Genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Human Immunodeficiency Virus‐Infected Patients in Lagos,Nigeria

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi has improved our understanding of the transmission of both organisms in humans. In this study, to infer possible infection sources, Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in fecal specimens from 90 HIV‐infected patients attending antiretroviral clinics in Lagos, Nigeria were detected and genotyped by PCR and DNA sequencing. Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi were identified in four and five patients, respectively, including the occurrence of subtype IeA11T3G3 of Cryptosporidium hominis in two patients, subtype IIcA5G3k of Cryptosporidium parvum in one patient, and Type IV of E. bieneusi in four patients. Among the remaining positive patients, one had mixed infection of Cryptosporidium meleagridis and C. hominis and one had mixed E. bieneusi genotypes. These data highlight a possible difference in major transmission routes (anthroponotic vs. zoonotic) between Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi in HIV+ patients in the study area.     

Recent advances in human sweat metabolomics for lung cancer screening

Introduction

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related mortality owing to the advanced stage it is usually detected because the available diagnostic tests are expensive and invasive; therefore, they cannot be used for general screening.

Objectives

To increase robustness of previous biomarker panels—based on metabolites in sweat samples—proposed by the authors, new samples were collected within different intervals (4 months and 2 years), analyzed at different times (2012 and 2014, respectively) by different analysts to discriminate between LC patients and smokers at risk factor.

Methods

Sweat analysis was carried out by LC–MS/MS with minimum sample preparation and the generated analytical data were then integrated to minimize variability in statistical analysis.

Results

Panels with capability to discriminate LC patients from smokers at risk factor were obtained taken into account the variability between both cohorts as a consequence of the different intervals for samples collection, the times at which the analyses were carried out and the influence of the analyst. Two panels of metabolites using the PanelomiX tool allow reducing false negatives (95 % specificity) and false positives (95 % sensitivity). The first panel (96.9 % specificity and 83.8 % sensitivity) is composed by monoglyceride MG(22:2), muconic, suberic and urocanic acids, and a tetrahexose; the second panel (81.2 % specificity and 97.3 % sensitivity) is composed by the monoglyceride MG(22:2), muconic, nonanedioic and urocanic acids, and a tetrahexose.

Conclusion

The study has allowed obtaining a prediction model more robust than that obtained in the previous study from the authors.

     

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells Through Nd‐Doping of Mesostructured TiO2

Block‐copolymer templated chemical solution deposition is used to prepare mesoporous Nd‐doped TiO₂ electrodes for perovskite‐based solar cells. X‐ray diffraction and photothermal deflection spectroscopy show substitutional incorporation into the TiO₂ crystal lattice for low Nd concentration, and increasing interstitial doping for higher concentrations. Substitutional Nd‐doping leads to an increase in stability and performance of perovskite solar cells by eliminating defects and thus increasing electron transport and reducing charge recombination in the mesoporous TiO₂. The optimized doping concentration of 0.3% Nd enables the preparation of perovskite solar cells with stabilized power conversion efficiency of >18%.     

CD4 Counts at Entry to HIV Care in Mexico for Patients under the “Universal Antiretroviral Treatment Program for the Uninsured Population,” 2007–2014

In Mexico, public health services have provided universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2004. For individuals receiving HIV care in public healthcare facilities, the data are limited regarding CD4 T-lymphocyte counts (CD4e) at the time of entry into care. Relevant population-based estimates of CD4e are needed to inform strategies to maximize the impact of Mexico’s national ART program, and may be applicable to other countries implementing universal HIV treatment programs. For this study, we retrospectively analyzed the CD4e of persons living with HIV and receiving care at state public health facilities from 2007 to 2014, comparing CD4e by demographic characteristics and the marginalization index of the state where treatment was provided, and assessing trends in CD4e over time. Our sample included 66,947 individuals who entered into HIV care between 2007 and 2014, of whom 79% were male. During the study period, the male-to-female ratio increased from 3.0 to 4.3, reflecting the country''s HIV epidemic; the median age at entry decreased from 34 years to 32 years. Overall, 48.6% of individuals entered care with a CD4≤200 cells/μl, ranging from 42.2% in states with a very low marginalization index to 52.8% in states with a high marginalization index, and from 38.9% among individuals aged 18–29 to 56.5% among those older than 50. The adjusted geometric mean (95% confidence interval) CD4e increased among males from 135 (131,142) cells/μl in 2007 to 148 (143,155) cells/μl in 2014 (p-value<0.0001); no change was observed among women, with a geometric mean of 178 (171,186) and 171 (165,183) in 2007 and 2014, respectively. There have been important gains in access to HIV care and treatment; however, late entry into care remains an important barrier in achieving optimal outcomes of ART in Mexico. The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic differences observed reflect important inequities in timely access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment services, and highlight the need to develop contextual and culturally appropriate prevention and HIV testing strategies and linkage programs.     

Ambient temperature affects postnatal litter size reduction in golden hamsters

Background

To better understand how different ambient temperatures during lactation affect survival of young, we studied patterns of losses of pups in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) at different ambient temperatures in the laboratory, mimicking temperature conditions in natural habitats. Golden hamsters produce large litters of more than 10 young but are also known to wean fewer pups at the end of lactation than they give birth to. We wanted to know whether temperature affects litter size reductions and whether the underlying causes of pup loss were related to maternal food (gross energy) intake and reproductive performance, such as litter growth. For that, we exposed lactating females to three different ambient temperatures and investigated associations with losses of offspring between birth and weaning.

Results

Overall, around one third of pups per litter disappeared, obviously consumed by the mother. Such litter size reductions were greatest at 30 °C, in particular during the intermediate postnatal period around peak lactation. Furthermore, litter size reductions were generally higher in larger litters. Maternal gross energy intake was highest at 5 °C suggesting that mothers were not limited by milk production and might have been able to raise a higher number of pups until weaning. This was further supported by the fact that the daily increases in litter mass as well as in the individual pup body masses, a proxy of mother’s lactational performance, were lower at higher ambient temperatures.

Conclusions

We suggest that ambient temperatures around the thermoneutral zone and beyond are preventing golden hamster females from producing milk at sufficient rates. Around two thirds of the pups per litter disappeared at high temperature conditions, and their early growth rates were significantly lower than at lower ambient temperatures. It is possible that these losses are due to an intrinsic physiological limitation (imposed by heat dissipation) compromising maternal energy intake and milk production.

     

The Development and Validation of the Indian Family Violence and Control Scale

The high prevalence of domestic violence (DV) among married women in India and associated negative health repercussions highlight the need for effective prevention strategies and tools to measure the efficacy of such interventions. Literature supporting differing manifestations of DV by culture underscores the need for a culturally-tailored scale to more effectively measure DV in the Indian context. We therefore aimed to develop and validate such a tool, the Indian Family Violence and Control Scale (IFVCS), through a mixed-methods study. The psychometric development of IFVCS is herein discussed. After field pre-testing and expert review, a 63-item questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 630 married women from May-July 2013 in Pune, India. The item response theory approach for binary data to explore the IFVCS structure suggested that IFVCS is reliable, with the majority of items having high (>0.5) and significant factor loadings. Concurrent validity, assessed by comparing responses to IFVCS with the validated, abridged Conflict Tactics Scale-2, was high (r = 0.899, p<0.001) as was the construct validity, demonstrated by its significant association with several established DV correlates. Therefore, initial assessment of the IFVCS psychometric properties suggests that it is an effective tool for measuring DV among married women in India and speaks to its capacity for enhancing understanding of DV epidemiology and for evaluating the effectiveness of future DV interventions.     

Evaluation of PCR Approaches for Detection of Bartonella bacilliformis in Blood Samples

BackgroundThe lack of an effective diagnostic tool for Carrion’s disease leads to misdiagnosis, wrong treatments and perpetuation of asymptomatic carriers living in endemic areas. Conventional PCR approaches have been reported as a diagnostic technique. However, the detection limit of these techniques is not clear as well as if its usefulness in low bacteriemia cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the detection limit of 3 PCR approaches.Conclusions/SignificanceFrom the tested PCRs, the 16S rRNA PCR-approach is the best to be used in the direct blood detection of acute cases of Carrion’s disease. However its use in samples from dry blood spots results in easier management of transport samples in rural areas, a slight decrease in the sensitivity was observed. The usefulness to detect by PCR the presence of low-bacteriemic or asymptomatic carriers is doubtful, showing the need to search for new more sensible techniques.     

Activity and spectroscopic properties of bacterial D-amino acid transaminase after multiple site-directed mutagenesis of a single tryptophan residue

One of the three tryptophan residues per subunit of thermostable D-amino acid transaminase, Trp-139, is close to the active-site Lys-145 in the sequence of the protein. This tryptophan has been changed to several other types of residues by site-directed mutagenesis. The only mutant protein that was sufficiently active and stable for study had Phe substituted for Trp (W139F). The spectroscopic properties of this mutant enzyme differed from those of the wild-type transaminase. For example, denatured W139F showed the expected decrease in fluorescence emission intensity at 350 nm due to the deletion of one Trp residue, but the fluorescence emission of the wild-type and W139F enzymes in the native state did not differ in intensity. This result suggests that the fluorescence of Trp-139 in the native, wild-type enzyme is not manifested perhaps due to its proximity to the coenzyme, pyridoxal phosphate. Results of energy-transfer studies at several wavelengths could also be interpreted as due to the proximity of Trp-139 and the coenzyme. Circular dichroism studies indicated that the negative Cotton effect at 420 nm due to the coenzyme was still present in W139F. However, the 280-nm optically active band present in the wild-type enzyme was greatly diminished in W139F. The mutant protein with Asp at position 139 (W139D) could not be isolated presumably because it was degraded. The other mutant enzymes, W139P, W139A, and W139H, were isolated with partial activities (15-35%) that were slowly lost upon storage at 4 degrees C. Overall, these results indicate the importance of Trp-139 in the thermostable D-amino acid transaminase.     

Bee visitation rates to trees of Prockia crucis differing in flower number

Summary Annual flower production ranged over four orders of magnitude among individuals of the tropical tree Prockia crucis (Flacourtiaceae), but the number of visits per flower by bees did not increase with flower number. In a population in Jalisco, México, the trees flower for about one week each year, offering only pollen to the bees (mostly solitary species). In a small group of trees, the number of visits per flower was less on trees with greater flower production but in a large group visitation did not vary between trees. Pollen flow probably was not directed from large to small trees or vice versa, because the number of flowers per tree did not determine the schedule of visits. The ratio of pollinators to pollen thieves decreased rapidly through the day, while individuals of both groups foraged more rapidly. Most bee species were rare, and only a small subset of medium-sized to large bees were effective pollinators. Large and small groups of trees differed in the relationship between individual flower crop and abundance and diversity of both pollinators and thieves.     

Axonal patterns of disc-shaped cells in the central nucleus of the cat inferior colliculus

The axonal patterns of disc-shaped cells (Dsc) and their distribution within the central nucleus (Cn) of the inferior colliculus was studied in young cats with the rapid Golgi method. Dsc were subdivided in three main cell varieties according to their axonal branching pattern. The first type possesses local axonal collaterals inside the lamina of origin but also gives collaterals and probably terminals to adjacent lamina. The second variety is characterized by a dense axonal plexus with a restricted zone of arborization. The third axonal pattern is distributed in a radiate fashion. These results demonstrate that Dsc contribute to the intrinsic axonal system of the Cn to a larger degree than previously supposed. Axon terminals of Dsc probably establish axo-dendritic contacts with medium sized Stc which probably establish contacts with neighbouring Dsc. This suggests that reciprocal connections between Dsc and Stc could exist in the Cn.