A review of the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are important protozoan parasites which are associated with diarrheal diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Relatively little is known about the molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in the Middle East Countries and North Africa (MENA region). Therefore, this review aimed to inspect published genotyping and subtyping studies on Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in the MENA region. These studies indicate that both anthroponotic and zoonotic transmission of Cryptosporidium occurs with the predominance of zoonotic transmission in most countries. Seven Cryptosporidium species were identified in humans (C. parvum, C. hominis, Cryptosporidium meleagridis, C. felis, Cryptosporidium muris, C. canis and C. bovis), with C. parvum by far being the most prevalent species (reported in 95.4% of the retrieved studies). Among C. parvum gp60 subtype families, IIa and IId predominated, suggesting potential zoonotic transmission. However, in four MENA countries (Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Tunisia), C. hominis was the predominant species with five subtype families reported including Ia, Ib, Id, If and Ie, all of which are usually anthroponotically transmitted between humans. In animals, the majority of studies were conducted mainly on livestock and poultry, 15 species were identified (C. parvum, C. hominis, C. muris, Cryptosporidium cuniculus, C. andersoni, C. bovis, C. meleagridis, C. baileyi, C. erinacei, C. ryanae, C. felis, C. suis, Cryptosporidium galli, C. xiaoi and C. ubiquitum) with C. parvum (IIa and IId subtypes) the dominant species in livestock and C. meleagridis and C. baileyi the dominant species in poultry. With G. duodenalis, five assemblages (A, B, C, E and F) were identified in humans and six (A, B, C, E, D and F) in animals in MENA countries with assemblages A and B commonly reported in humans, and assemblages A and E dominant in livestock. This review also identified a major knowledge gap in the lack of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis typing studies in water and food sources in the MENA region. Of the few studies conducted on water sources (including drinking and tap water), ten Cryptosporidium species and four genotypes were identified, highlighting the potential role of water as the major route of Cryptosporidium spp. transmission in the region. In addition, three G. duodenalis assemblages (A, B and E) were detected in different water sources with AI, AII and BIV being the main sub-assemblages reported. More research is required in order to better understand the molecular diversity and transmission dynamics of Cryptsporidum spp. and Giardia duodenalis in humans, animals, water and food sources in MENA region

Morfologi Kota-kota di Priangan Timur pada Abad XX – Xxi; Studi Kasus Kota Garut, Ciamis, dan Tasikmalaya

Tulisan ini akan mengkaji Perubahan Morfologi Kota-Kota di Priangan Timur pada Abad XX-XXI dengan memfokuskan pada Kota Garut, Ciamis, dan Tasikmalaya. Untuk mencapai tujuan itu, dalam penelitian ini digunakan metode sejarah yang meliputi empat tahap yakni heuristik, kritik, interpretasi, dan historiografi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pertumbuhan morfologi kota dengan mengkaji tata ruang dan infrastruktur kota, simbol kota, bangunan, dan ruang terbuka di Kota Garut, Ciamis, dan Tasikmalaya menunjukkan kecenderungan yang berbeda. Pada awalnya, struktur dan pola kota ketiganya menunjukkan kecenderungan yang sama karena mendapat pengaruh struktur kota tradisional. Akan tetapi, dalam perkembangannya menunjukkan perbedaan yang terlihat dari struktur dan pola kota Tasikmalaya yang cenderung mengabaikan struktur dan pola kota tradisional. Unsur-unsur kota kolonial di ketiga kota tersebut cukup nampak sehingga terjadi perpaduan antara kota tradisional dan kota kolonial yang salah satunya terlihat dari bangunan yang mendapat pengaruh budaya indis. This paper examines the morphology changes of Cities in East Priangan in the 20th and 21st century by focusing on the city of Garut, Ciamis and Tasikmalaya. To achieve that goal, this study uses historical method which includes four stages of heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The results showed that the growth of the city by studying morphology and spatial infrastructure of the city, a symbol of the city, buildings and open spaces in the city of Garut, Ciamis and Tasikmalaya shows a different trend. At first, the structure and pattern of the three cities showed the same tendency as under the influence of traditional city structures. However, in its development shows the differences seen from the structure and pattern of Tasikmalaya which tends to undermine the structure and pattern of traditional town. The elements of the colonial city in the three cities are quite visible, causing a blend of traditional and colonial city. One of which is visible from the building that received cultural influences of Indies

Rumah Indonesia Bernuansa “Indonesia Negara 1000 Budaya” Sebagai Sarana Informasi Sekaligus Untuk Memperkenalkan Budaya Indonesia Pada Masyarakat Di Perbatasan

Indonesia is a country that has an abundance of different cultures. With the abundance of culture possessed, Indonesia should be able to preserve it. However, in reality some Indonesian culture has been claimed by neighboring countries such as Reog Ponorogo is claimed by Malaysia, and others. So must to do an action that can minimize the threat. One solution is by the Rumah Indonesia. Rumah Indonesia is a public facility that concept "Indonesia is a Country of 1000 Culture". The goal is to make the establishment of information centers as well as introducing Indonesian culture to the people at the border. Which in turn can be everlasting to Indonesian culture and not claimed by neighboring countries

Estimasi Potensi PLTMH Dengan Metode Regionalisasi Pada Ungauged Catchments Di Kecamatan Suoh

. Electricity is the major problem in Suoh sub-district because there is no electricity distributed by National Electricity Company (PLN). Suoh is located in the upstream of Way Semaka and water is available in river tributaries throughout the year which can be utilized for micro hydro power. This research aims to analyse the potency of the rivers including Way Hantatai, Way Sekandak and Way Gunung Lanang. The three rivers are categorised as ungauged catchments. Research method includes analysis of hydrologic similarity berween Way Semaka and Way Besai catchments, application of regionalization method where FDC for Way Semaka was developed from discharge data from Way Besai located close to Way Semaka. Measurement of flow variables in the rivers are used to verify dependable discharge calculated by regionalization method. The potency of electricity power is calculated based on dependable discharge Q50 and head. The result shows that hydrologic similarity exists between Way Semaka and Way Besai catchments. Calculated discharges based on river measurements comparable to dependable discharges between 80%-93% from the FDCs for the three rivers. The maximum electricity power which can be generated are 15.26 KW, 4.12 KW and 2.71 KW for Way Hantatai, Way Sekandak and Way Gunung Lanang respectively

Prediction of strain values in reinforcements and concrete of a RC frame using neural networks

The level of strain in structural elements is an important indicator for the presence of damage and its intensity. Considering this fact, often structural health monitoring systems employ strain gauges to measure strains in critical elements. However, because of their sensitivity to the magnetic fields, inadequate long-term durability especially in harsh environments, difficulties in installation on existing structures, and maintenance cost, installation of strain gauges is not always possible for all structural components. Therefore, a reliable method that can accurately estimate strain values in critical structural elements is necessary for damage identification. In this study, a full-scale test was conducted on a planar RC frame to investigate the capability of neural networks for predicting the strain values. Two neural networks each of which having a single hidden layer was trained to relate the measured rotations and vertical displacements of the frame to the strain values measured at different locations of the frame. Results of trained neural networks indicated that they accurately estimated the strain values both in reinforcements and concrete. In addition, the trained neural networks were capable of predicting strains for the unseen input data set

The Druze: A Population Genetic Refugium of the Near East

BACKGROUND: Phylogenetic mitochondrial DNA haplogroups are highly partitioned across global geographic regions. A unique exception is the X haplogroup, which has a widespread global distribution without major regions of distinct localization. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have examined mitochondrial DNA sequence variation together with Y-chromosome-based haplogroup structure among the Druze, a religious minority with a unique socio-demographic history residing in the Near East. We observed a striking overall pattern of heterogeneous parental origins, consistent with Druze oral tradition, together with both a high frequency and a high diversity of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) X haplogroup within a confined regional subpopulation. Furthermore demographic modeling indicated low migration rates with nearby populations. CONCLUSIONS: These findings were enabled through the use of a paternal kindred based sampling approach, and suggest that the Galilee Druze represent a population isolate, and that the combination of a high frequency and diversity of the mtDNA X haplogroup signifies a phylogenetic refugium, providing a sample snapshot of the genetic landscape of the Near East prior to the modern age

CD271-selected mesenchymal stem cells from adipose tissue enhance cartilage repair and are less angiogenic than plastic adherent mesenchymal stem cells

CD271 is a marker of bone marrow MSCs with enhanced differentiation capacity for bone or cartilage repair. However, the nature of CD271+ MSCs from adipose tissue (AT) is less well understood. Here, we investigated the differentiation, wound healing and angiogenic capacity of plastic adherent MSCs (PA MSCs) versus CD271+ MSCs from AT. There was no difference in the extent to which PA MSCs and CD271+ MSCs formed osteoblasts, adipocytes or chondrocytes in vitro. In contrast, CD271+ MSCs transplanted into athymic rats significantly enhanced osteochondral wound healing with reduced vascularisation in the repair tissue compared to PA MSCs and control animals; there was little histological evidence of mature articular cartilage formation in all animals. Conditioned medium from CD271+ MSC cultures was less angiogenic than PA MSC conditioned medium, and had little effect on endothelial cell migration or endothelial tubule formation in vitro. The low angiogenic activity of CD271+ MSCs and improved early stage tissue repair of osteochondral lesions when transplanted, along with a comparable differentiation capacity along mesenchymal lineages when induced, suggests that these selected cells are a better candidate than PA MSCs for the repair of cartilaginous tissue

Documenting the Recovery of Vascular Services in European Centres Following the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic Peak: Results from a Multicentre Collaborative Study

Objective: To document the recovery of vascular services in Europe following the first COVID-19 pandemic peak. Methods: An online structured vascular service survey with repeated data entry between 23 March and 9 August 2020 was carried out. Unit level data were collected using repeated questionnaires addressing modifications to vascular services during the first peak (March – May 2020, “period 1”), and then again between May and June (“period 2”) and June and July 2020 (“period 3”). The duration of each period was similar. From 2 June, as reductions in cases began to be reported, centres were first asked if they were in a region still affected by rising cases, or if they had passed the peak of the first wave. These centres were asked additional questions about adaptations made to their standard pathways to permit elective surgery to resume. Results: The impact of the pandemic continued to be felt well after countries’ first peak was thought to have passed in 2020. Aneurysm screening had not returned to normal in 21.7% of centres. Carotid surgery was still offered on a case by case basis in 33.8% of centres, and only 52.9% of centres had returned to their normal aneurysm threshold for surgery. Half of centres (49.4%) believed their management of lower limb ischaemia continued to be negatively affected by the pandemic. Reduced operating theatre capacity continued in 45.5% of centres. Twenty per cent of responding centres documented a backlog of at least 20 aortic repairs. At least one negative swab and 14 days of isolation were the most common strategies used for permitting safe elective surgery to recommence. Conclusion: Centres reported a broad return of services approaching pre-pandemic “normal” by July 2020. Many introduced protocols to manage peri-operative COVID-19 risk. Backlogs in cases were reported for all major vascular surgeries