Seroprevalence of Salmonella Gallinarum Infection in Chicken Population of parts of Tigray and Addis Ababa by Plate Agglutination and Micro-agglutination Tests

Ethiopia owns a large poultry population whose growth is highly constrained by diseases. Fowl typhoid is a serious concern in growing and adult poultry and results from infection by Salmonella Gallinarum (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Gallinarum). Knowledge of the prevalence of the disease with confirmatory diagnosis is of paramount importance to embark on a control or prevention program. Seroprevalence of this infection in chicken population of Ethiopia has been reported from some parts of this country but in most of the reports it is based exclusively on a rapid slide agglutination test without further confirmation by another specific test. This study screened 279 sera samples of poultry for S. Gallinarum infection by employing plate agglutination test using colored antigen of S. Gallinarum that revealed 125(44.80%) of 279 sera samples positive. However, when plate positive samples were further tested for confirmation by microagglutination test by employing plain antigen of S. Gallinarum, only 55 (19.71%) were serologically positive lowering the prevalence rate from 44.8% to 19, 71%. The study reveals the serological prevalence of Salmonella gallinarum infection in poultry population of the study areas and recommends that the initial screening of this infection by a test like plate agglutination must always be followed by another specific test to get an accurate estimate of this infection.Keywords: Micro-agglutination test, Plate agglutination test, Poultry population, Salmonella gallinarum, Seroprevalence, Addis Ababa, Tigray, Ethiopia

CAD Model and Visual Assisted Control System for NIF Target Area Positioners

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) target chamber contains precision motion control systems that reach up to 6 meters into the target chamber for handling targets and diagnostics. Systems include the target positioner, an alignment sensor, and diagnostic manipulators (collectively called positioners). Target chamber shot experiments require a variety of positioner arrangements near the chamber center to be aligned to an accuracy of 10 micrometers. Positioners are some of the largest devices in NIF, and they require careful monitoring and control in 3 dimensions to prevent interferences. The Integrated Computer Control System provides efficient and flexible multi-positioner controls. This is accomplished through advanced video-control integration incorporating remote position sensing and realtime analysis of a CAD model of target chamber devices. The control system design, the method used to integrate existing mechanical CAD models, and the offline test laboratory used to verify proper operation of the control system are described

Pastoralists do plan! Community-led land use planning in the pastoral areas of Ethiopia

This paper consolidates a set of case studies which document how pastoralists plan land and resource use in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia. These case studies are drawn from the regional states of Afar, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP), Oromia, and Gambella. They describe not only why, how, and when pastoralists plan, but also the management and governance structures that control planning processes and the later implementation of the plans. By doing this, the paper provides guidance on how best such planning processes can be supported, and how they can be integrated with and/or built on by other planning processes such as those led by government

Factors Associated with Ivermectin Non-Compliance and Its Potential Role in Sustaining Onchocerca volvulus Transmission in the West Region of Cameroon

Background Community Directed Treatment with ivermectin is the cornerstone of current efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis. However recent studies suggest there are foci where long-term annual distribution of the drug alone has failed to ensure elimination thresholds are reached. It is important to achieve high levels of compliance in order to obtain elimination targets. An epidemiological and entomological evaluation conducted in the western region of Cameroon in 2011 revealed that two health districts remained with a high prevalence of infection, despite long-term distribution of ivermectin since 1996. This paper explores potential factors that may have contributed to the non-interruption of transmission, focusing on ivermectin treatment compliance and the importance of systematic non-compliance within the population. Methodology/Principal findings A mixed methods approach was used, including a population-based survey to assess treatment compliance and factors associated and qualitative assessments including focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key programme stakeholders and drug distributors. Compliance was reported at 71.2%(95%CI: 61.7–79.2%;n = 853/1198). The key factors related to compliance in the most recent round related to either programmatic and delivery issues, primarily absenteeism at the time of the campaign or alternatively individual determinants. An individual’s experience of side effects in the past was strongly associated with non-compliance to ivermectin. Other factors included ethnicity, how long lived in the village and age. There was a high percentage of reported systematic non-compliance at 7.4% (95% CI: 4.3–12.3%; n = 86/1165), higher amongst females. This group may be important in facilitating the sustainment of on-going transmission

The Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) Mechanical Thrombectomy Registry: Methods and Primary Results

Background A better understanding of real‐world practice patterns in the endovascular treatment for large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke is needed. Here, we report the methods and initial results of the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) Registry. Methods The SVIN Registry is an ongoing prospective, multicenter, observational registry capturing patients with large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular treatment since November 2018. Participating sites also contributed pre‐SVIN Registry data collected per institutional prospective registries, and these data were combined with the SVIN Registry in the SVIN Registry+ cohort. Results There were 2088 patients treated across 11 US centers included in the prospective SVIN Registry and 5372 in SVIN Registry+. In the SVIN Registry cohort, the median number of enrollments per institution was 160 [interquartile range 53–243]. Median age was 67 [58–79] years, 49% were women, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 16 [10–21], Alberta stroke program early CT score 9 [7–10], and 20% had baseline modified Rankin scale (mRS)≥2. The median last‐known normal to puncture time was 7.7 [3.1–11.5] hours, and puncture‐to‐reperfusion was 33 [23–52] minutes. The predominant occlusion site was the middle cerebral artery‐M1 (45%); medium vessel occlusions occurred in 97(4.6%) patients. The median number of passes was 1 [1–3] with 93% achieving expanded Treatment In Cerebral Ischemia2b50–3 reperfusion and 51% expanded Treatment In Cerebral Ischemia3/complete reperfusion. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 5.3% of patients, with 37.3% functional independence (mRS0–2) and 26.4% mortality rates at 90‐days. Multivariable regression indicated older age, longer last‐normal to reperfusion, higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and glucose, lower Alberta stroke program early CT score, heart failure, and general anesthesia associated with lower 90‐day chances of mRS0–2 at 90‐days. Demographic, imaging, procedural, and clinical outcomes were similar in the SVIN Registry+. A comparison between AHA Guidelines‐eligible patients from the SVIN Registry against the Highly Effective Reperfusion evaluated in Multiple Endovascular Stroke Trials study population demonstrated comparable clinical outcomes. Conclusions The prospective SVIN Registry demonstrates that satisfactory procedural and clinical outcomes can be achieved in real‐world practice, serving as a platform for local quality improvement and the investigation of unexplored frontiers in the endovascular treatment of acute stroke

Diagnosis, prevalence estimation and burden measurement in population surveys of headache: presenting the HARDSHIP questionnaire

The global burden of headache is very large, but knowledge of it is far from complete and needs still to be gathered. Published population-based studies have used variable methodology, which has influenced findings and made comparisons difficult. The Global Campaign against Headache is undertaking initiatives to improve and standardize methods in use for cross-sectional studies. One requirement is for a survey instrument with proven cross-cultural validity. This report describes the development of such an instrument. Two of the authors developed the initial version, which was used with adaptations in population-based studies in China, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Zambia and 10 countries in the European Union. The resultant evolution of this instrument was reviewed by an expert consensus group drawn from all world regions. The final output was the Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire, designed for application by trained lay interviewers. HARDSHIP is a modular instrument incorporating demographic enquiry, diagnostic questions based on ICHD-3 beta criteria, and enquiries into each of the following as components of headache-attributed burden: symptom burden; health-care utilization; disability and productive time losses; impact on education, career and earnings; perception of control; interictal burden; overall individual burden; effects on relationships and family dynamics; effects on others, including household partner and children; quality of life; wellbeing; obesity as a comorbidity. HARDSHIP already has demonstrated validity and acceptability in multiple languages and cultures. Modules may be included or not, and others (eg, on additional comorbidities) added, according to the purpose of the study and resources (especially time) available

Capacity of health facilities for diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia

Background: There are dearth of literature on the capacity of the health system to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. In this study we evaluated the capacity of health facilities for HIV/AIDS care, its spatial distribution and variations by regions and zones in Ethiopia. Methods: We analyzed the Service Provision Assessment plus (SPA+) survey data that were collected in 2014 in all regions of Ethiopia. We assessed structural, process and overall capacity of the health system based on the Donabedian quality of care model. We included 5 structural and 8 process indicators and overall capacity score was constructed by taking the average of all indicators. Multiple linear regression was done using STATA 14 to assess the association of the location and types of health facilities with overall capacity score. Maps displaying the average capacity score at Zonal level were produced using ArcGIS Desktop v10.3 (Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., Redlands CA, USA). Results: A total of 873 health facilities were included in the analysis. Less than 5% of the private facilities provided antiretroviral therapy (ART); had national ART guideline, baseline CD4 count or viral load and tuberculosis screening mechanisms. Nearly one-third of the health centers (34.9%) provided ART. Public hospitals have better capacity score (77.1%) than health centers (45.9%) and private health facilities (24.8%). The overall capacity score for urban facilities (57.1%) was higher than that of the rural (38.2%) health facilities (β = 15.4, 95% CI: 11.7, 19.2). Health centers (β = − 21.4, 95% CI: -25.4, − 17.4) and private health facilities (β = − 50.9, 95% CI: -54.8, − 47.1) had lower overall capacity score than hospitals. Facilities in Somali (β = − 13.8, 95% CI: -20.6, − 7.0) and SNNPR (β = − 5.0, 95% CI: -9.8, − 0.1) regions had lower overall capacity score than facilities in the Oromia region. Zones located in emerging regions such as Gambella and Benishangul Gumz and in remote areas of Oromia and SNNPR had lower capacity score in terms of process indicators. Conclusions: There is a significant geographical heterogeneity on the capacity of health facilities for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in Ethiopia. Targeted capacity improvement initiatives are recommended with focus on health centers and private health facilities, and emerging Regions and the rural and remote areas

An apoptosis targeted stimulus with nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) in E4 squamous cell carcinoma

Stimuli directed towards activation of apoptosis mechanisms are an attractive approach to eliminate evasion of apoptosis, a ubiquitous cancer hallmark. In these in vitro studies, kinetics and electric field thresholds for several apoptosis characteristics are defined in E4 squamous carcinoma cells (SCC) exposed to ten 300 ns pulses with increasing electric fields. Cell death was >95% at the highest electric field and coincident with phosphatidylserine externalization, caspase and calpain activation in the presence and absence of cytochrome c release, decreases in Bid and mitochondria membrane potential (Δψm) without apparent changes reactive oxygen species levels or in Bcl2 and Bclxl levels. Bid cleavage was caspase-dependent (55–60%) and calcium-dependent (40–45%). Intracellular calcium as an intrinsic mechanism and extracellular calcium as an extrinsic mechanism were responsible for about 30 and 70% of calcium dependence for Bid cleavage, respectively. The results reveal electric field-mediated cell death induction and progression, activating pro-apoptotic-like mechanisms and affecting plasma membrane and intracellular functions, primarily through extrinsic-like pathways with smaller contributions from intrinsic-like pathways. Nanosecond second pulsed electric fields trigger heterogeneous cell death mechanisms in E4 SCC populations to delete them, with caspase-associated cell death as a predominant, but not an unaccompanied event

Genome-wide analysis of ivermectin response by Onchocerca volvulus reveals that genetic drift and soft selective sweeps contribute to loss of drug sensitivity

Treatment of onchocerciasis using mass ivermectin administration has reduced morbidity and transmission throughout Africa and Central/South America. Mass drug administration is likely to exert selection pressure on parasites, and phenotypic and genetic changes in several Onchocerca volvulus populations from Cameroon and Ghana-exposed to more than a decade of regular ivermectin treatment-have raised concern that sub-optimal responses to ivermectin's anti-fecundity effect are becoming more frequent and may spread.Pooled next generation sequencing (Pool-seq) was used to characterise genetic diversity within and between 108 adult female worms differing in ivermectin treatment history and response. Genome-wide analyses revealed genetic variation that significantly differentiated good responder (GR) and sub-optimal responder (SOR) parasites. These variants were not randomly distributed but clustered in ~31 quantitative trait loci (QTLs), with little overlap in putative QTL position and gene content between the two countries. Published candidate ivermectin SOR genes were largely absent in these regions; QTLs differentiating GR and SOR worms were enriched for genes in molecular pathways associated with neurotransmission, development, and stress responses. Finally, single worm genotyping demonstrated that geographic isolation and genetic change over time (in the presence of drug exposure) had a significantly greater role in shaping genetic diversity than the evolution of SOR.This study is one of the first genome-wide association analyses in a parasitic nematode, and provides insight into the genomics of ivermectin response and population structure of O. volvulus. We argue that ivermectin response is a polygenically-determined quantitative trait (QT) whereby identical or related molecular pathways but not necessarily individual genes are likely to determine the extent of ivermectin response in different parasite populations. Furthermore, we propose that genetic drift rather than genetic selection of SOR is the underlying driver of population differentiation, which has significant implications for the emergence and potential spread of SOR within and between these parasite populations

Two-dimensional nanosecond electric field mapping based on cell electropermeabilization

Nanosecond, megavolt-per-meter electric pulses cause permeabilization of cells to small molecules, programmed cell death (apoptosis) in tumor cells, and are under evaluation as a treatment for skin cancer. We use nanoelectroporation and fluorescence imaging to construct two-dimensional maps of the electric field associated with delivery of 15 ns, 10 kV pulses to monolayers of the human prostate cancer cell line PC3 from three different electrode configurations: single-needle, five-needle, and flat-cut coaxial cable. Influx of the normally impermeant fluorescent dye YO-PRO-1 serves as a sensitive indicator of membrane permeabilization. The level of fluorescence emission after pulse exposure is proportional to the applied electric field strength. Spatial electric field distributions were compared in a plane normal to the center axis and 15-20 μm from the tip of the center electrode. Measurement results agree well with models for the three electrode arrangements evaluated in this study. This live-cell method for measuring a nanosecond pulsed electric field distribution provides an operationally meaningful calibration of electrode designs for biological applications and permits visualization of the relative sensitivities of different cell types to nanoelectropulse stimulation. PACS Codes: 87.85.M