Civil War Camps of Instruction in Illinois: Exploring the Transition from Civilian to Soldier

The study of Civil War soldiers is an emerging field in the scholarly study of the Civil War, especially since the 1980s. The historical works focus on a variety of subject areas, but all share the common thread of neglecting the soldier before he engaged in his first battle. It was in the camp of instruction that the soldier was born, transitioning from civilian to soldier. Illinois established camps of instruction to train the men who fought for the Union. Based upon letters, diaries, and memoirs written by soldiers, as well as local newspapers of the era, a picture emerges of a physical, mental, and social transition of the civilians into soldiers. The physical and mental transitions occurred in the camps of instruction themselves, while the social transition extended from the camp into the neighboring communities as the soldiers interacted with the local populace. The study of camps of instruction in Illinois sheds new light onto the neglected world of the soldier before he fired his first shot in battle. The soldier experienced the physical transition through activities including donning uniforms, drilling, and meals. Some of the areas associated with the physical transition were part of the mental transition. As part of the mental transition, the soldiers expressed fear, pride, and sadness in their writings from camp. Finally, the social transition saw soldiers becoming part of the unit as well as part of a distinct social group separate from the rest of society. This evolution extended from inside the camp to interacting with civilians in neighboring communities. All three areas of transition combined to create a trained Union soldier from a raw civilian. While no amount of training effectively prepared the men to face being fired upon in battle, the three levels of transition in the camps provided the soldiers with a better level of preparation for battle than had they gone into battle with no training

Dynamics of P. falciparum gametocytemia in symptomatic patients in an area of intense perennial transmission in Tanzania.

We investigated the dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytemia in symptomatic patients attending a local dispensary in the Kilombero district, Tanzania. Consenting individuals aged one and above, with varying asexual and sexual parasitemias were treated appropriately and asked to return weekly for 28 days. Gametocyte prevalence was highest on Day 7 of follow-up in all age groups (overall 30.5%). Multifactorial analysis showed that young age (chi2 = 18.4; P = 0.004), high asexual parasitemia on presentation (chi2 = 19.4; P = 0.0007) and gametocyte positivity on presentation (chi2 = 29.4; P = 0.001) were all significantly associated with the presence of gametocytes on Days 7 and 14 of follow-up. High presentation of asexual parasitemia alone was positively correlated with higher gametocyte densities on both days of follow-up (F4, 297 = 2.0; P = 0.049). Gametocyte incidence rates decreased significantly with age (chi2 = 7.6, P < 0.005). In summary, in this group of chloroquine-treated individuals, gametocyte prevalence and incidence rates decreased with age, while densities remained relatively constant

Dynamics of P. Falciparum Gametocytemia in Symptomatic Patients in an Area of Intense Perennial Transmission in Tanzania.

We investigated the dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytemia in symptomatic patients attending a local dispensary in the Kilombero district, Tanzania. Consenting individuals aged one and above, with varying asexual and sexual parasitemias were treated appropriately and asked to return weekly for 28 days. Gametocyte prevalence was highest on Day 7 of follow-up in all age groups (overall 30.5%). Multifactorial analysis showed that young age (chi2 = 18.4; P = 0.004), high asexual parasitemia on presentation (chi2 = 19.4; P = 0.0007) and gametocyte positivity on presentation (chi2 = 29.4; P = 0.001) were all significantly associated with the presence of gametocytes on Days 7 and 14 of follow-up. High presentation of asexual parasitemia alone was positively correlated with higher gametocyte densities on both days of follow-up (F4, 297 = 2.0; P = 0.049). Gametocyte incidence rates decreased significantly with age (chi2 = 7.6, P < 0.005). In summary, in this group of chloroquine-treated individuals, gametocyte prevalence and incidence rates decreased with age, while densities remained relatively constant

Applied Remote Sensing Program (ARSP)

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Whole-blood transcriptomic signatures induced during immunization by chloroquine prophylaxis and Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites

A highly effective vaccine that confers sterile protection to malaria is urgently needed. Immunization under chemoprophylaxis with sporozoites (CPS) consistently confers high levels of protection in the Controlled Human Malaria infection (CHMI) model. To provide a broad, unbiased assessment of the composition and kinetics of direct ex vivo human immune responses to CPS, we profiled whole-blood transcriptomes by RNA-seq before and during CPS immunization and following CHMI challenge. Differential expression of genes enriched in modules related to T cells, NK cells, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial processes were detected in fully protected individuals four weeks after the first immunization. Non-protected individuals demonstrated transcriptomic changes after the third immunization and the day of treatment, with upregulation of interferon and innate inflammatory genes and downregulation of B-cell signatures. Protected individuals demonstrated more significant interactions between blood transcription modules compared to non-protected individuals several weeks after the second and third immunizations. These data provide insight into the molecular and cellular basis of CPS-induced immune protection from P. falciparum infection

Diabetes Center of Excellence Hypoglycemia Emergency Preparedness Project

IN BRIEF Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, Inc., and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes a successful effort to ensure that patients who are at risk for severe hypoglycemic events have a viable glucagon emergency plan in place