New mutation within a common haplotype is associated with calf muscle weakness in Holsteins.

A recessive haplotype resulting in elevated calf mortality but with apparent incomplete penetrance was previously linked to the end of chromosome 16 (78.7-80.7 Mbp). Genotype analysis of 5.6 million Holsteins indicated that the haplotype was common and traced back to 1952, with a key ancestor born in 1984 (HOUSA1964484, Southwind) identified from chip genotypes as homozygous for the suspect haplotype. Sequence data from Southwind (an affected calf) and the sire of the affected calf were scanned for candidate mutations. A missense mutation with a deleterious projected impact at 79,613,592 bp was homozygous in the affected calf and heterozygous in the calf's sire and Southwind. Sequence data available from the Cooperative Dairy DNA Repository for 299 other Holsteins indicated a 97% concordance with the haplotype and an 89% call rate. The exon amino acid sequence appears to be broadly conserved in the CACNA1S gene, and mutations in humans and mice can cause phenotypes of temporary or permanent paralysis analogous to those in calves with the haplotype causing muscle weakness (HMW). Improved methods for using pedigree to track new mutations within existing haplotypes were developed and applied to the haplotypes for both muscle weakness and Holstein cholesterol deficiency (HCD). For HCD, concordance of the gene test with its haplotype status was greatly improved. For both defects, haplotype status was matched to heifer livability records for 558,000 calves. For HMW, only 46 heifers with livability records were homozygous and traced only to Southwind on both sides. Of those, 52% died before 18 mo at an average age of 1.7 ± 1.6 mo, but that death rate may be underestimated if only healthier calves were genotyped. The death rate was 2.4% for noncarriers. Different reporting methods or dominance effects may be needed to include HMW and other partially lethal effects in selection and mating. Direct tests are needed for new mutations within existing common haplotypes because tracking can be difficult even with accurate pedigrees when the original haplotype has a high frequency.

Mental health-related structural stigma and discrimination in health and social policies in Nepal: A scoping review and synthesis.

AIMS: National policies can be used to reveal structural stigma and discrimination in relation to mental health. This review assesses how structural stigma and discrimination are manifested in the policies and legislations of Government of Nepal. METHODS: Scoping review methodology was followed to review policy documents (acts of parliament, legislation, policies, strategies, guidelines and official directives) drafted or amended after 2010. RESULTS: Eighty-nine policies were identified related to health, social welfare, development and regulations which were relevant to people with psychosocial and mental disabilities or have addressed the mental health agendas. Several critical policy failings and gaps are revealed, such as the use of stigmatizing language (e.g., 'insane' or 'lunatic'), inconsistencies within and between policies, deviation from international protocols defining legal capacity and consent, lack of inclusion of the mental health agenda in larger development policies and lack of cost-effective interventions and identification of financing mechanisms. Provisions for people living with mental health conditions included adequate standard of living; attaining standard mental health; the right to exercise legal capacity, liberty and security; freedom from torture or discrimination; and right to live independently. However, other policies contradicted these rights, such as prohibiting marriage, candidacy for and retention of positions of authority and vulnerability to imprisonment. CONCLUSION: Mental health-related structural stigma and discrimination in Nepal can be identified through the use of discriminator language and provisions in the policies. The structural stigma and discrimination may be addressed through revision of the discriminating policies, integrating the mental health agenda into larger national and provincial policies, and streamlining policies to comply with national and international protocols.

Genomic evaluation of late-term abortion in cows recorded through Dairy Herd Improvement test plans.

Late-term abortions cause significant economic loss and are of great concern for dairy herds. Late-term abortions >152 d and <251 d of gestation that terminate a lactation or initiate a new lactation have long been recorded by Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI). For 24.8 million DHI lactations, the average recorded incidence of late-term abortions across all years (2001-2018) was 1.2%. However, the 1.3% incidence of abortions reported in 2012 has declined to <1.0% incidence since 2015. Small adjustments were applied to the 82 million daughter pregnancy rate (DPR), 29 million cow conception rate (CCR), and 9 million heifer conception rate (HCR) records to account for late-term abortions more accurately. Fertility credits for CCR and HCR were changed to treat the last breeding as a failure instead of success if the next calving was coded as a late-term abortion. Similarly, when computing DPR, days open is now set to the maximum value of 250 instead of the reported days open if the next reported calving is an abortion. The test of these changes showed very small changes in standard deviation and high correlations (0.997) of adjusted predicted transmitting abilities (PTA) with official PTA from about 20,000 Holstein bulls born since 2000 with >50% reliability. For late-term abortion as a trait, estimated heritability was only 0.001 and PTA had a standard deviation of only 0.1% for recent sires with high reliability (>75%). Young animal genomic PTA have near 50% reliability but range only from -0.5 to +0.4 because of the low incidence and heritability. Genetic trend was slightly favorable and late-term abortion PTA were correlated favorably by 0.27 with net merit, 0.49 with productive life, 0.33 with livability, 0.23 with CCR, 0.20 with HCR, 0.26 with DPR, -0.31 with somatic cell score, -0.24 with daughter stillbirth, and -0.26 with daughter dystocia. Thus, PTA for late-term abortions should not be needed as a separate fertility trait and instead these minor edit changes should suffice. The PTA for late-term abortions would add little value because national evaluations for current fertility traits already account for those economic losses.

Crown Lengthening Surgery for Enhancing Restorative Treatment in Esthetic Zone.

For obtaining adequate retention for restoring cases like subgingival caries or extensive caries that shortens the tooth, short clinical crown, and fractures, it is usually necessary to disclose more tooth structure. Crown lengthening procedure is done to increase the clinical crown length for restorative or esthetic reasons without breaching the biologic width. These procedures are also utilized to improve the appearance and retention of restorations placed within the esthetic zone. We report a case of crown lengthening surgery with an internal bevel gingivectomy which was done in our department without compromising tooth support and esthetics.

Genomic evaluation of dairy heifer livability.

Differences in breeds and sire lines suggest the presence of a genetic component for heifer livability (HLIV). Genomic evaluation for this trait can increase profitability and improve animal health and welfare. Evaluations for HLIV were examined from 3,362,499 calf data records from heifers of all breeds born from 2009 to 2016. Data were obtained from the national cooperator database maintained by the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (https://www.uscdcb.com/). The total number of deaths reported was 134,753 (4.01%), which included herds with death loss between 1.5 and 25.5%. Age at death was evaluated and ranged from >2 d of age until the heifer left the herd, with a maximum of 18 mo of age. Records were not included until 3 yr after the birthdate so that live status of contemporaries could be confirmed by a calving date for those animals. Deaths observed until 2 d after birth were considered to be a stillbirth rather than a failure of HLIV. The scale used for analysis of HLIV was 0 (died) or 100 (live), and the heritability estimate was 0.7% based on sire model with restricted maximum likelihood estimation. Genomic predicted transmitting abilities for Holstein ranged from -1.6% to +1.6% with a standard deviation of 0.5%, and genomic predicted transmitting abilities for Jersey ranged from -0.5% to +0.5% with a standard deviation of 0.2%. The mean overall death loss was about 4%. Reliabilities of genomic predictions for young animals averaged 46% for Holsteins and 30% for Jerseys, and corresponding traditional parent average reliabilities averaged 16% and 12%, respectively. Correlations of HLIV were 0.44 with productive life, 0.18 to 0.22 with yield traits, and 0.29 with early first calving on proven Holstein bulls. The HLIV trait had a favorable genetic trend in recent years, likely because of the indirect selection associated with the correlated traits. The trait HLIV should receive 1% of emphasis on the Lifetime Net Merit index, resulting in economic progress worth $50,000/yr. By encouraging more comprehensive recording on calf mortality, the reliabilities of genetic predictions could increase significantly.

Necrotizing Stomatitis in Varicella Zoster Infection.

Necrotizing periodontal disease are acute periodontal conditions which can present with simple gingivitis to more complex life threatening condition where it can perforate the skin of cheek. They are found in patients with severe illness, stress and reduced immunity. The prevalence of this whole group of disease is usually very low and is stated frequently as the first manifestation in HIV infection. Herpes zoster, a common dermatological condition is a secondary infection due to re-activation of Varicella zoster virus in a person previously acquiring a chicken pox in his/her lifetime. There are limited scientific literatures citing the occurrence of necrotizing stomatitis in varicella zoster infection. Thus, here we present a detail about a case and management of 46 years old female who had a hospital stay of over 5 days for treatment of Herpes zoster infection of mandibular nerve presented with necrotizing stomatitis lesion within oral cavity.

Gene set enrichment analysis of SNP data in dairy and beef cattle with bovine respiratory disease.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex disease that is associated with infection by bacterial and viral pathogens when cattle fail to adequately respond to stress. The objective of this study was to use gene set enrichment analysis of SNP data (GSEA-SNP) and a network analysis (ingenuity pathway analysis) to identify gene sets, genes within gene sets (leading-edge genes) and upstream regulators associated with BRD in pre-weaned dairy calves and beef feedlot cattle. BRD cases and controls were diagnosed using the McGuirk health scoring system. Holstein calves were sampled from commercial calf-raising facilities in California (1003 cases and 1011 controls) and New Mexico (376 cases and 372 controls). Commercial feedlot cattle were sampled from Colorado (500 cases and 499 controls) and Washington (504 cases and 497 controls). There were 102 and 237 unique leading-edge genes identified in the dairy calf and beef cattle populations respectively. Six leading-edge genes (ADIPOQ, HTR2A, MIF, PDE6G, PRDX3 and SNCA) were associated with BRD in both dairy and beef cattle. Network analysis identified glucose as the most influential upstream regulator in dairy cattle, whereas in beef cattle, TNF was the most influential upstream regulator. The genes, gene sets and upstream regulators associated with BRD have common functions associated with immunity, inflammation and pulmonary disease and provide insights into the mechanisms that are critical to BRD susceptibility in cattle.

Identification of genes associated with susceptibility to Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map) tissue infection in Holstein cattle using gene set enrichment analysis-SNP.

Multiple genome-wide association analyses have investigated susceptibility to bovine paratuberculosis, but few loci have been identified across independent cattle populations. A SNP-based gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA-SNP) allows expanded identification of genes with moderate effects on a trait through the enrichment of gene sets instead of identifying only few loci with large effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify genes that were moderately associated with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map) tissue infection using GSEA-SNP in Holstein cattle from the Pacific Northwest (PNW; n = 205) and from the PNW and Northeast (PNW+NE; n = 245) which were previously genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. The GSEA-SNP utilized 4389 gene sets from five databases. For each annotated gene in the UMD3.1 assembly (n = 19,723), the most significant SNP within each gene and its surrounding region (10 kb up- and downstream) was selected as a proxy for that gene. Any gene set with a normalized enrichment score > 2.5 was considered enriched. Thirteen gene sets (8 PNW GSEA-SNP; 5 PNW+NE) were enriched in these analyses and all have functions that relate to nuclear factor kappa beta. Nuclear factor kappa beta is critical to gut immune responses, implicated in host immune responses to other mycobacterial diseases, and has established roles in inflammation as well as cancer. Gene sets and genes moderately associated with Map infection could be used in genomic selection to allow producers to select for less susceptible cattle, lower the prevalence of the disease, and reduce economic losses.

Rapid Communication: Subclinical bovine respiratory disease - loci and pathogens associated with lung lesions in feedlot cattle.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an economically important disease of feedlot cattle that is caused by viral and bacterial pathogen members of the BRD complex. Many cases of subclinical BRD go untreated and are not detected until slaughter, when lung lesions are identified. The objectives of this study were to identify which BRD pathogens were associated with the presence of lung lesions at harvest and to identify genomic loci that were associated with susceptibility to lung lesions as defined by consolidation of the lung and/or the presence of fibrin tissue. Steers from a Colorado feedlot ( = 920) were tested for the presence of viral and bacterial pathogens using deep pharyngeal and mid-nasal swabs collected on entry into the study. Pathogen profiles were compared between cattle with or without lung consolidation (LC), fibrin tissue in the lung (FT), a combination of LC and FT in the same lung (lung lesions [LL]), and hyperinflated lungs (HIF) at harvest. Genotyping was conducted using the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip. Genomewide association analyses (GWAA) were conducted using EMMAX (efficient mixed-model association eXpedited), and pseudoheritabilities were estimated. The pathogen profile comparisons revealed that LC ( = 0.01, odds ratio [OR] = 3.37) and LL cattle ( = 0.04, OR = 4.58) were more likely to be infected with bovine herpes virus-1 and that HIF cattle were more likely to be infected with spp. ( = 0.04, OR = 4.33). Pseudoheritability estimates were 0.25 for LC, 0.00 for FT, 0.28 for LL, and 0.13 for HIF. Because pseudoheritability for FT was estimated to be 0, GWAA results for FT were not reported. There were 4 QTL that were moderately associated ( < 1 × 10) with only LC, 2 that were associated with only LL, and 1 that was associated with LC and LL. Loci associated with HIF included 12 that were moderately associated and 3 that were strongly associated (uncorrected P < 5 × 10-7). A 24-kb region surrounding significant lead SNP was investigated to identify positional candidate genes. Many positional candidate genes underlying or flanking the detected QTL have been associated with signal transduction, cell adhesion, or gap junctions, which have functional relevance to the maintenance of lung health. The identification of pathogens and QTL associated with the presence of lung abnormalities in cattle exhibiting subclinical BRD allows the identification of loci that may not be detected through manifestation of clinical disease alone.

Phase dependent structural and electronic properties of lanthanum orthophosphate (LaPO4).

We study the phase-dependent structural and electronic properties of bulk LaPO4, using density functional theory (DFT). The applicability of conventional semi-local and hybrid functionals in predicting structural and electronic properties of monoclinic and hexagonal LaPO4 is evaluated by comparing results to available experimental data. The monoclinic LaPO4 was found to be more stable than the hexagonal phase in ambient conditions with a small energy difference, suggesting a possibility of a phase transition. Both the phases in the bulk form are found to be diamagnetic with indirect energy gaps. These results are consistent with available experimental results. In the monoclinic phase, the hybrid functionals predict indirect band gap at about 8 eV. Furthermore, the calculated indirect-direct transition energy offset (ΔE) in the hexagonal phase was three times lower than the monoclinic phase. Our calculations based on hybrid functionals also reveal that the states near the conduction band edge in the hexagonal LaPO4 are strongly hybridized between La and PO4 states. By analyzing the band dispersion around the band edges, we show that the hexagonal phase has lighter electron effective mass, as compared to the monoclinic phase. With a larger energy gap, smaller ΔE, and smaller electron effective mass, the hexagonal LaPO4 might be a promising candidate material as an n-type transparent oxide.

Large single crystal growth, transport property, and spectroscopic characterizations of three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3As2.

The three dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal is a new quantum state of matter that has attracted much attention recently in physics and material science. Here, we report on the growth of large plate-like single crystals of Cd3As2 in two major orientations by a self-selecting vapor growth (SSVG) method, and the optimum growth conditions have been experimentally determined. The crystalline imperfections and electrical properties of the crystals were examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and transport property measurements. This SSVG method makes it possible to control the as-grown crystal compositions with excess Cd or As leading to mobilities near 5-10(5) cm(2)V(-1)s(-1). Zn-doping can effectively reduce the carrier density to reach the maximum residual resistivity ratio (RRRρ300K/ρ5K) of 7.6. A vacuum-cleaved single crystal has been investigated using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to reveal a single Dirac cone near the center of the surface Brillouin zone with a binding energy of approximately 200 meV.

Magnetotransport of single crystalline NbAs.

We report transport measurement in zero and applied magnetic field on a single crystal of NbAs. Transverse and longitudinal magnetoresistance in the plane of this tetragonal structure does not saturate up to 9 T. In the transverse configuration (H ∥ c, I ⊥ c) it is 230,000% at 2 K. The Hall coefficient changes sign from hole-like at room temperature to electron-like below ∼150 K. The electron carrier density and mobility calculated at 2 K based on a single band approximation are 1.8 × 10(19) cm(-3) and 3.5 × 10(5) cm(2) Vs(-1), respectively. These values are similar to reported values for TaAs and NbP, and further emphasize that this class of noncentrosymmetric, transition-metal monopnictides is a promising family to explore the properties of Weyl semimetals and the consequences of their novel electronic structure.

Aerobic Bacteria in the Diaphragmatic Portion of Stethoscope of Medical Professionals of Tertiary Care Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital environment is a reservoir of wide varieties of microorganisms which are frequently reported colonizing in medical equipment. Stethoscopes are essential tools and of universal use in the medical profession, which might be a source of spreading nosocomial infections. This research project was conducted with an aim to assess the presence of aerobic bacteria in the stethoscope of the medical doctors working at Patan Hospital and students of Patan Academy of Health Sciences. METHODS: It is a cross sectional study based on structured questionnaire and sample assessment from the stethoscope of doctors and students of Patan Hospital and Patan Academy of Health Sciences. The stethescopes used by the doctors of five major departments of Patan Hospital and students of clinical years were included in this study. RESULTS: Total of 99 stethoscope owned by different level of professionals (positions) and different departments were examined for bacterial contamination. Out of them, 36 were found to be considerably contaminated. Single strain of bacteria was grown from a single stethoscope. Among them 34 were Gram positive and remaining were Gram negative. Out of 34 gram postive bacteria, 29 were identified as Staphylococcus aureus, six were identified as Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus and remaining were Gram positive bacilli. CONCLUSIONS: There is presence of aerobic bacteria in diaphragmatic portion of stethoscope of medical professional of which the gram positives were the commonest.

Tuning a Schottky barrier in a photoexcited topological insulator with transient Dirac cone electron-hole asymmetry.

The advent of Dirac materials has made it possible to realize two-dimensional gases of relativistic fermions with unprecedented transport properties in condensed matter. Their photoconductive control with ultrafast light pulses is opening new perspectives for the transmission of current and information. Here we show that the interplay of surface and bulk transient carrier dynamics in a photoexcited topological insulator can control an essential parameter for photoconductivity-the balance between excess electrons and holes in the Dirac cone. This can result in a strongly out of equilibrium gas of hot relativistic fermions, characterized by a surprisingly long lifetime of more than 50 ps, and a simultaneous transient shift of chemical potential by as much as 100 meV. The unique properties of this transient Dirac cone make it possible to tune with ultrafast light pulses a relativistic nanoscale Schottky barrier, in a way that is impossible with conventional optoelectronic materials.

Perception of security by health workforce at workplace in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: In Nepal, the relationship of health worker and patient or community people is now deteriorating and the security and safety of health worker is becoming emerging issues. The poor relationship between community people and health worker is hampering the health service especially in rural setting. This study was aimed at finding the security perception and situation of health workforce in Nepal. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Out of 404 sample health institutions, 747 health workforce from 375 health institutions were interviewed (<10% non-response rate) using the probability proportionate to size method as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. RESULTS: Nearly 168 (23%) of health workers felt some level of insecurity at their workplace. Mostly, doctors felt insecure at their workplace 24 (30%) and argued with service users , 26 (32.50%). Feeling of security was highest in central region 160 (83.30%). Nationwide, 121 (16%) of health workers faced some level of arguments with service users, which was highest in Tarai 64 (18.08%). Of the total harassment, both gender based and sexual harassment was higher among female health workers [20 (62.5%) and 13 (56.5%) respectively]. Only, 230 (30.7%) of health workers who suffered from workplace accidents got compensation and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Higher proportions of health workers feel insecurity at workplace whereas provision of compensation was minimal. There is a need of strict implementation of Security of the Health Workers and Health Organizations Act, 2066 (2009) for effective health service delivery.

Surface electronic structure of the topological Kondo-insulator candidate correlated electron system SmB6.

The Kondo insulator SmB6 has long been known to exhibit low-temperature transport anomalies whose origin is of great interest. Here we uniquely access the surface electronic structure of the anomalous transport regime by combining state-of-the-art laser and synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoemission techniques. We observe clear in-gap states (up to ~4 meV), whose temperature dependence is contingent on the Kondo gap formation. In addition, our observed in-gap Fermi surface oddness tied with the Kramers' point topology, their coexistence with the two-dimensional transport anomaly in the Kondo hybridization regime, as well as their robustness against thermal recycling, taken together, collectively provide strong evidence for protected surface metallicity with a Fermi surface whose topology is consistent with the theoretically predicted topological Fermi surface. Our observations of systematic surface electronic structure provide the fundamental electronic parameters for the anomalous Kondo ground state of correlated electron material SmB6.

Observation of a topological crystalline insulator phase and topological phase transition in Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te.

A topological insulator protected by time-reversal symmetry is realized via spin-orbit interaction-driven band inversion. The topological phase in the Bi(1-x)Sb(x) system is due to an odd number of band inversions. A related spin-orbit system, the Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te, has long been known to contain an even number of inversions based on band theory. Here we experimentally investigate the possibility of a mirror symmetry-protected topological crystalline insulator phase in the Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te class of materials that has been theoretically predicted to exist in its end compound SnTe. Our experimental results show that at a finite Pb composition above the topological inversion phase transition, the surface exhibits even number of spin-polarized Dirac cone states revealing mirror-protected topological order distinct from that observed in Bi(1-x)Sb(x). Our observation of the spin-polarized Dirac surface states in the inverted Pb(1-x)Sn(x)Te and their absence in the non-inverted compounds related via a topological phase transition provide the experimental groundwork for opening the research on novel topological order in quantum devices.

Cardiovascular health risk behavior among medical students in a teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Medical students are the health care providers of tomorrow. The health behaviors that are acquired in early life and in medical school will influence their future acceptance and practice of preventive strategies including their interaction with patients. The main objective of our study was to assess the health behavior and perceptions of medical students in relation to cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was done among 159 medical students of Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal from September 2010 to December 2010. Data collection was done using a self administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age was 22.9±2.5 yrs and a male:female ratio of 2.1:1. Thirty Five (22%) were current smokers, 56 (35%) indulged in episodic heavy drinking, 25 (15.7%) were overweight, 34 (21%) engaged in recommended amount of physical activitiy,58 (33%) regulated fat consumption and 46 (28%) regulated salt consumption. Regarding developing cardiovascular disease in the future, 85(53%) showed concern but only 33 (38%) of these adopted preventive practices. 101 (64%) believed that their medical school life had a harmful effect on their health. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk behaviours among the medical students. This highlights the urgency that we must take to promote preventive knowledge and practices among medical students. This will help them to become prevention oriented clinicians in future to counter the increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases in this part of the world.