Glucocorticoid assessment in the domestic horse: the impacts of time and climatic variables on sample integrity

Background: Assessment of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) offers a noninvasive method of monitoring adrenal activity in domestic horses. Samples are collected on an opportunistic basis and, if they are not fresh or have been exposed to the elements before they are identified, may not accurately reflect FGM concentrations. Objectives: To explore the impact of a range of environmental conditions upon the integrity of FGM levels in equine faeces. Study design: In vitro experiment. Method: Equine faeces were exposed to six controlled environmental conditions intended to simulate a range of weather and seasonal patterns (temperate climate, high heat, high heat and rainfall, temperate climate and rainfall, high heat/temperate climate, freeze/thaw) over a period of 5 days. FGM were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results: Faecal samples exposed to room temperature and high heat demonstrated significant increases in FGM levels over time. No changes in FGM levels were observed in the remaining treatments. Main limitations: The study should be repeated in field conditions and with known high and low levels of FGM to further inform sampling regimes. Conclusions: Adrenal monitoring in the domestic horse should be performed with consideration of the impact of climate on the integrity of faecal samples in order to further inform sampling schedules and improve the reliability of results

Traces of volcanic ash from the Mediterranean, Iceland and North America in a Holocene record from South Wales, UK

A tephra record is presented for a sediment core from Llyn Llech Owain, south Wales, spanning the early‐ to mid‐Holocene. Seven cryptotephra deposits are discovered with three thought to correlate with known eruptions and the remaining four considered to represent previously undocumented events. One deposit is suggested to correlate with the ~6.9 cal ka bp Lairg A tephra from Iceland, whereas more distant sources are proposed as the origin for two of the tephra deposits. A peak of colourless shards in early‐Holocene sediments is thought to tentatively correlate with the ~9.6 cal ka bp Fondi di Baia tephra (Campi Flegrei) and a second cryptotephra is tentatively correlated with the ~3.6 cal ka bp Aniakchak (CFE) II tephra (Alaska). The Fondi di Baia tephra has never been recorded beyond proximal sites and its discovery in south Wales significantly extends the geographical distribution of ash from this eruption. The remaining four cryptotephra deposits are yet to be correlated with known eruptions, demonstrating that our current understanding of widespread tephra deposits is incomplete. This new tephra record highlights the potential for sites at more southerly and westerly locations in northwest Europe to act as repositories for ash from several volcanic regions

Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Cats During Anesthesia and Effect of Omeprazole on Gastric pH.

BackgroundGastroesophageal reflux (GER) is poorly characterized in anesthetized cats, but can cause aspiration pneumonia, esophagitis, and esophageal stricture formation.ObjectiveTo determine whether pre-anesthetic orally administered omeprazole increases gastric and esophageal pH and increases serum gastrin concentrations in anesthetized cats, and to determine the prevalence of GER using combined multichannel impedance and pH monitoring.AnimalsTwenty-seven healthy cats undergoing elective dental procedures.MethodsProspective, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Cats were randomized to receive 2 PO doses of omeprazole (1.45-2.20 mg/kg) or an empty gelatin capsule placebo 18-24 hours and 4 hours before anesthetic induction. Blood for measurement of serum gastrin concentration was collected during anesthetic induction. An esophageal pH/impedance catheter was utilized to continuously measure esophageal pH and detect GER throughout anesthesia.ResultsMean gastric pH in the cats that received omeprazole was 7.2 ± 0.4 (range, 6.6-7.8) and was significantly higher than the pH in cats that received the placebo 2.8 ± 1.0 (range, 1.3-4.1; P < .001). Omeprazole administration was not associated with a significant increase in serum gastrin concentration (P = .616). Nine of 27 cats (33.3%) had ≥1 episode of GER during anesthesia.Conclusions and clinical relevancePre-anesthetic administration of 2 PO doses of omeprazole at a dosage of 1.45-2.20 mg/kg in cats was associated with a significant increase in gastric and esophageal pH within 24 hours, but was not associated with a significant increase in serum gastrin concentration. Prevalence of reflux events in cats during anesthesia was similar to that of dogs during anesthesia

Trends in the burden of varicella in UK general practice.

Childhood varicella vaccination has not yet been introduced in the UK. To inform decision-making about future vaccine programmes, data on the burden of varicella in general practice over a 10-year period (01/01/2005-31/12/2014) was calculated by age and ethnicity, using anonymised data from >8 million individuals in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Varicella consultations peaked at 20 603 in 2007, then decreased annually in all age groups to 11 243 in 2014. Each year, consultation rates were common among infants, were highest among 1-3 year olds (61·2 consultations/1000 person-years in 2007, 39·7/1000 person-years in 2014) and then fell with increasing age to <1·0/1000 person-years at ages ⩾20 years. Varicella acquisition appeared to be delayed in some ethnic groups, with lower consultation rates for children aged <3 years but increased rates for older children and adults aged ⩽40 years among those of black African, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian or other Asian ethnicity. Decreasing general practice consultation rates over time could reflect changes in healthcare utilisation, with patients seeking care in alternative settings such as Accident and Emergency Departments, although current data prevent full assessment of this. Availability of data on varicella diagnoses across all health settings would enable estimation of the total healthcare burden due to varicella and the cost-effectiveness of introducing varicella vaccination

The Measurement, Treatment and Immunopathology of Leprosy Type 1 Reactions

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous condition principally affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. It is caused by infection with the obligate intracellular pathogen Mycobacterium leprae. The host immune response of an infected individual determines the disease phenotype. The borderline states of the disease are complicated by immunologically mediated Type 1 reactions in up to 30% of people. Type 1 reactions cause inflammation of the skin and peripheral nerves and can lead to permanent nerve function impairment. The treatment of Type 1 reactions is with oral corticosteroids but there are few data concerning the optimal dose and duration of corticosteroid treatment. Clinical trials have been hampered due to a lack of a valid measure of disease severity. A clinical severity scale was developed and tested in Bangladesh and Brazil. It was shown to be valid and able to discriminate between mild and moderate and moderate and severe Type 1 reactions. It was also shown to be reliable with excellent inter-observer agreement. A double blind randomized controlled clinical trial of high dose intravenous methylprednisolone and prednisolone (total dose equivalent to 6.15 g of prednisolone) was compared to placebo infusion and prednisolone (total dose 2.52 g of prednisolone). There were no significant differences in the rate of adverse effects between the two study groups. A large proportion, almost 50%, of individuals in both arms required additional prednisolone. Only 20% of individuals with nerve function impairment completely recovered although another 50% did improve. Skin biopsies were taken from participants before and at two time points during corticosteroid therapy. These biopsies were stained with monoclonal antibodies directed against toll-like receptors 1, 2, 4 and 9. Toll-like receptor 2 is highly expressed in skin lesions of Type 1 reaction but high expression of toll-like receptor 1, 2 and 4 was found in non-reactional patients with borderline lepromatous and lepromatous leprosy. The expression in the skin of the toll-like receptors 1, 2 and 4 fell during corticosteroid therapy. The gene expression of toll-like receptor 2 and 4 fell during treatment and this change in gene expression was associated with disease outcome. The human acidic ribosomal protein P0 was validated as a control gene in PCR assays in this group of patients

Beyond one-dimensional representation: Challenges for Neighbourhood Planning in socially diverse urban settlements in Kisumu, Kenya

Neighbourhood planning bodies have become an increasingly important vehicle for residents in informal settlements in the Global South to pursue their interests, and make claims from city authorities. This paper explores the contribution that the structured representation of subaltern groups in Neighbourhood Planning Associations (NPAs) has made to the inclusiveness of neighbourhood planning initiatives in Kisumu, Kenya. At the same time, we explore the limitations of the emphasis on numerical representation of different social categories in NPAs, including: the ways in which the definition of social categories can reinforce existing power relations; the need to analyse and understand the relationship between planning claims and wider social and city-scale inequalities, and; the danger of concealing identity based conflicts of interests, and inequalities, when engaged in consensus building planning methodologies. Building on this analysis we present some principles for a 'diversity planning' approach to neighbourhood level planning

Environmental impact on faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi)

The non-invasive nature of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) assessment means that sample collection is on an opportunistic basis and samples cannot always be collected immediately upon defection during field studies. Faeces that have been exposed to heat and moisturemay not accurately reflect levels of FGM. Our study exposed male (n=3) and female (n=3) Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) faeces to six environmental conditions to simulate a range of weather and seasonal patterns (temperate climate, high heat, high heat and rainfall, temperate climate and rainfall, high heat/temperate climate and freeze/thaw) over a period of five days. FGMs were quantified using an enzyme linked immunoassay. Results showed that environmental conditions do impact upon FGM levels over time, particularly in conditions that include high heat; however, regardless of environmental exposure, metabolites remain similar to baseline levels for up to 8 h. We recommend that the investigation of environmental factors on sample integrity should be carried out as a validatory step when planning studies involving FGM analysis in any species

The James Clerk Maxwell telescope dense gas survey of the Perseus molecular cloud

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.We present the results of a large-scale survey of the very dense (n > 106 cm-3) gas in the Perseus molecular cloud using HCO+ and HCN (J = 4 → 3) transitions. We have used this emission to trace the structure and kinematics of gas found in pre- and protostellar cores, as well as in outflows. We compare the HCO+/HCN data, highlighting regions where there is a marked discrepancy in the spectra of the two emission lines. We use the HCO+ to identify positively protostellar outflows and their driving sources, and present a statistical analysis of the outflow properties that we derive from this tracer. We find that the relations we calculate between the HCO+ outflow driving force and the Menv and Lbol of the driving source are comparable to those obtained from similar outflow analyses using 12CO, indicating that the two molecules give reliable estimates of outflow properties. We also compare the HCO+ and the HCN in the outflows, and find that the HCN traces only the most energetic outflows, the majority of which are driven by young Class 0 sources. We analyse the abundances of HCN and HCO+ in the particular case of the IRAS 2A outflows, and find that the HCN is much more enhanced than the HCO+ in the outflow lobes. We suggest that this is indicative of shock enhancement of HCN along the length of the outflow; this process is not so evident for HCO+, which is largely confined to the outflow base. © 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.SLW-S and JH are funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the UK. The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope is operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre on behalf of the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, the National Research Council of Canada and (until 2013 March 31) the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Researc

Lipidomic profiling in Crohn's disease: abnormalities in phosphatidylinositols, with preservation of ceramide, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine composition.

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition largely affecting the terminal ileum and large bowel. A contributing cause is the failure of an adequate acute inflammatory response as a result of impaired secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by macrophages. This defective secretion arises from aberrant vesicle trafficking, misdirecting the cytokines to lysosomal degradation. Aberrant intestinal permeability is also well-established in Crohn's disease. Both the disordered vesicle trafficking and increased bowel permeability could result from abnormal lipid composition. We thus measured the sphingo- and phospholipid composition of macrophages, using mass spectrometry and stable isotope labelling approaches. Stimulation of macrophages with heat-killed Escherichia coli resulted in three main changes; a significant reduction in the amount of individual ceramide species, an altered composition of phosphatidylcholine, and an increased rate of phosphatidylcholine synthesis in macrophages. These changes were observed in macrophages from both healthy control individuals and patients with Crohn's disease. The only difference detected between control and Crohn's disease macrophages was a reduced proportion of newly-synthesised phosphatidylinositol 16:0/18:1 over a defined time period. Shotgun lipidomics analysis of macroscopically non-inflamed ileal biopsies showed a significant decrease in this same lipid species with overall preservation of sphingolipid, phospholipid and cholesterol composition