Weaving and the British presence in Southeastern Nigeria after 1900

African Studies Center Papers in the African Humanities No. 17Paper presented at a November 1989 Workshop on Translation, held at Boston University, as part of the project on 'African Expressions of the Colonial Experience

Feline aminopeptidase N is not a functional receptor for avian infectious bronchitis virus

BACKGROUND: Coronaviruses are an important cause of infectious diseases in humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and have the continued potential for emergence from animal species. A major factor in the host range of a coronavirus is its receptor utilization on host cells. In many cases, coronavirus-receptor interactions are well understood. However, a notable exception is the receptor utilization by group 3 coronaviruses, including avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Feline aminopeptidase N (fAPN) serves as a functional receptor for most group 1 coronaviruses including feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), canine coronavirus, transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), and human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E). A recent report has also suggested a role for fAPN during IBV entry (Miguel B, Pharr GT, Wang C: The role of feline aminopeptidase N as a receptor for infectious bronchitis virus. Brief review. Arch Virol 2002, 147:2047–2056. RESULTS: Here we show that, whereas both transient transfection and constitutive expression of fAPN on BHK-21 cells can rescue FIPV and TGEV infection in non-permissive BHK cells, fAPN expression does not rescue infection by the prototype IBV strain Mass41. To account for the previous suggestion that fAPN could serve as an IBV receptor, we show that feline cells can be infected with the prototype strain of IBV (Mass 41), but with low susceptibility compared to primary chick kidney cells. We also show that BHK-21 cells are slightly susceptible to certain IBV strains, including Ark99, Ark_DPI, CA99, and Iowa97 (<0.01% efficiency), but this level of infection is not increased by fAPN expression. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fAPN is not a functional receptor for IBV, the identity of which is currently under investigation

BHPR research: qualitative1. Complex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis

Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 ♂, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duck”). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?”). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has gone”). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining about”). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Addressing food insecurity and chronic conditions in community health centres: protocol of a quasi-experimental evaluation of Recipe4Health

IntroductionChronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression, are highly prevalent and frequently co-occur with food insecurity in communities served by community health centres in the USA. Community health centres are increasingly implementing 'Food as Medicine' programmes to address the dual challenge of chronic conditions and food insecurity, yet they have been infrequently evaluated.Methods and analysisThe goal of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Recipe4Health, a 'Food as Medicine' programme. Recipe4Health includes two components: (1) a 'Food Farmacy' that includes 16 weekly deliveries of produce and (2) a 'Behavioural Pharmacy' which is a group medical visit. We will use mixed models to compare pre/post changes among participants who receive the Food Farmacy alone (n=250) and those who receive the Food Farmacy and Behavioural Pharmacy (n=140). The primary outcome, fruit and vegetable consumption, and secondary outcomes (eg, food security status, physical activity, depressive symptoms) will be collected via survey. We will also use electronic health record (EHR) data on laboratory values, prescriptions and healthcare usage. Propensity score matching will be used to compare Recipe4Health participants to a control group of patients in clinics where Recipe4Health has not been implemented for EHR-derived outcomes. Data from surveys, EHR, group visit attendance and produce delivery is linked with a common identifier (medical record number) and then deidentified for analysis with use of an assigned unique study ID. This study will provide important preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of primary care-based strategies to address food insecurity and chronic conditions.Ethics and disseminationThis study was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board (reference protocol ID 57239). Appropriate study result dissemination will be determined in partnership with the Community Advisory Board

Mavacamten in Symptomatic Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Mavacamten is approved to treat adults with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, its effects in nonobstructive HCM remain uncertain.We conducted a phase 3, international, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial to determine whether mavacamten improves functional capacity and patient-reported health status among adults with symptomatic nonobstructive HCM. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive mavacamten (starting at 5 mg per day and adjusted up to a maximum of 15 mg per day on the basis of left ventricular ejection fraction) or placebo (with sham dose adjustment) for 48 weeks. The two primary end points were the change from baseline to week 48 in peak oxygen uptake and in the 23-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire clinical summary score (KCCQ-CSS; scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status).We randomly assigned 289 patients to receive mavacamten and 291 to receive placebo. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 56±15 years, and 46% were women. From baseline to week 48, the least-squares mean change in peak oxygen uptake was 0.52 ml per kilogram of body weight per minute (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09 to 0.95) in the mavacamten group and 0.05 ml per kilogram per minute (95% CI, -0.38 to 0.47) in the placebo group (between-group difference, 0.47 ml per kilogram per minute; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.98; P = 0.07). The least-squares mean change in the KCCQ-CSS was 13.1 points (95% CI, 10.7 to 15.5) in the mavacamten group and 10.4 points (95% CI, 8.0 to 12.8) in the placebo group (between-group difference, 2.7 points; 95% CI, -0.1 to 5.6; P = 0.06). Reductions in ejection fraction and interruptions in the trial regimen were more common with mavacamten than with placebo.Among patients with nonobstructive HCM, mavacamten did not result in a significantly greater improvement in peak oxygen uptake or decrease in symptoms than placebo. (Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb; ODYSSEY-HCM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05582395.)

A research agenda to support the development and implementation of genomics-based clinical informatics tools and resources.

OBJECTIVE: The Genomic Medicine Working Group of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research virtually hosted its 13th genomic medicine meeting titled Developing a Clinical Genomic Informatics Research Agenda . The meeting\u27s goal was to articulate a research strategy to develop Genomics-based Clinical Informatics Tools and Resources (GCIT) to improve the detection, treatment, and reporting of genetic disorders in clinical settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experts from government agencies, the private sector, and academia in genomic medicine and clinical informatics were invited to address the meeting\u27s goals. Invitees were also asked to complete a survey to assess important considerations needed to develop a genomic-based clinical informatics research strategy. RESULTS: Outcomes from the meeting included identifying short-term research needs, such as designing and implementing standards-based interfaces between laboratory information systems and electronic health records, as well as long-term projects, such as identifying and addressing barriers related to the establishment and implementation of genomic data exchange systems that, in turn, the research community could help address. DISCUSSION: Discussions centered on identifying gaps and barriers that impede the use of GCIT in genomic medicine. Emergent themes from the meeting included developing an implementation science framework, defining a value proposition for all stakeholders, fostering engagement with patients and partners to develop applications under patient control, promoting the use of relevant clinical workflows in research, and lowering related barriers to regulatory processes. Another key theme was recognizing pervasive biases in data and information systems, algorithms, access, value, and knowledge repositories and identifying ways to resolve them