109 research outputs found
Development of a Luminex Immunoassay for the serological diagnosis of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) and Comparison with the Virus Neutralization Test (VNT)
Serological profile of foot-and-mouth disease in wildlife populations of West and Central Africa with special reference to Syncerus caffer subspecies
The role which West and Central African wildlife populations might play in the transmission dynamics of FMD is not known nor have studies been performed in order to assess the distribution and prevalence of FMD in wild animal species inhabiting those specific regions of Africa. This study reports the FMD serological profile extracted from samples (nâ=â696) collected from wildlife of West and Central Africa between 1999 and 2003. An overall prevalence of FMDV NSP reactive sera of 31.0% (216/696) was estimated, where a significant difference in seropositivity (pâ=â0.000) was reported for buffalo (64.8%) as opposed to other wild animal species tested (17.8%). Different levels of exposure to the FMDV resulted for each of the buffalo subspecies sampled (p = 0.031): 68.4%, 50.0% and 0% for Nile Buffalo, West African Buffalo and African Forest Buffalo, respectively. The characterisation of the FMDV serotypes tested for buffalo found presence of antibodies against all the six FMDV serotypes tested, although high estimates for type O and SAT 3 were reported for Central Africa. Different patterns of reaction to the six FMDV serotypes tested were recorded, from sera only positive for a single serotype to multiple reactivities. The results confirmed that FMDV circulates in wild ruminants populating both West and Central Africa rangelands and in particular in buffalo, also suggesting that multiple FMDV serotypes might be involved with type O, SAT 2 and SAT 1 being dominant. Differences in serotype and spill-over risk between wildlife and livestock likely reflect regional geography, historical circulation and differing trade and livestock systems
Human Cysteine Cathepsins Are Not Reliable Markers of Infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cystic Fibrosis
Cysteine cathepsins have emerged as new players in inflammatory lung disorders. Their activities are dramatically increased in the sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, suggesting that they are involved in the pathophysiology of CF. We have characterized the cathepsins in CF expectorations and evaluated their use as markers of colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The concentrations of active cathepsins B, H, K, L and S were the same in P. aeruginosa-positive (19 Ps+) and P. aeruginosa-negative (6 Psâ) samples, unlike those of human neutrophil elastase. Also the cathepsin inhibitory potential and the cathepsins/cathepsin inhibitors imbalance remained unchanged and similar (âŒ2-fold) in the Ps+ and Psâ groups (p<0.001), which correlated with the breakdown of their circulating cystatin-like inhibitors (kininogens). Procathepsins, which may be activated autocatalytically, are a potential proteolytic reservoir. Immunoblotting and active-site labeling identified the double-chain cathepsin B, the major cathepsin in CF sputum, as the main molecular form in both Ps+ and Psâ samples, despite the possible release of the âŒ31 kDa single-chain form from procathepsin B by sputum elastase. Thus, the hydrolytic activity of cysteine cathepsins was not correlated with bacterial colonization, indicating that cathepsins, unlike human neutrophil elastase, are not suitable markers of P. aeruginosa infection
Dispositivos poliméricos cardiovasculares: comportamento termomecùnico e viabilidade celular
Gender blind? An analysis of global public-private partnerships for health
Background The Global Public Private Partnerships for Health (GPPPH) constitute an increasingly central part of the global health architecture and carry both financial and normative power. Gender is an important determinant of health status, influencing differences in exposure to health determinants, health behaviours, and the response of the health system.
We identified 18 GPPPH - defined as global institutions with a formal governance mechanism which includes both public and private for-profit sector actors â and conducted a gender analysis of each.
Results Gender was poorly mainstreamed through the institutional functioning of the partnerships. Half of these partnerships had no mention of gender in their overall institutional strategy and only three partnerships had a specific gender strategy. Fifteen governing bodies had more men than women â up to a ratio of 5:1. Very few partnerships reported sex-disaggregated data in their annual reports or coverage/impact results. The majority of partnerships focused their work on maternal and child health and infectious and communicable diseases â none addressed non-communicable diseases (NCDs) directly, despite the strong role that gender plays in determining risk for the major NCD burdens.
Conclusions We propose two areas of action in response to these findings. First, GPPPH need to become serious in how they âdoâ gender; it needs to be mainstreamed through the regular activities, deliverables and systems of accountability. Second, the entire global health community needs to pay greater attention to tackling the major burden of NCDs, including addressing the gendered nature of risk. Given the inherent conflicts of interest in tackling the determinants of many NCDs, it is debatable whether the emergent GPPPH model will be an appropriate one for addressing NCDs
Influence of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia
Detection of selected pathogens in ticks collected from cats and dogs in the WrocĆaw Agglomeration, South-West Poland
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