Prevalence of antibody to Trypanosoma cruzi in Hispanic-surnamed patients seen at Parkland Health & Hospital System, Dallas, Texas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chagas disease constitutes an important public health threat in terms of morbidity and mortality in the areas in the United States where immigrant populations from Latin America are conspicuous. We conducted a survey to assess the prevalence of anti-<it>T. cruzi </it>antibody in Hispanic-surnamed patients seen at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Five hundred serum specimens from Hispanic-surnamed patients were tested by a preliminary ELISA method. On a subset of 50 sera confirmatory testing was also performed using an alternative ELISA, indirect immunofluorescence, and TESA immunoblot. For 274 of 500 Hispanic-surnamed patients, we were able to ascertain immigration status upon medical chart review. Of the 274 sera analyzed, one sample tested as positive for anti-<it>T. cruzi </it>antibody by the preliminary ELISA, and by the three confirmatory methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The goal of this study is to increase the awareness of <it>T. cruzi </it>infection and Chagas disease in areas where the Latin American immigrant communities are growing. Our study highlights the importance of testing for Chagas disease in the populations most at risk, and the need for current data on the actual seroprevalence in areas where such immigrant populations are conspicuous. Larger-scale epidemiologic surveys on Chagas disease in the immigrant communities from Latin America are warranted.</p

Triple-Modal Imaging of Magnetically-Targeted Nanocapsules in Solid Tumours In Vivo

Triple-modal imaging magnetic nanocapsules, encapsulating hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, are formulated and used to magnetically target solid tumours after intravenous administration in tumour-bearing mice. The engineered magnetic polymeric nanocapsules m-NCs are ~200 nm in size with negative Zeta potential and shown to be spherical in shape. The loading efficiency of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in the m-NC was ~100%. Up to ~3- and ~2.2-fold increase in tumour uptake at 1 and 24 h was achieved, when a static magnetic field was applied to the tumour for 1 hour. m-NCs, with multiple imaging probes (e.g. indocyanine green, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and indium-111), were capable of triple-modal imaging (fluorescence/magnetic resonance/nuclear imaging) in vivo. Using triple-modal imaging is to overcome the intrinsic limitations of single modality imaging and provides complementary information on the spatial distribution of the nanocarrier within the tumour. The significant findings of this study could open up new research perspectives in using novel magnetically-responsive nanomaterials in magnetic-drug targeting combined with multi-modal imaging

Prediction of landing gear loads using machine learning techniques

This article investigates the feasibility of using machine learning algorithms to predict the loads experienced by a landing gear during landing. For this purpose, the results on drop test data and flight test data will be examined. This article will focus on the use of Gaussian process regression for the prediction of loads on the components of a landing gear. For the learning task, comprehensive measurement data from drop tests are available. These include measurements of strains at key locations, such as on the side-stay and torque link, as well as acceleration measurements of the drop carriage and the gear itself, measurements of shock absorber travel, tyre closure, shock absorber pressure and wheel speed. Ground-to-tyre loads are also available through measurements made with a drop test ground reaction platform. The aim is to train the Gaussian process to predict load at a particular location from other available measurements, such as accelerations, or measurements of the shock absorber. If models can be successfully trained, then future load patterns may be predicted using only these measurements. The ultimate aim is to produce an accurate model that can predict the load at a number of locations across the landing gear using measurements that are readily available or may be measured more easily than directly measuring strain on the gear itself (for example, these may be measurements already available on the aircraft, or from a small number of sensors attached to the gear). The drop test data models provide a positive feasibility test which is the basis for moving on to the critical task of prediction on flight test data. For this, a wide range of available flight test measurements are considered for potential model inputs (excluding strain measurements themselves), before attempting to refine the model or use a smaller number of measurements for the prediction

Mobility, Accessibility and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Assessing Diversity in Transportation-Related Needs and Opportunities [Research Brief]

USDOT Grant 69A3551747109Caltrans No. 65A0674 TOThis project examines the commonalities and differences among disadvantaged neighborhoods in mobility and access to opportunities. Our approach utilizes the concept of spatial-transportation mismatch (STM), which hypothesizes that spatial distance and poor transportation are barriers to regional employment, and educational and health-care opportunities. The study compares one highly urbanized county (Los Angeles) and one more agricultural agriculture based (San Joaquin)

1957: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

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Challenges and Recommendations for Magnetic Hyperthermia Characterization Measurements

The localized heating of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) via the application of time-varying magnetic fields – a process known as magnetic field hyperthermia (MFH) – can greatly enhance existing options for cancer treatment; but for broad clinical uptake its optimization, reproducibility and safety must be comprehensively proven. As part of this effort, the quantification of MNP heating – characterized by the specific loss power (SLP), measured in W/g, or by the intrinsic loss power (ILP), in nHm2/kg – is frequently reported. However, in SLP/ILP measurements to date, the apparatus, the analysis techniques and the field conditions used by different researchers have varied greatly, leading to questions as to the reproducibility of the measurements. To address this, we report here on an interlaboratory study (across N = 21 European sites) of calorimetry measurements that constitutes a snapshot of the current state-of-the-art within the MFH community. The data show that although there is very good intralaboratory repeatability, the overall interlaboratory measurement accuracy is poor, with the consolidated ILP data having standard deviations on the mean of ca. ± 30% to ± 40%. There is a strong systematic component to the uncertainties, and a clear rank correlation between the measuring laboratory and the ILP. Both of these are indications of a current lack of normalization in this field. A number of possible sources of systematic uncertainties are identified, and means determined to alleviate or minimize them. However, no single dominant factor was identified, and significant work remains to ascertain and remove the remaining uncertainty sources. We conclude that the study reveals a current lack of harmonization in MFH characterization of MNPs, and highlights the growing need for standardized, quantitative characterization techniques for this emerging medical technology.Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Magnetic Hyperthermia and Indirect Radiation Therap

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Synthesis of high-quality libraries of long (150mer) oligonucleotides by a novel depurination controlled process

We have achieved the ability to synthesize thousands of unique, long oligonucleotides (150mers) in fmol amounts using parallel synthesis of DNA on microarrays. The sequence accuracy of the oligonucleotides in such large-scale syntheses has been limited by the yields and side reactions of the DNA synthesis process used. While there has been significant demand for libraries of long oligos (150mer and more), the yields in conventional DNA synthesis and the associated side reactions have previously limited the availability of oligonucleotide pools to lengths <100 nt. Using novel array based depurination assays, we show that the depurination side reaction is the limiting factor for the synthesis of libraries of long oligonucleotides on Agilent Technologies’ SurePrint® DNA microarray platform. We also demonstrate how depurination can be controlled and reduced by a novel detritylation process to enable the synthesis of high quality, long (150mer) oligonucleotide libraries and we report the characterization of synthesis efficiency for such libraries. Oligonucleotide libraries prepared with this method have changed the economics and availability of several existing applications (e.g. targeted resequencing, preparation of shRNA libraries, site-directed mutagenesis), and have the potential to enable even more novel applications (e.g. high-complexity synthetic biology)

1954: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

Preface The 1954 Abilene Christian College Lectureship was one of the best attended and most successful in the history of the school. Considerable interest was manifested in the timely theme, “Overcoming Dangerous Tendencies,” and in the two special topics, “Ways and Means of Doing Mission Work,” and “Caring For Widows and Orphans.” The reports from the mission fields were highly stimulating, and all in all, the speeches were unusually high caliber. The Panel Discussions were also on timely subjects and well presented. They received a warm response, as did also the thirty classes that were conducted each day. These classes were taught by persons expert in their particular fields, and covered a wide range of interests to the faithful, working Christian. We at Abilene Christian College predict for this book of Lectures a wide and hearty reception, and believe that its reading will issue in profit to the individual and to the church at large. J. D. Thomas Lectureship Directo