Comparison of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility using solid and liquid culture in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: This study compares Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture isolation and drug sensitivity testing (DST) using solid (LJ) and liquid (BACTEC-MGIT-960) media in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a cross sectional survey of adults attending reference centres in Abuja, Ibadan and Nnewi with a new diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or having failed the first-line TB treatment. Patients were requested to provide three sputum specimens for smear-microscopy and culture on LJ and BACTEC-MGIT-960. Positive cultures underwent DST for streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol. RESULTS: 527 specimens were cultured. 428 (81%) were positive with BACTEC-MGIT-960, 59 (11%) negative, 36 (7%) contaminated and 4 (1%) had non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM). 411 (78%) LJ cultures were positive, 89 (17%) negative, 22 (4%) contaminated and 5 (1%) had NTM. The mean (SD) detection time was 11 (6) and 30 (11) days for BACTEC-MGIT-960 and LJ. DST patterns were compared in the 389 concordant positive BACTEC-MGIT-960 and LJ cultures. Rifampicin and isoniazid DST patterns were similar. Streptomycin resistance was detected more frequently with LJ than BACTEC-MGIT-960 and ethambutol resistance was detected more frequently with BACTEC-MGIT-960 than LJ, but differences were not statistically significant. MDR-TB was detected in 27 cases by LJ and 25 by BACTEC-MGIT-960 and using both methods detected 29 cases. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial degree of agreement between the two methods. However using the two in tandem increased the number of culture-positive patients and those with MDR-TB. The choice of culture method should depend on local availability, cost and test performance characteristics

Anti-Candida targets and cytotoxicity of casuarinin isolated from Plinia cauliflora leaves in a bioactivity-guided study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Efektivitas Kinerja Staf Administrasi Bidang Kemahasiswaan

The purpose of this study was to determine objectively about the effectiveness of the performance of the administrative staff were seen monitoring and performance measurement. This study uses a qualitative approach to case study type. The data sources are: Chairman of the school of theology as a key informant who supported other sources. While collecting the data collection techniques, through interviews, observation, and documentation. The technique of data analysis through the model of Miles and Huberman. Based on research, it can be concluded that: (1) The increase in administrative staff performance through the implementation of monitoring and measurement of performance. (2) While the measurement of performance through measurement to communicate aspects of work, and taking the measurements to communicate aspects of the work, and aspects of measurement to define priorities for action; (3) Beside all that aspects, to increase the administrative staff performance through work standard, actual performance, based on policy, usefull of performance, problem and solution of performance, and the effort to increase administrative staff performance

Effect of a gap on the decoherence of a qubit

We revisit the problem of the decoherence and relaxation of a central spin coupled to a bath of conduction electrons. We consider both metallic and semiconducting baths to study the effect of a gap in the bath density of states (DOS) on the time evolution of the density matrix of the central spin. We use two weak coupling approximation schemes to study the decoherence. At low temperatures, though the temperature dependence of the decoherence rate in the case of a metallic bath is the same irrespective of the details of the bath, the same is not true for the semiconducting bath. We also calculate the relaxation and decoherence rates as a function of external magnetic fields applied both on the central spin and the bath. We find that in the presence of the gap, there exists a certain regime of fields, for which surprisingly, the metallic bath has lower rates of relaxation and decoherence than the semiconducting bath.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure

Quantifying responses of dung beetles to fire disturbance in tropical forests:the importance of trapping method and seasonality

Understanding how biodiversity responds to environmental changes is essential to provide the evidence-base that underpins conservation initiatives. The present study provides a standardized comparison between unbaited flight intercept traps (FIT) and baited pitfall traps (BPT) for sampling dung beetles. We examine the effectiveness of the two to assess fire disturbance effects and how trap performance is affected by seasonality. The study was carried out in a transitional forest between Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna) and Amazon Forest. Dung beetles were collected during one wet and one dry sampling season. The two methods sampled different portions of the local beetle assemblage. Both FIT and BPT were sensitive to fire disturbance during the wet season, but only BPT detected community differences during the dry season. Both traps showed similar correlation with environmental factors. Our results indicate that seasonality had a stronger effect than trap type, with BPT more effective and robust under low population numbers, and FIT more sensitive to fine scale heterogeneity patterns. This study shows the strengths and weaknesses of two commonly used methodologies for sampling dung beetles in tropical forests, as well as highlighting the importance of seasonality in shaping the results obtained by both sampling strategies

Challenges of communication system during emergency disaster response in Malaysia: A review

The purpose of this review is to provide the overview of available systems and potentialfuture systems for communication during disaster in Malaysia. Electronic searches in majorsubject loci databases such as MEDLINE (via PUBMED), Ovid, Science Direct, Scopus,IEEE Xplore digital library and Springer are used in conducting the reviews. The majorchallenge is to integrate between readily available communications systems at pre-disaster,during disaster and post-disaster. Therefore, this review will further provide information forthe policy makers, responsible personnel as well as researchers on the vulnerability of thecommunication systems during disaster and the future direction of effective communicationsystem in Malaysia.Keywords: disaster; communication system;GIRN; effective communication system;emergency medicine

HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF LAND BIRDS IN FERNANDO DE NORONHA, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT Fernando de Noronha is one of few archipelagos of Brazil. These islands harbor five species of land birds: two introduced species (House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, and Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis), one widespread dove (Eared Dove, Zenaida auriculata) and two endemic passerines. The two endemic species, Noronha Vireo (Vireo gracilirostris) and Noronha Elaenia (Elaenia ridleyana), have been classified as ‘Near Threatened’ and ‘Vulnerable’, respectively. Here, we quantified the abundance of land birds and correlated it to habitat features to assess potential habitat preferences. We carried out 120 five‐minute point counts in October 2009, and correlated bird abundance with percentages of woodland, bushes, low herbs, bare ground, and man‐made habitats in each sample. The abundance of Noronha Vireo and Noronha Elaenia was positively correlated with woodland and bushes cover. The Eared Dove was associated to sites with bare ground, the House Sparrow with man‐made habitats, and the Cattle Egret with low vegetation sites. Abundances of Noronha Vireo and Noronha Elaenia were significantly higher in sites with natural vegetation than in human‐influenced areas. The association between these species and areas with high native vegetation cover highlights their potential vulnerability to human disturbance. RESUMO ∙ Associações entre os ambientes e as aves terrestres de Fernando de Noronha, BrasilFernando de Noronha é um dos poucos arquipélagos do Brasil. Estas ilhas abrigam cinco espécies de aves terrestres: duas espécies introduzidas (Passer domesticus e Bubulcus ibis), uma pomba com ampla distribuição (Zenaida auriculata) e duas espécies de passeriformes endêmicos (Vireo gracilirostris e Elaenia ridleyana). Estas duas espécies são classificadas como “quase ameaçada” (V. gracilirostris) e “vulnerável” (E. ridleyana). Neste estudo, quantificamos a abundancia das aves terrestres e correlacionamos com as características de habitat do arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha. Fizemos 120 pontos de escuta de cinco minutos em outubro de 2009, comparamos a abundancia de aves com a porcentagem de ambientes contendo vegetação árvobórea, arbustos, vegetação rasteira, solo aberto e construções amostradas em um raio de 25m. A abundancia de V. gracilirostris e de E. ridleyana é positivamente correlacionada com porcentagem de cobertura de árvores e arbustos. A abundancia de Z. auriculata está positivamente correlacionada com a porcentagem de solo aberto, a abundancia de P. domesticus com construções e de B. ibis com a porcentagem de vegetação rasteira. As abundancias de V. gracilirostris e E. ridleyana são significativamente maiores em locais com vegetação conservada, distante das vilas. As associações entre as es

Different serological cross-reactivity of Trypanosoma rangeli forms in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients sera

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease is caused by <it>Trypanosoma cruzi </it>which currently infects approximately 16 million people in the Americas causing high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of American trypanosomiasis relies on serology, primarily using indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with <it>T. cruzi </it>epimastigote forms. The closely related but nonpathogenic <it>Trypanosoma rangeli </it>has a sympatric distribution with <it>T. cruzi </it>and is carried by the same vectors. As a result false positives are frequently generated. This confounding factor leads to increased diagnostic test costs and where false positives are not caught, endangers human health due to the toxicity of the drugs used to treat Chagas disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, serologic cross-reactivity between the two species was compared for the currently used epimastigote form and the more pathologically relevant trypomastigote form, using IFA and immunoblotting (IB) assays. Our results reveal an important decrease in cross reactivity when <it>T. rangeli </it>culture-derived trypomastigotes are used in IFA based diagnosis of Chagas disease. Western blot results using sera from both acute and chronic chagasic patients presenting with cardiac, indeterminate or digestive disease revealed similar, but not identical, antigenic profiles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study addressing the serological cross-reactivity between distinct forms and strains of <it>T. rangeli </it>and <it>T. cruzi </it>using sera from distinct phases of the Chagasic infection. Several <it>T. rangeli</it>-specific proteins were detected, which may have potential as diagnostic tools.</p