scholarly journals A Protein Assembly Hypothesis for Population-Specific Decrease in Dementia with Time

Biophysica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Philip Serwer ◽  
Elena T. Wright

A recent report in the journal, Neurology, documents age-normalized, nation-specific (e.g., United States and Western Europe), progressive decrease of dementia, beginning about 25 years ago. This observation has, thus far, not had explanation. We begin our proposed explanation with the following previous disease construct. (1) Some dementia is caused by innate immune over-response to infections. (2) The innate immune over-response occurs via excessive conversion of amyloid protein to α-sheet conformation. (3) This conversion evolved to inhibit invading microbes by binding microbe-associated α-sheet, e.g., in hyper-expanded capsid intermediates of some viruses. The rarity of human α-sheet makes this inhibition specific for microbial invaders. As foundation, here we observe directly, for the first time, extreme, sheet-like outer shell thinness in a hyper-expanded capsid of phage T3. Based on phage/herpesvirus homology, we propose the following. The above decrease in dementia is caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccination, USFDA-approved about 25 years ago; VZV is a herpesvirus and causes chickenpox and shingles. In China and Japan, a cotemporaneous non-decrease is explained by lower anti-VZV vaccination. Co-assembly extension of α-sheet is relatively independent of amino acid sequence. Thus, we project that additional dementia is suppressible by vaccination against other viruses, including other herpesviruses.

Author(s):  
Hub Cuppen ◽  
Susan E. Gresens ◽  
David Tempelman

The larva of two very similar Cricotopus species are described for the first time: Cricotopus diversus (Nearctic) and C. festivellus, new description (West Palaearctic). Confusion can arise depending on the source used for identification of Nearctic Cricotopus. The key of LeSage and Harrison (1980) treated adults and exuviae of C. diversus as variants of C. festivellus. Subsequently Boesel (1983) formally described C. diversus and included it in keys to adult Cricotopus of the eastern United States. Adults of these species have been distinguished by consistent differences in the pigmentation on the fourth and fifth abdominal tergites; we also confirmed differences in the structure of the male hypopygium. Keys to larvae, pupal exuviae and adult males are presented. Publicly available DNA barcode records document C. diversus populations in the Mid-Atlantic US and Ontario, Canada, whereas barcode records of C. festivellus were available only for Scandinavia, although this species is widely distributed in Western Europe. These two species are genetically distinct, with 13% mean difference in barcode sequence between species. Both species are reported from rivers and lakes of relatively good water quality.


1991 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-217
Author(s):  
Mir Annice Mahmood

Foreign aid has been the subject of much examination and research ever since it entered the economic armamentarium approximately 45 years ago. This was the time when the Second World War had successfully ended for the Allies in the defeat of Germany and Japan. However, a new enemy, the Soviet Union, had materialized at the end of the conflict. To counter the threat from the East, the United States undertook the implementation of the Marshal Plan, which was extremely successful in rebuilding and revitalizing a shattered Western Europe. Aid had made its impact. The book under review is by three well-known economists and is the outcome of a study sponsored by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of assistance, i.e., aid, on economic development. This evaluation however, was to be based on the existing literature on the subject. The book has five major parts: Part One deals with development thought and development assistance; Part Two looks at the relationship between donors and recipients; Part Three evaluates the use of aid by sector; Part Four presents country case-studies; and Part Five synthesizes the lessons from development assistance. Part One of the book is very informative in that it summarises very concisely the theoretical underpinnings of the aid process. In the beginning, aid was thought to be the answer to underdevelopment which could be achieved by a transfer of capital from the rich to the poor. This approach, however, did not succeed as it was simplistic. Capital transfers were not sufficient in themselves to bring about development, as research in this area came to reveal. The development process is a complicated one, with inputs from all sectors of the economy. Thus, it came to be recognized that factors such as low literacy rates, poor health facilities, and lack of social infrastructure are also responsible for economic backwardness. Part One of the book, therefore, sums up appropriately the various trends in development thought. This is important because the book deals primarily with the issue of the effectiveness of aid as a catalyst to further economic development.


Author(s):  
John Linarelli ◽  
Margot E Salomon ◽  
Muthucumaraswamy Sornarajah

This chapter is a study of the themes of the New International Economic Order (NIEO). It begins with the notion of justice that had been constructed in imperial law to justify empire and colonialism. The NIEO was the first time a prescription was made for justice in a global context not based on domination of one people over another. In its consideration of the emergence of a new notion of justice in international law, the chapter discusses the reasons for the origins of the NIEO, and goes on to describe the principles of the NIEO and the extent to which they came into conflict with dominant international law as accepted by the United States and European states. Next the chapter deals with the rise of the neoliberal ideology that led to the displacement of the NIEO and examines the issue of whether the NIEO and its ideals have passed or whether they continue to be or should be influential in international law. Finally, the chapter turns to the ideas of the NIEO alongside new efforts at promoting a fuller account of justice by which to justify and evaluate international law.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S239-S239
Author(s):  
Arunmozhi S Aravagiri ◽  
Scott Kubomoto ◽  
Ayutyanont Napatkamon ◽  
Sarah Wilson ◽  
Sudhakar Mallela

Abstract Background Aseptic meningitis can be caused by an array of microorganisms, both bacterial and non-bacterial, as well as non-infectious conditions. Some etiologies of aseptic meningitis require treatment with antibiotics, antiviral, antifungals, anti-parasitic agents, immunosuppressants, and or chemotherapy. There are limited diagnostic tools for diagnosing certain types of aseptic meningitis, therefore knowing the differential causes of aseptic meningitis, and their relative percentages may assist in diagnosis. Review of the literature reveals that there are no recent studies of etiologies of aseptic meningitis in the United States (US). This is an epidemiologic study to delineate etiologies of aseptic meningitis in a large database of 185 HCA hospitals across the US. Methods Data was collected from January 2016 to December 2019 on all patients diagnosed with meningitis. CSF PCR studies, and CSF antibody tests were then selected for inclusion. Results Total number of encounters were 3,149 hospitalizations. Total number of individual labs analyzed was 10,613, and of these 262 etiologies were identified. 23.6% (62) of cases were due to enterovirus, 18.7% (49) due to HSV-2, 14.5% (38) due to West Nile virus, 13.7% (36) due to Varicella zoster (VZV), 10.5% (27) due to Cryptococcus. Additionally, we analyzed the rate of positive test results by region. Nationally, 9.7% of tests ordered for enterovirus were positive. In contrast, 0.5% of tests ordered for HSV 1 were positive. The southeastern United States had the highest rate of positive tests for HSV 2 (7% of tests ordered for HSV 2 were positive). The central United States had the highest rate of positive test for West Nile virus (11% of tests ordered for West Nile were positive). The northeastern region and the highest rate of positive tests for varicella zoster (18%). Table 1: Percentage of positive CSF tests (positive tests/tests ordered) Table 2: Lists the number of HIV patients and transplant patients that had positive CSF PCR/serologies Figure 1: Percentage of positive CSF tests in each region Conclusion Approximately 40% of aseptic meningitis population had treatable etiologies. A third of the Cryptococcus meningitis population had HIV. Furthermore, enteroviruses had the majority of cases within the US, which are similar to studies done in other parts of the world. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Lindsay ◽  
Qun Le ◽  
Denise Lima Nogueira ◽  
Márcia M. T. Machado ◽  
Mary L. Greaney

Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess sources of information about gestational weight gain (GWG), diet, and exercise among first-time pregnant Brazilian women in the United States (US). Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Massachusetts, United States. Participants: First-time pregnant Brazilian women. Results: Eighty-six women, the majority of whom were immigrants (96.5%) classified as having low-acculturation levels (68%), participated in the study. Approximately two-thirds of respondents had sought information about GWG (72.1%), diet (79.1%), and exercise (74.4%) via the internet. Women classified as having low acculturation levels were more likely to seek information about GWG via the internet (OR = 7.55; 95% CI: 1.41, 40.26) than those with high acculturation levels after adjusting for age and receiving information about GWG from healthcare provider (doctor or midwife). Moreover, many respondents reported seeking information about GWG (67%), diet (71%), and exercise (52%) from family and friends. Women who self-identified as being overweight pre-pregnancy were less likely to seek information about diet (OR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.93) and exercise (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.96) from family and friends than those who self-identified being normal weight pre-pregnancy. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess sources of information about GWG, diet, and exercise among pregnant Brazilian immigrants in the US. Findings have implications for the design of interventions and suggest the potential of mHealth intervention as low-cost, easy access option for delivering culturally and linguistically tailored evidence-based information about GWG incorporating behavioral change practices to this growing immigrant group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1609-1626
Author(s):  
Yuran Jin ◽  
Xiangye Song ◽  
Jinhuan Tang ◽  
Xiaodong Dong ◽  
Huisheng Ji

The research on the business model of garment enterprises (BMGE) has expanded rapidly in the last decade. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive reviews of it, let alone visual research. Based on scientometrics, in this paper 118 papers and their 4803 references from Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Science, and Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Social Science & Humanities for the period 2010–2020 about the BMGE were analyzed by visualizing the co-cited references, co-occurrence keywords, burst references, dual-map overlays, and more with CiteSpace, Google Maps, and VOSviewer. The research revealed the intellectual landscapes of the BMGE for the first time and mapped the landmark papers, hotspots and trends, national or regional distributions and their cooperation networks, highly cited authors, and prestigious journals and disciplines related to the BMGE. The results show that the biggest hotspot is the fast fashion business model; social responsibility, smart fashion, Internet of Things, and sharing fashion are the main emerging hotspots; and the research focuses has evolved from traditional business models to business models driven by new technologies, then to new issues such as circular economy models. The institutions are mainly distributed in China, the United States, and Western Europe, and there is cooperation between more than 11 countries. The most popular disciplines are economics and politics, while psychology, education, and social science are the essential basic disciplines. The Journal of Cleaner Production and Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, among others, actively promoted the research.


Geography ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike C. Alberts ◽  
Julie L. Cidell

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