Electrochemical Deposited Nickel Nanowires: Influence of Deposition Bath Temperature on the Morphology and Physical Properties

This paper investigates the influence of the electrolytic bath temperature on the morphology and physical properties of nickel (Ni) nanowires electrochemically deposited into the anodic alumina oxide porous membrane (AAO). The synthesis was performed using nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4.6H2O) and boric acid (H3BO3) as an electrolytic bath for the electrochemical deposition of Ni nanowires. During the experiment, the electrolyte bath temperature varied from 40°C, 80°C, and 120°C. After the electrochemical deposition process, AAO templates cleaned with distilled water preceding to dissolution in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution to obtain free-standing Ni nanowires. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis were employed to characterize the morphology and physical properties of the synthesized Ni nanowires. Finding reveals the electrodeposition bath temperature significantly influences the morphology and physical properties of the synthesized Ni nanowires. Rougher surface texture, larger crystal size, and longer Ni nanowires obtained as the deposition bath temperature increased

New insights into the genetic diversity of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobiumin Yemen

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the article.© 2015 Sady et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated

Socio-demographic determinants of Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in migrant workers of Peninsular Malaysia

Background The number of migrants working in Malaysia has increased sharply since the 1970’s and there is concern that infectious diseases endemic in other (e.g. neighbouring) countries may be inadvertently imported. Compulsory medical screening prior to entering the workforce does not include parasitic infections such as toxoplasmosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection among migrant workers in Peninsular Malaysia by means of serosurveys conducted on a voluntary basis among low-skilled and semi-skilled workers from five working sectors, namely, manufacturing, food service, agriculture and plantation, construction and domestic work. Methods A total of 484 migrant workers originating from rural locations in neighbouring countries, namely, Indonesia (n = 247, 51.0%), Nepal (n = 99, 20.5%), Bangladesh (n = 72, 14.9%), India (n = 52, 10.7%) and Myanmar (n = 14, 2.9%) were included in this study. Results The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 57.4% (n = 278; 95% CI: 52.7–61.8%) with 52.9% (n = 256; 95% CI: 48.4–57.2%) seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG only, 0.8% (n = 4; 95% CI: 0.2–1.7%) seropositive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM only and 3.7% (n = 18; 95% CI: 2.1–5.4%) seropositive with both IgG and IgM antibodies. All positive samples with both IgG and IgM antibodies showed high avidity (> 40%), suggesting latent infection. Age (being older than 45 years), Nepalese nationality, manufacturing occupation, and being a newcomer in Malaysia (excepting domestic work) were positively and statistically significantly associated with seroprevalence (P < 0.05). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that better promotion of knowledge about parasite transmission is required for both migrant workers and permanent residents in Malaysia. Efforts should be made to encourage improved personal hygiene before consumption of food and fluids, thorough cooking of meat and better disposal of feline excreta from domestic pets

Epidemiological and Genetic Data Supporting the Transmission of Ancylostoma ceylanicum among Human and Domestic Animals

Parasitic zoonoses pose a continuing public health problem, especially in endemic developing countries where the majority of populations live in poor, overcrowded conditions, lack education, and practice poor standards of hygiene and improper sanitary disposal of feces. Close contact with domestic animals such as dogs and cats coupled with a lack of proper veterinary care and sanitation expose these communities to high risk of acquiring zoonotic infections. Our study combined the application of conventional and molecular epidemiological tools to determine the probable role of domestic animals, in particular dogs and cats, in the transmission of hookworms in parasite-endemic communities in Malaysia. Epidemiological observation such as univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with hookworm infection in humans, while molecular tools provided the ability to discriminate the different hookworm species, which cannot be achieved by conventional microscopic examination of feces alone. The application of these tools in this present study allowed the accurate determination of parasite species prevalence, hence confirming that Ancylostoma ceylanicum infection is common among human population in Malaysia and the close contact of human and domestic animals (i.e., dogs and cats) contributed to the propagation of this hookworm species

Use of an electronic medical record dashboard to identify gaps in osteoporosis care

Summary Using an electronic medical record (EMR)-based dashboard, this study explored osteoporosis care gaps in primary care. Eighty-four physicians shared their practice activities related to bone mineral density testing, 10-year fracture risk calculation and treatment for those at high risk. Significant gaps in fracture risk calculation and osteoporosis management were identified. Purpose To identify care gaps in osteoporosis management focusing on Canadian clinical practice guidelines (CPG) related to bone mineral density (BMD) testing, 10-year fracture risk calculation and treatment for those at high risk. Methods The ADVANTAGE OP EMR tool consists of an interactive algorithm to facilitate assessment and management of fracture risk using CPG. The FRAX® and Canadian Association of Radiologists and Osteoporosis Canada (CAROC) tools were embedded to facilitate 10-year fracture risk calculation. Physicians managed patients as clinically indicated but with EMR reminders of guideline recommendations; participants shared practice level data on management activities after 18-month use of the tool. Results Eighty-four physicians (54%) of 154 who agreed to participate in this study shared their aggregate practice activities. Across all practices, there were 171,310 adult patients, 40 years of age and older, of whom 17,214 (10%) were at elevated risk for fracture. Sixty-two percent of patients potentially at elevated risk for fractures did not have BMD testing completed; most common reasons for this were intention to order BMD later (48%), physician belief that BMD was not required (15%) and patient refusal (20%). For patients with BMD completed, fracture risk was calculated in 29%; 19% were at high risk, of whom 37% were not treated with osteoporosis medications as recommended by CPG. Conclusion Despite access to CPG and fracture risk calculators through the ADVANTAGE OP EMR tool, significant gaps remain in fracture risk calculation and osteoporosis management. Additional strategies are needed to address this clinical inertia among family physicians

Current status of parasitic infections among Pangkor Island community in Peninsular Malaysia

Limited data is available on the prevalence of parasitic infections among the island communities in Malaysia with most studies performed between 1960s-1980s. This study was conducted to determine the current prevalence status of parasitic infections among communities living in Pangkor Island Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 131 stool and 298 serum samples were collected and subjected to microscopic examination for intestinal protozoa and helminths and detection of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using commercial ELISA kits respectively. In addition, thin and thick peripheral blood films were microscopically screened for the presence of Plasmodium spp. and microfilariae respectively. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among Pangkor Island community was 9.9% (13/131) with T. trichiura (5.3%) being the most common intestinal parasite detected. Toxoplasmosis was reported in almost 60% of the community with the seroprevalence being significantly high among females (64.7%) compared to males (52.8%) (p=0.038). None of those examined samples were infected with intestinal sarcocystosis, malaria and filariasis. This study revealed that the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among Pangkor Island community has been greatly reduced compared to that reported 35 years ago. Massive improvements in the socioeconomic status, personal hygiene, water facilities and sanitation may have contributed to the low prevalence of parasitic infections in this community. Nevertheless, further studies still need to be performed to determine the possible risk factors for the high prevalence of toxoplasmosis in this community

Toxoplasmosis in HIV and non HIV prisoners in Malaysia

This is the first Malaysian study to determine the trend and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in HIV and non-HIV among prisoners in terms of socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics, clinical presentations and haematological distributions. Blood samples from 303 participants, comprising 133 HIV positive and 170 HIV negative inmates were collected in EDTA and plain tubes. Two mls of each blood sample in plain tubes were centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 10 minutes and the sera obtained were subjected to ELISA for detection of Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibody towards Toxoplasma antigen. Seropositive samples for Toxoplasma IgM or both Toxoplasma IgM and IgG were further tested with Novalisa Toxoplasma gondii IgG avidity test to rule out acute from latent infections. Blood in EDTA tubes were sent to Clinical Diagnostic Lab (CDL), University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur for complete blood count and differential count analysis. Overall seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was detected in 41.9% (127 out of 303) of the participants. Anti-T. gondii antibodies was detected in 63.2% (84 out of 133) of HIV positive subjects and in 25.3% (43 out of 170) of HIV negative subjects. Seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii antibodies was significantly higher in HIV positive than in HIV negative subjects (OR = 5.06; 95% CI = 3.09-8.30; p < 0.001). The rate of T. gondii seropositivity increased significantly in those aged 40 years and above, HIV positive individuals and those with history of drug abuse. White blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils and basophils counts decreased significantly in those infected with Toxoplasma. Creating awareness about T. gondii infection and follow-up of their status is recommended. Moreover, screening of T. gondii infection in HIV-infected individuals should be considered for better treatment and management, including control and prevention

Template Synthesis of Ni Nanowires: Characterization and Modelling

Template-assisted electrochemical deposition is a straight forward approach for the synthesis of 1D nanostructures (e.g., nanowire, nanorod, and nanobelt) with controllable morphology. This approach is suitable for mass production as it works at ambient pressure and temperature with the properties of synthesized 1D nanostructures being influenced by synthesis conditions during the electrochemical deposition process. This work aims to investigate the influence of stabilizing agent concentration and heating temperature towards the physical behavior of Nickel (Ni) nanowires synthesized via a template-assisted electrochemical deposition approach. In this research, the electrolyte bath was prepared in three different concentrations of the stabilizing agent (6 g/L, 40 g/L and 70 g/L), and the deposition bath temperature used was 30°C, 70°C, and 110°C respectively. The elemental composition was determined using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis to investigate the percentage of pure Ni element in the synthesized nanowires. The diameter, surface texture, and growth length of the synthesized Ni nanowires were characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). X-ray diffractions (XRD) was used for crystal size and crystal orientation analysis. Additionally, the mechanical properties of Ni nanowires were extracted via molecular dynamic simulation. Growth length of Ni nanowires found to be significantly improved as the heating temperature increased, but it decreased when stabilizer agent concentration is high. The diffraction patterns for all synthesis conditions exhibited the synthesis Ni nanowires are polycrystalline as the crystalline planes with Miller indices of 111, 200, and 220. All the investigated nanowires showed ductile failure behavior, a typical behavior at larger length scales of Ni

Microsporidia infection among various groups of the immunocompromised patients

While information with regards to the bacterial and viral infections are commonly available among clinicians, data on parasitic infection, particularly Microsporidia among immunocompromised patient is currently lacking in Malaysia. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Microsporidia among a various group of immunocompromised patient. Two hundred and eighty-eight archived stool samples were examined for the presence of Microsporidia with Gram-Chromotrope Kinyoun staining method. The overall prevalence of Microsporidia was 29.2 % (84/288; 95% CI=24.2-34.5). The end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients (32.1%) recorded the highest infection rate, followed by cancer (26.2%), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) (22.6%) and acute gastroenteritis (AGE) (7.1%). Meanwhile, organ transplant recipients and autoimmune disease patients recorded the lowest prevalence rate (6.0%). Other intestinal parasites were Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides and Cryptosporidium species. Diarrhoea was the most common symptoms among patients with microsporidiosis. The present study showed that the prevalence of Microsporidia infection was relatively high among immunocompromised patients. This finding highlighted the importance to include detection of microsporidia infection as a routine differential diagnosis in immunocompromised patients, which serves the benefit of treatment to the patients