Role of Ceramides in Skin Stress: Ultraviolet Light, Tape Stripping and Crowding

Abstract Background The interaction between influenza activity and environemental factor such as ultraviolet light index (UVI), atmospheric ozone (AO), and other related meteorological variables remains poorly understood. In the midst of climate change and increasingly poor performance of influenza vaccination, more information on influenza activity and its interaction with meteorological variables is critically needed. Methods Influenza A and B tests results by PCR from respiratory sources were collected from two large hospitals in Phoenix, AZ and Jacksonville, FL from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017. Publicly available meteorological data for each location was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We excluded cases residing beyond 0.5° of longitude and latitude radius of the given meteorological data. A weekly index activity and maximum weekly values of meteorological variables were matched, and performed a correlation and regression analysis. Results A total of 5,238 influenza tests were performed during the study period. The influenza index showed an statistically significant weakly positive correlation with maximum CSUVI (r = 0.14; P = 0.0227) and mean zenith (r = 0.17; P = 0.0047). An statistically significant, positive correlation was observed between influenza index and atmospheric ozone (r = 0.23; P = 0.0001). Significant negative correlations were also observed with DBT, DPT, RH and HI (r = −0.27, r = −0.39, r = −0.13, r = −0.33, respectively; P < 0.04). The influenza index showed significant interactions in a univariate linear regression (Table 1). A relationship between influenza index and dew point temperature was observed in a multivariate model (OR = 0.66; CI95% 0.44–0.97). Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing a significant interactions between influenza index, UVI and atmospheric ozone in two geographically distant locations. Further studies are needed to define the role of complex climatological patterns and influenza. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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Climates of Change: A Tuatara’s-Eye View

Humanities ◽

10.3390/h9020038 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 38 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anna Boswell

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

New Zealand ◽

Ultraviolet Light ◽

Vulnerable Species ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand ◽

The Future ◽

Sphenodon Punctatus ◽

Soil Temperatures ◽

Slow Breathing

The tuatara or New Zealand “spiny-backed lizard” (Sphenodon punctatus) is the sole surviving member of an order of reptiles that pre-dates the dinosaurs. Among its characteristics and peculiarities, the tuatara is renowned for being slow-breathing and long-lived; it possesses a third eye on the top of its skull for sensing ultraviolet light; and the sex of its progeny is determined by soil temperatures. This article unravels a tuatara’s-eye view of climate change, considering this creature’s survival across geological epochs, its indigenous lineage and its sensitivities to the fast-shifting conditions of the Anthropocene. This article examines the tuatara’s evolving role as an icon of biodiversity-under-threat and the evolving role of zoos and sanctuaries as explicators of climate change, forestallers of extinction, and implementers of the reproductive interventions that are increasingly required to secure the future of climate-vulnerable species. It is also interested in the tuatara as a witness to the rapid and ongoing human-wrought climate change which has secured the lifeworld reconstruction that is foundational to the settler colonial enterprise in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Linking this to the Waitangi Tribunal’s Wai 262 report (Ko Aotearoa Tēnei, 2011), the article considers what the tuatara teaches about kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and climates of change.

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