274 research outputs found
Evaluation of rK39 rapid diagnostic tests for canine visceral leishmaniasis : longitudinal study and meta-analysis
Canine visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum. It is an important veterinary disease, and dogs are also the main animal reservoir for human infection. The disease is widespread in the Mediterranean area, and parts of Asia and South and Central America, and is potentially fatal in both dogs and humans unless treated. Diagnosis of canine infections requires serological or molecular tests. Detection of infection in dogs is important prior to treatment, and in epidemiological studies and control programmes, and a sensitive and specific rapid diagnostic test would be very useful. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has been reported to be variable. We evaluated the sensitivity of a RDT based on serological detection of the rK39 antigen in a cohort of naturally infected Brazilian dogs. The sensitivity of the test to detect infection was relatively low, but increased with time since infection and the severity of infection. We then carried out a meta-analysis of published studies of rK39 RDTs, evaluating the sensitivity to detect disease and infection. The results suggest that rK39 RDTs may be useful in a veterinary clinical setting, but the sensitivity to detect infection is too low for operational control programmes
Abnormalities of digestive tract innervation in rat fetus treated with ethylenethiourea
Nocturia, Sleep-Disordered Breathing, and Cardiovascular Morbidity in a Community-Based Cohort
Background: Nocturia has been independently associated with cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality, but such studies did not adjust for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which may have mediated such a relationship. Our aims were to determine whether an association between nocturia and cardiovascular morbidity exists that is independent of SDB. We also determined whether nocturia is independently associated with SDB. Methodology/Principal Findings: In order to accomplish these aims we performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Sleep Heart Health Study that contained information regarding SDB, nocturia, and cardiovascular morbidity in a middle-age to elderly community-based population. In 6342 participants (age 63±11 [SD] years, 53% women), after adjusting for known confounders such as age, body mass index, diuretic use, diabetes mellitus, alpha-blocker use, nocturia was independently associated with SDB (measured as Apnea Hypopnea index >15 per hour; OR 1.3; 95%CI, 1.2-1.5). After adjusting for SDB and other known confounders, nocturia was independently associated with prevalent hypertension (OR 1.23; 95%CI 1.08-1.40; P = 0.002), cardiovascular disease (OR 1.26; 95%CI 1.05-1.52; P = 0.02) and stroke (OR 1.62; 95%CI 1.14-2.30; P = 0.007). Moreover, nocturia was also associated with adverse objective alterations of sleep as measured by polysomnography and self-reported excessive daytime sleepiness (P<0.05). Conclusions/Significance: Nocturia is independently associated with sleep-disordered breathing. After adjusting for SDB, there remained an association between nocturia and cardiovascular morbidity. Such results support screening for SDB in patients with nocturia, but the mechanisms underlying the relationship between nocturia and cardiovascular morbidity requires further study. MeSH terms: Nocturia, sleep-disordered breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep apnea, polysomnography, hypertension
Study of decays to the final state and evidence for the decay
A study of decays is performed for the first time
using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0
collected by the LHCb experiment in collisions at centre-of-mass energies
of and TeV. Evidence for the decay
is reported with a significance of 4.0 standard deviations, resulting in the
measurement of
to
be .
Here denotes a branching fraction while and
are the production cross-sections for and mesons.
An indication of weak annihilation is found for the region
, with a significance of
2.4 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-022.html,
link to supplemental material inserted in the reference
Control of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Latin America—A Systematic Review
Visceral leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease characterized by fever, spleen and liver enlargement, and low blood cell counts. In the Americas VL is zoonotic, with domestic dogs as main animal reservoirs, and is caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi). Humans acquire the infection through the bite of an infected sand fly. The disease is potentially lethal if untreated. VL is reported from Mexico to Argentina, with recent trends showing a rapid spread in Brazil. Control measures directed against the canine reservoir and insect vectors have been unsuccessful, and early detection and treatment of human cases remains as the most important strategy to reduce case fatality. Well-designed studies evaluating diagnosis, treatment, and prevention/control interventions are scarce. The available scientific evidence reasonably supports the use of rapid diagnostic tests for the diagnosis of human disease. Properly designed randomized controlled trials following good clinical practices are needed to inform drug policy. Routine control strategies against the canine reservoirs and insect vectors are based on weak and conflicting evidence, and vector control strategies and vaccine development should constitute research priorities
The performance of serological tests for Leishmania infantum infection screening in dogs depends on the prevalence of the disease
Measurement of the B0s →J/ψη lifetime
Using a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb−1, collected by the LHCb experiment in pp collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, the effective lifetime in the Bs0→J/ψη decay mode, τeff, is measured to be
τeff=1.479±0.034 (stat)±0.011 (syst) ps. Assuming CP conservation, τeff corresponds to the lifetime of the light Bs0 mass eigenstate. This is the first measurement of the effective lifetime in this decay mode
Observation of B+c → D0K+ decays
Using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb−1, recorded by
the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, the B+
c → D0K+ decay is observed with a
statistical significance of 5.1 standard deviations. By normalizing to B+ → D¯ 0π+ decays, a measurement of
the branching fraction multiplied by the production rates for B+
c relative to B+ mesons in the LHCb
acceptance is obtained, R
D
0
K
=
(
f
c
/
f
u
)
×
B
(
B
+
c
→
D
0
K
+
)
=
(
9.
3
+
2.8
−
2.5
±
0.6
)
×
10
−
7, where the first
uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This decay is expected to proceed predominantly
through weak annihilation and penguin amplitudes, and is the first B+
c decay of this nature to be observed
Measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Branching Fraction and Effective Lifetime and Search for B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} Decays.
A search for the rare decays B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} and B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in pp collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^{-1}. An excess of B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=(3.0±0.6_{-0.2}^{+0.3})×10^{-9}, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} effective lifetime, τ(B_{s}^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})=2.04±0.44±0.05 ps, is reported. No significant excess of B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-} decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, B(B^{0}→μ^{+}μ^{-})<3.4×10^{-10}, is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations
Measurement of the top quark forward-backward production asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric and chromomagnetic moments in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV
Abstract The parton-level top quark (t) forward-backward asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric (d̂ t) and chromomagnetic (μ̂ t) moments have been measured using LHC pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected in the CMS detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The linearized variable AFB(1) is used to approximate the asymmetry. Candidate t t ¯ events decaying to a muon or electron and jets in final states with low and high Lorentz boosts are selected and reconstructed using a fit of the kinematic distributions of the decay products to those expected for t t ¯ final states. The values found for the parameters are AFB(1)=0.048−0.087+0.095(stat)−0.029+0.020(syst),μ̂t=−0.024−0.009+0.013(stat)−0.011+0.016(syst), and a limit is placed on the magnitude of | d̂ t| < 0.03 at 95% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.
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