Trafficking in human beings for for forced labour in domestic and international law: a comparative legal study of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom

This thesis examines the effect of combating of human trafficking as a crime. Special emphasis has been placed on forced labour and the rights of trafficked victims and their protection. The study explores various legislations undertaken at regional, national and international levels and considers rights of trafficked victims under international human rights and Islamic rights. The aim of the thesis is to provide a critical and comparative analysis of the legal systems of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Kingdom (UK) in terms of human trafficking. The thesis consists of eight chapter; each covering a different aspect of the study. It begins by providing background information regarding the issue of human trafficking and proceeds to examine developments of legal frameworks across the two jurisdictions to combat this crime and penalize the criminals. It seeks to examine the legal system pertaining to human trafficking for forced labour and analyse the three distinct platforms, that is, prevention, protection, and punishment, by comparing the legal systems of the KSA and the UK. The examination of both countries aims to identify the strength and weaknesses of the KSA system as compared to the UK system. Thus, it concludes that the KSA can improve its ranking from Tier 2 watch list to Tier 1 if reforms are introduced in the legislation and enforcement domains. The study also demonstrates how the UK and the KSA portray ‘human trafficking’ in their regional laws. A problem often faced during the information-gathering and investigation stages is the lack of available evidence against traffickers, a particular issue in the KSA. The thesis concludes that the transnational aspect of this phenomenon makes it necessary to establish a thorough and comprehensive legal framework to cover all matters pertaining to this crime, including the protection of victims and punishment of criminals in the KSA and the UK, including immigration and ‘kafala’ strategies that may be of value in future researches.

PAH biomarkers for human health risk assessment: a review of the state-of-the-art

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widely distributed in the environment, and some are carcinogenic to human beings. The study of biomarkers has helped clarify the nature and magnitude of the human health risks posed by such substances. This article provides a review of the state-of-the-art on PAH biomarkers for human health risk assessment and also discusses their applicability within the context of environmental management in Brazil. The article discusses the methodologies for determination of some biomarkers such as 1-hydroxypyrene and PAH-DNA adducts. Cytogenetic markers, frequency of chromosomal aberrations, and micronucleus induction were considered for the evaluation of cancer risk. The current stage of studies on validation of such biomarkers was also approached.

Do we need a “new” international convention that helps to avoid trafficking in organs? Some “criminal (and civil) law aspects” - Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine – updated or outdated?

Abstract: § 1 «Do we need a “new” international convention that helps to avoid trafficking in organs? Some criminal (and civil) law aspects”» - «Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine – updated or outdated?». § 2 Some important connections: on the one hand, between the 1997 Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine; the 2002 Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine concerning Transplantation of Organs and Tissues of Human Origin; and, on the other hand, the problem of trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal organs. Some connections. § 3 The «international undisputed principle». § 4 Trafficking in organs, tissues and cells; and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal organs. Criminal Law and Civil Law. § 5 Promote organ donation. § 6 The necessity to collect reliable data on both trafficking cases. § 7 The necessity for an internationally agreed definition of trafficking in OTC: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine – updated or outdated? § 8 The (inter)national and (il)legal organ («tissue and cell») trade: some cases and some conclusions. § 9 Do we need a new international convention to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells (OTC)? § 10 Of course we need a «new» international convention to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells (OTC). § 11 At the present moment, we do not need a «new» international convention to prevent trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the removal organs. § 12 The Portuguese case. § 13 «Final conclusions.» § Resumo: § 1 «Precisamos de uma "nova" convenção internacional que ajude a evitar o tráfico de órgãos? Alguns aspectos de lei criminal (e civil)» - «Convenção sobre Direitos Humanos e Biomedicina - Actualizada ou desactualizada?». § 2 Algumas conexões importantes: por um lado, entre a Convenção do Conselho da Europa de 1997 sobre Direitos Humanos e Biomedicina; o Protocolo Adicional de 2002 à Convenção sobre os Direitos do Homem e da Biomedicina relativo ao transplante de órgãos e tecidos de origem humana, e, por outro lado, o problema do tráfico de órgãos, tecidos e células e tráfico de seres humanos para fins de remoção dos órgãos. § 3 O «indiscutível princípio internacional». § 4 O Tráfico de órgãos, tecidos e células; e o tráfico de seres humanos para fins de remoção dos órgãos. Direito Penal e Direito Civil. § 5 Promover a doação de órgãos. § 6 A necessidade de colectar dados fidedignos sobre os dois casos de tráfico. § 7 A necessidade de uma definição internacionalmente acordada de tráfico de OTC: Convenção sobre Direitos Humanos e Biomedicina - actualizada ou desactualizada? § 8 A (inter)nacional e (il)legal comercialização de órgãos («de tecidos e de células»): alguns casos e algumas conclusões. § 9 Será que precisamos de uma nova convenção internacional para prevenir o tráfico de órgãos, tecidos e células (OTC)? § 10 É claro que precisamos de uma «nova» convenção internacional para prevenir o tráfico de órgãos, tecidos e células (OTC). § 11 No presente momento, não precisamos de uma «nova» convenção internacional para impedir o tráfico de seres humanos para fins de remoção dos órgãos. § 12 O caso Português. § 13 «As conclusões finais.»

QUANTITATIVE VS. CONVENTIONAL PCR FOR DETECTION OF HUMAN ADENOVIRUSES IN WATER AND SEDIMENT SAMPLES

SUMMARY Human Adenoviruses (HAdV) are notably resistant in the environment. These agents may serve as effective indicators of fecal contamination, and may act as causative agents of a number of different diseases in human beings. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and, more recently, quantitative PCR (qPCR) are widely used for detection of viral agents in environmental matrices. In the present study PCR and SYBR(r)Green qPCR assays were compared for detection of HAdV in water (55) and sediments (20) samples of spring and artesian wells, ponds and streams, collected from dairy farms. By the quantitative methodology HAdV were detected in 87.3% of the water samples and 80% of the sediments, while by the conventional PCR 47.3% and 35% were detected in water samples and sediments, respectively.

FIRST CASE OF HUMAN INFECTION BY Bertiella studeri (Blanchard, 1891) Stunkard,1940 (Cestoda; Anoplocephalidae) IN BRAZIL

SUMMARY Cestodes of the Bertiella genus are parasites of non-human primates found in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Species Bertiella studeri and Bertiella mucronatacould, accidentally, infect human beings. The infection occurs from ingestion of mites from the Oribatida order containing cysticercoid larvae of the parasite. The objective of this report is to register the first case of human infection by Bertiella studeri in Brazil. Proglottids of the parasite, found in the stool sample of a two-and-a-half-year-old child, were fixed, stained and microscopically observed to evaluate its morphological characteristics. Eggs obtained from the proglottids were also studied. The gravid proglottids examined matched the description of the genus Bertiella. The eggs presented a round shape, with the average diameter of 43.7 µm, clearly showing the typical pyriform apparatus of B. studeri. The authors concluded that the child was infected with Bertiella studeri,based on Stunkard's (1940) description of the species. This is the fifth case of human Bertiellosis described in Brazil through morphometric analysis of the parasite, the third in Minas Gerais State and the first diagnosed case of Bertiella studeriin Brazil.

The vaccination of h uman beings with live avirulent vaccine of Trypanosoma cruzi: A two year follow-up of the first two cases

A two year follow-up of the first two volunteers vaccinated icith the live PF Trypanosoma cruzi strain demonstrated that the parasitological and clinical test were negative during and after that period. Of the serological tests employed, the CFT presented, in only one case, conflicting results, particulary in one laboratory and among different laboratories. However negative results were greater than all doubtful and positive one combined. The IFT icere negative in both patients. Some comments are made about the sensibility and specificity of these tests. The author concluded that the vaccine, in spite of the very large dose used in these cases, seems to be safe for human beings.

Report of a human accident caused by Conus regius (Gastropoda, Conidae)

Conus regius is a venomous mollusc in the Conidae family, which includes species responsible for severe or even fatal accidents affecting human beings. This is the first report on a clinical case involving this species. It consisted a puncture in the right hand of a diver who presented paresthesia and movement difficulty in the whole limb. The manifestations disappeared after around twelve hours, without sequelae.

The evolution of man: a popular exposition of the principal points of human ontogney phylogeny / From the German of Ernst Haeckel.

1

Annotating the human genome

2 Abstract2.1 En françaisLe séquençage du génome humain est un pré-requis fondamental à la compréhension de la biologie de l'être humain. Ce projet achevé, les scientifiques ont dû faire face à une tâche aussi importante, comprendre cette suite de 3 milliards de lettres qui compose notre génome. Le consortium ENCODE (ENCyclopedia Of Dna Elements) fût formé comme une suite logique au projet du génome humain. Son rôle est d'identifier tous les éléments fonctionnels de notre génome incluant les régions transcrites, les sites d'attachement des facteurs de transcription, les sites hypersensibles à la DNAse I ainsi que les marqueurs de modification des histones. Dans le cadre de ma thèse doctorale, j'ai participé à 2 sous-projets d'ENCODE. En premier lieu, j'ai eu la tâche de développer et d'optimiser une technique de validation expérimentale à haut rendement de modèles de gènes qui m'a permis d'estimer la qualité de la plus récente annotation manuelle. Ce nouveau processus de validation est bien plus efficace que la technique RNAseq qui est actuellement en train de devenir la norme. Cette technique basée sur la RT-PCR, m'a notamment permis de découvrir de nouveaux exons dans 10% des régions interrogées. En second lieu j'ai participé à une étude ayant pour but d'identifier les extrémités de tous les gènes des chromosomes humains 21 et 22. Cette étude à permis l'identification à large échelle de transcrits chimères comportant des séquences provenant de deux gènes distincts pouvant être à une grande distance l'un de autre.2.2 In EnglishThe completion of the human genome sequence js the prerequisite to fully understand the biology of human beings. This project achieved, scientists had to face another challenging task, understanding the meaning of the 3 billion letters composing this genome. As a logical continuation of the human genome project, the ENCODE (ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) consortium was formed with the aim of annotating all its functional elements. These elements include transcribed regions, transcription binding sites, DNAse I hypersensitive sites and histone modification marks. In the frame of my PhD thesis, I was involved in two sub-projects of ENCODE. Firstly I developed and optimized an high throughput method to validate gene models, which allowed me to assess the quality of the most recent manually-curated annotation. This novel experimental validation pipeline is extremely effective, far more so than transcriptome profiling through RNA sequencing, which is becoming the norm. This RT-PCR-seq targeted-approach is likewise particularly efficient in identifying novel exons, as we discovered about 10% of loci with unannotated exons. Secondly, I participated to a study aiming to identify the gene boundaries of all genes in the human chromosome 21 and 22. This study led to the identification of chimeric transcripts that are composed of sequences coming form two distinct genes that can be map far away from each other.

Detection of poxvirus in cattle associated with human cases in the State of Rio de Janeiro: preliminary report

This preliminary report describes human and cow cases of poxvirus that recently ocurred in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The electron microscopic findings were consistent with parapoxviral and orthopoxviral infection. Orthopoxvirus strains were isolated from human and cow cases. Detailed viral characterization by means of genetical techniques is under investigation. Based on these informations, poxviral diseases should be also considered an emerging viral zoonosis that can affect human beings.

A comparative parasitologic study on Biomphalaria glabrata snail and C3H/He mice infected with human and murine isolates of Schistosoma mansoni derived from Sumidouro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Experiments were carried out to analyze the biological characteristics of two sympatric isolates of Schistosoma mansoni derived from humans and murines in a low endemic transmission area (Sumidouro county, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Sympatric reared-laboratory Biomphalaria glabrata and C3H/He mice were used as experimental hosts. Parameters assessed comprised: precercarial period, infectivity and mortality (snails), prepatent period, infectivity (percentage of cercariae maturation into adult worm) and intestinal egg count (mice). The murine isolate showed a shorter precercarial period and higher infectivity than human isolate (p < 0.05). This biological heterogenicity did not correspond to the vertebrate data because any biological parameter presented significant difference (p > 0.05). These data suggest that both isolates are local sub-populations, providing support for the hypotheses that in a same biotope mixed populations or sub-populations circulate among their main host (human beings) and/or rodent as an anfixenous infection.

The Rose Bengal test in human brucellosis: a neglected test for the diagnosis of a neglected disease

Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis affecting livestock and human beings. The human disease lacks pathognomonic symptoms and laboratory tests are essential for its diagnosis. However, most tests are difficult to implement in the areas and countries were brucellosis is endemic. Here, we compared the simple and cheap Rose Bengal Test (RBT) with serum agglutination, Coombs, competitive ELISA, Brucellacapt, lateral flow immunochromatography for IgM and IgG detection and immunoprecipitation with Brucella proteins. We tested 208 sera from patients with brucellosis proved by bacteriological isolation, 20 contacts with no brucellosis, and 1559 sera of persons with no recent contact or brucellosis symptoms. RBT was highly sensitive in acute and long evolution brucellosis cases and this related to its ability to detect IgM, IgG and IgA, to the absence of prozones, and to the agglutinating activity of blocking IgA at the pH of the test. RBT was also highly specific in the sera of persons with no contact with Brucella. No test in this study outperformed RBT, and none was fully satisfactory in distinguishing contacts from infected patients. When modified to test serum dilutions, a diagnostic titer >4 in RBT resulted in 87.4% sensitivity (infected patients) and 100% specificity (contacts). We discuss the limitations of serological tests in the diagnosis of human brucellosis, particularly in the more chronic forms, and conclude that simplicity and affordability of RBT make it close to the ideal test for small and understaffed hospitals and laboratories.