Gordon Covell

Sir Gordon Covell (20 October 1887 – 4 October 1975) was a physician and a Major in the army of British India, and a leading global expert on Malaria disease control and eradication efforts in the middle of the 20th century. He was member of the expert committee on malaria set up by the WHO from 1948 to 1958, of which he served as the secretary. At that time, he was also an advisor to the British Ministry of Health and the Director of the Malaria Laboratory at Horton Hospital.
Education.
Covell studied at King's School Canterbury and graduated medicine (MBBS) from Guy's Hospital in 1913 and served in East Africa. He entered the Indian Medical Service in 1914 via competitive examination. After serving in World War I, he passed the DTM&H with distinction and received Doctor of Medicine in 1923.
Career.
He served as a doctor in the Indian Medical Service from 1914 onwards till Indian independence, when he was heading the Central Malaria Bureau and the Director of the Malaria Institute of India in New Delhi (1936-1947). He was posted on war duty in East African campaign (World War I). After higher education, he was posted in the medical research department and posted in Central Malaria Bureau at Kasauli (later Central Research Institute, Kasauli), where he worked under Rickard Christophers and John Alexander Sinton, both accomplished Malariologists. In 1928, he co-authored a book on conducting surveys for malaria, published by the Indian government under the British Raj. He was the first Assistant Director for the newly created "Malaria Survey of India" created in 1927 and subsequently became its Director succeeding the founding director, John Alexander Sinton.
During his tenure in India, he supervised some of the first of systematic epidemiological surveys of Malaria in several urban and rural areas in different parts of the country including relatively remote areas in Wayanad district, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coastal regions of Odisha, northern parts of Sindh, urban locations in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.
In 1927, he published possibly the first detailed account of the distribution of all 37 species of Anopheles mosquitoes (then known) from Indian and Ceylon. In a subsequent substantive account he published all known details of 137 species of Anopheles then known throughout the world with notes on their distribution, breeding and behaviour of all these.
He was particularly identified with successful malaria control programs in Bombay and Delhi, with his Delhi efforts being among the first to use large-scale insecticide spraying specifically targeting the adult stage of the vector. Later on, these initial efforts using Pyrethroid sprays would be replaced with DDT in many programs across the world.
He was a proponent for a careful study of entomology, Anopheles species distribution and biting behaviour of the mosquito vector in determining success of disease control efforts and urged for looking beyond use of DDT and insecticides only in malaria eradication. He was involved in advising WHO on the therapeutics for malaria as well as research approaches to study efficacy of anti-malaria drugs.
After his retirement from India, he succeeded Sinton as the Director of the "Malaria Research Laboratory" at Epsom, continuing his work on chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis for Malaria, as well as establishing pre-erythrocytic phases in all four human malarias. In 1952, he was invited by the then imperial government Ethiopia to study the malaria situation in southern part of the country around Lake Tana. He planned studies and collected baseline malaria on distribution of malaria prevalence, spleen rates and dominant vectors in Gondar, Jimma, Awash River valley and the Kobbo Chercher plain. This was amongst the first few systematic epidemiological investigations of malaria at different parts of the country, laying the foundations for a nationwide malaria control efforts.
On May 6, 1953, he delivered the Cutter talk on preventive medicine at the Harvard school of public health.
In 1961, he was in Pakistan to help with malaria disease control and eradication efforts by establishing training centres there and also frequently visited Delhi to observe the National Malaria Eradication Program that he described as "...something of a gigantic program in operation now in India". Due to the relatively later introduction of spraying for mosquitoes on a national scale in Pakistan, he advocated for prolongation of nationwide spraying efforts in India due to the possibility of transmission across the border areas. He noted the relatively better-off quality and systematic nature of training efforts for malaria eradication organised by the Malaria Institute of India and tried to organise training for senior leadership of the disease control efforts in Bangladesh and Pakistan, but this did not occur due to political reasons
He also worked on Rabies and studied endemic typhus in the Himalayan foothills. He fell seriously ill with typhus while studying it. He was a member of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and was its Vice-President.
Personal life.
He was married to Oona McLeod, daughter of Colonel Kenneth McLeod of the Indian Medical Services, who was possibly the first to describe Epidemic dropsy. They had three children, two of whom trained as doctors. He was known to enjoy classical music and had an interest in birds. In a letter to his friend P.G. Shute in late life, he wrote a poem about his health.
Awards.
He was awarded the "Darling Medal" by the World Health Organization in 1951 instituted in the memory of Samuel Taylor Darling. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene awarded the Walter Reed Medal to him on November 4, 1960 "in absentia""." He was awarded the Manson Medal in 1971.


Devendrar College of Physiotherapy

Devendrar College of Physiotherapy (Tamil:தேவேந்திரர் உடலியக்க மருத்துவக் கல்லூரி), is a Physiotherapy Medical College in South India, located in the city of Tirunelveli, Ariyakulam in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This College is affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.
History.
Devendrar College of Physiotherapy was established in the year 1998 and is affiliated to Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University. This College Chairman of B. John Pandian. And the president of Tamizhaga makkal Munnetra Kazhagam political party. The college has become one of the top Physiotherapy teaching and research training institution in Tamil Nadu. Devendrar College of Physiotherapy is managed by Devendrar Educational and Charitable Trust. The vision of the organisation is to become a premier institute in producing physiotherapists with proficiency and moral values.
Devendrar College of Physiotherapy, Tirunelveli offers bachelor's degree in the field of Physiotherapy. This under graduate course in physiotherapy is to impart in depth knowledge and skill to a Student to become competent in the techniques and develop the proper attitude required for the practice of physiotherapy and carry out treatment prescribed by the Physician. The duration of certified study shall extend over a period of four academic years and six months of compulsory internship. The area of this permanent Building is 15,000 sqft, surrounded by 60 Acres.
Special Features.
The Devendrar College of Physiotherapy Tirunelveli is having a spacious Library containing Books, Journals, and periodicals related to Physiotherapy field. Separate Hostel facility is available for the Students. Highly qualified, experienced, competent and dedicated faculties are available to impart world class education. Guest speakers from various specialists visit periodically for conducting seminars and Workshops.


Decubitus


Antonin Moine

Antonin-Marie Moine (30 June 1796 – 18 March 1849) was a French romantic sculptor in the first half of the 19th century.
Biography.
Moine was born in Saint-Étienne.
He began his career as a landscape painter, before becoming a sculptor. He obtained some success exhibiting at the Salon in the early 1830s. From 1835 to 1840, Antonin Moine worked, alongside Louis-Parfait Merlieux and Jean-Jacques Elshoecht (said Carle Elshoecht), on the creation of sculptures commissioned for the "Fontaine des Mers" and the "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" devoted to the beautification of the Place de la Concorde, as decided by the Mairie de Paris, its owner since 1828. The work was attributed to architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff.
In 1836, Moine sculpted some of the three "Néréides" which are on each fountain.
Antonin Moine committed suicide in Paris on 18 March 1849.
Legacy.
A square was named after him in Saint-Étienne.
A portrait of Moine by Herminie Déhérain, exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1833, is today in the collection of the musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.


Placido Campolo

Placido Campolo (1693–1743) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, a native of Messina in Sicily. In Rome, he was the pupil of the painter Sebastiano Conca; in 1731, he returned to Messina to paint the Galleria del Senato. He died of plague in 1743.
He painted for the cathedral and the church of Sant'Angelo de Rossi ("Defeat of the Fallen Angels"). He also helped to design the entrances and steps to the church of Monte di Pieta degli Azzurri.
Campolo has an entry in the Benezit Dictionary of Artists.


California Society of Addiction Medicine

California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) is the California organization of physicians who specialize in treating addiction. Addiction medicine is the medical specialty that provides care and treatment for people with substance use disorder. It includes both pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments and aligns with other specialties including public health, psychiatry and internal medicine. CSAM was founded in 1973, and has been a State Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine since 1989.
CSAM advances the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions through education of physicians, physicians-in-training, and other health professionals. Additionally, CSAM promotes research, prevention and implementation of evidence-based treatment. It advocates for legislation and regulations that improve and expand substance abuse treatment.
Education and research.
CSAM provides a wide range of continuing medical education, including a nationally recognized preparatory course for the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Certification Exam. CSAM also holds an annual conference on the State of the Art in Addiction Medicine and workshops on issues ranging from pain and addiction and screening and brief intervention to opioid treatment and trauma and addiction.
The Medical Education and Research Foundation for the treatment of alcoholism and other drug dependencies was established in 1981 as a sister organization to the California Society of Addiction Medicine. The Foundation’s mission is to increase and improve the education of physicians about all aspects of addiction, including harmful drinking or drug use, medical sequellae, family impact and how to support recovery. Its primary activities are mentored learning experiences at annual, three-day conferences on addiction medicine offered by CSAM.
Advocacy.
CSAM members advocate for greater treatment access and improved treatment at the state level among California elected officials and regulators, while partnering with many other medical and nongovernmental organizations. Among the issues that CSAM supports are increasing funding for addiction treatment, raising standards for the substance abuse treatment workforce, improving treatment and prevention for adolescents and young adults and providing better treatment opportunities for health professionals who suffer from the disease of addiction.
Resources.
CSAM offers a wide range of information on addiction medicine to health professionals, including materials from its educational conferences and programs and a quarterly newsletter.


National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur

National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hajipur (NIPER Hajipur) is a public pharmaceutical education and research university located in Hajipur, Bihar, India. Established in 2007, it is one of the seven National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) under India's Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The institute offers Post Graduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences. Like all other NIPERs, it has the Institute of National Importance status.
History.
The institution started functioning from November 2007 and was inagurated by former union Minister Sri Ram Vilas Paswan and the Director Dr. Pradeep Das, RMRIMS-Patna. Till October, 2018 the institute was under the mentorship of RMRIMS-Patna and Dr. Pradeep Das was the Project Director of NIPER-Hajipur.
Organisation and administration.
Governance.
Dr. V. Ravichandiran, the Director of NIPER-Kolkata is also the Director (additional charge) of NIPER-Hajipur. He has taken this additional charge since January, 2020. NIPER-hajipur has 9 faculties and 4 non-teaching staff currently.
Departments.
Pharmacology and toxicology
Department started functioning from 2018. The department has fully developed laboratory along with animal house facility.
Areas of Research
1. Cognito-behavioural studies including Fluorosis-induced neurodevelopmental disorders.
2. Anticancer research with electrochemical therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy approaches
3. Role of extracellular vesicles (Exosomes) in drug-tolerant persister cells and its contribution to cancer-initiating cells in breast cancer.
4. To study the molecular reprogramming landscape of pre and post neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer and its therapeutic implications in Humanized mice for the 3D organoid model.
Department of Biotechnology
The department started functioning from 2007. It has already awarded 10 PhD degree and 6 students have submitted.
Areas of Research
1.  Chromosome organization and regulation of transcription in pathogenic organisms
2.  mechanism of drug resistance and development of effective drugs against resistant microbes
3.  Application of functionalized and conjugated gold Nanoparticles for improved antimicrobial efficacy.
4. Green synthesized gold nanoparticles as antifungal and antiparasitic agents.
Department of pharmacy practice
It started functioning from 2007. The department has affiliation with major hospitals for clinical and applied pharmacy. The department has already awarded 1 PhD degree and 1 student has submitted.
Areas of Research
1. Exploration of nutritional and immunological factors along with quality of life in patients of visceral leishmaniasis.
2. Exploration of cardiovascular risk along with quality of life and KAP study in patients with HIV/VL co-infection in Bihar
3. Evaluation of Efficacy and Toxicity of Concurrent Capacitabine with Radiation in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients of Bihar.
4. Assessment of Risk Factors and Management of Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis
Academics.
Admissions.
Every year in June and July NIPER conducts national level entrance examinations for admissions to its M.S.(Pharm)/M.Pharm. and PhD programs and the doctoral programs are further screened by personal interview. The candidates are required to have qualified the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) or now Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) in a suitable subject area. The MS course is 2 years with 4 semesters. Students with individual fellowship can apply directly to their choice of NIPERs for PhD.
Student life.
The students joining Hajipur represent almost every state of India and come from diverse sections of society. Till date 382 PG students have received their degree from NIPER-Hajipur Most of them have been placed in pharma industries, while some are pursuing higher studies in various universities/ institutions across the globe. Among the graduated students most students are involved in research in various Institutions like IISc Bangalore, NII-Delhi, NISER, Bose Institute, IICB, NIPERs, etc. So far 11 scholars have completed their Ph.D. successfully from NIPER-Hajipur and 6 students have submitted their thesis. 17 more students are already involved in active PhD program. In the next academic year two new departments Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical analysis is proposed to be opened at NIPER-Hajipur.
NIPER Hajipur has so far published 79 research papers in high impact, peer reviewed journals. It has signed 3 MoUs and ready to sign many more for academic and research collaborations. NIPER –Hajipur wants to build a state of art central Instrumental facility to carry out high quality research empowering development of highly skilled manpower for pharmaceutical Industries in future. NIPER-Hajipur has academic collaboration with many Institutes like RMRIMS-Patna, IIT-Patna, CDRI-Lucknow, NIT-Patna Mahavir Cancer Sansthan-Patna, IGIMS-Patna, NIPER-Guwahati, NIPER-Kolkata etc.
Separate Boys and Girls hostel facility is available inside the campus. Also hired hostel facility is available outside the campus based on need. All the hostels are equipped with 24 hr generator facility and security guards. Transportation and Internet facility is available 24x7. Canteen and mess is run by students.


Erik Fankhouser

Erik Fankhouser (born May 30, 1980) is a professional American bodybuilder in the sport’s heavyweight class.
Fankhouser began weight training while he was a student at West Liberty State College in West Liberty, West Virginia. He originally focused on playing fullback for the school’s football team and participating in the shot put, discus, hammer and javelin events for the track team, and then turned his focus to bodybuilding. He won his first competitive bodybuilding tournament, the 2004 NPC Upper Ohio Valley, placing first in the junior division. He won the Mr. West Virginia title in the 2005 Mid Atlantic Grand Prix/West Virginia States.
In his first national competition, the 2006 North American Championship, he placed fourth in the heavyweight division. In 2007, he placed 16th in the USA Bodybuilding & Figure Championships, but in his next competition he placed first in his class in the North American Championships. He was also named overall winner for the competition and earned his IFBB pro card at that event. With his victory, Fankhouser made state sports history as the first West Virginia native to become a professional bodybuilder. Erik placed 10th in his first IFBB pro contest, the Europa Super Show, in August 2008, winning both Pose Down Magazine's "Best Wheels" and the 4Ever Fit Fans' Choice awards during the contest.
Fankhouser, who stands and averages in contest shape, goes by the nickname “The House.” He is sponsored in his training by the bodybuilding supplement companies Animalpak.com and Universal Nutrition.
He has also done guest posing at several bodybuilding tournaments, and writes weight training articles for "Muscular Development Magazine."
Outside of competitive bodybuilding, he works as a Coal Miner at Bailey mine for Consol Energy.


Andrea del Castagno

Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian painter from Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone. His works include frescoes in Sant'Apollonia in Florence and the painted equestrian monument of Niccolò da Tolentino (1456) in the Cathedral in Florence. He in turn influenced the Ferrarese school of Cosmè Tura, Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de' Roberti.
Life.
Early years.
Andrea del Castagno was born at Castagno, a village near Monte Falterona, not far from Florence. During the war between Florence and Milan, he lived in Corella, returning to his home after its end. In 1440 he moved to Florence under the protection of Bernadetto de' Medici. Here he painted the portraits of the citizens hanged after the Battle of Anghiari on the facade of the Palazzo del Podestà, gaining the nickname of "Andrea degli Impiccati".
Little is known about his formation, though it has been hypothesised that he apprenticed under Fra Filippo Lippi and Paolo Uccello. In 1440–1441 he executed the fresco of "Crucifixion and Saints" in the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, whose perspective-oriented construction and figures shows the influence of Masaccio.
In 1442 he was in Venice where he executed frescoes in the San Tarasio Chapel of the church of San Zaccaria. Later he also worked in St Mark's Basilica, leaving a fresco of "Death of the Virgin" (1442–1443).
Back in Florence, he designed a stained window with "Deposition" for the local Cathedral. On May 30, 1445 he became a member of the Guild of the Medicians. From the same year is the fresco of "Madonna with Child and Santi" in the Contini Bonacossi Collection (Uffizi).
"The Last Supper".
In 1447 Castagno worked in the refectory of the Benedictine nuns at Sant'Apollonia in Florence, painting, in the lower part, a fresco of the Last Supper, accompanied above by other scenes portraying the Passion of Christ: "Crucifixion", "Entombment", and "Resurrection", which are now damaged. This combination of scenes is not known to have been represented before. He also painted a lunette in the convent's cloister, depicting a "Pietà". Many important Florentine families had daughters in the convent at Sant'Apollonia, so painting there likely brought Andrea to their attention.
The "Last Supper" displays Andrea del Castagno's talents at their best. The detail and naturalism of this fresco portray the ways in which he departed from earlier artistic styles. It is likely that Leonardo da Vinci was already familiar with this work before he painted his own Last Supper in a more dramatic form to contrast with the stillness of these works, so that more emotion would be displayed.
Late activity.
In 1449–1450 he painted the "Assumption with Saints Julian and Miniato" for the main altar (in the St. Julian Chapel) of the church of San Miniato fra le Torri in Florence (now in Berlin).
In the same years he collaborated with Filippo Carducci to paint a series of "Illustrious People" for the Villa Carducci at Legnaia. These include Pippo Spano, Farinata degli Uberti, Niccolò Acciaioli, Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, the Cumaean Sibyl, Esther and Tomiri.
Also from around 1450 is the "Crucifixion" in London, as well as the "David with Goliath's Head" and the "Portrait of a Man," both in Washington. Between January 1451 and September 1453 he completed the frescoes with "Scenes of the Life of the Virgin" left unfinished by Domenico Veneziano in the Florentine church of Sant'Egidio, Florence (now lost). In October Filippo Carducci commissioned him to paint frescoes for his villa at Soffiano, of which today an "Eve" and a ruined "Madonna with Child" survive.
In 1455 Andrea del Castagno worked in the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata (frescoes with the "Trinity with Saints Jerome, Paula and Eustochium" and "St. Julian and the Redeemer", the former showing a stressed realism). Also in those years is attributed a "Crucifixion" for St. Apollonia. In 1456 he executed in the Florentine Cathedral the fresco of the "Equestrian Monument of Niccolò da Tolentino", paralleling the similar painting by Paolo Uccello portraying John Hawkwood.
Giorgio Vasari, an artist and biographer of the Italian Renaissance, alleged that Castagno murdered Domenico Veneziano, but this is impossible, since Veneziano died in 1461, four years after Castagno died of the plague. It has been suggested that Vasari was confusing this murder case with another one involving a "Domenico di Matteo" who was killed by an "Andreino" in 1448, but the archival record shows that this is a misreading: "A cursory examination reveals two things: first, that the name of the dead painter is not Domenico di Matteo, but Domenico di Marco; and second, and much more crucially, that there is no mention of him having been killed by a painter named Andrea or Andreino."


Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering alternative medical treatments. It publishes case reports, original research papers, and systematic reviews. It was established in 1995 by founding editor Larry Dossey and is published bimonthly by InnoVision Health Media. The current editor-in-chief is Andrew W. Campbell.
Founding and content.
When it launched, it was one of several journals about alternative medicine that were aimed primarily at doctors; it and similar journals carried advertisements for "unproven homeopathic products, shark cartilage, naturopathic remedies and other health food store items oriented toward cancer." David Gorski on the website Science-Based Medicine pointed out that United States Senator Tom Harkin (who was instrumental in drafting the legislation that funded the Office of Alternative Medicine but later criticized the self-same office's reliance on evidence-based testing) wrote two different commentaries in the journal's inaugural issue:In these two articles, Harkin basically introduced the new journal as a “journey—an exploration into what has been called ‘left-out medicine,’ therapies that show promise but that have not yet been accepted into the mainstream of modern medicine.” and explicitly stated that “mainstreaming alternative practices that work is our next step.” Unfortunately, he had a bit of a problem with the way medical science goes about determining whether a health practice—any health practice—works and railed against what he characterized as the “unbendable rules of randomized clinical trials.” Citing his use of bee pollen to treat his allergies, went on to assert, “It is not necessary for the scientific community to understand the process before the American public can benefit from these therapies...”... Truly, this was a profound misunderstanding of how science works.Elsewhere on the website, Jann Bellamy, Florida attorney and founding member of the Institute for Science in Medicine, described the journal as being "of dubious scientific rigor".
Staff.
The journal's founding editor-in-chief was Larry Dossey. In 2004 Mark Hyman was appointed as chief editor, and in November 2008 David Riley, the journal's former medical editor, was appointed to the role. The editorial staff changed in 2010, leading the editorial board to resign, but their names remained on the masthead as of 2013. The editor-in-chief, as of 2013, was Andrew W. Campbell, and the journal's website listed him as practicing medicine in Texas, but in 2011 he was barred from practicing medicine in Texas and was apparently practicing in Florida. The Texas Medical Board had taken repeated action against Campbell because he "relied on junk science, ordered inappropriate tests, and improperly diagnosed 'toxigenic mold exposure.'"
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Index Medicus/MEDLINE/PubMed, Science Citation Index Expanded, and Scopus. According to the "Journal Citation Reports", the journal has a 2015 impact factor of 1.329.


Clinical Pharmacokinetics

Clinical Pharmacokinetics is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Adis International (Springer Nature) that covers topics related to pharmacokinetics. According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2019 impact factor of 4.604 ranked 40 of 270 journals in the Pharmacology & Pharmacy category [Clarivate Analytics]; 2019 CiteScore of 8.8, ranked 8 of 237 journals in the Pharmacology [Medical] category [Scopus])


Peggy McDowell Curlin

Peggy McDowell Curlin (2 January 1940 – 24 September 2005) was an American women's health advocate from Harlan, Kentucky.
Early life.
Curlin was born in 1940 in Harlan, Kentucky and attended Centre College, a liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. There, she obtained a bachelor's degree. Also at Centre College, she met her husband, George Curlin who later became a physician with the U.S. Public Health Service.
Career.
Curlin spent the majority of her career advocating for the women's health initiative. On a trip to Bangladesh, Curlin noticed the disadvantage women in poorer conditions had. Upset, Curlin wanted to change the condition the women were in. They no access to necessary health vaccinations and care needed. From there, she began fighting for them. Peggy Curlin set up teams of female health advocates to volunteer to give women and children the necessary vaccines that were not being provided. When Curlin returned to the United States, she joined the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) in Washington D.C. From that point, she took on the title of President from 1989 to 2003.
Accomplishments.
When Curlin joined the CEDPA, she was only a programs officer but quickly moved up her post to vice president, and then president.  Peggy Curlin was so passionate and such a great leader that during her her presidency, CEDPA became one of the world's most successful non-governmental organizations. Peggy Curlin working for CEDPA can be credited to establishing basic needs for thousands of women in several countries.


Disappearance of Kelly Dae Wilson

Kelly Dae Wilson (born May 18, 1974) is an American teenager who went missing on January 5, 1992, from Gilmer, Texas.
Disappearance.
Wilson was last seen at about 8:30 p.m. on January 5, 1992, as she was leaving her workplace to go to a nearby bank to deposit her paycheck, but she never returned home. The next morning her stepfather found her car at her workplace, and the tires had been slashed and were flat. Her belongings, including her purse, were inside the car, but her keys were missing. Wilson was last seen wearing a purple rugby shirt with red, gold and white insignia and white cuffs and collar, with stonewashed cutoff blue jeans with brown loafers, and she was wearing an assortment of rings.
Investigation and aftermath.
The Wilson disappearance remains one of Texas' greatest mysteries. A young man named Michael Biby was eventually arrested as a suspect in the tire-slashing incident, but was considered to be not linked to Wilson's disappearance. Wilson has not been seen since her disappearance.


Marcello Brunelli

Marcello Brunelli (Ancona, 14 July 1939 – Pisa, 25 November 2020) was an Italian neurophysiologist and academic.
He had the chair of General Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Pisa and worked with Giuseppe Moruzzi and Eric Kandel. Together with Kandel, he obtained the first demonstration of the role of the cyclic AMP as a second messenger in the transmission of the nervous impulse.
Biography.
In 1967 Brunelli graduated with honors in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Pisa. In the same year he began his research activity at the CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology and from 1969 to 1970 at the Institute of Neurophysiology, also in Pisa. From 1970 to 1974 he was assistant of Human Physiology at the Pisa Physiology Institute. Together with Franco Magni he published researches on the nervous system of the pigeon and the leech and on the hormonal mechanisms of light emission in fireflies.
In the two-year period 1975-1976 he visited the United States, where he worked in the laboratories directed by Eric Kandel making a fundamental contribution to the studies on the intracellular mechanisms of nerve signal transduction, which will lead Kandel himself to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2000.
In 1976 he returned to Italy and two years later became Professor of General Physiology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Pisa. From 1983 to 1986 he took the place of Prof. Moruzzi at the head of the CNR Institute of Physiology in Pisa. In the following four years he was director of the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry of the University of Pisa.
Brunelli died in Pisa on 25 November 2020, aged 81, from complications associated with COVID-19.
Research activity.
Brunelli began his career as a scientific researcher by investigating the nervous and hormonal mechanisms that control the emission of the luminous signals of "Luciola lusitanica" and demonstrating their circadian rhythms. The results of these experiments were published in a series of papers on the Archives Italiennes de Biologie from 1968 to 1973. Other studies were on the nervous system of the leech "Hirudo medicinalis" and visual perception in the common pigeon.
His research activity subsequently focused on the study of the neurobiological mechanisms of memory and non-associative learning in animal models. One of the main contributions of Brunelli was the identification of the cyclic AMP as the second messenger in nerve impulse transduction. In the mid-seventies it was known that serotonin acted on the terminals of sensory neurons by increasing the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft, but the mechanism of action was not known yet. Brunelli and colleagues injected cyclic AMP – whose role as a mediating molecule was well established – directly into the presynaptic terminal and observed that nerve transmission was facilitated.
During the 1980s Brunelli continued his studies on the role of serotonin and intracellular calcium in synaptic modulation in the leech. The nervous system of this annelid consists of a chain of interconnected ganglia that contain relatively large and easily accessible neurons, lending itself well to electrophysiological recording. This has made it possible to make great progress in understanding the mechanisms of habituation and sensitization. In a series of experimental studies his group identified the role of acetyl-L-carnitine in influencing neuronal gene expression.
Before retiring from academic life, Brunelli directed an interuniversity research group investigating the physiological and medical aspects of the trigeminal-cardiac reflex (TCR) associated with proprioceptive stimulation of the jaw. The TCR is a still poorly known vagal reflex activated by the stimulation of the trigeminal nerve that induces a sustained reduction of heart rate and mean arterial pressure. Brunelli and colleagues observed the activation of the reflex following mandibular stretching in humans. Further experiments on the rat have shown a concurrent vasodilation of pial arterioles.


Journal of Virology

The Journal of Virology is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers research concerning all aspects of virology. It was established in 1967 and is published by the American Society for Microbiology. Research papers are available free online four months after print publication.
The editor-in-chief is Rozanne M. Sandri-Goldin (University of California, Irvine, California) (2012–present). Past editors-in-chief include Lynn W. Enquist (2002–2012), Thomas Shenk (1994–2002), and Arnold J. Levine (1984–1994).
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in AGRICOLA, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, Chemical Abstracts, Current Contents, EMBASE, MEDLINE/Index Medicus/PubMed, and the Science Citation Index Expanded. Its 2015 impact factor was 4.606, ranking it fifth out of 33 journals in the category "Virology".


Jessie Rae Scott

Jessie Rae Scott (October 12, 1929 – December 26, 2010) was an American politician who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973 through her marriage to North Carolina Governor Robert W. Scott.
Scott unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for North Carolina Labor Commissioner in 1976 and served as the state coordinator for the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. She also acted as the chief lobbyist for North Carolina's Equal Rights Amendment for women.
Biography.
Early life.
Scott was born Jessie Rae Osborne in Swepsonville, North Carolina, to Albert and Rosa Lee Osbourne. She received a bachelor's degree from Greensboro Women's College, which is now part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Scott married her husband, Robert W. Scott, in 1951. The two had met in third grade and began dating in high school. She then worked as a public school teacher for three years before quitting to commit more time to her family. She had five children. In 1959 Scott and her husband were voted by the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry as one of the five top "Young Grange Couples" in the country.
First Lady.
Scott served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973.
Political involvement.
In 1975 William C. Creel, a Democrat serving as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor, suffered a heart attack and died. Governor James Holshouser appointed a Republican, Thomas Avery Nye, Jr., to replace him. Scott decided to seek the Democratic nomination for the office the following year, declaring herself a candidate on April 28, 1976. In her announcement she said, "In North Carolina almost half of the total labor force is women, and I see no reason why a woman could not and should not be a part of administering laws which have to do with the working environment of all workers in this state, man or woman." One of four candidates, she presented herself as conservative and friendly to business interests, contrary to how members of the Scott family had previously presented themselves as progressives. She argued that, "Individuals, small businesses and industries are overwhelmed by the burden of governmental regulations and forms to fill out. What is needed is not more government, but better government."
In the first Democratic primary, Scott came in first with 37 percent of the vote while Raleigh attorney John C. Brooks finished second with 33 percent. As Scott had failed to secure an absolute majority, Brooks called for a run-off primary. Scott criticised Brooks—who had the backing of state AFL–CIO president Wilbur Hobby—as being too close to organized labor factions, though Brooks deflected this by pointing out that her family members had been elected to public office with the support of labor unions. Brooks won the second primary with 51 percent of the vote.
Later life.
In 1982, Scott became the chairwoman of the North Carolina chapter of the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society honored her with its Sword of Hope award that same year and granted her honorary life membership in the organization in 1995.
Jessie Rae Scott died at the Hillcrest Convalescent Center in Durham, North Carolina, on December 26, 2010, at the age of 81. She had been hospitalized since July 2010 due to complications from a fall. Her funeral was held at the Hawfields Presbyterian Church in Mebane, North Carolina.


Sterling-Winthrop Research Centre

The Sterling-Winthrop Research Centre was a research centre in Alnwick.
History.
It was also known as the Alnwick Research Center. It was part of the Sterling Research Group, owned by Sterling Drug. It was taken over by Sanofi-Aventis, run by Sanofi R&D.
Closure.
The site was near a Homebase and Argos. The site was put up for sale by Sanofi-Aventis in 2009.
Structure.
It was sited off the A1068 near the junction with the A1, in the south of Alnwick.


Charles Scudamore

Sir Charles Scudamore (1779–1849) was an English physician, known for his writings on gout.
Life.
The third son of William Scudamore, a surgeon, and his wife Elizabeth Rolfe, he was born at Wye, Kent, where his father was in practice. He was educated at Wye grammar school, of which the Rev. Philip Parsons was then master. He began his medical education as apprentice to his father, and continued it at Guy's Hospital and St. Thomas's Hospital in London for three years. He then settled in practice as an apothecary at Highgate, and there remained for ten years. He began medical study at Edinburgh in 1813, and graduated M.D. at Glasgow University on 6 May 1814. He was admitted a licentiate of the College of Physicians of London, 30 September 1814, and began practice as a physician in Holles Street, London.
Every year Scudamore spent time at Buxton, and was physician to the Buxton Bath Charity. In 1820 he was appointed physician to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Gotha. He attended the novelist Ann Radcliffe at her death in 1823; surviving records have led to the suggestion that Scudamore's prescriptions worsened her condition. In 1824 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Scudamore went to Ireland in March 1829 in attendance on Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland, then appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who knighted him at Dublin on 30 September 1829. He was also admitted an honorary member of Trinity College, Dublin, during his stay in Ireland. He died in his London house, 6 Wimpole Street, of disease of the heart, 4 August 1849. He is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery, London.
Works.
In 1818 Scudamore published the book by which he is best known "A Treatise on the Nature and Cure of Gout", dedicated to Matthew Baillie, and based on the author's observation of about 100 cases of gout. He attributed the rarity of gout in Glasgow to the constant walking even of the rich citizens. He was the first English author who mentions the frequent presence of a circular chest, instead of an elliptical one, in persons subject to gout. He gave also abstract of major works on gout, and older pathological theories. He showed little capacity for observing disease at the bedside, but had acquaintance with morbid anatomy. A second edition appeared in 1817, a third in 1819, and a fourth in 1823. In 1839 he printed a "Letter to Dr. Chambers" on gout, repeating his former views.
Other works were:
Family.
Scudamore married, in 1811, Georgiana Johnson, but had no children.
Notes.
Attribution


Cosmesis

Cosmesis is the preservation, restoration, or bestowing of bodily beauty. In the medical context, it usually refers to the surgical correction of a disfiguring defect, or the cosmetic improvements made by a surgeon following incisions. Its use is generally limited to the additional, usually minor, steps that the surgeon (who is generally operating for noncosmetic indications) takes to improve the aesthetic appearance of the scars associated with the operation. Typical actions include removal of damaged tissue, mitigation of tension on the wound, and/or using fine (thin) sutures to close the outer layer of skin.
Cosmetic surgery is the portion of plastic surgery that concerns itself with the elective improvement of cosmesis.
Prosthetic limbs.
The practice of cosmesis, the creation of lifelike limbs made from silicone or PVC, has grown in popularity. Such prosthetics, such as artificial hands, can now be made to mimic the appearance of real limbs, complete with freckles, veins, hair, fingerprints, and even tattoos. Custom-made silicone cosmeses are generally more expensive, costing thousands of US dollars depending on the level of detail. Standard cosmeses come ready-made in various sizes, though they are often not as realistic as their custom-made counterparts. Another option is the custom-made silicone cover, which can be made to match a person's skin tone, but not details such as freckles or wrinkles. Cosmeses are attached to the body using an adhesive, suction, form-fitting, stretchable skin, or a skin sleeve. Cosmeses act as a barrier from dirt, water and other particles, thus protecting the technology inside the glove.


Ruth Shoer Rappaport

Ruth Shoer Rappaport (née Shoer; April 22, 1937 - April 28, 2020) was an American scientist and vaccine researcher.
Early life and education.
Ruth Shoer was born on April 22, 1937 to Jennie (Pearl) Shoer and Irving Shoer. She grew up in Peabody, Massachusetts.
She graduated from Peabody High School. Along with her twin sister, Shoer graduated from Vassar College in 1959. She continued her studies at Yale University and earned her Ph.D. in 1967.
Career.
Ruth Shoer Rappaport was the first woman hired as a scientist at Wyeth Laboratories. She worked at Wyeth for four decades and rose to become the Senior Director of Clinical Immunology and Virology at the company. Her research contributed to the development of vaccines for several diseases such as influenza, HIV, human rotavirus, adenovirus, E. coli, and cholera. Throughout her career, Shoer Rappaport authored dozens of scientific papers.
Personal life.
Shoer Rappaport had two sisters, Patricia Goldman-Rakic, her identical twin, and Linda Faith Schoer. Shoer Rappaport was Jewish.
Death.
Ruth Shoer Rappaport died on April 28, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was 83 years old. She is buried at Maple Hill Cemetery in Peabody.
Shoer Rappaport bequeathed $1 million to her alma mater Peabody Veterans Memorial High School.


Elizabeth Davis (midwife)

Elizabeth Davis is an author, women's health care specialist, educator, consultant, and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). She is a resident of Sebastopol, California and a mother of three children. Since 1977, Davis has pioneered a professional path for midwives in the United States while educating women around the world. Davis is globally active as an expert on midwifery and reproductive health issues. She has been involved with midwifery education, legalization, and the battle for professional autonomy. She lectures on reproductive rights, sexuality, and healing birth trauma.
Davis has discussed information on controversial birth routines and how birth occurs on different levels of emotion and care, particularly in her 2019 revision of "Heart and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth, 5th edition." Davis has written other books including: "Energetic Pregnancy," "Women's Intuition," "The Rhythms of Women's Desire: How Female Sexuality Unfolds at Every Stage of Life," "Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying and Pleasurable Birth Experience" (co-authored with Debra Pascali-Bonaro), and "The Women's Wheel of Life" (co-authored with Carol Leonard).
Education.
Davis completed her midwifery apprenticeship training between 1977 and 1978. Elizabeth Davis received a degree in 1980 from Holistic Maternity Care at Antioch University. Davis is certified by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).
Career.
Davis was a representative to the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) for five consecutive years. She served as president for the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC). Davis is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the National Midwifery Institute Inc. The institution is a MEAC accredited, apprenticeship-based midwifery program. The program qualifies students for midwifery licensure in California and the CPM credential. Davis teaches Heart & Hands Midwifery Intensives, available in onsite and online formats, either as a freestanding course or as part of the curriculum for National Midwifery Institute.
Awards.
Davis and Shannon Anton, CPM, were given Brazen Woman Awards by the California Association of Midwives, 2004.
Davis was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Midwifery Today, at a conference in Germany, 2016.


Nanosponges

Nanosponges are a type of nanoparticle, often a synthesized carbon-containing polymer. They are porous in structure, pores being about 1–2 nanometers in size, and can therefore be targeted to absorb small amounts of matter or toxin. Nanosponges are often used in medicine as targeted drug delivery systems, detoxification methods, or as a way of damage control after an injury. They can also be used in environmental applications to clean up ecosystems by performing tasks like purifying water or metal deposits. Their small size allows them to move quickly through substances, like water or blood, efficiently finding and attacking unwanted matter. Nanosponges are often synthetically manufactured but oftentimes include natural materials to improve their efficiency when injected into the body. Nanosponges are superior to microsponges in application as the smaller size allows less disruption into the system in which it is implemented therefore imposing less risk of failed or detrimental effects. The prefix "nano" implies that items of this size are measured on a scale of formula_1meters.
History.
Nanosponges were first referred to as “cyclodextrin nanosponges” by DeQuan Li and Min Ma in 1998. This term was used because there is a cross-linked β-cyclodextrin with organic diisocyanates. An insoluble network is present in this structure, which shows a high inclusion constant. These polymers are formed through the reaction of native cyclodextrins with a cross-linking agent, the latter influencing the behavior and properties of the entire unit.
Cyclodextrin nanosponges were not discovered to have potential in being drug carriers until work done by Trotta and colleagues. They performed syntheses of new kinds of cyclodextrin nanosponges that revealed many potential applications that had not been previously considered.
Mechanisms.
Structure.
Cyclodextrins are a class of cyclic glucopyranose oligomers, with common structures of α, β, and γ. α-cyclodextrins comprise six glucopyranose units, β- cyclodextrins comprise seven, and γ comprise eight. Cyclodextrins are biological nanomaterials whose molecular structure greatly influences their supramolecular properties. To synthesize cyclodextrins, enzymatic action occurs on hydrolyzed starch.
Cyclodextrin nanosponges are made of a three dimensional cross-linked polymer network. They can be made with α, β, and γ cyclodextrins. The inclusion capacity and the solubilizing capacity of the nanosponges can be tuned according to how much of the cross-linking agent is used.
Functions.
Cyclodextrins have a toroidal shape, which allows them to have a cavity inside which can fit other molecules. This useful structure allows them to act as drug carriers in the body, as long as the compounds to be delivered have compatible geometry and polarity with the cavity. To determine when these compounds are delivered, the structure of the cyclodextrin nanosponge can be modified to release its contents sooner or later. Several ligands can be conjugated on the surface of the nanosponge to determine where it will target in the body.
Naturally inspired synthetic nanosponges.
Liposomes.
When injected into the body, synthetic nanosponges made of liposomes can be coated with leukocytes. These leukocytes can be incorporated in nanoparticles though methods known as the "ghost-cell" or "hitchhiking" strategy. Hitchhiking strategy is when nanoparticles are trafficked by living leukocytes. The ghost cell method entails nanoparticles coated in the natural membrane. Since they are coated with leukocytes, the nanosponges will pull towards a location of infection or foreign matter in the body. The nanosponges avoid macrophage attack because they are coated with natural materials. Researchers have only tested these in lab animals but suggest the liposome nanosponge could be easier to get approved by the FDA for in-patient use. Researchers have found promising results in using these nanosponges in drug delivery, relieving inflammation, and repairing damaged tissue.
Coatings (RBC & RBC-PL).
Common pathogens can be toxins that form pores in a cell membrane. These cells target red blood cells. When there are no red blood cells around, these toxins target platelets. Nanorobots with a coating similar to red blood cells and platelets exist, allowing them to be disguised as a red blood cell and/or platelet. These RBC-PL coated nanorobots display efficient propulsion in blood without apparent biofouling. Their movement mimics the movement of natural cells. This ability to blend in enhances their ability to bind to platelet-adhering pathogens. The increased binding ability helps the nanorobots more effectively neutralize toxins because a pathogen that targets these types of cells would be more likely to interact with the nanorobots. This, in turn, increases the amount of collisions and interactions between the nanorobots and the pathogens/toxins. The nanorobots help to absorb and remove the toxins and bacteria. Other functions of these nanorobots are the ability to neutralize cytolytic activity regardless of the molecular structure, enhancing mass transport, and they may also be able to fight auto-immune diseases. Having a natural coating on something synthetic allows the nanorobots to have the benefits of both natural and synthetic materials.
Environmental application.
Oil pollution in the ground.
Substances like crude oil and tar pollute the ground and are difficult to clean up because of how they stick to dirt and soil. These toxic materials slipping into the soil can cause detrimental health effects to animals and people who consume plants grown in this soil. Current methods of trying to remove these pollutants from hazardous waste sites have proven to be costly and inefficient. Engineers at Cornell University have created a 20 nanometer long particle that can self assemble in water so that its orientation allows for a hydrophilic exterior and hydrophobic interior. These particles are small enough to travel quickly through sand and soil with out getting trapped. The Cornell researchers injected these nanoparticles into the bottom of a steel column filled with sand contaminated by phenanthrene and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), components typically found in tar. They watched as the nanoparticles traveled up the column, cleaning the sand along the way. The hydrophobic cores of the nanosponge drew the phenanthrene off the sand grains and into the interior of the sponge.
Researchers intend to one day use this technology to improve upon "pump and treat remediation," in which polluted groundwater is pumped up to the surface, cleaned of its pollutants, and then injected back into the ground. With these nanoparticles implemented, pollutants can be more efficiently collected with out getting trapped in the soil. Once cleaned of the toxins they have collected, they can be injected into the soil once more to continue cleaning.
Purification of wastewater.
Some nanosponges are made to be eco-friendly and have a high concentration of carboxyl groups. They are used to remove metal deposits in wastewater in the oceans, where organisms can absorb these deposits which leads to detrimental build up in their tissue. The concentration of heavy metals grows while going up the food chain as organisms eat other organisms. Being at the top of the food pyramid, humans are most at risk for the detrimental effects of these metals in our food. These effects include allergic reactions, insomnia, vision problems, and can be as extreme as to cause mental disability, dementia, and kidney disease. Unlike many organic pollutants, heavy metals can be removed and destroyed by using nanomaterials like nanosponges. These nanomaterials act as sustainable filtering materials by binding to metals and removing them from wastewater before they disperse into the ecosystem. Using nanosponges for this results in a higher efficiency and lower cost than alternative cleaning methods like ion exchange resins, activated carbon, or other biological agents. Porous materials produced from renewable and low cost sources, like cellulose, chitin, or starch, are one of the most promising classes of absorbents in terms of effectiveness.
Cyclodextrins (CDs) and amylose are derived from starches and are well known for their peculiar structural features and complex properties. The internal cavities in these CDs serve as sites for hydrophobic or very weakly hydrophilic molecules and hence generate a strong affinity to organic molecules at water-solid interfaces. In order to properly bind metal to these CDs, dextrins must be chemically changed by adding an acidic functional group. These functional groups are allowed to undergo deprotonation in an aqueous media so the reaction of these with the hydroxyl groups in dextrin allows negatively charged insoluble polymers to be created . These polymers are known as nanosponges for their porous characteristic; they are able to bond to both organic molecules and metal deposits. After cleaning, these nanosponges can easily be separated from the water through simple filtration since they are insoluble in all solvents.
One type of nanosponge being researched is prepared with β-cyclodextrins and a linear pea starch derivative called linecaps. β-cyclodextrins are used due to low cost and medium-sized pores allowing for a broad range of guest molecules to be collected. Additionally, β-cyclodextrins are favored over dextrin polymers, as they can interact with transition metals also. Primary and secondary hydroxyl groups can act as coordination sites with some metal ions, and CDs can coordinate more than one ion at a time. These two components are reacted with citric acid in water to create the nanosponges using sodium hypophosphate monohydrate as a catalyst for the reaction. These nanosponges were compared to the performance of nanosponges synthesized in the same manner substituting PDMA (pyromellitate substance) for citric acid.
A high number of cross-links were introduced into the synthesis process in order to create a maximum amount of carboxyl groups. This allowed for a higher complexation ability of these nanosponges to other molecules. A high degree of cross-linking generally leads to low swellable polymers which are more suited for water treatment, as the water will not take up the space meant for metal waste and can more easily be filtered from water after cleaning. Higher contact time leads to higher efficiency of the cleaning of nanosponges in wastewater.
It was found, at high metal concentrations, that pyromellitate was able to absorb more metal deposits. At low concentrations, they both performed nearly identical. However, in the presence of interfering sea water, citrate nanosponges were able to selectively absorb more metal than the PDMA nanosponges, allowing them to be more effective in the cleanup of metal from salt water. Although the research of these citric acid nanosponges is still undergoing revision and development, they show promise for being a sustainable way to clean metal deposits from the ecosystem.
Medical applications.
Drug delivery.
Nanosponges are being researched to be used for drug delivery systems to treat cancer and infectious diseases. Although nanosponges are one three-thousandth the size of red blood cells, they each can carry thousands of drug molecules. They can hide in the immune system where immune cells try to destroy and remove foreign material from the body. Particles coated with membranes from circulating red blood cells cannot be detected. Additionally, particles coated with membranes from circulating white blood cells or leukocytes avoid attack from macrophages.
Major concerns regarding recently developed chemical entities include pharmacokinetic issues, poor solubility in water, and low bioavailability. These lead to obstacles when using conventional drug dosage forms. Nanosponges can conquer these problems as their porous structure allows them the unique capability to entrap both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs and release them in a highly predictable manor. These small sponges travel throughout the body until they reach the targeted site where they bind to the surface and perform controlled drug release. Nanosponge technology is widely explored for its use in drug delivery using oral, parenteral, and topical administration techniques.This may include substances such as antineoplastic agents, proteins and peptides, volatile oils, and genetic materials. These small sponges travel throughout the body until they reach the targeted site where they bind to the surface and perform controlled drug release. Potential applications in target site-specific drug delivery include the lungs, spleen, and liver.
Fight antibiotic resistance.
Membrane-coated nanosponges could be used to fight antibiotic resistance because they trap and remove toxins from blood. Toxins that attack red blood cells will cling to nanosponges because the sponges are coated with living cells. The sponges absorb the toxins, so they can no longer harm the cells, and the toxins are taken to the liver and broken down.
Detoxification.
A study was conducted to determine nanosponges' ability to absorb pore-forming toxins. Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are the most common protein toxins found in nature. They disrupt cells by forming pores in cellular membranes which alter the permeability of the cells. Examples of this include bacterial infections and venom. These venoms all use a pore-forming strategy, in which they create pores in the cells they attack in order for them to leak until they are no longer functional. The idea behind this study was that by limiting PFTs the severity of bacterial infections may be able to be reduced. The study was conducted using a nanosponge (polymeric core) wrapped in a natural red blood cell membrane bilayer so that the bacteria or venom will attack it. The polymeric core stabilizes the membrane shell and the membrane bilayer allows the nanosponge to absorb a wide range of PFTs. Testing was done to determine the ability of the nanosponges to neutralize PFTs. Researchers found that the nanosponge absorbed membrane-damaging toxins and diverted them away from their cellular targets. In mice, the nanosponges significantly reduced the toxicity of staphylococcal α-hemolysin and improved the survival rate.
The membrane draped nanoparticles work so that once a toxin has attacked, it is trapped within the scaffolding of the nanosponge. After the nanosponge is full of toxins and cannot trap anymore it moves to the liver to filter out the toxins. Researchers are posed with is how to tackle all the different types of bacteria and venom, making a lot of different nanosponges for each specific bacteria and venom is nearly impossible. As of now they are focusing on toxins such as; E. coli, MRSA, pneumonia, bee venom, snake venom and sea anemone venom. A single nanosponge can capture many of the bacteria and venoms, instead of being tailored to each individually because when the venom physically tried to induce a whole in the red blood cell membrane, the venom will get stuck inside the sponge.
An obstacle researchers are faced with is the lifespan of the nanosponges. Once nanosponges are injected they can move rapidly through the blood system, and be found in the liver to be filtered out within hours. This means the nanosponge does not have enough time to soak up the maximum amount of toxin that it can hold. Researchers are working on a technique using hydrogel to coat the nanosponges to increase the life of the nanosponge and help them to remain stationary after injection to more efficiently purge the body of toxins. A study done by The University of California found that 80 percent of nanosponges coated with a hydrogel lasted more than two days after injection. Only 20 percent of nanosponges not coated in the hydrogel lasted two hours after injection, and diffused to other locations in the body.
Treating ischemic strokes.
Mn3O4@nanoerythrocyte-T7 (MNET) nanosponges can regulate oxygen and scavenge free radicals in the event of an ischemic stroke, which is a global leading cause of death and disability. These engineered nanosponges can help attenuate hypoxia after a stroke by mimicking red blood cells and increasing the amount of oxygen in the infarct area. This allows for the extension of the survival time of neurocytes, a crucial part of treating an ischemic stroke because their normal functions must be maintained.
MNET works because it contains hemoglobin, which allows for there to be an oxygen sponge effect. This effect works by releasing oxygen in hypoxic areas and absorbing it in oxygen-rich areas. The sponge effect, along with the free radical scavenging, can successfully and efficiently treat ischemic strokes.
Biomimetic nanoparticles, like MNET nanosponges, can easily pass the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). The efficiency of the BBB-crossing of MNET is improved by the T7 peptide, which is critical in treating an ischemic stroke. In a study on middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats, those treated with MNET experienced a significant attenuation of neurological damage.
Safety applications.
Explosive detection.
Properties of nanoparticles can be altered through nanoparticle-ligand systems which are targeted to specific analytes. Electromagnetic properties of nanosponges can be altered by analyte binding to be used as a transducer in chemical sensing systems, specifically for explosive analytes. Sensors based on these properties are intended to detect low concentrations of explosive analytes in both solution and vapor phase based detection. These systems can be built from detection systems from standard components as the signal collected from these transducers is measured with standard scientific instrumentation, allowing this to be a more applicable option of explosive detection. Semiconducting metal oxides are widely considered as the most promising platform for solid-state gas sensors. Due to enhanced responsiveness of conductance to surface effects, various forms of metal oxides that have been nanostructured have been synthesized and their sensing properties studied.
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is one electromagnetic property that was examined. In AuNPs, the free electrons within the metal surface will interact with light, which results in large oscillations in the surface electromagnetic field. This results in the particles absorbing light strongly at the particular resonant frequencies of these electrons, promoting SPR bands. In order to use this concept in sensor systems, one must use them in surface enhances Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A Raman spectrum can be used to fingerprint a molecule, using incident light to excite Raman active vibrational modes irreversible scattering of photons. This creates a unique spectrum that can provide information on molecular shape. The spectrum obtained from an unknown analyte can be compared to the library of known spectra to identify any threats.
Raman scattering is very weak, making detection difficult to enhancement is required. If a molecule is bound to a metal surface, incident light excites the surface plasmons, inducing polarization in the bound molecules, increasing the amount of irreversible scattered light from the Raman vibrational modes leading to signal enhancement. The best SERS enhancement is achieved by having strong localized plasmons that fall within the wavelength of the Raman laser excitation, which is why gold and silver are often used. With their SPR bands being anywhere from 400 to 800 nanometers, the SPR bands in gold and silver particles are easy to access with visible light. Additionally, they are stable in air as they are chemically inert.
The fluorescence of colloidal semiconductors is another property analyzed in creating sensor systems. Quantum dots are semiconducting nanoparticles which are small enough to confine a generated hole-electron pair in all three spatial directions, leading to quantization of the energy levels causing the electronic structure of the material to sit between a classical semiconductor and a classic molecular material. This quantization causes nanoparticles to display sharp photon absorption and emission bands, and the band gap is closely related to the size of the nanoparticle. Fluorescence arises from photoexcitation in these quantum dots and is easily tuned to the visible or near infrared region of the spectrum, by choice of semiconductor material and particle size, making quantum-useful fluorophores. Quantum dots have many properties of interest in order to be used as chemical sensors, including their high fluorescent quantum yields, resistance to photobleaching, and broad absorption allowing for narrow emission bands. They lend themselves nicely to multichannel fluorophore systems, with single excitation wavelength causing emission from many species of many different colors. The surface of these particles can be changed with targeting ligands to allow specific fluorescent enhancement. These optical properties of quantum dots are being exploited to build an explosive sensing array of dots. By combining multichannel fluorophore systems with variable response to different explosives, it is possible to identify different explosives at low concentrations. This technology can be used in wastewater or ground pollution, as well in areas of hazardous waste to identify areas of threat or contaminated substances that could cause health risks to people and animals.
Current primary medical research.
Current research is mainly being done for medical application for use of nanosponges in treating bacterial infections (sepsis, pneumonia, and skin and soft tissue infections), viral infections (zika, HIV, and influenza), autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, immune thrombocytopenic purpura), and venoms (snakes and other animals). A lot of research is only in its primary stages as implementing these solution to the human body poses many risks for which these applications of nanosponges are not yet developed enough.
Brain injury reduction.
Nanosponges have been tested experimentally on mice and have been shown to reduce swelling from brain or head injury. When an injury occurs, tissue in the area of injury will swell and immune cells will race to the damages area. When this injury is in the head, this racing of immune cells will lead to swelling in the brain and can be dangerous because the brain is contained within the cell and therefore there is no place for it to move leading to pressure in the head that can be detrimental. Research suggest nanoparticles can be injected into the head as a way to distract immune cells from rushing to the brain which will reduce swelling.
After head injury, mice were left to be for two to three hours and subsequently injected with biodegradable nanoparticles made from an unspecified but FDA approved polymer which is commonly used in some dissolving sutures. Instead of rushing to the head, some immune cells called monocytes ran towards these nanosponges instead of the brain. The monocytes engulfed the nanoparticles and the cells as well as the nanoparticles are then sent to the spleen for elimination in the body. Because the elimination of these particles can happen so fast, researchers were able to inject mice once more two to three days later to combat inflammation that might come back slowly after injury. Mice with this treatment fared better in recovery than those that did not receive this injection and the injured spot reduced to half its size in mice with the nanoparticle treatment. Mice's vision cells performed better in response to light and were able to better walk across a ladder after recovering showing improvement in behavior and motor function.
Other potential therapies to treat trauma rely on drugs or other cargo to be sent alongside the nanoparticles however this study was done using bare nanoparticles making it cheaper and safer in trial as less material is injected into the organism.
Researchers have not tested this study on human injury. Factors like severity of injury and general recovery time will determine the effects of sending these nanoparticles inside the body. The way the brain suffers involve more bodily reactions that simply this immune response and if accumulation of nanoparticles if not removed from the body fast enough, they may spread to other parts of the body and cause toxic damage.
Macrophage biomimetic nanoparticles for management of sepsis.
Currently, sepsis treatments are lacking. Most treatments are just supportive and not effective against fighting the infection. Research that uses nanoparticles that are biomimetic to macrophages. The macrophage coating onto the nanoparticle surface increases the surface to volume ratio of the nanoparticle. This increased ratio is important for efficient endotoxin neutralization. These macrophages act as decoys that can bind to and neutralize endotoxins. Without neutralizing these endotoxins, an immune response would be triggered. These nanoparticles are able to sequester proinflammatory cytokines which inhibit the ability to start a septic response. These have been tested in a mouse "Escherichia coli" bacteremia model, where the nanoparticles were able to significantly increase the survival of the mice by decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine levels and preventing the bacteria from disseminating. This cannot be replicated in the medical field yet, but it shows promise toward being able to treat sepsis.
Limitations of research.
Although research is moving forward, scientists have found some limitations. The use of both natural exterior components with synthetic interior components increases the complexity of development of nanosponges. Low solubility and aqueous instability are leading causes of structural complexity. Additionally, their small size and unique properties at the nanoscale make it difficult to fully extract them out of the body or ecosystem, which could cause increasing amounts of unwanted synthetic material in the environment or in the body. For this reason, it is also hard to conduct human studies. Like any medical research, there is a large range of risk associated with implementing new treatments, as results could potentially be fatal. If nanoparticles are unable to be extracted from the body, the toxicity content could cause internal harm to the patient. The body's rejection of these nanoparticles could also cause an unwanted immunoresponse, which could harm the body more than helping it. For example, Dr. Zhang of the University of California, San Diego suggests that for rheumatoid arthritis, this could elicit an immune response, therefore, not fighting the disease but driving it. If neutrophil membranes are used to coat nanoparticles, they contain autoantigens which causes an immune response.


Sarai Walker

Sarai Walker is a writer whose book "Dietland" was identified as one of Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best books of 2015, and has subsequently been turned into a TV series. She has published articles in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Refinery29. Walker is a fat positive activist and her writings reflect an attempt to reclaim the word fat as a mere bodily description—like tall or short.
Life and education.
Walker grew up in California and Utah, and is now based in New Mexico. Walker received her M.F.A. in creative writing from Bennington College, and her Ph.D. in English from the University of London (2005). Walker started out writing at teen and women's magazines, and later wrote for "Our Bodies, Ourselves".
Fat Acceptance Movement and activism.
Walker is an adamant supporter of rights and dignity for fat people. As such, she frequently speaks on the assumptions others make about her life because of her body. Ranging from assuming the types of exercises, or lack thereof, to the type of diet she eats, Walker is adamant that people can be healthy at any size and that the mistreatment of her body is a political issue.
Walker also believes that literature has not adequately written about fat women. Her first encounters of fat characters in film always embodied somewhat of a tragedy. If it was murder out of jealousy, being the selfless friend to the beautiful leading character by helping him/her “grow” as a person, or embarking on a desperate journey of losing weight out of self-hatred. Fat people in film usually carried sadness and pity within themselves.
"Dietland" was thus an attempt to cover some of the missing elements in American literature that pertain to fat women. Plum, the main character in "Dietland", is a 300 pound woman. Walker also specifically wanted to emphasize that fatness is not always a sign that a person has had trauma, stripping the definition of fatness from its common connotations, and specifically attempting to remove the fundamental stereotype that fat is synonymous with unhealthy. Naming the phenomenon of those who refuse to think fat people can be healthy, Fat Derangement Syndrome, Walker proposes that individuals often do not look at actual scientific studies in regards to the health of fat people, but are more so operating on societal de-valuing of fat people. Walker has publicly stated that London (where she lived for seven years for grad school) was the most fat shaming city she has ever lived in.
In addition to her participation in the Fat Acceptance Movement, Walker is also a feminist and frequently criticizes the objectification of women, and violence against women. She is also clear that she does not write characters that are "perfect women." As an act of feminism, in fact, she purposefully does not concern herself with likeability issues for her characters, and focuses instead on making characters that are accurately flawed. As such, she creates characters that do not fit into the conventions of likeable womanhood (i.e. skinny and kind), and instead writers characters that do not fit neatly into any category.


UNICEF Indonesia

UNICEF Indonesia is one of over 190 national offices of the United Nations Children’s Fund. As one of the first UNICEF offices established in Asia, UNICEF Indonesia has been on the ground since 1948 to uphold the rights of children in the vast archipelago, including their right to an education, healthcare and protection from abuse and exploitation. It also advocates for political change in support of children, and works with partner organizations from the public, charity and private sectors, to effect change.
UNICEF was created in 1946 to provide food, clothing and health care to children in Europe after the Second World War. In 1953, the UN General Assembly extended UNICEF’s mandate indefinitely and in 1989 it adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which has since become the most widely adopted human rights treaty in history. The CRC now underpins UNICEF’s work around the world, including in Indonesia, and defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care and nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene that enables children to survive and thrive.
Missions.
UNICEF Indonesia objectives for 2010 - 2015 are working with the government and academic research centres and other partners to help shape child-friendly policies and more effective public social spending that will reach millions of children and reduce disparities. UNICEF Indonesia also helps to build capacity for government institutions to offer basic health, education, child protection services thereby increasing access for individuals and families.
UNICEF Indonesia main areas of work will cover:
Policy Advocacy and Partnerships for Children which focuses on social policy, budgeting, social protection, evidence-based advocacy, knowledge management, communications for development, media relations and private sector fundraising and partnerships.
Child Survival and Development which provides strategic support and technical assistance to improve policies, access to and uptake of services through the health system particularly the posyandu (integrated health post) network. It aims to improve water and sanitation for poor and vulnerable children and women; developing capacity in health human resources, particularly in remote poor areas; improving health information systems, monitoring and evaluation; documenting lessons learnt to improve governance, services and resource allocation.
Education and Adolescent Development aims to ensure children and young people, especially vulnerable populations, are equipped with adequate knowledge, basic education and life skills to cope with challenges and opportunities such as fighting HIV and AIDS. It also aims to have improved government and community-based organization capacities at national and sub-national levels for implementing holistic early childhood development; strengthened legislation and increased budget allocations for achieving school readiness for children below 7 years age and improved education sector preparedness plans and strengthened capacities of government and civil society organizations to respond to disasters and emergencies.
Child Protection emphasizes building comprehensive child protection systems at national and sub-national levels. Priorities include strengthened service delivery systems at the national and sub-national levels; promoting family-based care; developing a child sensitive justice system and promoting restorative justice for child offenders. UNICEF is continuing to assist the government to roll out universal birth registration.
UNICEF Indonesia Goodwill Ambassador include Ferry Salim. He has been an ambassador since 2004.
Where does UNICEF add its value?
1. By being a centre of knowledge and expertise to empower government to be effective in supporting services for children and women.
2. By targeting resources to reach the most vulnerable
3. By empowering children and young people themselves
4. By being at the forefront of emergency response


Francine Ntoumi

Francine Ntoumi Ph.D., HDR, PvDz, FRCPedin (born 1961) is a Congolese parasitologist specializing in malaria. She was the first African person in charge of the secretariat of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (2006-2010). In recent years, she has become involved in research on other infectious diseases.
Early life and education.
Francine Ntoumi was born in 1961 in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Her father was an electrical engineer (one of the first in the Congo) and her mother was a neonatal nurse. She is the eldest of five siblings and the only girl.
Ntoumi received her primary education in Brazzaville. She moved to France for her BEPC degree, which she earned in 1975, and her baccalauréat, which she earned in 1978 from the Lycée Marie Curie de Sceaux. She earned her bachelor's degree in biology in 1989, then her doctorate in 1992 from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie.
Career.
After earning her Ph.D., Ntoumi began her molecular immunology and epidemiology research on malaria at the Pasteur Institute of Paris. She took a position in Franceville, Gabon, as a researcher at the International Center for Medical Research in 1995, and remained there until 2000. That year, she became the Head of Laboratory at the Medical Research Unit of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon, and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen. She remained in these positions until 2005. Between 2006 and 2007, Ntoumi was the Scientific Director of the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), located in The Hague, Netherlands. She then led the Secretariat of the Multilateral Initiative Against Malaria in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, until 2010, as its first African leader.
Ntoumi has worked to reinforce the African continent's public health research capacity, through efforts coordinating the Central Africa Network on Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and Malaria (CANTAM). She is a member of many scientific committees, including the Global Health Scientific Advisory Committee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ntoumi is the President of the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research (FCRM), which she founded in 2008, which helped to establish the University Marien Ngouabi's first laboratory for molecular biology. Ntoumi is a senior lecturer at University Marien Ngouabi and has also been an associate professor at the University of Tübingen since 2010. Since 2014, she has been a professor and researcher at the Marien Ngouabi University.
Ntoumi is involved in a programme “to make science a female ambition” in Africa, which aims to promote gender balance in science.
Publications.
Ntoumi has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) and Nature Genetics.
Honors and awards.
Ntoumi was the first Sub-Saharan African woman to receive the Georg Foster prize, for her work creating networks to combat infectious diseases across Africa. She has also been lauded for her leadership and education of scientists across Sub-Saharan Africa. Ntoumi has also been awarded a fellowship of the African Academy of Science.
Other awards include:


Raz Yirmiya

Raz Yirmiya (Hebrew: רז ירמיה; born 1956) is an Israeli behavioral neuroscientist and director of the Laboratory for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He is best known for providing the first experimental evidence for the role of immune system activation in depression,
for discovering that disturbances in brain microglia cells underlie some forms of depression,
and for elucidating the involvement of inflammatory cytokines in regulation of cognitive and emotional processes.
Biography and academic education.
Raz Yirmiya was born in Rehovot, Israel, and grew up in the northern Israeli beach town Nahariya. Following high-school graduation he joined the Israel Defense Forces, and served as an officer in the Education Corps. Raz Yirmiya obtained a bachelor's degree in Psychobiology from Haifa University and M.Sc. in Physiology from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He did his Ph.D. in Neuroscience under the supervision of Prof. John C. Liebeskind at the University of California, Los Angeles, US. After a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA he returned in 1990 to an academic position in the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in which he was appointed to a full Professor in 2003.
Raz Yirmiya is married to Professor Nurit Yirmiya and they have 4 children.
Scientific career.
In his initial studies during the early 1990s Yirmiya demonstrated that psychoactive drugs, particularly alcohol and opiates, modulate immune functioning and resistance to cancer via brain-to-immune communication pathways.
After establishing his laboratory in Jerusalem, Yirmiya focused on the implications of immune-to-brain signaling and using animal models of various infectious, autoimmune and neurological diseases he established the relationships between brain inflammatory cytokines and sickness behavior symptoms. He is specifically known for providing the first experimental evidence for a relationship between immune activation and major depression.
His contribution was described in a historical review by Robert Dantzer and Keith Kelly,
Who stated: "Raz Yirmiya was the first psychobiologist to draw the analogy between sickness behavior and depression. He showed that rats treated with cytokines are less sensitive to the rewarding properties of a saccharin solution or to the presentation of a sexually-active partner. Some of these deficits can be prevented by chronic but not acute administration of antidepressant drugs that have little or no beneficial effects on sickness behavior." In parallel studies, Yirmiya employed unique controlled and prospective experimental models of disease in humans, demonstrating that immune challenges, such as endotoxin administration, rubella vaccination or minor surgery, induce cytokine-mediated disturbances in behavioral, emotional and cognitive functions.
Together, these studies directly contributed to the formation of novel conceptualizations and the development of clinically effective treatments for inflammation-associated major depression.
In recent years, Yirmiya discovered that microglia cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain play a critical role in normal neuro-behavioral processes, including hippocampal-dependent memory consolidation, neural plasticity, neurogenesis, and the modulation of these processes by environmental enrichment.
On the other hand, disturbances in the structure and functioning of microglia cells and pathophysiological levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 in the brain underlie the impairments in cognition and neurogenesis associated with stress.
and neurodegenerative diseases,
as well as the development of depression.
Yirmiya also discovered (together with Itai Bab from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem), the existence of brain-to-bone communication pathways, mediated by the sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system, and reported that chronic stress-induced depression produces bone loss via modulation of these pathways, forming the foundations of a new field of research that we termed "NeuroPsychoOsteology".
Raz Yirmiya is a past-president of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society (PNIRS)
He was an Associate Editor of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (Elsevier Press)
and a recipient of the Norman Cousins Award for outstanding contributions to research in psychoneuroimmunology.


Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance

The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of a surfactant is a measure of the degree to which it is hydrophilic or lipophilic, determined by calculating values for the different regions of the molecule, as described by Griffin in 1949 and 1954. Other methods have been suggested, notably in 1957 by Davies.
Griffin's method.
Griffin's method for non-ionic surfactants as described in 1954 works as follows:
formula_1
where formula_2 is the molecular mass of the hydrophilic portion of the molecule, and M is the molecular mass of the whole molecule, giving a result on a scale of 0 to 20.
An HLB value of 0 corresponds to a completely lipophilic/hydrophobic molecule, and a value of 20 corresponds to a completely hydrophilic/lipophobic molecule.
The HLB value can be used to predict the surfactant properties of a molecule:
Davies' method.
In 1957, Davies suggested a method based on calculating a value based on the chemical groups of the molecule. The advantage of this method is that it takes into account the effect of stronger and weaker hydrophilic groups. The method works as follows:
formula_3
where:
formula_4 - Number of hydrophilic groups in the molecule
formula_5 - Value of the formula_6th hydrophilic groups (see tables)
formula_7 - Number of lipophilic groups in the molecule


Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics

The Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics is a bimonthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics. It was established in 1976 and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. The editor-in-chief is A. Li Wan Po (Centre for Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy).
Abstracting and indexing.
The journal is abstracted and indexed in:
According to the "Journal Citation Reports", the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 1.668.


Bili light

A bili light is a light therapy tool to treat newborn jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia). High levels of bilirubin can cause brain damage (kernicterus), leading to cerebral palsy, auditory neuropathy, gaze abnormalities and dental enamel hypoplasia. The therapy uses a blue light (420–470 nm) that converts bilirubin into a form that can be excreted in the urine and feces. Soft goggles are put on the child to reduce eye damage from the high intensity light.


Nervine

Nervine was a patent medicine tonic produced in 1884 by Dr. Miles Medical Company (now Miles Laboratories). It is a cognate of 'Nerve', and the implication was that the material worked to calm nervousness.
Modern Usage.
In the late 20th and early 21st century, promulgators of alternative medicine and herbalism have begun to use the term Nervine as an adjective. This is not a term used by mainstream/accepted medicine, where anxiolytic is the preferred term.


Maria Leptin

Professor Maria Leptin is a scientist working in developmental biology and immunology. She leads research groups at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. In 2010 she was appointed Director of the European Molecular Biology Organization.
Education.
After completing her studies in mathematics and biology at the University of Bonn and the University of Heidelberg, Maria Leptin worked for her PhD at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland, (1979-1983) studying B-lymphocyte activation under the supervision of Fritz Melchers.
Career.
In 1984 she moved, as a post doctoral fellow (1984-1987), to the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), Cambridge, UK, where she started her research on position-specific (PS) integrins involved in the embryonic development of Drosophila, joining the laboratory of Michael Wilcox. This work laid the foundations for her future work in the field of molecular morphogenesis. In 1988, Maria Leptin was appointed as staff scientist at the same institution.
She then went to Pat O’Farrell's lab at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), as a visiting scientist. This was the occasion for her to begin studying gastrulation. After this experience Maria Leptin joined the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany, where, between 1989 and 1994, she worked as group leader.
In 1994, Maria Leptin became Professor at the Institute of Genetics University of Cologne, Germany, where she still leads a research group.
Subsequently, she had two more experiences abroad as a visiting Professor at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France (2001) and as visiting scientist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK (2004-2005).
She has been a member of the Academia Europaea since 1998 . On May 25, 2016, she was elected a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
EMBO Director.
In 2010 Professor Maria Leptin was appointed Director of the European Molecular Biology Organization, Heidelberg. At the same time, she established a research group in Heidelberg at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). The group studies the development of complex cell shapes in the respiratory system of Drosophila and the role of RNA localisation in generating cell shape.
Maria Leptin was the first woman to be appointed Director of EMBO, succeeding the previous EMBO directors Raymond Appleyard, John Tooze, Frank Gannon and Hermann Bujard. “I am thrilled to continue the initiatives begun by previous directors that promote the molecular life sciences in Europe and worldwide,” said Maria Leptin upon her acceptance as the next Director of EMBO. “EMBO plays a vital role in representing biological research – a role made possible through the organization’s extensive networks of respected leaders across the many fields of molecular biology.”
Research Interests.
Maria Leptin's interest in biology dates back to high school years where she was taught by a "fantastic teacher, a skinny little old lady, who was very original, and very enthusiastic." Her degree in maths and biology was meant to lead her into teaching. Maria Leptin eventually decided to become a researcher while attending a practical at the University of Heidelberg, taught by scientists from the Basel Institute of Immunology.
After her PhD in immunology Maria Leptin moved to development biology as a post doc, but had the chance to get back to immunology later in her scientific career.
Her two research groups are now working on both fields.


Alcohol Health Alliance UK

The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is a coalition of more than 50 non-governmental organisations which work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a professor of hepatology at the University of Liverpool and the Royal College of Physician's Special Advisor on Alcohol has chaired the Alliance since it was established in November 2007.
Policy.
The AHA promotes policies for reducing the harm caused by alcohol as set out in "Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK".
The top policy recommendations to tackle alcohol harm from "Health First" are:
Members.
The following organisations are members of the Alcohol Health Alliance: