Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Diabetic Patients in the United Arab Emirates

Diabetes self-management education is a cornerstone of diabetes care. However, many diabetics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) lack sufficient knowledge about their disease due to illiteracy. Thus, before considering any possible intervention it was imperative to assess present knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients towards the management of diabetes

Responses to Dehydration in the One-Humped Camel and Effects of Blocking the Renin-Angiotensin System

Our objectives were to compare the levels of circulating electrolytes, hormones, and renal function during 20 days of dehydration in camels versus the level in non-dehydrated camels and to record the effect of blocking angiotensin II AT1 receptors with losartan during dehydration. Dehydration induced significant increments in serum sodium, creatinine, urea, a substantial fall in body weight, and a doubling in plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels. Plasma aldosterone, however, was unaltered compared with time-matched controls. Losartan significantly enhanced the effect of dehydration to reduce body weight and increase serum levels of creatinine and urea, whilst also impairing the rise in plasma AVP and reducing aldosterone levels. We conclude that dehydration in the camel induces substantial increments in serum sodium, creatinine, urea and AVP levels; that aldosterone levels are altered little by dehydration; that blockade of angiotensin II type 1 receptors enhances the dehydration-induced fall in body weight and increase in serum creatinine and urea levels whilst reducing aldosterone and attenuating the rise in plasma AVP

Consanguineous marriages and endemic malaria: can inbreeding increase population fitness?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The practice of consanguineous marriages is widespread in countries with endemic malaria. In these regions, consanguinity increases the prevalence of α⁺-thalassemia, which is protective against malaria. However, it also causes an excessive mortality amongst the offspring due to an increase in homozygosis of recessive lethal alleles. The aim of this study was to explore the overall effects of inbreeding on the fitness of a population infested with malaria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a stochastic computer model of population growth, the sizes of inbred and outbred populations were compared. The model has been previously validated producing results for inbred populations that have agreed with analytical predictions. Survival likelihoods for different α⁺-thalassemia genotypes were obtained from the odds of severe forms of disease from a field study. Survivals were further estimated for different values of mortality from malaria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Inbreeding increases the frequency of α⁺-thalassemia allele and the loss of life due to homozygosis of recessive lethal alleles; both are proportional to the coefficient of inbreeding and the frequency of alleles in population. Inbreeding-mediated decrease in mortality from malaria (produced via enhanced α⁺-thalassemia frequency) mitigates inbreeding-related increases in fatality (produced via increased homozygosity of recessive lethals). When the death rate due to malaria is high, the net effect of inbreeding is a reduction in the overall mortality of the population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Consanguineous marriages may increase the overall fitness of populations with endemic malaria.</p

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

In the upper panel, initial negative excess of relative fitness (blue bars) in the inbred population is the effect of recessive lethal alleles

An excess of α-thalassemia allele (red bars) is seen after 5–6 generations – after allele frequency (black S-shape line) is increased to around 0.2. Relative excess of α-thalassemia is maximal when its frequency is in the middle of the range (~0.35–0.7). Results are for = 1000 and the ratio of differential survival = 1.39. In the lower panel, the calculated relative fitness includes only the effect of α-thalassemia. The fitness ratio is the size of inbred population divided with that of outbred population. The results are for → ∞ and the ratio of differential survival = 1.39.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Consanguineous marriages and endemic malaria: can inbreeding increase population fitness?"</p><p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/150</p><p>Malaria Journal 2008;7():150-150.</p><p>Published online 2 Aug 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2527611.</p><p></p

The survivals of the three genotypes used in this simulation are shown in the lower part of graph at the intersections with vertical lines which point to the results in the upper part of graph

The ratio of differential survival of genotypes = (- )/(- ).<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Consanguineous marriages and endemic malaria: can inbreeding increase population fitness?"</p><p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/150</p><p>Malaria Journal 2008;7():150-150.</p><p>Published online 2 Aug 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2527611.</p><p></p

The distribution of Plasmodium falciparum infection durations.

OBJECTIVES: The duration of untreated Plasmodium falciparum infections in naturally exposed human populations is of interest for rational planning of malaria control interventions as it is related to the duration of infectivity. The extent of variability in duration is relevant where transmission is seasonal, and for the planning of elimination efforts. Methods for measuring these quantities from genotyping data have been restricted to exponential models of infection survival, as implied by constant clearance rates. Such models have greatly improved the understanding of infection dynamics on a population level but likely misrepresent the within-host dynamics of many pathogens. Conversely, the statistical properties of the distribution of infection durations, and how these are affected by exposure, should contain information on within-host dynamics. METHODS AND RESULTS: We extended existing methods for the analysis of longitudinal genotyping data on P. falciparum infections. Our method simultaneously estimates force of infection, detectability, and the distribution of infection durations. Infection durations are modeled using parametric survival distributions. The method is validated using simulated data, and applied to data from a cohort study in Navrongo, Northern Ghana. Distribution estimates from exponential, Weibull, lognormal, and gamma models are compared with the distribution of durations in malariatherapy data. CONCLUSIONS: The Weibull model fitted the data best. It estimated a shorter mean duration than the exponential model, which gave the worst fit. The distribution estimates appeared positively skewed when compared with the distribution of durations in malariatherapy data, suggesting that a significant proportion of infections is cleared shortly after inoculation. We conclude that malariatherapy data, the most important source of information on P. falciparum within-host dynamics, may not be representative of the actual processes in natural populations, and should be used with care. Further, conclusions from transmission models assuming exponential infection survival may be biased

Clinical Characteristics of the Study Participants (n = 575).

<p>Clinical Characteristics of the Study Participants (n = 575).</p

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Study Participants (n = 575).

<p>Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Study Participants (n = 575).</p