Update on Laboratory Diagnosis and Epidemiology of \u3cem\u3eTrichomonas vaginalis\u3c/em\u3e: You Can Teach an “Old” Dog “New” Trichs

Past viewpoints on Trichomonas vaginalis infection have characterized the associated clinical disease as a “nuisance” condition, with affected demographics largely being older African American females residing in urban centers. The advent of commercial molecular assays specific for T. vaginalis has offered a new outlook on trichomoniasis. Within high-prevalence sexually transmitted infection populations, parasite distribution is not localized to specific population centers, and T. vaginalis prevalence is elevated among both younger and older age groups. Adaptation of these molecular assays can additionally facilitate male screening and subsequent epidemiologic characterization. These findings, combined with associations between T. vaginalis infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition/transmission and persistent human papillomavirus infection, support consideration of the expansion of T. vaginalis screening efforts in the realms of clinical practice and public health

Suboptimal \u3cem\u3eTrichomonas vaginalis\u3c/em\u3e Antigen Test Performance in a Low-Prevalence Sexually Transmitted Infection Community

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common nonviral etiology of sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. The OSOM Trichomonas rapid test (OSOM; Sekisui Diagnostics, San Diego, CA) is a rapid surrogate to microscopic analysis in symptomatic patients, but its performance in low-prevalence STI populations has been assessed on a limited basis in the literature. OSOM has widespread usage, as accreditation data from the College of American Pathologists report that over 300 participant laboratories utilize this assay on an annual basis. We sought to characterize the analytical and clinical performance of OSOM in a low-prevalence STI population on the basis of a commercial transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) reference

Diagenesis of the middle member of the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota

The shales of the Bakken Formation have been extensively studied since the discovery of oil, but little attention has been paid to the middle reservoir member. Successfully produced wells are concentrated in multiple fields throughout the Williston Basin, there has been no definitive way to determine a well’s potential productivity. This study used core samples, point counting, and petrography to determine the diagenetic traits common to the Middle Member of the Bakken Formation and their effect on oil production. Cores from forty-one wells were examined. Thin sections were made from sixteen cores, eight producing wells and eight dry wells. All wells were used in the construction of cross sections and isopach maps. The point counts used all traits common to each well with thin sections: calcite, dolomite, fossil/fossil fragments, micrite/micritic matrix, porosity (intragranular and fracture), pyrite, quartz silt, and any miscellaneous grains not otherwise taken into account. All cores were analyzed for other potential diagenetic traits such as compaction, soft sediment deformation and soft sediment structures, burrows, and residual hydrocarbons. Cross-section work involved creating “beds” of four commonly shared traits and tracing the highest recorded occurrence and lowest recorded occurrence within the well. The “trait beds” were inserted in a stratigraphic column of members of the Bakken Formation to compare their structure to the Bakken Formation over the course of the cross section. No distinct patterns were revealed though a larger sample of wells and cores may provide different results. Of all the selected traits, pyrite, quartz silt, micritic matrix, and porosity have the greatest influence on oil production. Pyrite growth is restricted to between 4% and 8% in producing wells while varying widely in dry wells. The reason is unknown though it is strongly suspected that it is directly related to the chemistry of the basin water flowing through producing oil fields. Quartz silt percentages are highest in producing wells and may provide a strong, open framework for fluids to flow through. Micritic matrix is significantly higher (twice as much) in dry wells than producing wells, with approximately one-third of the rock composed of micrite. The fine grained clay and mud most likely reduces porosity and permeability to nonproducable levels. Lastly, total porosity is extremely important and appears to rely more often on fracture porosity than intragranular porosity. Porosity is almost always higher in producing wells, but rarely over 5% of the total rock. A project using a significantly larger sample size of thin sections would provide clearer patterns of diagenetic traits. Analysis of water chemistry may also provide answers to questions about pyrite and other authigenic mineral distribution, as well as fluid migration

Application of Alternative Nucleic Acid Extraction Protocols to ProGastro SSCS Assay for Detection of Bacterial Enteric Pathogens

As an alternative to automated extraction, fecal specimens were processed by investigational lysis/heating (i.e., manual) and by chromatography/centrifugation (i.e., column) methods. ProGastro SSC and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (i.e., STEC) indeterminate rates for 101 specimens were 1.0% to 3.0% for automated, 11.9% for manual, and 24.8% to 37.6% for column methods. Following freeze-thaw of 247 specimens, indeterminate rates were 1.6% to 2.4% for manual and 0.8 to 5.3% for column methods. Mean processing times for manual and column methods were 30.5 and 69.2 min, respectively. Concordance of investigational methods with automated extraction was ≥98.8%

The effect of treatment on pathogen virulence.

The optimal virulence of a pathogen is determined by a trade-off between maximizing the rate of transmission and maximizing the duration of infectivity. Treatment measures such as curative therapy and case isolation exert selective pressure by reducing the duration of infectivity, reducing the value of duration-increasing strategies to the pathogen and favoring pathogen strategies that maximize the rate of transmission. We extend the trade-off models of previous authors, and represents the reproduction number of the pathogen as a function of the transmissibility, host contact rate, disease-induced mortality, recovery rate, and treatment rate, each of which may be influenced by the virulence. We find that when virulence is subject to a transmissibility-mortality trade-off, treatment can lead to an increase in optimal virulence, but that in other scenarios (such as the activity-recovery trade-off) treatment decreases the optimal virulence. Paradoxically, when levels of treatment rise with pathogen virulence, increasing control efforts may raise predicted levels of optimal virulence. Thus we show that conflict can arise between the epidemiological benefits of treatment and the evolutionary risks of heightened virulence

Motivation to Read: How Does It Change for Struggling Readers with and without Disabilities?

Lack of reading motivation impedes upper elementary and secondary school students’ willingness to improve critical reading skills and strategies to be successful in school. Struggling readers often show a negative attitude towards reading tasks and manifest low motivation to read. Although the importance of motivation is clear, there is limited research on reading motivation of struggling adolescents with disabilities. This study examined whether reading motivation of struggling readers with and without disabilities significantly changed after an eighteen week period of reading instruction in two elementary schools and one high school in a Midwest state of the United States of America (USA). Findings yielded significant improvement in motivation for adolescents without disabilities while motivation scores declined for students with disabilities. An overview of students’ answers to survey questions is provided and some evidence-based methods that teachers can utilize to improve reading motivation of upper elementary and high school students are summarized