FSWs Typology and Condoms Use Among HIV High Risk Groups in Sindh, Pakistan: A Developing Country Perspective

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the association of FSWs typology with condom use among HIV high risk groups in Sindh, Pakistan INTRODUCTION: HIV is growing rapidly worldwide resulting in estimated 34 million population [1]. Recently, its epidemic has spread in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and most parts of Asia [2]. According to Antenatal sero surveillance study conducted in 2011 by Agriteam canada, it’s prevalence in Pakistan is <0.1 [3].Focusing narrowly, its prevalence in Sindh, (one of the provinces of Pakistan) is similar in general population, but it is in the phase of concentrated epidemic (having more than 5% of prevalence in high risk groups)in vulnerable groups like IDUs and Male sex workers and transgender [4]. Sexual intercourse has been identified as major route especially in HIV high risk groups including male sex workers, female sex workers (FSWs), transgender (hijras) and IV drug users. Among them, FSWs are at high risk because of unprotected sex and illicit drug use. Their prevalence is found to be 30.7% in low and middle income countries [5]. South Asia contributed with 12.63 lakh FSW in India only [6]. On the basis of their station of work, they are categorized into facility based (kothikhana, brothel or home) and mobile (street, mobile or beggars). They use different preventive measures including condom for their protection from HIV [7]. It varies with availability and access [8] . FSWs typology have different cliental and mode of action, therefore, it important to explore the preventive methods. METHODS: Data was extracted from Second Generation Surveillance, Integrated behavioral and biological survey, Round IV for HIV infection conducted by Agriteam Canada in partnership with National AIDS Control Program, Pakistan in 2011. It was a cross sectional survey for high risk groups including FSWs from Pakistan. It was ethically approved by Review Board of the Public Health Agency of Canada and HOPE International’s Ethical Review Board, Pakistan. From Sindh province, FSWs based in Karachi, Sukkur and Larkana were recruited. Considering typology, they were categorized as mobile or facility based. After informed consent, socio-demographic and risk behavior were inquired. HIV was tested by ELISA/EIA and confirmed by Western Blot. Data was analyzed on SPSS 19. Continuous variables were expressed as mean±SD while categorical as frequency(%). Logistic regression assessed the association of FSWs typology with condoms use among HIV high risk groups. RESULTS: Out of 4567 high risk population, 1127 were identified as FSWs. Mean age was 26.9 years. Most of them were facility based (72.8%) and 81.3% used condoms. Typology, age, education, duration of involvement, number of client per day, number of paid oral sex per month, knowledge about STI and knowledge about drop in center were significantly associated with condom use among HIV high risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of facility based FSWs use condoms to prevent HIV infection. Awareness and access to home based FSWs should be increased. It may help in targeting and designing preventive strategies for them at government and mass level

FSWs Typology and Condoms Use Among HIV High Risk Groups in Sindh, Pakistan: A Developing Country Perspective

We aimed to determine the association of FSWs typology with condom use among HIV high risk groups in Sindh, Pakistan the data was extracted from Second Generation Surveillance, Integrated behavioral and biological survey, Round IV for HIV infection in 2011. A cross sectional survey for high risk groups including FSWs from Sindh Pakistan. Considering typology, they were categorized as mobile or facility based. 1127 were identified as FSWs. Most of them were facility based (72.8%) and 81.3% used condoms. Typology, age, education, duration of involvement, number of client per day, number of paid oral sex per month, knowledge about STI and knowledge about drop in center were significantly associated with condom use among HIV high risk groups. Majority of facility based FSWs use condoms to prevent HIV infection

Engineering C-4 photosynthesis into C-3 chassis in the synthetic biology age

C-4 photosynthetic plants outperform C-3 plants in hot and arid climates. By concentrating carbon dioxide around Rubisco C-4 plants drastically reduce photorespiration. The frequency with which plants evolved C-4 photosynthesis independently challenges researchers to unravel the genetic mechanisms underlying this convergent evolutionary switch. The conversion of C-3 crops, such as rice, towards C-4 photosynthesis is a long-standing goal. Nevertheless, at the present time, in the age of synthetic biology, this still remains a monumental task, partially because the C-4 carbon-concentrating biochemical cycle spans two cell types and thus requires specialized anatomy. Here we review the advances in understanding the molecular basis and the evolution of the C-4 trait, advances in the last decades that were driven by systems biology methods. In this review we emphasise essential genetic engineering tools needed to translate our theoretical knowledge into engineering approaches. With our current molecular understanding of the biochemical C-4 pathway, we propose a simplified rational engineering model exclusively built with known C-4 metabolic components. Moreover, we discuss an alternative approach to the progressing international engineering attempts that would combine targeted mutagenesis and directed evolution

Generation of Targeted Knockout Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana Using CRISPR/Cas9

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as a powerful tool for gene editing in plants and beyond. We have developed a plant vector system for targeted Cas9-dependent mutagenesis of genes in up to two different target sites in Arabidopsis thaliana. This protocol describes a simple 1-week cloning procedure for a single T-DNA vector containing the genes for Cas9 and sgRNAs, as well as the detection of induced mutations in planta. The procedure can likely be adapted for other transformable plant species

Homology-Directed Repair of a Defective Glabrous Gene in Arabidopsis With Cas9-Based Gene Targeting

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as a powerful tool for targeted genome editing in plants and beyond. Double-strand breaks induced by the Cas9 enzyme are repaired by the cell’s own repair machinery either by the non-homologous end joining pathway or by homologous recombination (HR). While the first repair mechanism results in random mutations at the double-strand break site, HR uses the genetic information from a highly homologous repair template as blueprint for repair of the break. By offering an artificial repair template, this pathway can be exploited to introduce specific changes at a site of choice in the genome. However, frequencies of double-strand break repair by HR are very low. In this study, we compared two methods that have been reported to enhance frequencies of HR in plants. The first method boosts the repair template availability through the formation of viral replicons, the second method makes use of an in planta gene targeting (IPGT) approach. Additionally, we comparatively applied a nickase instead of a nuclease for target strand priming. To allow easy, visual detection of HR events, we aimed at restoring trichome formation in a glabrous Arabidopsis mutant by repairing a defective glabrous1 gene. Using this efficient visual marker, we were able to regenerate plants repaired by HR at frequencies of 0.12% using the IPGT approach, while both approaches using viral replicons did not yield any trichome-bearing plants

Surveying the Oligomeric State of Arabidopsis thaliana Chloroplasts

Blue native-PAGE (BN-PAGE) resolves protein complexes in their native state. When combined with immunoblotting, it can be used to identify the presence of high molecular weight complexes at high resolution for any protein, given a suitable antibody. To identify proteins in high molecular weight complexes on a large scale and to bypass the requirement for specific antibodies, we applied a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) approach to BN-PAGE-resolved chloroplasts. Fractionation of the gel into six bands allowed identification and label-free quantification of 1000 chloroplast proteins with native molecular weight separation. Significantly, this approach achieves a depth of identification comparable with traditional shotgun proteomic analyses of chloroplasts, indicating much of the known chloroplast proteome is amenable to MS/MS identification under our fractionation scheme. By limiting the number of fractionation bands to six, we facilitate scaled-up comparative analyses, as we demonstrate with the reticulata chloroplast mutant displaying a reticulated leaf phenotype. Our comparative proteomics approach identified a candidate interacting protein of RETICULATA as well as effects on lipid remodeling proteins, amino acid metabolic enzymes, and plastid division machinery. We additionally highlight selected proteins from each sub-compartment of the chloroplast that provide novel insight on known or hypothesized protein complexes to further illustrate the utility of this approach. Our results demonstrate the high sensitivity and reproducibility of this technique, which is anticipated to be widely adaptable to other sub-cellular compartments

[Monnaie. As, Auguste, Rome]

Référence bibliographique : BNC I Auguste 697Référence bibliographique : BMC 235Référence bibliographique : RIC 437Appartient à l’ensemble documentaire : MonnRoIm

[Monnaie. Denarius, Octave, Rome]

Référence bibliographique : BNC I Auguste 707Référence bibliographique : BMC 599Référence bibliographique : RIC 250aAppartient à l’ensemble documentaire : MonnRoIm