Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 372)

This bibliography lists 208 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1993. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance

From data to action : CDC's public health surveillance for women, infants, and children (second edition)

The initial edition of Data to Action: CDC\u2019s Public Health Surveillance for Women, Infants and Children, published in 1994, was the first comprehensive description of the Centers for Disease Control\u2019s many surveillance and data system activities related to the health of women and children. It covered critical public health concerns, spanning the life cycle from infancy to reproductive-age women, with each chapter structured similarly so that differences and connections could be more easily discerned.Public health professionals have always been concerned with measuring health events across the life span. Maternal and child health surveillance captures data on reproductive health, pregnancy, birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence. Public health planners need to know the data that are available and how to use that information. In turn, public health data systems need to respond to the needs of stakeholders by providing and interpreting data that can be translated into appropriate action. The demand for such information is rapidly increasing in the public health community and will become even more critical in the face of emerging public health crises and emergency preparedness and response.This monograph is a step toward making the surveillance systems of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more accessible to persons concerned with the health of women, infants, and children. It aims to note achievements from previous decades as well as identify new and ongoing challenges. Data needs evolve over time, and surveillance systems can adapt and respond to these challenges. This monograph offers health practitioners and planners at national, state, local and tribal levels a better appreciation of the uses and limitations of these surveillance systems, and enables us to think more critically about improvements in measuring the health of these populations.Data-To-Action_508.pdf2020897

Current Perspectives on Viral Disease Outbreaks

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded the world that infectious diseases are still important. The last 40 years have experienced the emergence of new or resurging viral diseases such as AIDS, ebola, MERS, SARS, Zika, and others. These diseases display diverse epidemiologies ranging from sexual transmission to vector-borne transmission (or both, in the case of Zika). This book provides an overview of recent developments in the detection, monitoring, treatment, and control of several viral diseases that have caused recent epidemics or pandemics

The effect of tualang honey in chronic exposure of high cholesterol diet in animal model

Introduction: Hyperlipidaemia accompanies chronic renal disease either as a consequence of the renal dysfunction or as part of generalized metabolic derangements. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of tualang honey (TH) on the kidneys of animal model with chronic exposure to high cholesterol diet. Materials and method: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, the high cholesterol diet (12% CD (n= 16) and standard diet (SD) (n=4) and were fed for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the rats in the 12% CD group were subsequently divided into four groups. The first group was continued with only 12% CD while the other 3 groups in addition to the 12% CD, they were given TH treatment at different concentrations (1.2, 2.4 and 3.0 g/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Biochemical analysis of lipid profile and renal function were performed at the end of the experiment. The animals were sacrificed and the kidneys were harvested for histological examination. Results: In the 12 weeks HCD group, the serum cholesterol, LDL-c and creatinine levels were significantly higher) compared to that of the SD group. All groups with the tualang honey treatment had significant reduction in the LDL-c, triglyceride and creatinine levels. Histological examination of the kidney tissues of the HCD and HCD+TH groups at 16 weeks revealed segmental mesangial proliferation of some glomeruli with focal mesangial matrix expansion. No areas of periglomerular and peritubular fibrosis were observed. Conclusion: Tualang honey supplementation of animal model with chronic exposure to high cholesterol diet improved the renal function hence suggesting the its renoprotective effect. However, there were no changes seen in the histology of the kidneys . Additionally, tualang honey showed improvement in the LDL-c and triglyceride levels indicating its lipid lowering activities

The prevalence of depression among secondary school students of Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia.

Introduction: Depression is a curable debilitating illness that becomes a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The prevalence of depression is underrecognized among adolescents. The study is conducted to determine the prevalence of depression among secondary school students of Kuantan Malaysia. Materials and method: We conduct a quantitative cross-sectional study. A population of 414 students from two urban schools, two rural schools, and one international school will participate in the study. The assessment tool used is the Malaysian version of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21). Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 21 (SPSS IBM, New York, USA). Factors associated with depressive symptoms will be analyzed using multi Variate logistic regression analysis. Results: Prevalence of depression in Kuantan, Malaysia will be compared to the same international trends. Conclusion: Our study can determine and compare the prevalence of depression in different categories. Education and early interventions of depressed adolescents will add extra value of the projec

Characterisation of immune responses to varicella vaccination in relation to clinical outcome

PhDThis thesis examines both humoral and cellular adaptive immune responses to varicella vaccination (up to 18 months post immunisation), in an ethnically diverse population of healthcare workers. Using two parameters of humoral immunity at six weeks post first vaccination; (avidity readings 60%, and a TRFIA reading 400mIU/mL) a cut-off of 130mIU/mL was defined for a more sensitive in house immuno assay (TRFIA), in this vaccinated adult population. Using these cut-offs, three patterns of antibody responses were identified; primary responders who seroconverted following vaccination, secondary responders who had pre-existing immunity and subjects who responded poorly to vaccination. Demographic and immunological characteristics of each subset were examined. An association between black ethnicity and lower antibody titre to vaccination in primary responders was identified, whilst Caucasians were more likely to have a history and pre-existing immunity, in keeping with the epidemiology of chickenpox in temperate climates. The follow-up study revealed that affinity maturation to VZV can take longer than 18 months in response to vaccination. At follow-up, 25% of subjects recruited at this time point were seronegative by TRFIA. Seroconversion after two doses of vaccine and a TRFIA titre of <500mIU/ml after two doses were significantly associated with waning antibody titre over time. Positive IFN- ELISPOT responses at 18 months did not necessarily correspond with TRFIA seropositive status.

Emerging infectious diseases

Emerging Infectious Diseases is providing access to these abstracts on behalf of the ICEID 2008 program committee, which performed peer review. Emerging Infectious Diseases has not edited or proofread these materials and is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions. All information is subject to change.Comments and corrections should be brought to the attention of the authors.Slide Sessions -- Foodborne & waterborne diseases I -- Influenza I -- Surveillance: International -- Zoonotic & animal diseases I -- Methicillin-resistant stapylococcal infections -- Vectorborne diseases -- Foodborne & waterborne diseases II -- Influenza II -- Surveillance: Domestic -- Zoonotic & animal diseases II -- Noscomial infections -- Respiratory diseases -- Health communications -- Blood, organ, & tissue safety -- Tropical diseases -- New rapid diagnostics -- Mobile populations & infectious diseases -- Vaccine-preventable diseases -- Tuberculosis -- Sexually transmitted diseases -- -- Poster Abstracts -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Climate changes -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Health communication -- Infectious causes of chronic diseases -- Influenza -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Sexually transmitted diseases -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Travelers' health & disease importation -- Tropical infections & parasitic diseases -- Vector-borne diseases -- Women, gender, sexual minorities & infectious diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Emerging aspects of HIV -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Health communication -- Molecular epidemiology -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Poverty & infectious diseases -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Tropical infections & parasitic diseases -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Blood, organ, & other tissue safety -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Host & microbial genetics -- Influenza -- Molecular epidemiology -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Prevention effectiveness, cost effectiveness, & cost studies -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Bioterrorism preparedness -- Emerging opportunistic infections -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Healthcare worker safety -- Influenza -- Laboratory proficiency testing/quality assurance -- Modeling -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Vector-borne diseases -- Viral hepatitis -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- Vaccines & vaccine-preventable diseases -- Antimicrobial resistance -- Emerging opportunistic infections -- Foodborne & waterborne infections -- Influenza -- New or rapid diagnostics -- Nosocomial infections -- Outbreak investigation: Lab & epi response -- Social determinants of infectious disease disparities -- Surveillance: International & new strategies -- Tuberculosis -- Vector-borne diseases -- Zoonotic & animal diseases -- -- Additional Poster Abstracts.Abstracts published in advance of the conference

In vitro expanded human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress effector T cell proliferation.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be critical in the balance between autoimmunity and tolerance and have been implicated in several human autoimmune diseases. However, the small number of Tregs in peripheral blood limits their therapeutic potential. Therefore, we developed a protocol that would allow for the expansion of Tregs while retaining their suppressive activity. We isolated CD4+CD25 hi cells from human peripheral blood and expanded them in vitro in the presence of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 magnetic Xcyte Dynabeads and high concentrations of exogenous Interleukin (IL)-2. Tregs were effectively expanded up to 200-fold while maintaining surface expression of CD25 and other markers of Tregs: CD62L, HLA-DR, CCR6, and FOXP3. The expanded Tregs suppressed proliferation and cytokine secretion of responder PBMCs in co-cultures stimulated with anti-CD3 or alloantigen. Treg expansion is a critical first step before consideration of Tregs as a therapeutic intervention in patients with autoimmune or graft-versus-host disease