Social cost benefit analysis of water and sanitation improvement in a poor urban slum

A health-based socio-economic assessment as well as side-by-side social cost benefit analysis is depicted in this visual synopsis of research carried out in a suburban slum in Tripoli, Lebanon. 88% of reported diarrheal cases are attributed to unsafe water supply, inadequate sanitation and hygiene, with cases distributed uniformly throughout the year. The poster includes field observations, and a selection of alternative interventions with estimated costs. Installing rooftop tanks and replacing water piping at the household level are the most economically viable interventions

Expressed sequence tag analysis of khat (Catha edulis) provides a putative molecular biochemical basis for the biosynthesis of phenylpropylamino alkaloids

Khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) is a flowering perennial shrub cultivated for its neurostimulant properties resulting mainly from the occurrence of (S)-cathinone in young leaves. The biosynthesis of (S)-cathinone and the related phenylpropylamino alkaloids (1S,2S)-cathine and (1R,2S)-norephedrine is not well characterized in plants. We prepared a cDNA library from young khat leaves and sequenced 4,896 random clones, generating an expressed sequence tag (EST) library of 3,293 unigenes. Putative functions were assigned to > 98% of the ESTs, providing a key resource for gene discovery. Candidates potentially involved at various stages of phenylpropylamino alkaloid biosynthesis from L-phenylalanine to (1S,2S)-cathine were identified

Intravesical Treatments of Bladder Cancer: Review

For bladder cancer, intravesical chemo/immunotherapy is widely used as adjuvant therapies after surgical transurethal resection, while systemic therapy is typically reserved for higher stage, muscle-invading, or metastatic diseases. The goal of intravesical therapy is to eradicate existing or residual tumors through direct cytoablation or immunostimulation. The unique properties of the urinary bladder render it a fertile ground for evaluating additional novel experimental approaches to regional therapy, including iontophoresis/electrophoresis, local hyperthermia, co-administration of permeation enhancers, bioadhesive carriers, magnetic-targeted particles and gene therapy. Furthermore, due to its unique anatomical properties, the drug concentration-time profiles in various layers of bladder tissues during and after intravesical therapy can be described by mathematical models comprised of drug disposition and transport kinetic parameters. The drug delivery data, in turn, can be combined with the effective drug exposure to infer treatment efficacy and thereby assists the selection of optimal regimens. To our knowledge, intravesical therapy of bladder cancer represents the first example where computational pharmacological approach was used to design, and successfully predicted the outcome of, a randomized phase III trial (using mitomycin C). This review summarizes the pharmacological principles and the current status of intravesical therapy, and the application of computation to optimize the drug delivery to target sites and the treatment efficacy

Some hematological changes in chickens infected with ectoparasites in Mosul

The study was conducted to identify different ectoparasites infesting 280 chicken (native breed out door house reared layers, 6 months – 2 years old), from various regions of Mosul city (poultry market, Hadba' Flock, and six flocks at Kogialli village), for one year. Total percentage of ectoparasites in chickens were 19.3 % of which (54 positive case out of 280 chicken) 81% were single infections and 19 % mixed infections. Lice infestation (12.5 %) and four types of chewing lice were classified (Menacanthus stramineus, Cuclotogaster hetrographus, Goniocoteus gallinae, and Columbicola columbae). One species of flies (1.4%) (Pseudolynchia canariensis). One species of mites (4.3%) (Dermanyssus gallinae) were seen. One species of soft ticks (6.8%) (Argas persicus) were seen. Parasitological findings of skin and feathers examination for all types of ectoparasites on chicken showed three degrees of infestation depending on the number of these ectoparasites on each bird (low degree 1–50/ bird, moderate degree 51–100/ bird, and heavy degree more than 100/ bird). Clinical signs of the infected chicken with ectoparasites especially severe infection were itching, annoyance, loss of sleep, general weakness, loss of appetite, restless, allergy, drop of egg production in layers and anemia. It clear from results of blood examinations the presence of anemia in infected birds blood sucking ectoparasites with significant decrease in PCV % , TRBC and Hb concentration in chicken especially in severe (heavily) infestation with soft ticks and mites. Results also showed increase in total white blood cells (Leucocytosis) with increase in heterophils, and eosinophils in infected chicken with ticks, mites and lice, with bad nutrition and unhygienic management as compared with non-infected chicken control group

Functions of alternative ClpP subunits in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology, May, 2020Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Proteolysis is the process by which proteins are broken down, or hydrolyzed, into small peptides or amino acids by enzymes. Cells from all forms of life carry out regulated protein degradation as a way to control cellular physiology and regulate stress responses. Clp proteases, containing a AAA+ (A̲TPases A̲ssociated with various cellular A̲ctivities) unfoldase stacked with a compartmentalized peptidase, are central to bacterial proteolysis, and use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to unfold and translocate protein substrates into the peptidase chamber for their destruction. The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is unusual in that it contains two isoforms of the subunits that form the ClpP peptidase chamber. These isoforms, PaClpP1 and PaClpP2, have not been well characterized previously and their specific functions are largely elusive. This work examines the structures and functions of PaClpP1 and PaClpP2 and proposes a model for functional peptides generated by these enzymes in P. aeruginosa development. Biochemical analysis establishes that PaClpP2 is only active as a peptidase when it is part of a PaClpP1₇P2₇ heterocomplex. Furthermore, multiple lines of evidence support that P. aeruginosa cells have two distinct ClpP peptidase assemblies: PaClpP1₁₄ and PaClpP1₇P2₇. Importantly, peptidase and protease analyses establish that these two ClpP assemblies exhibit distinct peptide cleavage specificities and interact differentially with the AAA+ unfoldases, ClpX and ClpA. Finally, the PaClpP2 peptide-cleavage active site uniquely contributes to P. aeruginosa biofilm development. Therefore, results presented in this thesis suggest that within AAA+ proteases, the specificity of the peptidase subunits, not only the recognition properties of the AAA+ unfoldase, control the biological outcome(s) of proteolysis.by Gina D. Mawla.Ph. D.Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biolog

A Novel Approach for Studying Histone H1 Function in Vivo

In this report, we investigate the mechanisms that regulate Drosophila histone H1 expression and its association with chromatin in vivo. We show that histone H1 is subject to negative autoregulation and exploit this result to examine the effects of mutations of the main phosphorylation site of histone H1

Determinants of diarrhea prevalence in urban slums : a comparative assessment towards enhanced environmental management

This study relies on a comparative assessment of diarrhea occurrence in two urban slums to identify salient factors influencing case prevalence. Primary data were collected from both areas using a structured closed-ended questionnaire coupled with bottled and public water quality sampling and analysis at households reporting diarrhea cases. The water quality analysis showed contamination at the household level due primarily to the location of water storage tanks, as well as in some brands of bottled water due to lack of enforcement of source monitoring. Descriptive statistics and chi-square distribution tests revealed significant difference in diarrhea cases in both study areas which was correlated with the educational level of household head, financial status, type of water storage tank, and corresponding cleaning frequency as well as the adoption of measures to treat water or the use of bottled water