Mexico''s local and national authorities initiated an intense public
health response during the early stages of the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. In this
study we analyzed the epidemiological patterns of the pandemic during
April–December 2009 in Mexico and evaluated the impact of nonmedical
interventions, school cycles, and demographic factors on influenza
transmission.
Methods and Findings
We used influenza surveillance data compiled by the Mexican Institute for
Social Security, representing 40% of the population, to study
patterns in influenza-like illness (ILIs) hospitalizations, deaths, and
case-fatality rate by pandemic wave and geographical region. We also
estimated the reproduction number (R) on the basis of the growth rate of
daily cases, and used a transmission model to evaluate the effectiveness of
mitigation strategies initiated during the spring pandemic wave. A total of
117,626 ILI cases were identified during April–December 2009, of which
30.6% were tested for influenza, and 23.3% were positive for
the influenza A/H1N1 pandemic virus. A three-wave pandemic profile was
identified, with an initial wave in April–May (Mexico City area), a
second wave in June–July (southeastern states), and a geographically
widespread third wave in August–December. The median age of laboratory
confirmed ILI cases was ∼18 years overall and increased to ∼31 years
during autumn (p<0.0001). The case-fatality ratio among
ILI cases was 1.2% overall, and highest (5.5%) among people
over 60 years. The regional R estimates were 1.8–2.1, 1.6–1.9,
and 1.2–1.3 for the spring, summer, and fall waves, respectively. We
estimate that the 18-day period of mandatory school closures and other
social distancing measures implemented in the greater Mexico City area was
associated with a 29%–37% reduction in influenza
transmission in spring 2009. In addition, an increase in R was observed in
late May and early June in the southeast states, after mandatory school
suspension resumed and before summer vacation started. State-specific fall
pandemic waves began 2–5 weeks after school reopened for the fall
term, coinciding with an age shift in influenza cases.
Conclusions
We documented three spatially heterogeneous waves of the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic
virus in Mexico, which were characterized by a relatively young age
distribution of cases. Our study highlights the importance of school cycles
on the transmission dynamics of this pandemic influenza strain and suggests
that school closure and other mitigation measures could be useful to
mitigate future influenza pandemics.
Please see later in the article for the Editors'' Summary相似文献
The influence of landscape structure and host diet on parasite load of wildlife is still largely unknown. We studied a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) population in a fragmented agricultural landscape in southern France to explore the relationship of gastrointestinal nematode load with spleen mass (to index immunocompetence), faecal nitrogen (to index diet quality), landscape structure and age of 33 hunt-harvested roe deer. Gastrointestinal worm counts were negatively related to faecal nitrogen and spleen mass, explaining respectively 24.7% and 9.2% of the observed variability in parasite load. Landscape structure did not appear to have a direct influence on gastrointestinal worm counts, but since animals from more open areas have a diet that is richer in nitrogen, its influence may be indirect. In conclusion, in the study area, the colonisation of the agricultural landscape does not seem to have increased the risk of gastrointestinal nematode parasitism for roe deer, possibly because access to high-quality food enhances immunocompetence.
Populations on the limits of species’ distribution can show different behavioral adaptations to strong ecological pressure
than in the central part of the range. We investigated space use patterns of alpine mountain hare (Lepus timidus) at two areas on the southern edge of the species’ range. We monitored 34 hares between 2005 and 2008, estimating home range
size, overlap, and site fidelity, and compared our results with space use in Scottish and North-European populations. Home
ranges of mountain hares did not differ between two study areas with different habitat types. Subadult animals used larger
ranges than adults and both age groups reduced home range size in autumn, a period that might be critical for hares due to
changes in diet and/or high energy expenditure during the previous breeding season. Home ranges in these alpine populations
were smaller than in Scandinavian populations but within the range of populations in different habitat types in Scotland.
Seasonal home ranges overlapped considerably, but differed among the sexes: male–female overlap was higher than same sex (male–male
and female–female) spatial overlap. Seasonal shifts of home ranges were small, and site fidelity remained high over the seasons,
suggesting that resource distribution remained constant throughout the year and that the knowledge of an intensively frequented
area is an important element of habitat quality. We concluded that habitat structure and availability of mates interact in
affecting mountain hare space use in alpine habitats. 相似文献
The Fagaceae is one of the most important plant families in European forest ecosystems, and it includes several genera distributed
in the Northern hemisphere. In this work we studied the genome organization and evolution within the family, by karyotyping
and physically mapping rDNA in ten European and Asian species of the genera Fagus, Quercus, and Castanea. All of the species studied had a chromosome number of 2n=2x=24, except for the first report of a single individual of Quercus suber which proved to be triploid (2n=3x=36). The rDNA physical mapping revealed several patterns: the dominant one is present in European and Asian Quercus subgenus Quercus, and in Castanea sativa and Castanea crenata, consisting of two 18S–25S rDNA loci (one subterminal major and one pericentromeric minor) and one 5S rDNA pericentromeric
locus. In Fagus sylvatica and in Quercus sessilifolia, different patterns were observed: four terminal 18S–25S rDNA loci and two 5S rDNA pericentromeric loci in the former, and
five 18S–25S rDNA loci (three terminal and two intercalary) and one 5S rDNA pericentromeric locus in the latter. In Castanea mollissima a distinct rDNA distribution pattern with two intercalary 18S–25S rDNA loci and two 5S rDNA was found. These findings suggest
rDNA loci restructuring during Castanea evolution, and variability of 18S–25S loci between Quercus and Cyclobalanopsis subgenera. 相似文献
Question: Although mangrove forests are generally regarded as highly threatened, some studies have shown that mangrove canopies in the Pacific coast of Mexico have been increasing in recent decades. We investigated the possible causes driving this reported mangrove expansion. Location: The mangrove lagoons of Magdalena Bay in Baja California, Mexico. Methods: We used 50‐year‐old aerial photographs and 24‐year‐old satellite images to compare long‐term vegetation change, surveyed a coastal vegetation transect to analyse flooding levels, compiled six decades of tidal and oceanographic information, as well as hurricane data to analyse changes in storm frequency or sea‐level conditions, and used isotopic analysis to date the age of trees along the gradient. Results: A significant increase in mangrove cover has occurred in backwaters of the lagoons during the last 40 years, and especially during the El Niño anomalies of the 1980s and 1990s, while at the same time the mangrove fringe has been receding. Conclusions: The observed change can be attributed to the combined action of the warm surface waters of El Niño events and sea‐level rise. Jointly, these two effects are sufficient to flood large areas of previously non‐flooded salt flats, dispersing mangrove seedlings inland. The inland expansion of mangroves, however, does not ease conservation concerns, as it is the seaward fringes, and not the inland margins, that provide the most valuable environmental services for fisheries and coastal protection. 相似文献
According to the new KDIGO (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes) guidelines, the term of renal osteodystrophy, should be used exclusively in reference to the invasive diagnosis of bone abnormalities. Due to the low sensitivity and specificity of biochemical serum markers of bone remodelling,the performance of bone biopsies is highly stimulated in dialysis patients and after kidney transplantation. The tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) is an iso-enzyme of the group of acid phosphatases, which is highly expressed by activated osteoclasts and macrophages. TRACP in osteoclasts is in intracytoplasmic vesicles that transport the products of bone matrix degradation. Being present in activated osteoclasts, the identification of this enzyme by histochemistry in undecalcified bone biopsies is an excellent method to quantify the resorption of bone. Since it is an enzymatic histochemical method for a thermolabile enzyme, the temperature at which it is performed is particularly relevant. This study aimed to determine the optimal temperature for identification of TRACP in activated osteoclasts in undecalcified bone biopsies embedded in methylmethacrylate. We selected 10 cases of undecalcified bone biopsies from hemodialysis patients with the diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Sections of 5 μm were stained to identify TRACP at different incubation temperatures (37º, 45º, 60º, 70º and 80ºC) for 30 minutes. Activated osteoclasts stained red and trabecular bone (mineralized bone) was contrasted with toluidine blue. This approach also increased the visibility of the trabecular bone resorption areas (Howship lacunae). Unlike what is suggested in the literature and in several international protocols, we found that the best results were obtained with temperatures between 60ºC and 70ºC. For technical reasons and according to the results of the present study, we recommended that, for an incubation time of 30 minutes, the reaction should be carried out at 60ºC. As active osteoclasts are usually scarce in a bone section, the standardization of the histochemistry method is of great relevance, to optimize the identification of these cells and increase the accuracy of the histomosphometric results. Our results, allowing an increase in osteoclasts contrast, also support the use of semi-automatic histomorphometric measurements. 相似文献
The gene corresponding to mature PsaA from Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14 was cloned into a plasmid with kanamycin resistance and without a purification tag in Escherichia coli to express high levels of the recombinant protein for large-scale production as a potential vaccine candidate or as a carrier for polysaccharide conjugation at Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz. The evaluation of induction conditions (IPTG concentration, temperature and time) in E. coli was accomplished by experimental design techniques to enhance the expression level of mature recombinant PsaA (rPsaA). The optimization of induction process conditions led us to perform the recombinant protein induction at 25°C for 16 h, with 0.1mM IPTG in Terrific Broth medium. At these conditions, the level of mature rPsaA expression obtained in E. coli BL21 (DE3) Star by pET28a induction with IPTG was in the range of 0.8 g/L of culture medium, with a 10-fold lower concentration of inducer than usually employed, which contributes to a less expensive process. Mature rPsaA expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) Star accounted for approximately 30-35% of the total protein. rPsaA purification by ion exchange allowed the production of high-purity recombinant protein without fusion tags. The results presented in this work confirm that the purified recombinant protein maintains its stability and integrity for long periods of time in various storage conditions (temperatures of 4 or -70°C using different cryoprotectors) and for at least 3 years at 4 or -70°C in PBS. The conformation of the stored protein was confirmed using circular dichroism. Mature rPsaA antigenicity was proven by anti-rPsaA mouse serum recognition through western blot analysis, and no protein degradation was detected after long periods of storage. 相似文献