Use of the polymerase chain reaction to detect Mycobacterium leprae in urine

Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been applied to detect M. leprae in different clinical samples and urine seems to be attractive for this purpose. PCR was used to improve the sensitivity for diagnosing leprosy by amplifying a 151-bp PCR fragment of the M. leprae pra gene (PCR-Pra) in urine samples. Seventy-three leprosy patients (39 males and 34 females, 14 to 78 years old) were selected for leprosy diagnosis at a reference laboratory in Maringa, PR, Brazil. Of these, 36 were under anti-leprosy multidrug therapy with dapsone and rifampicin for tuberculoid (TT) and dapsone, rifampicin and clofazimine for borderline (BB) and lepromatous (LL) forms. The control group contained 50 healthy individuals without any clinical history of leprosy. DNA isolated from leprosy patients' urine samples was successfully amplified by PCR-Pra in 46.6% (34/73) of the cases. The positivity of PCR-Pra for patients with the TT form was 75% for both patients under treatment and non-treated patients (P = 0.1306). In patients with the LL form, PCR-Pra positivity was 52 and 30% for patients under treatment and non-treated patients, respectively (P = 0.2386). PCR-Pra showed a statistically significant difference in detecting M. leprae between the TT and LL forms of leprosy in patients under treatment (P = 0.0033). Although the current study showed that the proposed PCR-Pra has some limitations in the detection of M. leprae, this method has the potential to be a useful tool for leprosy diagnosis mainly in TT leprosy where the AFB slit-skin smear is always negative.

Transforming growth factor beta and apoptosis in leprosy skin lesions: possible relationship with the control of the tissue immune response in the Mycobacterium leprae infection

The course of leprosy depends of the host immune response which ranges from the lepromatous pole (LL) to the tuberculoid pole (TT). A comparative study was conducted in 60 patients with the LL and TT The results showed a mean expression of TGF-beta of 339 +/- 99.4 cells/field for TT and of 519.2 +/- 68.2 cells/field for LL. Frequency of apoptosis was 6.3 +/- 1.8 in TT and 14.0 +/- 6.1 in LL. A correlation (p = 0.0251) between TGF-beta and caspase-3 in the LL was found. This finding indicates a role of TGF-beta and apoptosis in the immune response in leprosy. (C) 2012 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Differential expression of the costimulatory molecules CD86, CD28, CD152 and PD-1 correlates with the host-parasite outcome in leprosy

Leprosy is a spectral disease exhibiting two polar sides, namely, lepromatous leprosy (LL) characterised by impaired T-cell responses and tuberculoid leprosy in which T-cell responses are strong. Proper T-cell activation requires signalling through costimulatory molecules expressed by antigen presenting cells and their ligands on T-cells. We studied the influence of costimulatory molecules on the immune responses of subjects along the leprosy spectrum. The expression of the costimulatory molecules was evaluated in in vitro-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of lepromatous and tuberculoid patients and healthy exposed individuals (contacts). We show that LL patients have defective monocyte CD86 expression, which likely contributes to the impairment of the antigen presentation process and to patients anergy. Accordingly, CD86 but not CD80 blockade inhibited the lymphoproliferative response to Mycobacterium leprae. Consistent with the LL anergy, there was reduced expression of the positive signalling costimulatory molecules CD28 and CD86 on the T-cells in these patients. In contrast, tuberculoid leprosy patients displayed increased expression of the negative signalling molecules CD152 and programmed death-1 (PD-1), which represents a probable means of modulating an exacerbated immune response and avoiding immunopathology. Notably, the contacts exhibited proper CD86 and CD28 expression but not exacerbated CD152 or PD-1 expression, suggesting that they tend to develop a balanced immunity without requiring immunosuppressive costimulatory signalling.

Preparing high achieving English teachers to work in disadvantaged schools : 'I'll teach Shakespeare when I'm 60'

The recent release of the Gonski Review recognises the decline in Australia’s schooling performances over the last decade, noting in particular a distressing increase in the ‘achievement gap’ affecting students from low SES backgrounds (Gonski, 2012). The report details the need for more quality in teachers throughout the schooling system, particularly within the schools with the greatest academic needs. This paper specifically focuses on a group of high-achieving pre-service English teachers. In their last two years of university study, they participated in a program called Exceptional Teachers for Disadvantaged Schools (ETDS), designed to prepare them to work in disadvantaged or low SES schools. We wanted to capture their experiences of teaching in challenging settings during their practicum, and as they prepared to graduate, we wondered what they now felt about teaching English in low SES schools. Using narrative inquiry, we analysed a range of reflective data to gain insight into such things as their initial motivations for entering the teaching profession and how their preconceived expectations may or may not have shifted after practicum experiences in low SES schools. We encouraged open reflection about how they perceived themselves as English teachers.

"You help me improve my English, I'll teach you Physics!" Cuban teachers overseas

Lending teachers for two-year periods is one of the ways in which Cuba has been able to collaborate with other countries in their efforts to improve educational planning and practice. My field research in 2001 in Jamaica (March and November) and in Namibia (December) enabled me to obtain information about how Cuban teachers are being utilized, and about the educational implications of this project. In Jamaica, I interviewed 15 Cuban teachers in several schools and one in the vocational institute, as well as the Cuban project supervisor in charge of the 51 Cuban teachers. I also talked with officials at the Jamaican Ministry of Education to obtain an idea of the developmental needs in the various subjects that the Cubans had been asked to teach. In Namibia I interviewed personnel in the National Sports Directorate and the Cuban manager in charge of the sports education project. The chapter draws on these interviews to build a picture of how the program of collaboration is organized, and considers its postcolonial significance, in theory and in practice, as an example of South-South collaboration. The chapter contributes to a multilevel style of comparative education analysis based on microlevel qualitative fieldwork within a framework that compares cross-cultural issues and national policies. The discussion of the educational situation of the host countries suggests why Cuban teachers can contribute to meeting curricular needs, particularly in the areas of the sciences, mathematics, Spanish, and sports. The friendly and joking remark of one of the Cuban teachers to school students in Jamaica: “You help me improve my English, I’ll teach you Physics!” highlights the reciprocal potential of these cooperation projects, discussed in several chapters of this book.

"If they say go faster or something I'll probably go faster" - peer influence upon the risky driving behaviour of young novice drivers

Purpose Young novice drivers are at considerable risk of injury on the road, and their behaviour appears vulnerable to the social influence of their friends. Research was undertaken to identify the nature and mechanisms of peer influence upon novice driver (16-25 years) behaviour to inform the design of more effective young driver countermeasures. Methods. Peer influence was explored in small group interviews (n = 21) and three surveys (n1 = 761, n2 = 1170, n3 = 390) as part of a larger Queensland-wide study. Surveys two and three were part of a six-month longitudinal study. Results Peer influence was reported from the pre-Licence to the Provisional (intermediate) periods. Young novice drivers who experienced or expected social punishments including ‘being told off’ for risky driving reported less riskiness. Conversely young novice drivers who experienced or expected social rewards such as being ‘cheered on’ by their friends – who were also more risky drivers – reported more risky driving including crashes and offences. Conclusions Peers appear influential in the risky behaviour of young novice drivers, and influence occurs through social mechanisms of reinforcement and sanction. Interventions enhancing positive influence and curtailing negative influence may improve road safety outcomes not only for young novice drivers, but for all persons who share the road with them. Among the interventions warranting further development and evaluation are programs to encourage the modelling of safe driving behaviour and attitudes by young drivers; and minimisation of social reinforcement and promotion of social sanctions for risky driving behaviour in particular.

DrsG from Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp equisimilis inhibits the antimicrobial peptide LL- 37

SIC and DRS are related proteins present in only four of the more than 200 Streptococcus pyogenes emm-types. These proteins inhibit complement mediated lysis and/or the activity of certain antimicrobial peptides. A gene encoding a homologue of these proteins, herein called DrsG, has been identified in the related bacterium Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp equisimilis (SDSE). Here we show that geographically dispersed isolates representing 14 of 50 emm-types examined possess variants of drsG. However not all isolates within the drsG-positive emm-types possess the gene. Sequence comparisons also reveal a high degree of conservation in different SDSE emm-types. To examine the biological activity of DrsG, recombinant versions of two major DrsG variants, DrsGS and DrsGL, were expressed and purified. Western blot analysis using antisera raised to these proteins demonstrated both variants to be expressed and secreted into culture supernatant. Unlike SIC, but similar to DRS, DrsG does not inhibit complement mediated lysis. However, like both SIC and DRS, DrsG is a ligand of the cathelcidin LL-37 and is inhibitory to its bactericidal activity in in vitro assays. The greatest similarity between DrsG and DRS/SIC is found in the signal sequence at the amino terminus and proline rich domains in the C-terminal half of the protein. Conservation of prolines in this latter region also suggests these residues are important in the biology of this family of proteins. This is the first report demonstrating the activity of an AMP inhibitory protein in SDSE. These results also suggest that inhibition of AMP activity is the primary function of this family of proteins. The acquisition of complement inhibitory activity of SIC may reflect its continuing evolution.

She'll be right mate : inclusivity experiences of men and women working in projects

Occupational segregation is a major source of labour market rigidity and economic inefficiency due to a waste of human resources. Organisations are repeatedly recognised as gendered constructs exhibiting sustained work segregation, income and status inequality, as well as cultural and individual images of gender, and these are perpetuated through their processes, practices and pressures (Acker, 1990). A large percentage of Australia’s workforce is now employed in project-based or project-oriented organisations, leading to the claim that Australia is a project-based economy. For a continued strong performance in this economy, organisations that employ project personnel will need to consider how they address inclusivity and equality in diversity in project based temporary organisations to ensure the supply of high quality project professionals into the future. This paper investigates the inclusion processes experienced and exercised by men and women working in temporary organisations in project situations through a review of reports on the inclusion processes experienced by 60 project managers and project workers in three project based industries in Australia. Results indicate that temporary organisations are not implementing equality and diversity management strategies at the macro level and project workers are accepting this lack of recognition. However inclusivity and equality at the micro level of the team is seen as vital.

We'll Close! Plant Closings, Plant-Closing Threats, Union Organizing and NAFTA

This article is based on Final Report: The Effects of Plant Closing or Threat of Plant Closing on the Right of Workers to Organize. The report was commissioned by the tri-national Labor Secretariat of the Commission for Labor Cooperation (the NAFTA labor commission) "on the effects of the sudden closing of the plant on the principle of freedom of association and the right of workers to organize in the three countries."

Conformation of the LL and LD hairpin bends with internal hydrogen bonds in proteins and peptides

The conformation of three linked peptide units having an internal 4 → 1 type of hydrogen bond has been studied in detail, and the low energy conformations are listed. These conformations all lead to the reversal of the chain direction, and may therefore be called as “hairpin bends” or “U-bends”. Since this bend can occur at the end of two chains hydrogen-bonded in the antiparallel β-conformation, it is also known as the “β-bend”. Two types of conformation are possible when the residues at the second and third Cα atoms are both of type L (the LL bend), while only one type is possible for the LD and the DL bend. The LL bend can also accommodate the sequences LG, GL, GG (G = glycine), while the LD bend can accommodate the sequences LG, GD and GG. The conformations for the sequences DD and DL are exact inverses (or mirror images) of those for the sequences LL and LD, respectively, and have dihedral angles (phi2, ψ2), (phi3, ψ3) of the same magnitudes, but of opposite signs as those for the former types, which are listed, along with the characteristics (length, angle and energy) of the hydrogen bonds. A comparison of the theoretical predictions with experimental data (from X-ray diffraction and NMR studies) on proteins and peptides, show reasonably good agreement. However, a systematic trend is observable in the experimental data, slightly deviating from theory, which indicates that some deformations occur in the shapes of the peptide units forming the bend, differing from that of the standard planar peptide unit.

Search for exclusive Z boson production and observation of high mass ppbar->gammagamma->p+ll+pbar events in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for exclusive Z boson production in proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV, using the CDF II detector at Fermilab. We observe no exclusive Z->ll candidates and place the first upper limit on the exclusive Z cross section in hadron collisions, sigma(exclu) gammagamma->p+ll+pbar, and measure the cross section for M(ll) > 40 GeV/c2 and |eta(l)|

Measurement of the Ratio σtt̅ /σZ/γ*→ll and Precise Extraction of the tt̅ Cross Section

We report a measurement of the ratio of the tt̅ to Z/γ* production cross sections in √s=1.96  TeV pp̅ collisions using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 4.6  fb-1, collected by the CDF II detector. The tt̅ cross section ratio is measured using two complementary methods, a b-jet tagging measurement and a topological approach. By multiplying the ratios by the well-known theoretical Z/γ*→ll cross section predicted by the standard model, the extracted tt̅ cross sections are effectively insensitive to the uncertainty on luminosity. A best linear unbiased estimate is used to combine both measurements with the result σtt̅ =7.70±0.52  pb, for a top-quark mass of 172.5  GeV/c2.

Measurement of the Ratio σtt̅ /σZ/γ*→ll and Precise Extraction of the tt̅ Cross Section

We report a measurement of the ratio of the tt̅ to Z/γ* production cross sections in √s=1.96  TeV pp̅ collisions using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 4.6  fb-1, collected by the CDF II detector. The tt̅ cross section ratio is measured using two complementary methods, a b-jet tagging measurement and a topological approach. By multiplying the ratios by the well-known theoretical Z/γ*→ll cross section predicted by the standard model, the extracted tt̅ cross sections are effectively insensitive to the uncertainty on luminosity. A best linear unbiased estimate is used to combine both measurements with the result σtt̅ =7.70±0.52  pb, for a top-quark mass of 172.5  GeV/c2.

Measurement of the Ratio σtt̅ /σZ/γ*→ll and Precise Extraction of the tt̅ Cross Section

We report a measurement of the ratio of the top-antitop to Z/gamma* production cross sections in sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV proton-antiproton collisions using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 4.6 fb-1, collected by the CDF II detector. The top-antitop cross section ratio is measured using two complementary methods, a b-jet tagging measurement and a topological approach. By multiplying the ratios by the well-known theoretical Z/gamma*->ll cross section, the extracted top-antitop cross sections are effectively insensitive to the uncertainty on luminosity. A best linear unbiased estimate is used to combine both measurements with the result sigma_(top-antitop) = 7.70 +/- 0.52 pb, for a top-quark mass of 172.5 GeV/c^2.