Natural history of a visceral leishmaniasis outbreak in highland Ethiopia

In May 2005, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was recognized for the first time in Libo Kemken, Ethiopia, a highland region where only few cases had been reported before. We analyzed records of VL patients treated from May 25, 2005 to December 13, 2007 by the only VL treatment center in the area, maintained by Médecins Sans Frontières-Ethiopia, Operational Center Barcelona-Athens. The median age was 18 years; 77.6% were male. The overall case fatality rate was 4%, but adults 45 years or older were five times as likely to die as 5-29 year olds. Other factors associated with increased mortality included HIV infection, edema, severe malnutrition, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and vomiting. The VL epidemic expanded rapidly over a several-year period, culminating in an epidemic peak in the last third of 2005, spread over two districts, and transformed into a sustained endemic situation by 2007

Tailoring colors by O-annulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The synthesis of O-doped polyaromatic hydrocarbons, in which two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon subunits are bridged through one or two O atoms, has been achieved. This includes high-yielding ring-closure key steps that, depending on the reaction conditions, yield the formation of either furanyl or pyranopyranyl linkages through intramolecular C-O bond formation. Comprehensive photophysical measurements in solution showed that these molecules feature exceptionally high emission yields and tunable absorption properties throughout the UV-vis spectral region. Electrochemical investigations showed that in all cases the O-annulation increases the electron donor capabilities by raising the HOMO energy level with the LUMO energy level being less affected. Moreover, third-order NLO measurements of solutions or thin films containing the dyes displayed very good second hyperpolarizibility values. Importantly, PMMA films containing the pyranopyranyl derivatives displayed weak linear absorption and NLO absorption compared to the nonlinearity and NLO refraction, respectively, revealing to be exceptional organic materials for photonic devices

DAAM is required for thin filament formation and Sarcomerogenesis during muscle development in Drosophila.

During muscle development, myosin and actin containing filaments assemble into the highly organized sarcomeric structure critical for muscle function. Although sarcomerogenesis clearly involves the de novo formation of actin filaments, this process remained poorly understood. Here we show that mouse and Drosophila members of the DAAM formin family are sarcomere-associated actin assembly factors enriched at the Z-disc and M-band. Analysis of dDAAM mutants revealed a pivotal role in myofibrillogenesis of larval somatic muscles, indirect flight muscles and the heart. We found that loss of dDAAM function results in multiple defects in sarcomere development including thin and thick filament disorganization, Z-disc and M-band formation, and a near complete absence of the myofibrillar lattice. Collectively, our data suggest that dDAAM is required for the initial assembly of thin filaments, and subsequently it promotes filament elongation by assembling short actin polymers that anneal to the pointed end of the growing filaments, and by antagonizing the capping protein Tropomodulin

Heritability of Body Mass Index: A comparison between the Netherlands and Spain.

A high body mass index (BMI) is commonly used as an index of overweight and obesity. There is persistent evidence of high heritability for variation in BMI, but the effects of common environment appear inconsistent across different European countries. Our objective was to compare genetic and environmental effects on BMI in a sample of twins from two different European countries with distinct population and cultural backgrounds. We analysed data of adult female twins from the Netherlands Twin Register (222 monozygotic [MZ] and 103 dizygotic [DZ] pairs) and the Murcia Twin Register (Spain; 202 MZ and 235 DZ pairs). BMI was based on self-reported weight and height. Dutch women were taller and heavier, but Spanish women had a significantly higher mean BMI. The age related weight increase was significantly stronger in the Spanish sample. Genetic analyses showed that genetic factors are the main contributors to variation in height, weight, and BMI, within both countries. For height and weight, estimates of genetic variances did not differ, but for height, the estimate for the environmental variance was significantly larger in Spanish women. For BMI, both the genetic and the environmental variance components were larger in Spanish than in Dutch women

Post-operative Aspergillus mediastinitis in a man who was immunocompetent: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Aspergillus </it>spp. infections mainly affect patients who are immunocompromised, and are extremely rare in immunocompetent individuals.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p><it>Aspergillus </it>post-operative mediastinitis is considered to be a devastating infection, usually affecting patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery with specific predisposing factors. We describe the case of an immunocompetent 68-year-old Caucasian man with severe chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, who underwent pulmonary thromboendarterectomy and developed post-operative mediastinitis due to <it>Aspergillus flavus</it>. The environmental control did not reveal the source of <it>A. flavus </it>infection and, despite combined antifungal therapy, our patient died as a result of septic shock and multiple organ failure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Aspergillus </it>mediastinitis mainly affects patients after cardiosurgery operations with predisposing factors, and it is unusual in patients who are immunocompetent. The identification of the <it>Aspergillus </it>spp. source is often difficult, and there are no guidelines for the administration of pre-emptive therapy in this population of at-risk patients.</p