Praziquantel: its use in control of schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa and current research needs

Treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) has become virtually the sole basis of schistosomiasis control in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, and the drug is reviewed here in the context of the increasing rate that it is being used for this purpose. Attention is drawn to our relative lack of knowledge about the mechanisms of action of PZQ at the molecular level, the need for more work to be done on schistosome isolates that have been collected recently from endemic areas rather than those maintained in laboratory conditions for long periods, and our reliance for experimental work mainly on Schistosoma mansoni, little work having been done on S. haematobium. There is no evidence that resistance to PZQ has been induced in African schistosomes as a result of its large-scale use on that continent to date, but there is also no assurance that PZQ and/or schistosomes are in any way unique and that resistant organisms will not be selected as a result of widespread drug usage. The failure of PZQ to produce complete cures in populations given a routine treatment should therefore solicit considerable concern. With few alternatives to PZQ currently available and/or on the horizon, methods to monitor drug-susceptibility in African schistosomes need to be devised and used to help ensure that this drug remains effective for as long a time as possibl

Thermodynamic and Economic Assessment of Two Semi-Closed CO 2 Cycles for Emission Abatement and Power Augmentation at Compressor Stations

ABSTRACT Concerns about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the Earth's climate have lead to a considerable focus by the public and governments on the levels of emissions that are generated by industrial activities. In Canada, it has been recognized that gas transmission systems are rated second in overall CO2 production in the Natural Gas Industry (next to gas processing). Most of the gas transmission systems are powered by gas turbines at compressor stations resulting in significant CO2 emissions (at the rate of ~ 6 kilo tonnes/ per MW-year). This can be reduced if the CO2 can be separated from the gas turbine exhaust stream and directed for reuse or sequestration. This paper presents results of techno-thermodynamic assessment of two power cycle adjustments to increase CO2 concentrations in the exhaust gas from turbines. The working fluid in the two semi-closed cycles are made rich in CO2, thus making it easy to capture the CO2 from the flue gas by means of physical absorption techniques rather than by the conventional expensive amine adsorption methods. Additionally, the CO2 rich working fluid is shown to give rise to a higher exhaust gas temperature from the gas turbine semi-closed cycles, allowing a steam bottom cycle to be effective in augmenting the power delivered by the entire system by 50%, hence contributing to reducing emission by increasing the overall thermal efficiency of the system

Early Life Microcirculatory Plasticity and Blood Pressure Changes in Low Birth Weight Infants Born to Normotensive Mothers: A Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Capillary rarefaction (CR) is an established hallmark of essential hypertension (EH). The aim of this study was to examine early changes in capillary density (CD) and blood pressure (BP) in low birth weight (LBW) infants who are at risk of developing EH in later life. METHODS: We studied 77 LBW infants and 284 normal birth weight (NBW) infants, all born to mothers with normotension, in a longitudinal multicenter study. Intravital capillaroscopy was used to measure functional basal capillary density (BCD) and maximal capillary density (MCD) at birth, 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: We found that LBW infants, born preterm and at term, had a significantly higher CD at birth, then underwent significant CR in the 1st 3 months culminating in a CD similar to that seen in NBW infants. NBW infants showed a gradual reduction in CD between birth and 12 months. Non-Caucasian ethnicity and preterm birth were significant predictors of a higher CD at birth. Systolic BP in NBW infants increased significantly from birth to 3 months, and we identified a significant negative correlation between systolic BP and MCD. CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified a process of early "accelerated capillary remodeling" in LBW infants, which corrects their higher CD at birth. This remodeling is unlikely to explain the CR seen in adult individuals with, or at risk of developing EH. Further follow-up studies are required to determine the timing and mechanisms involved in CR, which is likely to occur after the 1st year of life but before early adulthood

Assessment of HAPs emissions from advanced power systems

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) identified 189 substances as air toxics or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Under the CAAA, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must regulate emissions of these HAPs at their sources, including advanced power systems used for the production of electricity. Eleven trace elements are included in the CAAA list of HAPS, as shown in Table 1. The EPA will define those sources that require regulation and limit their emissions according to regulatory directives. This project focused on evaluating and manipulating the advanced power systems HAPs data currently available for presentation to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Trace components included in the 189 HAPs of the 1990 CAAA are: antimony compounds; arsenic compounds; beryllium compounds; cadmium compounds; chromium compounds; cobalt compounds; lead compounds; manganese compounds; mercury compounds; nickel compounds; and selenium compounds. The review of trace element emissions from advanced power systems and hot-gas cleanup systems included data from Tidd Station, General Electric hot-gas cleanup, Louisiana Gasification Technology Incorporated, and the Cool Water plant. Very few other sources of information were located, and those that were contained significantly flawed information that was not of value to this project. To offset the shortage of information, thermochemical equilibrium predictions were used in evaluating advanced control systems. An outline of the systems reviewed is given in Table 2. In addition to the four demonstration and 1 full-scale systems reviewed, nine conventional systems were also reviewed for comparison with the advanced systems

Praziquantel: its use in control of schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa and current research needs

Treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) has become virtually the sole basis of schistosomiasis control in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere, and the drug is reviewed here in the context of the increasing rate that it is being used for this purpose. Attention is drawn to our relative lack of knowledge about the mechanisms of action of PZQ at the molecular level, the need for more work to be done on schistosome isolates that have been collected recently from endemic areas rather than those maintained in laboratory conditions for long periods, and our reliance for experimental work mainly on Schistosoma mansoni, little work having been done on S. haematobium. There is no evidence that resistance to PZQ has been induced in African schistosomes as a result of its large-scale use on that continent to date, but there is also no assurance that PZQ and/or schistosomes are in any way unique and that resistant organisms will not be selected as a result of widespread drug usage. The failure of PZQ to produce complete cures in populations given a routine treatment should therefore solicit considerable concern. With few alternatives to PZQ currently available and/or on the horizon, methods to monitor drug-susceptibility in African schistosomes need to be devised and used to help ensure that this drug remains effective for as long a time as possibl

Fabrication and characterization of dual function nanoscale pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes for high resolution pH mapping

The easy fabrication and use of nanoscale dual function pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes is reported. These probes incorporate an iridium oxide coated carbon electrode for pH measurement and an SICM barrel for distance control, enabling simultaneous pH and topography mapping. These pH-SICM probes were fabricated rapidly from laser pulled theta quartz pipets, with the pH electrode prepared by in situ carbon filling of one of the barrels by the pyrolytic decomposition of butane, followed by electrodeposition of a thin layer of hydrous iridium oxide. The other barrel was filled with an electrolyte solution and Ag/AgCl electrode as part of a conductance cell for SICM. The fabricated probes, with pH and SICM sensing elements typically on the 100 nm scale, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and various electrochemical measurements. They showed a linear super-Nernstian pH response over a range of pH (pH 2–10). The capability of the pH-SICM probe was demonstrated by detecting both pH and topographical changes during the dissolution of a calcite microcrystal in aqueous solution. This system illustrates the quantitative nature of pH-SICM imaging, because the dissolution process changes the crystal height and interfacial pH (compared to bulk), and each is sensitive to the rate. Both measurements reveal similar dissolution rates, which are in agreement with previously reported literature values measured by classical bulk methods