on investment (SROI) and proxy values. Other researchers have discussed the evolution in economic analyses at length and suggest additional components to existing methodologies, e.g., multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to account for additional complexity of social prescribing5. Further developments are also being trialled such as the Wellbeing-adjusted Life Years (WELLBY) to understand the economic value attached to wellbeing6, as opposed to the Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY), which reports the economic value of quality of life. We are entering an era of providing personalised support to people in integrated and multidisciplinary systems with different local population needs. As such, there is a need to evolve the approaches to determining cost and value of social prescribing, and to reach agreements on methodologies that all sectors are willing to accept as sound approaches. Furthermore, as discussed by McDaid and colleagues in 2019 7, there is a need to move beyond the immediate benefits of social prescribing and to explore the longer-term benefits of sustained engagement in non-clinical activities and provision of support to address issues linked to the SDH. This would enable more data to inform the preventative role and economic impact that social prescribing may have, which is currently an evidence gap. This rapid scoping review was commissioned by NASP and additional roundtables were supported by the National Centre for Creative Health and UKRI/AHRC’s ‘Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities’ research programme (led by University College London). It aims to provide an update to the first economic evidence review from NASP and explore economic data and health and social care usage data in more detail. This rapid scoping review aims to ascertain: What the current literature indicates in terms of cost or value of social prescribing schemes or parts of the social prescribing scheme. If there are potential data sets that report the impact of social prescribing on health service usage that could have economic analysis applied to them. Stakeholder opinions on the methodological approaches for creating the current economic evaluation evidence base for social prescribing and potential future developments that are needed. How these findings can inform a larger programme of research that is needed to establish the economic impact and value of social prescribing across all relevant sectors in the community. As this report contains three separate elements to it, each element will be reported with methods and results, and then key themes will be brought together with recommendations

Upheaval in cancer care during the COVID-19 outbreak

On Monday, 23 March 2020, Nigeria recorded its first mortality from the novel global COVID-19 outbreak. Before this, the country reported 36 confirmed cases (at the time of writing) and has discharged home two cases after weeks of care at a government-approved isolation center in Lagos State. This first mortality was that of a 67-year-old man with a history of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. He was undergoing chemotherapy and had just returned to Nigeria following medical treatment in the United Kingdom. The novel COVID-19 pandemic has grounded several global activities including the provision of health care serves to people with chronic conditions such as cancer. Evidence from China suggests that cancer patients with COVID-19 infection are a vulnerable group, with a higher risk of severe illness resulting in intensive care unit admissions or death particularly if they received chemotherapy or surgery. This letter is an attempt to suggests practicable interventions such as the use of existing digital health platforms to limit patients' and oncology professionals’ physical interaction as a way of reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection transmission amongst cancer patients and oncologists, as well as outlining effective strategies to ensure that cancer care is not completely disrupted during the outbreak

Management of Foreign Bodies in the Ear: A Retrospective Review of 123 Cases in Nigeria

Foreign bodies in the ear are relatively common in emergency medicine. However, attempts at removal made outside the healthcare setting by untrained persons can result in complications of varying degrees. We conducted a 3-year retrospective review of 123 cases of aural foreign bodies at our hospital in Nigeria. Our patient population was made up of 80 males and 43 females, aged 2 to 67 years (mean: 13.2); almost three-fourths of these patients were aged 15 years or younger. Only 40 of them (32.5%) presented to an otolaryngologist within 12 hours of foreign-body insertion. A total of 30 patients (24.4%) had initially undergone removal attempts by a non-otolaryngologist prior to receiving trained ENT care, and 23 of them experienced a total of 41 complications: 17 cases of canal abrasion, laceration, and/or bleeding, 8 cases of otitis externa, 6 cases of tympanic membrane perforation, 5 cases of impaired hearing, 3 cases of chronic suppurative otitis media, and 2 cases of middle ear involvement. Of the 93 patients who were seen by an otolaryngologist initially, only 6 (6.5%) developed a complication: 4 cases of canal abrasion, laceration, and/or bleeding and 2 cases of otitis externa. The difference in overall complication rates between patients treated by otolaryngologists and non-otolaryngologists was statistically significant (p < 0.001). We conclude that attempts at removal by nonotolaryngologists can result in a high incidence of preventable complications

SDRF2GRAPH – a visualization tool of a spreadsheet-based description of experimental processes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As larger datasets are produced with the development of genome-scale experimental techniques, it has become essential to explicitly describe the meta-data (information describing the data) generated by an experiment. The experimental process is a part of the meta-data required to interpret the produced data, and SDRF (Sample and Data Relationship Format) supports its description in a spreadsheet or tab-delimited file. This format was primarily developed to describe microarray studies in MAGE-tab, and it is being applied in a broader context in ISA-tab. While the format provides an explicit framework to describe experiments, increase of experimental steps makes it less obvious to understand the content of the SDRF files.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we describe a new tool, SDRF2GRAPH, for displaying experimental steps described in an SDRF file as an investigation design graph, a directed acyclic graph representing experimental steps. A spreadsheet, in Microsoft Excel for example, which is used to edit and inspect the descriptions, can be directly input via a web-based interface without converting to tab-delimited text. This makes it much easier to organize large contents of SDRF described in multiple spreadsheets.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SDRF2GRAPH is applicable for a wide range of SDRF files for not only microarray-based analysis but also other genome-scale technologies, such as next generation sequencers. Visualization of the Investigation Design Graph (IDG) structure leads to an easy understanding of the experimental process described in the SDRF files even if the experiment is complicated, and such visualization also encourages the creation of SDRF files by providing prompt visual feedback.</p

Communication Disorders among Children in a Developing Country, Nigeria

Background: Communication disorders in children are an invisible disability posing challenges to otorhinolaryngologist in developing countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, sociodemographic features, aetiology, types of communication disorders among under 18 years children attending our facility. Methods: This was a prospective study conducted in ear, nose and throat department in a Nigerian university teaching hospital, from June 2014 to May 2019. Data were obtained by using pretested interviewers assisted questionnaires from consented patients and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Prevalence of communication disorder was 16.1%. Male was 68.2% with male to female ratio of 2.1:1. Communication disorder is commoner in first child 58.1% and detected by mother in 70.5% cases. Major cause was due to infection in 68.2%. Large percentage of communication disorder were language disorder in 60.8% and speech disorders which constitute 39.2% with associated varying degrees of hearing impairment in 78.8% of them. Sensorineural hearing impairment was noted in 69.6% cases. Language disorders were delayed speech & language, mutism and specific language impairment in 22.6%, 16.6% and 14.7% respectively. Major speech disorder was articulation problem in 15.7%. Main sources of referral were 52.5% from paediatrician while 30.9% was from general practitioners. Conclusions: There was high prevalence of communication disorder which was associated with high prevalence of hearing impairment. The major causes were infection with inadequate obstetrics management

Reflections on IDEAL: What we have learnt from a unique calf cohort study

The year 2020 marks a decade since the final visit was made in the ‘Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock’ (IDEAL) project. However, data generation from samples obtained during this ambitious longitudinal study still continues. As the project launches its extensive open-access database and biobank to the scientific community, we reflect on the challenges overcome, the knowledge gained, and the advantages of such a project. We discuss the legacy of the IDEAL project and how it continues to generate evidence since being adopted by the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH). We also examine the impact of the IDEAL project, from the authors perspective, for each of the stakeholders (the animal, the farmer, the consumer, the policy maker, the funding body, and the researcher and their institution) involved in the project and provide recommendations for future researchers who are interested in running longitudinal field studies.The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Government’s Department for International Development and the International Livestock Research Institute.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/prevetmedam2021Veterinary Tropical Disease

Induction of humoral immune response to multiple recombinant Rhipicephalus appendiculatus antigens and their effect on tick feeding success and pathogen transmission

BACKGROUND: Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is the primary vector of Theileria parva, the etiological agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a devastating disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that a vaccine targeting tick proteins that are involved in attachment and feeding might affect feeding success and possibly reduce tick-borne transmission of T. parva. Here we report the evaluation of a multivalent vaccine cocktail of tick antigens for their ability to reduce R. appendiculatus feeding success and possibly reduce tick-transmission of T. parva in a natural host-tick-parasite challenge model. METHODS: Cattle were inoculated with a multivalent antigen cocktail containing recombinant tick protective antigen subolesin as well as two additional R. appendiculatus saliva antigens: the cement protein TRP64, and three different histamine binding proteins. The cocktail also contained the T. parva sporozoite antigen p67C. The effect of vaccination on the feeding success of nymphal and adult R. appendiculatus ticks was evaluated together with the effect on transmission of T. parva using a tick challenge model. RESULTS: To our knowledge, this is the first evaluation of the anti-tick effects of these antigens in the natural host-tick-parasite combination. In spite of evidence of strong immune responses to all of the antigens in the cocktail, vaccination with this combination of tick and parasite antigens did not appear to effect tick feeding success or reduce transmission of T. parva. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight the importance of early evaluation of anti-tick vaccine candidates in biologically relevant challenge systems using the natural tick-host-parasite combination

Toward a conceptual framework of emotional relationship marketing: an examination of two UK political parties

The purpose of this paper is to review the notion of branding and evaluate its applicability to political parties. As ideological politics is in decline, branding may provide a consistent narrative where voters feel a sense of warmth and belonging. The paper aims to build an understanding of the complexity of building a political brand where a combination of image, logo, leadership, and values can all contribute to a compelling brand narrative. It investigates how competing positive and negative messages attempt to build and distort the brand identity. A critical review of bran ding, relationship marketing, and political science literature articulates the conceptual development of branding and its applicability to political parties. The success or failure of negative campaigning is due to the authenticity of a political party’s brand values — creating a coherent brand story — if there is no distance between the brand values articulated by the political party and the values their community perceives then this creates an "authentic" brand. However, if there is a gap this paper illustrates how negative campaigning can be used to build a "doppelganger brand," which undermines the credibility of the authentic political brand. The paper argues that political parties need to understand how brand stories are developed but also how they can be used to protect against negative advertising. This has implications for political marketing strategists and political parties. This paper draws together branding theory and relationship marketing and incorporates them into a framework that makes a contribution to the political marketing literature

Bluetongue and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease virus in local breeds of cattle in Kenya

AbstractThe presence of bluetongue virus (BTV) and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease virus (EHDV) in indigenous calves in western Kenya was investigated. Serum was analysed for BTV and EHDV antibodies. The population seroprevalences for BTV and EHDV for calves at 51weeks of age were estimated to be 0.942 (95% CI 0.902–0.970) and 0.637 (95% CI 0.562–0.710), respectively, indicating high levels of circulating BTV and EHDV. The odds ratio of being positive for BTV if EHDV positive was estimated to be 2.57 (95% CI 1.37–4.76). When 99 calves were tested for BTV and EHDV RNA by real-time RT-PCR, 88.9% and 63.6% were positive, respectively. Comparison of the serology and real-time RT-PCR results revealed an unexpectedly large number of calves that were negative by serology but positive by real-time RT-PCR for EHDV. Eight samples positive for BTV RNA were serotyped using 24 serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR assays. Nine BTV serotypes were detected, indicating that the cattle were infected with a heterogeneous population of BTVs. The results show that BTV and EHDV are highly prevalent, with cattle being infected from an early age