The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the most commonly cited factors that may have influenced infants’ gut microbiota profiles at one year of age: mode of delivery, breastfeeding duration and antibiotic exposure. Barcoded V3/V4 amplicons of bacterial 16S-rRNA gene were prepared from the stool samples of 52 healthy 1-year-old Australian children and sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Following the quality checks, the data were processed using the Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology pipeline and analysed using the Calypso package for microbiome data analysis. The stool microbiota profiles of children still breastfed were significantly different from that of children weaned earlier (P<0.05), independent of the age of solid food introduction. Among children still breastfed, Veillonella spp. abundance was higher. Children no longer breastfed possessed a more ‘mature’ microbiota, with notable increases of Firmicutes. The microbiota profiles of the children could not be differentiated by delivery mode or antibiotic exposure. Further analysis based on children’s feeding patterns found children who were breastfed alongside solid food had significantly different microbiota profiles compared to that of children who were receiving both breastmilk and formula milk alongside solid food. This study provided evidence that breastfeeding continues to influence gut microbial community even at late infancy when these children are also consuming table foods. At this age, any impacts from mode of delivery or antibiotic exposure did not appear to be discernible imprints on the microbial community profiles of these healthy children.

Fe is an essential nutrient for many bacteria, and Fe supplementation has been reported to affect the composition of the gut microbiota in both Fe-deficient and Fe-replete individuals outside pregnancy. This study examined whether the dose of Fe in pregnancy multivitamin supplements affects the overall composition of the gut microbiota in overweight and obese pregnant women in early pregnancy. Women participating in the SPRING study with a faecal sample obtained at 16 weeks’ gestation were included in this substudy. For each subject, the brand of multivitamin used was recorded. Faecal microbiome composition was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing and analysed with the QIIME software suite. Dietary intake of Fe was assessed using a FFQ at 16 weeks’ gestation. Women were grouped as receiving low (<60 mg/d, n 94) or high (≥60 mg/d; n 65) Fe supplementation. The median supplementary Fe intake in the low group was 10 (interquartile range (IQR) 5–10) v. 60 (IQR 60–60) mg/d in the high group (P<0·001). Dietary Fe intake did not differ between the groups (10·0 (IQR 7·4–13·3) v. 9·8 (IQR 8·2–13·2) mg/d). Fe supplementation did not significantly affect the composition of the faecal microbiome at any taxonomic level. Network analysis showed that the gut microbiota in the low Fe supplementation group had a higher predominance of SCFA producers. Pregnancy multivitamin Fe content has a minor effect on the overall composition of the gut microbiota of overweight and obese pregnant women at 16 weeks’ gestation.

Two highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks have affected commercial egg production flocks in the American continent in recent years; a H7N3 outbreak in Mexico in 2012 that caused 70% to 85% mortality and a H5N2 outbreak in the United States in 2015 with over 99% mortality. Blood samples were obtained from survivors of each outbreak and from age and genetics matched non-affected controls. A total of 485 individuals (survivors and controls) were genotyped with a 600 k single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array to detect genomic regions that influenced the outcome of highly pathogenic influenza infection in the two outbreaks. A total of 420458 high quality, segregating SNPs were identified across all samples. Genetic differences between survivors and controls were analyzed using a logistic model, mixed models and a Bayesian variable selection approach. Several genomic regions potentially associated with resistance to HPAI were identified, after performing multidimensional scaling and adjustment for multiple testing. Analysis conducted within each outbreak identified different genomic regions for resistance to the two virus strains. The strongest signals for the Iowa H5N2 survivor samples were detected on chromosomes 1, 7, 9 and 15. Positional candidate genes were mainly coding for plasma membrane proteins with receptor activity and were also involved in immune response. Three regions with the strongest signal for the Mexico H7N3 samples were located on chromosomes 1 and 5. Neuronal cell surface, signal transduction and immune response proteins coding genes were located in the close proximity of these regions.

In cattle, reduced reproductive efficiency of beef and milk production systems is attributed to nutritional factors, health, climate changes and ultimately to genetic characteristics of animals. However, under warm humid tropics genetic variations between breeds could reduce age first calving, calving interval and increase the life of cows. Sanmartinero and Casanareño creole breeds can improve cattle production due to the contribution of genetic variants that emerged in the process of adaptation to the harsh conditions of the Colombian Orinoqia. Currently, genes with known biological function are used as molecular markers to estimate livestock genetic diversity parameters, facilitating the identification and location of genetic loci within the genome that encode or regulate the expression of traits of economic interest. In Colombia Romosinuano cattle candidate genes of the Growth hormone / Insulin growth factor axis have been identified and are positively associated with age at first calving, calving interval, longevity and protection of the embryo growth to heat stress. However, native Colombian bovine breeds such as Casanareño and Sanmartinero, which are empirically recognized by having those characteristic, have not been subjected to those genetic analysis for candidate genes that may allow to promote added value to animals. The aim of this review is to document some reproductive and genetic parameters of Sanmartinero and Casanareño bovine brees that may give support the need to conduct molecular studies and justify their use in beef and milk production systems in the Colombian Orinoquia.

Scant research has examined health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in family members of patients with severe brain injury, even less has been done in Scandinavian countries, and none has examined this construct longitudinally. The current study therefore used multilevel modelling to investigate the trajectories of HRQoL in 94 Danish family members of patients with severe brain injury at five time points, beginning at the patient's stay in a neuro intensive care unit through one year after injury. The family members’ HRQoL scores significantly and strongly increased over time, and Role Limitations – Emotional scores were higher when patients had high Rancho Los Amigos Scale scores at admission to early intensive rehabilitation in hospital. These results suggest that the acute and sub-acute periods after brain injury are an extremely difficult time psychologically for many families, and family-based mental health interventions during the acute and sub-acute phases are critical, especially for families who have a patient with severe deficits.

We study the photovoltaic response of inorganic/organic composite devices containing the conjugated polymer, MEH-PPV, and a semi-transparent layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, which is similar to that employed in the Grätzel photoelectrochemical cell. Comparison of the photovoltage obtainable under illumination with either a Au, Ag, Al or Ca back electrode suggests that the built in potential is determined largely by the difference between the quasi Fermi level of the TiO2 under illumination and the work function of the back electrode. A qualitative model for charge generation and transport through the device is presented.

Giant Middle Coniacian to Lower Campanian Platyceramus Seitz is among the largest Cretaceous bivalves, commonly reaching an axial length of over 1 m, and occasionally over 2–3 m in size. the genus is characterized by its large size, very low convexity, normal inflation limited mostly to the umbonal area, and flattened flanks. It is especially common in moderately deep calcareous shale facies, as well as in chalks and limestones of the Niobrara Formation and equivalents. Preferred facies contain abundant pyrite, elevated total organic carbon (TOC), and very low biotic diversity. the genus maintains its giant size in these facies, and becomes more abundant. It clearly prefers dysoxic facies. As such, it probably is chemosymbiotic; photosymbiosis is almost ruled out because of inferred water depths of 200–350 m. It is also found more sparsely, and of smaller size, in oxygenated facies, including shoreface sandstone. the study area contains over 81 giant-sized Platyceramus platinus (Logan, 1898) on a single bedding plane; there are very few small ones. This allows spacing, orientation, and size analysis to be performed on an adult population.

Although suicide was traditionally considered an extreme response to stress, with the most frequent stress being depressive illness, severity of depression does not distinguish those who commit suicide from non-suicide attempters. A biological role involving the serotonergic system, possibly associated with a genetic risk factor, has been postulated. Low levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA have been found in post-mortem examinations of brain-stem tissues of suicide victims (levels in cortical tissue were generally normal). An increased number of 5-HT2 receptors was found in the pre-frontal cortex of suicide victims, such upregulation having been demonstrated in induced 5-HT deficiency states; 5-HT1A receptors were also increased. Receptor populations may be altered by chronic psychotropic medication; e.g. 5-HT2 downregulation occurs following administration of antidepressants. There is some indication that the adrenergic system may be involved as well, but this will require further study. Antidepressant drugs may be effective in preventing suicide in patients with non-depressive syndromes who exhibit suicidal behaviour.

A two-stage mental illness survey of a random sample of persons aged 17 years and over from a rural community in Cantabria, Spain, is described. In the first stage newly qualified doctors and final year medical students interviewed 1223 respondents (583 males and 640 females) at their homes, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-60) and other psychopathological and social questionnaires. In the second stage senior psychiatrists carried out an at-home interview on a sample composed of all those who in the first stage scored above the cut-off point on the GHQ, and of a similar number of persons selected at random from two independent batches of below-threshold scorers on the GHQ. Because of this design the prevalence figures have to be weighted in order to represent the whole first stage sample.

Of the total population, 14·7% (8·1% of the men and 20·6% of the women) had psychiatric disorders as defined by the PSE-ID system. In males depression accounted for about twice as many cases as anxiety states, but in females there was a predominance of a combination of anxiety, phobic and obsessive conditions. Men presented a higher prevalence of disorders over the age of 35, with a peak around the age of forty, while in women the rise of prevalence was over the age of 45. There was, however, no significant association with marital status.

Unemployment was related to mental illness in males but not in females, while the reverse was true of the type of work. In both sexes the presence of children under fourteen in the household was not related to a rise in prevalence. Women exhibited a high rate of mental illness in the low educational level and in the low social and religious integration groups, but in men a rise in prevalence was found in the low social status, low educational level and low social integration groups. Lastly, in both sexes the presence of physical illness was related to mental disorders.

1624 patients who were attending primary health facilities in 4 developing countries were examined to determine how many were suffering from mental disorder. Using stringent criteria to establish the presence of psychiatric morbidity, 225 cases were found, indicating an overall frequency of 13·9 %. The great majority of cases were suffering from neurotic illnesses and for most the presenting complaint was of a physical symptom, such as headache, abdominal pain, cough or weakness. The health workers following their normal procedure correctly detected one third of the psychiatric cases.