Malaria Clusters among Illegal Chinese Immigrants to Europe through Africa

Between November 2002 and March 2003, 17 cases of malaria (1 fatal) were observed in illegal Chinese immigrants who traveled to Italy through Africa. A further cluster of 12 was reported in August, 2002. Several immigrants traveled by air, making the risk of introducing sudden acute respiratory syndrome a possibility should such illegal immigrations continue

Evaluation of a new Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility system for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bloodstream infections: speed and accuracy of Alfred 60AST.

BACKGROUND: Blood stream infections (BSIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The time from taking blood cultures to obtain results of antibiotic sensitivity can be up to five days which impacts patient care. The Alfred 60 AST™ can reduce laboratory time from positive culture bottle to susceptibility results from 16 to 25 h to 5-6 h, transforming patient care. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility system, the Alfred 60 AST™, in clinical isolates from patients with BSIs and confirm time to results. 301 Gram-negative and 86 Gram-positive isolates were analysed directly from positive blood culture bottles following Gram staining. Antimicrobial susceptibility results and time-to-results obtained by rapid Alfred 60 AST system and BD Phoenix were compared . RESULTS: A total of 2196 antimicrobial susceptibility test results (AST) were performed: 1863 Gram-negative and 333 Gram-positive. AST categorical agreement (CA) for Alfred 60 AST™ was 95% (1772/1863) for Gram-negative and 89% (295/333) for Gram-positive isolates. Gram-negative CA: ampicillin 96% (290/301); ciprofloxacin 95% (283/297); ceftriaxone 96% (75/78); meropenem 97% (288/297); piperacillin-tazobactam 95% (280/295); gentamicin 94% (279/297) and amikacin 93% (277/298). The median time to susceptibility results from blood culture flagging positive was 6.3 h vs 20 h (p < 0.01) for Alfred system vs BD Phoenix™. CONCLUSION: Alfred 60 AST system greatly reduced time to antimicrobial susceptibility results in Gram-negative and Gram-positive BSIs with good performance and cost, particularly for Gram-negative bacteraemia

Construction and analysis of a modular model of caspase activation in apoptosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A key physiological mechanism employed by multicellular organisms is apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Apoptosis is triggered by the activation of caspases in response to both extracellular (extrinsic) and intracellular (intrinsic) signals. The extrinsic and intrinsic pathways are characterized by the formation of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) and the apoptosome, respectively; both the DISC and the apoptosome are oligomers with complex formation dynamics. Additionally, the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways are coupled through the mitochondrial apoptosis-induced channel via the Bcl-2 family of proteins.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A model of caspase activation is constructed and analyzed. The apoptosis signaling network is simplified through modularization methodologies and equilibrium abstractions for three functional modules. The mathematical model is composed of a system of ordinary differential equations which is numerically solved. Multiple linear regression analysis investigates the role of each module and reduced models are constructed to identify key contributions of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways in triggering apoptosis for different cell lines.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Through linear regression techniques, we identified the feedbacks, dissociation of complexes, and negative regulators as the key components in apoptosis. The analysis and reduced models for our model formulation reveal that the chosen cell lines predominately exhibit strong extrinsic caspase, typical of type I cell, behavior. Furthermore, under the simplified model framework, the selected cells lines exhibit different modes by which caspase activation may occur. Finally the proposed modularized model of apoptosis may generalize behavior for additional cells and tissues, specifically identifying and predicting components responsible for the transition from type I to type II cell behavior.</p

Health-related quality of life in young adults with symptoms of constipation continuing from childhood into adulthood

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Children with functional constipation report impaired Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in relation to physical complaints and long duration of symptoms. In about one third of children with constipation, symptoms continue into adulthood. Knowledge on HRQoL in adults with constipation persisting from childhood is lacking.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To assess HRQoL in adults with constipation from early childhood in comparison to that of their peers. Furthermore to gain insight into the specific social consequences related to continuing symptoms of constipation and/or fecal incontinence at adult age.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One HRQoL questionnaire and one self-developed questionnaire focusing on specific consequences of symptoms of constipation continuing into adulthood were administrated to 182 adults with a history of childhood constipation. Successful clinical outcome was defined as a defecation frequency three or more times per week with less than two episodes of fecal incontinence per month, irrespective of laxative use. HRQoL of both adults with unsuccessful and successful clinical outcome were compared to a control group of 361 peers from the general Dutch population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No differences in HRQoL were found between the whole study population and healthy peers, nor between adults with successful clinical outcome (n = 139) and the control group. Adults with an unsuccessful clinical outcome (n = 43) reported significantly lower HRQoL compared to the control group with respect to scores on bodily pain (mean ± SD 77.4 ± 19.6 versus 85.7 ± 19.5, p = 0.01) and general health (67.6 ± 18.8 versus 74.0 ± 18.1, p = 0.04). Adults with an unsuccessful clinical outcome reported difficulties with social contact and intimacy (20% and 12.5%, respectively), related to their current symptoms. Current therapy in these adults was more often self-administered treatment (e.g. diet modifications) (60.4%) than laxatives (20.9%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, young adults with constipation in childhood report a good quality of life, as HRQoL of adults with successful clinical outcome was comparable to that of their peers. However, when childhood constipation continues into adulthood, it influences HRQoL negatively with social consequences in 20% of these adults.</p

Perceived Conflict of Interest in Health Science Partnerships

University scientists conducting research on topics of potential health concern often want to partner with a range of actors, including government entities, non-governmental organizations, and private enterprises. Such partnerships can provide access to needed resources, including funding. However, those who observe the results of such partnerships may judge those results based on who is involved. This set of studies seeks to assess how people perceive two hypothetical health science research collaborations. In doing so, it also tests the utility of using procedural justice concepts to assess perceptions of research legitimacy as a theoretical way to investigate conflict of interest perceptions. Findings show that including an industry collaborator has clear negative repercussions for how people see a research partnership and that these perceptions shape people’s willingness to see the research as a legitimate source of knowledge. Additional research aimed at further communicating procedures that might mitigate the impact of industry collaboration is suggested

High locomotor reactivity to novelty is associated with an increased propensity to choose saccharin over cocaine: new insights into the vulnerability to addiction.

Drug addiction is associated with a relative devaluation of natural or socially-valued reinforcers that are unable to divert addicts from seeking and consuming the drug. Before protracted drug exposure, most rats prefer natural rewards, such as saccharin, over cocaine. However, a subpopulation of animals prefer cocaine over natural rewards and are thought to be vulnerable to addiction. Specific behavioral traits have been associated with different dimensions of drug addiction. For example, anxiety predicts loss of control over drug intake whereas sensation seeking and sign-tracking are markers of a greater sensitivity to the rewarding properties of the drug. However, how these behavioral traits predict the disinterest for natural reinforcers remains unknown. In a population of rats, we identified sensation seekers (HR) on the basis of elevated novelty-induced locomotor reactivity, high anxious rats (HA) based on the propensity to avoid open arms in an elevated-plus maze and sign-trackers (ST) that are prone to approach, and interaction with, reward-associated stimuli. Rats were then tested on their preference for saccharin over cocaine in a discrete-trial choice procedure. We show that HR rats display a greater preference for saccharin over cocaine compared with ST and HA whereas the motivation for the drug was comparable between the three groups. The present data suggest that high locomotor reactivity to novelty, or sensation seeking, by predisposing to an increased choice toward non-drug rewards at early stages of drug use history, may prevent the establishment of chronic cocaine use.This work was funded by an INSERM AVENIR and Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) ANR12 SAMA00201 grant to DB, the région Poitou-Charentes, an AXA research fund fellowship to ABR, and a Ministère de la Recherche et de la Technologie grant to NV. AM was supported by the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute of Cambridge.This is the accepted manuscript of a paper published in Neuropsychopharmacology (2015) 40, 577–589; doi:10.1038/npp.2014.204; published online 17 September 2014

Semantic Knowledge Influences Prewired Hedonic Responses to Odors

Background Odor hedonic perception relies on decoding the physicochemical properties of odorant molecules and can be influenced in humans by semantic knowledge. The effect of semantic knowledge on such prewired hedonic processing over the life span has remained unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings The present study measured hedonic response to odors in different age groups (children, teenagers, young adults, and seniors) and found that children and seniors, two age groups characterized by either low level of (children) or weak access to (seniors) odor semantic knowledge, processed odor hedonics more on the basis of their physicochemical properties. In contrast, in teenagers and young adults, who show better levels of semantic odor representation, the role of physicochemical properties was less marked. Conclusions/Significance These findings demonstrate for the first time that the biological determinants that make an odor pleasant or unpleasant are more powerful at either end of the life span

Online versus in-person comparison of Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS) assessments: reliability of alternate methods

Abstract Background An online version of the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (Abbreviated) tool was adapted to virtually audit built environment features supportive of physical activity. The current study assessed inter-rater reliability of MAPS Online between in-person raters and online raters unfamiliar with the regions. Methods In-person and online audits were conducted for a total of 120 quarter-mile routes (60 per site) in Phoenix, AZ and San Diego, CA. Routes in each city included 40 residential origins stratified by walkability and SES, and 20 commercial centers. In-person audits were conducted by raters residing in their region. Online audits were conducted by raters in the alternate location using Google Maps (Aerial and Street View) images. The MAPS Abbreviated Online tool consisted of four sections: overall route, street segments, crossings and cul-de-sacs. Items within each section were grouped into subscales, and inter-rater reliability (ICCs) was assessed for subscales at multiple levels of aggregation. Results Online and in-person audits showed excellent agreement for overall positive microscale (ICC = 0.86, 95% CI [0.80, 0.90]) and grand scores (ICC = 0.93, 95% CI [0.89, 0.95]). Substantial to near-perfect agreement was found for 21 of 30 (70%) subscales, valence, and subsection scores, with ICCs ranging from 0.62, 95% CI [0.50, 0.72] to 0.95, 95% CI [0.93, 0.97]. Lowest agreement was found for the aesthetics and social characteristics scores, with ICCs ranging from 0.07, 95% CI [−0.12, 0.24] to 0.27, 95% CI [0.10, 0.43]. Conclusions Results support use of the MAPS Abbreviated Online tool to reliably assess microscale neighborhood features that support physical activity and may be used by raters residing in different geographic regions and unfamiliar with the audit areas

Like Mother(-in-Law) Like Daughter? Influence of the Older Generation’s Fertility Behaviours on Women’s Desired Family Size in Bihar, India

This paper investigates the associations between preferred family size of women in rural Bihar, India and the fertility behaviours of their mother and mother-in-law. Scheduled interviews of 440 pairs of married women aged 16–34 years and their mothers-in-law were conducted in 2011. Preferred family size is first measured by Coombs scale, allowing us to capture latent desired number of children and then categorized into three categories (low, medium and high). Women’s preferred family size is estimated using ordered logistic regression. We find that the family size preferences are not associated with mother’s fertility but with mother’s education. Mother-in-law’s desired number of grandchildren is positively associated with women’s preferred family size. However, when the woman has higher education than her mother-in-law, her preferred family size gets smaller, suggesting that education provides women with greater autonomy in their decision-making on childbearing