Assessment of hashtag (#) campaigns aimed at health awareness in social media.

INTRODUCTION: The use of social media to disseminate major communications, particularly for campaigns related to days of health importance, is becoming much popular. The use of Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook is gaining an integral place in public life online with hashtag campaigns. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to assess the characteristics of hashtag campaigns related to health in social media and to compare three different campaigns in three commonly used social media platforms, namely, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study which analyzed contents of three health-related campaigns in Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The campaigns were #let's talk (World Health day 2017), Hands up #HIV prevention (World AIDS day 2016), and #No tobacco (World No Tobacco Day 2017). Public posts related to each were searched from three platforms and assessed separately. Source, publicity, credibility, reach outs, and other characteristics were assessed among each campaign and comparison was also done among the three social media. RESULTS: Out of 812 posts, 507 (62.4%) were related to the study. Facebook posts were more related (67.33%), popular (45.05%), and authenticated (28.22%). Among the campaigns, # let's talk was more credible (96.33%) and authenticated (33.94%). Also in that, 57.79% from individual source and 79.82% were awareness related. CONCLUSION: Posts in social media related to hashtag campaigns are more credible, related, and less popular. These factors have to be considered for the campaigns to become an effective tool.

Sodium efflux in plant roots: what do we really know?

The efflux of sodium (Na(+)) ions across the plasma membrane of plant root cells into the external medium is surprisingly poorly understood. Nevertheless, Na(+) efflux is widely regarded as a major mechanism by which plants restrain the rise of Na(+) concentrations in the cytosolic compartments of root cells and, thus, achieve a degree of tolerance to saline environments. In this review, several key ideas and bodies of evidence concerning root Na(+) efflux are summarized with a critical eye. Findings from decades past are brought to bear on current thinking, and pivotal studies are discussed, both "purely physiological", and also with regard to the SOS1 protein, the only major Na(+) efflux transporter that has, to date, been genetically characterized. We find that the current model of rapid transmembrane sodium cycling (RTSC), across the plasma membrane of root cells, is not adequately supported by evidence from the majority of efflux studies. An alternative hypothesis cannot be ruled out, that most Na(+) tracer efflux from the root in the salinity range does not proceed across the plasma membrane, but through the apoplast. Support for this idea comes from studies showing that Na(+) efflux, when measured with tracers, is rarely affected by the presence of inhibitors or the ionic composition in saline rooting media. We conclude that the actual efflux of Na(+) across the plasma membrane of root cells may be much more modest than what is often reported in studies using tracers, and may predominantly occur in the root tips, where SOS1 expression has been localized.

Flux measurements of cations using radioactive tracers.

Standard procedures for the tracing of ion fluxes into roots of plants are described here, with emphasis on cations, especially potassium (K(+)). We focus in particular on the measurement of unidirectional influx by use of radiotracers and provide a brief introduction to compartmental analysis by tracer efflux (CATE).

Oxidative stress proteins as an indicator of a low quality of eucalyptus clones for the pulp and paper industry.

Eucalyptus is a genus widely cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world as one of the main sources of raw materials for the pulp and paper industry. Identification of clones and selection of genotypes with desirable agronomic characteristics would be useful. We assessed eucalyptus full-sibs that varied in wood quality, using a combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to identify differentially expressed proteins as candidates for quality markers. Thirty-one differently expressed proteins were identified, including three proteins of clone X1, four of clone X2, and 12 each of clones X3 and X4. These proteins are involved in various biological processes, including polyphosphate biosynthesis, catalytic activity, nucleotide excision repair, cellular metabolic processes, cell redox homeostasis, response to salt stress, response to temperature, oxidation and reduction processes, cellular water homeostasis, and protein phosphorylation. In the cambial region of each clone, the proteins ketol-acid reductoisomerase, uncharacterized protein MG428, receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase and a heat shock protein were found in larger quantities in clone X4 than in clone X1. These proteins are known to be related to protection against oxidative stress and biosynthesis of lignin. A high buildup of proteins involved in response to stress in the cambial region of eucalyptus would indicate clones with undesirable characteristics for use in the pulp and paper industry.

Influence of melatonin on the development of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in cultured chick retinal cells.

The influence of melatonin on the developmental pattern of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors was investigated in embryonic 8-day-old chick retinal cells in culture. The functional response to acetylcholine was measured in cultured retina cells by microphysiometry. The maximal functional response to acetylcholine increased 2.7 times between the 4th and 5th day in vitro (DIV4, DIV5), while the Bmax value for [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin was reduced. Despite the presence of alpha8-like immunoreactivity at DIV4, functional responses mediated by alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were observed only at DIV5. Mecamylamine (100 microM) was essentially without effect at DIV4 and DIV5, while dihydro-ss-erythroidine (10-100 microM) blocked the response to acetylcholine (3.0 nM-2.0 microM) only at DIV4, with no effect at DIV5. Inhibition of melatonin receptors with the antagonist luzindole, or melatonin synthesis by stimulation of D4 dopamine receptors blocked the appearance of the alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive response at DIV5. Therefore, alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors were expressed in retinal cells as early as at DIV4, but they reacted to acetylcholine only after DIV5. The development of an alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive response is dependent on the production of melatonin by the retinal culture. Melatonin, which is produced in a tonic manner by this culture, and is a key hormone in the temporal organization of vertebrates, also potentiates responses mediated by alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors in rat vas deferens and cerebellum. This common pattern of action on different cell models that express alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors probably reflects a more general mechanism of regulation of these receptors.

Influence of melatonin on the development of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in cultured chick retinal cells

The influence of melatonin on the developmental pattern of functional nicotinic acetylcholine receptors was investigated in embryonic 8-day-old chick retinal cells in culture. The functional response to acetylcholine was measured in cultured retina cells by microphysiometry. The maximal functional response to acetylcholine increased 2.7 times between the 4th and 5th day in vitro (DIV4, DIV5), while the Bmax value for [125I]-alpha-bungarotoxin was reduced. Despite the presence of alpha8-like immunoreactivity at DIV4, functional responses mediated by alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were observed only at DIV5. Mecamylamine (100 µM) was essentially without effect at DIV4 and DIV5, while dihydro-ß-erythroidine (10-100 µM) blocked the response to acetylcholine (3.0 nM-2.0 µM) only at DIV4, with no effect at DIV5. Inhibition of melatonin receptors with the antagonist luzindole, or melatonin synthesis by stimulation of D4 dopamine receptors blocked the appearance of the alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive response at DIV5. Therefore, alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors were expressed in retinal cells as early as at DIV4, but they reacted to acetylcholine only after DIV5. The development of an alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive response is dependent on the production of melatonin by the retinal culture. Melatonin, which is produced in a tonic manner by this culture, and is a key hormone in the temporal organization of vertebrates, also potentiates responses mediated by alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors in rat vas deferens and cerebellum. This common pattern of action on different cell models that express alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive receptors probably reflects a more general mechanism of regulation of these receptors.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors during the development of the chick retina.

Glutamate is the main neurotransmitter of photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and ganglion cells of the vertebrate retina. Three main classes of ionotropic glutamate receptors comprising different subunits can be distinguished: AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasolepropionate), KA (kainate), and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate). This study was undertaken to characterize the AMPA (GluR1, GluR2/3, and GluR4), KA (GluR5/6/7), and NMDA (NR1) ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits and to determine their distribution during the development of the chick retina by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blotting analysis at 1 day after hatching indicated that the antibodies against GluR1, 2/3, 4, and 5/6/7 and NR1 recognized specifically a single band of 100-110 kDa. In turn, immunohistochemistry at P1 showed that all subunits were expressed in cells of the inner nuclear and ganglion cell layers of the chick retina, mostly amacrine and ganglion cells, and their processes in the inner plexiform layer. In addition, stained processes in the outer plexiform layer were observed with the antibodies against GluR2/3, GluR4, and GluR5/6/7. Although all subunits appeared around E5-E6 in the prospective ganglion cell layer, and later in the prospective inner nuclear layer, the distribution of cells containing these glutamate receptor subunits revealed distinct ontogenetic patterns. This multiplicity of glutamate receptors may contribute to different processes that occur in the chick retina during development.

Constancy of nitrogen turnover kinetics in the plant cell: insights into the integration of subcellular N fluxes.

Compartmental analysis with 13N was used to determine cytosolic nitrate (NO3-) pools, and their turnover rates, in roots of intact barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Klondike) seedlings. Influx, efflux, flux to the vacuole and assimilation, and flux to the xylem, varied as much as 300-fold over a wide range of external NO3- conditions. By contrast, the kinetic constant kc describing cytosolic NO3- turnover varied by less than 4% from a mean value of 0.0407 min(-1). Accordingly, cytosolic NO3- pools varied linearly with influx. A literature survey showed that kc constancy is observed with both NO3- and ammonium (NH4+) fluxes in many plant species, including H. vulgare, Arabidopsis thaliana, Picea glauca, and Oryza sativa. The regulatory system implied by this phenomenon is fundamentally different from that of potassium (K+) fluxes, in which cytosolic pool size is held constant while kc varies with external K+ concentrations. We further present data showing that barley plants, grown on one steady-state concentration of NH4+, restore kc within minutes of exposure to new, non-steady-state, NH4+ concentrations. We propose the existence of a high-fidelity mechanism governing the timing of cytosolic N turnover, and discuss its implications for attempts to improve plants biotechnologically.

Futile transmembrane NH4(+) cycling: a cellular hypothesis to explain ammonium toxicity in plants.

Most higher plants develop severe toxicity symptoms when grown on ammonium (NH(4)(+)) as the sole nitrogen source. Recently, NH(4)(+) toxicity has been implicated as a cause of forest decline and even species extinction. Although mechanisms underlying NH(4)(+) toxicity have been extensively sought, the primary events conferring it at the cellular level are not understood. Using a high-precision positron tracing technique, we here present a cell-physiological characterization of NH(4)(+) acquisition in two major cereals, barley (Hordeum vulgare), known to be susceptible to toxicity, and rice (Oryza sativa), known for its exceptional tolerance to even high levels of NH(4)(+). We show that, at high external NH(4)(+) concentration ([NH(4)(+)](o)), barley root cells experience a breakdown in the regulation of NH(4)(+) influx, leading to the accumulation of excessive amounts of NH(4)(+) in the cytosol. Measurements of NH(4)(+) efflux, combined with a thermodynamic analysis of the transmembrane electrochemical potential for NH(4)(+), reveal that, at elevated [NH(4)(+)](o), barley cells engage a high-capacity NH(4)(+)-efflux system that supports outward NH(4)(+) fluxes against a sizable gradient. Ammonium efflux is shown to constitute as much as 80% of primary influx, resulting in a never-before-documented futile cycling of nitrogen across the plasma membrane of root cells. This futile cycling carries a high energetic cost (we record a 40% increase in root respiration) that is independent of N metabolism and is accompanied by a decline in growth. In rice, by contrast, a cellular defense strategy has evolved that is characterized by an energetically neutral, near-Nernstian, equilibration of NH(4)(+) at high [NH(4)(+)](o). Thus our study has characterized the primary events in NH(4)(+) nutrition at the cellular level that may constitute the fundamental cause of NH(4)(+) toxicity in plants.

Calretinin co-localizes with the NMDA receptor subunit NR1 in cholinergic amacrine cells of the rat retina.

Immunohistochemistry was used to verify whether choline-acetiltransferase colocalizes with calcium-binding proteins and NMDA receptor subunit NR1 in the rat retina. Whereas calbindin and parvalbumin were not observed in cholinergic amacrine cells, calretinin and NR1 were very frequently colocalized with ChAT. Calretinin/NR1-positive cells were also shown, suggesting that calretinin in cholinergic cells of the rat may be related to the buffering of excess intracellular calcium generated by activation of NMDA receptors.

A comparative non-radioactive in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical study of the distribution of alpha7 and alpha8 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in visual areas of the chick brain.

The distribution of mRNA transcripts corresponding to the alpha7 and alpha8 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was studied in selected structures of the chick visual system with non-radioactive in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques. The results indicated that the alpha7 and alpha8 nAChR transcripts are widely distributed in the brain, exhibiting differential expression in some structures but also some degree of co-localization. The pattern of localization of alpha7 and alpha8 nAChR transcripts was highly correlated with immunohistochemical data, with very few instances of possible mismatches between the distribution of mRNAs and their corresponding proteins.

A novel FGFR2 gene mutation in Crouzon syndrome associated with apparent nonpenetrance.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether specific mutations within the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene that are associated with Crouzon syndrome can be present in an individual who had been assumed to be "clinically normal." METHODS: Most mutations responsible for Crouzon syndrome occur in exons IIIa (U) or IIIc (B) of the FGFR2 gene, which facilitates allelotyping using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-mediated mutation analysis. Once a specific mutation was identified in the index case, remaining affected family members and "clinically normal" first-degree relatives were analyzed in order to correlate genotype with phenotype. RESULTS: A novel missense mutation--a G to T transversion--involving the first base of codon 362 was identified in all Crouzon syndrome-affected family members and in one "clinically normal"-appearing parent following DNA sequencing of exon B of the FGFR2 gene and specific BstNI restriction fragment length polymorphism. Pattern profile analysis demonstrated a consistent collection of abnormal cephalometric measurements in the Crouzon-affected family members and, to a lesser degree, in the "clinically normal" parent. CONCLUSION: We have identified a novel missense mutation in the FGFR2 gene that predicts an Ala362Ser substitution shared by all family members affected by Crouzon syndrome and by a "clinically normal"-appearing father. These data support nonpenetrance of Crouzon syndrome when the diagnosis is based on clear clinical findings. Only through cephalometry was there an indication of minimal expression of Crouzon syndrome in the "clinically normal"-appearing father.

Motion-sensitive neurons in the chick retina: a study using Fos immunohistochemistry.

Fos immunohistochemistry was used to characterize neurons in the chick retina activated by optokinetic and stationary stimuli. Higher percentages of co-localization of Fos and the alpha5 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and Fos and GABA were observed in retinal neurons after optokinetic compared to the stationary stimulation. These results indicate an involvement of the cholinergic and GABAergic circuitries in the motion detection by chick retinal cells.

The Leicester 500 Project. Social support and the development of postnatal depressive symptoms, a prospective cohort survey.

BACKGROUND: A prospective epidemiology study evaluated the role of specific social and psychological variables in the prediction of depressive symptomatology and disorders following childbirth in a community sample. Measures of social support used previously in clinically depressed populations facilitated further comparison. METHODS: Nulliparous pregnant women (N = 507) were interviewed during pregnancy with the Interview Measure of Social Relationships (IMSR) and a contextual assessment of pregnancy-related support and adversity and 427 were followed up at 3 months postpartum with the 30-item GHQ, including six depression items. To establish the clinical representativeness of the GHQ, high GHQ scorers and a random subsample of low scorers were interviewed using the SCAN. Regression models were developed using the GHQ Depression scale (GHQ-D), the IMSR and other risk factor data. RESULTS: GHQ-D after childbirth was predicted by lack of perceived support from members of the woman's primary group and lack of support in relation to the event becoming pregnant; this held even after controlling for antenatal depression, neuroticism, family and personal psychiatric history and adversity. Informant-rated deficits in provision of social support also predicted later depression. The size of the primary social network group previously found to be related to depression in women, did not predict depressive symptom development. CONCLUSION: Predictors of depressive symptom development differ from predictors of recovery from clinical depression in women. Interventions should be designed to reduce specific deficits in social support observed in particular study populations.

Effect of a chemotherapeutic drug on the biodistribution of 99mTc-DTPA in Balb/c mice.

The biodistribution of radiotracers used in diagnostic imaging can be grossly and recognizably altered by a wide variety of drugs and other treatment modalities, such as surgery and radiotherapy. Knowledge of such altered biodistribution is important both in making diagnostic inferences from scans and in dosimetric considerations. Vincristine is a drug that has been used as a component of many chemotherapeutic regimens because of its relative lack of hematologic toxicity. Its mechanism of action is by interfering with microtubule formation. The metabolic fate of vincristine has not been clearly determined and apparently undergoes in vivo decomposition. We have studied the effect of vincristine on the biodistribution of the 99mTc-DTPA. Vincristine was administered by ocular plexus via into female isogenic Balb/c mice. One hour after the last dose, 99mTc-DTPA (7.4 MBq) was injected and after 0.5 hour the animals were rapidly sacrificed. The organs were isolated, the radioactivity uptakes determined in a well counter and the percentages of radioactivity (% rad) in the organs calculated. The results have shown that the percentage rad has not been significantly altered in pancreas, thyroid and brain whilst a significant increased in thymus, ovary, uterus, spleen, kidney, heart, stomach, lung, liver and bone was reported. The results could be explained by the metabolization and/or therapeutic and immunosuppressive action of vincristine.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: sibling sex ratio and birth rank--a catchment area study.

OBJECTIVES: These were to determine (1) whether there is a birth rank effect in eating disorders, and (2) whether all-female sibships are overrepresented in the families of those with eating disorders. METHOD: The study sample consisted of 293 female patients referred from a defined catchment area, the County of Leicester, United Kingdom, to an eating disorders clinic. Diagnoses were made using DSM-III and DSM-III-R. To discern birth rank effect, this core sample was expanded to one of 673 by adding published data sets to our own. RESULTS: No evidence for either effect was found. DISCUSSION: Biases which may have obscured genuine effects are discussed. A comment is made on the implication for family theories of causation of these negative findings.

Differential co-localization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits with calcium-binding proteins in retinal ganglion cells.

Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the co-occurrence of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits with calcium-binding proteins in ganglion cells of the chick retina. The alpha3 subunit was rarely observed in ganglion cells containing calbindin, calretinin, or parvalbumin. On the other hand, the alpha8 subunit was more often co-localized with all calcium-binding proteins studied. These results may be related to the high calcium permeability of nicotinic receptors that contain the alpha8 subunit.