Third in a three volume series, this book presents the basic and applied aspects of gene sequencing and its implication in the fine-scale elucidation of plant genomes. It reviews advances in genomics ...over the past century and discusses genomic resources, concepts, tools, strategies, and achievements in comparative, evolutionary, and functional genomics as well as whole-genome sequencing. An ideal reference book for students, scholars, and scientists in academia, industry, and government, this volume presents critical reviews on already completed genome initiatives and offers previews of those initiatives currently progressing.
Challenges exist in the diagnosis and management of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in low and middle income countries due to factors, such as poverty and under-resourced healthcare infrastructure. ...Furthermore, other contributory factors such as societal, cultural and religious practices influence health seeking behaviour which has a bearing on access and delivery of healthcare. To examine the health seeking behaviour and referral patterns of Ghanaian patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases and assess the associated factors that influence these. A cross-sectional study using an explanatory sequential mixed method design was carried out in a Rheumatology clinic at a national referral centre. 110 participants were purposively recruited for the quantitative phase. The qualitative phase comprised 10 participants for in-depth interviews and 10 participants for a focus group discussion. Analysis using descriptive statistics, t-tests and logistic regression models were performed. Transcripts generated from the interviews and focused group discussion were analysed using thematic analysis. Median duration from onset of symptoms until seeking help was 1 week (IQR = 12); from seeking help until obtaining a final diagnosis was 12 months (IQR = 33). Multiple factors determined the choice of first facility visited, X.sup.2 (12, N = 107) = 32.29, p = .001. Only twenty-one participants (19.6%) had knowledge of their disease prior to diagnosis. Education predicted prior knowledge OR = 2.6 (95% CI = .66-10.12), p < .021. Unemployed participants had increased odds of seeking help after a month compared to those who were employed Odds ratio = 2.60 (95% CI = 1.14-5.90), p = .02. Knowledge of autoimmune rheumatic diseases was low with multiple causative factors such as biomedical, environmental and spiritual causes determining where patients accessed care. Forty (36.4%) participants utilised complementary and alternative treatment options. We observed that knowledge about autoimmune rheumatic diseases among Ghanaian patients was low. Patients sought help from numerous medical facilities, traditional healers and prayer camps often contributing to a delay in diagnosis for most patients. This was influenced by individual perceptions, cultural beliefs and socioeconomic status. Active awareness and educational programmes for the public and healthcare workers are required, as well as strategic planning to integrate the biomedical and traditional care services to enable earlier presentation, accurate diagnosis and better clinical outcomes for the patients.
Utilizing controlled grazing on dairy farms in northern Michigan Kole, G. (Michigan State University Cooperative Extension, Bellaire, MI); Middleton, J; Wegmeyer, F ...
Proceedings of the Forage and Grassland Conference (USA),
(1992), Letnik:
1
Journal Article
corrected The force system delivered by the rectangular loop (R-loop) was the subject of this in-vitro investigation. The correction of a first-order irregularity was simulated in an inconsistent ...force system. Three types of R-loop made of 0.017" x 0.025" TMA wire but differing in length and insertion system were tested in a 3D strain gauge (Hottinger, Darmstadt, Germany). The buccal segment consisted of one molar and two bicuspids, with the first bicuspid as an active unit scheduled to be moved buccally into the dental arch.
The first R-loop tested revealed too high a force magnitude to be recommended for clinical use. A loop connecting only two teeth and bypassing the second premolar delivered a favorable initial force of 85 cN with a drop of 20 cN per 1 mm deactivation. In order to achieve a translatory tooth movement, a buccal root torque must be bent in addition into the short horizontal leg of the R-loop. The use of a transpalatal arch is indispensable if adverse side effects are to be avoided.
Wear and tear from tyres significantly contributes to the flow of (micro-)plastics into the environment. This paper compiles the fragmented knowledge on tyre wear and tear characteristics, amounts of ...particles emitted, pathways in the environment, and the possible effects on humans. The estimated per capita emission ranges from 0.23 to 4.7 kg/year, with a global average of 0.81 kg/year. The emissions from car tyres (100%) are substantially higher than those of other sources of microplastics, e.g., airplane tyres (2%), artificial turf (12-50%), brake wear (8%) and road markings (5%). Emissions and pathways depend on local factors like road type or sewage systems. The relative contribution of tyre wear and tear to the total global amount of plastics ending up in our oceans is estimated to be 5-10%. In air, 3-7% of the particulate matter (PM
) is estimated to consist of tyre wear and tear, indicating that it may contribute to the global health burden of air pollution which has been projected by the World Health Organization (WHO) at 3 million deaths in 2012. The wear and tear also enters our food chain, but further research is needed to assess human health risks. It is concluded here that tyre wear and tear is a stealthy source of microplastics in our environment, which can only be addressed effectively if awareness increases, knowledge gaps on quantities and effects are being closed, and creative technical solutions are being sought. This requires a global effort from all stakeholders; consumers, regulators, industry and researchers alike.
The complement system is implicated in synapse loss in the MS hippocampus, but the functional consequences of synapse loss remain poorly understood. Here, in post-mortem MS hippocampi with ...demyelination we find that deposits of the complement component C1q are enriched in the CA2 subfield, are linked to loss of inhibitory synapses and are significantly higher in MS patients with cognitive impairments compared to those with preserved cognitive functions. Using the cuprizone mouse model of demyelination, we corroborated that C1q deposits are highest within the demyelinated dorsal hippocampal CA2 pyramidal layer and co-localized with inhibitory synapses engulfed by microglia/macrophages. In agreement with the loss of inhibitory perisomatic synapses, we found that Schaffer collateral feedforward inhibition but not excitation was impaired in CA2 pyramidal neurons and accompanied by intrinsic changes and a reduced spike output. Finally, consistent with excitability deficits, we show that cuprizone-treated mice exhibit impaired encoding of social memories. Together, our findings identify CA2 as a critical circuit in demyelinated intrahippocampal lesions and memory dysfunctions in MS.
We describe the results of a prospective observational study of the clinical natural history of human monkeypox (mpox) virus (MPXV) infections at the remote L'Hopital General de Reference de Kole ...(Kole hospital), the rainforest of the Congo River basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from March 2007 until August 2011. The research was conducted jointly by the Institute National de Recherche Biomedical (INRB) and the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). The Kole hospital was one of the two previous WHO Mpox study sites (1981-1986). The hospital is staffed by a Spanish Order of Catholic Nuns from La Congregation Des Soeurs Missionnaires Du Christ Jesus including two Spanish physicians, who were members of the Order as well, were part of the WHO study on human mpox. Of 244 patients admitted with a clinical diagnosis of MPXV infection, 216 were positive in both the Pan-Orthopox and MPXV specific PCR. The cardinal observations of these 216 patients are summarized in this report. There were three deaths (3/216) among these hospitalized patients; fetal death occurred in 3 of 4 patients who were pregnant at admission, with the placenta of one fetus demonstrating prominent MPXV infection of the chorionic villi. The most common complaints were rash (96.8%), malaise (85.2%), sore throat (78.2%), and lymphadenopathy/adenopathy (57.4%). The most common physical exam findings were mpox rash (99.5%) and lymphadenopathy (98.6%). The single patient without the classic mpox rash had been previously vaccinated against smallpox. Age group of less than 5 years had the highest lesion count. Primary household cases tended to have higher lesion counts than secondary or later same household cases. Of the 216 patients, 200 were tested for IgM & IgG antibodies (Abs) to Orthopoxviruses. All 200 patients had anti-orthopoxvirus IgG Abs; whereas 189/200 were positive for IgM. Patients with hypoalbuminemia had a high risk of severe disease. Patients with fatal disease had higher maximum geometric mean values than survivors for the following variables, respectively: viral DNA in blood (DNAemia); maximum lesion count; day of admission mean AST and ALT.