Association of ABO blood group and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Dore Bafeno Area,Southern Ethiopia

Objective:To assess the distribution of ABO blood group and their relationship with Plasmodium falciparum(P.falciparum) malaria among febrile outpatients who sought medical attention at Dore Bafeno Health Center,Southern Ethiopia.Methods:A total of 269 febrile outpatients who visited Dore Bafeno Health Center,Southern Ethiopia,were examined for malaria and also tested for ABO blood groups in January 2010.The blood specimens were collected by finger pricking,stained with Geimsa,and examined microscopically.Positive cases of the parasitemia were counted.CareStart^(TM) Malaria PflPv Combo was also used to test the blood specimens for malaria.ABO blood groups were determined by agglutination test using ERYCLONE antisera.Data on socio-demographic characteristics and treatment status of the participants were also collected.Chi-square and ANOVA tests were used to assess the difference between frequencies and means,respectively.Results:Out of a total of 269 participants,178(66.2%) febrile patients were found to be infected with Plasmodium parasites,among which 146(54.3%),28(10.4%),and 4(1.5%) belonged to P.falciparum,P.vivax,and mixed infections,respectively.All febrile patients were also tested for ABO blood groups and 51.3%,23.5%,21.9%and 3.3%were found to be blood types of 0,A,B and AB,respectively.Both total malaria infection and P.falciparum infection showed significant association with blood types(P<0.05).The proportion of A or B but not 0 phenotypes was higher(P<0.05) in individuals with P.falciparum as compared with non-infected individuals.The chance of having P.falciparum infection in patients with blood groups A,B and AB was 2.5,2.5 and 3.3times more than individuals showing blood 0 phenotypes,respectively.The mean P.falciparum malaria parasitemia for blood groups A,B,AB,and 0 were 3 744/μ L,1 805/ μ L,5 331/μ L,and1 515/μ L,respectively(P<0.01).Conclusions:The present findings indicate that individuals of blood groups A,B and AB are more susceptible to P.falciparum infection as compared with individuals of blood group O.Nevertheless,further in depth studies are required to clearly establish the role that ABO blood group plays in P.falciparum malaria.

Label-free colorimetric estimation of proteins using nanoparticles of silver

Metallic nanoparticles have received considerable attention in bioassays and diagnostics due to their unique surface plasmon resonance(SPR) properties.Gold nanoparticles have been employed for the development of SPR-based colorimetric bioassays.In the present report we have described a sensitive colorimetric approach for estimation of proteins,within a detection limit of 10?80 μg/m L,using unmodified silver nanoparticles.Besides the common advantages of colorimetric assay such as simplicity,high sensitivity,and low cost,our method has a label-free design and provides an important and attractive alternative to classical sensing probes and systems.The present work will contribute to the development of nanotechnology-based diagnostic tools.

Clinical profile of brucellosis from a tertiary care center in southern India

Objective:To highlight the spectrum of clinical manifestations,labs,complications,treatment and outcome of brucellosis.Methods:Retrospective study was conducted in Kasturba Medical College,Manipal University,Karnataka,India which included 68 confirmed cases of brucellosis from January 2006- April 2010.Diagnosis of brucellosis was made by culturing the sera/body fluids by standard BACTEC method(or) by testing the sera for Brucella agglutinins using the standard agglutination test(SAT).A titer of 1:320 or more was considered as significant.SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis and Microsoft Excel for graphical representation.Results:Of the 68 patients,46(68%) were male and 22(32%) were female patients with age distribution of 9-75 years.Forty four(64.7%) had history of contact with unpasteurized dairy products or infected animals.Symptoms included fever(68,100%),myalgia(21,31%),musculoskeletal symptoms (23,34%),headache(16,24%),gastrointestinal symptoms(19,28%) and altered sensorium(3, 4%).Co-morbidities and associations included HIV positivity(2,3%),type 2 diabetes mellitus (13,19%),steroid therapy(3,4%) and HBsAg positivity(8,12%).Ten(15%) patients had cervical lymphadenopathy,4(6%) had splenic enlargement,6(7%) had hepatomegaly,19(28%) had hepatosplenomegaly and 2(3%) got meningeal signs.Anaemia was observed in 39(57.3%) cases,high erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) was present in 55(80.8%) cases,leucocytosis in 10(14.7%),leucopenia in 10(14.7%),thrombocytopenia in 23(33.82%) and thrombocytosis in 2(2.94%) cases.Conclusions:In countries like India,where brucellosis and tuberculosis are endemic;rapid,sensitive and highly specific diagnostic methods are required to make early diagnosis and prevent resistance as there is an overlap in therapy.

Detection of leptospiral antibodies by microscopic agglutination test in north-east of Iran

Objective:To detect leptospiral antibodies by microscopic agglutination test(MAT) in northeast of Iran.Methods:This study was conducted to evaluate prevalence of human leptospiral infections by MAT.using six current reference strains of Leptospira interrogans in north-east of Iran.A total of 285 serum samples were collected from three north-east provinces of Iran,from December,2009 to June,2010.Results:Antibodies were detected at least against one serovar of Leptospira interrogans in 45 sera(15.79%) among 283 samples at a dilution 1:100 or greater.Positive titers against more than one serovar were detected in 24 sera of the positive samples.Therefore, there were 75 positive reactions against different serovar of Leptospira interrogans.Positive titers were recorded against serovar icterohaemorrhagiae(31 samples),hardjo(26 samples), grippotyphosa(7 samples),pomona(5 samples),canicola(4 samples) and ballum(2.sample). Conclusions:In present study the most prevalent(Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae) and the least prevalent(Leptospira ballum) serovar are different from previous studies.Maybe,species and prevalence of serovars change during the lime in one area and between regions.

Bioactive extracts of red seaweeds Pterocladiella capillacea and Osmundaria obtusiloba(Floridophyceae:Rhodophyta) with antioxidant and bacterial agglutination potential

Objective:To evaluate the antioxidant,antibacterial and bacterial cell agglutination activities of the hexane(Hex) and 70%ethanol(70%EtOH) extracts of two species of red seaweeds Pterocladiella capillacea(P.capillacea) and Osmundaria obtusiloba.Methods:In vitro antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay,ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay,ferrous ion chelating assay,β-carotene bleaching assay and total phenolic content quantification.Antimicrobial activity was tested using the method of disc diffusion on Mueller-Hinton medium.The ability of algal extracts to agglutinate bacterial cells was also tested.Results:The 70%EtOH extract of the two algae showed the highest values of total phenolic content compared to the Hex extract.The results of DPPH for both extracts(Hex,70%EtOH) of Osmundaria obtusiloba(43.46%and 99.47%) were higher than those of P.capillacea(33.04%and 40.81%) at a concentration of 1 000 μg/mL.As for the ferrous ion chelating,there was an opposite behavior,extracts of P.capillacea had a higher activity.The extracts showed a low ferric-reducing antioxidant power,with optical density ranging from0.054 to 0.180.Antioxidant activities of all extracts evaluated for β-carotene bleaching were above 40%.There was no antibacterial activity against bacterial strains tested.However,the extracts of both species were able to agglutinate bacterial Gram positive cells of Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative cells of Escherichia coli,multidrug-resistant Salmonella and Vibrio harveyi.Conclusions This is the first report of the interaction between these algal extracts,rich in natural compounds with antioxidant potential,and Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial cells.

AlGaInP-Si glue bonded high performance light emitting diodes

We propose a new method of using conductive glue to agglutinate GaAs based A1CaInP light emitting diodes （LEDs） onto silicon substrate, and the absorbing GaAs layer is subsequently removed by grinding and selective wet etching. It was found that A1GaInP-Si glue agglutinated LEDs have larger saturation current and luminous intensity than the conventional LEDs working at the same injected current. The luminous intensity of the new device is as much as 1007.4 mcd at a saturation current of 125 mA without being encapsulated, while the conventional LEDs only have 266.2 mcd at a saturation current of 105 mA. The luminescence intensity is also found to increase by about 3.2% after working at 50 mA for 768 h. This means that the new structured LEDs have good reliability performance.

Cryptococcus infection with asymptomatic diffuse pulmonary disease in an immunocompetent patient:A case report

BACKGROUND Cryptococcus presenting as an opportunistic pathogen mainly affects immunocompromised patients,but the disseminated form of infection is rare among immunocompetent populations.The partial radiographic characteristics of pulmonary cryptococcosis mimic lung carcinoma,leading to unnecessary open chest exploratory surgery,and the lack of a gold-standard noninvasive diagnostic increases the risk of misdiagnosis.Positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT),a sensitive method for distinguishing malignant tumors,coupled with cryptococcal latex agglutination test showing a high positive rate may overcome these issues.CASE A 36-year-old man presented for general examination,without health complaints.Routine CT showed multiple pulmonary nodules and a mass with high maximum standardized uptake value.Initially,we suspected primary malignancy with hematogenous metastasis.Although his routine fungal analysis had been negative,subsequent CT-guided percutaneous core needle biopsy and histopathology examination indicated a diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis.Fluconazole(200 mg/d)antifungal drug treatment was initiated,and 1 mo later the pulmonary mass had reduced in size markedly(on chest CT scan)without any complications.CONCLUSION Serologic and PET/CT examinations may not rule out cryptococcosis,and percutaneous lung puncture is critical under all circumstances.

Severe Labial Agglutination Release in a Postmenopausal Woman

Labial agglutination occurs when the labia minora have become fused in the midline through either filmy or dense adhesions, forming a raphe. This condition is typically seen in pre-pubertal girls;however, there have been cases reported in the literature of labial agglutination in postmenopausal and reproductive aged women. Labial agglutination has been associated with local irritation and inflammation in the setting of a hypoestrogenic state. Topical treatment is usually recommended prior to manual separation. However, some postmenopausal women have been refractory to conservative management, and surgery may then be required. We present a case of a 79-year-old Caucasian gravida 3 para 3 who was referred for treatment refractory labial agglutination for 3 years. The patient’s complaints included a small trickle escaping from the introitus during urination and the sensation of little urinary control. The patient underwent an exam under anesthesia. Gentle blunt dissection with a lacrimal dilator easily separated the labia minora down the visible midline fusion line (raphe). Bimanual exam then revealed a 12-week-sized enlarged uterus confirmed on ultrasound to be an 8 × 8 × 7 cm irregular mass concerning for uterine cancer. Proceeding to an operative release of severe labial agglutination can relieve patient discomfort and frustration when estradiol therapy has failed. In addition to alleviating symptoms, releasing labial agglutination can also provide the gynecologist access to critical screening procedures such as cervical cytology or a bimanual exam, all of which could lead to a diagnosis or pre-cancerous or cancerous lesions.

Exploring the Insecticidal Potentiality of <i>Amorphophallus paeonifolius</i>Tuber Agglutinin in Hemipteran Pest Management

Hemipteran group of sap sucking insect pests cause worldwide crop destruction. The role of mannose specific monocot lectins have recently been worked out in hemipteran pest management. The present article demonstrates the insecticidal efficacy of a new mannose specific agglutinin, isolated from tubers of Amorphophallus paeonifolius (AMTL) against a wide range of hemipteran insects. The 25 kDa dimeric protein was found to inhibit the survivability of hemipteran insects namely, Lipaphis erysimi, Aphis gossypii and Dysdercus cingulatus quite efficiently, as analysed by synthetic diet based bioassay experiments. Surface Plasmon Resonance study detected binding of insecticidal AMTL to insect gut brush border membrane vesicle (BBMV) protein, an absolute prerequisite for conferring toxicity against target insects. Further ligand blot analysis spotted a ~74 kDa glycoprotein as putative receptor of AMTL from the total BBMV protein fraction of Lipaphis erysimi. Phylogenetic analysis showed a significant relatedness of AMTL to the previously established monocot lectin Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) in terms of their conserved mannose binding domains, agglutinating ability of rabbit erythrocytes and insecticidal efficacies. These information project AMTL as a promising candidate in preventing crop loss caused due to hemipteran insect attack.

A Study of Foraminifera in the core NP93－2 from the prydz Bay， Antarctica

analyses of foraminiferal fauna in the core np93-2 of the prydz bay,Antarctica shows that the sediments are rich in foraminifera in which planktonic Foraminifera make up 26. 3% of the total number of foraminifera and the arenaceous Agglutinated benthic foraminiferal assemblages are prevailing with 57. 9% of total Number of benthic foraminifera. The typical benthic foraminiferal assemblage of Iammina arenacea represents an assemblage of deep-water arenaceous agglutinated.Variations of content of warm and cold species of planktonic foraminifera reflect the Paleoclirnatic changes and also reveal the paleo-environmental changes in this region andIts relationship with the global changes. Other paleoceanographic and Paleoclimatological questions, such as water depth, carbonate dissolution are also discussed.

Syphilis testing algorithms:A review

The methods and strategies used to screen for syphilis and to confirm initially reactive results can vary significantly across clinical laboratories.While the performance characteristics of these different approaches have been evaluated by multiple studies,there is not,as of yet,a single,universally recommende dalgorithm for syphilis testing.To clarify the currently available options for syphilis testing,this update will summarize the clinical challenges to diagnosis,review the specific performance characteristics of treponemal and non-treponemal tests,and finally,summarize select studies published over the past decade which have evaluated these approaches.Specifically,this review will discuss the traditional and reverse sequence syphilis screening algorithms commonly used in the United States,alongside a discussion of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control syphilis algorithm.Ultimately,in the United States,the decision of which algorithm to use is largely dependent on laboratory resources,the local incidence of syphilis and patient demographics.

Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Lectin Gene cDNA Isolated from Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) Body Wall

As a ‘living fossil' of species origin and ‘rich treasure' of food and nutrition development, sea cucumber has received a lot of attentions from researchers. The cDNA library construction and EST sequencing of blood had been conducted previously in our lab. The bioinformatic analysis provided a gene fragment which is highly homologous with the genes of lectin family, named AjL(Apostichopus japonicus lectin). To characterize and determine the phylogeny of AjL genes in early evolution, we isolated a fulllength cDNA of lectin gene from the body wall of A. japonicus. The open reading frame of this gene contained 489 bp and encoded a 163 amino acids secretory protein being homologous to lectins of mammals and aquatic organisms. The deduced protein included a lectin-like domain. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that AjL migrated as a specific band(about 36.09 kDa under reducing), and agglutinated against rabbit red blood cells. AjL was similar to chain A of CEL-IV in space structure. We predicted that AjL may play the same role of CEL-IV. Our results suggested that more than one lectin gene functioned in sea cucumber and most of other species, which was fused by uncertain sequences during the evolution and encoded different proteins with diverse functions. Our findings provided the insights into the function and characteristics of lectin genes invertebrates. The results will also be helpful for the identification and structural, functional, and evolutionary analyses of lectin genes.

A rapid, simple, and sensitive immunoagglutination assay with silica nanoparticles for serotype identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

An agglutination test based on colored silica nanoparticles(colored SiNps) was established to detect serotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Monodisperse colored SiNps were used as agglutination test carriers. The colored SiNps were prepared through reverse microemulsion with reactive dyes, sensitized with 11 kinds of mono-specific antibodies against P. aeruginosa, and denoted as IgG-colored SiNps. Eleven kinds of IgG-colored SiNps were individually mixed with P. aeruginosa on a glass slide.Different serotypes of P. aeruginosa could be identified by agglutination test with evident agglutination. The P. aeruginosa could be detected in a range from 3.6×10^5 to 3.6×10^12 cfu mL^–1. This new agglutination test was confirmed to be a specific,sensitive, fast, easy-to-perform, and cost-efficient tool for the routine diagnosis of P. aeruginosa.

Preparation and evaluation of a glycerol-preserved direct agglutination antigen for long-term preservation:a comparative study of the detection of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies in human and dog

Objective:To prepare and evaluate a glycerol-preserved antigen from an Iranian strain of Leishmania infantum(L infantum) for use in glycerol-preserved direct agglutination tests (GP-DAT) as an alternative to freeze dried direct agglutination teals(FD-DAT) that use freezedried antigen.Methods:Glycerol-preserved DAT antigen was prepared and stored at different temperatures.We tested antigen stored at 4℃,22-37℃and 50℃over a period of 365 days. Seven hundred twenty-nine serum samples were collected from different geographical zones of Iran from 2007-2009,and 80 of these samples were pooled to produce sera.Each pooled serum contained 10 sera.All positive and negative pooled sera were separately tested for anti-L. infantum antibodies with GP-DAT,FD-DAT and formaldehyde-fixed direct agglutination test (FF-DAT) antigens;tests were performed on both human and dog sera over a period of 12 months. Results:There was strong agreement between the results obtained using GP-DAT and FDDAT antigens stored at 22-37℃for 12 months for both human(100%) and dog(100%) pooled sera.The direct agglutination test results were highly reproducible(weighted kappa:GP=0.833, FD=0.979 and FF=0.917).Conclusions:Because GP-DAT antigen is highly stable over a range of temperatures and is easy to transport in the field,this type of antigen may be particularly useful in areas with endemic visceral leishmaniasis.

Cloning and functional analysis of the calreticulin gene from the scleractinian coral Galaxea astreata

Calreticulin(CRT)is a highly conserved Ca2+-binding protein and chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum,which mainly participates in adjusting calcium level and directing proper conformation of proteins.Here,we cloned the crt gene of the scleractinian coral Galaxea astreata,named Gacrt,and analysed its ability to drive bacterial agglutination.The full-length Gacrt cDNA consisted of 1792 nucleotides and contained a 77 bp 5’untranslated region(UTR),a 380 bp 3’UTR and a 1335 bp open reading frame(ORF)that encoded a 444 amino acid protein.The deduced peptide possessed a signal peptide domain,an endoplasmic reticulum retrieval signal sequence(KDEL),two potential calreticulin family signature motifs and a set of triplicate repeats.We also found that the recombinant GaCRT protein could promote agglutination of both the Gram-positive bacterium Micrococcus luteus and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli.These results show that the GaCRT protein can enhance bacterial agglutination,hinting that GaCRT is an immune-relevant molecule involved in host defense against bacterium.

Spreading Agglutinated Foraminifera near Rift Structures of West-Siberian and Other Provinces

Agglutinated quartz-siliceous foraminifera are widely spread in West Siberian, at least in Canadian and Middle Asia provinces. Considerable amounts of these forms are assigned to the rift structures which stretch out in the meridional direction in these provinces. The foraminifera assemblages of these forms may have been formed in the Arctic basin. As an example, we have studied agglutinated foraminifera of the Cenomanian-Turonian in the provinces along the rift to which industrial hydrocarbon field is assigned. The Plates 1-4—Cenomanian-Turonian agglutinated foraminifera of West-Siberian provinces are presented. Correlation of Foraminiferal zones and layers of West Siberian and Canadian provinces, showing the agglutinated index-species foraminifera are presented.

Prevalence of kala-azar infection in Pokot county, Amudat district, Northeastern Uganda

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) caused by Leishmania donovani and transmitted by the sand-fly Phlebotomus martini is endemic in certain foci in north-eastern Uganda where it is thought to be confined to Pokot county, Amudat district. Amudat hospital records (April 1998-March 1999) indicated that kala-azar accounted for about 17% of hospital in-patients. However the actual prevalence of kala-azar infection in the community in Pokot county is unknown. This lack of information limits efforts geared towards its control. Objective: To determine the prevalence of kala-azar infection in Pokot county. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Pokot county in March 2010. The study participants were ≥ 5 years and were randomly selected from the age and sex strata in the chosen clusters. A questionnaire that elicited demographic profiles of participants was used for data collection. Standard procedure for direct agglutination test using blood samples collected from participants on blotting papers was performed. Data was entered in EPIINFO 3.3 and exported to STATA 10, where descriptive statistics were generated. Results: The overall prevalence of kala-azar infection in Pokot county was 17.2% but the prevalence of symptomatic infection in the community was 2.5%. The ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic kala-azar was 1:6. Loroo sub-county had the highest prevalence of kala-azar infection followed by Karita and Amudat sub-counties at 31.9%, 14.6% and 5.3%, respectively. Conclusion: With kala-azar infection prevalence at 17.2% in the community, there is an urgent need to institute control program spearheaded by ministry of health, in the region. Furthermore, recent reports of cases from other districts within the region, the heterogeneous distribution of infection within the county and the current risk factors, including the role of animals in kala-azar transmission in this area need to be evaluated.

Towards Kikamba Computational Grammar

The under-resourced Kikamba language has few language technology tools since the more efficient and popular data driven approaches for developing them suffer from data sparseness due to lack of digitized corpora. To address this challenge, we have developed a computational grammar for the Kikamba language within the multilingual Grammatical Framework (GF) toolkit. GF uses the Interlingua rule-based translation approach. To develop the grammar, we used the morphology driven strategy. Therefore, we first developed regular expressions for morphology inflection and thereafter developed the syntax rules. Evaluation of the grammar was done using one hundred sentences in both English and Kikamba languages. The results were an encouraging four n-gram BLEU score of 83.05% and the Position independent error rate (PER) of 10.96%. Finally, we have made a contribution to the language technology resources for Kikamba including multilingual machine translation, a morphology analyzer, a computational grammar which provides a platform for development of multilingual applications and the ability to generate a variety of bilingual corpora for Kikamba for all languages currently defined in GF, making it easier to experiment with data driven approaches.

Do Occupational Factors Render Army Service a High-Leptospirosis-Risk Occupation?

Objective: Leptospirosis is a known zoonotic disease which is closely related to certain high-risk occupational group. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with seropositive leptospirosis among army personnel. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted involving 616 army personnel using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic, occupational and environmental data as well as recreational activities history. Serum sample for leptospirosis was taken for screening with IgM Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (IgM ELISA) test. Positive tests were confirmed by Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT). Results: All respondents were male, Malays and married with the mean age of 29.28 (7.15) years old. The mean duration of working was 11.50 (7.75). Majority of the respondents were non-officer and riflemen, smokers (455 (73.9%), stayed inside the camp and engaged in recreational activities. The mean duration of employment was 11.50 (7.75) years. The overall seroprevalence of leptospirosis was 16.2% (95% CI: 13.32, 19.15) and the predominant pathogenic serovar identified was Terengganu (38.2%). Those who had lower educational levels were more protective for positive leptospirosis compared to those who have only primary education (OR: 0.32;95% CI: 0.14, 0.76;p = 0.009). Conclusion: Despite being named as one of the high-risk occupations for leptospirosis, this study found no significant occupational factors related to leptospirosis seropositivity among army personnel.