Identifiying High Risk Areas of Zika Virus Infection by Meteorological Factors in Columbia

Background Several Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have occurred since October 2015. Because there is no effective treatment for ZIKV infection, developing an effective surveillance and warning system is currently a high priority to prevent ZIKV infection. Despite Aedes mosquitos having been known to spread ZIKV, the calculation approach is diverse, and only applied to local areas. This study used meteorological measurements to monitor ZIKV infection due to the high correlation between climate change and Aedes mosquitos and the convenience to obtain meteorological data from weather monitoring stations. Methods This study applied the Bayesian structured additive regression modeling approach to include spatial interactive terms with meteorological factors and a geospatial function in a zero-inflated Poisson model. The study area contained 32 administrative departments in Colombia from October 2015 to December 2017. Weekly ZIKV infection cases and daily meteorological measurements were collected. Mapping techniques were adopted to visualize spatial findings. A series of model selections determined the best combinations of meteorological factors in the same model. Results When multiple meteorological factors are considered in the same model, both total rainfall and average temperature can best assess the geographic disparities of ZIKV infection. Meanwhile, a 1-in. increase in rainfall is associated with an increase in the logarithm of relative risk (logRR) of ZIKV infection of at most 1.66 (95% credible interval [CI] = 1.09, 2.15) as well as a 1 °F increase in average temperature is significantly associated with at most 0.79 (95% CI = 0.12, 1.22) increase in the logRR of ZIKV. Moreover, after controlling rainfall and average temperature, an independent geospatial function in the model results in two departments with an excessive ZIKV risk which may be explained by unobserved factors other than total rainfall and average temperature. Conclusion Our study found that meteorological factors are significantly associated with ZIKV infection across departments. The study determined both total rainfall and average temperature as the best meteorological factors to identify high risk departments of ZIKV infection. These findings can help governmental agencies monitor at risk areas according to meteorological measurements, and develop preventions in those at risk areas in priority

Lycium barbarum (wolfberry) polysaccharide facilitates ejaculatory behaviour in male rats

Poster Session AOBJECTIVE: Lycium barbarum (wolfberry) is a traditional Chinese medicine, which has been considered to have therapeutic effect on male infertility. However, there is a lack of studies support the claims. We thus investigated the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP), a major component of wolfberry, on male rat copulatory behavior. METHOD: Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups (n=8 for each group). The first group received oral feeding of LBP at dosage of 1mg/kg daily. The control group received vehicle (0.01M phosphate-buffered saline, served as control) feeding daily for 21 days. Copulatory tests were conducted at 7, 14 and 21 days after initiation of treatment. RESULTS: Compared to control animals, animals fed with 1mg/kg LBP showed improved copulatory behavior in terms of: 1. Higher copulatory efficiency (i.e. higher frequency to show intromission rather than mounting during the test), 2. higher ejaculation frequency and 3. Shorter ejaculation latency. The differences were found at all time points (Analyzed with two-tailed student’s t-test, p<0.05). There is no significant difference found between the two groups in terms of mount/intromission latency, which indicates no difference in time required for initiation of sexual activity. Additionally, no difference in mount frequency and intromission frequency was found. CONCLUSION: The present study provides scientific evidence for the traditional use of Lycium barbarum on male sexual behavior. The result provides basis for further study of wolfberry on sexual functioning and its use as an alternative treatment in reproductive medicine.postprintThe 30th Annual Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society, in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary Meeting of the Australian Physiological Society (ANS/AuPS 2010), Sydney, Australia, 31 January-3 February 2010. In Abstract Book of ANS/AuPS, 2010, p. 177, abstract no. POS-TUE-19

From problem-orientedness to goal-orientedness: Re-conceptualizing communication strategies as forms of intra-mental and inter-mental mediation

The use of communication strategies is one of the core components that constitute communicative competence. However, the problem-oriented conceptualization of L2 strategic behavior has been widely criticized as it does not give sufficient attention to the social nature of communication and learning. This study thus makes an attempt to re-conceptualize communication as a mediated activity that focuses on the process and goal of communication. Eight EFL junior high school learners in Taiwan participated in this study. Empirical data were collected from an oral elicitation task, and then triangulated by retrospective comments derived from stimulated recall interviews and semi-structured interviews with the participants. The data were coded with Dörnyei and Scott's (1995) taxonomy of communication strategies and mapped onto a sociocultural framework of mediation for analysis. The findings showed that the use of strategies was at times problem-oriented for avoiding or solving communication breakdowns. Nevertheless, what seemed more significant was that interlocutors also made efficient choices of strategies according to the context and aim of the task. It is rightly the purpose of this paper to develop an enriched view of L2 strategic competence that acknowledges both the problem-oriented and goal-oriented nature of communication

Using a Clinic-based Screening Tool for Primary Care Providers to Identify Commercially Sexually Exploited Children

Introduction: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), which encompasses acts of domestic minor sex trafficking, is a hidden problem in the U.S. that affects an estimated 300,000 children. Significant health impacts to victims include violence, substance abuse, mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancy. However, due to the covert nature of sexual exploitation, the lack of understanding among service providers and law enforcement, and complex psychological factors experienced by victims, identifying CSEC is a tremendous challenge. Primary care providers can play a critical role in identifying CSEC victims within clinical settings to help address this silent epidemic. Objective: The goal of this project was to assess the prevalence of CSEC using a clinic-based screening tool within a community health center serving indigent populations, with a large proportion of the patients being of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. Methods: Medical charts were reviewed of young female patients (n=621) between 13-23 years of age and seeking clinical services in Asian Health Services’ Teen Clinic from 2008 through 2011, during the implementation of a clinic-based CSEC screening tool used by primary care providers. The CSEC screening tool consists of two questions about sexual exploitation. Results: Of the 621 patients in the study, 57.5% were Asian and Pacific Islander. Clinical providers applied the CSEC screening tool on 28.5% (n=177) of female patients in the study. Of the 177 patients who were screened, 7.3% (n=13) responded positive to questions about commercial sexual exploitation. Discussion: Using a clinic-based screening tool with patients who have identified risk factors helps primary care providers identify CSEC victims and link them to available resources. Under-reporting among victims and under-screening among providers remain major considerations in estimating CSEC prevalence. To address under-screening, it is important to raise awareness among primary care providers around the CSEC epidemic and their potential role for intervention, including screening for a history of sexual exploitation among youth patients

Polysaccharides from wolfberry antagonizes glutamate excitotoxicity in rat cortical neurons

Glutamate excitotoxicity is involved in many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Attenuation of glutamate toxicity is one of the therapeutic strategies for AD. Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) is a common ingredient in oriental cuisines. A number of studies suggest that wolfberry has anti-aging properties. In recent years, there is a trend of using dried Wolfberry as food supplement and health product in UK and North America. Previously, we have demonstrated that a fraction of polysaccharide from Wolfberry (LBA) provided remarkable neuroprotective effects against beta-amyloid peptide-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. To investigate whether LBA can protect neurons from other pathological factors such as glutamate found in Alzheimer brain, we examined whether it can prevent neurotoxicity elicited by glutamate in primary cultured neurons. The glutamate-induced cell death as detected by lactate dehydrogenase assay and caspase-3-like activity assay was significantly reduced by LBA at concentrations ranging from 10 to 500 μg/ml. Protective effects of LBA were comparable to memantine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. LBA provided neuroprotection even 1 h after exposure to glutamate. In addition to glutamate, LBA attenuated N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neuronal damage. To further explore whether LBA might function as antioxidant, we used hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as oxidative stress inducer in this study. LBA could not attenuate the toxicity of H2O2. Furthermore, LBA did not attenuate glutamate-induced oxidation by using NBT assay. Western blot analysis indicated that glutamate-induced phosphorylation of c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was reduced by treatment with LBA. Taken together, LBA exerted significant neuroprotective effects on cultured cortical neurons exposed to glutamate. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.postprin

Spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing in summer 2006: Model evaluation and source apportionment

Regional aerosol model calculations were made using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) and WRF-chem models to study spatial and temporal variations of aerosols around Beijing, China, in the summer of 2006, when the Campaigns of Air Quality Research in Beijing and Surrounding Region 2006 (CAREBeijing) intensive campaign was conducted. Model calculations captured temporal variations of primary (such as elemental carbon. (EC)) and secondary (such as sulfate) aerosols observed in and around Beijing. The spatial distributions of aerosol optical depth observed by the MODTS satellite sensors were also reproduced over northeast China. Model calculations showed distinct differences in spatial distributions between primary and secondary aerosols in association with synoptic-scale meteorology. Secondary aerosols increased in air around Beijing on a scale of about 1000 × 1000 km2 under an anticyclonic pressure system. This air mass was transported northward from the high anthropogenic emission area extending south of Beijing with continuous photochemical production. Subsequent cold front passage brought clean air from the north, and polluted air around Beijing was swept to the south of Beijing. This cycle was repeated about once a week and was found to be responsible for observed enhancements/reductions of aerosols at the intensive measurement sites. In contrast to secondary aerosols, the spatial distributions of primary aerosols (EC) reflected those of emissions, resulting in only slight variability despite the changes in synopticscale meteorology. In accordance with these results, source apportionment simulations revealed that primary aerosols around Beijing were controlled by emissions within 100 km around Beijing within the preceding 24 h, while emissions as far as 500 km and within the preceding 3 days were found to affect secondary aerosols. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union

Protective effects of lycium barbarum polysaccharides on cerebral edema and blood-brain barrier disruption after ischemic stroke

Young Investigators Symposium I (Y3) - Di YangBACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke is a destructive cerebrovascular disease and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The long term disability after stroke induces heavy burden both to the patients and the society. Yet, no effective neuroprotective agents are available. The polysaccharides extracted from the fruits of wolfberry, Lycium barbarum (LBP), showed neuroprotective and immune-modulative functions. We aim to evaluate the protective effects of LBP in experimental stroke using a focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model. METHODS: C57BL/6N mice were subjected to 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 22 h of reperfusion. Prior to ischemia induction, animals were treated with either vehicle (PBS) or LBP daily for 7 days. Mice were evaluated for neurological deficits just before sacrifice. Brains were harvested for infarct size estimation, water content measurement and immunohistochemical analysis as well as Western blot experiments. Evans blue (EB) extravasation experiment was performed to determine blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption after MCAO. RESULTS: LBP treatment significantly improved neurological scores and decreased infarct size, hemispheric swelling and water content as well as reduced EB extravasation. In addition, fewer apoptotic cells were identified in the LBP-treated brains by TUNEL assay. Immunoreactivity for aquaporin-4 and glial fibrillary acidic protein were also significantly decreased in LBP-treated brains. We further observed a reduction of nuclear factor-κB translocation and IκB expression after LBP treatment. CONCLUSION: Seven-day LBP pre-treatment effectively improved neurological deficits, decreased infarct size and cerebral edema as well as protected the brain from BBB disruption, aquaporin water channel up-regulation and glial activation. The protective effects of LBP might partially act through its anti-inflammatory effects. The present study suggests that LBP may be used as a preventive neuroprotectant for ischemic stroke.postprin

Synaptic plasticity, but not hippocampal neurogenesis, mediated the counteractive effect of wolfberry on depression in rats

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Neuroprotective effects of minocycline on double-stranded RNA-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cortical neurons

1. Minocycline, memantine,and glycoconjugate were assessed for their ability to protect cultured primary cortical neurons against double-stranded RNA-induced neurotoxicity. 2. Minocycline but not memantine or glycoconjugate protected cultured cells and warrants further investigation.published_or_final_versio