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Intermolecular Bonding of Hemin in Solution and in Solid State Probed by N K-edge X-ray Spectroscopies
No full textLives Short Lived: Child Morbidity and Mortality in the Ancient Region of Memphis, Egypt, in the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC), Based on Skeletal Evidence from the Saqqara Necropolis.
No full textThe Saqqara necropolis forms a central part of the extensive Memphite necropolis that served as a burial ground for the local population, which occupied the nearby settlements for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that the area extending immediately to the west of the Step Pyramid complex was in use for funerary purposes for 400 to 500 years following its construction (2667–2648 BC), and then again during the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BC). Since 1994, the Polish Archaeological Mission to Saqqara has uncovered close to 700 burials that contained the remains of individuals of all age groups. This presentation will focus on the burials of children (≤12 years of age) dating to the Ptolemaic Period, which were uncovered during the 2007–2014 excavation campaigns. Out of a total of 151 burials, 27 (17.9%) contained mummified or skeletonised remains of children. Of these, 18 (66.7%) burials were of individuals aged five years or under at the time of death. Generally good preservation and completeness of the skeletal remains allowed for detailed macroscopic examination; this revealed that porosities in the orbital roof was the most common pathological lesion observed in this sample. Carious lesions were also very common. Possible causative factors of child morbidity in the Memphite region based on the skeletal evidence will be discussed
Vitamins D and A can be successfully measured by LC-MS/MS in cord blood diluted plasma.
No full textOBJECTIVES: In widely used protocols for the collection and isolation of cord blood mononuclear cells, investigators are left with substantial volumes of diluted plasma which could be used for other measurements. The aim of this study was to ascertain the validity of umbilical cord blood (UCB) diluted plasma samples for vitamin D, A and E analysis compared to UCB serum samples. DESIGN & METHODS: Twenty UCB matched samples of diluted plasma and serum were collected. The samples were analysed by two liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods on two separate occasions. RESULTS: The results of 25(OH)D3 obtained by the two laboratories demonstrated close agreement with a mean difference of 0.14nmol/L [95% confidence interval (95% CI), -6.8 to 7.1]. Both methods demonstrate close agreement for 25(OH)D3 in UCB serum versus diluted UCB plasma; mean difference 2.2nmol/L [95% CI, -9.5 to 13.9] and 4.1nmol/L [95% CI, -14.5 to 6.1] for the results from Lab A and Lab B, respectively. Vitamin A was quantified by Lab A in UCB serum and diluted UCB plasma; mean difference 0.07μmol/L [95% CI, -0.41 to 0.28]. Results of 25(OH)D3 epimer and vitamin E in the diluted UCB plasma were below the limit of quantification, and could not be compared with UCB serum. CONCLUSIONS: Diluted UCB plasma can be used for the quantification of retinol and 25(OH)D3 by LC-MS/MS. By contrast, quantification of 25(OH)D3 epimer and vitamin E in diluted UCB plasma is not supported by this study due to limitations in analytical sensitivity
Community and the Long Shadow of the Analytic: Rieffian Pessimism in Social Thought
No full textThis paper sets out to explore the thinking and the direct and often indirect influence of the social theorist Philip Rieff on later generations of social theorists, especially in regard to the key sociological concept of community. It is argued that the work of this culturally-conservative social theorist has had a powerful, if somewhat shadowy, influence on such key radical critics of modern societies such as Christopher Lasch and Richard Sennett, revealing the need to acknowledge the significant resources of a Rieffian cultural sociology for critical thought
Deletion of 19q13 reveals clinical overlap with Dubowitz syndrome.
No full textDubowitz syndrome is a presumed autosomal recessive disorder characterized by multiple congenital abnormalities: microcephaly, learning and developmental delay, growth failure, and a predisposition to allergies and eczema. There have been more than 150 individuals reported to have this diagnosis, but no unifying genetic alteration has been identified indicating genetic heterogeneity. We report on a pair of monozygotic twins diagnosed clinically with Dubowitz syndrome by Professor Dubowitz over 30 years ago and identified to have a de novo heterozygous 3.2-Mb deletion at 19q13.11q13.12. Exome sequencing did not identify either a putative pathogenic variant on the trans allele supporting recessive inheritance or any other causative sequence variants. Comparison of the phenotype in our cases shows considerable overlap with the 19q13.11 microdeletion syndrome, suggesting that a subset of individuals diagnosed with Dubowitz syndrome may be due to deletions at 19q13. Our finding further reinforces the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of Dubowitz syndrome.Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 17 September 2015; doi:10.1038/jhg.2015.111
Patient outcomes vs. service workload: an analysis of outcomes in the burn service of England and Wales:an analysis of outcomes in the burn service of England and Wales
No full textBackgroundPatient outcomes in specialist burns units have been used as a metric of care needs and quality. Besides patient factors there are service factors that might influence Length of Stay (LOS) and mortality, e.g. pressure on beds. Although the bed needs of UK hospitals have dropped significantly over the past three decades, with changes in policies and practices, recent reports suggest that hospitals have 90% bed occupancy for 48 weeks of the year. In the UK, the specialist burn injury service is organised so that patients are assessed on arrival at hospital, and those needing admission are found a nearby bed in a suitable unit through the National Burn Bed Bureau.The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on outcomes of service pressures due to shortages of beds.MethodsWe took an extract of the anonymised patient data from the specialised burn injury database, iBID, and created a new database based on matching that data with bed availability data provided by the national Burn Bed Bureau. Cox proportional hazard modelling was used for analysis to investigate if there is an impact of bed occupancy (a proxy measure of workload) on LOS.ResultsCox proportional hazard modelling indicated that half of the services in England and Wales are less likely to discharge a patient if the bed availability is high. Two of the services have abnormally high bed availability and LOS, therefore a model without these two services indicates a general reluctance to discharge patients when beds are available.ConclusionsIt is possible that the effect we observed is a result of gaming as service providers are paid by the number of admissions. In addition, providers many not all give the same level of accuracy of bed availability information to the NBBB: some may under report availability, for example at times of high pressure on staff. Furthermore, burn services may not empty beds to avoid being filled up by work from other specialties, thus making them unable to admit a burn when referred
Search for Higgs boson pair production in the final state from pp collisions at TeVwith the ATLAS detector
No full textCharacterization of spontaneous air space enlargement in mice lacking microfibrillar-associated protein 4.
No full textMicrofibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) is localized to elastic fibers in blood vessels and the interalveolar septa of the lungs and is further present in bronchoalveolar lavage. Mfap4 has been previously suggested to be involved in elastogenesis in the lung. We tested this prediction and aimed to characterize the pulmonary function changes and emphysematous changes that occur in Mfap4-deficient (Mfap4(-/-)) mice. Significant changes included increases in total lung capacity and compliance, which were evident in Mfap4(-/-) mice at 6 and 8 mo but not at 3 mo of age. Using in vivo breath-hold gated microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) in 8-mo-old Mfap4(-/-) mice, we found that the mean density of the lung parenchyma was decreased, and the low-attenuation area (LAA) was significantly increased by 14% compared with Mfap4(+/+) mice. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) did not reveal differences in the organization of elastic fibers, and there was no difference in elastin content, but a borderline significant increase in elastin mRNA expression in 3-mo-old mice. Stereological analysis showed that alveolar surface density in relation to the lung parenchyma and total alveolar surface area inside of the lung were both significantly decreased in Mfap4(-/-) mice by 25 and 15%, respectively. The data did not support an essential role of MFAP4 in pulmonary elastic fiber organization or content but indicated increased turnover in young Mfap4(-/-) mice. However, Mfap4(-/-) mice developed a spontaneous loss of lung function, which was evident at 6 mo of age, and moderate air space enlargement, with emphysema-like changes
Impact of age on the prognostic value of left ventricular function in relation to procedural outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society.
No full textBACKGROUND: Around one third of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Whilst the prevalence of LV dysfunction is known to increase with age, the prevalence of LV dysfunction in different age groups in the PCI setting is not known and the effect of age on the prognostic value of LV function in the PCI setting has not been examined. METHODS: The relationship between LV function and 30-day mortality in patients undergoing PCI in different age groups