Imported Falciparum Malaria in Europe: Sentinel Surveillance Data from the European Network on Surveillance of Imported Infectious Diseases

Malaria continues to have a high morbidity rate associated among European travelers. Thorough recording of epidemiological and clinical aspects of imported malaria has been helpful in the detection of new outbreaks and areas of developing drug resistance. Sentinel surveillance of data collected prospectively since 1999 has begun within TropNetEurop, a European network focusing on imported infectious diseases. TropNetEurop appears to cover ∼10% of all patients with malaria seen in Europe. Reports of 1659 immigrants and European patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria were analyzed for epidemiological information and data on clinical features. Regional data were quite diverse, reflecting local patterns of immigration and international travel. By far, the most infections were imported from West Africa. Europeans had more clinical complications; consequently, all deaths occurred in this group. Compared with European standards, the mortality rate was low (0.6% in Europeans). Data from TropNetEurop member sites can contribute to our understanding of the epidemiological and clinical findings regarding imported falciparum malari

Involvement of Pinus taeda MYB1 and MYB8 in phenylpropanoid metabolism and secondary cell wall biogenesis: a comparative in planta analysis

The involvement of two R2R3-MYB genes from Pinus taeda L., PtMYB1 and PtMYB8, in phenylpropanoid metabolism and secondary cell wall biogenesis was investigated in planta. These pine MYBs were constitutively overexpressed (OE) in Picea glauca (Moench) Voss, used as a heterologous conifer expression system. Morphological, histological, chemical (lignin and soluble phenols), and transcriptional analyses, i.e. microarray and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were used for extensive phenotyping of MYB-overexpressing spruce plantlets. Upon germination of somatic embryos, root growth was reduced in both transgenics. Enhanced lignin deposition was also a common feature but ectopic secondary cell wall deposition was more strongly associated with PtMYB8-OE. Microarray and RT-qPCR data showed that overexpression of each MYB led to an overlapping up-regulation of many genes encoding phenylpropanoid enzymes involved in lignin monomer synthesis, while misregulation of several cell wall-related genes and other MYB transcription factors was specifically associated with PtMYB8-OE. Together, the results suggest that MYB1 and MYB8 may be part of a conserved transcriptional network involved in secondary cell wall deposition in conifers

Islandsk, finsk og svensk kronik

Islandsk, finsk og svensk kroni

Investigation of the SnS Cu2ZnSnS4 Interfaces in Kesterite Thin Film Solar Cells

Kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 CZTS , having only earth abundant elements, is a promising solar cell material. Nevertheless, the impact of the SnS secondary phase, which often forms alongside CZTS synthesis at high annealing temperature, on CZTS solar cells is poorly studied. We con amp; 64257;rm, by means of X ray di amp; 64256;raction, Raman scattering, and energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy mapping, that this phase tends to segregate at both the surface and the back side of annealed CZTS amp; 64257;lms with Cu poor and Zn rich composition. Using electron beam induced current measurements, it is further demonstrated that the formation of SnS on the CZTS surface is harmful for solar cells, whereas theSnS phase can be bene amp; 64257;cial for solar cells when it segregates on the CZTS rear. This positive contribution of SnS could stem from a passivation e amp; 64256;ect at the CZTS SnS rear interface. This work opens new possibilities for an alternative interface development for kesterite based photovoltaic technology