Measuring Indigenous food security-A case for Indigenous designed tools.

Food insecurity disproportionately impacts Indigenous peoples, leading to significant health disparities. Indigenous peoples globally share a deep and interconnected relationship to their lands, waterways and seas that ensures optimum health, and cultural, spiritual, social and emotional wellbeing. However, food security definitions and assessment frameworks in research and policy predominantly stem from capitalist and colonial food system values.

Using photovoice to generate solutions to improve food security among families living in remote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

The right to food security has been recognised internationally, and nationally in Australia by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations. This study aims to explore food (in)security and solutions for improvement of food security in remote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia, from the perspective of caregivers of children within the context of the family using photovoice. Participants took part in workshops discussing participant photographs of food (in)security, including solutions.

Conceptualisation, experiences and suggestions for improvement of food security amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and carers in remote Australian communities.

This study aimed to determine perceptions of the lived experience of food insecurity and suggestions to improve food security in four remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, and Queensland. Participants were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander pregnant and breastfeeding women, and parents/carers of children aged six months to five years. Semi-structured interviews (n=17) were conducted between June-July 2021 and the data thematically analysed using a four stage process.

Common gene expression patterns are observed in rice roots during associations with plant growth-promoting bacteria, Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Azospirillum brasilense.

Non-legume plants such as rice and maize can form beneficial associations with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) such as Herbaspirillum seropedicae and Azospirillum brasilense. Several studies have shown that these PGPB promote plant growth via multiple mechanisms. Our current understanding of the molecular aspects and signaling between plants like rice and PGPB like Herbaspirillum seropedicae is limited.

Vitamin B-6 intake is related to physical performance in European older adults: results of the New Dietary Strategies Addressing the Specific Needs of the Elderly Population for Healthy Aging in Europe (NU-AGE) study.

Background: Maintenance of high physical performance during aging might be supported by an adequate dietary intake of niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folate because these B vitamins are involved in multiple processes related to muscle functioning. However, not much is known about the association between dietary intake of these B vitamins and physical performance.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate the association between dietary intake of niacin, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and folate and physical performance in older adults and to explore mediation by niacin status and homocysteine concentrations.

Urinary Excretion of -Methylnicotinamide and -Methyl-2-Pyridone-5-Carboxamide and Mortality in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

It is unclear whether niacin nutritional status is a target for improvement of long-term outcome after renal transplantation. The 24-h urinary excretion of -methylnicotinamide (-MN), as a biomarker of niacin status, has previously been shown to be negatively associated with premature mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). However, recent evidence implies higher enzymatic conversion of -MN to -methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2Py) in KTR, therefore the need exists for interpretation of both -MN and 2Py excretion for niacin status assessment.

Off-label Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Compared With Warfarin for Left Ventricular Thrombi.

Importance: Left ventricular (LV) thrombi can arise in patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathies. Anticoagulation is thought to reduce the risk of stroke or systemic embolism (SSE), but there are no high-quality data on the effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for this indication.

Objective: To compare the outcomes associated with DOAC use and warfarin use for the treatment of LV thrombi.

Urinary Excretion of -methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide and -methylnicotinamide in Renal Transplant Recipients and Donors.

-methylnicotinamide (-MN) and -methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2Py) are successive end products of NAD catabolism. -MN excretion in 24-h urine is the established biomarker of niacin nutritional status, and recently shown to be reduced in renal transplant recipients (RTR). However, it is unclear whether 2Py excretion is increased in this population, and, if so, whether a shift in excretion of -MN to 2Py can be attributed to kidney function.

Urinary Excretion of -Methylnicotinamide, as a Biomarker of Niacin Status, and Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients.

Renal transplant recipients (RTR) commonly suffer from vitamin B deficiency and its functional consequences add to an association with poor long-term outcome. It is unknown whether niacin status is affected in RTR and, if so, whether this affects clinical outcomes, as vitamin B is a cofactor in nicotinamide biosynthesis. We compared 24-h urinary excretion of -methylnicotinamide (-MN) as a biomarker of niacin status in RTR with that in healthy controls, in relation to dietary intake of tryptophan and niacin as well as vitamin B status, and investigated whether niacin status is associated with the risk of premature all-cause mortality in RTR.

Creep Deformation by Dislocation Movement in Waspaloy.

Creep tests of the polycrystalline nickel alloy Waspaloy have been conducted at Swansea University, for varying stress conditions at 700 °C. Investigation through use of Transmission Electron Microscopy at Cambridge University has examined the dislocation networks formed under these conditions, with particular attention paid to comparing tests performed above and below the yield stress. This paper highlights how the dislocation structures vary throughout creep and proposes a dislocation mechanism theory for creep in Waspaloy.

Characterization of the transmitted near-infrared wavefront error for the GRAVITY/VLTI Coudé Infrared Adaptive Optics System.

The adaptive optics system for the second-generation VLT-interferometer (VLTI) instrument GRAVITY consists of a novel cryogenic near-infrared wavefront sensor to be installed at each of the four unit telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Feeding the GRAVITY wavefront sensor with light in the 1.4 to 2.

Micromachined silicon grisms for infrared optics.

We demonstrate the successful fabrication of large format (approximately 50 mm × 50 mm) gratings in monolithic silicon for use as high-efficiency grisms at infrared wavelengths. The substrates for the grisms were thick (8-16 mm) disks of precisely oriented single-crystal silicon (refractive index, n ~ 3.42).

Developmental differences in pulmonary eNOS expression in response to chronic hypoxia in the rat.

Chronic hypoxia (CH) increases pulmonary endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein levels in adult rats but decreases eNOS protein levels in neonatal pigs. We hypothesized that this differing response to CH is due to developmental rather than species differences. Adult and neonatal rats were placed in either hypobaric hypoxia or normoxia for 2 wk.

Effects of lipopolysaccharide and acclimation temperature on induced behavioral fever in juvenile Iguana iguana.

We examined the effects of acclimation temperature and two doses (2.5 and 25mgkg(-1)) of a pyrogen (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) on behavioral thermoregulation in juvenile green iguanas. Overall means of body temperatures for the three-day trial periods were compared among three groups of animals acclimated at 15, 25, and 34 degrees C.

Use of combined oral narcotic and benzodiazepine for control of pain associated with bone marrow examination.

Background: Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy is universally recognized as being painful. Few descriptions of effective analgesia or premedication for this procedure exist. In this study, we assessed an oral narcotic and benzodiazepine combination in controlling pain associated with bone marrow examination.

Yeast expressing hepatitis B virus surface antigen determinants on its surface: implications for a possible oral vaccine.

The two major hydrophilic regions of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) have been expressed in the outer mannoprotein layer of the cell wall of "Bakers Yeast", Saccharomyces cerevisiae, by fusing them between the yeast invertase signal sequence and the yeast alpha-agglutinin carboxyterminal cell wall anchoring sequence. The fusion protein contained most of the preS sequences, including the hepatocyte receptor, and part of the S sequence including the "a" determinant, and was expressed from multiple genomic copies (MIRY) using the constitutive PCK promoter. Immunofluorescence studies showed that the fusion protein was detectable at the cell surface and was stably expressed at a relatively high level.

The involvement of specific anti myelin basic protein antibody-forming cells in multiple sclerosis immunopathology.

Irrespective of the large body of literature on the putative role of antibodies in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), the detection of specific antibody-forming B cells (AFCs) in the central nervous system (CNS) tissues has not been described. In this study we show that autoantigen-specific AFCs can be found in CSN tissue sections of MS patients. Applying a newly developed myelin basic protein (MBP)-enzyme conjugate technique, we have detected MBP-specific AFCs in autopsy periventricular white matter and cerebellum tissue sections of MS patients.

Immunohistochemical detection of co-localizing cytokine and antibody producing cells in the extrafollicular area of human palatine tonsils.

In vitro experiments have documented the role of cytokines in the regulation of the human humoral immune response. Which cytokines are operative in vivo and in which lymphoid compartment interactions between cytokine-producing T cells and antibody-forming B cells occur is still unclear. For that reason we studied human tonsils using immunohistochemical techniques.

Synthetic peptide conjugates with horseradish peroxidase and beta-galactosidase for use in epitope-specific immunocytochemistry and ELISA.

Synthetic peptide-alkaline phosphatase conjugates can be used to detect the epitope specificity of (i) antibody-forming cells in vivo by immunocytochemistry; (ii) of antibody secreting cells in vitro by spot-ELISA; and (iii) antibodies in solution by capture ELISA. The availability of synthetic peptide-enzyme conjugates using detector enzymes other than alkaline phosphatase would offer several important advantages, for example in double staining approaches. This paper reports the production of synthetic peptide-horseradish peroxidase conjugates and synthetic peptide-beta-galactosidase conjugates.

Detection of genetic variants of alpha 1-antitrypsin with site-specific monoclonal antibodies.

The serum protein alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) serves as the major inhibitor of neutrophil elastase. The most common allele of the alpha 1-AT gene is designated as PiM. The Z mutation is a single-base substitution of the normal M allele, causing a Glu----Lys change at position 342 in the molecule.

An improved conjugation method for controlled covalent coupling of synthetic peptides to proteins using glutaraldehyde in a dialysis method.

Controlled and efficient conjugation of synthetic peptides to proteins, for use in immunization or in assay procedures, is a prerequisite for the immunological applications of synthetic peptides. This study describes a new method of conjugating synthetic peptides to proteins in such a way that no homopolymers of synthetic peptides or proteins occur. To achieve this, the protein is first activated with glutaraldehyde and subsequently excess glutaraldehyde is removed.

A novel carbodiimide coupling method for synthetic peptides. Enhanced anti-peptide antibody responses.

Coupling of peptides to immunogenic protein carriers is required for the generation of anti-peptide antibody responses. Carbodiimides are hetero bi-functional coupling reagents that are utilized for coupling reactions through carboxyl and amino groups. The procedures generally used for carbodiimide coupling of peptides and proteins result in conjugates which generate immunodominant antibody responses directed against the neodeterminants on the carrier protein.

Antibodies to a short synthetic peptide related to the hinge segment of human IgG3 recognizes thermally or fixative induced conformational changes in the human IgG3 molecule.

A synthetic decapeptide (SP) was used to produce a murine monoclonal antibody specific for the human IgG3 molecule. Recognition of the IgG3 determinant is heat- and fixation-sensitive in ELISA and immunoenzyme cytology, respectively. The antibody specifically recognizes a sequence from the hinge region of IgG3, but only when subtle alterations in the conformation are induced by mild heating (greater than 40 degrees) and subsequent stabilization by means of electrostatic interactions in solid-phase assays or by fixation with formalin acetic acid mercury chloride.

Marginal zone of the murine spleen in autotransplants: functional and histological observations in the response against a thymus-independent type 2 antigen.

Splenic tissue from mice was autotransplanted; after initial necrosis, a rapid restoration of implants into a structure histologically indistinguishable from splenic tissue was observed. The development of the marginal zone in these autotransplants, as determined with monoclonal antibodies against different splenic cell types and routine histological stains, was compared with the local and systemic response against a thymus-independent (TI) type 2 antigen. Full restoration of time course and peak of anti-trinitrophenyl (TNP) serum titres against TNP-Ficoll was observed at 4 weeks after autotransplantation.