Politics and the media in postcommunist Russia

The evidence of a nationally representative survey conducted in April 2001 suggests that television is the medium of choice for most Russians. At least 92 per cent watch at least several times a week, with state channels more popular than those in commercial ownership. The media enjoy a high level of trust, and there is widespread agreement that they should adopt a stabilising role in society rather than simply report developments. Television is the main source of information when Russians make their electoral choices; there are accordingly considerable implications in the extent to which pro-Kremlin candidates and parties enjoy the support of the state media, which in turn are the favourite viewing of the voters that support them

Which prophylactic therapies best prevent gout attacks?

Q. Which prophylactic therapies best prevent gout attacks? A. Allopurinol and febuxostat reduce the frequency of gout attacks equally after 8 weeks of treatment (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, multiple randomized control trials [RCTs] with limitations). Intravenous pegloticase decreases serum uric acid and gout attacks and improves quality of life (QOL) (SOR: A, 2 RCTs). Colchicine reduces gout attacks when combined with probenecid or allopurinol at the start of urate-lowering therapy (SOR: B, 1 high-quality and 1 low-quality RCT)

Lack of food access and food consumption patterns of late midlife women in southeast Michigan

Background: Food access is a key social determinant of health for older adults at high risk of chronic disease and physical disability. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis examined correlates of food access and the relationship between food access and food consumption characteristics in a sample of 316 late midlife women from Southeast Michigan in 2015-2016. Results: Lack of food access, defined as access to self-perceived adequate grocery shopping resources in one’s neighborhood, was reported by 20.9% of women. Women who reported lack of food access were less likely to report making meals at home (p=0.02) and had less frequent consumption of fresh fruits (p=0.04), fresh vegetables (p=0.001), and lean meats (p=0.048) as compared to those that did not report a lack of food access (p=0.04, p=0.001, p=0.048). Being African American (OR: 2.49; 95% CI: 1.20-5.17) and experiencing economic stress (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 2.53-5.33) were major correlates of reporting lack of food access. Conclusion: Interventions to improve food access for midlife women may help address differences in chronic disease risk associated with diet quality among racial/ethnic groups and across socioeconomic status

Temperamental Constellations and School Readiness: A MultiVariate Approach

This study uses canonical correlation analyses to explore the relationship between mul- tiple predictors of school readiness (i.e., academic readiness, social readiness, and teacher-child relationship) and multiple temperamental traits using data from the second wave (age 54 months, n = 1226) of the longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD; NICHD ECCRN 1993). This longitudinal study collected data on a large cohort of children and their families from birth through age 15. For academic readiness, only one temperamental constellation emerged, representing the construct of effortful control (i.e., high attentional focusing, high inhibitory con- trol). For peer interactions, two significant constellations emerged: “dysregulated” (low inhibitory control, low shyness, and high activity), and “withdrawn” (high shyness, low inhibitory control, low attentional focusing). Finally, the analyses exploring child-teacher relationships revealed two significant constellations: “highly surgent” (high activity, low inhibitory control, low shyness) and “emotionally controlled” (low anger/frustration and high inhibitory control). Results of this study form a more nuanced exploration of relationships between temperamental traits and indicators of school readiness than can be found in the extant literature, and will provide the groundwork for future research to test specific hypotheses related to the effect temperamental constellations have on children’s school readiness

Designing MPAs for food security in open-access fisheries

Food security remains a principal challenge in the developing tropics where communities rely heavily on marine-based protein. While some improvements in fisheries management have been made in these regions, a large fraction of coastal fisheries remain unmanaged, mismanaged, or use only crude input controls. These quasi-open-access conditions often lead to severe overfishing, depleted stocks, and compromised food security. A possible fishery management approach in these institution-poor settings is to implement fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs). Although the primary push for MPAs has been to solve the conservation problems that arise from mismanagement, MPAs can also benefit fisheries beyond their borders. The literature has not completely characterized how to design MPAs under diverse ecological and economic conditions when food security is the objective. We integrated four key biological and economic variables (i.e., fish population growth rate, fish mobility, fish price, and fishing cost) as well as an important aspect of reserve design (MPA size) into a general model and determined their combined influence on food security when MPAs are implemented in an open-access setting. We explicitly modeled open-access conditions that account for the behavioral response of fishers to the MPA; this approach is distinct from much of the literature that focuses on assumptions of “scorched earth” (i.e., severe over-fishing), optimized management, or an arbitrarily defined fishing mortality outside the MPA’s boundaries. We found that the MPA size that optimizes catch depends strongly on economic variables. Large MPAs optimize catch for species heavily harvested for their high value and/or low harvesting cost, while small MPAs or no closure are best for species lightly harvested for their low value and high harvesting cost. Contrary to previous theoretical expectations, both high and low mobility species are expected to experience conservation benefits from protection, although, as shown previously, greater conservation benefits are expected for low mobility species. Food security benefits from MPAs can be obtained from species of any mobility. Results deliver both qualitative insights and quantitative guidance for designing MPAs for food security in open-access fisheries

Inner wellbeing: concept and validation of a new approach to subjective perceptions of wellbeing-India

© The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.This paper describes the conceptual development of a multi-domain, psychosocial model of 'Inner Wellbeing' (IWB) and assesses the construct validity of the scale designed to measure it. IWB expresses what people think and feel they are able to be and do. Drawing together scholarship in wellbeing and international development it is grounded in field research in marginalised, rural communities in the global South. Results from research in India at two points in time (2011 and 2013) are reported. At Time 1 (n = 287), we were unable to confirm an eight-factor, correlated model as distinct yet interrelated domains. However, at Time 2 (n = 335), we were able to confirm a revised, seven-factor correlated model with economic confidence, agency and participation, social connections, close relationships, physical and mental health, competence and self-worth, and values and meaning (five items per domain) as distinct yet interrelated domains. In particular, at Time 2, a seven-factor, correlated model provided a significantly better fit to the data than did a one-factor model.This work is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council/Department for International Development Joint Scheme for Research on International Development (Poverty Alleviation) grant number RES-167-25-0507 ES/H033769/1. Special thanks are due to Chaupal and Gangaram Paikra, Pritam Das, Usha Kujur, Kanti Minjh, Susanna Siddiqui, and Dinesh Tirkey

Identification of a functional interaction of HMGB1 with Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products in a model of neuropathic pain

Recent studies indicate that the release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) following nerve injury may play a central role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. HMGB1 is known to influence cellular responses within the nervous system via two distinct receptor families; the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). The degree to which HMGB1 activates a receptor is thought to be dependent upon the oxidative state of the ligand, resulting in the functional isoforms of all-thiol HMGB1 (at-HMGB1) acting through RAGE, and disufide HMGB1 (ds-HMGB1) interacting with TLR4. Though it is known that dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons exposed to HMGB1 and TLR4 agonists can influence excitation, the degree to which at-HMGB1 signaling through neuronal RAGE contributes to neuropathic pain is unknown. Here we demonstrate that at-HMGB1 activation of nociceptive neurons is dependent on RAGE and not TLR4. To distinguish the possible role of RAGE on neuropathic pain, we characterized the changes in RAGE mRNA expression up to one month after tibial nerve injury (TNI). RAGE mRNA expression in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is substantially increased by post-injury day (PID) 28 when compared with sham injured rodents. Protein expression at PID28 confirms this injury-induced event in the DRG. Moreover, a single exposure to monoclonal antibody to RAGE (RAGE Ab) failed to abrogate pain behavior at PID 7, 14 and 21. However, RAGE Ab administration produced reversal of mechanical hyperalgesia on PID28. Thus, at-HMGB1 activation through RAGE may be responsible for sensory neuron sensitization and mechanical hyperalgesia associated with chronic neuropathic pain states

Hypoxic stress suppresses RNA polymerase III recruitment and tRNA gene transcription in cardiomyocytes

RNA polymerase (pol) III transcription decreases when primary cultures of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes are exposed to low oxygen tension. Previous studies in fibroblasts have shown that the pol III-specific transcription factor IIIB (TFIIIB) is bound and regulated by the proto-oncogene product c-Myc, the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK and the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor protein, RB. The principal function of TFIIIB is to recruit pol III to its cognate gene template, an activity that is known to be inhibited by RB and stimulated by ERK. We demonstrate by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) that c-Myc also stimulates pol III recruitment by TFIIIB. However, hypoxic conditions cause TFIIIB dissociation from c-Myc and ERK, at the same time as increasing its interaction with RB. Consistent with this, ChIP assays indicate that the occupancy of tRNA genes by pol III is significantly reduced, whereas promoter binding by TFIIIB is undiminished. The data suggest that hypoxia can inhibit pol III transcription by altering the interactions between TFIIIB and its regulators and thus compromising its ability to recruit the polymerase. These effects are independent of cell cycle changes

Decreased antiviral immune response within the central nervous system of aged mice is associated with increased lethality of West Nile virus encephalitis

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen that causes disease syndromes ranging from a mild flu-like illness to encephalitis. While the incidence of WNV infection is fairly uniform across age groups, the risk of lethal encephalitis increases with advanced age. Prior studies have demonstrated age-related, functional immune deficits that limit systemic antiviral immunity and increase mortality; however, the effect of age on antiviral immune responses specifically within the central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here, we show that aged mice exhibit increased peripheral organ and CNS tissue viral burden, the latter of which is associated with alterations in activation of both myeloid and lymphoid cells compared with similarly infected younger animals. Aged mice exhibit lower MHCII expression by microglia, and higher levels of PD1 and lower levels of IFNγ expression by WNV-specific CD