683 research outputs found
Induction and kinetics of complement-fixing antibodies against Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 3alpha and relationship with immunoglobulin G subclasses and immunoglobulin M
No full textBackground: Complement-fixing antibodies are important mediators of protection against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. However, complement-fixing antibodies remain uncharacterized for Plasmodium vivax malaria. P. vivax merozoite surface protein 3α (PvMSP3α) is a target of acquired immunity and a potential vaccine candidate. Methods: Plasma from children and adults with P. vivax malaria in Sabah, Malaysia, were collected during acute infection, 7 and 28 days after drug treatment. Complement-fixing antibodies and immunoglobulin M and G (IgM and IgG), targeting 3 distinctive regions of PvMSP3α, were measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The seroprevalence of complement-fixing antibodies was highest against the PvMSP3α central region (77.6%). IgG1, IgG3, and IgM were significantly correlated with C1q fixation, and both purified IgG and IgM were capable of mediating C1q fixation to PvMSP3α. Complement-fixing antibody levels were similar between age groups, but IgM was predominant in children and IgG3 more prevalent in adults. Levels of functional antibodies increased after acute infection through 7 days after treatment but rapidly waned by day 28. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that PvMSP3α antibodies acquired during P. vivax infection can mediate complement fixation and shows the important influence of age in shaping these specific antibody responses. Further studies are warranted to understand the role of these functional antibodies in protective immunity against P. vivax malaria.Damian A. Oyong, Danny W. Wilson, Bridget E. Barber, Timothy William, Jianlin Jiang, Mary R. Galinski, Freya J.I. Fowkes, Matthew J. Grigg, James G. Beeson, Nicholas M. Anstey, and Michelle J. Boyl
A 16-year prospective study of community-onset bacteremic Acinetobacter pneumonia
No full textAbstract not availableJoshua S. Davis, Mark McMillan, Ashwin Swaminathan, John A. Kelly, Kim E. Piera, Robert W. Baird, Bart J. Currie, Nicholas M. Anste
Effect of periodontal therapy on arterial structure and function among Aboriginal Australians: a randomized, controlled trial
No full textData source: Data Supplement, http://hyper.ahajournals.org/highwire/filestream/238460/field_highwire_adjunct_files/0/HYP_HYPE201403359_supp1.pdfObservational studies and nonrandomized trials support an association between periodontal disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease. Both diseases occur frequently in Aboriginal Australians. We hypothesized that nonsurgical periodontal therapy would improve measures of arterial function and structure that are subclinical indicators of atherosclerotic vascular disease. This parallel-group, randomized, open label clinical trial enrolled 273 Aboriginal Australians aged ≥18 years with periodontitis. Intervention participants received full-mouth periodontal scaling during a single visit, whereas controls received no treatment. Prespecified primary end points measured 12-month change in carotid intima-media thickness, an indicator of arterial structure, and 3- and 12-month change in pulse wave velocity, an indicator of arterial function. ANCOVA used complete case data to evaluate treatment group differences. End points could be calculated for 169 participants with follow-up data at 3 months and 168 participants at 12 months. Intima-media thickness decreased significantly after 12 months in the intervention group (mean reduction=-0.023 [95% confidence interval {CI}, -0.038 to -0.008] mm) but not in the control group (mean increase=0.002 [95% CI, -0.017 to 0.022] mm). The difference in intima-media thickness change between treatment groups was statistically significant (-0.026 [95% CI, -0.048 to -0.003] mm; P=0.03). In contrast, there were no significant differences between treatment groups in pulse wave velocity at 3 months (mean difference, 0.06 [95% CI, -0.17 to 0.29] m/s; P=0.594) or 12 months (mean difference, 0.21 [95% CI, -0.01 to 0.43] m/s; P=0.062). Periodontal therapy reduced subclinical arterial thickness but not function in Aboriginal Australians with periodontal disease, suggesting periodontal disease and atherosclerosis are significantly associated.Kostas Kapellas, Louise J. Maple-Brown, Lisa M. Jamieson, Loc G. Do, Kerin O, Dea, Alex Brown, Tommy Y. Cai, Nicholas M. Anstey, David R. Sullivan, Hao Wang, David S. Celermajer, Gary D. Slade, Michael R. Skilto
Architectural authorship in generative design
No full textThe emergence of evolutionary digital design methods, relying on the creative generation of novel forms, has transformed the design process altogether and consequently the role of the architect. These methods are more than the means to aid and enhance the design process or to perfect the representation of finite architectural projects. The architectural design philosophy is gradually transcending to a hybrid of art, engineering, computer programming and biology. Within this framework, the emergence of designs relies on the architect- machine interaction and the authorship that each of the two shares.
This work aims to explore the changes within the
design process and to define the authorial control of a
new breed of architects- programmers and architects-users on architecture and its design representation. For the investigation of these problems, this thesis is to be based on an experiment conducted by the author in order to test the interaction of architects with different digital design methods and their authorial control over the final product. Eventually, the results will be compared and evaluated in relation to the theoretic views. Ultimately, the architect will establish his authorial role
Will the high rates of post‐treatment sexual stage parasitaemia seen in malaria‐endemic areas make the optiMAL antigen test unreliable in predicting malaria treatment outcome?
No full textThe campaign for democratic socialism 1960-1964.
No full textPhDIn early 1960 it seemed likely that the official Labour
Party defence policy would be defeated by a unilateralist
resolution at the Scarborough Conference. In response to
this possibility the Campaign for Democratic Socialism,
or CDS, was established.
The CDS projected the image of a grass-roots movement
inspired by Gaitskell's "fight and fight again" speech.
But it was run by a Campaign Committee which included
leading members of the Party like Tony Crosland, Roy
Jenkins and Patrick Gordon Walker, as well as less well
known members like Bill Rodgers, Dick Taverne, Philip
Williams, Brian Walden, Denis Howell and David Marquand.
This highly talented group launched an elaborate and
successful lobbying, publicity and briefing operation
which was influential in overturning the unilateralist
vote at the Blackpool Conference of 1961. After Blackpool
the Campaign helped many of its leading members find
seats in the House of Commons while continuing to put the
"revisionist" case through its newspaper Campaign.
The importance of the CDS in the history of the Labour
Party is, primarily, as the first internal pressure group
organised by the right of the Party. It was also the
first internal Party group to use such sophisticated
lobbying techniques. Moreover, the subsequent careers of
the leading members of the Campaign influenced the
development of the Labour Party. The CDS was an important
formative political action for many of them. Finally many
of the CDS supporters set-up or joined the SDP when it
was launched
Emerg Infect Dis
No full textPlasmodium knowlesi can cause severe malaria in adults; however, descriptions of clinical disease in children are lacking. We reviewed case records of children (age <15 years) with a malaria diagnosis at Kudat District Hospital, serving a largely deforested area of Sabah, Malaysia, during January-November 2009. Sixteen children with PCR-confirmed P. knowlesi monoinfection were compared with 14 children with P. falciparum monoinfection diagnosed by microscopy or PCR. Four children with knowlesi malaria had a hemoglobin level at admission of <10.0 g/dL (minimum lowest level 6.4 g/dL). Minimum level platelet counts were lower in knowlesi than in falciparum malaria (median 76,500/\u3bcL vs. 156,000/mL; p = 0.01). Most (81%) children with P. knowlesi malaria received chloroquine and primaquine; median parasite clearance time was 2 days (range 1-5 days). P. knowlesi is the most common cause of childhood malaria in Kudat. Although infection is generally uncomplicated, anemia is common and thrombocytopenia universal. Transmission dynamics in this region require additional investigation
Emerg Infect Dis
No full textDeaths from Plasmodium knowlesi malaria have been linked to delayed parenteral treatment. In Malaysia, early intravenous artesunate is now recommended for all severe malaria cases. We describe P. knowlesi fatalities in Sabah, Malaysia, during 2012-2014 and report species-specific fatality rates based on 2010-2014 case notifications. Sixteen malaria-associated deaths (caused by PCR-confirmed P. knowlesi [7], P. falciparum [7], and P. vivax [1] and microscopy-diagnosed "P. malariae" [1]) were reported during 2012-2014. Six patients with severe P. knowlesi malaria received intravenous artesunate at hospital admission. For persons >15 years of age, overall fatality rates during 2010-2014 were 3.4, 4.2, and 1.0 deaths/1,000 P. knowlesi, P. falciparum, and P. vivax notifications, respectively; P. knowlesi-associated fatality rates fell from 9.2 to1.6 deaths/1,000 notifications. No P. knowlesi-associated deaths occurred among children, despite 373 notified cases. Although P. knowlesi malaria incidence is rising, the notification-fatality rate has decreased, likely due to improved use of intravenous artesunate
- …
