Ivermectin resistant and susceptible third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus: cholinesterase and phosphatase activities

Cholinesterase and acid phosphatase (AP), but not alkaline phosphatase activities, were detected in cytosolic and membrane-bound fractions of ivermectin resistant and susceptible Haemonchus contortus infective-stage larvae. Some differences in acetylcholinesterase activity of cytosolic fractions and in the AP activity of these fractions as well as in the response to AP inhibitors by membrane-bound fractions were detected. Data are discussed.

Third annual report of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)

16,080 Irish children (1.55% of population under 18 yrs.) availing of Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services   7,849 new cases were seen by community CAMHS teams between October 2010 and September 2011,compared with 7,561 in the previous 12 months   45% of referrals are seen within 1 month of referral and 69% within 3 months   Numbers waiting for CAMHS services down by 20%   61 multi-disciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services teams in place .This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

High expectation in non-evidence-based smoking cessation interventions among smokers--the CoLaus study.

To assess the preferred methods to quit smoking among current smokers. Cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in Lausanne between 2003 and 2006 including 988 current smokers. Preference was assessed by questionnaire. Evidence-based (EB) methods were nicotine replacement, bupropion, physician or group consultations; non-EB-based methods were acupuncture, hypnosis and autogenic training. EB methods were frequently (physician consultation: 48%, 95% confidence interval (45-51); nicotine replacement therapy: 35% (32-38)) or rarely (bupropion and group consultations: 13% (11-15)) preferred by the participants. Non-EB methods were preferred by a third (acupuncture: 33% (30-36)), a quarter (hypnosis: 26% (23-29)) or a seventh (autogenic training: 13% (11-15)) of responders. On multivariate analysis, women preferred both EB and non-EB methods more frequently than men (odds ratio and 95% confidence interval: 1.46 (1.10-1.93) and 2.26 (1.72-2.96) for any EB and non-EB method, respectively). Preference for non-EB methods was higher among highly educated participants, while no such relationship was found for EB methods. Many smokers are unaware of the full variety of methods to quit smoking. Better information regarding these methods is necessary.

New insights into the anti-inflammatory actions of aspirin- induction of nitric oxide through the generation of epi-lipoxins

Aspirin has always remained an enigmatic drug. Not only does it present with new benefits for treating an ever-expanding list of apparently unrelated diseases at an astounding rate but also because aspirin enhances our understanding of the nature of these diseases processe. Originally, the beneficial effects of aspirin were shown to stem from its inhibition of cyclooxygenase-derived prostaglandins, fatty acid metabolites that modulate host defense. However, in addition to inhibiting cyclooxygenase activity aspirin can also inhibit pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, gene expression and other factors distinct from eicosanoid biosynthesis that drive inflammation as well as enhance the synthesis of endogenous protective anti-inflammatory factors. Its true mechanism of action in anti-inflammation remains unclear. Here the data from a series of recent experiments proposing that one of aspirin's predominant roles in inflammation is the induction of nitric oxide, which potently inhibits leukocyte/endothelium interaction during acute inflammation, will be discussed. It will be argued that this nitric oxide-inducing effects are exclusive to aspirin due to its unique ability, among the family of traditional anti-inflammatory drugs, to acetylate the active site of inducible cyclooxygenase and generate a family of lipid mediators called the epi-lipoxins that are increasingly being shown to have profound roles in a range of host defense responses.

Health inequalities: third report of session 2008-09, volume I

In the following report, chapter two examines the extent and causes of health inequalities. The causes of inequalities are broad and some of them reach beyond the capabilities and responsibilities of both the Department of Health and the NHS. This report therefore focuses on the effectiveness of the policies of the Department of Health and the NHS.

Ireland's International Education Strategy 2010 - 2015: Investing in Global Relationships

Ireland, as a small, open European economy, relies fundamentally on international engagement. An internationalised education system in Ireland has a crucial role to play in maintaining Ireland’s international profile and attractiveness by educating the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and decision-makers in our partner-countries, by giving our own students the intercultural expertise demanded in the global economy, and by enhancing the direct link with Ireland for members of our global diaspora who choose to come home to study. The High-Level Group on International Education takes the view that, from a national perspective, the most compelling rationale for internationalisation is investment in future global relationships: with students educated in Ireland who will become our advocates overseas, with educational institutions that will be the research and teaching partners of the future, and with the countries that will be Ireland’s next trading and business partners

Ireland's International Education Strategy 2010 - 2015: Investing in Global Relationships Summary Report

Ireland, as a small, open European economy, relies fundamentally on international engagement. An internationalised education system in Ireland has a crucial role to play in maintaining Ireland’s international profile and attractiveness by educating the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and decision-makers in our partner-countries, by giving our own students the intercultural expertise demanded in the global economy, and by enhancing the direct link with Ireland for members of our global diaspora who choose to come home to study. The High-Level Group on International Education takes the view that, from a national perspective, the most compelling rationale for internationalisation is investment in future global relationships: with students educated in Ireland who will become our advocates overseas, with educational institutions that will be the research and teaching partners of the future, and with the countries that will be Ireland’s next trading and business partners. Internationalisation also provides a means of enhancing the quality of learning, teaching and research in Ireland and makes a significant contribution to our broader ambition as a global innovation hub.

Report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education

In line with a commitment under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Michael Woods, established the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education, in September 2000, to advise the Minister on the development of a co-ordinated framework to promote access by mature and disadvantaged students and students with disabilities to third level education.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation triggers inflammatory response and tissue injury associated with hepatic ischemia-reperfusion: Therapeutic potential of mitochondrially targeted antioxidants.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury; however, its exact role and its spatial-temporal relationship with inflammation are elusive. Herein we explore the spatial-temporal relationship of oxidative/nitrative stress and inflammatory response during the course of hepatic I/R and the possible therapeutic potential of mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants, using a mouse model of segmental hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Hepatic I/R was characterized by early (at 2h of reperfusion) mitochondrial injury, decreased complex I activity, increased oxidant generation in the liver or liver mitochondria, and profound hepatocellular injury/dysfunction with acute proinflammatory response (TNF-α, MIP-1α/CCL3, MIP-2/CXCL2) without inflammatory cell infiltration, followed by marked neutrophil infiltration and a more pronounced secondary wave of oxidative/nitrative stress in the liver (starting from 6h of reperfusion and peaking at 24h). Mitochondrially targeted antioxidants, MitoQ or Mito-CP, dose-dependently attenuated I/R-induced liver dysfunction, the early and delayed oxidative and nitrative stress response (HNE/carbonyl adducts, malondialdehyde, 8-OHdG, and 3-nitrotyrosine formation), and mitochondrial and histopathological injury/dysfunction, as well as delayed inflammatory cell infiltration and cell death. Mitochondrially generated oxidants play a central role in triggering the deleterious cascade of events associated with hepatic I/R, which may be targeted by novel antioxidants for therapeutic advantage.

The Evangelical Milieu : Defining Criteria and Reproduction across the Generation

The authors give the first description of evangelicalism in Switzerland using representative data. It is shown that evangelicalism can be conceived of as a "milieu" which is characterized by certain structural and cultural traits, boundaries and high internal communication. The relative success of the evangelical milieu compared to other religious milieus is explained by its remarkable ability to retain its own numerous offspring, while on the other hand providing a "religious product" that is also attractive to people without an evangelical familial background. Les auteurs utilisent des données représentatives afin de faire, pour la première fois, une description de l'évangélisme en Suisse. Ils montrent qu'on peut parler de l'évangélisme comme d'un "milieu'' qui se caractérise par certains attributs structurels et culturels, des frontières et une communication interne élevée. Le succès relatif du milieu évangélique comparé à d'autres milieux s'explique par sa capacité remarquable à retenir les enfants de ses membres dans le mouvement tout en offrant un "produit religieux'' attractif aux personnes sans arrière-fond évangélique.

Speciation of antimony (III) and antimony (V) using hydride generation for meglumine antimoniate pharmaceutical formulationsquality control

The pentavalent antimonies, mainly the meglumine antimoniate, are recommends as first-choice medicines for leishmaniasis therapy. In this work we described the development of formulations of meglumine antimoniate injectable medication, as well as the analytical methodology used in the selective determination of Sb(III) and Sb(Total) by hydride generation - inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-AES) and ICP-AES, respectively. On that purpose the analytical methodology was developed focusing on the HG-ICP-AES technique. The formulations using propylene glycol/water as vehicles in a 20:80 proportion were more appropriate for subsequent use in industrial scale. These formulations also showed a lower variation on Sb(III) percentage, no need of buffer solution to stabilize the formulation and no influence of the autoclaving in the quality of the product. The results of the development of the analytical methodology point out the proposed method as an efficient alternative for the determination of Sb(III) in the presence of large quantities of Sb(V) in injectable solutions of meglumine antimoniate, in a selective, linear, accurate and precise manner. In addition, the method showed a low limit of quantification, less interference of the matrix, and more resilience than batch techniques proposed in the Brazilian Pharmacopeia.

Trypanosoma cruzi: ancestral genomes and population structure

Although the genome of Trypanosoma cruzi has been completely sequenced, little is known about its population structure and evolution. Since 1999, two major evolutionary lineages presenting distinct epidemiological characteristics have been recognised: T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II. We describe new and important aspects of the population structure of the parasite, and unequivocally characterise a third ancestral lineage that we propose to name T. cruzi III. Through a careful analysis of haplotypes (blocks of genes that are stably transmitted from generation to generation of the parasite), we inferred at least two hybridisation events between the parental lineages T. cruzi II and T. cruzi III. The strain CL Brener, whose genome was sequenced, is one such hybrid. Based on these results, we propose a simple evolutionary model based on three ancestral genomes, T. cruzi I, T. cruzi II and T. cruzi III. At least two hybridisation events produced evolutionarily viable progeny, and T. cruzi III was the cytoplasmic donor for the resulting offspring (as identified by the mitochondrial clade of the hybrid strains) in both events. This model should be useful to inform evolutionary and pathogenetic hypotheses regarding T. cruzi.