High correlation between Chagas' disease serology and PCR-based detection of Trypanosoma cruzi kinetoplast DNA in bolivian children living in an endemic area

Submitted by sandra infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-06-29T15:31:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by sandra infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-06-29T15:43:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-29T15:43:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5) Previous issue date: 1994Submitted by Angelo Silva ([email protected]) on 2016-07-07T11:16:53Z No. of bitstreams: 3 carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf.txt: 19093 bytes, checksum: d5ec7ae508e9468c358833ecf7cf1076 (MD5) carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5) license.txt: 2991 bytes, checksum: 5a560609d32a3863062d77ff32785d58 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by sandra infurna ([email protected]) on 2016-07-07T12:13:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 3 license.txt: 2991 bytes, checksum: 5a560609d32a3863062d77ff32785d58 (MD5) carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5) carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf.txt: 19093 bytes, checksum: d5ec7ae508e9468c358833ecf7cf1076 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-07T12:13:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 license.txt: 2991 bytes, checksum: 5a560609d32a3863062d77ff32785d58 (MD5) carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf: 578671 bytes, checksum: 49c1bfe1a3334487aede673ca532654a (MD5) carlos20_morel_etal_IOC_1994.pdf.txt: 19093 bytes, checksum: d5ec7ae508e9468c358833ecf7cf1076 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1994Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.UMR CNRS/ ORSTOM, Génétique Moléculaire des Parasites et des Vecteurs. CP 9214, La Paz, Bolivia.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Universidad Mayor de San Andres. Instituto Boliviano de Biologia de Altura. La Paz, Bolivia.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.UMR CNRS/ ORSTOM, Génétique Moléculaire des Parasites et des Vecteurs. CP 9214, La Paz, Bolivia.The detection of Tr)tpunosomu crirzi kinetoplast DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification is a potentially powerful tool for the parasitological diagnosis of Chagas’ disease. We have applied this technique in a field situation in Bolivia, where 45 children from a primary school were subjected to serological testing, buffy coat analysis and PCR diagnosis. 26 of the 28 serology-positive individuals were also positive by PCR. In addition, two serology-negative children gave a positive result by PCR, including one who was positive in the buffy coat test. These results suggest that PCR detection of T. cruzi DNA in blood can be a very useful complement to serology in Chagas’ disease diagnosis in Bolivia

PCR-based diagnosis for Chagas' disease in bolivian children living in an active transmission area : comparison with conventional serological and parasitological diagnosis

A large field study has been performed in the Cochabamba region of Bolivia with the aim of comparing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with other diagnosis methods for Chagas' disease. The amplification of #Trypanosoma cruzi$-specific kinetoplast DNA sequences in blood samples was compared with classical serological methods, specific IgM detection and direct parasite visualization for 268 school children in a single village where Chagas' disease transmission is active. Of 113 children positive by classical serology or buffy coat examination, 106 were detected by PCR (sensitivity : 93,8%). We did not observe any significant difference of PCR sensitivity between initial (IgM and/or buffy coat positive) and indeterminate stage (only IgG positive) patients. Among the remaining 155 children unconfirmed as chagasic (who were either only IgM positive, or IgG-, IgM-, and buffy coat -negative) only one case was PCR positive. This case may be due to DNA contamination, or to a very recent infection not detected otherwise, or to specific immune depression. These results show that PCR is a very sensitive parasitological test for Chagas' disease in active transmission regions. The future follow-up of the possibly infected patients who were only IgM-positive should clarify the interest of PCR and IgM tests in the detection of starting infections. (Résumé d'auteur

The life cycle impact for platinum group metals and lithium to 2070 via surplus cost potential

© 2017 The Author(s)Purpose: A surplus cost potential (SCP) indicator has been developed as a measure of resource scarcity in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) context. To date, quality SCP estimates for other minerals than fossils are either not yet available or suffer methodological and data limitations. This paper overcomes these limitations and demonstrate how SCP estimates for metals can be calculated without the utilisation of ore grade function and by collecting primary economic and geological data. Methods: Data were collected in line with the geographical distribution, mine type, deposit type and production volumes and total production costs in order to construct cost-cumulative availability curves for platinum group metals (PGMs) and lithium. These curves capture the total amount of known mineral resources that can be recovered profitably at various prices from different types of mineral deposits under current conditions (this is, current technology, prevailing labour and other input prices). They served as a basis for modelling the marginal cost increase, a necessary parameter for estimating the SCP indicator. Surplus costs were calculated for different scenario projections for future mineral production considering future market dynamics, recyclability rates, demand-side technological developments and economic growth and by applying declining social discount rate. Results and discussion: Surplus costs were calculated for three mineral production scenarios, ranging from (US$2014/kg) 6545–8354 for platinum, 3583–4573 for palladium, 8281–10,569 for rhodium, 513–655 for ruthenium, 3201–4086 for iridium and 1.70–5.80 for lithium. Compared with the current production costs, the results indicate that problematic price increases of lithium are unlikely if the latest technological trends in the automotive sector will continue up to 2070. Surplus costs for PGMs are approximately one-third of the current production costs in all scenarios; hence, a threat of their price increases by 2070 will largely depend on the discovery of new deposits and the ability of new technologies to push these costs down over time. This also applies to lithium if the increasing electrification of road transport will continue up to 2070. Conclusions: This study provides useful insight into the availability of PGMs and lithium up to 2070. It proves that if time and resources permit, reliable surplus cost estimates can be calculated, at least in the short-run, based on the construction of one’s own curves with the level of quality comparable to expert-driven consulting services. Modelling and incorporating unknown deposits and potential future mineral production costs into these curves is the subject of future work

Healable Cellulose Iontronic Hydrogel Stickers for Sustainable Electronics on Paper

The authors acknowledge the support from FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the Ph.D. scholarships SFRH/BD/126409/2016 (I.C.) and SFRH/BD/122286/2016 (J.M.). The authors would like to acknowledge the European Commission under project NewFun (ERC-StG-2014, GA 640598) and project SYNERGY (H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA, proposal no 952169). This work was also supported by the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and the National Funds through the FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project No. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688, reference UID/CTM/50025, project CHIHC, reference PTDC/NAN-MAT/32558/2017. The authors would also like to thank their colleagues Daniela Gomes and Ana Pimentel from CENIMAT/i3N for the SEM and DSC-TGA measurements, respectively.Novel nature-based engineered functional materials combined with sustainable and economically efficient processes are among the great challenges for the future of mankind. In this context, this work presents a new generation of versatile flexible and highly conformable regenerated cellulose hydrogel electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and self-healing ability, capable of being (re)used in electrical and electrochemical devices. They can be provided in the form of stickers and easily applied as gate dielectric onto flexible indium–gallium–zinc oxide transistors, decreasing the manufacturing complexity. Flexible and low-voltage (<2.5 V) circuits can be handwritten on-demand on paper transistors for patterning of conductive/resistive lines. This user-friendly and simplified manufacturing approach holds potential for fast production of low-cost, portable, disposable/recyclable, and low-power ion-controlled electronics on paper, making it attractive for application in sensors and concepts such as the “Internet-on-Things.”.publishersversionpublishe

Violence is rare in autism : when it does occur, is it sometimes extreme?

A small body of literature has suggested that, rather than being more likely to engage in offending or violent behaviour, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may actually have an increased risk of being the victim rather than the perpetrator of violence (Sobsey et al., 1995). There is no evidence that people with ASD are more violent than those without ASD (Im, 2016). There is nevertheless a small subgroup of individuals with ASD who exhibit violent offending behaviours and our previous work has suggested that other factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, might be important in this subgroup (Allely et al., 2014). Fitzgerald (2015) highlights that school shootings and mass killings are not uncommonly carried out by individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, with frequent evidence of warning indicators. The aim of the present review is to investigate this in more detail using the 73 mass shooting cases identified by Mother Jones (motherjones.com) in their database for potential ASD features. This exercise tentatively suggests evidence of ASD in six of 73 included cases (8%) which is ten times higher when compared to the prevalence of ASD found in the general population worldwide (motherjones.com). The 8% figure for individuals with ASD involved mass killings is a conservative estimate. In addition to the six cases which provide the 8% figure, there were 15 other cases with some indication of ASD. Crucially, ASD may influence, but does not cause, an individual to commit extreme violent acts such as a mass shooting episode

Clinical Legal Education in Latin America: Toward Public Interest

"This chapter describes key aspects of the history of clinical legal education in Latin America, which began in the 1960s, and the evolution of new approaches to clinical education in the region. It also explains the influence of the ""First Generation"" and ""Second Generation"" of the Law and Development Movement on the Latin American clinical movement, and the emergence of clinical programs based on the ideological and practical tenants of Public Interest Law (PIL). It explains further that while PIL clinics have been particularly fertile in proposing new forms of judicial intervention -they have just recently started to think more consciously about the limits of these strategies and the necessity to reconsider their role in both legal education and professional practice. The chapter then examines these developments from the perspective of four countries in the region with substantial clinical experience: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sylvatic Triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Bolivia : trends toward domesticity and possible infection with Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae)

The risk of domestic transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas) by sylvatic triatomines was assessed in an isolated area of the subandean region of Bolivia. None of the 390 residents examined had serological evidence of infection. Two sylvatic triatomine species, Eratyrus mucronatus (Stal) and Triatoma sordida (Stal), were found in houses and in peridomestic structures. The collection of nymphal instars of both species from some houses indicated possible domesticity. Microscopic examination of feces from 92 insects showed no parasites, and cultures from the guts of 30 insects were negative. Nevertheless, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test performed on the same fecal samples showed the presence of T. cruzi DNA in 19.1 and 12.5% of E. mucronatus and T. sordida, respectively. These 16 PCR-positive samples were hybridized with 2 T. cruzi-specific probes known from the domestic cycle in Bolivia (clones 20 and 39). At least 1 of these clones was identified in 7 bugs (5 E. mucronatus and 2 T. sordida). Moreover, no hybridization was observed with these probes in 8 E. mucronatus and 1 T. sordida samples that showed an amplified band by PCR. These data indicated that T. cruzi clones, genetically unrelated to clones 20 and 30, also were circulating in this area. Based on these results, the 2 sylvatic triatomine species encountered in Apolo should not be overlooked as possible local vectors of T. cruzi