The influence of childhood IQ and education on social mobility in the Newcastle Thousand Families birth cohort.

Background: It has been suggested that social, educational, cultural and physical factors in childhood and early adulthood may influence the chances and direction of social mobility, the movement of an individual between social classes over his/her life-course. This study examined the association of such factors with intra-generational and inter-generational social mobility within the Newcastle Thousand Families 1947 birth cohort.

Methods: Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the potential association of sex, housing conditions at age 5 years, childhood IQ, achieved education level, adult height and adverse events in early childhood with upward and downward social mobility.

Production of recombinant serpins in Escherichia coli.

Serpins represent a diverse family of proteins that are found in a wide range of organisms and cellular locations. In order to study them, most need to be produced recombinantly, as isolation from their source is not always possible. Due to their relatively uncomplicated structure (single domain, few posttranslational modifications), the serpins are usually amenable to expression in Escherichia coli, which offers a fast and cost-effective solution for the generation of large amounts of protein.

Report on stage III Pig-a mutation assays using benzo[a]pyrene.

Genotoxicity assays were conducted on rats treated with benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) as part of Stage III of a validation study on the Pig-a gene mutation assay. Assays were performed at the U.S.

Sequential thrombosis and bleeding in a woman with a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time.

Simultaneous or sequential haemorrhage and thrombosis in the presence of a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) is a rare occurrence: we describe the case a 37 year old lady who developed post-delivery deep vein thrombosis treated with low molecular heparin and warfarin followed a week later by extensive bruising over legs and forearms, a significant drop in haemoglobin and a very prolonged aPTT. Further tests revealed an acquired factor VIII inhibitor at 35 Bethesda Units. We discuss the clinical and laboratory implications and provide a literature review of simultaneous thrombophilia and haemophilia in the presence of a prolonged aPTT.

To what extent do weight gain and eating avidity during infancy predict later adiposity?

Objective: To determine the extent to which weight gain and eating behaviours in infancy predict later adiposity.

Design: Population-based, prospective, longitudinal birth cohort study. Weights collected in infancy were used to calculate Z-scores for weight gain to age 1 year conditional on birth weight (CWG).

DNA priming and influenza vaccine immunogenicity: two phase 1 open label randomised clinical trials.

Background: Because the general population is largely naive to H5N1 influenza, antibodies generated to H5 allow analysis of novel influenza vaccines independent of background immunity from previous infection. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of DNA encoding H5 as a priming vaccine to improve antibody responses to inactivated influenza vaccination.

Methods: In VRC 306 and VRC 310, two sequentially enrolled phase 1, open-label, randomised clinical trials, healthy adults (age 18-60 years) were randomly assigned to receive intramuscular H5 DNA (4 mg) at day 0 or twice, at day 0 and week 4, followed by H5N1 monovalent inactivated vaccine (MIV; 90 μg) at 4 or 24 weeks, and compared with a two-dose regimen of H5N1 MIV with either a 4 or 24 week interval.

Molecular basis of α1-antitrypsin deficiency revealed by the structure of a domain-swapped trimer.

α(1)-Antitrypsin (α1AT) deficiency is a disease with multiple manifestations, including cirrhosis and emphysema, caused by the accumulation of stable polymers of mutant protein in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. However, the molecular basis of misfolding and polymerization remain unknown. We produced and crystallized a trimeric form of α1AT that is recognized by an antibody specific for the pathological polymer.

Aortic compression and cross clamping in a case of placenta percreta and amniotic fluid embolism: a case report.

Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE, also known as anaphylactoid syndrome of pregnancy) at the time of surgery for placenta percreta has been previously reported. We report here a case in which AFE and associated cardiac arrest occurred following a hysterectomy for placenta percreta. In this case, subhepatic manual aortic compression during the cardiac arrest and chest compressions followed by infrarenal aortic cross-clamping during volume infusion and reversal of the coagulopathy were associated with a successful resuscitation and good maternal outcome.

Native valve endocarditis due to a novel strain of Legionella.

Legionellae are Gram-negative bacteria which are capable of causing disease, most commonly in the form of pneumonia. We describe a case of native valve endocarditis caused by a Legionella strain which by genotypic (16S rRNA and mip gene sequencing) and phenotypic analyses is unlike previously described strains of Legionella.

Ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor employing glucose oxidase catalyzed deposition of gold nanoparticles for signal amplification.

This paper describes a novel enzymatic amplification strategy for ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensing. This approach utilizes glucose oxidase for the enzymatic deposition of gold nanoparticles onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode surface using a novel gold developer solution consisting of 20 mM of glucose, 20 mM of NaSCN, 0.5 M of p-benzoquinone (PBQ) and 1 mM of AuCl(4)(-) dissolved in 0.

Influenza virus-like particle can accommodate multiple subtypes of hemagglutinin and protect from multiple influenza types and subtypes.

Despite existing vaccines and specific therapies, epidemics of seasonal influenza annually claim 200,000-500,000 lives worldwide. Pandemic influenza represents an even greater threat, with numerous potentially pandemic viruses circulating in nature. Development of multi-specific vaccines against multiple pandemic or seasonal strains is important for human health and the global economy.

Neonatal and delivery outcomes in women with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To determine (1) whether the risk of adverse neonatal and delivery outcomes differs between mothers with and without multiple sclerosis (MS) and (2) whether risk is differentially associated with clinical factors of MS.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the British Columbia (BC) MS Clinics' database and the BC Perinatal Database Registry. Comparisons were made between births to women with MS (n = 432) and to a frequency-matched sample of women without MS (n = 2,975) from 1998 to 2009.

Parental perceptions of weight status in children: the Gateshead Millennium Study.

Objectives: To investigate parents' perceptions of weight status in children and to explore parental understanding of and attitudes to childhood overweight.

Design: Questionnaires and focus groups within a longitudinal study.

Subjects: 536 parents of Gateshead Millennium Study children, of which 27 attended six focus groups.

The Cedar Project: risk factors for transition to injection drug use among young, urban Aboriginal people.

Background: Studies suggest that Aboriginal people in Canada are over-represented among people using injection drugs. The factors associated with transitioning to the use of injection drugs among young Aboriginal people in Canada are not well understood.

Methods: The Cedar Project is a prospective cohort study (2003-2007) involving young Aboriginal people in Vancouver and Prince George, British Columbia, who use illicit drugs.

Cosmic-ray electron flux measured by the PAMELA experiment between 1 and 625 GeV.

Precision measurements of the electron component in the cosmic radiation provide important information about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. Here we present new results regarding negatively charged electrons between 1 and 625 GeV performed by the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA. This is the first time that cosmic-ray e⁻ have been identified above 50 GeV.

RNF170 protein, an endoplasmic reticulum membrane ubiquitin ligase, mediates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor ubiquitination and degradation.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptors are endoplasmic reticulum membrane calcium channels that, upon activation, are degraded via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. While searching for novel mediators of IP(3) receptor processing, we discovered that RNF170, an uncharacterized RING domain-containing protein, associates rapidly with activated IP(3) receptors. RNF170 is predicted to have three membrane-spanning helices, is localized to the ER membrane, and possesses ubiquitin ligase activity.

Stability of habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior monitoring by accelerometry in 6- to 8-year-olds.

Background: Accelerometry is rapidly becoming the instrument of choice for measuring physical activity in children. However, as limited data exist on the minimum number of days accelerometry required to provide a reliable estimate of habitual physical activity, we aimed to quantify the number of days of recording required to estimate both habitual physical activity and habitual sedentary behavior in primary school children.

Methods: We measured physical activity and sedentary behavior over 7 days in 291 6- to 8-year-olds using Actigraph accelerometers.

CT scans in young people in Northern England: trends and patterns 1993-2002.

Background: Although CT can be greatly beneficial, its relatively high radiation doses have caused public health concerns.

Objective: To assess patterns in CT usage among patients aged less than 22 years in Northern England during the period 1993-2002.

Materials And Methods: Electronic data were obtained from radiology information systems of all nine National Health Service trusts in the region.

Clinical course of ICU patients with severe pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia: single center experience with proning and pressure release ventilation.

Background: A number of different modalities have been employed in addition to conventional ventilation to improve oxygenation in patients with severe 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia. Outcomes with ventilatory and rescue therapies for H1N1 influenza-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have been varied. A single intensive care unit (ICU) experience with management of laboratory-confirmed 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) ARDS with a combination of proning and airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is described.

Influenza virus aerosol exposure and analytical system for ferrets.

Understanding the transmission ability of newly emerging influenza viruses is central to the development of public health preparedness and prevention strategies. Animals are used to model influenza virus infection and transmission, but the routinely used intranasal inoculation of a liquid virus suspension does not reflect natural infection. We report the development of an inoculation method that delivers an influenza virus aerosol inoculum to ferrets and the characterization of size distribution and viable virus present in aerosols shed from infected ferrets during normal breathing and sneezing.

1-Chloro-2-methyl-3-nitro-benzene.

In the title compound, C(7)H(6)ClNO(2), the chloro, methyl and nitro substituents are situated next to each other in this order on the benzene ring, with the mean plane of the nitro group twisted away from the mean plane of the benzene ring by 38.81 (5)°.

The relatively small contribution of birth weight to blood pressure at age 49-51 years in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study.

Background: Whereas a large number of previous studies suggest an association between birth weight and later blood pressure, others do not. Controversy surrounds the relative importance of these associations, in particular in relation to more modifiable factors in later life. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative contributions of a range of factors from across life to variations in SBP and DBP in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study.