bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of the Zambia Influenza Sentinel Surveillance System, 2011-2017
Authors: simusika paul , Tempia Stefano , Chentulo Edward , Polansky Lauren , Mazaba Mazyanga Lucy , Ndumba Idah , Mbewe Quinn K , Monze Mwaka Anna 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background Over the past decade, influenza surveillance has been established in several African countries including Zambia. However, information on the on data quality and reliability of established influenza surveillance systems in Africa are limited. Such information would enable countries to assess the performance of their surveillance systems, identify shortfalls for improvement and provide evidence of data reliability for policy making and public health interventions. Methods We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to evaluate the performance of the influenza surveillance system (ISS) in Zambia during 2011-2017 using 9 attributes: (i) data quality and completeness, (ii) timeliness, (iii) representativeness, (iv) flexibility, (v) simplicity, (vi) acceptability, (vii) stability, (viii) utility, and (ix) sustainability. Each attribute was evaluated using pre-defined indicators. For each indicator we obtained the proportion (expressed as percentage) of the outcome of interest over the total. A scale from 1 to 3 was used to provide a score for each attribute as follows: <60% (as obtained in the calculation above) scored 1 (weak performance); 60-79% scored 2 (moderate performance); ≥80% scored 3 (good performance). An overall score for each attribute and the ISS was obtained by averaging the scores of all evaluated attributes. Results The overall mean score for the ISS in Zambia was 2.6. Key strengths of the system were the quality of data generated (score: 2.9), its flexibility (score: 3.0) especially to monitor viral pathogens other than influenza viruses, its simplicity (score: 2.8), acceptability (score: 3.0) and stability (score: 2.6) over the review period and its relatively low cost ($310,000 per annum). Identified weaknesses related mainly to geographic representativeness (score: 2.0), timeliness (score: 2.5), especially in shipment of samples from remote sites, and sustainability (score: 1.0) in the absence of external funds. Conclusions The system performed moderately well in our evaluation. Key improvements would include improvements in the timeliness of samples shipments and geographical coverage. However, these improvements would result in increased cost and logistical complexity. The ISSS in Zambia is largely reliant on external funds and the acceptability of maintaining the surveillance system through national funds would require evaluation.
Opportunistic Infections and Associated Factors among HIV/AIDS Patients taking Ante-Retroviral Therapy Leku, Bona and Yirgalem Hospitals in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia.
Authors: Wachamo Demelash , Bonja Fisseha 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

Background Opportunistic infections are late complications of HIV infection is the depletion of the immune system. It is a major public health problem and high morbidity AIDS patients die of AIDS-related infections in developing countries like Ethiopia. Identification of opportunistic infections (OIs) is important to develop a specific intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the burden and associated factors of opportunistic infections.Method A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 randomly selected HIV/AIDS patients taking anti-retroviral therapy. Data was collected from selected hospitals in Sidama Zone based on population proportion to size. Data was collected by a pre-tested questionnaire and a pre-tested checklist from the medical records of patients. Data entry and analyzed for descriptive and logistic regression models by SPSS v.23. The result declared as statistically significant at p < 0.05.Result The magnitude of opportunistic infections was 39.6%. Major identified OIs was oral candidacies 23.2%, recurrent bacterial pneumonia 21.5%, Herpes zoster 6.3%, and Pulmonary Tuberculosis 6.0%.The magnitude of opportunistic associated with; older age [AOR=2.61, 95% CI: 1.30-5.23], No formal education [AOR=3.09, 95% CI: 1.11-8.60], monthly income below 1920 ETB [AOR=2.37, 95% CI: 1.43-3.94], initial CD4 count less than 200 cells/mm3 [AOR=2.30, 95% CI:1.06-4.98), had no extra medicine additional to ART (prophylaxis) had [AOR= 8.79, 95% CI: 5.05-15.30], who interrupt ART medicines [AOR=2.16, 95% CI: 1.19- 3.91] and Khat chewing [AOR=5.52, 95% CI: 2.42-12.56] when compared to their counterparts.Conclusions The overall magnitude of opportunistic infections was high when compared with other studies. Health officials and clinicians need to give attention to the strengthening of the provision if ART with prophylaxis on early-stage and adherence, implementation of the TB/HIV collaboration activity, and early initiation of ART to reduce opportunistic infections.
Heterogeneity of Moraxella isolates found in the nasal cavities of piglets
Authors: López-Serrano Sergi , Galofré-Milà Nuria , Costa-Hurtado Mar , Pérez-de-Rozas Ana M. , Aragon Virginia 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background: Previous studies have shown that the genus Moraxella is commonly present in the nasal microbiota of swine. Results: In this study, 51 isolates of Moraxella were obtained from nasal swabs from 3-4 week old piglets, which represented 26 different fingerprintings by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR. Whole 16S rRNA gene sequencing allowed the identification at species level of the Moraxella spp. isolates. The majority of the field strains were identified as Moraxella pluranimalium, but Moraxella porci was also detected. In addition, a cluster of 7 strains did not group with any described Moraxella species, probably representing a new species. Subsequent phenotypic characterization indicated that strains of Moraxella pluranimalium were mainly sensitive to serum complement, while the cluster representing the putative new species was highly resistant. Biofilm formation capacity was very variable among the Moraxella spp. isolates, while adherence to epithelial cell lines was similar among selected strains. Additionally, variability was also observed in the association of selected strains to porcine alveolar macrophages. Antimicrobial tests evidenced the existence of multidrug-resistance in the strains. Conclusions : In summary, phenotypic characterization revealed heterogeneity among Moraxella strains from the nasal cavity of piglets. Strains with pathogenic potential were detected as well as those that may be commensal members of the nasal microbiota. However, the role of Moraxella in porcine diseases and health should be further evaluated.
Analysis of Causes of Death Among Brought-in-Dead Cases in a Third-Level Hospital in Lusaka, Republic of Zambia, Using the Tariff Method 2.0 for Verbal Autopsy: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Yokobori Yuta , Matsuura Jun , Sugiura Yasuo , Mutemba Charles , Nyahoda Martin , Mwango Chomba , Kazhumbula Lloyd , Yuasa Motoyuki , Chiluba Clarence 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background

Over one third of deaths in Zambian health facilities involve someone who has already died before arrival (i.e., brought in dead [BiD]), and in most BiD cases, the causes of death (CoD) have not been fully analyzed. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the CoD of BiD cases using the Tariff Method 2.0 for automated verbal autopsy (VA), which is called SmartVA.Methods

The target site was one third-level hospital in the Republic of Zambia’s capital city. All BiD cases aged 13 years and older at this facility from January to August 2017 were included. The deceased’s closest relatives were interviewed using a structured VA questionnaire (Population Health Metrics Research Consortium Shortened Questionnaire) and the data were analyzed using the SmartVA to determine the CoD at the individual and population level. The CoDs were compared with description on the death notification forms by using t-test and Cohen’s kappa coefficient.Results

Approximately 1500 cases were included (average age = 47.2 years, 61.8% males). The top CoD were infectious diseases, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, tuberculosis, and malaria, followed by non-communicable diseases, such as stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes mellitus (DM). The comparison with the CoD distribution among hospital deaths showed that the trends were similar except for DM, which was greater among hospital deaths, and malaria and accident, which were less frequent in the main CoD. The proportion of cases with a determined CoD was significantly higher when using the SmartVA (75%) than the death notification form (61%). A proportion (42.7%) of the CoD-determined cases matched in both sources, with a low concordance rate (kappa coefficient = 0.1385).Conclusions

The CoD of the BiD cases were successfully analyzed using the SmartVA for the first time in Zambia. While there many erroneous descriptions on the death notification form, the SmartVA could determine the CoD among more BiD cases. Since the information on the death notification form is reflected in the national vital statistics, more accurate and complete CoD data are required. In order to strengthen the death registration system with accurate CoD, it will be useful to embed the SmartVA in Zambia’s health information system.
Finding an efficient tetramethylated hydroxydiethylene of resveratrol analogue for potential anticancer agent
Authors: Xin Zhen-Hui , Meng Ya-Li , Jiang Wen-Jing , Li Ya-Peng , Ge Li-Ping , Zhang Cun-Hui , Liu Lian-Na , Kang Yan-Fei 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
With the improvement and advance in cancer diagnosis and treatment, the cancer is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Obviously, new breakthroughs in therapies remain be urgent needed. In this work, we designed and synthesized the compound 1-4, namely resveratrol analogues with methylation of hydroxy distyrene, to further explore its new anti-cancer potential. Encouragingly, compound 1 (( E )-4,4'-(ethene-1,2-diyl)bis(3,5-dimethylphenol)) exhibited cytotoxicity superior to resveratrol in MCF 7 cells. More importantly, the compound 1 showed greater toxicity to tumor cells than that to normal cells, which proved that it could selectively kill tumor cells. The favorable results encouraged us to explore the inhibitory mechanism of compound 1 on MCF 7 cells. The research finding indicated the compound 1 inhibited tumor cell proliferation by both arresting cell cycle in S phase and apoptosis via a prooxidant manner. In addition, the results further verified compound 1 caused cell cycle arrest in S phase and apoptosis by down-regulation of the cycling A1/cycling A2 expression and the rise of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in a p21-dependant pathway in MCF 7 cells. Therefore, these results are helpful for the effective design of anticancer reagents and the better understanding of their mechanism of action.
Prevalence of stroke and stroke related risk factors: a population based cross sectional survey in southwestern China
Authors: Yi Xingyang , Luo Hua , Zhou Ju , Yu Ming , Chen Xiaorong , Tan Lili , Wei Wei , Li Jie 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

Background: Stroke and its risk factors epidemiological survey can help identify individuals at higher risk and therefore promote stroke prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to estimate the current prevalence of stroke and high risk stroke population, and evaluate stroke associated risk factors in southwestern China. Methods: This was a multi-center, cross sectional survey in southwestern China from May 2015 to September 2015. The 8 communities were selected at random, and 17413 residents aged ≥ 40 years volunteered to participate in this survey. Data were collected through face-to-face survey using a structured questionnaire. 521 participants with incomplete questionnaires on stroke history or risk factors records were excluded. Results: A total of 16892 people included in analysis. The overall prevalence of stroke was 3.1% (95% CI 2.6% - 3.9%), 17.1% of participants were the high risk stroke population. After full adjustments, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, overweight, lack of exercise and family history of stroke were significantly associated with overall stroke and ischemic stroke. The largest contributor was hypertension (population-attributable risk 23.6%), followed by dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, family history of stroke, diabetes, and overweight. However, only hypertension (OR = 3.66, 95% CI 1.82-8.23) was significantly associated with hemorrhagic stroke. Conclusions: The prevalence of stroke and high risk stroke population was high among adults aged ≥ 40 years in southwestern China. Hypertension, dyslipidemia and lack of exercise were stronger contributors for stroke, these findings suggest that individual-level and population-level interventions for these leading risk factors are necessary to prevent stroke.
A Novel Method for High-efficiently Obtaining the Transgenic Lines by combining a convenient, rapid and efficient Visual Screening method and an efficient genetic transformation System in B. napus
Authors: Zhang Kai , He Jianjie , Liu Lu , Xie Runda , Qiu Lu , Li Xicheng , Yuan Wenjue , Chen Kang , Yin Yongtai , Kyaw May Me Me , San Aye Aye , Li Shisheng , Tang Xianying , Fu Chunhua , Li Maoteng 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background Brassica napus is an important oilseed crop which offer a considerable amount for global vegetable oil production. The establishment of an efficient genetic transformation system with a convenient transgenic-positive screening method is of great importance for gene functional analysis and molecular breeding. However, to our knowledge, there are few such aforementioned systems available for efficient application in B. napus .Results Based on the well-established genetic transformation system in Brassica napus , five vectors companied with red fluorescence protein from Discosoma sp. ( DsRed ) were constructed and transformed via agrobacterium -mediated hypocotyl transformation. The average of 59.1% tissues were marked with red fluorescence by visual screening method in tissue culture medium, and 96.1% of which were amplified with the exogenous genes in eight different rapeseed varieties on average. In addition, the final transgenic-positive efficiency of the rooted plantlets was up to 90.7% from the red fluorescence marked tissues, which was much higher than that of the previous reports. Besides, DsRed also could be applicable to the seedlings, including of seed coats, roots, hypocotyls and cotyledons during seed germination. These results indicate that the high-efficiency genetic transformation system combining with the transgenic-positive visual screening method presented here will help us to efficiently and conveniently obtain transgenic-positive rapeseed plantlets.Conclusion A novel method was developed for rapidly, conveniently and high-efficiently obtaining the transgenic lines, which would help to obtain the higher proportion of transgenic positive regenerated plantlets, thereby avoiding the long period plant regeneration. This will benefit the gene functional study especially in high throughput molecular biology research.
Development of Leishmania (Mundinia) in guinea pigs
Authors: Bečvář Tomáš , Siriyasatien Padet , Bates Paul , Volf Petr , Sádlová Jovana 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
BackgroundLeishmaniasis is a human and animal disease caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, which is now divided into 4 subgenera – L. (Leishmania), L. (Viannia), L. (Sauroleishmania) and L. (Mundinia). Subgenus Mundinia, established in 2016, is geographically widely dispersed, its distribution covers all continents, except Antarctica. It consists of 5 species - L. enriettii and L. macropodum are parasites of wild mammals while L. martiniquensis, L. orientalis and unnamed L. sp. from Ghana are infectious to humans. There is very little information on natural reservoir hosts and vectors for any Mundinia species. MethodsExperimental infections of guinea-pigs with all five Mundinia species were performed. Animals were injected intradermally with 107 culture-derived promastigotes into both ear pinnae. The courses of infections were monitored weakly; xenodiagnoses were performed at weeks 4 and 8 post infection using Lutzomyia migonei. The distribution of parasites in different tissues was determined post mortem by conventional PCR.ResultsNo significant differences in weight were observed between infected animals and the control group. Animals infected with L. enriettii developed temporary lesions at the site of inoculation and were infectious to Lu. migonei in xenodiagnoses. Animals infected with L. martiniquensis and L. orientalis developed temporary erythema and dry lesions at the site of inoculation, respectively, but were not infectious to sand flies. Guinea pigs infected by L. macropodum and L. sp. from Ghana showed no signs of infection during experiments, were not infectious to sand flies and leishmanial DNA was not detected in their tissue samples at the end of experiments at week 12 post-inoculation.ConclusionsAccording to our results, guinea pigs are not an appropriate model organism for studying Mundinia species other than L. enriettii. We suggest that for better understanding of L. (Mundinia) biology it is necessary to focus on other model organisms.
Factors influencing the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community in Australia.
Authors: Tynan Anna , Walker David , Tucker Taygan , Fisher Barry , Fisher Tarita 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Background Indigenous Australians suffer from higher rates of oral disease, have more untreated dental problems and tooth extractions then the non-Indigenous population. In addition to this, Indigenous Australians also have lower rates of dental visits; are more likely to visit for a problem rather than a check-up and; are also more likely to present at emergency departments for oral complaints. Multiple issues effect health service uptake including the social context, characteristics of the individual and community, and enabling factors such as available wealth and social support. Additionally perceived importance of the disease to the individual or community also influence treatment seeking behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Indigenous community in Australia and the factors influencing this perception.Methods A qualitative study was completed incorporating focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Twenty- seven community members participated in three focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews.Results The study found that the community gives high priority to oral health. Factors influencing the importance given included the severity of symptoms of oral disease such as pain experience; enabling resources such as access to finance; social impact such as personal appearance; and health beliefs including oral health awareness. Respondents also noted that the importance given to oral health within the community also competed with the occurrence of multiple health concerns and family responsibilities.Conclusion This paper highlights that the under-utilisation of oral health services is not associated with the degree of importance given to oral health within the community. Under-utilisation is influenced by the major barriers faced in accessing oral health services and the number and severity of competing health and social concerns within the community. The study results confirm the importance of establishing affordable, culturally appropriate, community-based oral health care services to improve the oral health of rural Indigenous communities.
Primary validation of Charm II tests for the detection of antimicrobial residues in a range of aquaculture fish
Authors: Mukota Aziz Kimera , Gondam Melanie Flore Kamini , Tsafack Julie Judith Takadong , Sasanya James , Reybroeck Wim , Ntale Muhammad , Nyanzi Steven Allan , Tebandeke Emmanuel 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
The study carried out a primary validation of Charm II tests for the detection of antimicrobial residues in aquaculture fish. The Validation was performed according to European Commission Decision 2002/657/ EC and the parameters determined included: detection capability, repeatability, reproducibility, specificity and robustness for the detection of antimicrobial residues in fish. Fish materials from different species including cat fish, trout, salmon, sea bass, tilapia, lingue and pangasius, were spiked with varying concentrations of selected antibiotics including sulfonamides, beta-lactams, macrolides, tetracyclines and aminoglycosides to determine the detection capabilities and other validation parameters of the Charm II tests. Results of the validation showed that the detection capabilities for the tetracyclines ranged from 25 µg/kg to 100 µg/kg, while the sulfonamides and aminoglycosides were detected at 25 µg/kg for all species under study. The detection capabilities for the beta-lactams ranged from 25 µg/kg to 300 µg/kg and were 100 µg/kg for the tested macrolides. Results of the study showed that there was no significant difference between counts for samples read immediately after addition of the scintillation fluid and those read fourteen hours after addition of the scintillation fluid, provided that there was good vortexing before analysis. There was also no significant difference between counts for the same samples analyzed in different runs under repeatability and reproducibility conditions at the same spiking concentrations for the different fish species analyzed. The relative standard deviation for both repeatability and reproducibility ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 was recorded.The Charm II tests were found to be 100% group specific, as none of antimicrobials kits, gave false positive results when testing non-target antimicrobial drugs. The results of this study prove the robustness, specificity, reliability and accuracy of the Charm II tests in the detection of various antimicrobial residuals in fish. Results also confirm the suitability of the Charm II technique as a rapid screening tool for detection of antimicrobial residues in a variety of fish species; and its applicability for the rapid evaluation of the quality of aquaculture fish for safety and trade purposes.