Investigation of Malaria Parasitemia among Asymptomatic Individuals in Designated Districts of Central and Muchinga Provinces of Zambia – A Cross Sectional Study

The aim of the study was to investigate asymptomatic malaria in health-conscious population across four selected districts. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium spp. transmitted through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Asymptomatic malaria refers to the presence of malaria parasites in vivo without symptoms, which usually provides a reservoir for the disease transmission.Materials and methods. Blood collected in EDTA underwent testing through RDT (SD Bioline one-step malaria antigen P.f. (HRP-II) rapid test kits), while thin and thick blood smears Giemsa stained were microscopically examined.Results and discussion. Out of 385 individuals examined, 84 people (21.8 %) tested positive for malaria using RDT and 101/385 (26.2 %) – through microscopy. Microscopic examination further identified 27 individuals (7.0 %) with gametocytes and 74 (19.2 %) – with trophozoites. Intriguingly, 17 (4.4 %) samples showed negative results in RDT but exhibited trophozoites and gametocytes upon smear examination. District-wise analysis demonstrated the highest malaria positivity rate in Kanchibiya district, with 32 cases (8.3 %) detected by RDT and 35 (8.5 %) – through microscopy. Chitambo district followed closely: with RDT and microscopy values of 25 (6.5 %) and 33 (8.4 %), respectively; while Mpika and Serenje districts had 13 (3.4 %) and 14 (3.6 %) prevalence, respectively, with RDT and microscopy at 12 (3.1 %) in both districts [x2 =16.3, p-value=0.0118]. The study also revealed that 365/385 (95 %) of the participants demonstrated knowledge and positive attitudes toward malaria. Our findings accentuate the presence of asymptomatic malaria, encompassing trophozoites and gametocytes, among seemingly healthy individuals which poses a health risk to the community. Therefore, it is imperative to implement preventive chemotherapy and strengthen vector control efforts against malaria in order to reduce the infection rate

Appreciation and «on-line» comparison of colour and phenolic structure of red wines

If, on one hand, the visual appreciation of wines color is of the greatest importance, on the other hand, its objective characterisation is essential. For more than a century, many methods have been proposed. The technique we describe here is new under two main aspects: - first, it allows a quantitative traitment of the whole spectrum, including both major, classical peaks and the residual part (part of the spectrum remaining after elimination of major peaks), unexploitable until now. The spectrum is decomposed in a vector whose the number of scalars components is computed in such a way that the loss of information resulting of this decomposition is determined in advance; - secondly, the vector representing the whole spectrum is used in an original way for classifications and multivariate comparisons. We applied this technique to classification of 213 identified wines of Bordeaux area and compared our results to usual methods. Beyond this application, one can see that any wine can be defined, from now, by a vector whose components are of any kind: spectral, chromatographic, analytic, organoleptic. The great number of possible components permits us to eliminate the less discriminant ones and to select, iteratively, the more discriminant ones and to improve, by the way, classifications and comparisons.The measurements and their computerized treatment are so fast that we can speak of on-line results

Endogenous growth hormone and insulin after interposition of a reversed jejunal segment in short bowel syndrome. An experimental study on pigs

Background: Interposition of a reversed jejunal loop in short bowel sydrome has previously been investigated in human along with animal models and seemed able to facilitate intestinal adaptation. However, it is unclear if growth hormone and insulin, well known for their implication in short bowel pathophysiology, intervene on this effect. Findings. Porcine models were randomly allocated to two cohorts: (1) short bowel (SB) group (n=8) and (2) short bowel reverse jejunal segment (SB-RS) group (n=8). Amongst other parameters serum growth hormone and insulin were measured at baseline, as well as on postoperative day 30 and 60. Conclusion: Both endogenous hormones failed to demonstrate significant difference in respect to potential direct effect to mechanisms of enhanced intestinal adaptation in reversed group. © 2012 Papamichail et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Egypt (La Mort de Philae),

Mode of access: Internet

Egypt (La mort de Philae) /

Mode of access: Internet