Detection of enteric parasite DNA in household and bed dust samples: potential for infection transmission.

BACKGROUND: Enteric parasites are transmitted in households but few studies have sampled inside households for parasites and none have used sensitive molecular methods. METHODS: We collected bed and living room dust samples from households of children participating in a clinical trial of anthelmintic treatment in rural coastal Ecuador. Dust was examined for presence of DNA specific for 11 enteric parasites (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, Strongyloides stercoralis, Toxocara canis and T. cati, Giardia lamblia, Blastocystis hominis, Cryptosporidium spp., and Entamoeba histolytica) by quantitative PCR (qPCR). RESULTS: Of the 38 households sampled, 37 had positive dust for at least one parasite and up to 8 parasites were detected in single samples. Positivity was greatest for B. hominis (79% of household samples) indicating a high level of environmental fecal contamination. Dust positivity rates for individual pathogens were: S. stercoralis (52%), A. lumbricoides (39%), G. lamblia (39%), Toxocara spp. (42%), hookworm (18%) and T. trichiura (8%). DNA for Cryptosporidium spp. and E. histolytica was not detected. Bed dust was more frequently positive than floor samples for all parasites detected. Positivity for A. lumbricoides DNA in bed (adjusted OR: 10.0, 95% CI: 2.0-50.1) but not floor dust (adjusted OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 0.3-37.9) was significantly associated with active infections in children. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first use of qPCR on environmental samples to detect a wide range of enteric pathogen DNA. Our results indicate widespread contamination of households with parasite DNA and raise the possibility that beds, under conditions of overcrowding in a humid tropical setting, may be a source of transmission

Constructions of the soluble potentials for the non-relativistic quantum system by means of the Heun functions

The Schr\"{o}dinger equation $\psi"(x)+\kappa^2 \psi(x)=0$ where $\kappa^2=k^2-V(x)$ is rewritten as a more popular form of a second order differential equation through taking a similarity transformation $\psi(z)=\phi(z)u(z)$ with $z=z(x)$. The Schr\"{o}dinger invariant $I_{S}(x)$ can be calculated directly by the Schwarzian derivative $\{z, x\}$ and the invariant $I(z)$ of the differential equation $u_{zz}+f(z)u_{z}+g(z)u=0$. We find an important relation for moving particle as $\nabla^2=-I_{S}(x)$ and thus explain the reason why the Schr\"{o}dinger invariant $I_{S}(x)$ keeps constant. As an illustration, we take the typical Heun differential equation as an object to construct a class of soluble potentials and generalize the previous results through choosing different $\rho=z'(x)$ as before. We get a more general solution $z(x)$ through integrating $(z')^2=\alpha_{1}z^2+\beta_{1}z+\gamma_{1}$ directly and it includes all possibilities for those parameters. Some particular cases are discussed in detail.Comment: 11 page

Effects of Acute Vaporized Nicotine in Non-tobacco Users at Rest and During Exercise

Smokers, and even non-smokers, may utilize vaporized nicotine delivered by electronic cigarette (EC) due to the perception that EC are “healthier” than traditional tobacco cigarettes. The effects of vaporized nicotine delivered by EC on resting blood pressure (BP) and metabolic rate (RMR), or BP and aerobic power during exercise have not been studied. This investigation tested the effects of acute vaporized nicotine inhalation by EC on resting BP and RMR and cycle exercise BP, metabolic responses, and aerobic power in young, normotensive non-smokers. Using a double-blind design, 20 subjects (10 female; 23.1±2.5 years, 1.69±0.1 m, 70.6±14.9 kg; 22.1±11.0% body fat) self-reporting as healthy and non-smoking participated. All subjects participated in two randomized trials: placebo (0 mg nicotine) or nicotine (18 mg nicotine). Participants inhaled from EC once every 30 s for 10 min (20 inhalations total) during each trial. RMR was assessed 40 min later by indirect calorimetry followed by an incremental cycle test. Participants’ pre-inhalation SBP, DBP, and HR were also not significantly different between conditions or from those averaged over the last 5 min of the indirect calorimetry protocol. Cotinine, a stable nicotine metabolite, was assessed on post-inhalation (i.e., 10 min) urine samples. The cotinine concentration ranges, as scored using the semi-quantitative urine analysis kit strips, were significantly higher (p-1) compared to placebo (0-10 ng•ml-1). RMR was assessed ~40 min after the last EC inhalation. RMR (p=0.39), VO2 (p=0.5), RQ (p=0.15), and HR (p=0.47) were not significantly different between the placebo and nicotine trials. Compared to the placebo trial, nicotine use resulted in a 3.7 mmHg lower resting SBP (p=0.04) but a 3.0 mmHg higher DBP (p=0.04). VO2peak was not different between the nicotine trial (2.3±0.8 L•min-1) and placebo trial (2.3±0.7 L•min-1) trials (p=0.77). No statistically distinguishable difference was observed for Wpeak between nicotine (201.0±53.8 W) and placebo (204.8±57.8 W) (p=0.29). There was a main effect of time over the cycle test for VO2 , energy expenditure, RQ, and HR but no between treatment effects. A main treatment effect was identified for DBP, which was higher following nicotine compared to placebo at all time points during the test (p=0.05). No time by treatment interaction was identified for any variable during exercise. Exercise DBPpeak after nicotine (79.4±7.6) was significantly higher (p=0.02) than placebo (74.9±8.3 mmHg). Peak SBP was not different between trials (p=0.14). Our results show that acute vaporized nicotine inhalation via EC increases resting and exercise DBP but does not affect RMR or cycle aerobic power in young, normotensive non-smokers

Vegetation traits of pre-Alpine grasslands in southern Germany

The data set contains information on aboveground vegetation traits of > 100 georeferenced locations within ten temperate pre-Alpine grassland plots in southern Germany. The grasslands were sampled in April 2018 for the following traits: bulk canopy height; weight of fresh and dry biomass; dry weight percentage of the plant functional types (PFT) non-green vegetation, legumes, non-leguminous forbs, and graminoids; total green area index (GAI) and PFT-specific GAI; plant water content; plant carbon and nitrogen content (community values and PFT-specific values); as well as leaf mass per area (LMA) of PFT. In addition, a species specific inventory of the plots was conducted in June 2020 and provides plot-level information on grassland type and plant species composition. The data set was obtained within the framework of the SUSALPS project (“Sustainable use of alpine and pre-alpine grassland soils in a changing climate”; https://www.susalps.de/) to provide in-situ data for the calibration and validation of remote sensing based models to estimate grassland traits

Effect of Demographic and Health Dynamics on Cognitive Status in Mexico between 2001 and 2015: Evidence from the Mexican Health and Aging Study

Sources of health disparities such as educational attainment, cardiovascular risk factors, and access to health care affect cognitive impairment among older adults. To examine the extent to which these counteracting changes affect cognitive aging over time among Mexican older adults, we examine how sociodemographic factors, cardiovascular diseases, and their treatment relate to changes in cognitive function of Mexican adults aged 60 and older between 2001 and 2015. Self and proxy respondents were classified as dementia, cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND), and normal cognition. We use logistic regression models to examine the trends in dementia and CIND for men and women aged 60 years or older using pooled national samples of 6822 individuals in 2001 and 10,219 in 2015, and sociodemographic and health variables as covariates. We found higher likelihood of dementia and a lower risk of CIND in 2015 compared to 2001. These results remain after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, cardiovascular diseases, and their treatment. The improvements in educational attainment, treatment of diabetes and hypertension, and better access to health care in 2015 compared to 2001 may not have been enough to counteract the combined effects of aging, rural residence disadvantage, and higher risks of cardiovascular disease among older Mexican adults

A novel and chemoselective process of N-alkylation of aromatic nitrogen compounds using quaternary ammonium salts as starting material

Artículo Internacional Open AccesThe process of N-alkylation of several pyrroles, indoles, and derivative heterocycles is herein described, using quaternary ammonium salts as the source of an alkylating agent. These reactions were carried out on several heterocyclic rings with triethylbenzylammonium chloride or tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and an NaOH solution at 50%, leading to a chemoselective N-alkylated product and an average yield of 73%. This is an alternative process to the traditional benzylation and methylation of N-heterocycles with direct handling of alkyl halides.CONACYT, Secretaría de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados de la UAE

Ampliación de la distribución geográfica de <i>Liolaemus nazca</i> Aguilar, Ramírez, Castillo, Mendoza, Vargas & Sites Jr., 2019 (Iguania: Liolaemidae) para el extremo sur de Ica y norte de Arequipa, Perú : Hábitats y conservación

In the present investigation we broaden the geographical distribution of the endemic saurian of the Peruvian desert Liolaemus nazca. Its distribution is extended in approximately 45 km from its type locality (Lomas of the San Fernando National Reserve), reporting it for the first time for the department of Arequipa. Also, its distribution of occurrence is widened to other undocumented localities in San Juan de Marcona (Nasca, Ica) and Lomas (Caravelí, Arequipa) in Peru. These new records, added to those already known, allow us to characterize their habitats and analyze their state of conservation. These data highlight the importance and ecological value of the ‘lomas’ of Marcona, a site of interest in the conservation and protection of the biodiversity it refuge.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin