1,720,961 research outputs found
An evaluation of the potential use of Cryptosporidium species as agents for deliberate release
No full textIntroduction We evaluated the potential of Cryptosporidium spp. for intentional transmission as a terrorist tactic in asymmetric conflicts in terms of the recognised optimum conditions for biological warfare. Methods Published and widely accepted criteria regarding the optimum conditions for the success of biological warfare based on experience from passive biological warfare research were applied to hypothetical intentional Cryptosporidium spp. transmission. Result The feasibility of the use of Cryptosporidium spp. transmission for terrorist purposes was established. Particularly on tropical deployments with poor hygiene conditions, such attacks might have a good chance of remaining undetected as a deliberate terrorist attack. Conclusions Intentional transmission should be suspected in cases of sudden outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, particularly where adequate food and drinking water hygiene precautions are being enforced. Appropriate diagnostic procedures should be available so that the diagnosis is not missed
From IEDs to AIDS? Detection of HIV in human corpses by rapid screening tests after suspected intentional transmission in terrorist attacks
No full textObjectives We evaluated the feasibility of intentional transmission of HIV by means of suicide bombing and rape as a terrorist tactic in asymmetric conflicts by evaluating the recognised optimum conditions for biological warfare. We also estimated the suitability of a fourthgeneration rapid test for HIV detection in the blood of dead terrorists killed in the completion of their mission. Methods The feasibility of deliberate transmission of HIV for terroristic ends was evaluated on the basis of published experience from passive biological warfare research. In addition, blood from four recently deceased HIV-positive patients and four HIV-negative control corpses, stored at 4 degrees C in a mortuary, was analysed at 12, 24, 36 and 48 h postmortem by rapid serological testing. Results The feasibility of HIV infection for terroristic purposes was established. The fourth-generation HIV rapid test we evaluated identified all HIV-positive samples and was negative for all HIV-negative samples. Conclusions Rapid HIV testing from the remains of dead terrorists in the deployed military environment is possible. Samples should be acquired quickly, basic sample preparation is advisable and consequent decisions concerning postexposure prophylaxis should take into account the diagnostic gap in early infections
Is rapid hepatitis C virus testing from corpses a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field?
No full textIntroduction We tested a commercially available rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) test assay for its potential use for analyses of corpses as a screening option for index persons who have died after mass-casualty incidents in high-prevalence settings in the field. Materials and methods 50 blood samples were drawn from 16 recently deceased confirmed HCV-positive patients whose corpses were stored at 4 degrees C in the mortuary and were analysed at admission and up to 48 h post mortem by rapid serological testing using the ImmunoFlow HCV test (Core Diagnostics, Birmingham, UK) in comparison with automated serological assays and PCR. Samples from 50 HCV-negative corpses were also analysed. Results The blood of only four of the 16 HCV-positive corpses reacted clearly with the ImmunoFlow HCV test, while in five cases the result was only weakly reactive and three cases showed very weak reactivity. Four of the infected corpses showed initially negative results, three of which became very weakly reactive 48 h post mortem. 49 out of 50 samples (98%) from HCV-negative corpses tested negative. Discussion The rapid test system we investigated showed insufficient sensitivity regarding the identification of HCV positivity. Automated serological testing or PCR should be preferred if it is realistically available in the deployed military setting
Detection of tropical fungi in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue: still an indication for microscopy in times of sequence-based diagnosis?
Full text linkIntroduction. The aim of the study was the evaluation of panfungal PCR protocols with subsequent sequence analysis for the diagnostic identification of invasive mycoses in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples with rare tropical mycoses. Materials and Methods. Five different previously described panfungal PCR/sequencing protocols targeting 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA gene fragments as well as internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 fragments were evaluated with a collection of 17 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of patients with rare and/or tropical invasive mycoses, comprising chromoblastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, mucormycosis, mycetoma/maduromycosis, and rhinosporidiosis, in a proof-of-principle analysis. Results. The primers of the panfungal PCRs readily and predominantly reacted with contaminating environmental fungi that had deposited on the paraffin blocks. Altogether three sequence results of histoplasmosis and mycetoma samples that matched the histological assessment were associated with sample age <10 years and virtually without PCR inhibition. Conclusions. The high risk of amplifying environmental contaminants severely reduces the usefulness of the assessed panfungal PCR/sequencing protocols for the identification of rare and/or tropical mycoses in stored formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Histological assessment remains valuable for such indications if cultural differentiation is impossible from inactivated sample material
Microbiological laboratory diagnostics of neglected zoonotic diseases (NZDs)
No full textThis review reports on laboratory diagnostic approaches for selected, highly pathogenic neglected zoonotic diseases, i.e. anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, echinococcosis, leishmaniasis, rabies, Taenia solium-associated diseases (neuro-/cysticercosis & taeniasis) and trypanosomiasis. Diagnostic options, including microscopy, culture, matrix-assisted laser-desorption-ionisation time of-flight mass spectrometry, molecular approaches and serology are introduced. These procedures are critically discussed regarding their diagnostic reliability and state of evaluation. For rare diseases reliable evaluation data are scarce due to the rarity of samples. If bio-safety level 3 is required for cultural growth, but such high standards of laboratory infrastructure are not available, serological and molecular approaches from inactivated sample material might be alternatives. Multiple subsequent testing using various test platforms in a stepwise approach may improve sensitivity and specificity. Cheap and easy to use tests, usually called "rapid diagnostic tests" (RDTs) may impact disease control measures, but should not preclude developing countries from state of the art diagnostics. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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