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6,000 |
Pseudoknot Identification through Learning TAG(RNA)
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Studying the structure of RNA sequences is an important problem that helps in understanding the functional properties of RNA. Pseudoknot is one type of RNA structures that cannot be modeled with Context Free Grammars (CFG) because it exhibits crossing dependencies. Pseudoknot structures have functional importance since they appear, for example, in viral genome RNAs and ribozyme active sites. Tree Adjoining Grammars (TAG) is one example of a grammatical model that is more expressive than CFG and has the capability of dealing with crossing dependencies. In this paper, we describe a new inference algorithm for TAG(RNA,) a sub-model of TAG. We also introduce an RNA structure identification framework, TAG(RNA)Inf, within which the TAG(RNA) inference algorithm constitutes the core of the training phase. We present the results of using the proposed framework for identifying RNA sequences with pseudoknot structures. Our results outperform those reported in [14] for the same problem that employs a different grammatical formalism.
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6,001 |
10 Acute bovenbuikpijn
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Op de afdeling spoedeisende hulp wordt ’s nachts een 53-jarige vrouw binnengebracht met pijn in de bovenbuik, die acuut is ontstaan na de maaltijd. De huisarts heeft de patiënte met spoed ingestuurd. Zij is bekend met symptomatisch galsteenlijden (recidiverende kolieken) en staat op de opnamelijst voor een laparoscopische cholecystectomie.
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6,002 |
Guide to Terms
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6,003 |
Sourcing the Fungal Endophytes: A Beneficial Transaction of Biodiversity, Bioactive Natural Products, Plant Protection and Nanotechnology
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Endophytes are the group of microorganisms that reside to internal and healthy tissues without causing negative symptoms to their host plant. Endophytes are extremely diverse and range from fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes. Development of drug resistance to pathogenic forms of bacteria, fungi and other microbes, emergence of lethal viruses, the perpetuating epidemics in developing and under developing countries, and multifold fungal infection, enhancement in human population globally, all shows our inability to overcome these biomedical problems. In addition to this, we are also unable to assure people towards enough food security in specific regions of the earth due to infestation of different plant diseases. Since the fungal endophytes are relatively less studied group of microbial flora, but are responsible for several prospects such as biodiversity, ecology, bioactive metabolites (metabolomics) and nanotechnology, may enable us to overcome the above mentioned problems. Fungal endophytes represent a dependable source of specific secondary metabolites and can be manipulated both physicochemically and genetically to increase yield of desired compounds and to produce novel analogues of active metabolites. In this chapter, we have discussed several bioactive compounds and classified them in to different classes as per their properties such as antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antimalarial, anticancer, antioxidants, antidiabetic and immunosuppressive agents derived from fungal endophytes with their hosts and made the chemical structures for 73 compounds using chemdraw 3D ultra version 7.0. These bioactive products are related to human health with MIC/EC/IC(50) values less that 50 μg/mL. This article also discusses nematicidal, some antimicrobial volatile compounds (VOCs) that are related to plant protection and faecal disposal. Therefore, this chapter is not very specific and covers almost prospects of fungal endophytes which could be useful in biodiversity, agrochemicals, biotechnology, biomedical and nanotechnology in ecofriendly manner.
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6,004 |
Schlachthausfieber
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6,005 |
A Framework for Social Development Assessment
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Behavioural change is probably the single most difficult objective communicators are asked to undertake. In the private sector it is an area which falls under marketing, and in the context of development it could also be called social marketing. Nor is behavioural change communication confined to the developing world. Countries at all levels of development undertake mass awareness campaigns in order to influence behaviours, as does the private sector.
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6,006 |
Management of Ventilator-associated Pneumonia
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Pneumonia is the most important respiratory infection in mechanically ventilated patients. It is defined as the presence of microorganisms in the pulmonary parenchyma leading to the development of an inflammatory response by the host, which may be localized in the lung or may extend systemically. Nosocomial pneumonia is an infectious process which develops within 48 hours after admission to the hospital and that was not incubating at the time of hospitalization. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is considered as a subgroup of nosocomial pneumonia and is an infectious pulmonary process which develops 48 hours after the presence of an artificial airway and mechanical ventilation. Since a large proportion of the patients who develop nosocomial pneumonia are intubated and receive mechanical ventilation, most epidemiological and clinical studies on nosocomial pneumonia have been focused on critically ill patients and those receiving mechanical ventilation. From a clinical point of view, nosocomial pneumonia is of great importance not only because of the consequences of the important morbidity and mortality but also due to the high costs associated with development of this disease.
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6,007 |
Collagen Vascular Diseases and Disorders of Connective Tissue
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The collagen vascular diseases, also referred to as connective tissue diseases, are a diverse group of systemic inflammatory disorders thought to be immunologically mediated. The concept of collagen vascular disease began to take shape in the 1930s, when it was recognized that rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis can affect connective tissues throughout the body.1,2 During the following decade, as conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and scleroderma came to be viewed as systemic diseases of connective tissue, the terms diffuse connective disease and diffuse collagen disease were proposed.3,4 During the same period, the designation of diffuse vascular disease was proposed for diseases such as scleroderma, polymyositis, SLE, and polyarteritis nodosa, which featured widespread vascular involvement.5 With the realization that many of these entities can exhibit both systemic connective tissue manifestations and vascular abnormalities, the unifying designation of collagen vascular disease was introduced.6
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6,008 |
Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS): Principles, Perspectives, Applications to Biological Samples
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Focus a laser on dissolved particles and analyze the scattered light to reveal their size. This well established principle is used in dynamic light scattering (DLS), or also called photon-correlation spectroscopy, which is a widely popular and highly adaptable analytical method applied in different fields of life and material sciences, as well as in industrial quality control processes.
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6,009 |
Ventilazione non invasiva nell’insufficienza respiratoria in età pediatrica
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Il termine ventilazione non invasiva (NIV) identifica una ventilazione sincronizzata a pressione positiva combinata, con l’applicazione di pressione positiva di fine espirazione (PEEP) sulle vie aeree, attraverso un’interfaccia non invasiva e pertanto senza necessità di intubazione endotracheale. Scopi principali della NIV sono l’incremento del volume corrente e della ventilazione alveolare, unitamente alla riduzione del lavoro respiratorio del paziente. La NIV utilizza dunque un’interfaccia esterna, che può essere rappresentata da diversi tipi di cannule nasali, maschere nasali o facciali, oppure da un casco (elmetto), i quali sono connessi a un apposito ventilatore per NIV o comunque a un ventilatore con controllo di pressione.
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6,010 |
Amelanchier alnifolia
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This species is native to North America from Alaska, Western Canada and western (southwards to North California, Utah and Colorado) and north central Unites States. In Canada, the species is found in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, North West Territories and Nunavut.
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6,011 |
Assessment of Age-related Decline of Immunological Function and Possible Methods for Immunological Restoration in Elderly
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The immune system plays an important role in protection against infection and in the maintenance of the internal environment of the body. However, such important immune functions are known to decline with age in many mammals, including humans. It is a matter of clinical importance that the incidence of various age-associated diseases such as infections, cancer and vascular disorders increases with a decrease in immunological vigor. The extent of immunologic decline is variable and exhibits wide inter-individual variations. Thus, it is important to assess the extent of immunologic decline in both patients suffering from various diseases and in healthy people in order to maintain healthy conditions. To this end, we have developed a scoring system that analyzes immune parameters according to a database of known age-associated immune changes obtained from a healthy population. Using this scoring system, we can combine several different immunological parameters and express the immune status of individuals as a simple numeral. After determining immunological vigor for individuals, it is necessary to replenish immune defects and restore them to normalcy for individuals with depressed immunological scores. This chapter provides methods of immunological restoration in animal models and introduces some similar attempts in humans. The effect of any immunological restoration varies with the individual and must therefore verified. Currently, the proposed immune scoring system proposed is useful to determine whether the methods employed are effective for the restoration of immune functions.
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6,012 |
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
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Gonokokken
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6,013 |
Hematologic Disorders
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Definition. Anemia is defined as an absolute decrease in the circulating red blood cell (RBC) mass.
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6,014 |
Medische aspecten van bloedtransfusie
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Lang werd gedacht dat bloed het wezen van het leven was, het middelpunt van de geest; men geloofde dat het mensen voorzag van fysieke kracht en geestelijke vermogens. Dit leidde tot de veronderstelling dat men door het drinken van bloed sterker en gezonder zou worden. Gladiatoren werden aangemoedigd om in de arena het bloed van de verslagenen te drinken om een deel van hun moed en kracht te verkrijgen. Anderzijds heerste in die tijd ook de gedachte dat een slechte gezondheid, geestelijke ziekten en depressies een gevolg waren van verdorven lichaamssappen of vergiftigd bloed en dat aderlaten om die reden een geneeskracht had voor vele kwalen. Ovidius vertelde in zijn Metamorphosen (43 v.Chr.) het verhaal van de tovenares Medea, die het verdriet van haar geliefde Jason over zijn steeds zwakker wordende oude vader nauwelijks kon verdragen. In een poging de vader weer kracht te geven en te verjongen, sneed ze de keel van de oude man door, liet al het bloed eruit lopen en verving het door een eigen toversap. En ziedaar, het wonder geschiedde: zijn witte haren en baard werden zwart, zijn rimpels verdwenen en hij verrees krachtig van lijf en leden. Ook toen bloedtransfusies tot de mogelijkheden gingen behoren, werden ze gek genoeg niet gebruikt om een voor de hand liggende reden als bloedverlies, maar voor de bestrijding van allerlei geestelijke of emotionele kwalen.
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6,015 |
Gentherapie
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Die Gentherapie ist eine junge Wissenschaft, die Nukleinsäuren zur Therapie einsetzt (Hengge u. Bardenheuer 2004). Die somatische Gentherapie befasst sich mit der Behandlung von somatischen (Körper-)Zellen (⧁ Tab. 4.1.1), wobei das therapeutische Gen ein im Organismus benötigtes Protein kodiert.
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6,016 |
Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation Guidelines and Standard Protocols for Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with High-Risk Infections
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Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is associated with lower rates of endotracheal intubation and decreased mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure. Therefore, NIV should be preferred to invasive ventilation whenever possible [1]. In clinical settings, most of the patients were treated by NIV because of pulmonary edema or exacerbated chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) [2]. With endemic and high-risk infection, most of the critically ill patients develop acute lung injury (ALI) and/or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Furthermore, NIV, an “aerosol-producing factor” might be regarded as a high-risk procedure for medical staff [3].
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6,017 |
Risk Management in Global Supply Chain Networks
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In this paper, we develop a framework to classify the Global supply chain risk management problems and present an approach for the solution of these problems. The risk management problems need to be handled at three levels strategic, operational and tactical. In addition, risk within the supply chain might manifest itself in the form of deviations, disruptions and disasters. To handle unforeseen events in the supply chain there are two obvious approaches: (1) to design chains with built in risk-tolerance and (2) to contain the damage once the undesirable event has occurred. Both of these approaches require a clear understanding of undesirable events that may take place in the supply chain and also the associated consequences and impacts from these events. We focus our efforts on mapping out the propagation of events in the supply chain due to supplier non-performance, and employ our insight to develop a mathematical programming based model for strategic level deviation and disruption management. The first model, a simple integer quadratic optimization model, adapted from the Markowitz model, determines optimal partner selection with the objective of minimizing both the operational cost and the variability of total operational cost. This model offers a possible approach to robust supply chain design. Key words: Supply Chain Risk Management; Risk Management; Supply Chain Planning; Supply Chain Design; Mean-Variance Optimization; Cause-Consequence Diagrams; Failure Analysis.
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6,018 |
Tropische kindergeneeskunde
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Tropische kindergeneeskunde is een geijkte, maar niet nauwkeurig omschreven term. De ernstige gezondheidsproblemen van kinderen in de tropen en subtropen vinden namelijk hun oorzaak eerder in armoede, ongeletterdheid en oorlogen dan in specifieke tropische condities.
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6,019 |
Epidemic-Logistics Network Considering Time Windows and Service Level
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In this chapter, we present two optimization models for optimizing the epidemic-logistics network. In the first one, we formulate the problem of emergency materials distribution with time windows to be a multiple traveling salesman problem. Knowledge of graph theory is used to transform the MTSP to be a TSP, then such TSP route is analyzed and proved to be the optimal Hamilton route theoretically. Besides, a new hybrid genetic algorithm is designed for solving the problem. In the second one, we propose an improved location-allocation model with an emphasis on maximizing the emergency service level. We formulate the problem to be a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model and develop an effective algorithm to solve the model. In this chapter, we present two optimization models for optimizing the epidemic-logistics network. In the first one, we formulate the problem of emergency materials distribution with time windows to be a multiple traveling salesman problem. Knowledge of graph theory is used to transform the MTSP to be a TSP, then such TSP route is analyzed and proved to be the optimal Hamilton route theoretically. Besides, a new hybrid genetic algorithm is designed for solving the problem. In the second one, we propose an improved location-allocation model with an emphasis on maximizing the emergency service level. We formulate the problem to be a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model and develop an effective algorithm to solve the model.
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6,020 |
Microbial Contamination in Airplane Cabins:Health Effects and Remediation
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Microorganisms that affect human health are found in all indoor environments, including cabins of commercial aircraft. Those that arise from human sources can be transmitted by direct contact, droplets, or the airborne route. Infections from human sources include Influenza, Rhinovirus, SARS and tuberculosis. Transmission by the airborne route can be reduced by sterilizing the air with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or by diluting the contaminated air with outdoor air through ventilation. Microbes arising from environmental sources include bacteria, fungi and other organisms such as protozoa. These usually have very simple requirements for growth – water and a simple substrate such as dust. They cause health effects through direct infection rarely (one example is Legionnella), but more commonly cause immune reactions resulting in hypersensitivity or allergy mediated diseases. Environmental sources of microbial contamination are best prevented, but can be remediated through cleaning, germicidal chemicals, or ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. Airborne microbial substances including toxins, antigens and viable organisms can be removed by outdoor air ventilation or filtration. In aircraft cabins transmission of pathogens from human sources is difficult to control, but airborne transmission can be reduced through increased outdoor air ventilation or filtration. Environmental microbial contamination can, and does occur in aircraft cabins. These microbial sources are best prevented but, if detected, can be removed through cleaning or disinfection. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation is an under-utilized technology that may be useful for sterilizing air as well as potential environmental sources.
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6,021 |
Disease Now and Potential Future Pandemics
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The chapter reviews diseases of humanity, both chronic disease and emergent diseases, that may harp much of humanity over short periods of time. It explains why the chances for pandemics are increasing and how they are inevitable. The threats of biological warfare and bioterrorism are covered, and the ways that we can stop pandemics are brought to the reader’s attention.
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6,022 |
Presentation and Diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Diseases
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Diffuse interstitial lung disease is a heterogeneous group of lung pathologies with similar clinical presentations. Radiologists and pathologists attempted to identify precise diagnostic criteria. Often, the pattern and distribution of the disease allow to narrow down the possible diagnoses, but the correlation with the clinical presentation is essential.
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6,023 |
Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Severe Pneumonia
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Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)—pneumonia occurring within 48 h after hospital admission or more than 2 weeks after discharge—leads to hospitalization rates of 20–35 % in Europe, with figures in Spain being even higher at 22–61 %. A substantial proportion of these cases (10 %) are defined as severe. These patients must be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) because of the possible need for ventilatory or hemodynamic support. Their mortality rate can be as high as 40 % [1]. In the rest of Europe the incidence of CAP is 5–11 cases per 1,000 person-years, and in Spain it drops to 1.6–1.8 cases per 1,000 person-years, with men and the elderly most often affected and mostly in winter [1].
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6,024 |
Genotype-Specific Detection of Ferret Coronavirus by Conventional and Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Ferret coronavirus is associated with two disease presentations in ferrets, namely, epizootic catarrhal enteritis and a feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)-like systemic disease. In this chapter, we describe conventional and real-time one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays that are routinely used in our laboratory to detect either genotype 1 or genotype 2 ferret coronavirus in clinical specimens. These assays were designed based upon the conserved spike gene sequence difference found between three strains of ferret systemic coronavirus and three strains of ferret enteric coronavirus. Recent literature evidence indicates that pathotype is not associated with a specific genotype, and therefore, it is important to test for both genotypes either in enteric or systemic disease.
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6,025 |
Smallpox and Bioterrorism
| null |
6,026 |
The 2003 SARS Outbreak In Singapore: Epidemiological and Clinical Features, Containment Measures, and Lessons Learned
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On 6 March 2003, the Singapore Ministry of Health was notified of a cluster of atypical pneumonia in three patients with a history of travel to Hong Kong (Hsu et al., 2003). These three female travelers had stayed at the Metropole Hotel on the same floor as a Chinese physician later diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (Hsu et al., 2003; Peiris et al., 2003). After returning to Singapore, one of the travelers (index A) who developed fever on February 25 was hospitalized at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on March 1, and was managed initially for straightforward community-acquired pneumonia. The other two travelers were also admitted with similar symptoms. Shortly thereafter, clusters of cases emerged in three separate wards, all traceable to the first imported case. By the time index A was isolated on March 6, she had already infected 22 persons, comprising ten health care workers, two inpatients, seven visitors, and three family members. One of the infected health care workers (index case B), with onset of symptoms on March 7 and a provisional diagnosis of dengue fever, was later admitted on March 10 to Ward 8A. At the ward she in turn infected 21 persons, including an inpatient with ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus, before she was isolated on March 13 (Wilder-Smith et al., 2004b). The inpatient (index case C) had been admitted on March 10 with fever, community-acquired pneumonia, and gramnegative bacteremia. When she developed heart failure on March 12, she was transferred to Ward 6A (the coronary care unit) and mechanically ventilated. However, she was isolated only on March 20 when SARS was suspected. By that time, 21 health care workers and 5 family members had become infected (Wilder- Smith et al., 2004b). A total of 109 cases were epidemiologically linked to index A. Intra-hospital transmission at Tan Tock Seng Hospital was interrupted by April 12, the date of onset of the hospital’s last case. Despite the institution of very rigorous infection control measures at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, SARS spread to four other health care institutions (Singapore General Hospital, National University Hospital, Changi General Hospital, and Orange Nursing Home – the last two are grouped together in Fig. 1 and a vegetable wholesale market (Gopalakrishna et al., 2004) (Fig. 1).
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6,027 |
Economic Aspects of Zoonoses: Impact of Zoonoses on the Food Industry: Impact of Zoonoses on the Food Industry
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The increase of complexity of livestock production and the associated value chains has led to changes in the food systems that feed us, which in turn carry new challenges from zoonotic diseases in particular their impact, and the costs of surveillance, control and prevention. Direct losses to the animal and public health sectors, connected mainly to value losses due to morbidity and mortality in humans and animals, and indirect losses, such as the economic cost caused by the reaction to disease and the limiting of its negative effects, all contribute to this negative impact. Its full assessment can be challenging, but economic tools and frameworks can be used to estimate zoonotic disease impact and the economic efficiency of possible technical ways of dealing with these diseases. In this chapter, we review the impact of zoonoses across sectors, also in the context of an increasingly complex value chain, address the economic concepts behind the balance between losses due to direct costs of disease and expenditures in reaction to disease presence, and identify possible economic tools and frameworks to assess the impact of zoonoses and interventions.
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6,028 |
Surveillance
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Health surveillance is the continuous observation, a strategic and systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data for public health purposes. The data collected from surveillance systems can be stored in databases and can be used for scientific research, proving facts and identifying trends that can be used to make informed decisions. Surveillance systems do provide information that can be used as an early warning system for disease outbreaks and epidemics. Health surveillance, active or passive, provides a window into the health conditions and risks in communities and how these conditions are affecting the populations and their livelihoods. Developing countries should install systems of registration in place in order to track behaviour, traditions, diet and other ways of life that could contribute to infectious disease occurrence. Lack of knowledge has cost many lives especially for the poor communities in developed countries. Promoting the use of information and data in public decision-making is cardinal in managing infectious diseases and controlling disease outbreaks.
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6,029 |
Pleiomorphic viruses revealed by cryo tomography: the structure of coronaviruses
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Cryo-electron microscopy has provided in the last decades a wealth of three-dimensional information on viral structures. However, most of this knowledge stems from single particle methods, which rely on averaging and are therefore restricted to viral homogenous structures such as icosahedral capsids [1]. This type of analysis excludes pleiomorphic viruses, that is, viruses that, having defined general architectures, arrange their components into different shapes or sizes. Cryo-electron tomography, which provides three-dimensional reconstructions of unique specimens, is now starting to shed light into the structure of this type of viruses [2].
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6,030 |
Adrenal Insufficiency and CIRCI
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The stress system receives and integrates a diversity of cognitive, emotional, neurosensory, and peripheral somatic signals that are directed to the central nervous system through distinct pathways. The stress response is normally adaptive and time limited and improves the chances of the individual for survival. The stress response is mediated largely by activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis with the release of cortisol. In general, there is a graded cortisol response to the degree of stress, such as the type of surgery. Cortisol levels also correlate with the severity of injury, the Glasgow Coma Scale, and the APACHE score. Cortisol effects the transcription of thousands of genes in every cell of the body. In addition, the cortisol–glucocorticoid receptor complex effects cellular function by non-transcriptional mechanisms. Cortisol has several important physiological actions on metabolism, cardiovascular function, and the immune system. Cortisol increases the synthesis of catecholamines and catecholamine receptors, which are partially responsible for its positive inotropic effects. In addition, cortisol has potent anti-inflammatory actions including the reduction in number and function of various immune cells, such as T and B lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils at sites of inflammation. Cortisol is the most important inhibitor of the transcription of pro-inflammatory mediators (inhibits NF-κB and AP-1 by multiple mechanisms).(1)
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6,031 |
Severe Malaria: Manifestations, diagnosis, chemotherapy, and management of severe malaria in adults
| null |
6,032 |
Mathematical Modeling of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Transmission
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This chapter is divided into five sections. Section 15.1 discusses the rationale for using mathematical models. Section 15.2 considers the specific areas where models may be useful in studying Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). Section 15.3 reviews work on modeling the dynamics of tick-borne diseases and considers the relevance of this work for CCHF. Section 15.4 considers the problem of modeling the nosocomial transmission of CCHF. Section 15.5, lastly, suggests future directions for CCHF modeling work.
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6,033 |
Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Pseudocyst
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Pancreatitis which is characterized by inflammation of the pancreas is an uncommon condition in the pediatric age group. Pancreatitis in children represents a diagnostic challenge for clinicians and a high index of suspicion is important for early diagnosis of pancreatitis which is known to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The etiology, diagnosis and aspects of management are discussed.
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6,034 |
Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias
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The idiopathic interstitial pneumonias are a distinct group of clinicopathologic entities. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) plays a critical role in the evaluation and management of patients. In the appropriate clinical setting, characteristic HRCT findings may be diagnostic, obviating the need for open lung biopsy. In more challenging or complicated cases, consensus among the clinician, radiologist, and pathologist may be required. This chapter describes and depicts the characteristic HRCT features of usual interstitial pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis, respiratory bronchiolitis associated interstitial lung disease, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, and lymphoid interstitial pneumonia.
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6,035 |
Selenium in health and disease IV: The immune response and other selenium-related conditions
| null |
6,036 |
Evolutionary epistemology and the origin and evolution of language: Taking symbiogenesis seriously
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Symbiogenesis is a form of horizontal evolution that occurred 2 billion years ago, with the evolution of eukaryotic cells. It will be argued that, just as we can develop universal selection theories based upon a general account of natural selection, we can also develop a universal symbiogenetic principle that can serve as a general framework to study the origin and evolution of language. (1) Horizontal evolution will be compared with and distinguished from vertical evolution. (2) Different examples of intra- and interspecific horizontal evolution will be given to show that horizontal evolution is quantitatively and qualitatively the most commonly occurring form of evolution throughout the history of life. (3) Finally, three examples are given of how a universal symbiogenesis principle can be implemented in the study of language origins and evolution, more specifically within: (a) the study of language variation, (b) language genes and (c) conceptual blending.
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6,037 |
Multiple Sclerosis and Other Demyelinating Diseases
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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common idiopathic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although partially effective treatments are now available, MS represents a major target for research into the development of disease-modifying therapies that specifically focus on the neuroimmune pathways of myelin and tissue damage that currently are incompletely understood. Multiple sclerosis is considered to be an example of development of autoimmunity to self-antigens within the CNS through multiple initiating events that include infections and other environmental factors. The direct or indirect induction of immune responses against CNS antigens includes chemotaxis of T cells, B cells, and monocytes, and production of immunoglobulin responses, each of which can act as an effector of myelin damage that occurs in distinct histological patterns. Because a specific cause for MS has not been identified, much MS research has focused on CNS immune responses triggered by unidentified insults that in turn trigger inflammation-mediated cascades of myelin and cellular damage that are likely relevant to other neurodegenerative diseases. This chapter discusses current the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, animal models, virus models and recent advances in the neuroimmunology of MS from the perspective of the potential for development of newer therapies for MS and other inflammatory CNS diseases.
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6,038 |
Schwimmbadgranulom
| null |
6,039 |
Interpretation and Relevance of Advanced Technique Results
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Advanced techniques in the field of diagnostic microbiology have made amazing progress over the past 25 years due largely to a technological revolution in the molecular aspects of microbiology [1, 2]. In particular, rapid molecular methods for nucleic acid amplification and characterization combined with automation in the clinical microbiology laboratory as well as user-friendly software and robust laboratory informatics systems have significantly broadened the diagnostic capabilities of modern clinical microbiology laboratories. Molecular methods such as nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) rapidly are being developed and introduced in the clinical laboratory setting [3, 4]. Indeed, every section of the clinical microbiology laboratory, including bacteriology, mycology, mycobacteriology, parasitology, and virology, has benefited from these advanced techniques. Because of the rapid development and adaptation of these molecular techniques, the interpretation and relevance of the results produced by such molecular methods continues to lag behind. The purpose of this chapter is to review, update, and discuss the interpretation and relevance of results produced by these advanced molecular techniques.
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6,040 |
Characteristics of Metazoan DNA Replication Origins
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DNA replication in metazoan cells initiates at multiple discrete chromosomal sites called replication origins. Recent genome-wide studies have mapped thousands of origins in animal and plant cells, but without yielding a distinct and universal consensus sequence. However, origin-associated regions with particular base composition features have been identified, such as the G-rich OGRE motif, predicted to form G-quadruplexes. Epigenetic marks such as histone modifications that promote open chromatin also favor origin formation. Before DNA replication can initiate at origins, they need to be “licensed” by the binding of the origin recognition complex (ORC) and other proteins to form pre-replication and pre-initiation complexes. Origin-associated proteins are themselves subject to multilayered regulation, notably by posttranslational modification and proteasomal degradation. Origins are organized into replicons and replicon clusters, whose firing occurs at discrete subnuclear bodies known as replication foci. A still poorly characterized nuclear matrix structure might be involved in the attachment of replication units and the formation of replication foci. Preferential genomic sequences responsible for these attachments have been reported, as well as factors playing roles in their regulation. There appears to be great flexibility in the choice of origins used in each S-phase, being affected by factors including cell identity and replication stresses. Origin selection also changes dramatically during embryogenesis in concert with developmental signaling pathways. Dysregulation of origin positioning and recognition are implicated in human disease, as mutations in origin-binding proteins have been found in developmental disorders, and expansions in repeat-containing genomic regions promote genome instability. This chapter summarizes current understanding about replication origins, the most recent discoveries, and outlines key unanswered questions in this exciting field.
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6,041 |
Importziekten
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Importziekten komen voor bij reizigers en migranten die terugkeren van een verblijf in de tropen. Ze zijn een afspiegeling van het ziektepatroon in het land van herkomst en men moet dus rekening houden met ziekten die in Nederland onbekend of vrijwel uitgebannen zijn. Het is van belang de omstandigheden waarin mogelijk een besmetting plaatsvond zo nauwkeurig mogelijk te noteren, daar deze behulpzaam kunnen zijn bij het onderzoek van de patiënt. In dit hoofdstuk worden drie veelvoorkomende uitingen van import- of reizigersziekten besproken: koorts, diarree en huidafwijkingen.
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6,042 |
No More SMS from Jesus: Ubicomp, Religion and Techno-spiritual Practices
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Over the last decade, new information and communication technologies have lived a secret life. For individuals and institutions around the world, this constellation of mobile phones, personal computers, the internet, software, games, and other computing objects have supported a complex set of religious and spiritual needs. In this paper, I offer a survey of emerging and emergent techno-spiritual practices, and the anxieties surrounding their uptake. I am interested in particular in the ways in which religious uses of technology represent not only a critique of dominant visions of technology’s futures, but also suggest a very different path(s) for ubiquitous computing’s technology envisioning and development.
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6,043 |
Human Group Identity: Language and a Social Mind
| null |
6,044 |
Pneumonia Caused by Emerging Viral Agents
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Emerging viruses that cause pneumonia in humans are agents which normally circulate in the animal population but can move to human hosts under certain circumstances, which determines the occurrence of a new type of disease. The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is caused by a coronavirus. The disease has a wide symptomatic spectrum that can range from asymptomatic infections to fulminant respiratory failure. Diagnostic confirmation is achieved through viral isolation. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), also produced by a coronavirus, is capable of producing a serious pulmonary disease outbreak with no reappearance. The clinical presentation includes fever, malaise, cough, and headache followed by diarrhea. Other coronaviruses (HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-HKU1) can cause serious lower respiratory infections in small children, the elderly, and immunosuppressed patients. Influenza virus is widespread in nature, and avian virus may spread to humans, as has been reported with H7N9, H5N1, H10N8, and H6N1. Cardiopulmonary hantavirus syndrome, a feverish disease characterized by respiratory insufficiency and shock, is produced by Andes virus. Other emerging viruses are enterovirus D68 and polyomavirus.
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6,045 |
Visualization of DNA Sequence Features Based on Cellular Automata
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Visualization of special patterns in biological sequences can assist revealing important roles in gene regulation and other basic molecular activities of the sequence. The visualization method needs to highlight interesting sequence patterns while suppressing trivial aspects. A biology sequences visualization scheme based on cellular automata is developed in this study. Features such as alleles of a DNA sequence were extracted and mapped into a grid in a two-dimensional plane, creating an initial pattern. Then, two-dimensional cellular automata were iteratively executed according to predefined rules and turned the initial pattern into a two-dimensional pattern, forming the fingerprint of the sequence. This fingerprint can be served as a representation of the sequence and can be used to make sequences comparing.
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6,046 |
Viral RNase Involvement in Strategies of Infection
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The overwhelming majority of RNase activity is engaged in catabolic processes. Viruses have no metabolism of their own, but rely completely on host cellular energy and substrate provision to support the biochemical processes necessary for virus replication. It is therefore obvious that RNA hydrolysis does not represent an obligate step in the viral life cycle that would have to be governed by viral proteins. Accordingly, RNases are found only rarely in the viral proteomes and serve special functions. In this chapter, several virus-specific RNases will be described and their role in the viral life cycle discussed. The text will concentrate on RNases of members of the nidoviruses, herpesviruses, pestiviruses, and several viruses with segmented negative-strand RNA genome including influenza virus. These enzymes are involved in specific steps of viral gene expression, viral genome replication, shutoff of host cellular gene expression, and interference with the host’s immune response to virus infection.
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6,047 |
Recent Advances in Veterinary Diagnostic Virology: Report from a Collaborating Centre of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
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Infectious diseases have a very high impact on animal and human health and welfare today, despite of strong efforts and good results in diagnostics, vaccine developments and control measures, including the early warning systems. There are many reasons, which have to be considered as supporting factors for the spread of infectious diseases, such as the open borders of the European Union, allowing rather free movement of animals over a whole continent, the globalization, the released and accelerated international and national trade and animal transfer. Simultaneously, the emergence and re-emergence of new or already known pathogens is a various serious issue in veterinary and in human medicine. This scenario is clearly illustrated by the regular occurrence of transboundary animal diseases (TADs), such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), classical swine fever (CSF), African swine fever (ASF), among others. The recent occurrence of African swine fever in the Caucasus region and the spread afterwards to large territories of Russia clearly illustrates that our health authorities require a very strong preparedness, including prompt and powerful diagnosis, for the successful fight against the novel scenarios.
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6,048 |
Molecular Techniques for Blood and Blood Product Screening
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“Blood banking has become a manufacturing industry, an industry that must conform to high standards and quality control requirements comparable to those of pharmaceutical companies or other regulated industries,” said David A. Kessler, M.D., former FDA commissioner (Revelle, 1995). Screening donated blood for infectious diseases that can be transmitted through blood transfusion is very important in ensuring safety. The United States has the safest blood supply in the world (Revelle, 1995), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is striving to keep it safe by decreasing the risk of infectious disease transmission. The regulatory agency is continuously updating its requirements and standards for collecting and processing blood. An important step in ensuring safety is the screening of donated blood for infectious diseases. In the United States, tests for infectious diseases are routinely conducted on each unit of donated blood, and these tests are designed to comply with regulatory requirements (Table 21.1). The field of clinical microbiology and virology is now moving into the focus of molecular technology. Currently, nucleic acid testing techniques have been developed to screen blood and plasma products for evidence of very recent viral infections that could be missed by conventional serologic tests. It is time for all blood safety staffs to use molecular detection techniques. This approach can significantly aid in blood safety to reduce the risk of transmission of serious disease by transfusion. This chapter will review the current antigen/antibody–based technology, molecular biological technology, and published regulatory policy data for blood safety.
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6,049 |
Homeless People
| null |
6,050 |
A New Algorithm for Fast All-Against-All Substring Matching
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We present a new and efficient algorithm to solve the ’threshold all vs. all’ problem, which involves searching of two strings (with length N and M respectively) for finding all maximal approximate matches of length at least S and with up to K differences. The algorithm is based on a novel graph model, and it solves the problem in time O(NMK (2)).
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6,051 |
Nucleinsäuren, Genexpression und molekularbiologische Methoden
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a. Vergleichen Sie die Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen in der α-helikalen Struktur von Proteinen mit denjenigen in der DNA-Doppelhelix. Berücksichtigen Sie strukturelle Aspekte sowie die Rolle der Wasserstoffbrücken für die Stabilisierung der jeweiligen Struktur. b. Welche Eigenschaft eines DNA-Moleküls lässt sich durch Messung der Viskosität seiner wässrigen Lösung bestimmen? Wie ändert sich die Viskosität dieser Lösung, wenn eine DNase- Behandlung durchgeführt wird?
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6,052 |
In the Realm of Opportunity: The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Heredity and Eugenics during World War II, 1938/42–1945
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On March 8, 1940, Eugen Fischer wrote a long, confidential letter to Otmar von Verschuer, director of the Institute for Genetic Biology and Race Hygiene at the University of Frankfurt at that time. In this letter Fischer expressed critique — and certainly also self-critique — about the scientific development of his institute since the mid-1930s.
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6,053 |
Experiments of Concern
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Human knowledge and understanding of the natural world is, presumably, both desirable in itself and a means to the provision of other human goods, such as health and longevity. Moreover, human freedom, including freedom of intellectual inquiry, is agreed on all hands to be an intrinsic human good. Accordingly, there is a presumption in favour of allowing research in the biological sciences, as there is in other areas of human knowledge. In short, research in the biological sciences is morally permissible, absent special considerations in relation to specific kinds of such research. What, if any, research in the biological sciences is morally impermissible? Research in the biological sciences undertaken for the purpose of weaponising biological agents so that they can be used to kill or cause illness in human populations is presumably morally impermissible, whether the research in question is undertaken by state actors, (non-state) terrorist groups, criminal organisations or malevolent individuals. So much is proclaimed in the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), notwithstanding the fact that arguments have been used from time to time to justify the use of biological weapons in the context of a just war. It has been argued, for example, that some biological weapons are more “humane” than some conventional weapons. It has also been argued that biological weapons development during peacetime may play an important role in deterrence [79]. It is not within the scope of this report to discuss the moral complexities arising from the use of various forms of weaponry, albeit this is an important and somewhat neglected topic. However, we note that, in so far as biological weapons are a species of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), there is a general moral objection to their development and use, namely, that inevitably they target civilian populations and not merely combatants. As such, they violate the so-called jus in bello condition of just war theory; the condition that, among other things, gives expression to the moral principle of civilian immunity in war.
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6,054 |
Benvenuto doctor web
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Come tanti altri“mestieri”, anche la professione del medico, oggi, non è più la stessa che un laureato in medicina svolgeva mezzo secolo fa. Immense sono le riflessioni sul tema già dagli anni della rivoluzione industriale, basti ricordare che già nei più prossimi anni ’50 del XX secolo, alle sensibili trasformazioni della professione e dell’organizzazione medico-assistenziale e ai dilemmi conseguenti, un grande filosofo, Karl Jaspers, aveva dedicato un libro, Il medico nell’età della tecnica, nel quale già si calava il sipario sul medico preistorico“di tipo sacerdotale, il medico ippocratico che cura razionalmente osservando con occhio imparziale il complesso dell’uomo e la sua situazione, il medico medievale aggrappato alle concezioni speculative derivanti dall’autorità”, nel tentativo di ridare centralità al rapporto tra chi cura e chi è curato (1). Una figura di medico è tramontata, ma forse non ne è emersa un’altra altrettanto definita e, allo stesso modo, sono entrate in un campo opinabile anche le definizioni di“malato-paziente”, di“atto medico”, di“malattia”.
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6,055 |
Präsentismus
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Auch bezüglich der Begriffsdefinition Präsentismus ist die geläufigste Quelle die Internetplattform Wikipedia. Hier wird Präsentismus wie folgt beschrieben: „Mit Präsentismus […] bezeichnen Arbeitspsychologie und Arbeitsmedizin das Verhalten von Arbeitnehmern, die insbesondere in Zeiten hoher Arbeitslosigkeit […] trotz Krankheit am Arbeitsplatz sind, bzw. die Reduktion der Arbeitsproduktivität durch Leistungseinschränkung von Beschäftigten, die auf gesundheitliche Einschränkungen wie z. B. chronische Erkrankungen zurückzuführen sind.“
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6,056 |
Pharmacological Activities and Phytochemical Constituents
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Glycyrrhiza glabra is one of the most popular medicinal plants and it has been used in traditional herbal remedy since ancient times (Blumenthal et al. in Herbal medicine: expanded commission E monographs. Integrative Medicine Communications, Newton, 2000; Parvaiz et al. in Global J Pharmocol 8(1):8–13, 2014; Altay et al. in J Plant Res 129(6):1021–1032, 2016). Many experimental, pharmacological and clinical studies show that liquorice has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antihepatotoxic, antioxidant, antiulcer, anti-hemorrhoid antihyperglycemic, antidiuretic, antinephritic, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, anticytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and blood stopper activity.
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6,057 |
Introduction: What Is This Volume About?
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In these early years of the twenty-first century, it can often seem that across the globe we are living in a world of crisis. When we began this book, there were bombings at the end of the Boston Marathon of 2013, an army coup in Egypt that overthrew the first democratically elected government, an armed conflict in Syria, the President of North Korea made bellicose threats against South Korea and the USA , and the shrinking of the Arctic ice sheet that was implicated in the extreme winter weather that the UK has faced in 2012–2013. ‘The war on terror’, the age of austerity, global warming and consequent climatic instability, disparities in wealth, and other issues add to the sense that social institutions are unable to cope with the major problems that the world faces. It is certainly the case, on the one hand, that states around the world are under enormous fiscal pressure, in large part brought about by the banking failures of 2008, which heralded the end of a long period of conspicuous consumption and an era of deregulation. On the other hand, the private sector, too, is under pressure, losing once-certain markets to new competitors, and ‘fat cat’ directors facing angry shareholders and governments seeking to curb their excess salaries and the bonus culture of those in charge of large corporations.
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6,058 |
Postoperative Care of the Liver-Transplant Patient
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Liver transplantation (LT) is performed to improve life expectancy and quality of life in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (CLD), and to save life in the context of acute liver failure (ALF). These two groups of patients differ significantly in terms of mean age, prior comorbidity, and degree of extra-hepatic organ dysfunction, requiring substantially different approaches to supportive care. Common aspects of care are those directed at the transplanted organ itself, with regard to monitoring and recognition of early dysfunction, initiation of immunosuppression, and management of surgical complications. Close liaison with the multidisciplinary team, which will include the intensivist, transplant surgeon, transplant hepatologist, anesthesiologist, and radiologist, is required.
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6,059 |
Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Intersection of Autophagy and Immunity: Insights from Human Genetics
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Studies using human genetics have identified more than 160 loci that affect the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Several of these genes have been found to play key roles in the process of autophagy, a lysosome-based degradation pathway. Although historically considered to be a relatively nonselective process of degradation of cytosolic contents, autophagy has recently been revealed to have several selective and immune-specific functions that are relevant to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, including xenophagy, mitophagy, antigen presentation, secretion, and inflammasome regulation. In this chapter, we review the evidence that links autophagy-related genes, their immune-specific functions, and possible mechanisms of IBD pathogenesis. We summarize the basic molecular events underlying general and selective autophagy, and present evidence suggesting possible pathogenic mechanisms revealed by studies of IBD-associated risk alleles of ATG16L1 and IRGM. Finally, we review chemical biology-based experimental approaches for identifying autophagy regulatory pathways that may have implications for the development of therapeutics.
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6,060 |
Pneumonia
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The chapter will begin with an overview of pathological-clinical correlates in pneumonia, and of the principles of diagnosis and treatment that can be broadly applied to all pneumonias. Thereafter, community-acquired pneumonia, hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, and aspiration pneumonia will be considered separately, considering aspects of management specifically relevant to each. The chapter will end by discussing preventive strategies, and with a brief outline of future challenges for the management of pneumonia.
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6,061 |
Pathogen Genomics and the Potential for Understanding Diseases in the Developing World
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Approximately 46% and 32% of deaths among children under five globally occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, respectively. Over 80% of the 4.2 million child deaths in Africa are caused by infectious diseases, sharply contrasted to Europe where 39% of the 0.15 million child deaths are attributable to infectious diseases (Fig. 5.1) (Black et al. 2010). Hence, despite the remarkable public health advancements in hygiene, sanitation, antimicrobial drugs and vaccine strategies of the twenty-first century, the burden of infectious diseases remains unacceptably high in the developing world.
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6,062 |
Towards Merging Models of Information Spreading and Dynamic Phenomena in Social Networks
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While the impact of network properties on information spreading is now widely studied, influence of network dynamics is very little known. In this paper, we study how evolution mechanisms traditionally observed within social networks can affect information diffusion. We present an approach that merges two models: model of information diffusion through social networks and model of network evolution. Since epidemics provide a reference in application domains of information spreading, we measure the impact of basic network structure changes on epidemic peak value and timing. Then we investigate observed trends in terms of changes appearing in the network structure. Our results provide promising results on how and why network dynamics is a strong parameter to integrate in requirements for information spreading modelling.
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6,063 |
Lonicera japonica Thunb 金银花 (Jinyinhua, Honey Suckle)
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Jinyinhua, a sprawling and twining lianas in the family of Caprifoliaceae, is a popular Chinese herbal medicine used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and as a well-known dietary supplement that has been used for many centuries.
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6,064 |
Factors Involved in Aerosol Transmission of Infection and Control of Ventilation in Healthcare
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Experience with the recent viral pandemics has generated a renewed interest in the study of the transmission modes of respiratory pathogens. It not only provides better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease but also of the rational design of infectious-control strategies. Hospital-acquired infections still account for many hospitalizations and deaths around the world, with many of these infections being transmitted via aerosolized microorganisms to patients and healthcare workers (HCWs).
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6,065 |
Erreger
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Der mit Abstand wichtigste Erreger der ambulant erworbenen Pneumonie ist Streptococcus pneumoniae. Weitere bedeutende Erreger sind Influenzaviren, die „atypischen“ bakteriellen Erreger Legionella spp. und Mycoplasma pneumoniae sowie Haemophilus influenzae. Nur selten, jedoch aufgrund ihrer Pathogenität wichtig, sind Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobakterien und P. aeruginosa. Weitere seltene Erreger müssen beachtet werden, besonders bei Reiserückkehrern. Risikofaktoren sind für alle Erreger definiert. Epidemien können von Legionellen, Coxiella burnetii, Influenzaviren und „neuen“ Viren ausgehen. Das klinische Bild ist mitunter charakteristisch, jedoch nie spezifisch. Die Kenntnis der Besonderheiten der möglichen Erreger hinsichtlich Mikrobiologie, Übertragung, Risikofaktoren und klinischem Bild ist wertvoll für die angemessene Behandlung der ambulant erworbenen Pneumonie, insbesondere die gezielte antimikrobielle Therapie.
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6,066 |
Managing Global Risks: Vietnamese Poultry Farmers and Avian Flu
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This chapter documents the logics underpinning farmers’ management practices of an emerging disease. In the area of our survey, Vietnamese farmers, who are one of the front lines of the fight against H5N1, are called upon to collaborate to the international fight against the virus. Our study highlights that direct (poultry mortality) and indirect impacts (consequence of the measures imposed by the government to contain the virus, fluctuation of consumers’ demand, etc.) tend to be relatively limited when compared to the permanent state of instability which characterises the context of poultry production in the surveyed village. This instability is mainly related to numerous and regular poultry infectious diseases and market fluctuations. If international community considers H5N1 as a zoonotic risk and a pandemic threat which asks for emergency tools, H5N1 is framed by the farmers of our study as an epizootic problem manageable through routinised measures. These measures aim at minimising the economic impact of the disease rather than preventing poultry and Human from the disease. Consequently, local management of the disease cannot fit with the precautionary approach promoted by the international community.
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6,067 |
Isolation: Serious, Infectious Diseases
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All persons staying in hospitals should be protected against exposure to infectious agents, and especially to high-risk, dangerous agents - that pose a risk to health and life. It is not acceptable to place a patient with a known high-risk, serious infection in the same hospital room as other patients (WHO). In this chapter, the preparedness of isolation capacity and escalation of hospital beds for patients with dangerous infections are described.
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6,068 |
The Experimental Pathology at Ancona: 50 Years of Exciting and Pioneering Research on Human Pathology
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Half century ago, a few academic pioneers founded the laboratories of experimental and ultrastructural pathology in Ancona. From this origin, a new phase of experimental studies developed aimed at translational and clinical research up to the present, when our group is internationally recognized for its fundamental contributions in gerontological research and molecular diagnostic pathology. Since the desire of immortality and of eternal youth seems to be as old as mankind, in the future we plan to focus our scientific research on Regenerative Medicine and Rejuvenation strategies. This is the most ambitious aim in the framework of the world aging population. We do not know whether we would achieve these results by ourselves. We are confident that, as in the past, new generations of scientist of the school of experimental pathology at Ancona will get the baton by the older one and lead the future with the same enthusiasm, love and commitment.
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6,069 |
Challenges for Experimentation on Living Beings at the Dawn of the 21(st) Century
|
“We can talk endlessly about moral progress, about social progress, about poetic progress, about progress made in happiness; nevertheless, there is a type of progress that defies any discussion, and that is scientific progress, as soon as we judge it within the hierarchy of knowledge, from a specifically intellectual point of view.”
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6,070 |
Medical, Psychological, and Environmental Issues of Artificial Gravity
| null |
6,071 |
Treatment of Perianal Crohn Disease Fistulae
| null |
6,072 |
Acronyms and Abbreviations
| null |
6,073 |
17 Infecties bij patiënten met gestoorde afweer
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De eerste verdedigingslinie, gevormd door het intacte oppervlak van huid en slijmvliezen, is van eminent belang voor de afweer tegen micro-organismen (tabel 17.1).
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6,074 |
Green Biotechnology: A Brief Update on Plastid Genome Engineering
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Plant genetic engineering has become an inevitable tool in the molecular breeding of crops. Significant progress has been made in the generation of novel plastid transformation vectors and optimized transformation protocols. There are several advantages of plastid genome engineering over conventional nuclear transformation. Some of the advantages include multigene engineering by expression of biosynthetic pathway genes as operons, extremely high-level expression of protein accumulation, lack of transgene silencing, etc. Transgene containment owing to maternal inheritance is another important advantage of plastid genome engineering. Chloroplast genome modification usually results in alteration of several thousand plastid genome copies in a cell. Several therapeutic proteins, edible vaccines, antimicrobial peptides, and industrially important enzymes have been successfully expressed in chloroplasts so far. Here, we critically recapitulate the latest developments in plastid genome engineering. Latest advancements in plastid genome sequencing are briefed. In addition, advancement of extending the toolbox for plastid engineering for selected applications in the area of molecular farming and production of industrially important enzyme is briefed.
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6,075 |
Public Health in Canada and Adaptation to Infectious Disease Risks of Climate Change: Are We Planning or Just Keeping Our Fingers Crossed?
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Climate change is expected to increase the health risks for Canadians from infectious diseases from our environment, including vector-borne, water-borne, and food-borne diseases. Adaptation efforts will be important to reduce the impact of these risks. Public health systems are in place in Canada to control many disease risks but there are still knowledge gaps on, and modifications needed to, existing approaches to protecting the population from endemic diseases and new or emerging pathogens. This chapter addresses five key questions on whether public health is on track to helping communities adapt to changing risks. The questions address adaptation to disease risk of climate change by exploring the following: assessments of disease risks, methods for adaptation, responsibility, resources, and public action and societal will. Overall, with these increasing risks to the health of Canadians, all sectors of society will need to participate in the adaptive response, while federal, provincial, and community public health bodies will need to work together to identify and communicate risk and promote and coordinate adaptation responses.
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6,076 |
Emerging Animal Coronaviruses: First SARS and Now MERS
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The first major pandemic of the new millennium that arose from southern China in 2002 was of zoonotic origin from wild game animals, called severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS]. The culprit was determined to be a coronavirus of animal origin [SARS-CoV]. The discovery of the SARS-CoV, which caused an outbreak of >8000 people in >30 countries with fatality of about 10%, resulted in intense search for novel coronaviruses with potentially high pathogenicity. Ten years later after the SARS pandemic, another novel coronavirus crossed the species barrier from bats to humans through an intermediate camel host, to produce a severe lower respiratory infection labeled the Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS]. A novel coronavirus [MERS-CoV] was first identified in September 2012, from patients who resided or traveled to Saudi Arabia. The MERS-CoV spread through contacts with camel and subsequently from human to human via droplet transmission. MERS cases occurred in several other countries including in Europe and the United States, mainly from residence or travel to the Arabian Peninsula, but was not of pandemic potential. However, in the spring of 2015, a MERS outbreak started in South Korea which was initiated by a returning traveler from Saudi Arabia, and subsequently secondary infection of over 186 local residents occurred. Recent estimate in May 2015 indicates that the MERS-CoV have afflicted 1167 patients with MERS worldwide with 479 deaths [41% fatality]. Thus MERS is more deadly than SARS but appears to be less contagious. However, unlike SARS which has not reappeared since 2002–2003, MERS-CoV have the potential to cause sporadic or local outbreaks for many years as the virus may now be entrenched endemically in dromedary camels of the Middle East.
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6,077 |
The Nonhuman Primate as a Model for Biomedical Research
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This chapter provides a brief summary of issues surrounding the utilization of nonhuman primates in biomedical research. Although a relatively small proportion of the total number of animals utilized in biomedical research, nonhuman primates occupy a unique position as the species most closely related to humans, and thus have the potential to provide highly relevant information regarding human health issues. Nonhuman primates are utilized across a wide diversity of research topics and examples are provided including infectious disease, neuroscience, and genomics. Pertinent information relating to ethical issues, species selection, housing, and specific pathogen-free status are provided as an overview of relevant issues associated with selection of nonhuman primate models. Selected references are provided as a reference for more comprehensive information relating to these topics.
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6,078 |
Calculation of Air Change Rate
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In order to dilute and effectively remove the bioaerosol in the negative pressure isolation ward, a certain amount of flow rate, i.e., the air change rate, is needed.
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6,079 |
Prevention and Psychological Intervention in Depression and Stress-Related Conditions
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This chapter focuses on depression and stress-related conditions to discuss possible strategies for the prevention or early management of such conditions. Health education constitutes the first important strategy, and we outline a school-based educational activity using a case-method approach. We next illustrate the impact of stressful events on psychological health with the results of a survey among Chinese individuals conducted after an unexpected epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003. Communication plays an important role in the assessment and management services provided by medical practitioners to sick individuals, with very diverse backgrounds and levels of medical knowledge, who consult health care providers with concerns about their health. In this context, we introduce a recent advance in patient–doctor communication. Finally, we address the cognitive and behavioral features of those who suffer from depression and psychosocial stress. Based on our recent activities and on evidence pertaining to health promotion and education, we emphasize the importance of health education and communication in the prevention of stress-related diseases and the promotion of physical and psychological health.
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6,080 |
Medical Conditions
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An acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) has high possibilities to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and increased death risk. AHRF which represents a common end-point to multiple pathological processes either local or systemic may have many medical conditions as aetiology. The causes may be pulmonary and extrapulmonary. Between pulmonary determinants, pneumonia and bacterial and virus infection diseases are the most frequent disease associated with AHRF. On the other hand, many non-infectious etiologic conditions, such as blunt chest contusion, multiple injuries, aspiration of gastric contents, inhalation burns, pancreatitis, and blood transfusions may cause ARDS.
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6,081 |
Bacterial Infections
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In Osier’s time, bacterial pneumonia was a dreaded event, so important that he borrowed John Bunyan’s characterization of tuberculosis and anointed the pneumococcus, as the prime pathogen, “Captain of the men of death.”1 One hundred years later much has changed, but much remains the same. Pneumonia is now the sixth most common cause of death and the most common lethal infection in the United States. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is now the second most common nosocomial infection.2 It was documented as a complication in 0.6% of patients in a national surveillance study,3 and has been reported in as many as 20% of patients in critical care units.4 Furthermore, it is the leading cause of death among nosocomial infections.5 Leu and colleagues6 were able to associate one third of the mortality in patients with nosocomial pneumonia to the infection itself. The increase in hospital stay, which averaged 7 days, was statistically significant. It has been estimated that nosocomial pneumonia produces costs in excess of $500 million each year in the United States, largely related to the increased length of hospital stay.
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6,082 |
Next-Generation Sequencing for Porcine Coronaviruses
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The outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and the discovery of porcine deltacoronavirus in the USA have led to multiple questions about the evolution of coronaviruses in swine. Coronaviruses are enveloped virus, containing a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome (26–30 kb) that can cause respiratory or enteric illness in swine. With current technologies, the complete viral genomes can be determined to understand viral diversity and evolution. In this chapter, we describe a method to deep genome sequence porcine coronavirus on the Illumina MiSeq, avoiding the number of contaminating reads associated with the host and other microorganisms.
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6,083 |
Outbreaks of Infection in the ICU: What’s up at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century?
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Surveillance cultures are the only cultures that allow the distinction between secondary endogenous and exogenous infections. These types of infection are the two known to cause outbreaks. Secondary endogenous infections can be controlled by enterally administered antimicrobials and should be integrated into the routine infection control measures. Exogenous infections can be controlled by topically applied antimicrobials and hygiene.
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6,084 |
Pulmonary Manifestations of Vasculitis
|
Respiratory manifestations in patients with a primary systemic vasculitis syndrome need to be separated into those caused by the vasculitis itself, those related to treatment complications, and those caused by unrelated or only indirectly related comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnea. Respiratory tract involvement is most common in the ANCA-associated vasculitides. Respiratory manifestations are less frequent and less prominent in other forms of systemic vasculitis, but they may nevertheless represent significant management challenges and carry a poor prognosis. This chapter reviews the tracheobronchial and pulmonary parenchymal disease manifestations, their clinical presentation, and differential diagnosis for each of the vasculitis syndromes. A systematic differential diagnostic approach to the patient with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage is also provided.
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6,085 |
Rhinology
|
Osteomas are the most common benign sinonasal lesion with the frontal sinus the most common location. On sinus MRI, dried secretions show as hyperintense on T1, hypointense on T2, and polyps show hypointense on T1, hyperintense on T2. Rhinoscleroma is caused by Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis with histopathology showing Mikulicz cells (macrophages containing pathogen) and Russell bodies (plasma cells).
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6,086 |
The genetic basis of resistance to antimicrobial drugs
| null |
6,087 |
Modeling Detection of HIV in Cuba
|
A nonlinear compartmental model is developed for the HIV detection system in Cuba with different types of detections, some random and others non-random. We analyze the dynamics of this system, compute the reproduction numbers, and use the data from the Cuban HIV/AIDS epidemic between 1986-2008 to fit the model. We obtain estimates for the detection-related parameters during two separate time periods to reflect the timeline of the implementation of various types of searches. The reproduction numbers for each time period are also computed from the sets of values of the parameters. We found that random screening is most important as a mean of surveillance. Moreover, local asymptotic stability for the Disease Free Equilibrium can be achieved if (i) random screening is sufficiently effective and (ii) infection by detected HIV-positive individuals is minimal. Our results highlight the importance of education for the known infectious for the purpose of preventing further infection. Fitting the 1986-2008 HIV data to obtain the model parameter estimates indicates that the HIV epidemic in Cuba is currently approaching an endemic equilibrium. A Genetic Algorithm is used.
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6,088 |
Nutrition and Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis
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• Chronic muscle inflammation in polymyositis or dermatomyositis causes muscle weakness and fatigue. • The chronic inflammation could lead to a catabolic state and additional loss of muscle mass. • The chronic muscle inflammation could induce a metabolic myopathy. • Body weight may not be reliable to measure muscle loss, rather measurement of body composition is recommended. •For patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis it is important to provide the body with the right amount of macronutrients and trace elements for maintenance and improvement of body functions. • One recommendation is supplementation with calcium and vitamin D. • Another recommendation is regular physical exercise that during limited periods can be combined with supplements such as creatine, if done under the care of a physician.
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6,089 |
Role of CD14 in Lung Inflammation and Infection
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Toll-like receptors (TLR) on the surface of cells of the respiratory tract play an essential role in sensing the presence of microorganisms in the airways and lungs. These receptors trigger inflammatory responses, activate innate immune responses, and prime adaptive immune responses to eradicate invading microbes [1]. TLR are members of a family of pattern-recognition receptors, which recognize molecular structures of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa (pathogen-associated molecular patterns or PAMPs), as well as endogenous structures and proteins released during inflammation (damage/danger-associated molecular patterns or DAMPs). To date, ten different TLR have been identified in humans and twelve in mice. TLR are expressed on all cells of the immune system, but also on parenchymal cells of many organs and tissues. The binding of a PAMP to a TLR results in cellular activation and initiates a variety of effector functions, including cytokine secretion, proliferation’ co-stimulation or phagocyte maturation. To facilitate microbial recognition and to amplify cellular responses, certain TLR require additional proteins, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein (LBP), CD14, CD36 and high mobility group box-l protein (HMGB-l). In this chapter, the role of CD14 as an accessory receptor for TLR in lung inflammation and infection is discussed. The central role of CD14 in the recognition of various PAMPs and amplification of immune and inflammatory responses in the lung is depicted in Fig. 1.
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6,090 |
The Pediatric Asthmatic
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The incidence of allergies and asthma in the Western world has been increasing over the past 30 years. However, more recent data suggests that over the past 5–10 years, the overall global trends of asthma incidence have begun to stabilize (1). Urbanization and industrialization has contributed to the increase in developed countries, but the reasons for this are still unclear. Asthma is estimated to be responsible for 1 in every 250 deaths worldwide. Many of these deaths are preventable, and specific issues have been identified that may contribute to this high mortality rate. Factors that contribute to high mortality and morbidity include slow access to care and medications, inadequate environmental control of allergens and irritants, dietary changes, genetic variations, cultural barriers, lack of education amongst patients and providers, insufficient resources, and improper use of health care dollars.
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6,091 |
Hong Kong Students’ Decision-Making About Ecological and Health Issues
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Decision-making about socioscientific issues could serve as a means to engage students in multi-perspective thinking, critical reasoning, argumentation, and value judgment, which are regarded as increasingly important goals of school education in general and science education in particular. This chapter draws on four studies that examine Hong Kong secondary students’ informal reasoning for decision-making about socioscientific issues in the areas of health and ecology. While some of these studies involved decision-making about issues within the context of Hong Kong, others engaged students in reasoning on regional or global issues with due consideration to the decision of their counterparts in other contexts or cultures. Three distinctive patterns of reasoning among Hong Kong students emerge from this review. These include their general ability to reason from multiple perspectives, insufficient use of scientific evidence to inform decision-making, and the tendency to change their decision through interactions with peers. Furthermore, the use of a decision-making framework to guide students’ decision-making and the impacts of interpersonal exchanges both within and across contextual or cultural groups on students’ decisions were discussed.
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6,092 |
Ecological effects of aviation
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6,093 |
Epidemic Thresholds in SIR and SIIR Models Applying an Algorithmic Method
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Epidemic thresholds were deduced and simulated from SIR models of Susceptible – Infected – Recovered individuals, through local stability analysis of the disease free and endemic equilibrium, with an algorithmic method. One and two types of infected individuals were modeled, considering the influence of sub clinical, undiagnosed or unrecognized infected cases in disease transmission.
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6,094 |
Chai Jing: The Power of Vulnerability
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In the past seventeen years Chai Jing has risen from China’s official media to become a recognized investigative journalist, public intellectual, author, and more recently, an independent filmmaker and environmental activist. Her experience and work reflect how China’s news apparatus has reformed to adapt to the drastic societal changes with emotion being used to open up new ways of news communication. Her documentary Under the Dome further shows how the internet has transformed the ecology of media and provided innovative platforms for social engagement. Chai’s embracing her own feelings of vulnerability, which dominated the beginning of her career, and using it to channel public feelings and drive news reporting has made her a distinctively controversial media personality. Her leaving the CCTV can be viewed as a self-marginalization that helps her sustain that vulnerability, through which she gains resilience and critical power. The use of maternal voice in Under the Dome exemplifies her use of the power of vulnerability in its most mature form. The controversiality about that voice signals that post-socialist China remains a space where environmental and gender discourses are contested and negotiated.
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6,095 |
7 Importziekten
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De besmetting met Entamoeba histolytica komt overal ter wereld maar vooral in de tropen voor. Ook de apathogene Entamoeba dispar komt kosmopolitisch voor.
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6,096 |
The Infectious Disease Physician and Microbial Bioterrorism
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On the morning of September 11, 2001, and later in the weeks that chronicled the spread of anthrax through the U.S. mail, our global consciousness of the terrorist threat was altered. We had awakened to a nightmare. Microbes are a perfect metaphor for our fears: our world seemed infected with terrorists, unlimited in virulence, waiting to emerge from dormancy. The metaphor had become real. Although the atmosphere evokes cold-war fears, the world of this century is more complex than that of the McCarthy-era. The infectious disease physician's role in bioterrorism response must be framed in this context.
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6,097 |
Human-Specific Changes in Sialic Acid Biology
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Sialic acids are components of cell-surface glycans and play important roles in cell–cell communication and host–pathogen interaction. More than 55 genes, encoding receptors, enzymes, and transporters, are known to be involved in sialic acid biology. Nearly 10 years of research have revealed that several of these genes show human-specific changes in genome structure, expression, or function. In this chapter, we introduce these human-specific changes and their possible impact on the human evolution. Also, we give an overview of the evolution of sialic acid biology in primates. The discovery of human-specific changes in sialic acid biology is one step toward explaining the genetic basis of human uniqueness, one of the major activities in primatology, contributing to answering a transdisciplinary question: What makes us human?
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6,098 |
Pulmonary Manifestations of Hematological Malignancies: Focus on Pulmonary Chronic Graft-Versus Host Disease
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Advances in the management of patients in terms of the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic malignancies and treatment-related complications, especially infectious complications, have increased survival time. However, more than half of the patients treated for hematologic malignancies will develop a pulmonary complication during their follow-up, infectious pneumonia remaining the most common diagnosis that should be considered first in regard to its potential severity. Otherwise, new complications that may involve different organs, including the lungs, have been increasingly reported. Currently, over a quarter of lung infiltrates occurring in the context of hematological diseases are due to noninfectious causes. Thus, lung physicians may be increasingly confronted with these lung disorders. Various noninfectious pulmonary complications have been described in the different hematological malignancies; however, these complications are most often studied in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In this chapter, we will briefly review the lung diseases associated with various hematological malignancies before focusing on noninfectious pulmonary complications following allogeneic HSCT.
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6,099 |
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Intensive Care Unit
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For the intensive care unit (ICU) physician, the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is difficult as it can easily be confounded with other forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The key issue is that PAH is a form of PH. On the opposite, PH does not automatically imply PAH. Pulmonary arterial hypertension must be differentiated from other causes of PH that are frequently seen in ICU. It was recently emphasized that pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) must be differentiated from PH and PAH. The prognosis of PAH was consistently improved in the ten past years by introduction of selective pulmonary vasodilators and management by highly specialized medical teams. In ICU patients, PAH remains a severe disease with a high mortality rate. When PAH is suspected, a systematic diagnosis approach is of particular importance in order to rapidly eliminate left cardiac, thromboembolic and pulmonary causes of PH. Left cardiac disease is the most common cause of PH. Early recognition of PAH allows a rapid introduction of selective pulmonary vasodilators that can improve outcome. Idiopathic PAH is the most frequent cause but it can also be associated with scleroderma, HIV infection, anorexigen toxicity, thyroid disease, cirrhosis. Pulmonary vasodilators should be only a part of a general management including treatment of triggering factors, optimization of fluid balance, decrease of RV afterload by using pulmonary vasodilators while maintaining cardiac output and mean arterial pressure. The early contact of PH referral center or specialized physician is of particular importance.
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