scholarly journals Effect of TMEM154 E35K variant (haplotypes “1” and “3”) on the incidence of ovine lentivirus infection and ewe productivity during lifetime exposure

Author(s):  
T W Murphy ◽  
C G Chitko-McKown ◽  
M P Heaton ◽  
B A Freking

Abstract Ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) is a small ruminant lentivirus that is widespread throughout U.S. sheep flocks. Infections with OPPV are lifelong and effects are multi-systemic with significant implications for animal well-being and productivity. A protein isoform with lysine at position 35 (K35, haplotype “1”) encoded by the ovine transmembrane protein 154 (TMEM154) gene has been associated with reduced susceptibility to infection when two copies are present (i.e., diplotype “1,1”). Conversely, the ancestral protein isoform with glutamate at position 35 (E35, haplotype “3”) is associated with high susceptibility to infection when at least one copy is present. The beneficial effect of TMEM154 K35 alleles on ewe productivity has not been previously measured in controlled challenge experiments and was a major objective of this study. Ewes with TMEM154 diplotypes “1,1”; “1,3”; and “3,3” (n = 31, 47, and 30, respectively) were born and reared by OPPV-infected dams and managed under continual natural exposure to OPPV. Ewes were tested for serological status at 4 mo intervals for up to 5.5 yr. The incidence of infection in ewes with diplotype “1,1” was 6.5 to 9.7% and significantly lower (P < 0.001) than ewes with diplotype “1,3” (60.5 to 97.3%) or “3,3” (64.0 to 91.4%). Furthermore, the incidence among ewes with diplotype “1,1” did not increase from 10 to 67 mo of age (P > 0.99), whereas the incidence among diplotype “1,3” and “3,3” ewes increased steadily until reaching an asymptote at approximately 52 mo of age. Total number and weight of lamb weaned per ewe exposed through 5.5 yr from ewes with diplotype “1,1” far exceeded (P ≤ 0.05) those with diplotypes “1,3” and “3,3” by, on average, 2.1 lambs and 40 kg, respectively. The present study confirmed that TMEM154 diplotype “1,1” animals have reduced incidence of OPPV infection and, correspondingly, improved productivity. In flocks with a high frequency of TMEM154 haplotype “3”, selection for haplotype “1” appears to be a cost-effective approach to mitigate the impact of this economically important disease.

Author(s):  
Sheila Menon FBSCH ◽  
Vidya Bhagat

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the psychosocial factors that effect people globally. Particularly affected are children, students and health workers and the common symptoms identified are stress, anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, the various security measures implemented to ensure public safety have adversely affected relationships between people. This study directs public awareness to the value of psychotherapeutic support. Tele-therapy can be offered easily to people both at home or in the workplace, providing both cost effective and time sensitive solutions during times of crisis. The current review article provides an overview of the importance of maintaining psychological well-being during a pandemic and the identifies the role that empathetic communication has on wellbeing. The literature review was completed using electronic databases such as PubMed, Medline, and Scopus databases using the keywords covid-19, affected groups, affected relationships, psychology and its technological interventions, negative effects of pandemic so on.


Author(s):  
Anna C. Thornton

Abstract Quality has been a rallying call in the design and manufacturing world for the last two decades. One way to improve quality is to reduce the impact of manufacturing variation. Variation risk mitigation is challenging especially when a product has multiple quality characteristics and complex production and assembly. It is common wisdom that companies should identify and mitigate the risk associated with variation throughout the design process. As yield problems are identified, they should be mitigated using the most cost effective approach. One approach to variation risk mitigation is variation reduction (VR). VR targets reduction of variation introduced by existing manufacturing processes using tools such as Design of Experiments (DOE) and robust design. Many companies have specialized groups that specialize in these methods. VR teams have the role of improving manufacturing performance; however, these teams are limited in their resources. In addition, no tools exist to quantitatively determine where a VR team’s efforts are most effectively deployed. This paper provides a mathematical and optimization model to best allocate VR resources in a complex product.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Perni ◽  
Polina Prokopovich

AbstractDespite the well-established dependence of cartilage mechanical properties on the frequency of the applied load, most research in the field is carried out in either load-free or constant load conditions because of the complexity of the equipment required for the determination of time-dependent properties. These simpler analyses provide a limited representation of cartilage properties thus greatly reducing the impact of the information gathered hindering the understanding of the mechanisms involved in this tissue replacement, development and pathology. More complex techniques could represent better investigative methods, but their uptake in cartilage research is limited by the highly specialised training required and cost of the equipment. There is, therefore, a clear need for alternative experimental approaches to cartilage testing to be deployed in research and clinical settings using more user-friendly and financial accessible devices. Frequency dependent material properties can be determined through rheometry that is an easy to use requiring a relatively inexpensive device; we present how a commercial rheometer can be adapted to determine the viscoelastic properties of articular cartilage. Frequency-sweep tests were run at various applied normal loads on immature, mature and trypsinased (as model of osteoarthritis) cartilage samples to determine the dynamic shear moduli (G*, G′ G″) of the tissues. Moduli increased with increasing frequency and applied load; mature cartilage had generally the highest moduli and GAG depleted samples the lowest. Hydraulic permeability (KH) was estimated from the rheological data and decreased with applied load; GAG depleted cartilage exhibited higher hydraulic permeability than either immature or mature tissues. The rheometer-based methodology developed was validated by the close comparison of the rheometer-obtained cartilage characteristics (G*, G′, G″, KH) with results obtained with more complex testing techniques available in literature. Rheometry is relatively simpler and does not require highly capital intensive machinery and staff training is more accessible; thus the use of a rheometer would represent a cost-effective approach for the determination of frequency-dependent properties of cartilage for more comprehensive and impactful results for both healthcare professional and R&D.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Silcox ◽  
Yuleinys A. Castillo ◽  
Bruce J. Reed

The human-animal bond is a poweiful tool that may be overlooked by rehabilitation professionals in providing services to their clients. While the primary focus of rehabilitation counselors is meeting the vocational goals of the client, secondary factors related to the disability often hinder the ability of consumers to meet those goals. Research has demonstrated that animals can have positive influences on the medical, social, behavioral and psychological well-being of individuals including those with disabilities. Animals can be used as a therapeutic modality or as an adaptive intervention to help facilitate positive rehabilitation outcomes. The use of animals may be a cost effective intervention that can lessen the impact of a disability.


2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Roberts

Dental caries remains the most common disease in man and presents a tremendous health-affecting challenge and fiscal burden to both developed and underdeveloped countries. Changing demographics including increased number of ethnic minorities, cultural practices and diet, the number of children living in poverty or near poverty, and the special needs of medically compromised children have made solutions more complex and evasive. Systemic and topical fluoride contacts remain the most cost-effective public health response to preventing caries among children. The time-honored impact of reducing sugars and carbohydrates in the diet and improving oral hygiene practices also remain essential. New technology has the potential of offering remineralization strategies. The dental profession is challenged to be proactive in identifying alternatives and implementing new and creative ways to embrace underserved children and improve their access to care including trauma prevention. The impact on families and society, including financial and general well-being, due to poor oral health is significant. Lower income families absorb disproportionately the effect of dental diseases due to lack of education, food availability and selection, and access to early preventive care.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Tselka ◽  
Isidora Isis Demertzi ◽  
George P. Petropoulos

<p>Covid-19 pandemic has led to severe consequences to humanity worldwide. Yet, to our knowledge, little scientific evidence is available exploring the impact of the pandemic on criminality. Thus, it is imperative to examine their relationships spatially to obtain a better understanding of societal characteristics during the pandemic.</p><p>This study aims at demonstrating the use of geoinformation in analyzing the spatial patterns between crime properties and Covid-19 spread using as a case study New York City, USA, one of the largest metropolitan cities of the world. To address our objectives, geostatistical analysis and data visualization methods have been implemented in real-world crime data acquired from a web-GIS platform. Our analysis concerns two equal time periods before and after the lockdown implementation.</p><p>Results revealed some very interesting patterns spatially between the examined parameters and societal characteristics existing in the study region. The methodological framework presented underlined the added value of geoinformation as a robust and cost-effective approach in examining the impact of the pandemic to the society.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Covid-19, pandemic, crime rates, geoinformation, New York</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gentile Francesco Ficetola ◽  
Raoul Manenti ◽  
Pierre Taberlet

Abstract In the last decade, eDNA and metabarcoding have opened new avenues to biodiversity studies; amphibians and reptiles are animals for which these new approaches have allowed great leaps forward. Here we review different approaches through which eDNA can be used to study amphibians, reptiles and many more organisms. eDNA is often used to evaluate the presence of target species in freshwaters; it has been particularly useful to detect invasive alien amphibians and secretive or rare species, but the metabarcoding approach is increasingly used as a cost-effective approach to assess entire communities. There is growing evidence that eDNA can be also useful to study terrestrial organisms, to evaluate the relative abundance of species, and to detect reptiles. Metabarcoding has also revolutionized studies on the microbiome associated to skin and gut, clarifying the complex relationships between pathogens, microbial diversity and environmental variation. We also identify additional aspects that have received limited attention so far, but can greatly benefit from innovative applications of eDNA, such as the study of past biodiversity, diet analysis and the reconstruction of trophic interactions. Despite impressive potential, eDNA and metabarcoding also bear substantial technical and analytical complexity; we identify laboratory and analytical strategies that can improve the robustness of results. Collaboration among field biologists, ecologist, molecular biologists, and bioinformaticians is allowing fast technical and conceptual advances; multidisciplinary studies involving eDNA analyses will greatly improve our understanding of the complex relationships between organisms, and our effectiveness in assessing and preventing the impact of human activities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205510292110121
Author(s):  
Dung Ezekiel Jidong ◽  
Nusrat Husain ◽  
Tarela J Ike ◽  
Maisha Murshed ◽  
Juliet Y Pwajok ◽  
...  

Maternal mental health distress has a disease burden of severe adverse effects for both mother and child. This review identified maternal mental health concerns, their impact on child growth and the current practice of maternal healthcare for both mothers and their children in Nigeria. The Population, phenomenon of Interest and Context (PICo) model was adopted to formulate the review strategy, and five databases were searched for published articles between 1999 and 2019. Databases include Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts and Web of Science. Boolean operators (AND/OR/NOT) helped to ensure rigorous use of search terms which include ‘maternal’, ‘pre/peri/postnatal’, ‘mental health’, ‘mental illness’, ‘disorders’, ‘intervention,’ ‘Nigeria’, ‘child’, ‘infant growth’, and ‘wellbeing’. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, and extracted data were qualitatively synthesised and analysed thematically. Five themes emerged. These include (i) marital difficulties, (ii) relationship status of the mother, (iii) child’s gender, (iv) mode of child delivery and (v) child growth and development. The review showed a significant paucity of literature on the impact of specific maternal mental health problems on child physical growth and cognitive development. We concluded that culturally appropriate and evidence-based psychological interventions for maternal mental health problems would benefit Nigerian indigenous mothers. Therefore, the study recommends randomised controlled trials that are culturally appropriate and cost-effective for distressed mothers with children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
F Khatoon ◽  
A Singh ◽  
AQ Jilani ◽  
A Ahmad ◽  
M Haq ◽  
...  

Objective:Doctors experienced unprecedented levels of workload and pressure since the outbreak of COVID-19, making them more vulnerable to adverse psychological outcomes. While frontline healthcare workers face a substantially higher risk of susceptibility to infection due to excessive COVID-19 exposure, little is known about its impact on doctors not directly posted with COVID-19 patients. Our study was focused on studying the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of this subgroup of doctors.Materials and Methods: From April 1st to July 31st, 2020, a cross sectional web-based survey was conducted at a COVID-19 dedicated tertiary care hospital. The study was conducted using standard questionnaires measuring adverse psychological outcomes including DASS-21 and WHO-5. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the determinants of adverse psychological outcomes.Results and Discussion: 145 doctors completed the survey questionnaire with over 71% females and 29% males. The overall prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress among doctors was 38.6%, 41.37% and 32.42% respectively. The overall well-being score was found to be 52.77 + 24.19 with a median [IQR] of 52.Conclusion: A high incidence of adverse psychological outcomes are observed amongst doctors during COVID-19 pandemic, even when they are not directly involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. Stress, anxiety and depression have an inverse relationship with age and marital status. Anxiety has an inverse relationship with religious beliefs.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 05 No. 03 July’21 Page: 297-306


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1273-1279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Sanders ◽  
Cendrine Robinson ◽  
Shani C. Taylor ◽  
Samantha D. Post ◽  
Jeffrey Goldfarb ◽  
...  

Purpose: To describe the impact of the National Cancer Institute’s promotion of its youth smoking cessation program, Smokefree Teen (SFT). Design: We provide a description of campaign strategies and outcomes as a means to engage a teen audience in cessation resources using a cost-effective approach. Setting: The campaign occurred nationally, using traditional (TV and radio), online, and social media outreach. Participants: Ads targeted adolescent smokers (aged 14-17). The baseline population was 42 586 and increased to 464 357 during the campaign. Measures: Metrics used to assess outcomes include (1) visits to SFT website from traditional and online ads, (2) cost to get an online ad clicked (cost-per-click), and (3) SmokefreeTXT program enrollments during the 8-week campaign period. Analysis: We conducted a quantitative performance review of all tactics. Results: The SFT campaign achieved an online ad click-through rate of 0.33%, exceeding industry averages of 0.15%. Overall, web traffic to teen.smokefree.gov increased by 980%, and the online cost-per-click for ads, including social media actions, was approximately $1 as compared with $107 for traditional ads. Additionally, the campaign increased the SmokefreeTXT program teen sign-ups by 1334%. Conclusion: The campaign increased engagement with evidence-informed cessation resources for teen smokers. Results show the potential of using multiple, online channels to help increase engagement with core resources.


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