Characterisation of Alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 ORF50

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a lymphoproliferative, degenerative and often fatal disease of members of the Artiodactyla family such as cattle and deer. The causal agents of MCF are a group of gammaherpesviruses of which alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (A1HV-1) is a member. A1HV-1 is the most well characterised of the group and its genome has been sequenced. Continued passage of A1HV-1 in bovine cells results in attenuation of the virus. Comparison of genomes from wild-type and attenuated viruses suggested that open reading frames (ORFs) are affected including ORF50.The ORF50 gene products of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) and their equivalent, the BRLF1 gene product of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are called Rtransactivators (Rtas). They have a crucial role in the key mechanism of reactivating the virus from latency as well as acting as transactivator proteins activating a variety of virus and cellular promoters.The aim of this study was to characterise A1HV-1 ORF50. It was demonstrated that the ORF50 gene product, referred to as A1HV-1/Rta, acted as a transactivator. The ability to transactivate three A1HV-1 promoters was investigated. It was shown that A1HV-1/Rta activates A1HV-1 ORF57 and A1HV-1 ORF6 putative promoters but not the thymidine kinase putative promoter. The ORF57 promoter was examined and the transcriptional start site and splice acceptor and splice donor sites were located. Also, activation of the ORF57 promoter by A1HV-1/Rta was investigated further.Truncated ORF57 promoters were generated and their ability to be activated by A1HV-1/Rta was investigated. It was found that A1HV-1/Rta required sequences at least 385 bp upstream of the ORF57 transcriptional start site to exert its effect on ORF57 transcription. A potential AlHV-l/Rta-responsive region was identified and this was investigated further using electrophoretic mobility shift assays.A second approach to characterise A1HV-1 ORF50 was also taken. Various strategies were designed to generate a recombinant A1HV-1 lacking ORF50. The method pursued was to generate a bacterial artificial chromosome containing the entire A1HV-1 genome. These strategies will be discussed

‘It’s my own fault’: Accounts and consequences of falling when living with rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) leads to biomechanical joint changes which increases risk of falling. The consequence of falling may be physical injury. However, as important can be the psychological consequences including fear of falling. Methods: Participants were recruited from a larger prospective study which explored the incidence of falls in people with RA. Purposive sampling considered age, sex, time since diagnosis and fall history. The recruitment site was a regional hospital. Data from semi-structured qualitative interviews and, after each fall, brief telephone interviews. Thematic analysis methods were used to investigate the psychological and social impact of falling in people with RA. Results: Twelve participants were interviewed (aged 64-85, mean 74 years: 6 had fallen between 1-23 times: 6 had no reported fall in last 12 months). Data was supplemented with telephone notes from 287 post-fall telephone calls. Three themes were developed: 1) The falls Imaginary illustrates that fear of falling is not dependent on experience; 2) Agentic risk management reports on the ways people self-manage and display resilience when at risk of falling; 3) The absence of the health professional explores the ways in which people reported being unsupported by health care services. Conclusion: Fear of falling when living with RA is tangible in those who have and have not fallen. This fear may limit opportunities for full participation in life. However some people display personal resourcefulness continuing to live purposeful lives. Understanding personal responses to falling will support the development of community interventions specific to this high risk group

On the Edge of Sustainability: Perspectives on Peri-urban Dynamics

This paper examines some of the many ways in which the peri-urban has been theorised, considering, in particular, the implications for a normative research agenda towards improved environmental and social justice. The paper discusses the value of different notions of sustainability in the context of the peri-urban, challenging the view that ‘sustainability’ is not an appropriate goal in relation to cities which are seen, by some urban theorists, as inherently ‘unsustainable’. Drawing on examples, largely from south Asia, in health service provision, water management and agriculture and food systems, the particular challenges posed by the peri-urban situation in relation to environmental integrity and social justice are reviewed (in line with the STEPS definition of Sustainability which emphases that the objects being sustained are increasing levels of social justice and enhancing environmental integrity). The contribution of both peri-urban theoretical conceptualisations and empirical research to date in the context of Sustainability goals are reviewed, offering suggestions for complementary approaches and progression. Drawing on a notion of pathways (as self reinforcing trajectories of change – both existing and potential), alternative perspectives in planning and management of the peri-urban are considered through examples from policy and practice across sectors; initiatives to increase participation in urban planning processes; citizen action to mobilise access to key resources for the poor, and the engagement of poor and marginalised groups.ESR

A Primary Qualitative Study Exploring Adult BAME Individuals' Experiences Regarding Physical Activity from the North-East of England During the COVID-19 Pandemic:n/a

Researchers have found that people from BAME communities have worse health outcomes from many health interventions and face health disparities. BAME individuals experience health inequities and lower health intervention results. The experiences of adult Teesside-based BAME Individuals' regarding physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic were mapped onto the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B). Twelve adult BAME participants were interviewed using semi-structured interviews that lasted 40 to 60 minutes and captured participant perceptions of how their PA and perceptions related to living a healthy PA lifestyle during the pandemic between April and August 2022 via Microsoft Teams. Using thematic analysis, 10 themes were generated, but only three themes were discussed. These include knowledge and awareness of the PA lifestyle, participants' perceptions of the opportunities to improve the PA lifestyle choice of adult BAME, and the change in perceptions of PA due to COVID-19 lockdown. While literature has explored the COM-B model, there have been generalised findings that are not specific to adult BAME individuals' lived PA experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to understand the shift in adult BAME perceptions and experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, therefore calling for the urgent need to modify both models in order to combat the high mortality rates of adult BAME individuals related to sedentary lifestyle diseases. This indicates that there is a critical requirement for the COMB model in order to implement policies. Nevertheless, limited PA studies have used lifestyle behaviour models to enhance behavioural modification

Experiences related to making healthy physical activity lifestyle choices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study in a Teesside-based adult BAME population

Studies indicated that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of adult Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals lived a sedentary lifestyle, which exacerbated their physical inactivity behaviours during the COVID-19 subsequent lockdowns. Experiences related tomaking healthy physical activity (PA) lifestyle choices in adult BAME individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic were mapped onto the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B model). Twelve adult BAME participants were interviewed using one-on one, semi-structured interviews that lasted 45–60min, which captured participant perceptions of PA engagement during the pandemic between April and August 2022 via Microsoft Teams. Using thematic analysis, three themes were generated and successfully mapped onto themodified COM-B model. These include the influence of culture on the PA lifestyle, the capability to engage in the PA lifestyle, and the self-reflective determination model. Although existing literature has used both the COM-B and the self-determination models, these havebeen generalised findings that are not representative of adult BAME individuals’ lived PA participation experiences. This enabled the modification of the COM-B and self-reflective determination models to reflect the experiences of adult BAME individuals with respect to PAparticipation as well as improving PA culturally related policies

Physical activity perceptions and experiences of BAME Teesside University students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

The study sought to explore the barriers and facilitators for making physical activity lifestyle choices among Black Asian Ethnic Minority (BAME) students at Teesside University during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative approach was used to capture the in-depth physical activity experiences of BAME individuals. There is a paucity of primary qualitative studies focusing on BAME individuals’ activity lifestyles prior to and during the COVID-19 lockdowns between April and August 2020. BAME individuals faced exacerbated physical, psychological, social, and institutional barriers which are mapped onto the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B). Twelve BAME participants were interviewed via Microsoft Teams using semi-structured interviews lasting 45 to 60minutes. Using thematic analysis, we identified seven themes; the two primary ones were barriers and facilitators to being active and were successfully mapped onto the modified COM-B. Although existing literature has used the COM-B, these were primary quantitative findings that did not enable an in-depth exploration of BAME individuals lived experiences of physical activity participation during COVID-19. Thus, the COM-B model was modified to reflect this research’ qualitative approach, through which improved policies and implementation strategies may be applied specifically to BAME individuals