1,177 research outputs found
Expression pattern of glycoside hydrolase genes in Lutzomyia longipalpis reveals key enzymes involved in larval digestion
The sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis is the most important vector of American Visceral Leishmaniasis. Adults are phytophagous (males and females) or blood feeders (females only), and larvae feed on solid detritus. Digestion in sand fly larvae has scarcely been studied, but some glycosidase activities putatively involved in microorganism digestion were already described. Nevertheless, the molecular nature of these enzymes, as the corresponding genes and transcripts, were not explored yet. Catabolism of microbial carbohydrates in insects generally involves β-1,3-glucanases, chitinases, and digestive lysozymes. In this work, the transcripts of digestive β-1,3-glucanase and chitinases were identified in the L. longipalpis larvae throughout analysis of sequences and expression patterns of glycoside hydrolases families 16, 18, and 22. The activity of one i-type lysozyme was also registered. Interestingly, this lysozyme seems to play a role in immunity, rather than digestion. This is the first attempt to identify the molecular nature of sand fly larval digestive enzymes
Unidentified dengue serotypes in DENV positive samples and detection of other pathogens responsible for an acute febrile illness outbreak 2016 in Cajamarca, Peru
Objective: To describe the prevalence of dengue virus serotypes, as well as other viral and bacterial pathogens that cause acute febrile illness during an outbreak in Cajamarca in 2016. Results: Dengue virus (DENV) was the most frequent etiologic agent detected in 25.8% of samples (32/124), followed by Rickettsia spp. in 8.1% (10/124), Zika virus in 4.8% (6/124), Chikungunya virus 2.4% (3/124) and Bartonella bacilliformis 1.6% (2/124) cases. No positive cases were detected of Oropouche virus and Leptospira spp. DENV serotypes identification was only achieved in 23% of the total positive for DENV, two samples for DENV-2 and four samples for DENV-4. During the 2016 outbreak in Cajamarca-Peru, it was observed that in a large percentage of positive samples for DENV, the infecting serotype could not be determined by conventional detection assays. This represents a problem for the national surveillance system and for public health due to its epidemiological and clinical implications. Other viral and bacterial pathogens responsible for acute febrile syndrome were less frequently identified.RevisiĂłn por pare
A silent public health threat: emergence of Mayaro virus and co-infection with Dengue in Peru
Objective: To describe frequency and clinical characteristics of MAYV infection in Piura, as well as the association of this pathogen with DENV. Results: A total of 86/496 (17.3%) cases of MAYV were detected, of which 54 were MAYV mono-infection and 32 were co-infection with DENV, accounting for 10.9% and 6.4%, respectively. When evaluating monoinfection by MAYV the main groups were 18â39 and 40â59 years old, with 25.9% and 20.4% respectively. Co-infections were more common in the age group 18â39 and those > 60 years old, with 34.4% and 21.9%, respectively. The most frequent clinical presentation were headaches (94.4%, 51/54) followed by arthralgias (77.8%, 42/54). During the 8-month study period the most cases were identified in the months of May (29.1%) and June (50.0%).National Research Foundation of KoreaRevisiĂłn por pare
The Submillimeter Active Region Excess Brightness Temperature during Solar Cycles 23 and 24
We report the temporal evolution of the excess brightness temperature above
solar active regions (ARs) observed with the Solar Submillimeter Telescope
(SST) at 212 ({\lambda} = 1.4 mm) and 405 GHz ({\lambda} = 0.7 mm) during
Cycles 23 and 24. Comparison with the sunspot number (SSN) yields a Pearson's
correlation coefficient R = 0.88 and 0.74 for 212 and 405 GHz, respectively.
Moreover, when only Cycle 24 is taken into account the correlation coefficients
go to 0.93 and 0.81 for each frequency. We derive the spectral index {\alpha}
between SST frequencies and found a slight anti-correlation with the SSN (R =
-0.25); however, since the amplitude of the variation is lower than the
standard deviation we cannot draw a definite conclusion. Indeed, {\alpha}
remains almost constant within the uncertainties with a median value
approximate to 0 characteristic of an optically thick thermal source. Since the
origin of the AR submillimeter radiation is thermal continuum produced at
chromospheric heights, the strong correlation between the excess brightness
temperature and the magnetic cycle evolution could be related to the available
free magnetic energy to be released in reconnection events.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Identification of coinfections by viral and bacterial pathogens in covid-19 hospitalized patients in peru: Molecular diagnosis and clinical characteristics
The impact of respiratory coinfections in COVID-19 is still not well understood despite the growing evidence that consider coinfections greater than expected. A total of 295 patients older than 18 years of age, hospitalized with a confirmed diagnosis of moderate/severe pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (according to definitions established by the Ministry of Health of Peru) were enrolled during the study period. A coinfection with one or more respiratory pathogens was detected in 154 (52.2%) patients at hospital admission. The most common coinfections were Mycoplasma pneumoniae (28.1%), Chlamydia pneumoniae (8.8%) and with both bacteria (11.5%); followed by Adenovirus (1.7%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae/Adenovirus (0.7%), Chlamydia pneumoniae/Adenovirus (0.7%), RSV-B/Chlamydia pneumoniae (0.3%) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae/Chlamydia pneumoniae/Adenovirus (0.3%). Expectoration was less frequent in coinfected individuals compared to non-coinfected (5.8% vs. 12.8%). Sepsis was more frequent among coinfected patients than non-coinfected individuals (33.1% vs. 20.6%) and 41% of the patients who received macrolides empirically were PCR-positive for Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae.National Research Foundation of KoreaRevisiĂłn por pare
Identfication of viral and bacterial etiologic agents of the pertussis-like syndrome in children under 5 years old hospitalized
Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children, remaining a major public health concern, especially affecting children under 5 years old from low-income countries. Unfortunately, information regarding their epidemiology is still limited in Peru. Methods: A secondary data analysis was performed from a previous cross-sectional study conducted in children with a probable diagnosis of Pertussis from January 2010 to July 2012. All samples were analyzed via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the following etiologies: Influenza-A, Influenza-B, RSV-A, RSV-B, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza 1 virus, Parainfluenza 2 virus, Parainfluenza 3 virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae. Results: A total of 288 patients were included. The most common pathogen isolated was Adenovirus (49%), followed by Bordetella pertussis (41%) from our previous investigation, the most prevelant microorganisms were Mycoplasma pneumonia (26%) and Influenza-B (19.8%). Coinfections were reported in 58% of samples and the most common association was found between B. pertussis and Adenovirus (12.2%). Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of Adenovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and other etiologies in patients with a probable diagnosis of pertussis. Despite the presence of persistent cough lasting at least two weeks and other clinical characteristics highly suspicious of pertussis, secondary etiologies should be considered in children under 5 years-old in order to give a proper treatment.RevisiĂłn por pare
A despistagem do VIH/sida: saúde pública e motivaçþes dos utentes do teste råpido no Nordeste de Portugal
The article examines the adherence of citizens to the quick test for HIV in the Counseling and Early Detection of HIV/AIDS Center (CAD), in the city of Bragança (Northeast Portugal). Specifically, it seeks to examine the role of a fast diagnosis in the fight against AIDS within the Portuguese public health system, to understand the circumstances underlying the demand for the service and to interpret the perceptions and practices of CAD users. In terms of methodology, it was a case study based on ethnographic inquiry, linking direct observation, informal conversations and interviews, which was associated with extensive documental and statistic research. The results obtained allow us to state that the quick test gave a very positive contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS infection, facilitating citizen access to knowledge of their serological status almost instantly and improving their follow-up by health technicians. The so-called âdissipation of uncertaintyâ, following sexual risk behavior, is the main reason that leads users to perform a quick test.O artigo analisa a adesĂŁo dos cidadĂŁos ao teste rĂĄpido de despistagem do VIH no Centro de Aconselhamento e Deteção Precoce do VIH/sida (CAD) da cidade de Bragança (Nordeste de Portugal). Em concreto, procura-se examinar o papel do diagnĂłstico rĂĄpido na luta contra a infeção pelo VIH/sida no quadro do sistema pĂşblico de saĂşde portuguĂŞs, compreender as circunstâncias subjacentes Ă procura do serviço e interpretar as percepçþes e prĂĄticas dos utentes do CAD objecto desta pesquisa. Em termos metodolĂłgicos, tratou-se de um estudo de caso assente em inquirição etnogrĂĄfica, articulando observação direta, diĂĄlogos informais e entrevistas, a que se associou uma extensa pesquisa documental e estatĂstica. Os resultados apurados permitem afirmar que o teste rĂĄpido proporcionou um contributo muito positivo para a luta contra a infeção pelo VIH/sida, facilitando o acesso dos cidadĂŁos ao conhecimento praticamente imediato do seu estado serolĂłgico e melhorando o seguimento destes por parte dos tĂŠcnicos de saĂşde. A chamada âdissipação da incertezaâ, na sequĂŞncia de uma situação de risco, ĂŠ o principal motivo que leva os utentes a realizar o teste rĂĄpido
Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is
derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the
calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and
compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at
centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009
and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter
response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged
pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo
predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by
propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles
to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3%
for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table,
submitted to European Physical Journal
Standalone vertex ďŹnding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer
A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at âs = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011
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