622 research outputs found
Analyzing policymaking for tuberculosis control in Nigeria
Today, tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the major threats to humankind, being the first cause of death by an infectious disease
worldwide. TB is a communicable chronic disease that every year affects 10 million people and kills almost 2 million people
in the world. The main key factors fueling the disease are the progressive urbanization of the population and poverty-related
socioeconomic factors.Moreover, the lack of effective tools for TB diagnosis, prevention, and treatment has decisively contributed to
the lack of an effectivemodel to predict TB spread. In Nigeria, the rapid urbanization along with unprecedented population growth
is causing TB to be endemic.This paper proposes a mathematical model to evaluate TB burden in Nigeria by using data obtained
from the local TB control program in the community. This research aims to point out effective strategies that could be used to
effectively reduce TB burden and death due to TB in this country at different levels.The study shows that efforts should be oriented
to more active case finding rather than increasing the treatment effectiveness only. It also reveals that the persistence of the disease
is related to a large number of latently infected individuals and quantifies the lives that could be saved by increasing the notification
rate using active case finding strategy.We conclude that undiagnosis is the bottleneck that needs to be overcome in addition to the
incorporation, improvement, and/or strengthening of treatmentmanagement and other essential TB control measures in Nigeria.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Derrame pleuropericĂĄrdico: no todo es lupus
A 69-year-old woman was admitted in our hospital with dyspnoea in context of heart failure. She was diagnosed of autoimmune hemolityc anemia, treated with steroids. Echocardiography revealed a severe pleuropericardial effusion. A pericardiocentesis and thoracocentesis were performed and other test was performed due to obtain a diagnosis. The patient was diagnosed of primary effusion lymphoma associated to Epstein-Barr infection. Primary effusion lymphoma is an uncommon type of lymphoma found mainly in immunosuppressed patients positive HIV and human herpesvirus 8 infection with unfavourable prognosis. After chemotherapy treatment with R-CHOP cycles, the patient is now in remission.Mujer de 69 años que presenta cuadro clĂnico de disnea en el contexto de insuficiencia cardĂaca aguda y tratamiento crĂłnico con corticoides por anemia hemolĂtica autoinmune. En las pruebas complementarias se observa derrame pleuropericĂĄrdico severo. Ante estos hallazgos se realiza pericardiocentesis y toracocentesis y se completa estudio para descartar patologĂa tumoral, infecciosa, tiroidea y autoinmune. Se diagnostica a la paciente de linfoma primario de cavidades, asociado a infecciĂłn por virus de Epstein-Barr. Es un tipo poco frecuente de linfoma que se describe fundamentalmente en pacientes infectados por virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana y asociados al virus herpes humano tipo 8 con pronĂłstico muy desfavorable. Tras tratamiento quimioterĂĄpico con ciclos de R-CHOP la paciente se encuentra actualmente en remisiĂłn completa
Transformation of spin information into large electrical signals via carbon nanotubes
Spin electronics (spintronics) exploits the magnetic nature of the electron,
and is commercially exploited in the spin valves of disc-drive read heads.
There is currently widespread interest in using industrially relevant
semiconductors in new types of spintronic devices based on the manipulation of
spins injected into a semiconducting channel between a spin-polarized source
and drain. However, the transformation of spin information into large
electrical signals is limited by spin relaxation such that the magnetoresistive
signals are below 1%. We overcome this long standing problem in spintronics by
demonstrating large magnetoresistance effects of 61% at 5 K in devices where
the non-magnetic channel is a multiwall carbon nanotube that spans a 1.5 micron
gap between epitaxial electrodes of the highly spin polarized manganite
La0.7Sr0.3MnO3. This improvement arises because the spin lifetime in nanotubes
is long due the small spin-orbit coupling of carbon, because the high nanotube
Fermi velocity permits the carrier dwell time to not significantly exceed this
spin lifetime, because the manganite remains highly spin polarized up to the
manganite-nanotube interface, and because the interfacial barrier is of an
appropriate height. We support these latter statements regarding the interface
using density functional theory calculations. The success of our experiments
with such chemically and geometrically different materials should inspire
adventure in materials selection for some future spintronicsComment: Content highly modified. New title, text, conclusions, figures and
references. New author include
An experimental test of hostâs life history traits modulation in response to cuckoo parasitism risk
Hosts can counteract parasites through defences based on resistance and/or tolerance.
The mechanistic basis of tolerance, which involve defensive mechanisms minimizing parasite
damage after a successful parasitic attack, remains poorly explored in the study of
cuckoo-host interactions. Here, we experimentally explore the possibility that the risk of
great spotted cuckoo Clamator glandarius parasitism may induce tolerance defences in
magpie Pica pica hosts through plasticity in life-history traits. We predict that magpies
exposed to auditory cues indicating high parasitism risk will more likely exhibit resistance
and/or modify their life-history traits to minimize parasitism costs (i.e. tolerance) compared
to magpies under low parasitism risk. We found that manipulating the perceived parasitism
risk did not affect host resistance (i.e. rejection of parasitic eggs) nor host life-history traits.
Unexpectedly, host's egg volume increased over the season in nests exposed to auditory
cues of control non-harmful hoopoes Upupa epops. Our results do not provide support for
inducible defences (either based on resistance or tolerance) in response to risk of parasitism
in magpie hosts. Even so, we encourage studying plastic expression of breeding strategies
in response to risk of cuckoo parasitism to achieve a better understanding of the mechanistic
basis of tolerance defences.This work was supported by the Spanish
Ministry of Education and Science/FEDER (Projects
CGL2011-27561/BOS and CGL2014-56769-P to D.
P. and J.M.A.). D.P. was supported by the
Government of Extremadura while writing (contract
number TA13002). M.E.G. was supported by the
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
(grant number BES-2012-051898).
Cytological analysis of hybrids among triticales and trigopiros
We studied three different tricepiros: (Don Santiago x Don Noé), (Cumé x Horovitz) and (Cumé x Don Noé). The tricepiro (Don Santiago x Don Noé) was obtained by crossing the triticale Don Santiago INTA (AABBRR, 2n = 6x = 42) with the trigopiro Don Noé INTA (AABBDDJJ, 2n = 8x = 56). The number of chromosomes for the F1 was 2n = 49, the most frequent meiotic configuration being 14 bivalents and 21 univalents. The univalents were situated in the periphery of the equatorial plane, whereas the bivalents were located in the central zone. The chromatids in some of the univalents split when bivalents underwent reductional division in anaphase I. There were few laggard chromosomes or chromatids at this phase. The number of chromosomes (2n = 48-58) was high and variable, and the number of bivalents per cell (18-23) also high in F 3 individuals. In all F 8 tricepiros (Don Santiago x Don Noé), F 12 tricepiros (Cumé x Horovitz) and F 12 tricepiros (Cumé x Don Noé), the number of chromosomes (2n = 42) was the same, these retaining the rye genome, as demonstrated by GISH and FISH. These new synthesized allopolyploids constitute interesting models for investigating the evolutionary changes responsible for diploidization, and the chromosomal and genomic re-ordering that cannot be revealed in natural allopolyploids
Molecular Characterization of Clinical Isolates of Aeromonas Species from Malaysia
Background: Aeromonas species are common inhabitants of aquatic environments giving rise to infections in both fish and humans. Identification of aeromonads to the species level is problematic and complex due to their phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity. Methodology/Principal Findings: Aeromonas hydrophila or Aeromonas sp were genetically re-identified using a combination of previously published methods targeting GCAT, 16S rDNA and rpoD genes. Characterization based on the genus specific GCAT-PCR showed that 94 (96%) of the 98 strains belonged to the genus Aeromonas. Considering the patterns obtained for the 94 isolates with the 16S rDNA-RFLP identification method, 3 clusters were recognised, i.e. A. caviae (61%), A. hydrophila (17%) and an unknown group (22%) with atypical RFLP restriction patterns. However, the phylogenetic tree constructed with the obtained rpoD sequences showed that 47 strains (50%) clustered with the sequence of the type strain of A. aquariorum, 18 (19%) with A. caviae, 16 (17%) with A. hydrophila, 12 (13%) with A. veronii and one strain (1%) with the type strain of A. trota. PCR investigation revealed the presence of 10 virulence genes in the 94 isolates as: lip (91%), exu (87%), ela (86%), alt (79%), ser (77%), fla (74%), aer (72%), act (43%), aexT (24%) and ast (23%). Conclusions/Significance: This study emphasizes the importance of using more than one method for the correct identification of Aeromonas strains. The sequences of the rpoD gene enabled the unambiguous identication of the 9
Ectoparasite activity during incubation increases microbial growth on avian eggs
We thank EstefanĂa LĂłpez for lab work, and TomĂĄs PĂ©rez-Contreras and Emilio Pagani-NĂșñez
for facilitating collection of some of the flies used in manipulations. We also thank Ăngela
MartĂnez-GarcĂa for help with management of ARISA data and Natalia JuĂĄrez and Deseada
Parejo for the pictures of owls and roller clutches, respectively. We appreciate the comments
provided by Dr. AdĂšle Mennerat and five anonymous referees on earlier versions of the
manuscript.All applicable
international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were
followed.While direct detrimental effects of parasites on hosts are relatively well documented, other more subtle but potentially important effects of parasitism are yet unexplored. Biological activity of ectoparasites, apart from skin injuries and blood-feeding, often results in blood remains, or parasite faeces that accumulate and modify the host environment. In this way, ectoparasite activities and remains may increase nutrient availability that may favour colonization and growth of microorganisms including potential pathogens. Here, by the experimental addition of hematophagous flies (Carnus hemapterus, a common ectoparasite of birds) to nests of spotless starlings Sturnus unicolor during incubation, we explore this possible side effect of parasitism which has rarely, if ever, been investigated. Results show that faeces and blood remains from parasitic flies on spotless starling eggshells at the end of incubation were more abundant in experimental than in control nests. Moreover, eggshell bacterial loads of different groups of cultivable bacteria including potential pathogens, as well as species richness of bacteria in terms of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs), were also higher in experimental nests. Finally, we also found evidence of a link between eggshell bacterial loads and increased embryo mortality, which provides indirect support for a bacterial-mediated negative effect of ectoparasitism on host offspring. Trans-shell bacterial infection might be one of the main causes of embryo death and, consequently, this hitherto unnoticed indirect effect of ectoparasitism might be widespread in nature and could affect our understanding of ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactionsFinancial support was provided by Spanish Ministerio de EconomĂa y
Competitividad and FEDER (CGL2013-48193-C3-1-P, CGL2013-48193-C3-2-P), by JAE
programme to DMG and MRR, and by Juan de la Cierva and RamĂłn y Cajal programmes to
GT. All procedures were conducted under licence from the Environmental Department of the
Regional Government of AndalucĂa, Spain (reference SGYB/FOA/AFR)
Solutions from boundary condition changing operators in open string field theory
We construct analytic solutions of open string field theory using boundary
condition changing (bcc) operators. We focus on bcc operators with vanishing
conformal weight such as those for regular marginal deformations of the
background. For any Fock space state phi, the component string field
of the solution Psi exhibits a remarkable factorization property: it is given
by the matter three-point function of phi with a pair of bcc operators,
multiplied by a universal function that only depends on the conformal weight of
phi. This universal function is given by a simple integral expression that can
be computed once and for all. The three-point functions with bcc operators are
thus the only needed physical input of the particular open string background
described by the solution. We illustrate our solution with the example of the
rolling tachyon profile, for which we prove convergence analytically. The form
of our solution, which involves bcc operators instead of explicit insertions of
the marginal operator, can be a natural starting point for the construction of
analytic solutions for arbitrary backgrounds.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX2e; v2: minor changes, version published in
JHE
Use of low-dose oral theophylline as an adjunct to inhaled corticosteroids in preventing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and health-care costs. An incomplete response to the anti-inflammatory effects of inhaled corticosteroids is present in COPD. Preclinical work indicates that 'low dose' theophylline improves steroid responsiveness. The Theophylline With Inhaled Corticosteroids (TWICS) trial investigates whether the addition of 'low dose' theophylline to inhaled corticosteroids has clinical and cost-effective benefits in COPD. METHOD/DESIGN: TWICS is a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted in primary and secondary care sites in the UK. The inclusion criteria are the following: an established predominant respiratory diagnosis of COPD (post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in first second/forced vital capacity [FEV1/FVC] of less than 0.7), age of at least 40 years, smoking history of at least 10 pack-years, current inhaled corticosteroid use, and history of at least two exacerbations requiring treatment with antibiotics or oral corticosteroids in the previous year. A computerised randomisation system will stratify 1424 participants by region and recruitment setting (primary and secondary) and then randomly assign with equal probability to intervention or control arms. Participants will receive either 'low dose' theophylline (Uniphyllin MR 200 mg tablets) or placebo for 52 weeks. Dosing is based on pharmacokinetic modelling to achieve a steady-state serum theophylline of 1-5 mg/l. A dose of theophylline MR 200 mg once daily (or placebo once daily) will be taken by participants who do not smoke or participants who smoke but have an ideal body weight (IBW) of not more than 60 kg. A dose of theophylline MR 200 mg twice daily (or placebo twice daily) will be taken by participants who smoke and have an IBW of more than 60 kg. Participants will be reviewed at recruitment and after 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome is the total number of participant-reported COPD exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids or antibiotics during the 52-week treatment period. DISCUSSION: The demonstration that 'low dose' theophylline increases the efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids in COPD by reducing the incidence of exacerbations is relevant not only to patients and clinicians but also to health-care providers, both in the UK and globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN27066620 was registered on Sept. 19, 2013, and the first subject was randomly assigned on Feb. 6, 2014
Cloud formation in the atomic and molecular phase: HI self absorption (HISA) towards a Giant Molecular Filament
Molecular clouds form from the atomic phase of the interstellar medium. However, characterizing the transition between the atomic and the molecular interstellar medium (ISM) is a difficult observational task. Here we address cloud formation processes by combining HSIA with molecular line data. One scenario proposed by numerical simulations is that the column density probability density functions (N-PDF) evolves from a log-normal shape at early times to a power-law-like shape at later times. In this paper, we study the cold atomic component of the giant molecular filament GMF38a (d=3.4 kpc, length pc). We identify an extended HISA feature, which is partly correlated with the 13CO emission. The peak velocities of the HISA and 13CO observations agree well on the eastern side of the filament, whereas a velocity offset of approximately 4 km s is found on the western side. The sonic Mach number we derive from the linewidth measurements shows that a large fraction of the HISA, which is ascribed to the cold neutral medium (CNM), is at subsonic and transonic velocities. The column density of the CNM is on the order of 10 to 10 cm. The column density of molecular hydrogen is an order of magnitude higher. The N-PDFs from HISA (CNM), HI emission (WNM+CNM), and 13CO (molecular component) are well described by log-normal functions, which is in agreement with turbulent motions being the main driver of cloud dynamics. The N-PDF of the molecular component also shows a power law in the high column-density region, indicating self-gravity. We suggest that we are witnessing two different evolutionary stages within the filament. The eastern subregion seems to be forming a molecular cloud out of the atomic gas, whereas the western subregion already shows high column density peaks, active star formation and evidence of related feedback processes
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