Prevalence and associated risk factors of malaria among adults in East Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Malaria is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is prevalent in over 75% of the country's area making it the leading public health problems in the country. Information on the prevalence of malaria and its associated factors is vital to focus and improve malaria interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out from October to November 2012 in East Shewa zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Adults aged 16 or more years with suspected malaria attending five health centers were eligible for the study. Logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of each independent variable on risk of subsequent diagnosis of malaria. RESULTS: Of 810 suspected adult malaria patients who participated in the study, 204 (25%) had microscopically confirmed malaria parasites. The dominant Plasmodium species were P. vivax (54%) and P. falciparum (45%), with mixed infection of both species in one patient. A positive microscopic result was significantly associated with being in the age group of 16 to 24 years [Adjusted Odds Ratio aOR 6.7; 95% CI: 2.3 to 19.5], 25 to 34 years [aOR 4.2; 95% CI: 1.4 to 12.4], and 35 to 44 years [aOR 3.7; 95% CI: 1.2-11.4] compared to 45 years or older; being treated at Meki health center [aOR 4.1; 95% CI: 2.4 to 7.1], being in Shashemene health center [aOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.5 to 4.5], and living in a rural area compared to an urban area [aOR 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.6)]. CONCLUSION: Malaria is an important public health problem among adults in the study area with a predominance of P. vivax and P. falciparum infection. Thus, appropriate health interventions should be implemented to prevent and control the disease

Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) model for the early diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Strokes are a leading cause of morbidity and the first cause of adult disability in the United States. Currently, no biomarkers are being used clinically to diagnose acute ischemic stroke. A diagnostic test using a blood sample from a patient would potentially be beneficial in treating the disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A classification approach is described for differentiating between proteomic samples of stroke patients and controls, and a second novel predictive model is developed for predicting the severity of stroke as measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The models were constructed by applying the Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) methodology to the mass peak profiles of 48 stroke patients and 32 controls. The classification model was shown to have an accuracy of 75% when tested on an independent validation set of 35 stroke patients and 25 controls, while the predictive model exhibited superior performance when compared to alternative algorithms. In spite of their high accuracy, both models are extremely simple and were developed using a common set consisting of only 3 peaks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have successfully identified 3 biomarkers that can detect ischemic stroke with an accuracy of 75%. The performance of the classification model on the validation set and on cross-validation does not deteriorate significantly when compared to that on the training set, indicating the robustness of the model. As in the case of the LAD classification model, the results of the predictive model validate the function constructed on our support-set for approximating the severity scores of stroke patients. The correlation and root mean absolute error of the LAD predictive model are consistently superior to those of the other algorithms used (Support vector machines, C4.5 decision trees, Logistic regression and Multilayer perceptron).</p

The "Ram Effect": A "Non-Classical" Mechanism for Inducing LH Surges in Sheep

During spring sheep do not normally ovulate but exposure to a ram can induce ovulation. In some ewes an LH surge is induced immediately after exposure to a ram thus raising questions about the control of this precocious LH surge. Our first aim was to determine the plasma concentrations of oestradiol (E2) E2 in anoestrous ewes before and after the "ram effect" in ewes that had a "precocious" LH surge (starting within 6 hours), a "normal" surge (between 6 and 28h) and "late» surge (not detected by 56h). In another experiment we tested if a small increase in circulating E2 could induce an LH surge in anoestrus ewes. The concentration of E2 significantly was not different at the time of ram introduction among ewes with the three types of LH surge. "Precocious" LH surges were not preceded by a large increase in E2 unlike "normal" surges and small elevations of circulating E2 alone were unable to induce LH surges. These results show that the "precocious" LH surge was not the result of E2 positive feedback. Our second aim was to test if noradrenaline (NA) is involved in the LH response to the "ram effect". Using double labelling for Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) we showed that exposure of anoestrous ewes to a ram induced a higher density of cells positive for both in the A1 nucleus and the Locus Coeruleus complex compared to unstimulated controls. Finally, the administration by retrodialysis into the preoptic area, of NA increased the proportion of ewes with an LH response to ram odor whereas treatment with the α1 antagonist Prazosin decreased the LH pulse frequency and amplitude induced by a sexually active ram. Collectively these results suggest that in anoestrous ewes NA is involved in ram-induced LH secretion as observed in other induced ovulators

Why are we not flooded by involuntary thoughts about the past and future? Testing the cognitive inhibition dependency hypothesis

© The Author(s) 2018In everyday life, involuntary thoughts about future plans and events occur as often as involuntary thoughts about the past. However, compared to involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs), such episodic involuntary future thoughts (IFTs) have become a focus of study only recently. The aim of the present investigation was to examine why we are not constantly flooded by IFTs and IAMs given that they are often triggered by incidental cues while performing undemanding activities. One possibility is that activated thoughts are suppressed by the inhibitory control mechanism, and therefore depleting inhibitory control should enhance the frequency of both IFTs and IAMs. We report an experiment with a between-subjects design, in which participants in the depleted inhibition condition performed a 60-min high-conflict Stroop task before completing a laboratory vigilance task measuring the frequency of IFTs and IAMs. Participants in the intact inhibition condition performed a version of the Stroop task that did not deplete inhibitory control. To control for physical and mental fatigue resulting from performing the 60-min Stroop tasks in experimental conditions, participants in the control condition completed only the vigilance task. Contrary to predictions, the number of IFTs and IAMs reported during the vigilance task, using the probe-caught method, did not differ across conditions. However, manipulation checks showed that participants’ inhibitory resources were reduced in the depleted inhibition condition, and participants were more tired in the experimental than in the control conditions. These initial findings suggest that neither inhibitory control nor physical and mental fatigue affect the frequency of IFTs and IAMs.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Prevalence, symptoms and management of uterine fibroids: an international internet-based survey of 21,746 women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2009 the Uterine Bleeding and Pain Women's Research Study (UBP-WRS) was conducted interviewing 21,479 women across 8 countries in order to gain patient-based prevalence data on uterine pain and bleeding indications and investigate uterine symptoms and women's treatment experiences. This article shows relevant results of the study for the indication uterine fibroids providing data on self-reported prevalence, symptomatology and management of uterine fibroids.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>2,500 women (USA: 4,500 women) in each country (Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, the UK, the USA) completed an online survey. Women included were in their reproductive age (age group 15-49 years; USA: 18-49 years) and had ever experienced menstrual bleedings. Quotas were applied for age, region, level of education and household income of respondents. Variables have been analyzed descriptively and exploratory statistical tests have been performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The self-reported prevalence of uterine fibroids ranged from 4.5% (UK) to 9.8% (Italy), reaching 9.4% (UK) to 17.8% (Italy) in the age group of 40-49 years. Women with a diagnosis of uterine fibroids reported significantly more often about bleeding symptoms than women without a diagnosis: heavy bleedings (59.8% vs. 37.4%), prolonged bleedings (37.3% vs. 15.6%), bleeding between periods (33.3% vs. 13.5%), frequent periods (28.4% vs. 15.2%), irregular and predictable periods (36.3% vs. 23.9%). Furthermore women with diagnosed uterine fibroids reported significantly more often about the following pain symptoms: pressure on the bladder (32.6% vs. 15.0%), chronic pelvic pain (14.5% vs. 2.9%), painful sexual intercourse (23.5% vs. 9.1%) and pain occurring mid-cycle, after and during menstrual bleeding (31.3%, 16.7%, 59.7%, vs. 17.1%, 6.4%, 52.0%). 53.7% of women reported that their symptoms had a negative impact on their life in the last 12 month, influencing their sexual life (42.9%), performance at work (27.7%) and relationship & family (27.2%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Uterine fibroid is a common concern in women at fertile age causing multiple bleeding and pain symptoms which can have a negative impact on different aspects in women's life.</p

Radiation induced angiosarcoma a sequela of radiotherapy for breast cancer following conservative surgery

Radiation induced angiosarcomas (RIA) can affect breast cancer patients who had radiotherapy following conservative breast surgery. They are very rare tumors and often their diagnosis is delayed due to their benign appearance and difficulty in differentiation from radiation induced skin changes. Therefore it is very important that clinicians are aware of their existence. We report here a case of RIA followed by discussion and review of literature

Can luteal regression be reversed?

The corpus luteum is an endocrine gland whose limited lifespan is hormonally programmed. This debate article summarizes findings of our research group that challenge the principle that the end of function of the corpus luteum or luteal regression, once triggered, cannot be reversed. Overturning luteal regression by pharmacological manipulations may be of critical significance in designing strategies to improve fertility efficacy

Oleic Acid Biosynthesis in Plasmodium falciparum: Characterization of the Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase and Investigation as a Potential Therapeutic Target

BACKGROUND:Plasmodium falciparum parasitization of erythrocytes causes a substantial increase in the levels of intracellular fatty acids, notably oleic acid. How parasites acquire this monounsaturated fatty acid has remained enigmatic. Here, we report on the biochemical and enzymatic characterization of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) in P. falciparum. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Metabolic labeling experiments allowed us to demonstrate the production of oleic acid from stearic acid both in lysates of parasites incubated with [(14)C]-stearoyl-CoA and in parasite-infected erythrocytes labeled with [(14)C]-stearic acid. Optimal SCD activity was detected in schizonts, the stage of maximal membrane synthesis. This activity correlated with a late trophozoite stage-specific induction of PFE0555w transcripts. PFE0555w harbors a typical SCD signature. Similar to mammalian SCDs, this protein was found to be associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, as determined with PFE0555w-GFP tagged transgenic P. falciparum. Importantly, these parasites exhibited increased rates of stearic to oleic acid conversion, providing additional evidence that PFE0555w encodes the plasmodial SCD (PfSCD). These findings prompted us to assess the activity of sterculic acid analogues, known to be specific Delta9-desaturase inhibitors. Methyl sterculate inhibited the synthesis of oleic acid both with parasite lysates and infected erythrocytes, most likely by targeting PfSCD. This compound exhibited significant, rapid and irreversible antimalarial activity against asexual blood stages. This parasiticidal effect was antagonized by oleic acid. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:Our study provides evidence that parasite-mediated fatty acid modification is important for blood-stage survival and provides a new strategy to develop a novel antimalarial therapeutic based on the inhibition of PfSCD

Primaquine in vivax malaria: an update and review on management issues

Primaquine was officially licensed as an anti-malarial drug by the FDA in 1952. It has remained the only FDA licensed drug capable of clearing the intra-hepatic schizonts and hypnozoites of Plasmodium vivax. This update and review focuses on five major aspects of primaquine use in treatment of vivax malaria, namely: a) evidence of efficacy of primaquine for its current indications; b) potential hazards of its widespread use, c) critical analysis of reported resistance against primaquine containing regimens; d) evidence for combining primaquine with artemisinins in areas of chloroquine resistance; and e) the potential for replacement of primaquine with newer drugs