Authors' response to 'Limitless longevity': the contribution of rectangularization to the secular increase in life expectancy: an empirical study.

Related article : Letter to the Editor: Karin Modig, Sven Drefahl, and Anders Ahlbon.Limitless longevity: Comment on the Contribution of rectangularization to the secular increase of life expectancy

Effect of sequential heat and cold shocks on nuclear phenotypes of the blood-sucking insect, Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae)

Thermal shocks induce changes in the nuclear phenotypes that correspond to survival (heterochromatin decondensation, nuclear fusion) or death (apoptosis, necrosis) responses in the Malpighian tubules of Panstrongylus megistus. Since thermal tolerance increased survival and molting rate in this species following sequential shocks, we investigated whether changes in nuclear phenotypes accompanied the insect survival response to sequential thermal shocks. Fifth instar nymphs were subjected to a single heat (35 or 40°C, 1 h) or cold (5 or 0°C, 1 h) shock and then subjected to a second shock for 12 h at 40 or 0°C, respectively, after 8, 18, 24 and 72 h at 28°C (control temperature). As with specimen survival, sequential heat and cold shocks induced changes in frequency of the mentioned nuclear phenotypes although their patterns differed. The heat shock tolerance involved decrease in apoptosis simultaneous to increase in cell survival responses. Sequential cold shocks did not involve cell/nuclear fusion and even elicited increase in necrosis with advancing time after shocks. The temperatures of 40 and 0ºC were more effective than the temperatures of 35 and 5ºC in eliciting the heat and cold shock tolerances, respectively, as shown by cytological analysis of the nuclear phenotypes. It is concluded that different sequential thermal shocks can trigger different mechanisms of cellular protection against stress in P. megistus, favoring the insect to adapt to various ecotopes.

Alcohol could increase your risk of breast cancer

This poster highlights the fact that alcohol increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

Malaria during pregnancy in a reference centre from the Brazilian Amazon: unexpected increase in the frequency of Plasmodium falciparum infections

Malaria remains globally the most important parasitic disease of man. Data on its deleterious effects during pregnancy have been extensively documented in hyperendemic, holoendemic, and mesoendemic areas from Africa and Asia where Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for almost all infections. However, knowledge about malaria during pregnancy in areas where transmission is unstable and P. vivax is the most prevalent species, such as the Brazilian Amazon, is scarce. Here, we report a preliminary cross sectional descriptive study, carried out at the Fundação de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas, a reference centre for diagnosis and treatment of tropical diseases in the west-Amazon (Manaus, Brazil). A total of 1699 febrile childbearing age women had positive thick blood smears to Plasmodium species, between January and November 1997: 1401 (82.5%) were positive for P. vivax , 286 (16.8%) for P. falciparum and 12 (0.07%) carried mixed infections. From the malarious patients, 195 were pregnant. The ratio of P. falciparum to P. vivax infections in the group of non-pregnant infected women was 1:5.6 while it was 1:2.3 in that of pregnant infected ones. Similar rates or even proportionally more vivax infections during pregnancy were expected to occur, in function of the contraindication of primaquine with the resulting increased P. vivax relapse rates. Such an observation suggests that the mechanism of resistance/susceptibility to infection and/or malaria pathogenesis in pregnant women may differ according to Plasmodium species and that the extensively described increase in the frequencies of malaria infection during pregnancy may be specifically due to P. falciparum infection.

Consumer Food Safety Knowledge, Microbiology & Refrigeration Temperatures in Domestic Kitchens

This study examined consumer food safety knowledge on the island of Ireland. Domestic refrigerators were tested for the presence of a range of pathogenic bacteria.

A Study of Food Safety Knowledge, Microbiology and Refrigeration Temperatures in Restaurant Kitchens on the Island of Ireland

A population-based telephone survey conducted in 2002 estimated that there were 3.2 million episodes of acute gastroenteritis on the island of Ireland each year (Scallon et al., 2004). It is often very dif ficult to definitively identify the source of illness. However, of the respondents in that study suspecting food as the reason for their illness, 74% blamed food consumed from commercial premises such as restaurants, cafés, takeaways, canteens and pubs. Within the food services industry, statistics show a significant level of prosecutions, prohibition and closure orders of restaurants for food hygiene offences. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has identified the main contributory factors to foodborne infections to be: cross-contamination, inadequate cooking, inadequate storage, inadequate reheating, delayed serving and infected food handlers (FSAI, 2000). Development of appropriate training and education campaigns to target problem areas requires initial understanding of the current level of food safety knowledge and practices in the food services industry.

Light receptor action is critical for maintaining plant biomass at warm ambient temperatures.

The ability to withstand environmental temperature variation is essential for plant survival. Former studies in Arabidopsis revealed that light signalling pathways had a potentially unique role in shielding plant growth and development from seasonal and daily fluctuations in temperature. In this paper we describe the molecular circuitry through which the light receptors cry1 and phyB buffer the impact of warm ambient temperatures. We show that the light signalling component HFR1 acts to minimise the potentially devastating effects of elevated temperature on plant physiology. Light is known to stabilise levels of HFR1 protein by suppressing proteasome-mediated destruction of HFR1. We demonstrate that light-dependent accumulation and activity of HFR1 are highly temperature dependent. The increased potency of HFR1 at warmer temperatures provides an important restraint on PIF4 that drives elongation growth. We show that warm ambient temperatures promote the accumulation of phosphorylated PIF4. However, repression of PIF4 activity by phyB and cry1 (via HFR1) is critical for controlling growth and maintaining physiology as temperatures rise. Loss of this light-mediated restraint has severe consequences for adult plants which have greatly reduced biomass.

Does lamotrigine use in pregnancy increase orofacial cleft risk relative to other malformations?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether first trimester exposure to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy is specifically associated with an increased risk of orofacial clefts (OCs) relative to other malformations, in response to a signal regarding increased OC risk. METHODS: Population-based case-control study with malformed controls based on EUROCAT congenital anomaly registers. The study population covered 3.9 million births from 19 registries 1995-2005. Registrations included congenital anomaly among livebirths, stillbirths, and terminations of pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis. Cases were 5,511 nonsyndromic OC registrations, of whom 4,571 were isolated, 1,969 were cleft palate (CP), and 1,532 were isolated CP. Controls were 80,052 nonchromosomal, non-OC registrations. We compared first trimester LTG and antiepileptic drug (AED) use vs nonepileptic non-AED use, for mono and polytherapy, adjusting for maternal age. An additional exploratory analysis compared the observed and expected distribution of malformation types associated with LTG use. RESULTS: There were 72 LTG exposed (40 mono- and 32 polytherapy) registrations. The ORs for LTG monotherapy vs no AED use were 0.67 (95% CI 0.10-2.34) for OC relative to other malformations, 0.80 (95% CI 0.11-2.85) for isolated OC, 0.79 (95% CI 0.03-4.35) for CP, and 1.01 (95% CI 0.03-5.57) for isolated CP. ORs for any AED use vs no AED use were 1.43 (95% CI 1.03-1.93) for OC, 1.21 (95% CI 0.82-1.72) for isolated OC, 2.37 (95% CI 1.54-3.43) for CP, and 1.86 (95% CI 1.07-2.94) for isolated CP. The distribution of other nonchromosomal malformation types with LTG exposure was similar to non-AED exposed. CONCLUSION: We find no evidence of a specific increased risk of isolated orofacial clefts relative to other malformations due to lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy. Our study is not designed to assess whether there is a generalized increased risk of malformations with LTG exposure.

Climate change impact on biodiversity in Switzerland: a review. Journal for Nature Conservation

A noticeable increase in mean temperature has already been observed in Switzerland and summer temperatures up to 4.8 K warmer are expected by 2090. This article reviews the observed impacts of climate change on biodiversity and consider some perspectives for the future at the national level. The following impacts are already evident for all considered taxonomic groups: elevation shifts of distribution toward mountain summits, spread of thermophilous species, colonisation by new species from warmer areas and phenological shifts. Additionally, in the driest areas, increasing droughts are affecting tree survival and fish species are suffering from warm temperatures in lowland regions. These observations are coherent with model projections, and future changes will probably follow the current trends. These changes will likely cause extinctions for alpine species (competition, loss of habitat) and lowland species (temperature or drought stress). In the very urbanised Swiss landscape, the high fragmentation of the natural ecosystems will hinder the dispersal of many species towards mountains. Moreover, disruptions in species interactions caused by individual migration rates or phenological shifts are likely to have consequences for biodiversity. Conversely, the inertia of the ecosystems (species longevity, restricted dispersal) and the local persistence of populations will probably result in lower extinction rates than expected with some models, at least in 21st century. It is thus very difficult to estimate the impact of climate change in terms of species extinctions. A greater recognition by society of the intrinsic value of biodiversity and of its importance for our existence will be essential to put in place effective mitigation measures and to safeguard a maximum number of native species.

Cerebral extracellular lactate increase is predominantly nonischemic in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

Growing evidence suggests that endogenous lactate is an important substrate for neurons. This study aimed to examine cerebral lactate metabolism and its relationship with brain perfusion in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). A prospective cohort of 24 patients with severe TBI monitored with cerebral microdialysis (CMD) and brain tissue oxygen tension (PbtO2) was studied. Brain lactate metabolism was assessed by quantification of elevated CMD lactate samples (>4 mmol/L); these were matched to CMD pyruvate and PbtO2 values and dichotomized as glycolytic (CMD pyruvate >119 μmol/L vs. low pyruvate) and hypoxic (PbtO2 <20 mm Hg vs. nonhypoxic). Using perfusion computed tomography (CT), brain perfusion was categorized as oligemic, normal, or hyperemic, and was compared with CMD and PbtO2 data. Samples with elevated CMD lactate were frequently observed (41±8%), and we found that brain lactate elevations were predominantly associated with glycolysis and normal PbtO2 (73±8%) rather than brain hypoxia (14±6%). Furthermore, glycolytic lactate was always associated with normal or hyperemic brain perfusion, whereas all episodes with hypoxic lactate were associated with diffuse oligemia. Our findings suggest predominant nonischemic cerebral extracellular lactate release after TBI and support the concept that lactate may be used as an energy substrate by the injured human brain.

Smoking and Public Health: A Review of Reviews of Interventions to Increase Smoking Cessation, Reduce Smoking Initiation and Prevent Further Uptake of Smoking - Evidence Briefing

This evidence briefing collates review-level evidence of interventions including those targeted at pregnant women and evidence for tackling health inequalities in smoking.

Smoking and Public Health: A Review of Reviews of Interventions to Increase Smoking Cessation, Reduce Smoking Initiation and Prevent Further Uptake of Smoking - Summary

The briefing identifies gaps in primary and review-level research and makes a number of recommendations, including further measures to address health inequalities.

Unstable shoes increase energy expenditure of obese patients.

BACKGROUND: Ergonomic unstable shoes, which are widely available to the general population, could increase daily non-exercise activity thermogenesis as the result of increased muscular involvement. We compared the energy expenditure of obese patients during standing and walking with conventional flat-bottomed shoes versus unstable shoes.¦METHODS: Twenty-nine obese patients were asked to stand quietly and to walk at their preferred walking speed while wearing unstable or conventional shoes. The main outcome measures were metabolic rate of standing and gross and net energy cost of walking, as assessed with indirect calorimetry.¦RESULTS: Metabolic rate of standing was higher while wearing unstable shoes compared with conventional shoes (1.11±0.20 W/kg(-1)vs 1.06±0.23 W/kg(-1), P=.0098). Gross and net energy cost of walking were higher while wearing unstable shoes compared with conventional shoes (gross: 4.20±0.42 J/kg(-1)/m(-1)vs 4.01±0.39 J/kg(-1)/m(-1), P=.0035; net: 3.37±0.41 J/kg(-1)/m(-1)vs 3.21±0.37 J/kg(-1)/m(-1); P=.032).¦CONCLUSION: In obese patients, it is possible to increase energy expenditure of standing and walking by means of ergonomic unstable footwear. Long-term use of unstable shoes may eventually prevent a positive energy balance.

Treatment of human acute schistosomiasis with oxamniquine induces an increase in interferon-gamma response to Schistosoma mansoni antigens

Patients with acute schistosomiasis were studied before and after oxamniquine treatment. They had been exposed to cercariae 5 to 9 weeks before, and presented compatible clinical manifestations, eosinophilia, and high levels of total IgE. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 were measured by ELISA in whole blood samples under soluble egg antigen or soluble adult worm preparation stimulation. After treatment, the reduction of leukocytosis and eosinophilia were not significant, but total IgE levels decreased significantly, in contrast to IFN-gamma levels that were significantly increased. The oxamniquine treatment of acute schistosomiasis patients is followed by an improvement of a Th1 response in vitro. If this response has a protective aspect is unknown, and some investigations need to be realized.