Pickettlam9057
In two geographically-separated locations, one as far away as 15 km, radioactive microparticles containing percent-concentrations of thorium were detected in ashes and dusts that were likely related to deposition from the Woolsey fire. These offsite radioactive microparticles were colocated with alpha and beta activity maxima. Data did not support a finding of widespread deposition of radioactive particles. However, two radioactive deposition hotspots and significant offsite contamination were detected near the site perimeter.Artesunate-mefloquine is one of the commonly-used artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). Given the significance of drug quality in the management of malaria cases, the objective of this study was to develop antibody-based assays as the point-of-care (POC) tests for monitoring the quality of this ACT. Using mefloquine conjugated to a carrier protein as the immunogen, we selected a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) against mefloquine with no cross-reactivity to other antimalarial drugs. Using this mAb, we developed a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dcELISA) and a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) to measure the mefloquine contents. The dcELISA for mefloquine showed a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and a working range of 2.79 ng/mL and 0.58-16.37 ng/mL, respectively. selleck inhibitor With the aid of a portable optical scanner, the LFIA had a working range of 0.15-2.67 µg/mL for mefloquine. When used to measure mefloquine contents in commercial drugs, the dcELISA and LFIA results were compatible with those determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Using the same LFIA format, we developed a combination LFIA, which correctly estimated the artesunate and mefloquine contents in commercial ACTs. Therefore, both LFIAs could be used as POC devices for rapid quality control of artesunate and mefloquine in ACTs.In this article, the scientific literature on electromembrane extraction (EME) of polar substances (log P less then 2) is reviewed. EME is an extraction technique based on electrokinetic migration of analyte ions from an aqueous sample, across an organic supported liquid membrane (SLM), and into an aqueous acceptor solution. Because extraction is based on voltage-assisted partitioning, EME is fundamentally suitable for extraction of polar and ionizable substances that are challenging in many other extraction techniques. The article provides an exhaustive overview of papers on EME of polar substances. From this, different strategies to improve the mass transfer of polar substances are reviewed and critically discussed. These strategies include different SLM chemistries, modification of supporting membranes, sorbent additives, aqueous solution chemistry, and voltage/current related strategies. Finally, the future applicability of EME for polar substances is discussed. We expect EME in the coming years to be developed towards both very selective targeted analysis, as well as untargeted analysis of polar substances in biomedical applications such as metabolomics and peptidomics.Miltefosine is the only oral drug approved for the treatment of various clinical presentations of the neglected parasitic disease leishmaniasis. In cutaneous leishmaniasis and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, Leishmania parasites reside and multiply in the dermis of the skin. As miltefosine is orally administered and this drug is currently studied for the treatment of these skin-related types of leishmaniasis, there is an urgent need for an accurate assay to determine actual miltefosine levels in human skin tissue to further optimize treatment regimens through target-site pharmacokinetic studies. link2 We describe here the development and validation of a sensitive method to quantify miltefosine in 4-mm human skin biopsies utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. After the skin tissues were homogenized overnight by enzymatic digestion using collagenase A, the skin homogenates were further processed by protein precipitation and phenyl-bonded solid phase extraction. Fin we could successfully detect miltefosine in skin biopsies from patients with post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis who were treated with this drug in Bangladesh.High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) devices can scan extremities at bone microstructural level in vivo and are used mainly in research of bone diseases. Two HR-pQCT scanners are commercially available to date XtremeCT (first generation) and XtremeCT-II (second generation) from Scanco Medical AG (Switzerland). Recently, we have proposed an adaptive local thresholding (AT) technique and showed that it can improve quantification accuracy of bone microstructural parameters, with visually less sharp cone-beam CT (CBCT) images providing a similar accuracy than XtremeCT. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the AT segmentation technique could enhance the accuracy of HR-pQCT in quantifying bone microstructural images and to assess whether the agreement between XtremeCT and XtremeCT-II could be improved. Nineteen radii were scanned with three scanners from Scanco Medical AG (1) XtremeCT at 82 μm, (2) XtremeCT-II at 60.7 μm and (3) the small animal microCT scanner VivaCT40 at ral parameters close to XtremeCT-II level and increases the agreement between the two HR-pQCT scanners. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, segmentation, bone microstructural parameters.
Administrative hospital databases represent an important tool for hospital financing in many national health systems and are also an important data source for clinical, epidemiological and health services research. Therefore, the data quality of such databases is of utmost importance. This paper aims to present a systematic review of root causes of data quality problems affecting administrative hospital data, creating a catalogue of potential issues for data quality analysts to explore.
The MEDLINE and Scopus databases were searched using inclusion criteria based on two following concept blocks (1) administrative hospital databases and (2) data quality. Studies' titles and abstracts were screened by two reviewers independently. Three researchers independently selected the screened studies based on their full texts and then extracted the potential root causes inferred from them. These were subsequently classified according to the Ishikawa model based on 6 categories "Personnel", "Material", "Method", "Mach
The resultant catalogue of root causes, systematized using the Ishikawa framework, provides a compilation of potential root causes of data quality issues to be considered prior to reusing these data and that can point to actions aimed at improving data quality.
Child abuse and neglect (CAN) is a major public health concern, but limited data are available on the occurrence, co-occurrence, and correlates of these phenomena outside Western societies.
The first aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of CAN across two settings (inside and outside the home) among children and adolescents in Mumbai, India. Another aim was to use latent class analysis (LCA) to identify meaningful profiles of maltreatment, and to examine how class membership is associated with mental wellbeing.
Self-report data was collected from males (n=4454; M
=12.77years) and females (n=3850; M
=12.87) at secondary schools.
Four latent classes of maltreatment were identified among males, including 'low victimisation' (50.4% of participants), 'intra-familial non-sexual abuse' (34.6%), 'intra- and extra- familial non-sexual abuse' (10.2%), and 'poly-victimisation' (4.8%). Among females, three latent classes were identified including, 'low victimisation' (68.1%), 'intra-familial non-sexual abuse' (28.8%), and 'poly-victimisation' (3.0%). link3 Compared to the 'low victimisation' class, children in the abuse classes demonstrated higher levels of anxiety and depression and increased odds of self-injurious thoughts and behaviours. These associations were augmented for girls relative to boys.
There were very few maltreated children who were subjected to just one form of CAN and experiencing co-occurring patterns of abuse and neglect was associated with indicators of poor mental health, especially among girls. These findings highlight the complexity of the situation and will inform policy makers, health professionals and school counsellors.
There were very few maltreated children who were subjected to just one form of CAN and experiencing co-occurring patterns of abuse and neglect was associated with indicators of poor mental health, especially among girls. These findings highlight the complexity of the situation and will inform policy makers, health professionals and school counsellors.
Analysis of sexual abuse has usually been neglected in research at developing countries despite its everlasting consequences. This study examined the prevalence of sexual abuse among Brazilian adolescents according to data from the National School Health Survey (PeNSE) and analyzed it based on Brazilian regions, sociodemographic aspects, health information, and health-risk behaviors among Brazilian adolescents who reported having experienced sexual abuse previously.
The PeNSE data were utilized, and the sample included 102,072 students from all over Brazil, aged between 11 and 19years.
Data were collected by questionnaires and were analyzed by multivariate analysis using the Poisson regression model.
The results denoted a relation between sexual abuse, social determinants of health variables (i.e., black, indigenous, and mixed skin color/ethnicity; Brazilian region public school, age between 15 and 18years, and low education level of the mother), and health-risk behaviors (i.e., early sexual intercourse, having multiple sexual partners, unprotected sexual intercourse, use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).
Therefore, reports of sexual abuse are associated with risky behaviors. Given these findings, targeted interventions on sexual abuse are essential for the health of adolescents and the prevention of risky behaviors, and can also facilitate programs to prevent sexual abuse.
Therefore, reports of sexual abuse are associated with risky behaviors. Given these findings, targeted interventions on sexual abuse are essential for the health of adolescents and the prevention of risky behaviors, and can also facilitate programs to prevent sexual abuse.
Efforts to prevent child maltreatment and its recurrence in infancy and early childhood are critical to disrupting pathways to poor physical and mental health and interpersonal relationships across the life course. The Home Parenting Education and Support (HoPES) program is an intensive 8-week home-visiting intervention for families of infants and young children (0-4years) receiving child protection services or welfare services.
The aims of this feasibility study were to (a) explore parents' and clinicians' perceptions of the outcomes related to participation in HoPES, and (b) obtain preliminary data about potential intervention outcomes related to parent-child interactions, parent mental health, and parenting self-efficacy.
HoPES was delivered to 30 families by a child and family health service. Seven mothers and eight HoPES clinicians also participated in qualitative interviews.
A mixed-methods evaluation was conducted incorporating qualitative interviews and self-report pre-post intervention data was conducted.
