Costs Associated with Malaria in Pregnancy in the Brazilian Amazon, a Low Endemic Area Where Plasmodium vivax Predominates.

BACKGROUND: Information on costs associated with malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in low transmission areas where Plasmodium vivax predominates is so far missing. This study estimates health system and patient costs of MiP in the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Between January 2011 and March 2012 patient costs for the treatment of MiP were collected through an exit survey at a tertiary referral hospital and at a primary health care centre in the Manaus metropolitan area, Amazonas state. Pregnant and post-partum women diagnosed with malaria were interviewed after an outpatient consultation or at discharge after admission. Seventy-three interviews were included in the analysis. Ninety-six percent of episodes were due to P. vivax and 4% to Plasmodium falciparum. In 2010, the total median costs from the patient perspective were estimated at US $45.91 and US$216.29 for an outpatient consultation and an admission, respectively. When multiple P. vivax infections during the same pregnancy were considered, patient costs increased up to US $335.85, representing the costs of an admission plus an outpatient consultation. Provider direct and overhead cost data were obtained from several sources. The provider cost associated with an outpatient case, which includes several consultations at the tertiary hospital was US$103.51 for a P. vivax malaria episode and US $83.59 for a P. falciparum malaria episode. The cost of an inpatient day and average admission of 3 days was US$118.51 and US $355.53, respectively. Total provider costs for the diagnosis and treatment of all malaria cases reported in pregnant women in Manaus in 2010 (N = 364) were US$17,038.50, of which 92.4% (US$ 15,741.14) due to P. vivax infection. CONCLUSION: Despite being an area of low risk malaria transmission, MiP is responsible for a significant economic burden in Manaus. Especially when multiple infections are considered, costs associated with P. vivax are higher than costs associated with P. falciparum. The information generated may help health policy decisions for the current control and future elimination of malaria in the area

Electric field and exciton structure in CdSe nanocrystals

Quantum Stark effect in semiconductor nanocrystals is theoretically investigated, using the effective mass formalism within a $4\times 4$ Baldereschi-Lipari Hamiltonian model for the hole states. General expressions are reported for the hole eigenfunctions at zero electric field. Electron and hole single particle energies as functions of the electric field ($\mathbf{E}_{QD}$) are reported. Stark shift and binding energy of the excitonic levels are obtained by full diagonalization of the correlated electron-hole Hamiltonian in presence of the external field. Particularly, the structure of the lower excitonic states and their symmetry properties in CdSe nanocrystals are studied. It is found that the dependence of the exciton binding energy upon the applied field is strongly reduced for small quantum dot radius. Optical selection rules for absorption and luminescence are obtained. The electric-field induced quenching of the optical spectra as a function of $\mathbf{E}_{QD}$ is studied in terms of the exciton dipole matrix element. It is predicted that photoluminescence spectra present anomalous field dependence of the emission lines. These results agree in magnitude with experimental observation and with the main features of photoluminescence experiments in nanostructures.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Resonant Raman scattering off neutral quantum dots

Resonant inelastic (Raman) light scattering off neutral GaAs quantum dots which contain a mean number, N=42, of electron-hole pairs is computed. We find Raman amplitudes corresponding to strongly collective final states (charge-density excitations) of similar magnitude as the amplitudes related to weakly collective or single-particle excitations. As a function of the incident laser frequency or the magnetic field, they are rapidly varying amplitudes. It is argued that strong Raman peaks should come out in the spin-density channels, not related to valence-band mixing effects in the intermediate states.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review

Valoración del efecto de la calcitonina en la consolidación de la fractura de Colles

Se estudian cuarenta pacientes en que se ha producido una Fractura de Epífisis Distal de Radio (Fractura de POUTEAU-COLLES) en pacientes mayores de cincuenta años, con signos de osteoroporosis. Se han hecho dos grupos aleatorios de veinte pacientes. El grupo A se ha tratado con un programa de calcitonina y calcio que cubre los tres primeros meses. El grupo B es tratado exclusivamente con calcio, por igual período. En ambos la reducción e inmovilización sigue los mismos criterios. Se evalúan los resultados, observando que el grupo A presenta menos secuelas dolorosas.The authors have studied 40 patients with fracture of distal epiphysis of radius (POUTEAU-COLLES' fracture) all of them fifty years old with signs of osteoporosis. They have made two groups of patients (20 every one). The group A has been treated with a program of calcitonin and calcium during three months. The group B has been treated only with calcium, three months, as well as the other group. Both groups have the same criterion of reduction and inmovilization. The evaluation of results in the first group showed less painful consequences

Cuantificación mediante estudio estereológico del sistema microfisural del granito de El Berrocal (Sistema Central, Toledo, España)

This paper describes an exarnple of the use of stereological techniques for the quantification of some characteristics of the microcrack network of rocks, in this case the El Berrocal granite (Sistema Central, Toledo, Spain). From data measured in sections, therefore 2-D, 3-D characteristics of the microcrack network have been obtained. The quantified characteristics are the microcrack density (in terms of the frequency distribution of the specific surface of microcracks in relation to their apertures) and the relative frequency of the microcrack aperture. These procedures have been applied to images under scanning electron microscopy, so microcracks with apparent apertures over 0,l pm. have been measured. The so called "vertical sections" have been prepared to assure a correct sampling. From the measurement of the apparent apertures of microcracks and applying stereological procedures, the real apertures and the specific surface of each class of microcracks are obtained. Besides of the characteristics of the microcrack network of the rock as a whole, data of the microcracks associated to each of the main minerals (quartz, feldspars and micas) are presented separately, allowing the interpretation of the contribution of each mineral to the microfractography of the rock. In El Berrocal granite, the microcracks with a real aperture less than 1 m are the most abundant. The microcracks are more important in quartz and, above all, in feldspars (with more than 60% of the total network of the rock), than in micas. When considering the microcrack density of each mineral, and taking into account the mineral composition of the rock too, the feldspar is also the more cracked mineral in the rock. Nevertheless, the frequency distribution of the specific surface in relation to the microcrack aperture is quite similar in any of the three mirierals. It is intended with this paper to show the possibilities of the stereology that, using simple, fast and economic procedures, provides quantitative information about the characteristics of the microcrack network of rocks that can be very useful in many geological studies

Role of QseG membrane protein in beneficial enterobacterial interactions with plants and Mesorhizobia

Membrane protein Quorum sensing G (QseG) positively interferes in the process of colonization and infection of enteric pathogens in animals. Its gene is located between qseE and qseF genes and is co-transcribed with the two-component system. Homologs of qseG gene, along with qseEF, are present in many Enterobacteriaceae; however, its role in nonpathogenic strains is still unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the role of QseG protein of a plant-associated enterobacterium in the interactions with its legume host and in the benefits induced by this enterobacterium in the Mesorhizobium-chickpea symbiosis. Here, we show that Kosakonia sp. MH5 ΔqseG mutant was defective in internal root colonization and inoculation of chickpea seedlings with this mutant increased the expression of the defence-related gene CaRBOH-like in host roots. Furthermore, we show that invasion and a proper establishment within the roots and/or root nodules are essential for MH5 strain to be able to exert beneficial effects on the symbiotic Mesorhizobium-chickpea association under salinity. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the role of QseG is transversal to pathogenic and nonpathogenic enterobacteria and is a step forward to better understanding the molecular bases of plant-bacteria interactions established between legume and beneficial endophytic enterobacteria