Acute inflammatory reactions are a frequently occurring, tissue destructing phenomenon in infectious- as well as autoimmune diseases, providing clinical challenges for early diagnosis. In leprosy, an ...infectious disease initiated by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae), these reactions represent the major cause of permanent neuropathy. However, laboratory tests for early diagnosis of reactional episodes which would significantly contribute to prevention of tissue damage are not yet available. Although classical diagnostics involve a variety of tests, current research utilizes limited approaches for biomarker identification. In this study, we therefore studied leprosy as a model to identify biomarkers specific for inflammatory reactional episodes.
To identify host biomarker profiles associated with early onset of type 1 leprosy reactions, prospective cohorts including leprosy patients with and without reactions were recruited in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia and Nepal. The presence of multiple cyto-/chemokines induced by M. leprae antigen stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells as well as the levels of antibodies directed against M. leprae-specific antigens in sera, were measured longitudinally in patients.
At all sites, longitudinal analyses showed that IFN-γ-, IP-10-, IL-17- and VEGF-production by M. leprae (antigen)-stimulated PBMC peaked at diagnosis of type 1 reactions, compared to when reactions were absent. In contrast, IL-10 production decreased during type 1 reaction while increasing after treatment. Thus, ratios of these pro-inflammatory cytokines versus IL-10 provide useful tools for early diagnosing type 1 reactions and evaluating treatment. Of further importance for rapid diagnosis, circulating IP-10 in sera were significantly increased during type 1 reactions. On the other hand, humoral immunity, characterized by M. leprae-specific antibody detection, did not identify onset of type 1 reactions, but allowed treatment monitoring instead.
This study identifies immune-profiles as promising host biomarkers for detecting intra-individual changes during acute inflammation in leprosy, also providing an approach for other chronic (infectious) diseases to help early diagnose these episodes and contribute to timely treatment and prevention of tissue damage.
The new experimental measurements of beam spin asymmetry were performed for the deeply virtual exclusive $π$0 production in a wide kinematic region with the photon virtualities $Q$2 up to 8 GeV2 and ...the Bjorken scaling variable $x$$B$ in the valence regime. The data were collected by the CE BAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) at Jefferson Lab with longitudinally polarized 10.6 GeV electrons scattered on an unpolarized liquid-hydrogen target. Sizable asymmetry values indicate a substantial contribution from transverse virtual photon amplitudes to the polarized structure functions. The interpretation of these measurements in terms of the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs) demonstrates their sensitivity to the chiral-odd GPD $\overline{E}$$T$, which contains information on quark transverse spin densities in unpolarized and polarized nucleons and provides access to the proton’s transverse anomalous magnetic moment. Additionally, the data were compared to a theoretical model based on a Regge formalism that was extended to the high photon virtualities.
We measured the g(1) spin structure function of the deuteron at low Q(2), where QCD can be approximated with chiral perturbation theory (chi PT). The data cover the resonance region, up to an ...invariant mass of W approximate to 1.9 GeV. The generalized Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn sum, the moment Gamma(d)(1) and the spin polarizability gamma(d)(0) are precisely determined down to a minimum Q(2) of 0.02 GeV2 for the first time, about 2.5 times lower than that of previous data. We compare them to several chi PT calculations and models. These results are the first in a program of benchmark measurements of polarization observables in the chi PT domain.
Concept drift (CD) refers to a phenomenon where the data distribution within datasets changes over time, and this can have adverse effects on the performance of prediction models in software ...engineering (SE), including those used for tasks like cost estimation and defect prediction. Detecting CD in SE datasets is difficult, but important, because it identifies the need for retraining prediction models and in turn improves their performance. If the concept drift is caused by symmetric changes in the data distribution, the model adaptation process might need to account for this symmetry to maintain accurate predictions. This paper explores the impact of CD within the context of cross-version defect prediction (CVDP), aiming to enhance the reliability of prediction performance and to make the data more symmetric. A concept drift detection (CDD) approach is further proposed to identify data distributions that change over software versions. The proposed CDD framework consists of three stages: (i) data pre-processing for CD detection; (ii) notification of CD by triggering one of the three flags (i.e., CD, warning, and control); and (iii) providing guidance on when to update an existing model. Several experiments on 30 versions of seven software projects reveal the value of the proposed CDD. Some of the key findings of the proposed work include: (i) An exponential increase in the error-rate across different software versions is associated with CD. (ii) A moving-window approach to train defect prediction models on chronologically ordered defect data results in better CD detection than using all historical data with a large effect size (δ≥0.427).
Summary Background Up to half of neonatal deaths in high mortality settings are due to infections, many of which can originate through the freshly cut umbilical cord stump. We aimed to assess the ...effectiveness of two cord-cleansing regimens with the promotion of dry cord care in the prevention of neonatal mortality. Design We did a community-based, parallel cluster-randomised trial in Sylhet, Bangladesh. We divided the study area into 133 clusters, which were randomly assigned to one of the two chlorhexidine cleansing regimens (single cleansing as soon as possible after birth; daily cleansing for 7 days after birth) or promotion of dry cord care. Randomisation was done by use of a computer-generated sequence, stratified by cluster-specific participation in a previous trial. All livebirths were eligible; those visited within 7 days by a local female village health worker trained to deliver the cord care intervention were enrolled. We did not mask study workers and participants to the study interventions. Our primary outcome was neonatal mortality (within 28 days of birth) per 1000 livebirths, which we analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00434408. Results Between June, 2007, and September, 2009, we enrolled 29 760 newborn babies (10 329, 9423, and 10 008 in the multiple-cleansing, single-cleansing, and dry cord care groups, respectively). Neonatal mortality was lower in the single-cleansing group (22·5 per 1000 livebirths) than it was in the dry cord care group (28·3 per 1000 livebirths; relative risk RR 0·80 95% CI 0·65–0·98). Neonatal mortality in the multiple-cleansing group (26·6 per 1000 livebirths) was not statistically significantly lower than it was in the dry cord care group (RR 0·94 0·78–1·14). Compared with the dry cord care group, we recorded a statistically significant reduction in the occurrence of severe cord infection (redness with pus) in the multiple-cleansing group (risk per 1000 livebirths=4·2 vs risk per 1000 livebirths=1·2; RR 0·35 0·15–0·81) but not in the single-cleansing group (risk per 1000 livebirths=3·3; RR 0·77 0·40–1·48). Interpretation Chlorhexidine cleansing of a neonate's umbilical cord can save lives, but further studies are needed to establish the best frequency with which to deliver the intervention. Funding United States Agency for International Development and Save the Children's Saving Newborn Lives program, through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Objective: To ascertain that antibiotics have no role in the management of bronchiolitis.
Design: Multicentre randomized control trial (RCT).
Setting: Five purposively selected teaching hospitals ...in Bangladesh.
Patient: Children under 24 months old with bronchiolitis.
Interventions: Children were randomized into three groups of therapeutic interventions: parenteral ampicillin (P‐Ab), oral erythromycin (O‐Ab) and no antibiotic (N‐Ab) in adjunct to supportive measures.
Main outcome measures: Clinical improvement was assessed using 18 symptoms/signs which were graded on a two‐point recovery scale of ‘rapid’ and ‘gradual’, indicating improvement within ‘four days’ and ‘beyond four days’, respectively.
Results: Each intervention group consisted of 98 ± 1 children having comparable clinico‐epidemiological characteristics at the baseline. The trial revealed that most chesty features (features appearing to arise from chest, i.e. cough, breathing difficulty, wheeze, chest indrawing, tachypnoea, tachycardia, rhonchi and crepitation) demonstrated a gradual recovery, beyond 4th admission day and, not differing among the three intervention groups (p > 0.23, p < 0.62, p = 0.54, p < 0.27, p = 0.75, p = 0.76, p = 0.81, p > 0.98, respectively). Most non‐chesty features (features appearing to arise away from chest, i.e. feeding/sleeping difficulties, social smile, restlessness, inconsolable crying, nasal flaring, fever and hypoxaemia) demonstrated a rapid recovery, within 4 days, remaining comparable among the three intervention groups (p < 0.07, p = 0.65, p = 0.24, p < 0.61, p = 0.22, p = 0.84, p = 0.29 and p = 0.96, respectively). However, nasal symptoms (runny nose and nasal blockage) also showed no difference among groups (p = 0.36 and p = 0.66, respectively). Thus, the dynamics of clinical outcome obviates that children not receiving antibiotics had similar clinical outcome than those who did.
Conclusion: In hospital settings, managing bronchiolitis with only supportive measures but without antibiotics remains preferable.
This study was carried out to investigate the psychosocial consequences of intensive internet use among undergraduate of universities in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State. This study sought to determine ...the psychosocial consequences of intensive internet use on the basis on gender, age, level of study and marital status (University of Ilorin and AL-HIKMAH University) universities within Ilorin metropolis. A self-developed questionnaire tagged questionnaire on psychosocial consequences of intensive internet use (PCIIU) was used to collect data from the respondents for the study. Five research hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance, data collected were analyzed through analysis of variance (ANOVA). The study revealed that psychosocial consequences of intensive internet use are establishing using new relationship with fellow online users; incur more financial cost on internet; spending more time online than going out with others and there was significant gender difference in the psychosocial consequences of intensive internet use among undergraduate students of universities in Ilorin metropolis base on age, level, gender and marital status. Therefore, the following recommendations were made that counsellors should develop strategies to handle internet addiction among the youth and counsellor should encourage the formation of club that will promote safe and responsible internet use among students (peer counselling) and school administrators, teachers and school counsellors should work collaboratively to identify and assist students with or prone to internet addiction before it will have devastating consequences on the addicts and the society at large.
Exclusive photoproduction cross sections have been measured for the process $\gamma p \rightarrow p\pi^0(e^+e^-(\gamma))$ with the Dalitz decay final state using tagged photon energies in the range ...of $E_{\gamma} = 1.275-5.425$ GeV. The complete angular distribution of the final state $\pi^0$, for the entire photon energy range up to large values of $t$ and $u$, has been measured for the first time. The data obtained show that the cross section $d\sigma/dt$, at mid to large angles, decreases with energy as $s^{-6.89\pm 0.26} $. This is in agreement with the perturbative QCD quark counting rule prediction of $s^{-7} $. Paradoxically, the size of angular distribution of measured cross sections is greatly underestimated by the QCD based Generalized Parton Distribution mechanism at highest available invariant energy $s=11$ GeV$^2$. At the same time, the Regge-exchange-based models for $\pi^0$ photoproduction are more consistent with experimental data.
New results on the single-differential and fully integrated cross sections for the process gamma(upsilon)p -> p'pi(+)pi(-) are presented. The experimental data were collected with the CLAS detector ...at Jefferson Laboratory. Measurements were carried out in the kinematic region of the reaction invariant mass W from 1.3 to 1.825 GeV and the photon virtuality Q(2) from 0.4 to 1.0 GeV2. The cross sections were obtained in narrow Q(2) bins (0.05 GeV2) with the smallest statistical uncertainties achieved in double-pion electroproduction experiments to date. The results were found to be in agreement with previously available data where they overlap. A preliminary interpretation of the extracted cross sections, which was based on a phenomenological meson-baryon reaction model, revealed substantial relative contributions from nucleon resonances. The data offer promising prospects to improve knowledge on the Q(2) evolution of the electrocouplings of most resonances with masses up to similar to 1.8 GeV.
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