Family functioning and frequency of sugar consumption by 3 and 4 year old children in Outer North East London

PhDDental caries is a public health problem affecting over 30% of 3.5 to 4.5 year old children in the UK. One of its most important determinants is frequent consumption of sugary foods, without which plaque bacteria cannot produce sufficient acids to demineralise tooth structure. The aim of this study was to identify the contribution of family functioning in the domains behaviour control, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, communication, problem solving and roles towards the frequent consumption of sugary foods by three and four year old children in Outer North East London. The research questions were explored with data from the Outer North East London Family Study (ONEL-FS), which collected data through home visits, by trained dentists and interviewers, from a representative sample of adults and children living in the London boroughs of Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest in 2008-10. This study analysed data (N=698) from three and four year old children and their mothers and included unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression and mediation analysis. The results showed that 17% of the sample consumed sugary foods more than 4/day which was significantly associated with behaviour-control (OR 0.25; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.57), affective-responsiveness (OR 0.29; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.58), affective-involvement (OR 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.60), communication (OR 0.34; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.85) and roles (OR 0.22; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.62), after adjusting for confounders. The significant association between mother’s education and children’s sugar consumption (OR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.58) was partially mediated through behaviour control, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, communication and roles. The significant association between mother’s ethnicity and sugar consumption (OR 3.46; 95% CI: 1.63, 5.25) was also partially mediated through these same five domains. The study findings contribute to the literature on protective influences within the family environment and confirm current knowledge regarding mother’s education and ethnicity

Genetic, physiological and ecological diversity of the diatom genus <i>Leptocylindrus</i>

Diatoms are among the most productive photoautotrophic organisms on Earth. Within the diatom genus Leptocylindrus, two species, L. danicus and L. minimus, are reported as abundant in coastal waters worldwide and in the Gulf of Naples (GoN). This thesis aimed at a closer characterisation of Leptocylindrus species through different approaches, including the study of their morphology, molecular phylogeny, metagenomics and biochemistry. Eighty-three strains from the GoN and one strain (CCMP 1856) from the Atlantic US coast were analysed. Based on the morphological, molecular and life cycle differences, the taxonomy of the genus was revised. The GoN species previously identified as L. minimus was in fact identified as L. belgicus Meunier and was placed in a new genus, Tenuicylindrus Nanjappa and Zingone which, along with Leptocylindrus Cleve, belongs to the family Leptocylindraceae. Five species in all were included in the genus Leptocylindrus: L. danicus Cleve and L. minimus Gran, two novel species L. hargravesii and L. convexus, and L. aporus (Hargraves) Nanjappa & Zingone, which was raised from the variety to the species status. The real Leptocylindrus minimus was not found in the GoN. To address the distribution of the 6 species outside the GoN, two metagenomic databases, BioMarKs (Europe) and Tara Oceans (worldwide) were explored. Sequences of L. aporus, L. convexus and L. danicus were recovered at many sites in European waters and across the world's seas, while those of L. minimus were retrieved only in the Oslo fjord and those of T. belgicus were only found in the GoN and Oslo fjord. Additional diversity was observed in the Tara Oceans dataset but, in lack of morphological information, whether this diversity is real remains to be clarified. All species except L. minimus were also categorised based on the diversity in their oxylipins pathways. Leptocylindrus danicus and L. hargravesii shared common lipoxygenase pathways, different from the ones shared by the species L. aporus and L. convexus. Tenuicylindrus belgicus exhibits a pathway distinct from that of Leptocylindrus species. Species-specific compounds produced in minor quantities were also observed. Physiological experiments show that L. aporus can withstand higher (26 "C) temperature but not lower (12 CC) temperature, while L. danicus can withstand low temperature but not high temperature. This corresponds to the species occurrence in the natural environment, where L. aporus blooms during summer and L. danicus is found in all seasons except summer. Altogether, through an interdisciplinary approach, the studies described in this thesis provide substantial information that may have important implications in the field of ecology, evolution, conservation biology and biotechnology

Penetrating injury of the hand with a door handle: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Penetrating injuries of the hand with various sharp objects have previously been reported. In this report we describe an unusual penetrating injury of the hand caused by a door handle. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old woman presented with a door handle stuck into her hand. After a preliminary assessment she was immediately taken to theatre. Broad spectrum antibiotics were administered along with tetanus toxoid. Soft tissue, including neurovascular integrity, was assessed and confirmed during the operation. She had a good functional recovery at follow-up. CONCLUSION: A door handle can occasionally cause a penetrating injury of the hand which should be treated with early intervention, including a careful assessment of soft tissue and neurovascular integrity

IN VITRO PROPAGATION OF ANGIOPTERIS EVECTA USING SPORES

Techniques of establishing Angiopleris evecta plants  in vitro were studied. Soaking of A. evecta spores in water for 24 hours markedly reduced spore contamination. Soaking of the spores in 1 -2 % of sodium hypochlorite for  less  than 5 minutes allowed satisfactory disinfestation without affecting spore viability. Lower concentration of minerals (1/4 MS), presence of charcoal in the medium and exposure of the spores to light were crucial for spore germination and gainetophytc development of A. evecta. Keywords:   Angiopleris evecta I King fern / spore / MS medium / bleach / light / tissue culture / sporophyte / gamctophyt

A Unique Case Report of Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy Associated With Endometrial Cancer and Literature Review.

Introduction:  In this manuscript, we present an oncological case of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) associated with endometrial cancer.Presentation of the case:  A 46 year-old woman with a history of endometrial cancer (ER+/PR+) presented with hemoptysis and severe diffuse muscle and joint pain, intractable to hydromorphone and non-steroidal-anti-inflammatories. She was diffusely tender to palpation, prominently in the bilateral lower extremities. Bone scintigraphy showed diffuse osteoblastic activity in all extremities, most prominent in the tibiae, concordant with HOA.  Patient was treated with zoledronic acid (ZA) and ketorolac, achieving adequate pain control. Conclusion:  HOA has been associated with multiple primary malignancies, as well as other medical conditions.  Its association with endometrial cancer has been rarely described in the literature.  The pathophysiology of this disorder is poorly understood.  More studies are needed to further enhance our understanding of this rare disease

Clinical course and prognosis of dilated cardiomyopathy in children

Background: Epidemiology and clinical course of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in children and infants are not well established. Thus, this study aims to investigate the clinical course and prognosis of DCM in childrenMethods: This was a single-center, prospective, observational study conducted at a tertiary-care center in India between February 2011 and September 2012. A total of 31 patients admitted to the paediatric department diagnosed with DCM were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups based on the age at the time of diagnosis: 0-3 years, >3-12 years and >12-16 years. Among the study population, 28 patients were followed up for a mean period of 1.44 years and three patients were lost to follow-up.Results: Of the 31 patients, 11 patients were male with a mean age of 8.9±6 years and 20 patients were female with a mean age of 8.3±6 years. All patients were presented with same characteristics of New York heart association (NYHA) class III-IV dyspnoea and fatigue. Among 28 patients who were followed-up for a mean period of 1.44 years, 20(71.4%) patients died and eight patients were on follow up. Of the eight patients, five patients were with NYHA class III symptoms and three patients were with NYHA class I-II symptoms.Conclusions: Dilated cardiomyopathy in children is a very serious disease with a grave prognosis. Patients with NYHA III-IV symptoms have a very high mortality rate and potential use of other therapies remains to be fully evaluated in paediatric population