Factors affecting the concentration in seven-spotted ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata L.) of Cd and Zn transferred through the food chain

The transfer of Cd and Zn from soils amended with sewage sludge was followed through a food chain consisting of wheat, aphids and the predator Coccinella septempunctata. Multiple regression models were generated to predict the concentrations of Cd and Zn in C. septempunctata. No significant model could be generated for Cd, indicting that the concentration of this metal was maintained within relatively narrow limits. A model predicting 64% of the variability in the Zn concentration of C. septempunctata was generated from of the concentration of Zn in the diet, time and rate of Zn consumption. The results suggest that decreasing the rate of food consumption is an effective mechanism to prevent the accumulation of Zn and that the availability of Zn in the aphid prey increased with the concentration in the aphids. The results emphasise the importance of using ecologically relevant food chains and exposure pathways during ecotoxicological studies.

HIV/STI co-infection among men who have sex with men in Spain

In Spain, neither the HIV nor the STI national surveillance systems collect information on HIV/STI co-infection. However, there are two networks based on HIV/STI clinics which gather this data. We describe HIV prevalence in men who have sex with men (MSM) diagnosed with infectious syphilis and/or gonorrhoea in 15 STI clinics; and concurrent diagnoses of STI in MSM newly diagnosed with HIV in 19 HIV/STI clinics. In total, 572 MSM were diagnosed with infectious syphilis and 580 with gonorrhoea during 2005-2007. HIV prevalence among syphilis and gonorrhoea cases was 29.8% and 15.2% respectively. In the multivariate analysis, HIV/syphilis co-infection was associated with being Latin American; having a history of STI; reporting exclusively anal intercourse; and having sex with casual or several types of partners. HIV and gonorrhoea co-infection was associated with age older than 45 years; having no education or only primary education completed; and having a history of STI. In total, 1,462 HIV infections were newly diagnosed among MSM during 2003-2007. Of these, 31.0% were diagnosed with other STI at the same time. Factors associated with STI co-infection among new HIV cases in MSM were being Latin American; and having sex with casual partners or with both steady and casual partners. In Spain, a considerable proportion of MSM are co-infected with HIV and STI.

Distinct mechanistic activity profile of pralatrexate in comparison to other antifolates in in vitro and in vivo models of human cancers

PURPOSE

This study evaluated mechanistic differences of pralatrexate, methotrexate, and pemetrexed.

METHODS

Inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) was quantified using recombinant human DHFR. Cellular uptake and folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) activity were determined using radiolabeled pralatrexate, methotrexate, and pemetrexed in NCI-H460 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. The tumor growth inhibition (TGI) was assessed using MV522 and NCI-H460 human NSCLC xenografts.

RESULTS

Apparent K ( i ) values for DHFR inhibition were 45, 26, and >200 nM for pralatrexate, methotrexate, and pemetrexed, respectively. A significantly greater percentage of radiolabeled pralatrexate entered the cells and was polyglutamylatated relative to methotrexate or pemetrexed. In vivo, pralatrexate showed superior anti-tumor activity in both NSCLC models, with more effective dose-dependent TGI in the more rapidly growing NCI-H460 xenografts.

CONCLUSIONS

Pralatrexate demonstrated a distinct mechanistic and anti-tumor activity profile relative to methotrexate and pemetrexed. Pralatrexate exhibited enhanced cellular uptake and increased polyglutamylation, which correlated with increased TGI in NSCLC xenograft models.

Experimental animal models of bullous pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a cutaneous autoimmune blistering disease characterized immunohistologically by dermal-epidermal junction separation, an inflammatory cell infiltrate in the upper dermis, and autoantibodies directed against the hemidesmosomal proteins BP230 and BP180. A passive transfer mouse model of BP that uses rabbit antibodies targeted against murine BP180 reproduces the key clinical and histological features of human BP. Using this model, it has been demonstrated that subepidermal blistering is initiated by anti-BP180 antibodies and mediated by complement activation, mast cell degranulation, neutrophil infiltration, and proteinase secretion. The rabbit-anti mouse IgG passive transfer model is not compatible with study of human pathogenic antibodies, as the human and murine antigenic epitopes are not cross-reactive. Two humanized mouse models in which the murine form of BP180 is replaced the human homologue have recently emerged. Autoantibodies isolated from human patients induce experimental BP in the humanized mice, and disease progression mirrors that observed in the rabbit-anti mouse IgG model. The humanized mouse models present ideal in vivo systems to test novel therapeutic strategies for disease management. In this review, we discuss the progress made in understanding the pathogenesis of BP, as well as the limits of using animal models to investigate human disease.

A feasibility study on the use of digital tomosynthesis with individually-acquired megavoltage portal images for target localization

PURPOSE

To determine the feasibility of using megavoltage (MV) images and digital tomosynthesis to determine the three dimensional (3D) localization of different objects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Different phantom geometries were imaged using an electronic portal imaging device and digital tomosynthesis was used to reconstruct tomograms. These were compared with corresponding computed tomography (CT) images.

RESULTS

While in-plane resolution of the tomograms was comparable as that of the CT images, definite out-of-plane (depth) localization was restricted to 5 mm.

CONCLUSION

The results confirm that it is possible to perform 3D localization of objects by using digital tomosynthesis for volumetric reconstructions from individually-acquired MV-quality portal images.

Structure of confined fluids by x-ray interferometry using diffraction gratings

We develop a novel method for structure determination of confined fluids using diffraction-grating-based x-ray interferometry.Within this approach, diffraction from a microfluidic array, which acts both as confinement and transmission diffraction grating, provides the reference wave, whereas the density modulations of the confined fluid, acting as a weak phase object, generate the object wave. The ensemble-averaged density profile of the fluid perpendicular to the confining channel is then unambiguously obtained from the interference between the reference and object waves by direct Fourier inversion.

Colloidal monolayer trapped near a charged wall: a synchrotron x-ray diffraction study

Using x-ray diffraction from microfluidic channel arrays, we have determined concentration profiles of charge-stabilized silica colloids (radius 60+/-2 nm) confined between two like-charged dielectric walls at a few hundred nanometer distance. In solutions of very low ionic strength, strongly repulsive Coulomb interactions drive the colloids toward the central region between the walls. The addition of a small quantity of salt ions (0.2 mM) causes a dense colloidal monolayer to be trapped near the walls.

Unusual productivity of Aedes aegypti in septic tanks and its implications for dengue control

Increased DEN-2 virus transmission in Puerto Rico during 2005 prompted the implementation of a rapid intervention programme to suppress Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) emergence, which in turn lead to the discovery of previously unknown breeding sites underground. Initially, the following control measures were applied in Playa/Playita (PP), a town of 1,400 households, to all areas where the number of pupae per person exceeded the expected threshold for dengue transmission; all containers likely to be aquatic habitats were turned over and containers too large to turn were treated with 1 p.p.m. methoprene. The impact of these interventions was evaluated by comparing the number of resting adult mosquitoes (by backpack aspiration and sweepnetting in bedrooms) pre-intervention, with numbers at 3 and 5 weeks post-intervention, and by evaluating pupal density at 4 weeks post-intervention in PP and in a nearby town, Coqui (CO; 1500 households), which was not treated. The pre-intervention and post-intervention densities of resting Ae. aegypti adults were significantly larger in the intervention town, although the density of pupae in surface containers was low and similar in both towns at 4 weeks post-intervention. At 3 weeks post-intervention, the density of resting adults decreased by only 18% of pre-intervention levels, but returned to pre-intervention levels 5 weeks after treatment. By contrast, the density of resting adults in CO steadily decreased to 48% and 61%, at 3 and 5 weeks after the initial surveys, respectively. Geographical Information Systems identified significant clustering of adult mosquitoes, which led to the discovery of underground aquatic habitats (septic tanks) that were producing large numbers of Ae. aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) in the treated town. We calculated that septic tanks could produce > 18 000 Ae. aegypti and approximately 170 000 Cx quinquefasciatus adults per day. Septic tanks are likely to be common and widespread in suburban and rural Puerto Rico, where, apparently, they can contribute significantly to the maintenance of island-wide dengue virus endemicity.

Prevalence of M. tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease among HIV-infected people in Spain

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (MTBI) and past/current tuberculosis (TB) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected persons in Spain.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study conducted between 2000 and 2003 at 10 HIV hospital-based clinics. Data were drawn from clinical records. Associations were measured using odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).

RESULTS

Of the 1242 persons who met the eligibility criteria, most were male (75%), aged <40 years (75%) and unemployed (40%). HIV infection occurred through intravenous drug use (53%), heterosexual sex (29%) and sex between men (16%). In the initial evaluation, 315 subjects had evidence of MTBI: 84 (6.8%) had a history of TB, 23 (1.8%) current TB and 208 (16.8%) latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). MTBI was associated with male sex, age 30-49 years, contact with a TB case, homelessness, poor education, and negatively with CD4 <100 cells/mm(3). Among subjects with MTBI, past/current TB was associated with retirement/disability (OR 6, 95%CI 1.6-22.5), CD4 <200 cells/mm(3) (OR 9.7, 95%CI 3.8-24.6), viral load >55,000 copies (OR 5.3, 95%CI 1.4-20.0), and negatively, with skilled work (OR 0.4, 95%CI 0.1-1.0) or administrative/managerial/professional work (OR 0.05, 95%CI 0.01-0.4).

CONCLUSION

Social context has an impact on the effectiveness of HIV and TB control programmes even in industrialised countries with free access to health care.

Pneumonia case-finding in the RESPIRE Guatemala indoor air pollution trial: standardizing methods for resource-poor settings

OBJECTIVE

Trials of environmental risk factors and acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) face a double challenge: implementing sufficiently sensitive and specific outcome assessments, and blinding. We evaluate methods used in the first randomized exposure study of pollution indoors and respiratory effects (RESPIRE): a controlled trial testing the impact of reduced indoor air pollution on ALRI, conducted among children

METHODS

Case-finding used weekly home visits by fieldworkers trained in integrated management of childhood illness methods to detect ALRI signs such as fast breathing. Blindness was maintained by referring cases to study physicians working from community centres. Investigations included oxygen saturation (SaO2), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antigen test and chest X-ray (CXR).

FINDINGS

Fieldworkers referred > 90% of children meeting ALRI criteria, of whom about 70% attended a physician. Referrals for cough without respiratory signs and self-referrals contributed 19.0% and 17.9% of physician-diagnosed ALRI cases respectively. Intervention group attendance following ALRI referral was 7% higher than controls, a trend also seen in compliance with RSV tests and CXR. There was no evidence of bias by intervention status in fieldworker classification or physician diagnosis. Incidence of fieldworker ALRI (1.12 episodes/child/year) is consistent with high sensitivity and low specificity; incidence of physician-diagnosed ALRI (0.44 episodes/child/year) is consistent with comparable studies.

CONCLUSION

The combination of case-finding methods achieved good sensitivity and specificity, but intervention cases had greater likelihood of reaching the physician and being investigated. There was no evidence of bias in fieldworkers classifications despite lack of concealment at home visits. Pulse oximetry offers practical, objective severity assessment for field studies of ALRI.

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Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings

• Adult
• Air Pollutants/toxicity
• Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects
• Antigens, Viral/blood
• Comorbidity
• Female
• Fires
• Guatemala/epidemiology
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Male
• Oximetry
• Pneumonia/diagnosis
• Pneumonia/epidemiology
• Pneumonia/etiology
• Poverty
• Pregnancy
• Radiography, Thoracic
• Research Design
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human/immunology
• Respiratory Tract Infections/complications
• Respiratory Tract Infections/diagnosis
• Respiratory Tract Infections/virology
• Risk Factors

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Grants

• R01 ES010178 NIEHS NIH HHS

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Preliminary evaluation of a full-time falling monitor for the elderly

The article presents the early outcomes of the evaluation of an intelligent accelerometer unit (IAU) utilized for detecting the falling events of elderly people . The overall design of the monitor where the IAU is integrated is briefly exposed. The outcomes of a laboratory study carried out over 8 volunteers show that the device is able to distinguish true falling events from normal activities like fast walking or going up/downstairs. The influences of the subject and the environment have been taken into account profiting from the processing capacity of the monitor distributed architecture.

Nanosphere dispersed liquid crystals for tunable negative-zero-positive index of refraction in the optical and terahertz regimes

An analysis of aligned nematic liquid crystal cells containing core-shell nanospheres shows that it is possible to devise a new type of metamaterial whose index of refraction is tunable from negative, through zero, to positive values. The design parameters for the constituents can be scaled for application in the optical as well as very long wavelength (e.g., terahertz and microwave) regions.

Lectin-histochemistry: glycogenosis in cattle

Ten out of 47 calves that were born in a small Brahman herd from southern Brazil developed progressive muscular weakness and tremors, lethargy and poor body condition. Necropsy was performed on three affected animals. The only gross lesion detected was paleness of the muscles of the trunk and limbs. Multiple cytoplasm vacuoles located in different tissues were the principal microscopic lesions. Vacuoles were particularly evident in skeletal muscles and myocardium. PAS-positive granules were numerous in skeletal muscle fibres and Purkinje fibres of the myocardium, but were also observed in the neurons of the brain and spinal cord, and in the vascular smooth muscle fibres from all the examined tissues. Pretreatment with diastase completely abolished the PAS reactivity. The vacuoles reacted strongly to Griffonia simplicifolia II and Concanavalia ensiformes lectins, whose biding pattern has been reported as useful for demonstration of glycogen. Examination of the electron micrographs revealed that glycogen was free within the cytoplasm or accumulated in membrane-bound granules of several tissues, especially in striated muscle, liver and neurons of the CNS. These findings were consistent with generalized glycogenosis.

Theoretical model of the transition between C1 and C2 chevron structures in smectic liquid crystals

We present a study of the effect of weak anchoring on the transition between C1 and C2 chevron structures in smectic-C liquid crystals. The coexistence of C1 and C2 chevron structures within a single cell causes zigzag defects to occur and may affect the optical characteristics of the cell. By standard Euler-Lagrange minimisation of the total energy of the system, we obtain analytical expressions for the equilibrium director cone angle in the two chevron states. These in turn allow us to compare the total energies of the states and determine the globally stable chevron profile. We show that analytical predictions for the critical transition temperature, which depends on anchoring strength and pretilt angle, are in good agreement with those obtained numerically.

Identification and quantification of isoquinoline alkaloids in the genus Sarcocapnos by GC-MS

Six cularine alkaloids, cularicine, O-methylcularicine, celtisine, cularidine, cularine and celtine, three isocularine alkaloids, sarcophylline, sarcocapnine and sarcocapnidine, and five non-cularine alkaloids, glaucine, protopine, ribasine, dihydrosanguinarine and chelidonine, were identified and quantified by GC-MS in nine taxa of the genus Sarcocapnos (Fumariaceae). The chemotaxonomic significance of the results is discussed.

X-ray diffraction method for the investigation of contacts between solid surfaces

A coherent X-ray scattering method for investigating the formation of the contact region between two solid surfaces is presented. Diffraction of X-rays from two crossed cylindrical quartz surfaces, coated with Cr and TiO(2), revealed a total contact area of 90 +/- 10 microm. In the so-called Hertz model for two surfaces in non-adhesive contact, this value is directly related to the displacement of the surfaces and the applied external force. Values of 40 +/- 3 nm for the displacement and 24 +/- 3 mN for the force are found. The method is also useful for studying liquids in confinement.

Shearing interferometer for quantifying the coherence of hard x-ray beams

We report a quantitative measurement of the full transverse coherence function of the 14.4 keV x-ray radiation produced by an undulator at the Swiss Light Source. An x-ray grating interferometer consisting of a beam splitter phase grating and an analyzer amplitude grating has been used to measure the degree of coherence as a function of the beam separation out to 30 microm. Importantly, the technique provides a model-free and spatially resolved measurement of the complex coherence function and is not restricted to high resolution detectors and small fields of view. The spatial characterization of the wave front has important applications in discovering localized defects in beam line optics.

Miltefosine for New World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

The oral agent miltefosine has demonstrated a >95% cure rate in Indian visceral leishmaniasis. We performed a large, placebo-controlled study of miltefosine therapy (2.5 mg/kg per day orally for 28 days) against cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia and Guatemala. In regions in Colombia where Leishmania vianna panamensis is common, the per-protocol cure rates for miltefosine and placebo were 91% (40 of 44 patients) and 38% (9 of 24). These values are similar to historic values for the antimony standard of care and placebo. In regions in Guatemala where L. v. braziliensis and L. mexicana mexicana are common, the per-protocol cure rates were 53% (20 of 38) for miltefosine and 21% (4 of 19) for placebo. The miltefosine rate was lower than historic antimony cure rates of >90%. Miltefosine was well tolerated. Miltefosine is a useful oral agent against cutaneous leishmaniasis due to L. v. panamensis in Colombia but not against leishmaniasis due to L. v. braziliensis in Guatemala.

Isolation and identification of mycobacteria in New World primates maintained in captivity

The presence of several Mycobacterium species was determined in 68 New World monkeys kept captive in the Cali Zoo. One hundred and thirty-three gastric lavage and blood samples were evaluated for mycobacterial presence by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, culture and PCR amplification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mtp40 species-specific gene. Mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT) were identified by PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Different species of mycobacteria were detected in 65% of the primate population studied by Alpha Antigen PCR. Eleven percent were positive for Mtp40 PCR amplification, being diagnosed as having M. tuberculosis, and acid-fast bacilli were observed in 23% by ZN staining. MOTT were isolated from samples taken from 37 primates by culturing; according to the RFLP analysis, three strains were classified as belonging to the MAISS complex (Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare-scrofulaceum-simiae) and eight more, isolated from soil inside the cages, were categorized as environmental contaminants. Mycobacterium spp. were detected in 13 different New World primate species showing that PCR amplification of the Mtp40 gene is a better tool than culture for M. tuberculosis detection in captive animals and that RFLP is a useful technique for MOTT identification.

All-optical neural-net-like image processing with photosensitive nonlinear nematic film

Received June 30, 2003 We demonstrate that some neural-net image-processing operations can be realized in an all-optical manner by use of the natural diffraction property of light in conjunction with the photosensitivity and optical nonlinearities of a transparent thin film. An example of image edge enhancement is illustrated with photosensitive supranonlinear nematic liquid-crystal films.

[Tophaceous gout of the cervical spine, causing cord compression. Case report and review of the literature]

We present the case of a 74-year-old patient with long-standing gout who developed C4-C5 tophaceous gout causing cord compression. The patient had undergone 4 years earlier for a disco-osteophytic cord compression (anterior C4-C5 and C5-C6 discectomy). When admitted, the patient presented quadriparesia which had developed during the previous week in association with acute tophaceous gout on the knees, and the metarsophalangeal articulations, in the context of a bronchial infection. The diagnosis of spondylodiscitis was initially retained because of the clinical features of severe infection and the radiological data (C4-C5 cord compression, with anterior epidural lesions in MRI). The intervention allowed decompression and pathological diagnosis of tophaceous gout. Spinal gout is well-known, and very rarely responsible for cord compression: only 15 cases of cervical gout have been described in the literature. Radiological findings are not specific, and treatment is surgical in the event of medullar compression despite medical treatment.

[Cervical medullary metastasis in a patient with Von Hippel-Lindau disease]

Von Hippel-Lindau disease is an autosomal dominant disorder mainly characterized by hemangioblastoma(s) associated with kidney clear-cell carcinoma. Hemangioblastoma represents 2 to 3% of all central nervous system tumors whereas extramedullary metastasis accounts for 30 to 50% of all intravertebral column tumors. The most common sites of metastatic dissemination in order of frequency are the lung, breast, prostate and kidney. We report a case of an unusual cervical intradural extramedullary metastasis of clear-cell kidney carcinoma associated with a cervical spinal cord hemangioblastoma in a 45-year-old patient with Von Hippel-Lindau disease who had developed retinal hemangioblastomas 20 years earlier. A review of the relevant literature is proposed.

Nonlinear dynamics in laser polarization conversion by stimulated scattering in nematic liquid crystal films

We present a study of the nonlinear dynamics of a coherent polarization conversion process in nematic liquid crystal films. This effect is mediated by two-beam coupling between the incident polarized laser and its orthogonally polarized (lower-frequency) noise component scattered by the director axis fluctuations. A complete model for the director dynamics derived from the basic equations is presented. The existence of complex, time-, and intensity-dependent dynamics of the director motion such as oscillations and various bifurcations including period doubling is revealed.

Infections in diabetic foot ulcers

Foot ulcers and infections are common in diabetic patients. A 30-month-long descriptive study was conducted in our hospital in which we analyzed microbiological isolates of all patients admitted with diabetic foot infections. The predominant flora identified were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, followed by Enterococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., and enterobacteriaceaes. In 27 positive cultures (42%) polymicrobial flora were found. There were only 5% anaerobic bacteria. There appears to be a relationship between the sample collection system and microbiological isolates.