Clinical oxidative stress during leprosy multidrug therapy:impact of dapsone oxidation

This study aims to assess the oxidative stress in leprosy patients under multidrug therapy (MDT; dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin), evaluating the nitric oxide (NO) concentration, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, glutathione (GSH) levels, total antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation, and methemoglobin formation. For this, we analyzed 23 leprosy patients and 20 healthy individuals from the Amazon region, Brazil, aged between 20 and 45 years. Blood sampling enabled the evaluation of leprosy patients prior to starting multidrug therapy (called MDT 0) and until the third month of multidrug therapy (MDT 3). With regard to dapsone (DDS) plasma levels, we showed that there was no statistical difference in drug plasma levels between multibacillary (0.518±0.029 μg/mL) and paucibacillary (0.662±0.123 μg/mL) patients. The methemoglobin levels and numbers of Heinz bodies were significantly enhanced after the third MDTsupervised dose, but this treatment did not significantly change the lipid peroxidation and NO levels in these leprosy patients. In addition, CAT activity was significantly reduced in MDT-treated leprosy patients, while GSH content was increased in these patients. However, SOD and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity levels were similar in patients with and without treatment. These data suggest that MDT can reduce the activity of some antioxidant enzyme and influence ROS accumulation, which may induce hematological changes, such as methemoglobinemia in patients with leprosy. We also explored some redox mechanisms associated with DDS and its main oxidative metabolite DDS-NHOH and we explored the possible binding of DDS to the active site of CYP2C19 with the aid of molecular modeling software

Measurement of the tt¯ production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive top quark pair (tt¯tt¯) production cross-section σtt¯σtt¯ has been measured in proton–proton collisions at s√=7 TeVs=7 TeV and s√=8 TeVs=8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, using tt¯tt¯ events with an opposite-charge eμeμ pair in the final state. The measurement was performed with the 2011 7 TeV dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb−1fb−1 and the 2012 8 TeV dataset of 20.3 fb−1fb−1. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two bb-tagged jets were counted and used to simultaneously determine σtt¯σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and bb-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section was measured to be: σtt¯σtt¯=182.9±3.1±4.2±3.6±3.3 pb (s√=7 TeV)and=242.4±1.7±5.5±7.5±4.2 pb (s√=8 TeV), σtt¯=182.9±3.1±4.2±3.6±3.3 pb (s=7 TeV)andσtt¯=242.4±1.7±5.5±7.5±4.2 pb (s=8 TeV), where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, knowledge of the integrated luminosity and of the LHC beam energy. The results are consistent with recent theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. Fiducial measurements corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons are also reported, together with the ratio of cross-sections measured at the two centre-of-mass energies. The inclusive cross-section results were used to determine the top quark pole mass via the dependence of the theoretically predicted cross-section on mpoletmtpole giving a result of mpoletmtpole=172.9+2.5−2.6=172.9−2.6+2.5 GeV. By looking for an excess of tt¯tt¯ production with respect to the QCD prediction, the results were also used to place limits on the pair-production of supersymmetric top squarks t~1t~1 with masses close to the top quark mass, decaying via t~1→tχ~01t~1→tχ~10 to predominantly right-handed top quarks and a light neutralino χ~01χ~10, the lightest supersymmetric particle. Top squarks with masses between the top quark mass and 177 GeV are excluded at the 95 % confidence level

Clinico-Bacteriological profile & Effect of Home remedies on Acute Abscess

Acute abscess are very common in tropical countries like India. We have conducted this study to evaluate clinical & etiological profile of abscess. Design: Prospective study. Methodology: All patients with soft tissue abscesses either admitted in Surgery Department or attended Surgical OPD during the study period. Cases of small superficial abscesses managed in Out Patient Department. Data regarding the age, sex, hemoglobin, location of the abscess and cause if any, was tabulated. Results: Total 1065 cases were included in this study, 63.57% were male and 36.43% were female. Most common age groups were between 6-20 years (22.25% male and 10.89% female, total 33.15%) and 21-40 years (20.66% male and 14.02% females, total 35.31%). 81.78% patients belonged to lower socio-economic status. Pain and swelling were the most common presenting symptoms (99.06% and 99.15% respectively). Lower limb was the commonest site with 33.34% followed by upper limbs (23.66%). There was high percentage (40.46%) of pre-hospitalization home based interventions that increased the complication rate. Staphylococcus aureus was most common culprit organism in 72% cases (80 out of 111 cultures done). Causes were not known in 79.53% cases, but 7.32% cases developed abscesses after intramuscular injections. Conclusion: Soft tissue abscesses are more prevalent in lower socio-economic group and rainy season. In most of the cases, the cause is unknown; trauma and intramuscular injection are the leading underlying known causes of these abscesses. Use of home remedies had increased the complication rate

Operationalisation of ecosystem services in support of ecosystem-based marine spatial planning: insights into needs and recommendations

Marine or maritime spatial planning (MSP) works across borders and sectors to ensure human activities at sea take place in an efficient and sustainable way. The ecosystem service (ES) concept links ecosystem functioning to human wellbeing and has emerged as a potential framework supporting MSP, as it can be used to link different sectorial and environmental policies. However, due to the complexity of the marine realm, mapping and assessment of ES is still in its infancy and there remains a need to develop and agree upon the appropriate progress in ES development to support MSP. This contribution highlights research needs and recommendations to advance the operationalization of the ES concept into MSP. We apply a mixed method approach combining literature research and expert knowledge derived from 14 case studies, to address current status and prospects of ES application in MSP. We present nine main needs dealing with (i) improvement and adaptation of existing ES frameworks and classifications to the marine realm and (ii) definition of an indicator pool; (iii) methodological and technical developments to support data availability and accessibility; (iv) advances in mapping and modelling methods; (v) improvements in assessment and valuation approaches; (vi) further use of scenario and trade-off analysis; (vii) taking advantage of supporting Information Technologies (IT); (viii) improvements in communication and engagement with stakeholders; and (ix) further work for the integration of ES knowledge into policies and for supporting management and MSP. The manuscript concludes with a set of recommendations to foster the operationalization of the ES concept into MSP