27,418 research outputs found

    Detection of Leishmania infantum by PCR, serology and cellular immune response in a cohort study of Brazilian dogs

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    The sensitivity and specificity of PCR, serology (ELISA) and lymphoproliferative response to Leishmania antigen for the detection of Leishmania infantum infection were evaluated in a cohort of 126 dogs exposed to natural infection in Brazil. For PCR, Leishmania DNA from bone-marrow was amplified with both minicircle and ribosomal primers. The infection status and time of infection of each dog were estimated from longitudinal data. The sensitivity of PCR in parasite-positive samples was 98%. However, the overall sensitivity of PCR in post-infection samples, from dogs with confirmed infection, was only 68%. The sensitivity of PCR varied during the course of infection, being highest (78–88%) 0–135 days post-infection and declining to around 50% after 300 days. The sensitivity of PCR also varied between dogs, and was highest in sick dogs. The sensitivity of serology was similar in parasite-positive (84%), PCR-positive (86%) and post-infection (88%) samples. The sensitivity of serology varied during the course of infection, being lowest at the time of infection and high (93–100%) thereafter. Problems in determining the specificity of serology are discussed. The sensitivity and specificity of cellular responsiveness were low. These data suggest that PCR is most useful in detecting active or symptomatic infection, and that serology can be a more sensitive technique for the detection of all infected dogs

    Chromosomal in situ suppression hybridization of immunologically classified mitotic cells in hematologic malignancies

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    Chromosomal in situ suppression (CISS) hybridization was performed with library DNA from sorted human chromosomes 8, 9, 15, 17, 21, and 22 on immunologically stained bone marrow cells of four patients with a hematologic neoplasm, including two patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and trisomy 8, one patient with promyelocytic leukemia bearing the translocation t(15;17)(q22;q11-12), and one patient with chronic myeloid leukemia and the translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11). In all patients, the results of conventional karyotype analysis could be confirmed by one- or two-color CISS hybridization using the appropriate chromosome-specific libraries. Our results show that CISS hybridization can detect both numerical and structural chromosome changes in immunologically classified cells with high specificity and reliability. The fact that chromosome spreads of very poor quality can now be included in such analyses is a decisive advantage of this approach. In addition, the suitability of this approach for interphase cytogenetics is discussed

    An algorithm for diagnosing IgE-mediated food allergy in study participants who do not undergo food challenge.

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    BACKGROUND: Food allergy diagnosis in clinical studies can be challenging. Oral food challenges (OFC) are time-consuming, carry some risk and may, therefore, not be acceptable to all study participants. OBJECTIVE: To design and evaluate an algorithm for detecting IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. METHODS: An algorithm for trial participants in the Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention (BEEP) study who were unwilling or unable to attend OFC was developed. BEEP is a pragmatic, multi-centre, randomized-controlled trial of daily emollient for the first year of life for primary prevention of eczema and food allergy in high-risk infants (ISRCTN21528841). We built on the European iFAAM consensus guidance to develop a novel food allergy diagnosis algorithm using available information on previous allergenic food ingestion, food reaction(s) and sensitization status. This was implemented by a panel of food allergy experts blind to treatment allocation and OFC outcome. We then evaluated the algorithm's performance in both BEEP and Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study participants who did undergo OFC. RESULTS: In 31/69 (45%) BEEP and 44/55 (80%) EAT study control group participants who had an OFC the panel felt confident enough to categorize children as "probable food allergy" or "probable no food allergy". Algorithm-derived panel decisions showed high sensitivity 94% (95%CI 68, 100) BEEP; 90% (95%CI 72, 97) EAT and moderate specificity 67% (95%CI 39, 87) BEEP; 67% (95%CI 39, 87) EAT. Sensitivity and specificity were similar when all BEEP and EAT participants with OFC outcome were included. CONCLUSION: We describe a new algorithm with high sensitivity for IgE-mediated food allergy in clinical study participants who do not undergo OFC. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This may be a useful tool for excluding food allergy in future clinical studies where OFC is not conducted

    Biological compatibility between two temperate lineages of brown dog ticks, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato)

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    Background: The brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu stricto) is reputed to be the most widespread tick of domestic dogs worldwide and has also been implicated in the transmission of many pathogens to dogs and humans. For more than two centuries, Rh. sanguineus (s.s.) was regarded as a single taxon, even considering its poor original description and the inexistence of a type specimen. However, genetic and crossbreeding experiments have indicated the existence of at least two distinct taxa within this name: the so-called "temperate" and "tropical" lineages of Rh. sanguineus (sensu lato). Recent genetic studies have also demonstrated the existence of additional lineages of Rh. sanguineus (s.l.) in Europe and Asia. Herein, we assessed the biological compatibility between two lineages of Rh. sanguineus (s.l.) found in southern Europe, namely Rhipicephalus sp. I (from Italy) and Rhipicephalus sp. II (from Portugal). Methods: Ticks morphologically identified as Rh. sanguineus (s.l.) were collected in southern Portugal and southern Italy. Tick colonies were established and crossbreeding experiments conducted. Morphological, biological and genetic analyses were conducted. Results: Crossbreeding experiments confirmed that ticks from the two studied lineages were able to mate and generate fertile hybrids. Hybrid adult ticks always presented the same genotype of the mother, confirming maternal inheritance of mtDNA. However, larvae and nymphs originated from Rhipicephalus sp. I females presented mtDNA genotype of either Rhipicephalus sp. I or Rhipicephalus sp. II, suggesting the occurrence of paternal inheritance or mitochondrial heteroplasmy. While biologically compatible, these lineages are distinct genetically and phenotypically. Conclusions: The temperate lineages of Rh. sanguineus (s.l.) studied herein are biologically compatible and genetic data obtained from both pure and hybrid lines indicate the occurrence of paternal inheritance or mitochondrial heteroplasmy. This study opens new research avenues and raises question regarding the usefulness of genetic data and crossbreeding experiments as criteria for the definition of cryptic species in ticks

    Asthma hospitalisations in Australia 2010-11

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    This report provides an overview of asthma hospitalisation patterns over time and across population groups.SummaryAsthma is a common chronic condition of the airways, associated with episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough. Hospitalisation for asthma is rarely required as most symptoms are managed in the community through medication use and primary health care interventions. However, in cases where asthma exacerbations cannot be managed at home, hospitalisation may be required. This report provides an overview of these asthma hospitalisation patterns over time and across population groups. In 2010-11 there were 37,830 hospitalisations where asthma was the principal diagnosis. The asthma hospitalisation rate (175 per 100,000 population) is low compared with other countries. Hospitalisation for asthma decreased between 1998-99 and 2010-11. There was an overall reduction in the rate of hospitalisation for asthma among both children (33%) and adults (45%). Asthma hospitalisation rates varied across population groups in 2010-11: The rate for Indigenous Australians was 2.1 times the rate for Other Australians.Among adults, rates were higher in areas that were more remote (83 per 100,000 population in Major cities and 214 per 100,000 in Very remote regions). This pattern was reversed among children, where rates were lower in areas that were more remote (511 per 100,000 in Major cities and 404 per 100,000 in Very remote regions).Rates were higher among people living in areas with the lowest socioeconomic status (209 per 100,000 population) than for those living in areas with the highest socioeconomic status (134 per 100,000 population).Rates for people born in a non-English-speaking country were lower than for those born in an English-speaking country, with the exception of those aged over 65, where the rates were higher. Children had higher rates of hospitalisation for asthma than adults (495 compared with 92 per 100,000 population) although adults tended to stay in hospital for asthma longer than children: on average, 2.9 days compared with 1.5 days. One in four people hospitalised with a principal diagnosis of asthma in 2010-11 had an acute respiratory infection recorded as an additional diagnosis. Direct health expenditure for asthma was $655 million in 2008-09. The pattern of expenditure on asthma differs somewhat from the pattern for diseases overall. Half (50%) of all asthma expenditure in 2008-09 was attributed to prescription pharmaceuticals, (compared to 14% across all diseases) and a substantially lower proportion of asthma expenditure was attributed to admitted patient hospital care (20%), compared with total recurrent health expenditure across all diseases (52%)
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