Music-reading training alleviates crowding with musical notation

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The Prevalence of Intestinal Coccidian Parasites Burden in HIV/AIDS Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV Centers in Mubi, Nigeria

Background: Intestinal coccidia are group of protozoa which parasitize the epithelial cells of the intestinal tract of their hosts. Most infections usually produce mild, self-limiting infections in man, but they now constitute a serious public health problem, especially in developing countries with inadequate sanitary conditions coupled with widespread HIV/AIDS infection.Objective: To determine the Prevalence of intestinal coccidian parasites burden in HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy in HIV Centers in Mubi, NigeriaMaterials and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study in which stool specimens from  IV-positive patients on ART were examined for the presence ofoocysts of intestinal coccidian parasitesusing Modified Acid Fast Stain technique. In addition, patients’ blood samples were analyzed for CD4 count by flow cytometry and packed cell volume (PCV) through microhaematocrit centrifugation.Results A total of 305 specimens examined, 236(77.4%) were positive for Cryptosporidium parvum, Isospora belli and Microsporidium species. Patients within the age group of 21 – 30 were the most infected. Generally, the  duration of ART influenced the prevalence of the intestinal coccidian parasites. There was a highly significant  association between the CD4 count and prevalence coccidian parasites (p ˂ 0.05). There was a significant  negative correlation (r = -0.95) between the duration of the ART and the prevalence of coccidian presence.Conclusion: Routine screening of HIV-positive patients for intestinal parasites is advocated as standard operative procedure (SOP) before antiretroviral therapy (ART) is given. Construction of public health facilities, toilets and boreholes as well as public enlightenment campaign is recommended for more effective management of these patients.Keywords: intestinal coccidian parasites, antiretroviral therapy, Mubi Contexte: Les coccidies intestinales sont un groupe de protozoaires qui parasitent les cellules épithéliales du tube digestif de leurs hôtes. La plupart des infections humaines sont d'habitude peu sévères et autolimitées, mais elles constituent de nos jours un véritable problème de santé publique, particulièrement dans des pays en voie de développement où les conditions sanitaires sont inadéquates, et couplées à l'infection répanduedu VIH/SIDA.Objectif: Déterminer la fréquence de coccidies intestinales chezles patients atteints de VIH/SIDA sous traitement antirétroviral dans les Centres de contrôle de VIH de Mubi au Nigeria.Matérielset Méthodes: Il s’agissait d’une étude transversale dans laquelle les spécimens de selles des patients séropositifs au VIH et sous traitement antirétroviralétaient examinés en vue d’en dépister là la présence  d’oocystes de coccidies intestinales grâce à la technique de de coloration acido-résistante modifiée. De plus, les  prélèvements de sang des patients étaient analysés pour en déterminer le taux de CD4 et le taux demicro-hématocrite par les techniques de flux cytométrique et de centrifugation respectivement.Résultats: Untotal de 305 spécimens ont été examinés, 236 (77.4 %) étaient positifs pour le Cryptosporidiumparvum,le Isospora belli et les espèces de Microsporidie. Les patients dans la tranche d'âge de 21 – 30 ans étaient les plus infectés. Généralement, la durée du traitement antirétroviralinfluençait la fréquence des coccidies intestinales. Il y avait une association fortement significative entre le taux de CD4 et les infections(p< 0.05). Il existait une corrélation négative significative (r =-0.95) entre la durée detraitement antirétroviralet la fréquence de coccidies intestinales.Conclusion: Le dépistage de routine des patients séropositifs pour des parasites intestinaux est préconisé dans la procédure opératoire standard avant toute administration de thérapie antirétrovirale. La construction d'installations de santé publique, des toilettes et des puits de forage ainsi que des campagnes  d'éducationsanitaire sontfortement recommandées en vue d’une prise en charge effectivedes patients atteints de VIH.Mots-clés : coccidies intestinales, thérapie antirétrovirale, MubiArticle in English

Generation of Internal Waves by Eddies Impinging on the Western Boundary of the North Atlantic

This is the final version. Available from the American Meteorological Society via the DOI in this recordDespite the major role played by mesoscale eddies in redistributing the energy of the large-scale circulation, our understanding of their dissipation is still incomplete. This study investigates the generation of internal waves by decaying eddies in the North Atlantic western boundary. The eddy presence and decay are measured from the altimetric surface relative vorticity associated with an array of full-depth current meters extending ~100 km offshore at 26.5°N. In addition, internal waves are analyzed over a topographic rise from 2-yr high-frequency measurements of an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), which is located 13 km offshore in 600-m deep water. Despite an apparent polarity independence of the eddy decay observed from altimetric data, the flow in the deepest 100 m is enhanced for anticyclones (25.2 cm s−1) compared with cyclones (−4.7 cm s−1). Accordingly, the internal wave field is sensitive to this polarity-dependent deep velocity. This is apparent from the eddy-modulated enhanced dissipation rate, which is obtained from a finescale parameterization and exceeds 10−9 W kg−1 for near-bottom flows greater than 8 cm s−1. The present study underlines the importance of oceanic western boundaries for removing the energy of low-mode westward-propagating eddies to higher-mode internal waves.The RAPID-WATCH MOC monitoring project is funded by the U.K. Natural Environment Research Council, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. L. Clément was supported by NERC Grant NE/I528626/1. The participation of K. L. Sheen and J. A. Brearley in this study was supported by NERC Grants NE/E007058/1 and NE/E005667/1. A.C.N.G. acknowledges the support of a Philip Leverhulme Prize

Systematic review of the effects of the intestinal microbiota on selected nutrients and non-nutrients

The systematic review demonstrates that the IM plays a major role in the breakdown and transformation of the dietary substrates examined. However, recent human data are limited with the exception of data from studies examining fibres and polyphenols. Results observed in relation with dietary substrates were not always consistent or coherent across studies and methodological limitations and differences in IM analyses made comparisons difficult. Moreover, non-digestible components likely to reach the colon are often not well defined or characterised in studies making comparisons between studies difficult if not impossible. Going forward, further rigorously controlled randomised human trials with well-defined dietary substrates and utilizing omic-based technologies to characterise and measure the IM and their functional activities will advance the field. Current evidence suggests that more detailed knowledge of the metabolic activities and interactions of the IM hold considerable promise in relation with host health

Evidence of an active volcanic heat source beneath the Pine Island Glacier

Tectonic landforms reveal that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) lies atop a major volcanic rift system. However, identifying subglacial volcanism is challenging. Here we show geochemical evidence of a volcanic heat source upstream of the fast-melting Pine Island Ice Shelf, documented by seawater helium isotope ratios at the front of the Ice Shelf cavity. The localization of mantle helium to glacial meltwater reveals that volcanic heat induces melt beneath the grounded glacier and feeds the subglacial hydrological network crossing the grounding line. The observed transport of mantle helium out of the Ice Shelf cavity indicates that volcanic heat is supplied to the grounded glacier at a rate of ~ 2500 ± 1700 MW, which is ca. half as large as the active Grimsvötn volcano on Iceland. Our finding of a substantial volcanic heat source beneath a major WAIS glacier highlights the need to understand subglacial volcanism, its hydrologic interaction with the marine margins, and its potential role in the future stability of the WAIS

Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in MRI Scan and Cervix Squamous Cell Carcinoma Histopathologic Grade: A Correlational Study

Abstract Background: Currently, MRI examination is the main radiological diagnostic examination option for determining cervical cancer staging. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) predicts changes in cell density due to water quantity and diffusion. This study aims to determine the correlation between ADC value and cervix SCC. Methods: This is a correlation study with retrospective design that was conducted at Radiology Installation of Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia for 2 years.!Sample of this study was all cervix cancer patients at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya who met inclusion criteria. Histopathologic grades were collected from histopathologic archives and ADC values were collected through DWI sequence in MRI. Descriptive analysis was carried out to obtain sample characteristics then continued with ROC analysis to obtain ADC cut off value and non-parametric Spearman's rho correlation test was conducted to determine the correlation between ADC values in cervix cancer which was categorized according to their histopathologic grade. Results: Sample distribution based on cervix cancer histopathologic grade from 48 samples showed that 27 patients (56.3%) had grade I SCC, eight patients (16.7%) had grade II, and 13 patients (27.1%) had grade III. Apparent diffusion coefficient cut-off value for grade I cervix cancer was 0.90 ± 0.18 x 10-3mm2/s, grade II was 0.83 ± 0.14 x 10-3mm2/s, and grade III was 0.82 ± 0.12 x 10-3mm2/s. Spearman's rho correlation test result was -0.169 and p = 0.250 (p>0.05). Conclusion: There was a very weak negative and non-significant correlation between ADC value and cervix squamous cell carcinoma histopathologic grade

Adult Frass Provides a Pheromone Signature for Drosophila Feeding and Aggregation

Adult Drosophila melanogaster locate food resources by using distinct olfactory cues that often are associated with the fermentation of fruit. However, in addition to being an odorous food source and providing a possible site for oviposition, fermenting fruit also provides a physical substrate upon which flies can attract and court a potential mate. In this study, we demonstrate that Drosophila adults are able to recruit additional flies to a food source by covering the exposed surface area with fecal spots, and that this recruitment is mediated via olfactory receptors (Ors). Analyses of the deposited frass material demonstrates that frass contains several previously studied pheromone components, such as methyl laurate (ML), methyl myristate (MM), methyl palmitate (MP), and 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), in addition to several cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) that are known to be behaviorally active. Moreover, this study also demonstrates that adult feeding is increased in the presence of frass, although it appears that Ors are less likely to mediate this phenomenon. In summary, the frass deposited by the fly onto the fruit provides both pheromone and CHC cues that lead to increased feeding and aggregation in Drosophila. This research is the first step in examining Drosophila frass as an important chemical signature that provides information about both the sex and the species of the fly that generated the fecal spots

Experimental and numerical study of pressure drop in pipes packed with large particles

This study investigates the pressure drop in horizontal pipes packed with large particles that result in small pipe-to-particle diameter ratio both experimentally and numerically. Two horizontal pipes of 0.1905 and 0.0254 m ID filled with cylindrical or spherical particles are used to collect the experimental data for single and two-phase flows. The porosity has same value for both pipes when they packed with cylindrical particles which is 0.75, however has different values when packed with spherical particles, 0.7 for the large pipe and 0.57 for the small pipe. The Roe-type Riemann solver proposed by Santim and Rosa Int J Numer Methods Fluids 80 (9), 536–568, [36] which uses the Drift-Flux model is modified aiming to predict the pressure drop in porous media through the implementation of a new source term in the system of equations. Empirical models available in the literature are used to calculate the single and two-phase flows pressure drop. The motivation is to verify the solver capability to reproduce the two-phase flow pressure drop in porous media and to compare some empirical models existing in the literature against the experimental data provided modifying some empirical coefficients when necessary.</p