Digital Commons Network^™

Monkey-Based Research On Human Disease: The Implications Of Genetic Differences, Jarrod Bailey

Laboratory Experiments Collection

Assertions that the use of monkeys to investigate human diseases is valid scientifically are frequently based on a reported 90–93% genetic similarity between the species. Critical analyses of the relevance of monkey studies to human biology, however, indicate that this genetic similarity does not result in sufficient physiological similarity for monkeys to constitute good models for research, and that monkey data do not translate well to progress in clinical practice for humans. Salient examples include the failure of new drugs in clinical trials, the highly different infectivity and pathology of SIV/HIV, and poor extrapolation of research on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s …

Role Of Type Iv Pili In Predation By Bdellovibrio Bacteriovorus, Ryan M Chanyi, Susan F Koval

Microbiology & Immunology Publications

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, as an obligate predator of Gram-negative bacteria, requires contact with the surface of a prey cell in order to initiate the life cycle. After attachment, the predator penetrates the prey cell outer membrane and enters the periplasmic space. Attack phase cells of B. bacteriovorus have polar Type IV pili that are required for predation. In other bacteria, these pili have the ability to extend and retract via the PilT protein. B. bacteriovorus has two pilT genes, pilT1 and pilT2, that have been implicated in the invasion process. Markerless in-frame deletion mutants were constructed in a prey-independent mutant to …

Death Patterns During The 1918 Influenza Pandemic In Chile, Gerardo Chowell, Lone Simonsen, Jose Flores, Mark A. Miller, Cecile G. Viboud

Global Health Faculty Publications

Scarce information about the epidemiology of historical influenza pandemics in South America prevents complete understanding of pandemic patterns throughout the continent and across different climatic zones. To fill gaps with regard to spatiotemporal patterns of deaths associated with the 1918 influenza pandemic in Chile, we reviewed archival records. We found evidence that multiple pandemic waves at various times of the year and of varying intensities occurred during 1918-1921 and that influenza-related excess deaths peaked during July-August 1919. Pandemic-associated mortality rates were elevated for all age groups, including for adults >50 years of age; elevation from baseline was highest for young …

The Impact Of Polio Eradication On Routine Immunization And Primary Health Care: A Mixed-Methods Study, Svea Closser, Kelly Cox, Thomas M. Parris, R Matthew Landis, Judith Justice, Ranjani Gopinath, Kenneth Maes, Hailom Banteyerga Amaha, Ismaila Zango Mohammed, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: After 2 decades of focused efforts to eradicate polio, the impact of eradication activities on health systems continues to be controversial. This study evaluated the impact of polio eradication activities on routine immunization (RI) and primary healthcare (PHC).
Methods: Quantitative analysis assessed the effects of polio eradication campaigns on RI and maternal healthcare coverage. A systematic qualitative analysis in 7 countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa assessed impacts of polio eradication activities on key health system functions, using data from interviews, participant observation, and document review.
Results: Our quantitative analysis did not find compelling evidence of widespread and …

Benchmarks 2014, November 21, The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks 2014

BenchMarks. Friday, November 21, 2014

The community newsletter of The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks is published monthly and is distributed on the campus of The Rockefeller University. It produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Evidence-Informed Guidelines For Pediatric Pandemic Planning And Response, Ginny Sprang, James J. Clark, Miriam Silman, Phyllis W. Leigh, Candice M. Jackson, A. Scott Lajoie

Center on Trauma and Children Reports

From the executive summary:

Pandemic events are unpredictable and inevitable. When they occur, the impact is both all-encompassing and asymmetrical; each pandemic targets specific, vulnerable populations, but ultimately impacts individuals, families and communities throughout the world. Regardless of origin or circumstances, the next pandemic will certainly count infants, children, and adolescents among its most vulnerable targets. As evidenced by the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, children may be at higher risk than populations more typically seen as susceptible to pandemic illness (the elderly, those with weakened immune systems, etc.). Children also can function as disease vectors, spreading the virus through their …

Labrad : Vol 40, Issue 2 - November 2014, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi

LABRAD - Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Radiology Archives

• Significance of HLA Typing in Transplant Medicine
• Role of Protocol Renal Biopsies in Transplant Patients
• Blood Product Utilization in Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
• Use of Magic Marker “C4d” in the Diagnosis of Acute Antibody Mediated Rejection in Renal Transplant Patients
• Coagulopathy in Renal Transplantation
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Cyclosporine
• Signifi cance of CMV antigenemia Assay In Renal Transplant Patients
• Pretransplant Serological Evaluation
• Importance of Monitoring Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and BKV (Polyomavirus) Infection in Renal Transplant Patients

Measuring Immune Responsiveness In Xenopus Laevis Using Phytohaemagglutanin (Pha), Kevin Kinney, Skyler Majors, Madelyn Lee, Scott Espich, Erika Kischuk

Annual Student Research Poster Session

Phytohaemagglutanin (PHA) is a red kidney bean extract that has been used to stimulate an immunological T cell response in a variety of animals. This procedure has become very popular method to analyze an individual animal’s ability to trigger an immunological response.(Brown 2014) PHA skin testing has been used in a variety of avian, mice, lizard, and amphibian species where it is injected into the muscle, skin, or webbing of an animal and then recording the amount of swelling before and after the injection.(Smits 1999) We are using the amphibian Xenopus laevis to test 1) their immune reaction under normal …

Preventing Sleep Deprivation In Shift Nurses: What Is The Best Evidence?, Rhonda D. Wilkins

Theses and Dissertations

Insufficient sleep can lead to a variety of cognitive problems such as impaired learning ability, slow thought processes, slower reaction time, poor mood, risky decision-making, inattention, diminished communication skills, and the danger of falling asleep during critical times. Sleep deprived shift nurses are a risk for making erTors and developing health problems. The purpose of this independent study is to detennine the best evidence to prevent sleep deprivation in shift nurses.

A comprehensive review of the literature was perfonned to detennine best practices of preventing sleep deprivation in shift nurses. Literature searches using CINAHL, Medline, Medline Plus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, …

Ido2 In Immunomodulation And Autoimmune Disease., George C Prendergast, Richard Metz, Alexander J Muller, Lauren M F Merlo, Laura Mandik-Nayak

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

IDO2 is a relative of IDO1 implicated in tryptophan catabolism and immune modulation but its specific contributions to normal physiology and pathophysiology are not known. Evolutionary genetic studies suggest that IDO2 has a unique function ancestral to IDO1. In mice, IDO2 gene deletion does not appreciably affect embryonic development or hematopoiesis, but it leads to defects in allergic or autoimmune responses and in the ability of IDO1 to influence the generation of T regulatory cells. Gene expression studies indicate that IDO2 is a basally and more narrowly expressed gene than IDO1 and that IDO2 is uniquely regulated by AhR, which …

What Is Criminal Restitution?, Cortney E. Lollar

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

A new form of restitution has become a core aspect of criminal punishment. Courts now order defendants to compensate victims for an increasingly broad category of losses, including emotional and psychological losses and losses for which the defendant was not found guilty. Criminal restitution therefore moves far beyond its traditional purpose of disgorging a defendant's ill-gotten gains. Instead, restitution has become a mechanism of imposing additional punishment. Courts, however, have failed to recognize the punitive nature of restitution and thus enter restitution orders without regard to the constitutional protections that normally attach to criminal proceedings. This Article deploys a novel …

Prevention Of Central Venous Catheter-Associated Blood Stream Infections In Pediatric Patients: A Review Of The Literature, Shanna Giedl, Brittany Cain

Nursing Student Work

No abstract provided.

The Burden Of Underweight And Overweight Among Women In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Yibeltal Tebekaw, Charles Teller, Uriyoan Colón-Ramos

Global Health Faculty Publications

Background

Obesity and overweight are rising worldwide while underweight rates persist in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity among non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years, and its socio-demographic correlates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

The data are from 2000, 2005 and 2011 nationally representative Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys in Addis Ababa. The dependent variable was women’s nutritional status measured in terms of body mass index coded in binary outcomes to examine risk of being underweight (<18.5 kg/m² vs. ≥18.5 kg/m²) or overweight/obese (>25 kg/m^{2 …}

Viral Etiology Of Respiratory Infections In Children In Southwestern Saudi Arabia Using Multiplex Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Mohamed S. Al-Ayed, Ahmed M. Asaad, Mohamed A. Qureshi, Mohammed S. Ameen

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To investigate 15 respiratory viruses in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) using multiplex reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and to analyze the clinical and epidemiological features of these viruses. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 135 children, ≤5 years of age who presented with ARTIs in Najran Maternity and Children Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia between October 2012 and July 2013 were included. The clinical and sociodemographic data, and the laboratory results were recorded using a standardized questionnaire. Two nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from each child: one for bacteriological examination, and the second for viral detection using multiplex RT-PCR. …

Welfare Reform And Children’S Health, Badi H. Baltagi, Yin -Fang Yen

Center for Policy Research

This study investigates the effect of the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) program on children’s health outcomes using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) over the period 1994 to 2005. The TANF policies have been credited with increased employment for single mothers and a dramatic drop in welfare caseload. Our results show that these policies also had a significant effect on various measures of children’s medical utilization among low-income families. These health measures include a rating of the child’s health status reported by the parents; the number of times that parents consulted a doctor; and …

Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay Detects Hiv Drug Resistance Associated With Virologic Failure Among Antiretroviral-Naive Adults In Kenya, Michael Chung, Ingrid A. Beck, Sandra Dross, Kenneth Tapia, James N. Kiarie, Barbra A. Richardson, Julie Overbaugh, Samah R. Sakr, Grace C. John-Stewart, Lisa M. Frenkel

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) is increasing in some areas of Africa. Detection of TDR may predict virologic failure of first-line non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). We evaluated the utility of a relatively inexpensive oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) to detect clinically relevant TDR at time of ART initiation.

Methods: Pre-ART plasmas from ART-naive Kenyans initiating an NNRTI-based fixed-dose combination ART in a randomized adherence trial conducted in 2006 were retrospectively analyzed by OLA for mutations conferring resistance to NNRTI (K103N, Y181C, and G190A) and lamivudine (M184V). Post-ART plasmas were analyzed for virologic failure (≥1,000 copies/mL) at 6 month …

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Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Raw Milk, Raw Power: States Of (Mis)Trust, Diana Mincyte

Publications and Research

In recent years, raw milk has emerged as one of the most contentious food commodities, considered a serious health risk by public health officials and a source of healing and nourishment by raw milk proponents. The purpose of this article is to explore the ways in which consumers construct and experience trust in food that is often procured in informal markets. Because the image of an overreaching, exploitative government features prominently in popular narratives surrounding raw milk consumption, this article is explicitly concerned with the role of the state in public food debates. Drawing on two complementary empirical cases of …

Discovery Of A 240 Million Year Old Nematode Parasite Egg In A Cynodont Coprolite Sheds Light On The Early Origin Of Pinworms In Vertebrates, Jean-Pierre Hugot, Scott Gardner, Victor Borba, Priscilla Araujo, Daniela Leles, Átila Da-Rosa, Juliana Dutra, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Background: We report the discovery of a nematode parasite egg (Nemata: Oxyurida) from a coprolite closely associated with the remains of several species of Cynodontia, dated to 240 million years old. This finding is particularly significant because this is the oldest record of an oxyurid nematode yet discovered, and because the cynodonts are considered a stem-group of the mammals.

Methods: We extracted material from a fully mineralized coprolite by both scraping the surface, and removing fragments from its interior with clean dental instruments used a single time. A single drop of glycerol from a new vial was added as a …

Erection Of The Haploporid Genus Litosaccus N. G. And Its Phylogenetic Relationship Within The Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Thomas A. Cribb, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Litosaccus n. g. is erected for Paralecithobotrys brisbanensis Martin, 1974 n. comb. for which an amended description is given. The new genus is morphologically similar to the haploporine Lecithobotrys Looss, 1902 but with a more elongate and cylindrical body; an infundibuliform oral sucker; a thin-walled hermaphroditic sac; a shallow genital atrium; and unequal, cylindrical, and elongated caeca. It also resembles Pseudolecithobotrys Blasco-Costa, Gibson, Balbuena, Raga & Kostadinova, 2009, but the only member of that genus has a hermaphroditic sac that is twice the length of the ventral sucker, a hermaphroditic duct with intensely staining cuboidal cells, an elongate testis, and …

Nosocomial Infections In Ambulances And Effectiveness Of Ambulance Fumigation Techniques In Saudi Arabia. Phase I Study, Daifallah Alrazeeni

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate infection control and the incidence of bacterial pathogens in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) ambulances in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The effectiveness of fumigation techniques used for these ambulances to minimize the spread of infection to transported patients and pre-hospital care providers was also assessed. METHODS: Based on previous literature review indicating a higher propensity of microbial load, 3 areas within the ambulance, such as, stretcher handle, oxygen flow meter knob, and interior handle of the rear door were selected for specimen collection. Swab samples were collected both in the day and night shift, after the intended disinfection and …

Prevalence Of Helicobacter Pylori And Parasites In Symptomatic Children Examined For Helicobacter Pylori Antibodies, Antigens, And Parasites In Yemen, Lutf M. Al-Zubairi, Abdul K. Sallam

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and parasites in symptomatic children examined for H. pylori antibodies, antigens, and parasites in Yemen. METHODS: A record-based study was carried out at Specialized Sam Pediatric Center in Sana’a, Yemen for 3 years between 2011-2013. Out of the 43,200 patients seen for different causes through that period, 1008 (2.3%) (females: 675 [67%]; males: 333 [33%]) had gastric complaints, and were subjected to an examination of blood and stool for H. pylori and parasites. Data regarding age and gender was also collected. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 3-15 …

Site-Specific Mouth Rinsing Can Improve Oral Odor By Altering Bacterial Counts. Blind Crossover Clinical Study, Mohammed A. Alqumber, Khaled A. Arafa

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether site-specific mouth rinsing with oral disinfectants can improve oral odor beyond the traditional panoral mouth disinfection with mouth rinses by targeting specifically oral malodor implicated anaerobic bacteria. METHODS: Twenty healthy fasting subjects volunteered for a blinded prospective, descriptive correlational crossover cross-section clinical trial conducted during the month of Ramadan between July and August 2013 in Albaha province in Saudi Arabia involving the application of Listerine® Cool Mint® mouth rinse by either the traditional panoral rinsing method, or a site-specific disinfection method targeting the subgingival and supragingival plaque and the posterior third of the tongue dorsum, while …

Establishing Tobacco Origin From Pollen Identification: An Approach To Resolving The Debate, Shane Williams, Shelby Hubbard, Karl Reinhard, Sérgio Augusto De Miranda Chaves

Karl Reinhard Publications

Previous research into pollen content of tobacco resulted in a debate. We address this debate and determine that pollen analysis may be able to assist with identifying geographical origin of tobacco. However, the value of any results should be assessed on a case-by-case regional basis until sufficient database information is available for an objective interpretation to be undertaken on a global basis. As a first step toward developing comparative data for South America, we analyzed a tobacco sample from Brazil in an effort to identify signature taxa from the state of Minas Gerais. We also assessed the role of honey …

Epidemiology, Determinants And Dynamics Of Cholera In Pakistan: Gaps And Prospects For Future Research., Maliha Naseer, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Cholera is one of the notifiable endemic diseases in Pakistan, but the reporting of cholera cases is still unsatisfactory. Most of the diagnosed cases are never reported to the relevant authorities. In the year 1993 - 2005, the country did not report any single case of cholera to the WHO. The objectives of this review were to understand the epidemiology and to identify the possible determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan. Medscape, Medline, PakMedinet and PubMed, was searched, using key words, epidemiology and determinants of cholera infection in Pakistan during 1995 - 2010. Morbidity and mortality due to cholera infection …

Study The Quality Of Groundwater Of Al-Zoroup Area In Mahdah State, The Sultanate Of Oman, Fahad Khalifa Rashid Al-Shidi

Theses

The groundwater is the most important source of water in the Sultanate of Oman. Accordingly, the Oman Government has paid great attention commensurate with the importance of water resource in terms of their sources, quality, and ways to rationalize consumption to remain under the term of sustainability and validity of present and future generations. This study was conducted in Al Buraymi at Mahdah State in Al-Zoroub area targete a groundwater quality for 20 wells in private farms. The water samples were taken from these wells and subjected to analysis for microbial and geochemical aspects. For this analysis, the assorted devices …

Non Communicable Diseases In Pakistan: Burden, Challenges And Way Forward For Health Care Authorities, Mohammad Wasay, Shehla Zaidi, Maria Khan, Rashid Jooma

Section of Neurology

No abstract provided.

Candida Parapsilosis Complex Species And Antifungal Susceptibility Profile In Patients Of Intensive Care Units Of Mansoura University Hospitals., Ghada Mashaly

Mansoura Medical Journal

Candida parapsilosis is an importantnon-albican species responsibleforinvasive fungal infections andhospitalacquired infections especiallyin critical care patients. C.parapsilosiscomplex has been renamedaccordingto genetic bases into 3 differentspecies C.parapsilosis sensustricto,C. metapsilosis and C. orthopsilosis.This study was designedtodescribe the distribution and antifungalsusceptibility profile of thethreemembers of Candidaparapsilosiscomplex among patients of intensivecare units (ICUs) in MansouraUniversityHospitals. Candidaparapsilosiswas identified by AnalyticProfileIndex (API) 20 C. C.parapsilosissensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis were recog- nized according to the secondary alcoholdehydrogenase (SADH) restrictionpattern using BanI restrictionenzyme. Antifungal susceptibilitytestingwas performed by E test. Atotalof 68 C.parapsilosis isolateswereincluded in this study. Sixty-twoisolates(91.2%) were identified asC.parapsilosis sensu stricto, 4(5.9%)were identified as C.orthopsilosis,and …

Trichomoniasis: Conventional Diagnostic Techniques In Symptomatic And Asymptomatic Women., Wafaa Abou-Kamar, Raefa A. Atia, Hala El-Nahas, Aida Abd El-Mageid, Mohammed Mosbah, Nora El-Tantawy

Mansoura Medical Journal

Objectives: To estimate Trichomonasvaginalis prevalence in symptomaticand asymptomatic cases usingwet amount preparation andmodifiedDiamond’s culture. Materials and Methods: Two hundredfemales were enrolled in thisstudy,100 were symptomatic whileother100 were asymptomatic. Vaginalswabs samples were collectedandexamined using both wet mountandmodified Diamond’s culturemethods. Results: The allover prevalenceof trichomoniasis was 13.5% in the studied cases. By wet mount, 12%(12/100) were positive for T. vaginalisin symptomatic group while, only1%(1/100) were positive in asymptomaticgroup, whilst using modifiedDiamond’sculture, 22 cases (22%)insymptomatic and 5 cases (5%) inasymptomaticgroups. Conclusions: In our locality, modifiedDiamond’s culture is more sensitivein diagnosis of trichomoniasisthan wet amount preparation by microscopy.

Acidosis Potentiates The Host Proinflammatory Interleukin-1Β Response To Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection, I. M. Torres, Y. R. Patankar, Tamer B. Shabaneh, E. Dolben, Deborah Hogan, David Leib, Brent L. Berwin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and bacteria in general, frequently promotes acidification of the local microenvironment, and this is reinforced by pulmonary exertion and exacerbation. However, the consequence of an acidic environment on the host inflammatory response to P. aeruginosa infection is poorly understood. Here we report that the pivotal cellular and host proinflammatory interleukin-1β (IL-1β) response, which enables host clearance of the infection but can produce collateral inflammatory damage, is increased in response to P. aeruginosa infection within an acidic environment. Synergistic mechanisms that promote increased IL-1β release in response to P. aeruginosa infection in an acidic environment are …