Background Public acceptance of vaccination programs is essential for vaccine preventable diseases. However, increasing sectors of the population have expressed hesitancy about participating in such ...programs, leading to the re-emergence of vaccine preventable diseases. In this study we rely on a recreancy hypothesis to test the association between confidence in the government and local hospitals and the willingness to take the vaccine. Methods A secondary analysis of a survey that used a large sample of the U.S. population conducted in October 2009 was used (N = 968). Results The results indicate that 36.1% of the respondents expressed willingness to be vaccinated. Those with the greatest trust in the government were the most likely to be vaccinated (43.4%), and those least confident were the least willing (15.8%). From the ones reporting being confident in the local health system, 38.4% were willing to be vaccinated, and from those not confident, only 23.5% were willing to be vaccinated. Conclusion The decision to get vaccinated in the midst of a contagious outbreak involves many considerations. Trust in the government's technical and organization skill to deal with the infectious outbreak along with trust in medical organizations predict the adoption of recommended protection measures. The results indicate that public compliance with vaccination plans in health crisis requires the development of social and institutional trust.
Macrophages are found in most tissues of the body, where they have tissue- and context-dependent roles in maintaining homeostasis as well as coordinating adaptive responses to various stresses. Their ...capacity for specialized functions is controlled by polarizing signals, which activate macrophages by upregulating transcriptional programs that encode distinct effector functions. An important conceptual advance in the field of macrophage biology, emerging from recent studies, is that macrophage activation is critically supported by metabolic shifts. Metabolic shifts fuel multiple aspects of macrophage activation, and preventing these shifts impairs appropriate activation. These findings raise the exciting possibility that macrophage functions in various contexts could be regulated by manipulating their metabolism. Here, we review the rapidly evolving field of macrophage metabolism, discussing how polarizing signals trigger metabolic shifts and how these shifts enable appropriate activation and sustain effector activities. We also discuss recent studies indicating that the mitochondria are central hubs in inflammatory macrophage activation.
Lithium-ion batteries have the potential to revolutionize the transportation industry, as they did for wireless communication. A judicious choice of the liquid electrolytes used in these systems is ...required to achieve a good balance among high-energy storage, long cycle life and stability, and fast charging. Ethylene-carbonate (EC) and propylene-carbonate (PC) are popular electrolytes. However, to date, almost all molecular-dynamics simulations of these fluids rely on classical force fields, while a complete description of the functionality of Li-ion batteries will eventually require quantum mechanics. We perform accurate ab initio molecular-dynamics simulations of ethylene- and propylene-carbonate with LiPF6 at experimental concentrations to build solvation models which explain available neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results and to compute Li-ion solvation energies and diffusion constants. Our results suggest some similarities between the two liquids as well as some important differences. Simulations also provide useful insights into formation of solid-electrolyte interphases in the presence of electrodes in conventional Li-ion batteries.
Exercise has long been acknowledged for its powerful disease-preventing, health-promoting effects. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise ...are not fully understood. Inflammation is a component of the stress response to exercise. Recent work has revealed that such inflammation is not merely a symptom of exertion; rather, it is a key regulator of exercise adaptations, particularly in skeletal muscle. The purpose of this piece is to provide a conceptual framework that we hope will integrate exercise immunology with exercise physiology, muscle biology, and cellular immunology. We start with an overview of early studies in the field of exercise immunology, followed by an exploration of the importance of stromal cells and immunocytes in the maintenance of muscle homeostasis based on studies of experimental muscle injury. Subsequently, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the functions and physiological relevance of the immune system in exercised muscle. Finally, we highlight a potential immunological basis for the benefits of exercise in musculoskeletal diseases and aging.
Exercise has long been acknowledged for its powerful disease-preventing, health-promoting effects. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise are not fully understood. Inflammation is a component of the stress response to exercise. Recent work has revealed that such inflammation is not merely a symptom of exertion; rather, it is a key regulator of exercise adaptations, particularly in skeletal muscle. The purpose of this piece is to provide a conceptual framework that we hope will integrate exercise immunology with exercise physiology, muscle biology, and cellular immunology. We start with an overview of early studies in the field of exercise immunology, followed by an exploration of the importance of stromal cells and immunocytes in the maintenance of muscle homeostasis based on studies of experimental muscle injury. Subsequently, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the functions and physiological relevance of the immune system in exercised muscle. Finally, we highlight a potential immunological basis for the benefits of exercise in musculoskeletal diseases and aging.
Macrophages are activated during microbial infection to coordinate inflammatory responses and host defense. Here we find that in macrophages activated by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), ...mitochondrial glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD2) regulates glucose oxidation to drive inflammatory responses. GPD2, a component of the glycerol phosphate shuttle, boosts glucose oxidation to fuel the production of acetyl coenzyme A, acetylation of histones and induction of genes encoding inflammatory mediators. While acute exposure to LPS drives macrophage activation, prolonged exposure to LPS triggers tolerance to LPS, where macrophages induce immunosuppression to limit the detrimental effects of sustained inflammation. The shift in the inflammatory response is modulated by GPD2, which coordinates a shutdown of oxidative metabolism; this limits the availability of acetyl coenzyme A for histone acetylation at genes encoding inflammatory mediators and thus contributes to the suppression of inflammatory responses. Therefore, GPD2 and the glycerol phosphate shuttle integrate the extent of microbial stimulation with glucose oxidation to balance the beneficial and detrimental effects of the inflammatory response.
Understanding the nature and formation of the solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed in electrochemical storage devices, such as Li-ion batteries, is most important for improving functionality. ...Few experiments exist that adequately probe the SEI, particularly in situ. We perform predictive ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the anode–electrolyte interface for several electrolytes and interface functionalizations. These show strongly differing effects on the reducibility of the electrolyte. Electrolyte reduction occurs rapidly, on a picosecond time scale. Orientational ordering of electrolyte near the interface precedes reduction. The reduced species depend strongly on surface functionalization and presence of LiPF6 salt. While LiPF6 salt in ethylene carbonate is more stable at a hydrogen-terminated anode, oxygen/hydroxyl termination causes spontaneous dissociation to form LiF and other fluorophosphates. LiF migrates to the interface creating chainlike structures, consistent with experimental observations of LiF agglomeration. Inorganic products such as LiF and Li2CO3 migrate closer to the anode than purely organic components, consistent with their more ionic character. Significantly, we conclude that while the electrolyte reduction occurs at the molecular level near the interface, requiring specific alignments and proximity, the reducibility is governed by the average reduction potential barrier between the electrode (anode) and the electrolyte.
To evaluate the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering performance and safety of an ab interno gelatin stent (XEN 45 Gel Stent, Allergan plc, Irvine, California, USA), a minimally invasive glaucoma ...surgery device, in refractory glaucoma.
Single-arm, open-label, multicenter clinical study.
Following mitomycin C pretreatment, the stent was placed ab interno in patients who failed prior filtering/cilioablative procedure or had uncontrolled IOP on maximum-tolerated medical therapy, with medicated IOP ≥20 and ≤35 mm Hg and visual field mean deviation ≤−3 dB. Primary performance outcomes: patients (%) achieving ≥20% IOP reduction from baseline on the same or fewer medications and mean IOP change from baseline at month 12. Procedure-related complications and ocular adverse events (AEs) were assessed.
Sixty-five patients were implanted (intent-to-treat/safety population). At 12 months, 75.4% (46/61; observed data) reported ≥20% IOP lowering from baseline on the same or fewer medications. Mean IOP change from baseline was −9.1 mm Hg (95% confidence interval CI: −10.7, −7.5) (n = 52; observed data) at 12 months, excluding patients with missing data (n = 4) and those requiring a glaucoma-related secondary surgical intervention (n = 9). Mean medication count decreased from 3.5 (baseline) to 1.7 (12 months). No intraoperative complications or unexpected postoperative AEs were reported. Most AEs were mild/moderate; common AEs included needling (without sight-threatening complications), nonpersistent loss of best-corrected visual acuity, and transient hypotony (requiring no surgical intervention).
The gelatin stent reduced IOP and medication use without raising unexpected safety concerns, offering a minimally invasive surgical option for refractory glaucoma patients.
The potential disturbance of dolphins from tourism boats has been widely discussed in the literature, in terms of both physical vessel presence and associated underwater noise. However, less ...attention has been paid to the potential impact of non-tourism vessels, despite these being much more widespread and occurring in greater numbers throughout coastal dolphin habitats. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus) community using the Fremantle Inner Harbour, Western Australia, is exposed to high levels of vessel traffic. To investigate whether behavioural responses could be occurring, a non-invasive combination of visual and acoustic monitoring was conducted using a theodolite and an autonomous acoustic logger. Dolphins significantly increased their average movement speeds in high vessel densities, but only for some activity states. Behavioural budgets also changed in the presence of vessels, with animals spending greater time travelling and less time resting or socialising. Finally, multiple whistle characteristics varied with rising levels of broadband noise, and other contextual variables. Despite being acoustically specialised for higher frequencies, dolphins had the strongest acoustic variation during low-frequency noise. This study highlights the complexity of disturbance responses in this species, confirming the need for consideration of both surface and acoustic behaviour alongside appropriate contextual data.
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