Scalds to infants and toddlers who pull hot beverages over themselves or sustain burns from touching irons, hair straighteners or oven hobs are a high priority for targeted prevention.

We aimed to identify novel molecular mechanisms for muscle growth during administration of anabolic agents. Growing pigs (Duroc/(Landrace/Large-White)) were administered Ractopamine (a beta-adrenergic agonist; BA; 20 ppm in feed) or Reporcin (recombinant growth hormone; GH; 10 mg/48 hours injected) and compared to a control cohort (feed only; no injections) over a 27-day time course (1, 3, 7, 13 or 27-days). Longissimus Dorsi muscle gene expression was analyzed using Agilent porcine transcriptome microarrays and clusters of genes displaying similar expression profiles were identified using a modified maSigPro clustering algorithm. Anabolic agents increased carcass (p = 0.002) and muscle weights (Vastus Lateralis: p < 0.001; Semitendinosus: p = 0.075). Skeletal muscle mRNA expression of serine/one-carbon/glycine biosynthesis pathway genes (Phgdh, Psat1 and Psph) and the gluconeogenic enzyme, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase-M (Pck2/PEPCK-M), increased during treatment with BA, and to a lesser extent GH (p < 0.001, treatment x time interaction). Treatment with BA, but not GH, caused a 2-fold increase in phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) protein expression at days 3 (p < 0.05) and 7 (p < 0.01), and a 2-fold increase in PEPCK-M protein expression at day 7 (p < 0.01). BA treated pigs exhibit a profound increase in expression of PHGDH and PEPCK-M in skeletal muscle, implicating a role for biosynthetic metabolic pathways in muscle growth.

In this work, we implement a facile microwaveassisted synthesis method to yield three binary Chevrel-Phase chalcogenides (Mo 6 X 8 ; X = S, Se, Te) and investigate the effect of increasing chalcogen electronegativity on hydrogen evolution catalytic activity. Density functional theory predictions indicate that increasing chalcogen electronegativity in these materials will yield a favorable electronic structure for proton reduction. This is confirmed experimentally via X-ray absorption spectroscopy as well as traditional electrochemical analysis. We have identified that increasing the electronegativity of X in Mo 6 X 8 increases the hydrogen adsorption strength owing to a favorable shift in the pband position as well as an increase in the Lewis basicity of the chalcogen, thereby improving hydrogen evolution reaction energetics. We find that Mo 6 S 8 exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution activity of the Mo 6 X 8 series of catalysts, requiring an overpotential of 321 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 ECSA , a Tafel slope of 74 mV per decade, and an exchange current density of 6.01 × 10 −4 mA cm −2 ECSA . Agreement between theory and experiment in this work indicates that the compositionally tunable Chevrel-Phase chalcogenide family is a promising framework for which electronic structure can be predictably modified to improve catalytic small-molecule reduction reactivity.

Background Injury in the home is common, accounting for approximately a third of all injuries. The majority of injuries to children under five and people aged 75 and older occur at home. Multifactorial injury prevention interventions have been shown to reduce injuries in the home. However, few studies have focused specifically on the impact of physical adaptations to the home environment and the e ectiveness of such interventions needs to be ascertained. Objectives To determine the e ect of modifications to the home environment on the reduction of injuries due to environmental hazards. Search methods We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and other specialised databases. We also scanned conference proceedings and reference lists. We contacted the first author of all included randomised controlled trials. The searches were last updated to the end of December 2009, and were not restricted by language or publication status. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials. Data collection and analysis Two authors screened all abstracts for relevance, outcome and design. Two authors independently assessed methodological quality and extracted data from each eligible study. We performed meta-analysis to combine e ect measures, using a random-e ects model. We assessed heterogeneity using an I 2 statistic and a Chi 2 test. Main results We found 28 published studies and one unpublished study. Only two studies were su iciently similar to allow pooling of data for statistical analyses. Studies were divided into three groups; children, older people and the general population/mixed age group. None of the studies focusing on children or older people demonstrated a reduction in injuries that were a direct result of environmental modification in the home. One study in older people demonstrated a reduction in falls and one a reduction in falls and injurious falls that may have been due to hazard reduction. One meta-analysis was performed which examined the e ects on falls of multifactorial interventions consisting of home hazard assessment and modification, medication review, health and bone assessment and exercise (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.23). Modification of the home environment for the reduction of injuries (Review)