The prevalence of common skin infections in four districts in Timor-Leste: a cross sectional survey

Background\ud Skin infections are a common public health problem in developing countries; however, they are rarely managed using a population based approach. Recent data on the burden of skin infections in Timor-Leste are limited. Our survey appears to be the only widespread survey conducted in more than 30 years and was designed to determine the baseline prevalence of some common skin infections in Timor-Leste.\ud \ud Methods\ud We conducted a cross sectional survey in 14 sites including community health clinics, schools and hospitals within four different geographical regions. Participants were examined for five conditions (scabies, pyoderma, fungal infections, leprosy and yaws) by a multidisciplinary team. Analyses were conducted using EpiInfo version 6.04d.\ud \ud Results\ud We examined the skin of 1535 participants aged between four months and 97 years. The majority of participants were male, aged between 11 and 20 years and had at least one condition of interest (56.0%, 56.0%, and 63.1%, respectively). Fungal infections were the most common presentation (39.0%) and males were more commonly affected than females (42.3% vs 34.0%, respectively, pvalue < 0.0001).\ud \ud Among those people with more than one condition the two most common co-infections were scabies with either pyoderma or a fungal infection (38.0% and 32.0%, respectively). The survey identified 29 previously undiagnosed cases of leprosy and six cases of yaws.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud Our findings indicate the need for a comprehensive programme to address these conditions. There are successful disease control programmes in place within the country and it is hoped a healthy skin programme could be integrated into an established disease control programme in order to maximise health benefits and resources

Higher Rates of Hemolysis Are Not Associated with Albuminuria in Jamaicans with Sickle Cell Disease

BACKGROUND: Albuminuria is a marker of glomerular damage in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). In this study, we sought to determine the possible predictors of albuminuria in the two more prevalent genotypes of SCD among the Jamaica Sickle Cell Cohort Study participants. METHODS: An age-matched cohort of 122 patients with HbSS or HbSC genotypes had measurements of their morning urine albumin concentration, blood pressure, body mass index, haematology and certain biochemistry parameters done. Associations of albuminuria with possible predictors including hematological parameters, reticulocyte counts, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were examined using multiple regression models. RESULTS: A total of 122 participants were recruited (mean age 28.6 years ±2.5 years; 85 HbSS, 37 HbSC). 25.9% with HbSS and 10.8% with HbSC disease had microalbuminuria (urine albumin/creatinine ratio  =  30-300 mg/g of creatinine) whereas 16.5% of HbSS and 2.7% of HbSC disease had macroalbuminuria (urine albumin/creatinine ratio>300 mg/g of creatinine). Mean arterial pressure, hemoglobin levels, serum creatinine, reticulocyte counts and white blood cell counts were statistically significant predictors of albuminuria in HbSS, whereas white blood cell counts and serum creatinine predicted albuminuria in HbSC disease. Both markers of chronic hemolysis, i.e. AST and LDH levels, showed no associations with albuminuria in either genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Renal disease, as evidenced by excretion of increased amounts of albumin in urine due to a glomerulopathy, is a common end-organ complication in SCD. It is shown to be more severe in those with HbSS disease than in HbSC disease. Rising blood pressure, lower hemoglobin levels and higher white blood cell counts are hints to the clinician of impending renal disease, whereas higher rates of hemolysis do not appear to play a role in this complication of SCD

Neonatal Fc Receptor: From Immunity to Therapeutics

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), also known as the Brambell receptor and encoded by Fcgrt, is a MHC class I like molecule that functions to protect IgG and albumin from catabolism, mediates transport of IgG across epithelial cells, and is involved in antigen presentation by professional antigen presenting cells. Its function is evident in early life in the transport of IgG from mother to fetus and neonate for passive immunity and later in the development of adaptive immunity and other functions throughout life. The unique ability of this receptor to prolong the half-life of IgG and albumin has guided engineering of novel therapeutics. Here, we aim to summarize the basic understanding of FcRn biology, its functions in various organs, and the therapeutic design of antibody- and albumin-based therapeutics in light of their interactions with FcRn

Performance of creatinine-based equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in White and Black populations in Europe, Brazil and Africa.

peer reviewed("[en] BACKGROUND: A new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation without the race variable has been recently proposed (CKD-EPIAS). This equation has neither been validated outside USA nor compared with the new European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) and Lund-Malmö Revised (LMREV) equations, developed in European cohorts. METHODS: Standardized creatinine and measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from the European EKFC cohorts (n = 13 856 including 6031 individuals in the external validation cohort), from France (n = 4429, including 964 Black Europeans), from Brazil (n = 100) and from Africa (n = 508) were used to test the performances of the equations. A matched analysis between White Europeans and Black Africans or Black Europeans was performed. RESULTS: In White Europeans (n = 9496), both the EKFC and LMREV equations outperformed CKD-EPIAS (bias of -0.6 and -3.2, respectively versus 5.0 mL/min/1.73 m², and accuracy within 30% of 86.9 and 87.4, respectively, versus 80.9%). In Black Europeans and Black Africans, the best performance was observed with the EKFC equation using a specific Q-value (= concentration of serum creatinine in healthy males and females). These results were confirmed in matched analyses, which showed that serum creatinine concentrations were different in White Europeans, Black Europeans and Black Africans for the same measured GFR, age, sex and body mass index. Creatinine differences were more relevant in males. CONCLUSION: In a European and African cohort, the performances of CKD-EPIAS remain suboptimal. The EKFC equation, using usual or dedicated population-specific Q-values, presents the best performance in the whole age range in the European and African populations included in this study.","[en] ",""

Parois symétriques à 180°

The wall which separates two magnetic domains with head-on magnetization is studied. Magnetostatic energy of such a wall is calculated from a model of magnetization distribution suggested by experiment ; its optimal width is computed. We report on the experimental results concerning these walls which has been found to be in good agreement with the theory. The magnetization reversal of a symmetrical wall is discussed taking account of the uniaxial anisotropy direction.On étudie la paroi qui sépare deux domaines magnétiques dont les aimantations, opposées, lui sont perpendiculaires. L'énergie magnétostatique d'une telle paroi est calculée à partir d'un modèle de distribution de l'aimantation suggéré par l'expérience ; on en déduit la largeur optimale de la paroi. L'étude expérimentale de ces parois est rapportée et la variation de la largeur de paroi avec le champ appliqué s'accorde avec les résultats théoriques. L'inversion de l'aimantation d'une paroi symétrique est discutée en tenant compte de la direction d'anisotropie uniaxe

Team 2: Simulation of Technical Aspects in Network-Centric Operations: Results

from Scythe : Proceedings and Bulletin of the International Data Farming Community, Issue 1 Workshop 13The German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement, has been analyzing the influence of networked sensors and effectors on military capabilities. Background for the actual technical evaluations of sensors, effectors and the connecting network is the scenario vignette: Convoy Protection as part of an over all scenario PSO in an urban environment

PROTOCOLE POUR UNE ANALYSE QUANTITATIVE DES PRODUITS DE COMBUSTION D'UN FUEL LOURD PAR MICROSCOPIE ÉLECTRONIQUE

Une méthode semi automatisée de comptage de particules submicroniques émises lors des phénomènes de combustion des fuels lourds est proposée, qui permet d'obtenir des renseignements tant sur la nature du fuel que sur les processus de combustion.We present a method for the electron microscope photography analysis for combustion products of fuels oils