Screening for latent tuberculosis and gastrointestinal parasite infections in Gurkha recruits: research driving policy change

Nepalese Gurkha soldiers are recruited from a country endemic for a number of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and gastrointestinal parasites. This article describes a prospective cohort study which investigated screening strategies for these infections among Gurkha recruits arriving in the UK to begin basic training. Several recommendations were made as a result of the study which were supported for early implementation and subsequently fully adopted. Military screening and treatment policies have been directly influenced by this research which also has translational application to similar migrant civilian populations.

Heat illness in military populations: asking the right questions for research

Reports of death and injury in military populations due to exertional heat illness (EHI) and its most severe form, exertional heat stroke, date from antiquity. Yet, understanding of why one soldier may succumb to EHI, while those around him do not, is incomplete. This paper sets out research questions in support of the health of military populations who may experience exertional heat stress. The mechanisms by which excess body heat arises and is dissipated are outlined and the significance of core temperature measurement during exercise is discussed. Known risk factors for EHI are highlighted and new approaches for identifying individual vulnerability to EHI are introduced. A better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology may allow the effective use of biomarkers in future risk stratification and identification of EHI, allied to emerging genetic technologies. The thermal burden associated with states of dress and personal protection of Service personnel in their worldwide duties should be a focus of research as new equipment is introduced. At all times, the discerning use of existing guidance by Commanders on the ground will remain a mainstay of preventing EHI.

High uptake of HPV immunisation in Scotland--perspectives on maximising uptake

In September 2008, Scotland introduced a national human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation programme with bivalent HPV vaccine, to prevent cervical cancer. This school-based programme routinely vaccinates girls aged between 12 and 13 years. A catch-up campaign, running over three years, also began at this time, offering vaccination to all girls aged 13 years to under 18 years old. The HPV immunisation campaign presented challenges due to this vaccine being targeted to girls in school and older girls who had left school. Following a long and comprehensive planning process, this campaign was successfully implemented across Scotland, delivering high vaccine uptake of 91.4% for three doses of vaccine in the first year (September 2008 to August 2009) for the routine cohort and 90.1% in the second year (September 2009 to August 2010) for the routine cohort. We describe the planning process, challenges and implementation strategies employed to achieve this high uptake.

Progress towards a 256 channel multi-anode microchannel plate photomultiplier system with picosecond timing

Despite the rapid advances in solid state technologies such as the silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), microchannel plate (MCP) photomultipliers still offer a proven and practical technological solution for high channel count pixellated photon-counting systems with very high time resolution. We describe progress towards a 256 channel optical photon-counting system using CERN-developed NINO and HTDC ASICs, and designed primarily for time resolved spectroscopy in life science applications. Having previously built and demonstrated a 18 mm diameter prototype tube with an 8×8 channel readout configuration and <43 ps rms single photon timing resolution, we are currently developing a 40 mm device with a 32×32 channel readout. Initially this will be populated with a 256 channel electronics system comprising four sets of modular 64 channel preamplifier/discriminator, and time-to-digital converter units, arranged in a compact three dimensional configuration. We describe the detector and electronics design and operation, and present performance measurements from the 256 channel development system. We discuss enhancements to the system including higher channel count and the use of application specific on-board signal processing capabilities.

Protection of hydroquinone-induced apoptosis by downregulation of Fau is mediated by NQO1

The Fau gene (Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV)-associated ubiquitously expressed gene) was identified as a potential tumor suppressor gene using a forward genetics approach. Downregulation of Fau by overexpression of its reverse sequence has been shown to inhibit apoptosis induced by DNA-damaging agents. To address a potential role of Fau in benzene toxicity, we investigated the apoptotic effects of hydroquinone (HQ), a major benzene metabolite, in W7.2 mouse thymoma cells transfected with either a plasmid construct expressing the antisense sequence of Fau (rfau) or the empty vector (pcDNA3.1) as a control. HQ induced apoptosis via increased production of reactive oxygen species and DNA damage, measured using dihydroethidine (HE) staining and alkaline Comet assay, respectively, in W7.2 pcDNA3.1 cells. In contrast, when Fau was downregulated by the antisense sequence in W7.2 rfau cells, HQ treatment did not cause DNA damage and oxidative stress and these cells were markedly more resistant to HQ-induced apoptosis. Further investigation revealed that there was an upregulation of NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), a detoxification enzyme for benzene-derived quinones, in W7.2 rfau cells. Compromising cellular NQO1 by use of a specific mechanism-based inhibitor (MAC 220) and NQO1 siRNA resensitized W7.2 rfau cells to HQ-induced apoptosis. Silencing of Fau in W7.2 wild-type cells resulted in increased levels of NQO1, confirming that downregulation of Fau results in NQO1 upregulation which protects against HQ-induced apoptosis.

Chemistry and Performance of Blended Cements and Backfills for use in Radioactive Waste Disposal

The ability of NaCl and MgSO4 to impair the performance of Portland cement, blended cements containing slag and fly ash and of a permeable backfill have been measured. Performance is determined by decrease in pH, changes in mineralogy and loss of physical coherence. Experiments have been made at 25°, 55° and 85°C and extensively backed up by chemical models of cement performance. NaCl, up to 1.5M, has a comparatively slight impact on performance but MgSO4 rapidly and almost quantitatively reacts, lowering system pH's to < 10, conditioned by mixtures of Mg(OH)2 and magnesium silicates with gypsum.

A quieting ocean: unintended consequence of a fluctuating economy

Simultaneous long-term monitoring of underwater sound and ship traffic provided an opportunity to study how low-frequency noise correlated with ocean-based commercial shipping trends. Between 2007 and 2010 changes in regional shipping off southern California occurred as a consequence of economic and regulatory events. Underwater average noise levels measured before and during these events showed a net reduction of 12 dB. Statistical models revealed that a reduction of 1 ship transit per day resulted in 1 dB decrease in average noise. This synthesis of maritime traffic statistics with ocean noise monitoring provides an important step in understanding the magnitude and potential effects of chronic noise in marine habitats.