Effect of HIV/AIDS and Malaria on the Context for Introduction of Zinc Treatment and Low-osmolarity ORS for Childhood Diarrhoea*

Diarrhoea was estimated to account for 18% of the estimated 10.6 million deaths of children aged less than five years annually in 2003. Two—Africa and South-East Asia—of the six regions of the World Health Organization accounted for approximately 40% and 31% of these deaths respectively, or almost three-quarters of the global annual deaths of children aged less than five years attributable to diarrhoea. Much of the effort to roll out low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution (ORS) and supplementation of zinc for the management of diarrhoea accordingly is being devoted to sub-Saharan Africa and to South and South-East Asia. A number of significant differences exist in diarrhoea-treatment behaviours and challenges of the public-health systems between Africa and Asia. The differences in rates of ORS use are the most common indicator of treatment of diarrhoea and vary dramatically by and within region and may significantly influence the roll-out strategy for zinc and low-osmolarity ORS. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the endemi-city of malaria also differ greatly between regions; both the diseases consume the attention and financial commitment of public-health programmes in regions where rates are high. This paper examined how these differences could affect the context for the introduction of zinc and low-osmolarity ORS at various levels, including the process of policy dialogue with local decision-makers, questions to be addressed in formative research, implementation approaches, and strategies for behaviour-change communication and training of health workers

Effects of Adenosine on Inositol 1,4,5‐Trisphosphate Formation and Intracellular Calcium Changes in Formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe‐Stimulated Human Neutrophils

In the presence of adenosine, formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe‐stimulated human neutrophils show a greatly diminished production of superoxide anion. Analysis of changes in levels of intracellular calcium revealed that the immediate increase (occurring within seconds) in intracellular calcium following addition of formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe is not affected by the presence of adenosine, although there are significantly lower intracellular calcium levels during the late phase (occurring 1–4 min after addition of formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe). Consistent with these findings is the fact that adenosine does not affect the production of inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate in formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe‐stimulated neutrophils. These data suggest that the profound inhibitory effects of adenosine on superoxide responses in formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe‐stimulated neutrophils may be related to an action of adenosine occurring late in the sequence of events of signal transduction.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141119/1/jlb0281.pd

Horizontal gene transfer between Wolbachia and the mosquito Aedes aegypti

BACKGROUND: The evolutionary importance of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria to their eukaryotic hosts is a topic of considerable interest and debate. Recent transfers of genome fragments from Wolbachia into insect chromosomes have been reported, but it has been argued that these fragments may be on an evolutionary trajectory to degradation and loss. RESULTS: We have discovered a case of HGT, involving two adjacent genes, between the genomes of Wolbachia and the currently Wolbachia-uninfected mosquito Aedes aegypti, an important human disease vector. The lower level of sequence identity between Wolbachia and insect, the transcription of all the genes involved, and the fact that we have identified homologs of the two genes in another Aedes species (Ae. mascarensis), suggest that these genes are being expressed after an extended evolutionary period since horizontal transfer, and therefore that the transfer has functional significance. The association of these genes with Wolbachia prophage regions also provides a mechanism for the transfer. CONCLUSION: The data support the argument that HGT between Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria and their hosts has produced evolutionary innovation

Hydroclimatic Controls on the Means and Variability of Vegetation Phenology and Carbon Uptake

Long-term, global offline (land-only) simulations with a dynamic vegetation phenology model are used to examine the control of hydroclimate over vegetation-related quantities. First, with a control simulation, the model is shown to capture successfully (though with some bias) key observed relationships between hydroclimate and the spatial and temporal variations of phenological expression. In subsequent simulations, the model shows that: (i) the global spatial variation of seasonal phenological maxima is controlled mostly by hydroclimate, irrespective of distributions in vegetation type, (ii) the occurrence of high interannual moisture-related phenological variability in grassland areas is determined by hydroclimate rather than by the specific properties of grassland, and (iii) hydroclimatic means and variability have a corresponding impact on the spatial and temporal distributions of gross primary productivity (GPP)

Nitrous Oxide in the Atmosphere: First Measurements of a Lower Thermospheric Source

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, as well as one of the most significant anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere. The satellite-based instrument Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer has been observing the Earth\u27s limb since 2004 and derives profiles of N2O volume mixing ratios in the upper troposphere to the lower thermosphere. The resulting climatology shows that N2O is continuously produced in the lower thermosphere via energetic particle precipitation and enhanced N2O is present at all latitudes, during all seasons. The results are consistent with an N2O production source peaking near or above 94 km via low-energy particles, as well as a polar wintertime source near 70 km via medium energy particles. N2O produced in the polar upper atmosphere descends each winter to as far down as ∼40 km. ©2016. American Geophysical Union

Absence of FMLP Receptors on Rat Macrophages

Although rat peritoneal neutrophils in the presence of cytochalasin B demonstrate superoxide (O2‐) responses to the chemotactic peptide N’‐formyl‐met‐leu‐phe (FMLP), neither elicited rat peritoneal macrophages nor rat alveolar macrophages show an O2‐response to FMLP (in the presence or absence of cytochalasin B), although a good O2‐response to opsonized zymosan is demonstrated by both types of macrophages. Using Fura‐2 loaded cells, peritoneal macrophages failed to show an increase in intracellular calcium after exposure to FMLP, f‐nor‐leu‐phe, F‐met‐met‐met, or F‐norleu‐leu‐phe‐norleu‐lys. FMLP also failed to induce elevations in intracellular calcium in alveolar macrophages. In 3H‐FMLP binding studies, the lack of responsiveness of peritoneal and alveolar macrophages was associated with the lack of FMLP receptors on these cell types, in striking contrast to the presence of functional receptors on rat neutrophils.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141351/1/jlb0600.pd

Modern approaches to pediatric brain injury therapy.

Each year, pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounts for 435,000 emergency department visits, 37,000 hospital admissions, and approximately 2,500 deaths in the United States. TBI results in immediate injury from direct mechanical force and shear. Secondary injury results from the release of biochemical or inflammatory factors that alter the loco-regional milieu in the acute, subacute, and delayed intervals after a mechanical insult. Preliminary preclinical and clinical research is underway to evaluate the benefit from progenitor cell therapeutics, hypertonic saline infusion, and controlled hypothermia. However, all phase III clinical trials investigating pharmacologic monotherapy for TBI have shown no benefit. A recent National Institutes of Health consensus statement recommends research into multimodality treatments for TBI. This article will review the complex pathophysiology of TBI as well as the possible therapeutic mechanisms of progenitor cell transplantation, hypertonic saline infusion, and controlled hypothermia for possible utilization in multimodality clinical trials

A Call for Gender-Inclusive Global Health Strategies

The WHO\u27s Global Strategy for Women\u27s, Children\u27s, and Adolescents\u27 Health 2016-2030 (GS-WCAH 2016-2030) is a comprehensive plan developed to improve the lives of women, children, and adolescents. Due to the success in the creation, ratification, and advocacy of the GS-WCAH 2016-2030, the clear health outcome disparities between males and females, and the general absence of male health from existing policies and sponsored programs, it is time now to develop a global strategy specifically drafted to improve the lives of men and boys. The following commentary provides three points for why a male-oriented program, like the GS-WCAH 2016-2030, should be created: (a) health outcomes disparities, (b) economic impact of poor male health, and (c) fathers\u27 role in promoting the health of women, children, and adolescents. Implications for how male health can be incorporated into future projects and priorities are provided, as well as advocacy for overall gender-inclusivity in regard to global public health efforts