Blood eosinophils and inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting β-2 agonist efficacy in COPD

Objective We performed a review of studies of fluticasone propionate (FP)/salmeterol (SAL) (combination inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)/long-acting β2-agonist (LABA)) in patients with COPD, which measured baseline (pretreatment) blood eosinophil levels, to test whether blood eosinophil levels ≥2% were associated with a greater reduction in exacerbation rates with ICS therapy. Methods Three studies of ≥1-year duration met the inclusion criteria. Moderate and severe exacerbation rates were analysed according to baseline blood eosinophil levels (<2% vs ≥2%). At baseline, 57–75% of patients had ≥2% blood eosinophils. Changes in FEV1 and St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores were compared by eosinophil level. Results For patients with ≥2% eosinophils, FP/SAL was associated with significant reductions in exacerbation rates versus tiotropium (INSPIRE: n=719, rate ratio (RR)=0.75, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.92, p=0.006) and versus placebo (TRISTAN: n=1049, RR=0.63, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.79, p<0.001). No significant difference was seen in the <2% eosinophil subgroup in either study (INSPIRE: n=550, RR=1.18, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.51, p=0.186; TRISTAN: n=354, RR=0.99, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.47, p=0.957, respectively). In SCO30002 (n=373), no significant effects were observed (FP or FP/SAL vs placebo). No relationship was observed in any study between eosinophil subgroup and treatment effect on FEV1 and SGRQ. Discussion Baseline blood eosinophil levels may represent an informative marker for exacerbation reduction with ICS/LABA in patients with COPD and a history of moderate/severe exacerbations

Alice Bird Letter to Minnie Bird

This edition is created from the manuscript of Alice Bird’s letter to her Sister-in-Law, Minnie Bird, on April 1, 1909. Within this letter, Alice corresponds with Minnie, answering a previous letter and relaying events of the past several weeks, including typical day-to-day news of her husband, Terrell (Minnie’s younger brother). Alice also details a shopping trip to buy a new dress, describes an evening out with Terrell, and asks of more news from “home.” This is a very personal letter, and it is apparent that Alice and Minnie have a close relationship, even though Alice and Terrell moved from Cullowhee, NC to Los Angeles, CA shortly after their marriage in January of 1909. Alice was born August 22, 1890, and her maiden name was Alice McGuire. Her husband, Terrell Bird (listed in varying documents as JT Bird, James T Bird, and J Terrell Bird) was born May 25, 1885 in Cullowhee, NC, and along with Minnie, is the child of Charlie A. and Sarah E. Bird

Morphological and ecological causes of interspecific aggression between golden-winged and chestnut-sided warblers.

Interspecific aggression is widespread throughout the animal kingdom, yet research that documents the evolutionary and ecological consequences remains limited and unclear. Aggressive behaviors are often indicative of an ecological niche overlap between morphologically and ecologically similar species, which can cause interference competition between animals. Here, I focus on determining the stimulus for aggression between golden-winged (Vermivora chrysoptera) and chestnut-sided warblers (Setophaga pensylvanica) in the southern Appalachian Mountains by exploring two potential explanations: mistaken identity and interspecific competition. I used museum and field data and used both ecological modeling and experimental field methods to investigate the cause of interspecific aggression. First, using museum specimens, I found that the crown plumages of both warblers are two distinct shades of yellow that both warbler species should theoretically be able to distinguish. Next, I studied warblers for two field seasons to document (1) potential fitness consequences and (2) if mistaken identity were to occur using model birds. I found that competition is unlikely to occur between warblers and interspecific aggression is likely a function of mistaken identity. Without net gains from behaving as such, these interspecific aggression between warblers may drive crown morphology to become more distinctive to reduce species recognition errors

IUPHAR-DB: An Expert-Curated, Peer-Reviewed Database of Receptors and Ion Channels

The International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology database (IUPHAR-DB) integrates peer-reviewed pharmacological, chemical, genetic, functional and anatomical information on the 354 non-sensory G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), 71 ligand-gated ion channel subunits and 141 voltage-gated ion channel subunits encoded by the human, rat and mouse genomes. These genes represent the targets of about a third of currently approved drugs and are a major focus of drug discovery and development programs in the pharmaceutical industry. Individual gene pages provide a comprehensive description of the genes and their functions, with information on protein structure, ligands, expression patterns, signaling mechanisms, functional assays and biologically important receptor variants (e.g. single nucleotide polymorphisms and splice variants). The phenotypes resulting from altered gene expression (e.g. in genetically altered animals) and genetic mutations are described. Links are provided to bioinformatics resources such as NCBI RefSeq, OMIM, PubChem, human, rat and mouse genome databases. Recent developments include the addition of ligand-centered pages summarising information about unique ligand molecules in IUPHAR-DB. IUPHAR-DB represents a novel approach to biocuration because most data are provided through manual curation of published literature by a network of over 60 expert subcommittees coordinated by NC-IUPHAR. Data are referenced to the primary literature and linked to PubMed. The data are checked to ensure accuracy and consistency by the curators, added to the production server using custom-built submission tools and peer-reviewed by NC-IUPHAR, before being transferred to the public database. Data are reviewed and updated regularly (at least biennially). Other website features include comprehensive database search tools, online and downloadable gene lists and links to recent publications of interest to the field, such as reports on receptor-ligand pairings. The database is freely available at &#x22;http://www.iuphar-db.org&#x22;:http://www.iuphar-db.org. Curators can be reached at curators [at] iuphar-db.org. We thank British Pharmacological Society, UNESCO (through the ICSU Grants Programme), Incyte, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Servier and Wyeth for their support

Exploring Common Characteristics Among Community College Students: Comparing Online and Traditional Student Success

This study examines course entry characteristics of students in both the regular and online sections of an introductory computer class in a North Carolina community college. These characteristics are compared to student performance on a standardized final assessment, focusing on demographics, technology self-efficacy, and motivation. The research design used in this study utilized correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression to determine if the independent variables might predict the dependent variable, student performance on a standardized final exam. The analysis revealed that neither demographics, technology, nor motivation could be used as predictors in the seated courses. Demographics could not be used as predictors in the online courses. Eleven technology and nine motivation factors were found to be significant in the online environment. The results of this study support the premise that technology self-efficacy and motivation play a role in a student’s ability to be successful in the online environment. As the use of the internet to deliver course material increases and the community college student continues to demand the flexibility and convenience of this mode of delivery, administrators and faculty in the community college environment must understand the factors that contribute to online student success

Discovering daily details

This thesis exhibition explores how daily rituals, over time, make up the rhythm of life. My artistic process is rooted in self-observation while engaging in my daily rituals. This exploration began by using photography to focus on my daily rituals concerning the food I eat. This led to the development of repetitive mark-making, and ultimately to my exploration of daily rituals in general, and the visual rhythms they create. My thesis work consists of four pieces including drawing, photography, writing, and artist books. The pieces expose subtle variations found within the mass-repetition of a similar unit. These variations develop patterns which are formed by the accumulation of information over time. Time plays an important role in my discovery: while I can control the creation of each small part, over time, the greater whole reveals its own unique visual rhythm

The Intermediate Socioeconomic Zone: A Comparative Analysis Of Sweden And North Carolina

The concept of development as a continuum between urban growth centers and underdeveloped peripheries dates back to the late 1950's. Although long overshadowed by the bipolar model, the continuum model holds much promise for the field of regional development. Regional planners, however, have focused on developing marginal areas either by a) investing heavily in peripheral regions whose socioeconomic structure cannot adequately sustain growth or b) channeling development funds into urban cores in the hopes that growth will trickle down to marginal areas. Both strategies have been largely unsuccessful, thus giving impetus for the search for an alternative strategy

Mario Poster

Mario Poste

Frances Elvira Owens to Samuel R. Owens, February 16, 1942

As indicated by the envelope, the letter was sent by Mrs. S.J. Owens (also addressed as Mrs. Steven J. Owens, Frances Elvira Owens or Frances Elvira Alexander Owens) from Webster, North Carolina to S.R. Owens (also addressed as Samuel Robert Owens or Samuel R. Owens). The letter is part of an ongoing correspondence between mother (Mrs. Owens) and son (Samuel Owens)

Phylogeography of a Coastal Grass in Eastern North America: Reconstructing an Evolutionary History of Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata L., Poaceae)

Aim I tested the hypothesis that Uniola paniculata populations are divided into eastern and western lineages, with the southern tip of Florida possibly acting as the primary geographic break, as is the case in co-distributed animal taxa. Results I found four cpDNA haplotypes and two major lineages: eastern (Atlantic Coast) and western (Gulf Coast). The eastern lineage is ancestral to the western lineage, and the phylogeographic break separating the two occurs at the southern tip of Florida. Main conclusions The phylogeographic analysis suggests that U. paniculata populations survived the last glacial maximum (LGM) in refugia in southern Florida (including the Keys) and the Bahamas, and possibly in other locations, including Cuba, Texas and the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Following the LGM, a combination of vicariance and dispersal explains the current distribution of haplotypes into an eastern and western lineage. There are seven populations that contain a haplotype that is not in its native range; at least five of these populations are very likely explained by human-mediated transplantation. The phylogeographical pattern observed in U. paniculata is concordant with co-distributed animal taxa that experience a maritime discontinuity at the southern tip of Florida