Sound production by Simochromis diagramma (Günther) (Pisces, Cichlidae).

Two types of sounds produced by the cichlid fish Simochromis diagramma, are recorded and analysed. A br-r-r sound, with a main frequency of 200 Hz and a chewing sound with a main frequency of 6,000-10,000 Hz are produced during threatening; the former sound can also be heard during quivering. No sound was recorded with fighting or anxious fishes.     

On the diurnal rhythm of activity of Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linne, 1758).

The diurnal rhythm of activity of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linné, 1758)) is examined under artificial and natural circumstances. Two male rabbits were examined actographically in special registration cages in artificial and natural light. A population of rabbits was observed in nature and its rhythm of activity investigated by different methods: counting the animals and marking their burrows. The rabbit shows a diurnal rhythm of activity with a main maximum just after sunset and a secondary maximum at sunrise. With artificial light the rabbit has a different rhythm than with natural light. The importance of the choice of the parameter of activity is shown, as is the fact that a change of the actual timegiver brings about greater changes than its absence.     

Improving Maternal Care through a State-Wide Health Insurance Program: A Cost and Cost-Effectiveness Study in Rural Nigeria

Background

While the Nigerian government has made progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, further investments are needed to achieve the targets of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, including Universal Health Coverage. Economic evaluations of innovative interventions can help inform investment decisions in resource-constrained settings. We aim to assess the cost and cost-effectiveness of maternal care provided within the new Kwara State Health Insurance program (KSHI) in rural Nigeria.

Methods and Findings

We used a decision analytic model to simulate a cohort of pregnant women. The primary outcome is the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the KSHI scenario compared to the current standard of care. Intervention cost from a healthcare provider perspective included service delivery costs and above-service level costs; these were evaluated in a participating hospital and using financial records from the managing organisations, respectively. Standard of care costs from a provider perspective were derived from the literature using an ingredient approach. We generated 95% credibility intervals around the primary outcome through probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) based on a Monte Carlo simulation. We conducted one-way sensitivity analyses across key model parameters and assessed the sensitivity of our results to the performance of the base case separately through a scenario analysis. Finally, we assessed the sustainability and feasibility of this program’s scale up within the State’s healthcare financing structure through a budget impact analysis. The KSHI scenario results in a health benefit to patients at a higher cost compared to the base case. The mean ICER (US$46.4/disability-adjusted life year averted) is considered very cost-effective compared to a willingness-to-pay threshold of one gross domestic product per capita (Nigeria, US$ 2012, 2,730). Our conclusion was robust to uncertainty in parameters estimates (PSA: median US$49.1, 95% credible interval 21.9–152.3), during one-way sensitivity analyses, and when cost, quality, cost and utilization parameters of the base case scenario were changed. The sustainability of this program’s scale up by the State is dependent on further investments in healthcare.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that the investment made by the KSHI program in rural Nigeria is likely to have been cost-effective; however, further healthcare investments are needed for this program to be successfully expanded within Kwara State. Policy makers should consider supporting financial initiatives to reduce maternal mortality tackling both supply and demand issues in the access to care.     

Dynamic Changes in ANGUSTIFOLIA3 Complex Composition Reveal a Growth Regulatory Mechanism in the Maize Leaf

Most molecular processes during plant development occur with a particular spatio-temporal specificity. Thus far, it has remained technically challenging to capture dynamic protein-protein interactions within a growing organ, where the interplay between cell division and cell expansion is instrumental. Here, we combined high-resolution sampling of the growing maize (Zea mays) leaf with tandem affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that the growth-regulating SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex associated with ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) was conserved within growing organs and between dicots and monocots. Moreover, we were able to demonstrate the dynamics of the AN3-interacting proteins within the growing leaf, since copurified GROWTH-REGULATING FACTORs (GRFs) varied throughout the growing leaf. Indeed, GRF1, GRF6, GRF7, GRF12, GRF15, and GRF17 were significantly enriched in the division zone of the growing leaf, while GRF4 and GRF10 levels were comparable between division zone and expansion zone in the growing leaf. These dynamics were also reflected at the mRNA and protein levels, indicating tight developmental regulation of the AN3-associated chromatin remodeling complex. In addition, the phenotypes of maize plants overexpressing miRNA396a-resistant GRF1 support a model proposing that distinct associations of the chromatin remodeling complex with specific GRFs tightly regulate the transition between cell division and cell expansion. Together, our data demonstrate that advancing from static to dynamic protein-protein interaction analysis in a growing organ adds insights in how developmental switches are regulated.     

Root engineering in maize by increasing cytokinin degradation causes enhanced root growth and leaf mineral enrichment

Plant Molecular Biology - Root-specific expression of a cytokinin-degrading CKX gene in maize roots causes formation of a larger root system leading to higher element content in shoot organs. The...     

Identification of Free Nitric Oxide Radicals in Rat Bone Marrow: Implications for Progenitor Cell Mobilization in Hypertension

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9)-dependent mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from bone marrow (BM). However, direct measurement of NO in the BM remained elusive due to its low in situ concentration and short lifetime. Using NO spin trapping and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy we give the first experimental confirmation of free NO radicals in rodent BM. NO production was quantified and attributed to enzymatic activity of NO synthases (NOS). Although endothelial NOS (eNOS) accounts for most (66%) of basal NO, we identified a significant contribution (23%) from inducible NOS (iNOS). Basal NO levels closely correlate with MMP9 bioavailability in BM of both hypertensive and control rats. Our observations support the hypothesis that inadequate mobilization of BM-derived stem and progenitor cells in hypertension results from impaired NOS/NO/MMP9 signalling in BM, a condition that may be corrected with pharmacological intervention.     

Applicability of the WHO Maternal Near Miss Criteria in a Low-Resource Setting

Background

Maternal near misses are increasingly used to study quality of obstetric care. Inclusion criteria for the identification of near misses are diverse and studies not comparable. WHO developed universal near miss inclusion criteria in 2009 and these criteria have been validated in Brazil and Canada.

Objectives

To validate and refine the WHO near miss criteria in a low-resource setting.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in a rural referral hospital in Tanzania. From November 2009 until November 2011, all cases of maternal death (MD) and maternal near miss (MNM) were included. For identification of MNM, a local modification of the WHO near miss criteria was used, because most laboratory-based and some management-based criteria could not be applied in this setting. Disease-based criteria were added as they reflect severe maternal morbidity. In the absence of a gold standard for identification of MNM, the clinical WHO criteria were validated for identification of MD.

Results

32 MD and 216 MNM were identified using the locally adapted near miss criteria; case fatality rate (CFR) was 12.9%. WHO near miss criteria identified only 60 MNM (CFR 35.6%). All clinical criteria, 25% of the laboratory-based criteria and 50% of the management-based criteria could be applied. The threshold of five units of blood for identification of MNM led to underreporting of MNM. Clinical criteria showed specificity of 99.5% (95%CI: 99.4%–99.7%) and sensitivity of 100% (95%CI: 91.1%–100%). Some inclusion criteria did not contribute to the identification of cases and therefore may be eligible for removal.

Conclusion

The applicability of the WHO near miss criteria depends on the local context, e.g. level of health care. The clinical criteria showed good validity. Lowering the threshold for blood transfusion from five to two units in settings without blood bank and addition of disease-based criteria in low-resource settings is recommended.