Rapid HIV diagnostic test in undocumented pregnant women applied at an inner-city teaching hospital

A significant number of Brazilian gestational-age women are still not tested for HIV, representing a high risk of transmission to their newborns. The current study sought to identify the number of pregnant women with no previous testing or undocumented for HIV referred to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of a Regional Teaching Hospital and included diagnosis of HIV infection determined by a rapid test and perinatal transmission in pregnancy. Medical records of all pregnant women admitted to hospital from January 2001 to December 2005 were reviewed. Pregnant women without HIV results were submitted to a rapid HIV test. Those who tested positive were further tested by ELISA and confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIA) or Western blot (WB). The viral load from babies born to HIV-infected mothers was assessed by bDNA. Of the 16,424 pregnant women analyzed (6.6%), 1,089 were undocumented for HIV. Eleven women were positive in rapid testing and 10 were confirmed by ELISA, IIA or WB, with 0.9% seropositivity. Mother/infant pairs received zidovudine monotherapy prophylaxis and infant viral load was lower than 50 copies/mL. A higher number of pregnant women previously tested for HIV during antenatal care was verified, compared to that obtained nationwide.

Mapping the Pasture Steppe in Bayankhongor, Mongolia: comparison of classification methods, using Landsat-8 and geophysical data

Grasslands in semi-arid regions, like Mongolian steppes, are facing desertification and degradation processes, due to climate change. Mongolia’s main economic activity consists on an extensive livestock production and, therefore, it is a concerning matter for the decision makers. Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems provide the tools for advanced ecosystem management and have been widely used for monitoring and management of pasture resources. This study investigates which is the higher thematic detail that is possible to achieve through remote sensing, to map the steppe vegetation, using medium resolution earth observation imagery in three districts (soums) of Mongolia: Dzag, Buutsagaan and Khureemaral. After considering different thematic levels of detail for classifying the steppe vegetation, the existent pasture types within the steppe were chosen to be mapped. In order to investigate which combination of data sets yields the best results and which classification algorithm is more suitable for incorporating these data sets, a comparison between different classification methods were tested for the study area. Sixteen classifications were performed using different combinations of estimators, Landsat-8 (spectral bands and Landsat-8 NDVI-derived) and geophysical data (elevation, mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature) using two classification algorithms, maximum likelihood and decision tree. Results showed that the best performing model was the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), using the decision tree. For maximum likelihood, the model that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation (Model 5) and the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), achieved the higher accuracies for this algorithm. The decision tree models consistently outperformed the maximum likelihood ones.

Assessment of NDVI, land surface temperature and precipitation anomalies for drought monitoring in Bayankhongor province, Mongolia

During the last decade Mongolia’s region was characterized by a rapid increase of both severity and frequency of drought events, leading to pasture reduction. Drought monitoring and assessment plays an important role in the region’s early warning systems as a way to mitigate the negative impacts in social, economic and environmental sectors. Nowadays it is possible to access information related to the hydrologic cycle through remote sensing, which provides a continuous monitoring of variables over very large areas where the weather stations are sparse. The present thesis aimed to explore the possibility of using NDVI as a potential drought indicator by studying anomaly patterns and correlations with other two climate variables, LST and precipitation. The study covered the growing season (March to September) of a fifteen year period, between 2000 and 2014, for Bayankhongor province in southwest Mongolia. The datasets used were MODIS NDVI, LST and TRMM Precipitation, which processing and analysis was supported by QGIS software and Python programming language. Monthly anomaly correlations between NDVI-LST and NDVI-Precipitation were generated as well as temporal correlations for the growing season for known drought years (2001, 2002 and 2009). The results show that the three variables follow a seasonal pattern expected for a northern hemisphere region, with occurrence of the rainy season in the summer months. The values of both NDVI and precipitation are remarkably low while LST values are high, which is explained by the region’s climate and ecosystems. The NDVI average, generally, reached higher values with high precipitation values and low LST values. The year of 2001 was the driest year of the time-series, while 2003 was the wet year with healthier vegetation. Monthly correlations registered weak results with low significance, with exception of NDVI-LST and NDVI-Precipitation correlations for June, July and August of 2002. The temporal correlations for the growing season also revealed weak results. The overall relationship between the variables anomalies showed weak correlation results with low significance, which suggests that an accurate answer for predicting drought using the relation between NDVI, LST and Precipitation cannot be given. Additional research should take place in order to achieve more conclusive results. However the NDVI anomaly images show that NDVI is a suitable drought index for Bayankhongor province.

Determinants for the subcellular localization of the inner and outer spore coat hubs in Bacillus subtilis

Endospores, or spores for simplicity, are a highly resistant cell type produced by some bacterial species under adverse conditions. Two main protective layers contribute to the resilience of spores: the cortex, composed of peptidoglycan, and the outermost proteinaceous coat. In Bacillus subtilis, the coat comprises up to 80 different proteins, organized into four sublayers: the basement layer, the inner coat, the outer coat and the crust. These proteins are synthesized at different times during sporulation and deposited at the spore surface in multiple coordinated waves. Central to coat formation is a group of morphogenetic proteins that guide the assembly of the coat components. Targeting of the coat proteins to the surface of the developing spore is mainly controlled by the SpoIVA morphogenetic ATPase. In a second stage, the coat proteins fully encircle the spore, a process termed encasement that requires the morphogenetic protein SpoVID. Assembly of the inner coat requires SafA, whereas formation of the outer coat and the crust requires CotE. SafA interacts directly with the N terminus of SpoVID. (...)

Mecanismos de Fotopercepción No-Visual y Control Circadiano en la Retina Interna de Vertebrados en Condiciones Fisiológicas y en un Modelo Animal de Ceguera. Mechanisms of Non-visual Perception and Circadian Control in the Vertebrate Inner Retina under Physiological Conditions and in Animal Model of Blindness.

La retina juega un rol esencial en el funcionamiento del sistema circadiano de los vertebrados al ser la encargada de sensar las condiciones de iluminación ambiental que ajustan el reloj interno con el fotoperíodo exterior a través de un circuito no-visual. Este circuito es independiente de la vía de formación de imágenes e involucra a las células ganglionares retinianas (CGRs) que proyectan a varias estructuras no-visuales del cerebro; esta vía es la encargada de regular el reflejo pupilar, la sincronización de los ritmos diarios de actividad, el sueño y la supresión de melatonina pineal. La retina contiene además un reloj autónomo que genera ritmos diarios autosostenidos en distintas funciones bioquímicas y fisiológicas, que le confiere la capacidad de predecir el tiempo y anticiparse en su fisiología a los cambios lumínicos a lo largo del ciclo día-noche. Este laboratorio ha demostrado por 1ra vez que las CGRs de pollo poseen osciladores endógenos que generan variaciones diarias en la biosíntesis de fosfolípidos (Guido et al, J Neurochem. 2001; Garbarino et al., J Neurosci Res. 2004a) y de la hormona melatonina con niveles máximos durante el día (Garbarino et al., J Biol Chem 2004b). Aún más, cultivos primarios de CGRs responden a la luz a través de una cascada bioquímica de fototransducción similar a la de invertebrados y que involucra la activación de la enzima fosfolipasa C (PLC) (Contin et al., FASEB J 2006). Estos cultivos fueron obtenidos a estadios embrionarios muy tempranos en dónde solo las CGRs son postmitóticas y mayoritariamente maduras. A estos estadios, los cultivos expresan marcadores de especificación de células ganglionares (pax6, brn3), la proteina Gq y los fotopigmentos melanopsina y criptocromos con gran homología con marcadores descriptos para fotorreceptores rabdoméricos de invertebrados (Contin et al, 2006). Recientemente comenzamos a investigar la percepción de luz en pollos GUCY1*, un modelo de ceguera, en animales que carecen de células fotorreceptoras-conos y bastones-funcionales. Resultados preliminares indicarían que la retina interna, y potencialmente las CGRs de estos animales conservarían la capacidad de responder a la luz regulando el reflejo pupilar y sincronizando los ritmos diarios de alimentación. La convergencia de osciladores y fotopigmentos en la población de CGRs podría contribuir al control temporal de la fisiología del organismo y regulación de funciones no-visuales. Son objetivos de este proyecto: a) Investigar el rol de las CGRs en el sistema circadiano estudiando: i- su habilidad para sintetizar melatonina y, su regulación por luz y dopamina; ii- su capacidad fotorreceptora intrínseca, investigando la presencia de fotopigmentos y componentes de la cascada de fototransducción fundamentalmente la vía de los fosfoinosítidos y la activación de PLC, mediante ensayos moleculares, bioquímicos y farmacológicos; b) Extender estos estudios a cultivos primarios de CGRs inmunopurificadas midiendo la respuesta a la luz sobre la síntesis de melatonina, y los niveles de los mensajeros 2rios Ca2+ y AMP cíclico, la inducción de genes tempranos y la regulación de la actividad NAT, enzima clave en la síntesis de melatonina; y c) Investigar la percepción de luz en pollos GUCY1*(ciegos), sobre distintas funciones no-visuales tales como el reflejo pupilar, la sincronización de los ritmos diarios de alimentación, la síntesis de melatonina y la expresión génica en animales expuestos a estimulación lumínica de distintas intensidades y longitudes de onda. Estos estudios permitirán construir el espectro de acción de la respuesta a la luz en los pollos ciegos a fin de identificar el/los fotopigmentos intervinientes en este fenómeno. Este proyecto profundizará el conocimiento sobre la capacidad fotorreceptora-no visual de la retina interna y particularmente de las CGRs, de la naturaleza de la cascada bioquímica que opera en las mismas y de los mecanismos de regeneración del cromóforo utilizado.

Planktonic ciliates Choreotrichida and Strombidiida from the inner zone of Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina

Seven species of aloricate planktonic ciliates were identified using protargol staining. Choreotrichida: Strombidinopsidae, Strombidinopsis elongata Song & Bradbury, 1998; Strobiliidae, Strobilidium epacrum Lynn & Montagnes, 1988 and Strombidiida: Strombidiidae, Strombidium capitatum (Leegaard, 1915) Kahl, 1932; S. emergens (Leegaard, 1915) Kahl, 1932; S. acutum Leegaard, 1915; S. dalum Lynn, Montagnes & Small, 1988 and Cyrtostrombidium longisomum Lynn & Gilron, 1993; they were collected from the inner zone of the Bahía Blanca estuary in the southern region of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. These species represent new records to South America (Argentina).

The endodermis--development and differentiation of the plant's inner skin.

Controlling external compound entrance is essential for plant survival. To set up an efficient and selective sorting of nutrients, free diffusion via the apoplast in vascular plants is blocked at the level of the endodermis. Although we have learned a lot about endodermal specification in the last years, information regarding its differentiation is still very limited. A differentiated endodermal cell can be defined by the presence of the "Casparian strip" (CS), a cell wall modification described first by Robert Caspary in 1865. While the anatomical description of CS in many vascular plants has been very detailed, we still lack molecular information about the establishment of the Casparian strips and their actual function in roots. The recent isolation of a novel protein family, the CASPs, that localizes precisely to a domain of the plasma membrane underneath the CS represents an excellent point of entry to explore CS function and formation. In addition, it has been shown that the endodermis contains transporters that are localized to either the central (stele-facing) or peripheral (soil-facing) plasma membranes. These features suggest that the endodermis functions as a polar plant epithelium.

Permian-polysulphide-siderite-barite-haematite deposit Rude in Samoborska Gora Mts., Zagorje-Mid-Transdanubian zone of the Inner Dinarides

Samoborska Gora Mts. is situated within the westernmost part of the Zagorje-Mid-Transdanubian zone of the Internal Dinarides. The Samoborska Gora Mts. predominantly consists of Permian unmetamorphosed siliciclastic sediments and evaporites, overlain by Lower Triassic sediments. Rude mineralisation is hosted by Permian siliciclastic sediments, below gypsum and anhydrite strata. The central part of the deposit consists of a 1.5 km long stratabound mineralisation, grading laterally into ferruginous sandstone and protruding vertically into a gypsum-anhydrite layer. Siderite-polysulphide-barite-quartz veins are located below the stratabound mineralisation. The stratiform part of the deposit is situated above the stratabound and consists of haematite layer with barite concretions and veinlets. Late stage galena-barite veins overprint earlier types of mineralisation. The Rude ore deposit was generated by predominantly NaCl +/- CaCl(2)-H(2)O solutions. Detrital quartz from stratiform mineralisation contains fluid inclusions with salinities between 7 and 11 wt. % NaCl equ., homogenizing between 150 degrees C to 230 degrees C. Stratabound/siderite-polysulphide-barite-quartz vein type mineralisation was derived from solutions with salinities between 5 and 19 wt. % NaCl equ., homogenizing between 60 degrees C and 160 degrees C, while late stage galenabarite veins were precipitated from solutions with salinities between 11 and 16 wt. % NaCl equ., homogenizing between 100 degrees C to 140 degrees C. Fluid inclusion bulk leachate chemistry recorded Na(+)> Mg(2+)>K(+)>Ca(2+)>Li(+) and Cl-> SO(4)(2-) ions. Sulphur isotope composition of barites and overlying gypsum stems from Permian seawater sulphate, supported by increased Br(-) content, which follows successively the seawater evaporation line. The sulphur isotopic composition of sulphides varies between -0.2 and + 12.5 parts per thousand , as a result of thermal reduction of Permian marine sulphate. Ore-forming fluids were produced by hydrothermal convective cells (reflux brine model), and were derived primarily from Permian seawater, modified by evaporation and interaction with Permian sedimentary rocks. Rude deposits in Samoborska Gora Mts. may be declared as a prototype of the Permian siderite-polysulphide-barite deposits (products of rifting along the passive Gondwana margin), in the Inner Dinarides, and their equivalents extending northeastward into the Zagorje-Mid-Transdanubian Zone and the Gemerides, and southeastward to the Hellenide-Albanides.

Resurgence of inner solutions for perturbations of the McMillan map

A sequence of “inner equations” attached to certain perturbations of the McMillan map was considered in [MSS09], their solutions were used in that article to measure an exponentially small separatrix splitting. We prove here all the results relative to these equations which are necessary to complete the proof of the main result of [MSS09]. The present work relies on ideas from resurgence theory: we describe the formal solutions, study the analyticity of their Borel transforms and use ´Ecalle’s alien derivations to measure the discrepancy between different Borel-Laplace sums.

Carcinome basocellulaire associé à un papillome de l'angle interne de la paupière [Basal cell carcinoma associated with a squamous cell papilloma at the inner part of the eyelid].

There are numerous variants of cutaneous tumors involving the eyelids. Tumors of a different nature may at times be observed simultaneously in the same area of the eyelid. A clinicopathologic case of a 36-year-old male patient with 2 different cutaneous tumors at the nasal part of the left eyelid is reported. One was a nodular tumor on the inner canthus with a pearly appearance; the other had a papillomatous pattern. After surgical removal, the histopathological study of the tumors disclosed a typical basal cell carcinoma and a squamous cell papilloma. Both tumors can be commonly observed on the eyelids and surgical excision cured the patient.

Free-breathing inner-volume black-blood imaging of the human heart using two-dimensionally selective local excitation at 3 T.

Black-blood fast spin-echo imaging is a powerful technique for the evaluation of cardiac anatomy. To avoid fold-over artifacts, using a sufficiently large field of view in phase-encoding direction is mandatory. The related oversampling affects scanning time and respiratory chest motion artifacts are commonly observed. The excitation of a volume that exclusively includes the heart without its surrounding structures may help to improve scan efficiency and minimize motion artifacts. Therefore, and by building on previously reported inner-volume approach, the combination of a black-blood fast spin-echo sequence with a two-dimensionally selective radiofrequency pulse is proposed for selective "local excitation" small field of view imaging of the heart. This local excitation technique has been developed, implemented, and tested in phantoms and in vivo. With this method, small field of view imaging of a user-specified region in the human thorax is feasible, scanning becomes more time efficient, motion artifacts can be minimized, and additional flexibility in the choice of imaging parameters can be exploited.

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and hepatitis C virus among injection drug users who use high risk inner-city locales in Miami, Florida

In order to estimate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection in hard-to-reach intravenous drug users, 199 subjects from high-risk inner-city locales, the so called "shooting galleries", were consented, interviewed, and tested in Miami, FL, US. Positive HIV-1 status was based on repeatedly reactive ELISA and confirmatory Western Blot. Positive HCV status was based on reactive ELISA and confirmatory polymerase chain reaction techniques. Overall, 50 (25%) were not infected with either virus, 61 (31%) were HIV-1/HCV co-infected, 17 (8%) infected by HIV-1 only, and 71 (36%) infected by HCV only. The results of the multivariable analyses showed that more years using heroin was the only significant risk factor for HCV only infection (odds ratio = 1.15; 95% confidence interval = 1.07, 1.24) and for HIV-1/HCV co-infection (odds ratio = 1.17; 95% confidence interval = 1.09, 1.26). This paper demonstrates that HIV-1/HCV co-infection is highly prevalent among so called "shooting galleries".

Autochthonous horizontal transmission of a CRF02_AG strain revealed by a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 diversity survey in a small city in inner state of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil

As part of an ongoing study on the features of AIDS spread towards small cities and rural areas, we present a molecular survey of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) polymerase sequences recovered between 2004 and 2006 from 71 patients receiving care in the city of Saquarema, inner state of Rio de Janeiro. Phylogenetic reconstructions found the two prevalent lineages in the state (subtypes B [59 strains, 83.1%], F1 [6 strains; 8.4%], and BF1 recombinants [four strains; 5.6%]), as well as two (2.8%) CRF02_AG strains, which seems to be an emerging lineage in the capital. These CRF02_AG sequences were recovered from a married heterosexual couple who never traveled abroad, thus providing the first molecular evidence of autochthonous horizontal transmission of this lineage of major global importance. Also, three phylogenetic clusters of strains recovered from a total of 18.3% of the cohort were uncovered. Their close genetic relatedness suggests they were recovered from patients who probably took part in the same chain of viral spread. In conjunction with our previous surveys from inner Rio de Janeiro, these results suggest that although small cities harbor unique molecular features of HIV-1 infection, they also clearly reflect and may rapidly absorb the diversity recorded in large urban centers.