Field evaluation of a simple fluorescence method for detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens during treatment follow-up.

Simple tuberculosis (TB) treatment monitoring tools are needed. We assessed the performance of fluorescein-diacetate (FDA) smear microscopy for detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens (n = 288) of TB cases under treatment compared to culture (17.4% culture positivity). FDA sensitivity was moderate (83.7% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 70.3 to 92.6]), and specificity was low (66.1% [59.5 to 72.2]). The good negative predictive value (94.8% [90.1 to 97.8]) and negative likelihood ratio (0.2) suggest using this method to rule out treatment failure in settings without access to culture

The use of medicinal plants in health care practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forest and conservation area of Bangladesh

People in developing countries traditionally rely on plants for their primary healthcare. This dependence is relatively higher in forests in remote areas due to the lack of access to modern health facilities and easy availability of the plant products.We carried out an ethno-medicinal survey in Teknaf Game Reserve (TGR), a heavily degraded forest and conservation area in southern Bangladesh, to explore the diversity of plants used by Rohingya refugees for treating various ailments. The study also documented the traditional utilization, collection and perceptions of medicinal plants by the Rohingyas residing on the edges of this conservation area. We collected primary information through direct observation and by interviewing older respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 34 plant species in 28 families were frequently used by the Rohingyas to treat 45 ailments, ranging from simple headaches to highly complex eye and heart diseases. For medicinal preparations and treating various ailments, aboveground plant parts were used more than belowground parts. The collection of medicinal plants was mostly from the TGR. © 2009 Taylor & Francis

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ACTIVITIES OF SELECTED COMPANIES AT SOHAR PORT, OMAN

Purpose The objective of the study is to investigate into the roles of Corporate Social Responsibility towards the community development of Sohar.  This study critically analyzes the current practices of CSR in the selected companies at Sohar Port area, Oman. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out with ten selected companies from Sohar Industrial Port area selected on a random sampling basis.   Findings The study has thrown light on the various activities of CSR carried out by the selected companies in the Al Batinah region of Sultanate of Oman.  The study reveals that the manufacturing companies have high inclination towards CSR programs than the other. Practical Implications Further the study shows that the selection of CSR activities by one company does not have any impact on any other company from the same area.  This will induce every company to come up with new CSR activities in to their manifold. Social Implications The study confirms that the selected companies play significant role through involving them in social responsibility activities resulting in sustained development of Sultanate of Oman. Originality/value No prior study has examined the CSR activities of the companies at Sohar Port, Oman. This study will pave a way to further scope of study on CSR activities of the companies of Oman

Selective and low temperature transition metal intercalation in layered tellurides

Layered materials embrace rich intercalation reactions to accommodate high concentrations of foreign species within their structures, and find many applications spanning from energy storage, ion exchange to secondary batteries. Light alkali metals are generally most easily intercalated due to their light mass, high charge/volume ratio and in many cases strong reducing properties. An evolving area of materials chemistry, however, is to capture metals selectively, which is of technological and environmental significance but rather unexplored. Here we show that the layered telluride T2PTe2 (T=Ti, Zr) displays exclusive insertion of transition metals (for example, Cd, Zn) as opposed to alkali cations, with tetrahedral coordination preference to tellurium. Interestingly, the intercalation reactions proceed in solid state and at surprisingly low temperatures (for example, 80?°C for cadmium in Ti2PTe2). The current method of controlling selectivity provides opportunities in the search for new materials for various applications that used to be possible only in a liquid

Comparison of Bioavailability Between the Most Available Generic Tablet Formulation Containing Artemether and Lumefantrine on the Tanzanian Market and the Innovator's Product.

Existence of anti-malarial generic drugs with low bioavailability marketed on sub-Saharan Africa has raised a concern on patients achieving therapeutic concentrations after intake of these products. This work compared bioavailability of one generic tablet formulation with innovator's product. Both were fixed dose combination tablet formulations containing artemether and lumefantrine.MethodologyThe study was conducted in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in which a survey of the most abundant generic containing artemether-lumefantrine tablet formulation was carried out in retail pharmacies. The most widely available generic (Artefan(R), Ajanta Pharma Ltd, Maharashtra, India) was sampled for bioavailability comparison with Coartem(R) (Novartis Pharma, Basel, Switzerland) - the innovator's product. A randomized, two-treatment cross-over study was conducted in 18 healthy Tanzanian black male volunteers. Each volunteer received Artefan(R) (test) and Coartem(R) (as reference) formulation separated by 42 days of drug-free washout period. Serial blood samples were collected up to 168 hours after oral administration of a single dose of each treatment. Quantitation of lumefantrine plasma levels was done using HPLC with UV detection. Bioequivalence of the two products was assessed in accordance with the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) guidelines. The most widely available generic in pharmacies was Artefan(R) from India. All eighteen enrolled volunteers completed the study and both test and reference tablet formulations were well tolerated. It was possible to quantify lumefantrine alone, therefore, the pharmacokinetic parameters reported herein are for lumefantrine. The geometric mean ratios for Cmax, AUC0-t and AUC0-[infinity] were 84% in all cases and within FDA recommended bioequivalence limits of 80% -- 125%, but the 90% confidence intervals were outside FDA recommended limits (CI 49--143%, 53 - 137%, 52 - 135% respectively). There were no statistical significant differences between the two formulations with regard to PK parameters (P > 0.05). Although the ratios of AUCs and Cmax were within the acceptable FDA range, bioequivalence between Artefan(R) and Coartem(R) tablet formulations was not demonstrated due to failure to comply with the FDA 90 % confidence interval criteria. Based on the observed total drug exposure (AUCs), Artefan(R) is likely to produce a similar therapeutic response as Coartem(R)

TRAIP promotes DNA damage response during genome replication and is mutated in primordial dwarfism.

DNA lesions encountered by replicative polymerases threaten genome stability and cell cycle progression. Here we report the identification of mutations in TRAIP, encoding an E3 RING ubiquitin ligase, in patients with microcephalic primordial dwarfism. We establish that TRAIP relocalizes to sites of DNA damage, where it is required for optimal phosphorylation of H2AX and RPA2 during S-phase in response to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, as well as fork progression through UV-induced DNA lesions. TRAIP is necessary for efficient cell cycle progression and mutations in TRAIP therefore limit cellular proliferation, providing a potential mechanism for microcephaly and dwarfism phenotypes. Human genetics thus identifies TRAIP as a component of the DNA damage response to replication-blocking DNA lesions.This work was supported by funding from the Medical Research Council and the European Research Council (ERC, 281847) (A.P.J.), the Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine (A.P.J. and G.S.S.), Medical Research Scotland (L.S.B.), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 01GM1404) and E-RARE network EuroMicro (B.W), Wellcome Trust (M. Hurles), CMMC (P.N.), Cancer Research UK (C17183/A13030) (G.S.S. and M.R.H), Swiss National Science Foundation (P2ZHP3_158709) (O.M.), AIRC (12710) and ERC/EU FP7 (CIG_303806) (S.S.), Cancer Research UK (C6/A11224) and ERC/EU FP7 (HEALTH-F2- 2010-259893) (A.N.B. and S.P.J.).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.345

In silico exploration of Red Sea Bacillus genomes for natural product biosynthetic gene clusters

Background: The increasing spectrum of multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major global public health concern, necessitating discovery of novel antimicrobial agents. Here, members of the genus Bacillus are investigated as a potentially attractive source of novel antibiotics due to their broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. We specifically focus on a computational analysis of the distinctive biosynthetic potential of Bacillus paralicheniformis strains isolated from the Red Sea, an ecosystem exposed to adverse, highly saline and hot conditions. Results: We report the complete circular and annotated genomes of two Red Sea strains, B. paralicheniformis Bac48 isolated from mangrove mud and B. paralicheniformis Bac84 isolated from microbial mat collected from Rabigh Harbor Lagoon in Saudi Arabia. Comparing the genomes of B. paralicheniformis Bac48 and B. paralicheniformis Bac84 with nine publicly available complete genomes of B. licheniformis and three genomes of B. paralicheniformis, revealed that all of the B. paralicheniformis strains in this study are more enriched in nonribosomal peptides (NRPs). We further report the first computationally identified trans-acyltransferase (trans-AT) nonribosomal peptide synthetase/polyketide synthase (PKS/ NRPS) cluster in strains of this species. Conclusions:B. paralicheniformis species have more genes associated with biosynthesis of antimicrobial bioactive compounds than other previously characterized species of B. licheniformis, which suggests that these species are better potential sources for novel antibiotics. Moreover, the genome of the Red Sea strain B. paralicheniformis Bac48 is more enriched in modular PKS genes compared to B. licheniformis strains and other B. paralicheniformis strains. This may be linked to adaptations that strains surviving in the Red Sea underwent to survive in the relatively hot and saline ecosystems

UK primary care survey of venous leg ulceration management and referral - Post-EVRA trial

Objective Determine standards of referral and management of patients with venous leg ulceration in primary care after the release of the EVRA (A Randomized Trial of Early Endovenous Ablation in Venous Ulceration) study results. Methods An online questionnaire was disseminated over four months to professionals working within primary care. Results The survey received 643 responses. Of respondents, 90 (14%) had heard of the EVRA trial and 51 (8%) were familiar with the results. Of those who answered the following questions, 410 (69.1%) stated that referral to a vascular specialist must be made by the General Practitioner and 13 (2.2%) reported that they would always refer patients for secondary care assessment before the publication of EVRA. Considering the EVRA results, 128 (29%) reported that they would change practice regarding referral and would experience no barriers and 198 (45%) reported that they would like to refer earlier but is not their decision. Barriers to changing practice included local referral policies, training and time restrictions, 266 (59%) had heard of the NICE guideline (CG168) and 194 (43%) were aware of the recommendations for referral to a vascular service within two weeks for patients with an open or healed ulcer. Conclusion There is a considerable variation in local referral pathways for venous leg ulceration, and despite clinicians wanting to refer promptly, many primary care professionals are unable to. Unfortunately, the EVRA study alone may not change the overall practice, and work is needed to overcome barriers faced by primary care professionals

Pengaruh Regulasi Perbankan, Regulasi Perpajakan, Kinerja, Inklusi Keuangan dan Tanggung Jawab Sosial Terhadap Keberhasilam Usaha (Studi pada: Usaha Kecil dan Menengah Desa Wisata Batik Wijirejo Kecamatan Pandak, Kabupaten Bantul Yogyakarta)

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis pengaruh regulasi perbankan dan regulasi perpajakan yang dimediasi kinerja dan inklusi keuangan pelaku usaha serta dimoderasi tanggung jawab sosial terhadap keberhasilan usaha. Sampel yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pelaku Usaha Kecil dan Menengah batik Desa Wijirejo Kecamatan Pandak Kabupaten Bantul Yogyakarta. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode sensus yaitu seluruh populasi berjumlah 76 pelaku usaha batik menjadi sampel penelitian. Metode analisis data menggunakan WrapPLS 5.0. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: 1) pelaksanaan regulasi perbankan dan regulasi perpajakan bagi pelaku usaha kecil dan menengah bukan merupakan faktor penentu meningkatnya keberhasilan usaha; 2) Jika didukung dengan kinerja dan inklusi keuangan pelaku usaha yang baik, maka regulasi perbankan dan regulasi perpajakan merupakan faktor penentu meningkatnya keberhasilan usaha; 3) Penerapan visi misi yang tegas, kemampuan manajemen yang baik dan motivasi kerja yang tinggi dari pelaku usaha menjadi faktor penentu untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan pelaku usaha tentang perbankan khususnya bidang keuangan (melek keuangan); 4) Regulasi perbankan melalui penetapan suku bunga kredit, kemudahan pengajuan kredit dan kecepatan proses kredit didukung dengan pengelolaan usaha yang baik serta pengetahuan keuangan (melek keuangan) yang baik menjadi faktor penentu dalam meningkatkan modal, skala usaha, laba dan pengelolaan usaha; 5) Regulasi perpajakan melalui penetapan besaran pajak, kemudahan akses pajak, penyederhanaan prosedur pajak dan transparansi mengenai pajak didukung dengan pengelolaan usaha yang baik serta pengetahuan keuangan (melek keuangan) yang baik menjadi faktor penentu dalam meningkatkan modal, skala usaha, laba dan pengelolaan usaha; 6) Adanya kemitraan atau pembinaan dari perusahaan besar terhadap pelaku usaha mampu meningkatkan penerapan visi misi yang tegas, kemampuan manajemen yang baik dan motivasi kerja yang tinggi yang menjadi faktor penentu untuk meningkatkan keberhasilan usaha