Exposure and risk factors to Coxiella burnetii, spotted fever group and typhus group rickettsiae, and Bartonella henselae among volunteer blood donors in Namibia

Background: The role of pathogen-mediated febrile illness in sub-Saharan Africa is receiving more attention, especially in Southern Africa where four countries (including Namibia) are actively working to eliminate malaria. With a high concentration of livestock and high rates of companion animal ownership, the influence of zoonotic bacterial diseases as causes of febrile illness in Namibia remains unknown.Methodology/Principal Findings: The aim of the study was to evaluate exposure to Coxiella burnetii, spotted fever and typhus group rickettsiae, and Bartonella henselae using IFA and ELISA (IgG) in serum collected from 319 volunteer blood donors identified by the Blood Transfusion Service of Namibia (NAMBTS). Serum samples were linked to a basic questionnaire to identify possible risk factors. The majority of the participants (64.8%) had extensive exposure to rural areas or farms. Results indicated a C. burnetii prevalence of 26.1% (screening titre 1:16), and prevalence rates of 11.9% and 14.9% (screening titre 1:100) for spotted fever group and typhus group rickettsiae, respectively. There was a significant spatial association between C. burnetii exposure and place of residence in southern Namibia (P0.012), especially cattle (P>0.006), were also significantly associated with C. burnetii exposure. Males were significantly more likely than females to have been exposed to spotted fever (P<0.013) and typhus (P<0.011) group rickettsiae. Three (2.9%) samples were positive for B. henselae possibly indicating low levels of exposure to a pathogen never reported in Namibia.Conclusions/Significance: These results indicate that Namibians are exposed to pathogenic fever-causing bacteria, most of which have flea or tick vectors/reservoirs. The epidemiology of febrile illnesses in Namibia needs further evaluation in order to develop comprehensive local diagnostic and treatment algorithms.Peer reviewedEntomology and Plant Patholog

The effects of psychiatric treatment on depression, anxiety, quality of life, and sexual dysfunction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

O Yanartas,1 HT Kani,2 E Bicakci,3 I Kilic,4 M Banzragch,3 C Acikel,5 O Atug,3 K Kuscu,1 N Imeryuz,3 H Akin31Department of Psychiatry, 2Department of Internal Medicine, 3Department of Gastroenterology, 4Department of Internal Medicine, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, 5Department of Public Health, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, TurkeyObjective: Depression and anxiety are common disorders in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim is to prospectively determine the effect of psychiatric treatment on scores for depression, anxiety, quality of life (QoL), and sexual dysfunction in an outpatient population diagnosed with IBD and also anxiety and/or depression disorder.Patients and methods: Patients who scored higher than the cutoff point on the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale were referred for further structured psychiatric evaluation and determination of the need for psychiatric drug treatment. Patients who underwent drug therapy completed Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale at baseline and after 6&nbsp;months of follow-up.Results: Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were the most common diagnoses. After 6 months, 47 patients had completely adhered to drug treatment (group A), whereas 20 were nonadherent (group B). In group A, all domains of SF-36, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, depression/anxiety scores, and Crohn&rsquo;s disease activity index were statistically improved after treatment when compared with the baseline. In group B, the three domains of SF-36, platelet count, and mean corpuscular volume were worse between baseline and at 6 months.Conclusion: In IBD patients having any psychiatric disorder, 6&nbsp;months of antidepressant drug treatment is associated with an improvement in depression, anxiety, QoL, and sexual functioning scores, as well as an improvement in Crohn&rsquo;s disease activity index. On the other hand, insufficient psychiatric treatment seems to be related to a poor QoL.Keywords: anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction, psychiatric treatment, inflammatory bowel diseas

POSS

In this study, it was aimed to investigate octavinyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OV-POSS) incorporation into natural rubber (NR)/butadiene rubber (BR) elastomer blends as a potential compatibilizer. The effects of OV-POSS loading levels on the thermal, mechanical, morphological, and dynamic-mechanical properties of elastomer blends were explored. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Temperature Scanning Stress Relaxation (TSSR), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results revealed the conceivable effect of OV-POSS nanoparticles in the vulcanization through reacting with sulfur and/or elastomers. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and tensile test measurements supported the improvement of mechanical properties due to homogeneous dispersion at low loading levels. On the other hand, high amount of OV-POSS incorporation (7 and 10 phr) resulted in a decrease in mechanical properties, owing to the agglomeration of nanoparticles. According to contact angle and Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results, it could be concluded that OV-POSS nanoparticles were localized at the interface of the elastomers and enabled the compatibilization of immiscible NR/BR blends