Zwangsheirat und multikulturelle Gesellschaft

Перевод с немецкого языка Шеметовой Г. А.: Bielefeldt Н. Zwangsheirat und multikulturelle Gesellschaft. Anmerkungen zur aktuellen Debatte. Essay No. 2, Oktober 2005. Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte. S. 4-10

Features of Blastocystis spp. in xenic culture revealed by deconvolutional microscopy.

Blastocystis spp. are common human enteric parasites with complex morphology and have been reported to cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Deconvolutional microscopy with time-lapse imaging and fluorescent spectroscopy of xenic cultures of Blastocystis spp. from stool samples of IBS patients and from asymptomatic, healthy pigs allowed observations of living organisms in their natural microbial environment. Blastocystis organisms of the vacuolated, granular, amoebic and cystic forms were observed to autofluorescence in the 557/576 emission spectra. Autofluorescence could be distinguished from fluorescein-conjugated Blastocystis-specific antibody labelling in vacuolated and granular forms. This antibody labelled Blastocystis subtypes 1, 3 and 4 but not 5. Surface pores of 1 μm in diameter were observed cyclically opening and closing over 24 h. Vacuolated forms extruded a viscous material from a single surface point with coincident deflation that may demonstrate osmoregulation. Tear-shaped granules were observed exiting from the surface of an amoebic form, but their origin and identity remain unknown

A paucigranulocytic asthma host environment promotes the emergence of virulent influenza viral variants

Influenza virus has a high mutation rate, such that within one host different viral variants can emerge. Evidence suggests that influenza virus variants are more prevalent in pregnant and/or obese individuals due to their impaired interferon response. We have recently shown that the non-allergic, paucigranulocytic subtype of asthma is associated with impaired type I interferon production. Here, we seek to address if this is associated with an increased emergence of influenza virus variants. Compared to controls, mice with paucigranulocytic asthma had increased disease severity and an increased emergence of influenza virus variants. Specifically, PB1 mutations exclusively detected in asthmatic mice were associated with increased polymerase activity. Furthermore, asthmatic host-derived virus led to increased disease severity in wild-type mice. Taken together, these data suggest that at least a subset of patients with asthma may be more susceptible to severe influenza and may be a possible source of new influenza virus variants

Ceramic Water Filter for Point-Of-Use Water Treatment in Developing Countries: Principles, Challenges and Opportunities

Drinking water source contamination poses a great threat to human health in developing countries. Point-of-use (POU) water treatment techniques, which improve drinking water quality at the household level, offer an affordable and convenient way to obtain safe drinking water and thus can reduce the outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Ceramic water filters (CWFs), fabricated from locally sourced materials and manufactured by local labor, are one of the most socially acceptable POU water treatment technologies because of their effectiveness, low-cost and ease of use. This review concisely summarizes the critical factors that influence the performance of CWFs, including (1) CWF manufacturing process (raw material selection, firing process, silver impregnation), and (2) source water quality. Then, an in-depth discussion is presented with emphasis on key research efforts to address two major challenges of conventional CWFs, including (1) simultaneous increase of filter flow rate and bacterial removal efficiency, and (2) removal of various concerning pollutants, such as viruses and metal(loid)s. To promote the application of CWFs, future research directions can focus on: (1) investigation of pore size distribution and pore structure to achieve higher flow rates and effective pathogen removal by elucidating pathogen transport in porous ceramic and adjusting manufacture parameters; and (2) exploration of new surface modification approaches with enhanced interaction between a variety of contaminants and ceramic surfaces

The BGO Calorimeter of BGO-OD Experiment

The BGO Rugby Ball is a large solid angle electromagnetic calorimeter now installed in the ELSA Facility in Bonn. The BGO is operating in the BGO-OD experiment aiming to study meson photoproduction off proton and neutron induced by a Bremsstrahlung polarized gamma beam of energies from 0.2 to 3.2 GeV and an intensity of 5 x 10(7) photons per second. The scintillating material characteristics and the photomultiplier read-out make this detector particularly suited for the detection of medium energy photons and electrons with very good energy resolution. The detector has been equipped with a new electronics read-out system, consisting of 30 sampling ADC Wie-Ne-R modules which perform the off-line reconstruction of the signal start-time allowing for a good timing resolution. Performances in linearity, resolution and time response have been carefully tested at the Beam Test Facility of the INFN National Laboratories in Frascati by using a matrix of 7 BGO crystals coupled to photomultipliers and equipped with the Wie-Ne-R sampling ADCs

Strangeness Photoproduction at the BGO-OD Experiment

BGO-OD is a newly commissioned experiment to investigate the internal structure of the nucleon, using an energy tagged bremsstrahlung photon beam at the ELSA electron facility. The setup consists of a highly segmented BGO calorimeter surrounding the target, with a particle tracking magnetic spectrometer at forward angles. BGO-OD is ideal for investigating meson photoproduction. The extensive physics programme for open strangeness photoproduction is introduced, and preliminary analysis presented

Kinetics of Host Cell Recruitment During Dissemination of Diffuse Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor which displays a median survival of 11.2 months and a 5-year survival of less than 5% emphasizing the need for more effective treatments. This study uses an orthotopic model of malignant mesothelioma established in syngeneic, immunocompetent C57Bl/6 mice which produce malignant ascites and solid tumors that accurately replicate the histopathology of the human disease. Host stromal and immune cell accumulation within malignant ascites and solid tumors was determined using immunofluorescent labeling with confocal microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. An expression profile of cytokines and chemokines was produced using quantitative real-time PCR arrays. Tumor spheroids and solid tumors show progressive growth and infiltration with host stromal and immune cells including macrophages, endothelial cells, CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, and a novel cell type, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). The kinetics of host cell accumulation and inflammatory mediator expression within the tumor ascites divides tumor progression into two distinct phases. The first phase is characterized by progressive macrophage and T lymphocyte recruitment, with a cytokine profile consistent with regulatory T lymphocytes differentiation and suppression of T cell function. The second phase is characterized by decreased expression of macrophage chemotactic and T-cell regulating factors, an increase in MDSCs, and increased expression of several cytokines which stimulate differentiation of MDSCs. This cellular and expression profile suggests a mechanism by which host immune cells promote diffuse malignant mesothelioma progression