Search

Abstract: Characterization tools such as confocal Raman micro-spectroscopy, Laser Ablation (LA-ICP-TOF-MS) and SEM-EDS were used to characterize meteorites: primitive achondrite — not classified NWA XXX ureilite found in 2006 in Morocco and the graphite nodula from the Canyon Diablo iron meteorite. The presence of diamond was confirmed in both samples. There are two kinds of meteoritic diamonds: diamonds of the sizes of microns up to millimeters are most probably of impact origin, nanodiamonds of the sizes of 1–3 nm, called presolar diamonds because of the isotopic anomalies, are believed to be formed before our Solar System was formed. There are many theories concerning presolar diamonds formation, among them: impact shock metamorphism driven by supernovae or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from stellar outflows. We examined the properties of diamond nanopowders obtained by the PA CVD and detonation methods. Nanodiamonds obtained by the detonation method, called ultradispersed detonation diamonds (UDD), are of the same range of sizes as presolar diamonds. The results show both differences and similarities among meteoritic, terrestrial and laboratory diamonds. The comparison will help to understand the processes during presolar nanodiamonds formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report a template technique for the fabrication of high density nanocrystalline diamond (NCD)-coated silica (a-SiO2) nanofibers with diameters of 1–5 μm. This method includes the synthesis of templates (a-SiO2 nanofibers) by conventional Vapor–Liquid–Solid method and the conformal coating of the nanofibers with nanodiamond by Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition technique in hydrogen-deficient conditions. A detailed micro-structural analysis was performed to probe the interaction of the NCD grains with a-SiO2 nanofibers. The specimen for Transmission Electron Microscopy was prepared using Focused Ion Beam lift-out method. Room temperature micro-Raman was performed to study the crystalline quality of the NCD-coated silica nanofibers. Field electron emission of as-synthesized NCD-coated silica nanofibers was observed with a threshold field of ~3 V/µm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In cells, membrane tubes are extracted by molecular motors. Although individual motors cannot provide enough force to pull a tube, clusters of such motors can. Here, we investigate, using a minimal in vitro model system, how the tube pulling process depends on fundamental properties of the motor species involved. Previously, it has been shown that processive motors can pull tubes by dynamic association at the tube tip. We demonstrate that, remarkably, nonprocessive motors can also cooperatively extract tubes. Moreover, the tubes pulled by nonprocessive motors exhibit rich dynamics as compared to those pulled by their processive counterparts. We report distinct phases of persistent growth, retraction, and an intermediate regime characterized by highly dynamic switching between the two. We interpret the different phases in the context of a single-species model. The model assumes only a simple motor clustering mechanism along the length of the entire tube and the presence of a length-dependent tube tension. The resulting dynamic distribution of motor clusters acts as both a velocity and distance regulator for the tube. We show the switching phase to be an attractor of the dynamics of this model, suggesting that the switching observed experimentally is a robust characteristic of nonprocessive motors. A similar system could regulate in vivo biological membrane networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are approved as an alternative to blood transfusions for treating anemia secondary to chemotherapy in patients with cancer. Recently, ESAs have been a source of controversy and confusion in the oncology community. This began when two European trials--the Breast Cancer Erythropoietin Survival Trial (BEST) and the Advanced Head-and-Neck Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy (ENHANCE) Study--raised safety concerns about decreased overall survival and increased venous thromboembolic events. In 2004, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) convened its Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) to review the data and reassess the risks and benefits of ESAs in patients with cancer. On May 10, 2007, ODAC reconvened when five trials (BEST, ENHANCE, AMG-20010103, AMG-20000161, and EPO-CAN-20) showed decreased overall survival. The briefing document noted that studies demonstrating detrimental effects on survival and/or tumor outcomes used an unapproved treatment regimen designed to maintain hemoglobin levels above 12 g/dl. On May 14, 2007, just days after the ODAC reconvened, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed decision memo for a national coverage determination (NCD) imposing restrictions on ESAs. For health care providers, aspects of the proposed NCD were markedly inconsistent with FDA-approved ESA use and generally were considered ambiguous and unclear. Over objections of several professional associations and members of Congress, on July 30, 2007, CMS posted the final NCD and declared it effective immediately. When compared with FDA-approved labeling and professional society guidelines, the NCD revealed differences in ESA initiation, dosage escalation, dosage reduction, and definition of response. These discrepancies have generated confusion among health care providers, who are struggling over whether they can feasibly provide a dual system of care--one for Medicare patients and another for non-Medicare patients--that is evidence based. With this supplement, we hope to educate health care providers on the issues and challenges associated with policy-guided health care when discrepancies exist between the policy and evidence-based practice; offer guidance on implementing the NCD; and highlight the important role of pharmacists in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of diamond as the extraction window membrane for electron beam (EB) irradiation systems has been investigated by preliminary experiments and static simulations. The EB transmission characteristics of a fabricated 1.1 μm thick poly-crystalline diamond membrane were evaluated. A very high EB transmittance was observed, up to 70% at a 28 KeV accelerating voltage. Static simulations of EB extraction through a diamond membrane with a Si support have been carried out, under conditions from vacuum to atmosphere. Compared with Si, diamond/Si suffers a higher stress and strain, but, the displacement of a diamond film is much smaller. These results form a basis for the application of thin film, nanocrystalline and ultranano crystalline diamond on Si in the realization of the next generation miniature EB irradiation systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline materials are of high interest, because mechanical and physical properties of such materials are different from those or coarse-grained type. Continuous and smooth nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films were successfully grown on mirror polished silicon substrates, using double bias plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique. A gas mixture of Ar:CH4:H2 and CH4:H2 was used as the precursor gas. The effect of the gas composition, flow rate and substrate bias during deposition on diamond crystallite size was investigated. Changing the growth parameters facilitates control of grain size of polycrystalline diamond thin films from microcrystalline to nanocrystalline. The structure of fine-grained NCD films has been studied with scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports an analytical method for the comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) separation and identification of nitrogen compounds (N-compounds) in middle distillates according to their types (basicity). For the evaluation of the best chromatographic conditions, a non-polar×polar approach was chosen. The impact of the second dimension (stationary phase and column length) on the separation of basic and neutral N-compounds was evaluated by mean of two-dimensional resolution. This study revealed that the implementation of polar secondary column having free electron pairs improves drastically the separation of N-compounds. Indeed, the presence of permanent dipole-permanent dipole interactions between neutral N-compounds and the stationary phase was enlightened. The comparison of two different nitrogen chemiluminescence detectors (NCD) was also evaluated for GC×GC selective monitoring of N-compounds. Owing to higher resolution power and enhanced sensitivity achieved using developed chromatographic and detection conditions, it was possible to identify univocally and to quantitate N-compounds (i) by class of compounds and (ii), within a class, by carbon number. Finally, quantitative comparison of GC×GC-NCD with conventional gas chromatography illustrates the benefits of GC×GC leading to an excellent correlation with results obtained by American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) methods for the determination of basic/neutral nitrogen ratio in diesel samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A biocompatible Si3N4-bioglass composite was coated with nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) by the hot filament chemical vapour deposition technique (HFCVD) using a H2/Ar/CH4 gas mixture. The advantages of the biocomposite are combined with a hard, smooth and low friction coating, making it a potential material for biotribological applications. Very low intrinsic surface roughness in the range 5 to 15 nm was determined by AFM and crystallite sizes of 1 to 30 nm were measured by TEM. The substrate temperature, Ar/H2 ratio, starting roughness and cooling rate after deposition are key factors in determining the uniformity and adhesion of the NCD film to the biocomposite. To avoid blistering and guarantee high adhesion levels, depositions must be conducted below the bioglass crystallization temperature (637 °C). The highest growth rate (1 μm h−1) was reached with a Ar/H2 =0.1 ratio. Brale indentation tests with 200 N showed that flat lapped substrates give a better adhesion relatively to smoother ones pre-polished in soft cloths. Slow cooling rates after deposition (2 °C min−1) prevented film delamination under this applied load. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we discuss the transport mechanism in nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline (N-UNCD) and B-doped nanocrystalline (B-NCD) diamond thin films, which have recently attracted significant attention due to possible applications in electronics and bioelectronics. We present clear evidence that the transport in UNCD films at LHeT has low-dimensional quantum character and can be explained by a weak localisation (WL) model. Our model explains the negative magnetoresistance, observed in these films for the first time, and confirms the WL phenomena. For comparison, we have prepared thin B-NCD films, doped by B using TMB. Films with thickness of about 150 nm deposited on glass wafers are fully transparent and highly conductive. B-concentrations close to the Metal Insulating Transition (MIT) are confirmed by Raman measurements. We discuss the positive magnetoresistance data observed also for the first time in B-NCD films and compare the transport mechanism with UNCD films. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nanodiamond films containing uniformly small diamond grains (<20 nm) were synthesized using porous anodic alumina (PAA) as template in conjunction with bias-enhanced nucleation growth (BEG) process. PAA with uniform pore size distribution is required and the bottom of channel should be free of residual alumina layer for the purpose of effectively nucleating diamond seeds. Thus obtained PAA-patterns can then effectively enhance the formation of diamond nuclei, resulting in patterned nanodiamond films, which possess superior electron field emission properties to the non-patterned nanodiamond films. Benefit of PAA patterning process on improving the electron field emission properties of the nanodiamond films is ascribed to the suppression on the formation of trans-polyacetylene layer and the presence of hillock structure, which facilitates the electron transport from Si surface to top surface of nanodiamond. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Methods for seeding silicon substrates with pretreatments and the in situ generation of diamond nuclei by the bias enhanced nucleation (BEN) have been studied to examine their effects on the nucleation density as well as the morphology of grown and seeded sides, the growth rate, and the quality of nanocrystalline diamond films. Pretreatments including mechanical abrasion by diamond paste, exposure of the silicon substrate to a hydrocarbon plasma, and ultrasonication of silicon in solvents with suspended nano- or micro-diamond powders were studied. With an optimized diamond seeding or nucleation process, ultra-thin, smooth and homogenous nanocrystalline diamond films can be fabricated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A rectifying nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) pn-structure has been grown by Hot-Filament CVD onto a large-area silicon substrate. N-type as well as p-type doping has been realized with this HFCVD process. IV-measurements at different temperatures show a diode behavior with an ideality factor of approximately n =10 and a barrier height for current injection of approximately 0.76 eV. CV-plots show a dielectric barrier of 4.2 eV. This points towards a complex interface behavior, which is analysed on the basis of highly disordered materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gas mixtures containing up to 40% nitrogen by volume and 1% CH4 with the balance being argon have been used for the deposition of nitrogen doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films by means of microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD). The CVD plasma was monitored by optical emission spectroscopy to reveal the plasma species, e.g., CN molecules, as a function of the nitrogen additive. Structural properties of the deposited NCD films were studied by FESEM and Raman spectroscopy. Effects of nitrogen doping on the electrical resistivity and electron field emission characteristics of the NCD films were measured. In this work, correlation between the structural and electrical properties of NCD films and the nitrogen additive to the CVD plasma will be presented and discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spindle assembly and elongation involve poleward and away-from-the-pole forces produced by microtubule dynamics and spindle-associated motors. Here, we show that a bidirectional Drosophila Kinesin-14 motor that moves either to the microtubule plus or minus end in vitro unexpectedly causes only minor spindle defects in vivo. However, spindles of mutant embryos are longer than wild type, consistent with increased plus-end motor activity. Strikingly, suppressing spindle dynamics by depriving embryos of oxygen causes the bidirectional motor to show increased accumulation at distal or plus ends of astral microtubules relative to wild type, an effect not observed for a mutant motor defective in motility. Increased motor accumulation at microtubule plus ends may be due to increased slow plus-end movement of the bidirectional motor under hypoxia, caused by perturbation of microtubule dynamics or inactivation of the only other known Drosophila minus-end spindle motor, cytoplasmic dynein. Negative-stain electron microscopy images are consistent with highly cooperative motor binding to microtubules, and gliding assays show dependence on motor density for motility. Mutant effects of the bidirectional motor on spindle function may be suppressed under normal conditions by motor: motor interactions and minus-end movement induced by spindle dynamics. These forces may also bias wild-type motor movement toward microtubule minus ends in live cells. Our findings link motor : motor interactions to function in vivo by showing that motor density, together with cellular dynamics, may influence motor function in live cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ncd is a molecular motor belonging to the kinesin superfamily. In solution, it is a homo-dimer of a 700 amino acid polypeptide. The C-terminus of each polypeptide forms a globular domain of about 40 kDa, the motor domain with ATPase activity. The ATPase site of the motor domain of kinesin family members, including ncd, binds ADP tightly, the release of which is facilitated by microtubules during the mechanochemical ATPase cycle. Previously, we studied the spectroscopic characteristics of the ncd motor domain, focusing on interactions of the transition-moment-dipoles between ADP and aromatic amino acid side chains using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. In the present study, we generated several ncd motor domain mutants. In each, a tryptophanyl or specific tyrosyl residue was mutated. We found that Trp370 and Tyr442, the latter of which stacks directly with the adenine moiety of bound ADP, caused the bound ADP to exhibit peculiar CD signals. In addition, fluorescence measurements revealed that Trp370, but not Trp473, was responsible for the emission intensity change depending on the presence or absence of bound ADP. This fluorescence result implies that the structural change induced at the ADP-binding site (on the release of the ADP) is transmitted to the region that includes Trp370, which is relatively close to the ADP-binding site but not in direct contact with the ADP-binding region. In contrast, Trp473 in the region that is in contact with the α-helical coiled coil stalk did not experience the structural changes caused on removal of ADP. The distinct behavior of these two tryptophanyl residues suggests that the ncd motor domain has a bifacial architecture made up of a relatively deformable side including the nucleotide binding site and a more rigid one. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The control problem of an agitated contactor is considered in this work. A Scheibel extraction column is modeled using the non-equilibrium backflow mixing cell model. Model dynamic analysis shows that this process is highly nonlinear, thus the control problem solution of such a system needs to tackle the process nonlinearity efficiently. The control problem of this process is solved by developing a multivariable nonlinear control system implemented in MATLAB™. In this control methodology, a new controller tuning method is adopted, in which the time-domain control parameter-tuning problem is solved as a constrained optimization problem. A MIMO (multi-input multi-output) PI controller structure is used in this strategy. The centralized controller uses a 2 x 2 transfer function and accounts for loops interaction. The controller para-meters are tuned using an optimization-based algorithm with constraints imposed on the process variables reference trajectories. Incremental tuning procedure is performed until the extractor output variables transient response satisfies a preset uncertainty which bounds around the reference trajectory. A decentralized model-based IMC (internal model control) control strategy is compared with the newly developed centralized MIMO PI control one. Stability and robustness tests are applied to the two algorithms. The performance of the MIMO PI controller is found to be superior to that of the conventional IMC controller in terms of stability, robustness, loops interaction handling, and step-change tracking characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oocyte meiotic spindles of many species are anastral and lack centrosomes to nucleate microtubules. Assembly of anastral spindles occurs by a pathway that differs from that of most mitotic spindles. Here we analyze assembly of the Drosophila oocyte meiosis I spindle and the role of the Nonclaret disjunctional (Ncd) motor in spindle assembly using wild-type and mutant Ncd fused to GFP. Unexpectedly, we observe motor-associated asters at germinal vesicle breakdown that migrate towards the condensed chromosomes, where they nucleate microtubules at the chromosomes. Newly nucleated microtubules are randomly oriented, then become organized around the bivalent chromosomes. We show that the meiotic spindle forms by lateral associations of microtubule-coated chromosomes into a bipolar spindle. Lateral interactions between microtubule-associated bivalent chromosomes may be mediated by microtubule crosslinking by the Ncd motor, based on analysis of fixed oocytes. We report here that spindle assembly occurs in an ncd mutant defective for microtubule motility, but lateral interactions between microtubule-coated chromosomes are unstable, indicating that Ncd movement along microtubules is needed to stabilize interactions between chromosomes. A more severe ncd mutant that probably lacks ATPase activity prevents formation of lateral interactions between chromosomes and causes defective microtubule elongation. Anastral Drosophila oocyte meiosis I spindle assembly thus involves motor-associated asters to nucleate microtubules and Ncd motor activity to form and stabilize interactions between microtubule-associated chromosomes during the assembly process. This is the first complete account of assembly of an anastral spindle and the specific steps that require Ncd motor activity, revealing new and unexpected features of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel insights into mechanistic, kinetic and thermodynamic details of ATP synthesis by F1F0-ATP synthase in oxidative phosphorylation and photophosphorylation have been offered from the perspective of the torsional mechanism of energy transduction and ATP synthesis [Nath, S., Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 85 (2003) 125–180]; [Nath, S., Adv. Biochem. Eng. Biotechnol. 74 (2002) 65–98]. A fundamental energetic analysis of membrane phosphorylation has been performed that highlights the merits of the new paradigm. Biological implications for energy transduction have been discussed in detail. The action of uncouplers and inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation has been explained by a fresh and completely different rationale. New experimental data that further supports the torsional mechanism has been presented, and the consistency of proposed mechanisms with the laws of thermodynamics has been assessed. A general kinetic analysis of oxygen exchange has been shown to reveal the absence of site-site cooperativity in F1-ATPase. Details of the nanomechanics of coupling between F1 and F0 in ATP hydrolysis-driven proton pumping have been postulated. The original thinking and power of the theoretical approaches embodied in the torsional mechanism have been shown to prove invaluable to unravel the functioning of other biological machines through a new Molecular Systems Biology. The generality and universality of the principles in the theory have been illustrated by taking specific examples of other molecular motors such as myosin and kinesin, revealing the deep underlying unity in diverse energy transduction processes in biology. Changes required in our scientific thinking and industrial technology and particularly in the education of the next generation of biological scientists have been identified as challenging issues that urgently need to be addressed in the near future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Kinesins are molecular motors that produce mechanical work at the expense of ATP hydrolysis. Here, we studied Ncd (non-claret disjunctional), a (−)-end-directed member of this superfamily. To gain insight into the mechanism by which Ncd generates force and movement, we measured distances between the heads in dimeric Ncd-250–700 using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). About 5% of Ncd heads were labeled with 1,5-IAEDANS (donor), and the remaining thiol groups were modified with QSY35-iodoacetamide (acceptor). Several lines of experimental evidence suggest that the probes were conjugated to Cys-670 in each head of the dimer. The measured donor–acceptor distance was about 35 A˚. Nucleotides (ADP, ATP, and AMP-PNP) in the presence and absence of microtubules had only small effects on the interhead distances. Similar results were obtained for bidirectional Ncd mutant in which Asn-340 was replaced by a lysine. The results argue against models of Ncd movement in which the heads undergo large spatial rearrangements during mechanochemical cycle and suggest Gly-347 as a possible pivot point for the head rotation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Drosophila non-claret disjunctional (Ncd) kinesin-like protein is required for spindle assembly in oocytes and spindle maintenance in early embryos. Through the action of ATP-dependent microtubule (MT)-binding sites in the head and ATP-independent MT-binding sites in the tail, Ncd may bundle and, perhaps, slide MTs relative to each other. Our previous work on the MT-binding site of the Ncd tail domain demonstrated that this site, like the MT-binding sites of τ, contains basic residues flanked by proline residues and can promote MT assembly and stability. Here, we characterize the interactions of a monomeric Ncd tail protein with subtilisin-digested MTs in order to identify sites on the tubulin dimer that interact with the Ncd tail. The results provide evidence for four such binding sites per tubulin dimer and support the hypothesis that each binding site consists of a cluster of acidic residues in the C-terminal regions of α- and β-tubulin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This summary of United States Supreme Court decisions offers social workers and other human services professionals information on the impact that these decisions have on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Each court decision is noted followed by the question presented, the holding, and the implication of the decision. The reader will observe that a number of these decisions have restricted the impact of the ADA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cryo‐electron microscopy and 3D image reconstruction of microtubules saturated with kinesin dimers has shown one head bound to tubulin, the other free. The free head of rat kinesin sits on the top right of the bound head (with the microtubule oriented plus‐end upwards) in the presence of 5′‐adenylylimido‐diphosphate (AMPPNP) and on the top left in nucleotide‐free solutions. To understand the relevance of this movement, we investigated other dimeric plus‐end‐directed motors: Neurospora kinesin (Nkin); Eg5, a slow non‐processive kinesin; and a chimera of Ncd heads attached to Nkin necks. In the AMPPNP (ATP‐like) state, all dimers have the free head to the top right. In the absence of nucleotide, the free head of an Nkin dimer appears to occupy alternative positions to either side of the bound head. Despite having the Nkin neck, the free head of the chimera was only seen to the top right of the bound head. Eg5 also has the free head mostly to the top right. We suggest that processive movement may require kinesins to move their heads in alternative ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing global health challenge disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income settings, including Ethiopia. Currently, the body of evidence describing the burden of NCDs is fragmented, inconsistent, health facility- or institution-based, and out-dated in Ethiopia. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis of the prevalence of NCDs in community settings in Ethiopia., Review Methodology: Community-based quantitative studies published in English between January 1st, 2012, and June 30th, 2022, that reported on the prevalence of NCDs in Ethiopia were included. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Global Health using pretested search terms related to NCDs was conducted, and data were extracted using a piloted data extraction proforma adapted from the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16. While the pooled prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and undiagnosed (DM) was computed and presented using forest plots, then overall prevalence of NCDs and other various types of NCDs were narratively synthesized. I 2 was used to assess heterogeneity. Studies that did not fulfill the criteria (used similar tool to measure the types of NCDs) for meta-analysis were narratively synthesized., Results: Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies measured the prevalence of NCDs (all NCDs together), ranging from 29 to 35% (prevalence estimates not pooled). The pooled prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) across ten studies was 5% (95% CI: 4-7%). Three studies each reported on the prevalence of undiagnosed DM (pooled prevalence 5%, 95% CI: 4-7%) and pre-DM (pooled prevalence 7%, 95% CI: 3-14%%). In a narrative analysis the prevalence of cardiovascular conditions ranged from 13.4 to 32.2% ( n = 3 studies), cancer mortality ranged from 4 to 18% ( n = 3 studies) and respiratory conditions ranged from 1 to 18% ( n = 3 studies). Some studies have determined more than one NCDs and that is why the total number of studies are exceeding more than twenty studies., Conclusion and Recommendations: Our analysis found that approximately one-third of Ethiopians have an NCD, with cardiovascular diseases the most common of all NCDs. The prevalence of respiratory conditions also appears high, but there are insufficient data for a pooled estimate. Whilst the prevalence of DM appears relatively low, there is evidence that the magnitude is increasing. Public health actions to address the high burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as the increasing magnitude of DM in Ethiopia, must be prioritized., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO [CRD42020196815]., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Tesfay, Zorbas, Alston, Backholer, Bowe and Bennett.)

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in trend and associated with modifiable risk factors and subsequently reducing physical activity; hence the Government of India (GOI) has launched a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010 to curb increasing prevalence. The present study was planned for assessment of the activities conducted under NPCDCS in rural Jaipur., Methods and Material: This observational study was conducted in rural Jaipur. NPCDCS reports, status of logistics and manpower were assessed for 1 year. Field level cross-checking survey was done to assess the gap between the actual screening work done and the work reported. All staffs were assessed for the level of awareness regarding NCDs as well as NPCDCS programs. Data were entered and analysed in Microsoft excel., Result: Around 48% (6674/13917) of persons >30 years were screened during 1 year study period. Around 51.5% of the screened persons had one or more NCDs (13.5% newly screened NCDs cases and 38% were prediagnosed of NCD cases). Status reports that 10 (83.33%) out of the total 12 expected reports were sent regularly on a monthly basis. Reason for not sending reports was a sudden lockdown due to COVID-19., Conclusion: The study concludes that the implementation of NPCDCS program activities is not in synch with the health staff awareness level. IEC activities were deficient and no work was done for adoption of behavioural change and healthy lifestyle. Actual cases of hypertension were more while cases of diabetes were less than the reported cases found on cross-check survey., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

The present study intended to determine the prevalence of Newcastle disease in unvaccinated backyard poultry in Africa. Using the PRISMA approach, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 107 epidemiological studies was conducted. The meta-analysis identified significant variation of both seroprevalence (I 2  = 99.38, P = 0.00) and Newcastle disease virus prevalence (I 2 = 99.52, P = 0.00) reported in various studies included in this review. Publication bias was not detected in either case. Seroprevalence of Newcastle disease was 40.2 (95%CI 32.9-47.8). Seroprevalence was significantly influenced by sampling frame and the African region where the studies were conducted. The prevalence of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was 12% (95%CI 7.3-17.8), and the variation was influenced by sampling frame, diagnostic test, and regions where the studies were conducted. Also, Newcastle disease (ND) accounted for 33.1% (95%CI 11.9-58.1) of sick chickens. Results also indicated that genotypes VI and VII are widely distributed in all countries included in the study. However, genotype V is restricted in East Africa, and genotypes XIV, XVII, and XVIII are restricted in West and Central Africa. On the other hand, genotype XI occurs in Madagascar only. In addition, virulent genotypes were isolated from apparently healthy and sick birds. It is concluded that several genotypes of NDV are circulating and maintained within the poultry population. African countries should therefore strengthen surveillance systems, be able to study the viruses circulating in their territories, and establish control programs., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objective: Lifestyle preferences are inculcated in childhood and once established, persist into adulthood. The Project PROMoting Health LIteracy in School (i-PROMISe) aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among students for the universal prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes., Study Design: Qualitative study using focus-group-discussions (FGDs) and In-Depth Interviews (IDI)., Method: Project was undertaken in two-phases in two private schools in New Delhi, India. In phase-one, FGDs with students (grades IV to VIII) and IDIs with teachers were conducted to ascertain their perceptions of diabetes prevention and management according to the Health Belief Model. The data was analyzed using a thematic framework method. In phase-two, the resources were pre-tested and participants' feedback was requested on the duration, quality, and understanding of the resources., Results: In total, 89 students and 17 teachers participated in phase-one (n = 54 [in FGDs] and n = 5 [in IDIs]) and phase-two (n = 35 students and n = 12 teachers in FGDs). In phase-one, themes that emerged included: diabetes was considered a disease of the elderly; misconceptions about susceptibility to these diseases were common; children were largely aware of measures to prevent these diseases, but barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle existed. Based on the findings, a comprehensive module was developed, which consisted of a teacher's manual with interactive activities and short films. The resources (teacher's manual and short films) were well received and contributed to a better understanding of diabetes and other NCDs; myths/misconceptions were clarified., Conclusion: Development of resources using participatory approach can be effective in promoting and reinforcing healthy behaviours among school going children to prevent and control NCDs in schools., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. None to declare., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Background: Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors are the leading contributors to morbidity and mortality globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. To date, there has been no synthesis of the literature on the relative prevalence of NCD risk factors in Ethiopia., Methodology: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary studies reporting on the prevalence of NCD risk factors in Ethiopia published in English from 2012 to July 2020. Pre-tested NCD search terms were applied to Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Global Health. Three reviewers screened and appraised the quality of the identified papers. Data extraction was conducted using a pilot tested proforma. Meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 16 and pooled prevalence estimated with associated 95% confidence intervals. Clinically heterogeneous studies that did not fulfil the eligibility criteria for meta-analysis were narratively synthesised. I 2 was used to assess statistical heterogeneity., Results: 47 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and contributed 68 NCD risk factor prevalence estimates. Hypertension was the most frequently examined NCD risk factor, with a pooled prevalence of 21% ( n = 27 studies). The pooled prevalence percentages for overweight and obesity were 19.2% and 10.3%, respectively ( n = 7 studies each), with a combined prevalence of 26.8% ( n = 1 study). It was not possible to pool the prevalence of alcohol consumption, smoking, metabolic disorders, or fruit consumption because of heterogeneity across studies. The prevalence of alcohol use, as reported from the included individual studies, ranged from 12.4% to 13.5% ( n = 7 studies). More than 90% of participants met the WHO-recommended level of physical activity ( n = 5 studies). The prevalence of smoking was highly variable, ranging between 0.8% and 38.6%, as was the prevalence of heavy alcohol drinking (12.4% to 21.1%, n = 6 studies) and metabolic syndrome (4.8% to 9.6%, n = 5 studies). Fruit consumption ranged from 1.5% up to the recommended level, but varied across geographic areas ( n = 3 studies)., Conclusion and Recommendations: The prevalence of NCD risk factors in Ethiopia is relatively high. National NCD risk factor surveillance is required to inform the prioritisation of policies and interventions to reduce the NCD burden in Ethiopia.

Background: A paucity of studies focused on the genetic association that tuberculosis (TB) patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are more likely to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) with more potent virulence on anti-TB drug resistance than those without NCDs. The study aimed to document the predominant genotype, determine the association between MTB genotypes and NCD status and drug resistance., Methods: We conducted a molecular study in 105 TB patients based on a cross-sectional study focused on the comorbid relationship between chronic conditions and TB among 1773 subjects from September 1, 2019 to August 30, 2020 in Guizhou, China. The participants were investigated through face-to-face interviews, followed by NCDs screening. The DNA of MTB isolates was extracted prior to genotyping using 24 loci MIRU-VNTR. The subsequent evaluations were performed by phylogenetic trees, combined with tests of statistical power, Chi-square or Fisher and multivariate logistic regression analysis., Results: The Beijing family of Lineage 2 (East Asia) was the predominant genotype accounting for 43.8% (46/105), followed by Lineage 4 (Euro-America) strains, including Uganda I (34.3%, 36/105), and the NEW-1 (9.5%, 10/105). The proportion of Beijing strain in patients with and without NCDS was 28.6% (8/28) and 49.4% (38/77), respectively, with a statistical power test value of 24.3%. No significant association was detected between MTB genotype and NCD status. A low clustering rate (2.9%) was identified, consisting of two clusters. The rates of global, mono-, poly- and multi-drug resistance were 16.2% (17/105), 14.3% (15/105), 1.0% (1/105) and 4.8% (5/105), respectively. The drug-resistant rates of rifampicin, isoniazid, and streptomycin, were 6.7% (7/105), 11.4% (12/105) and 5.7% (6/105), respectively. Isoniazid resistance was significantly associated with the Beijing genotype of Lineage 2 (19.6% versus 5.1%)., Conclusions: The Lineage 2 East Asia/Beijing genotype is the dominant genotype of the local MTB with endogenous infection preponderating. Not enough evidence is detected to support the association between the MTB genotype and diabetes/hypertension. Isoniazid resistance is associated with the Lineage 2 East Asia/Beijing strain., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Images, calculated from electron micrographs, show the three-dimensional structures of microtubules and tubulin sheets decorated stoichiometrically with motor protein molecules. Dimeric motor domains (heads) of kinesin and ncd, the kinesin-related protein that moves in the reverse direction, each appeared to bind to tubulin in the same way, by one of their two heads. The second heads show an interesting difference in position that seems to be related to the directions of movement of the two motors. X-ray crystallographic results showing the structures of kinesin and ncd to be very similar at atomic resolution, and homologous also to myosin, suggest that the two motor families may use mechanisms that have much in common. Nevertheless, myosins and kinesins differ kinetically. Also, whereas conformational changes in the myosin catalytic domain are amplified by a long lever arm that connects it to the stalk domain, kinesin and ncd do not appear to possess a structure with a similar function but may rely on biased diffusion in order to move along microtubules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a battery of proteases to probe the footprint of microtubules on kinesin and ncd, and to search for nucleotide-induced conformational changes in these two oppositely-directed yet homologous molecular motors. Proteolytic cleavage sites were identified by N-terminal microsequencing and electrospray mass spectrometry, and then mapped onto the recently-determined atomic structures of ncd and kinesin. In both kinesin and ncd, microtubule binding shields a set of cleavage sites within or immediately flanking the loops L12, L8 and L11 and, in ncd, the loop L2. Even in the absence of microtubules, exchange of ADP for AMPPNP in the motor active site drives conformational shifts involving these loops. In ncd, a chymotryptic cleavage at Y622 in L12 is protected in the strong binding AMPPNP conformation, but cleaved in the weak binding ADP conformation. In kinesin, a thermolysin cleavage at L154 in L8 is protected in AMPPNP but cleaved in ADP. We speculate that ATP turnover in the active site governs microtubule binding by cyclically retracting or displaying the loops L8 and L12. Curiously, the retracted state of the loops corresponds to microtubule strong binding. Conceivably, nucleotide-dependent display of loops works as a reversible block on strong binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The motor domains of kinesin and ncd contain ADP bound tightly at the enzymatic active sites even after purification. The microenvironments surrounding the phosphates of the tightly bound ADP molecules in these motor domains were studied using 31P-NMR. The α-phosphate and β-phosphate of the tightly bound ADP molecules gave 31P-NMR signals at positions shifted to higher and lower field, respectively, from those of free MgADP in solution. On the other hand, the peak areas of the signals of the α-phosphates and β-phosphates of bound ADP were much smaller than those of free MgADP. The temperature dependence of these signals was investigated to reveal that each signal of bound MgADP exhibited a large temperature dependence in the peak area from 0 to 20 +C with both proteins. This result implied that these motor domains would take multiple conformations in solution; one of these conformations gives the signals of bound MgADP observed by 31P-NMR as above, while another makes the signals of MgADP very broad and, hence, invisible in the 31P-NMR spectra. A possible reason for invisible signals would be strong chemical shift anisotropy effects of the phosphorus nuclei. In addition, we found a difference between kinesin and ncd motor domains in the chemical shift of the α-phosphate of bound MgADP, indicating that the electrostatic or magnetic microenvironments of this site of these motor domains differed from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ncd is a microtubule motor protein from Drosophila, having a 40 kDa domain homologous to the kinesin motor domain. In the present study, we investigated the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the ncd motor domain in comparison with those of the kinesin motor domain. Although the two are about 40% identical in amino acid sequence, and recent X-ray crystallographic studies [Sablin, Kull, Cooke, Vale, and Fletterick (1996) Nature 380,555–559; Kull, Sablin, Lau, Fletterick, and Vale (1996) Nature 380, 550–555] indicate that their core structures are nearly identical, the far UV CD spectra of ncd and kinesin motor domains, both being monomeric, were considerably different from each other, suggesting a significant difference in the secondary, especially loop structures. The motor domain of ncd, like that of kinesin, contains tightly associating APP even after purification. We removed ADP from the ncd motor domain by gel filtration in the presence of EDTA and high salt. The resultant protein, however, was likely to be in an inactive state, since it bound ATP slowly. The far UV CD spectrum of the ncd motor domain devoid of ADP was nearly identical to that of the ncd motor domain with bound ADP. This indicated that the removal of ADP did not affect the backbone structure in the presence of high salt. On the other hand, the near UV CD spectrum of the ADP-free ncd motor domain differed from that of the ncd motor domain. ADP complex, one possibility being that the local conformation was changed upon removal of bound ADP. The near UV CD spectra of kinesin motor domain also showed a difference between the ADP-bound form and the nucleotide-free form, although the difference was much smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]