What is the microbiome of the human home?

There is currently little known about the range and diversity of microorganisms in the indoor home, particularly in the context of modern airtight homes. People spend a great deal of time in their homes, especially those at the extremes of age, and it is possible that the indoor microbiome could impact upon human health in ways not yet understood. This project aimed to systematically screen sites in 100 houses in the Lanarkshire community in order to determine the amount and type of cultivable aerobic bacteria and fungi in the home. It was hoped to be able to characterise the microbiome of the ‘normal’ home. Chosen sites were: indoor bathroom handle; telephone; kettle handle; bedside table; top of bedroom door; TV remote; toilet handle; and bedroom window sill (Table 1). These sites were screened using double-sided dipslides coated with nutrient and staphylococcal selective agars (Figure 1). Bacteria and fungi were quantified for each site and staphylococci and Gram- negative bacilli identified if possible. Each of the eight sampled sites revealed its own distinct microbiological character, both in the type and amount of cultivable microbes. Human pathogens, particularly S.aureus, were more likely to be associated with commonly touched sites such as TV remote, kettle handle and telephone. Whole houses also demonstrated unique microbiological characteristics, with morphologically similar and identifiable microbes observed at multiple sites within the same home. Each home thus displayed it own unique microbiome but with identifiable similarities between other homes according to site

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Janice McLaren : How Do We Seize the Foreign Past?

Glass comments on an installation involving image/text juxtaposition as posing an historiographic challenge. Artist's statement. Biographical notes. 1 bibl. ref

Spiritual and Material Substance : A Post Modern Mythologie : Carolyn Pinder, Janice McLaren, Aeyliya Husain

Three artist's statements accompany an exhibition of linocuts by Pinder, photographs by Husain and an installation work by McLaren. Biographical notes

Minimising menopausal side effects whilst treating endometriosis and fibroids

Medical management of endometriosis and fibroids involves manipulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis to alter the balance of sex hormones thereby inhibiting disease progression and ameliorate symptoms. Unfortunately, resultant menopausal symptoms sometimes limit the tolerability and duration of such treatment. The use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists to treat these diseases can result in short-term hypoestrogenic and vasomotor side effects as well as long-term impacts on bone health and cardiovascular risk. The routine use of add-back hormone replacement has reduced these risks and increased patient compliance, making this group of drugs more useful as a medium-term treatment option. The estrogen threshold hypothesis highlights the concept of a ‘therapeutic window’ in which bone loss is minimal but the primary disease is not aggravated. It explains why add-back therapy is appropriate for such patients and helps to explain the basis behind new developments in the treatment of hormonally responsive gynaecological conditions such as gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonists and progesterone receptor modulators. </jats:p

Factors associated with mild bronchiolitis in young infants

Abstract Objective Bronchiolitis within the first 3 months of life is a risk factor for more severe illness. We aimed to identify characteristics associated with mild bronchiolitis in infants ≤90 days old presenting to the emergency department (ED). Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of infants ≤90 days old with clinically diagnosed bronchiolitis using data from the 25th Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration prospective cohort study. We excluded infants with direct intensive care unit admissions. Mild bronchiolitis was defined as (1) sent home after the index ED visit and did not have a return ED visit or had a return ED visit without hospitalization, or (2) were hospitalized from the index ED visit to the inpatient floor for <24 hours. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for potential clustering by hospital site, was used to identify factors associated with mild bronchiolitis. Results Of 373 infants aged ≤90 days, 333 were eligible for analysis. Of these, 155 (47%) infants had mild bronchiolitis, and none required mechanical ventilation. Adjusting for infant characteristics, clinical factors associated with mild bronchiolitis included older age (61–90 days vs 0–60 days) (odds ratio [OR] 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.52–4.87), adequate oral intake (OR 4.48, 95% CI 2.08–9.66), and lowest ED oxygen saturation ≥94% (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.55–6.30). Conclusions Among infants aged ≤90 days presenting to the ED with bronchiolitis, about half had mild bronchiolitis. Mild illness was associated with older age (61–90 days), adequate oral intake, and oxygen saturation ≥94%. These predictors may help in the development of strategies to limit unnecessary hospitalization in young infants with bronchiolitis

Initial screening transferrin saturation values, serum ferritin concentrations, and HFE genotypes in Native Americans and whites in the Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study

We compared initial screening transferrin saturation (TfSat) and serum ferritin (SF) phenotypes and HFE C282Y and H63D genotypes of 645 Native American and 43,453 white Hemochromatosis and Iron Overload Screening Study participants who did not report a previous diagnosis of hemochromatosis or iron overload. Elevated measurements were defined as TfSat \u3e50% in men and \u3e45% in women and SF\u3e300 ng/ml in men and \u3e200 ng/ml in women. Mean TfSat was 31% in Native American men and 32% in white men (p = 0.0337) and 25% in Native American women and 27% in white women (p \u3c 0.0001). Mean SF was 153 mg/l in Native American and 151 μ/l in white men (p = 0.8256); mean SF was 55 μ/l in Native American women and 63 μ/l in white women (p = 0.0015). The C282Y allele frequency was 0.0340 in Native Americans and 0.0683 in whites (p \u3c 0.0001). The H63D allele frequency was 0.1150 in Native Americans and 0.1532 in whites (p = 0.0001). We conclude that the screening TfSat and SF phenotypes of Native Americans are similar to those of whites. The allele frequencies of HFE C282Y and H63D are significantly lower in Native Americans than in whites. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2006