OBJECTIVE: To estimate the annual risk of tuberculosis infection (ARTI) among children attending elementary school Classes I-III in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia.METHODS: The survey was designed ...to estimate ARTI among children, irrespective of BCG scar status. Fieldwork
was carried out in 72 schools selected by two-stage sampling. Children were administered 2 TU of purified protein derivative RT23 with Tween 80 intradermally on the mid-anterior aspect of the left forearm. The maximum transverse diameter of induration was measured at about 72 h. Analysis was
carried out among 5653 satisfactorily test-read children aged 6-9 years.RESULTS: The estimation by mirror-image method among all children (without and with BCG scar) revealed an ARTI of between 1% and 1.3%. The estimated ARTIs among children without and with BCG scar varied between
0.8-1.3% and 0.9-1.4%, respectively, using the mirror-image method, anti-mode method and mixture model.CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis control efforts need to be intensified to reduce the risk of transmission of infection.
SETTING: East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Central Java Provinces, Indonesia.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the average annual risk of tuberculous infection (ARTI) among school children aged 6-9 years in each ...province.METHODS: Children attending Classes 1-4 in 65 schools in NTT
and 79 in Central Java, selected by two-stage sampling, were intradermally administered 2 tuberculin units of purified protein derivative RT23 with Tween 80 on the mid-volar aspect of the left forearm. The maximum transverse diameter of induration was measured 72 h later. The analysis was
carried out among 5479 satisfactorily test-read children in NTT and 6943 in Central Java. One hundred and fifty-five new sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases (78 in NTT and 77 in Central Java) were also tuberculin tested. Based on the frequency distribution of reaction
sizes among the children and PTB cases, the prevalence of infection was estimated by the mirror-image method using the modes of tuberculous reactions at 15 and 17 mm.RESULTS: Using the 15 mm mode, ARTI was estimated at 1% in NTT and 0.9% in Central Java. Using the 17 mm mode, ARTI was
estimated at 0.5% in NTT and 0.4% in Central Java.CONCLUSION: Transmission of tuberculous infection may be further reduced by intensification of tuberculosis control efforts.
SETTING: Of all the provinces in Indonesia, the highest tuberculosis (TB) case notification rates are reported from North Sulawesi Province.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the annual risk of tuberculous ...infection (ARTI) among schoolchildren in the 6-9 year age group.METHODS: A
cross-sectional survey was carried out in 99 schools selected by a two-stage sampling process. Children attending grades 1-4 in the selected schools were administered intradermally with 2 tuberculin units (TUs) of purified protein derivative RT23 with Tween 80, and the maximum transverse
diameter of induration was measured about 72 h later. A total of 6557 children in the 6-9 year age group were satisfactorily test-read, irrespective of their bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination status.RESULTS: Based on the frequency distribution of reaction sizes obtained
among satisfactorily test-read children (without and with BCG scar), the estimated ARTI rates when estimated by different methods (anti-mode, mirror-image and mixture model) varied between 1.9% and 2.5%. BCG-induced tuberculin sensitivity was not found to influence the ARTI estimates, as the
differences in estimates between children without and with BCG scar were not statistically significant.CONCLUSION: TB control efforts should be further intensified to reduce the risk of tuberculous infection.
SETTING: Bangalore City, South India.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the trends in transmission of tuberculous infection.METHODS: Two tuberculin surveys were carried out among children attending grades 1 and ...2 of 60 selected schools at an interval of 8.3 years, corresponding to the period
of DOTS expansion. Tuberculin testing was carried out using 1 tuberculin unit (TU) of purified protein derivative (PPD) RT 23 with Tween 80, and the maximum transverse diameter of induration was recorded about 72 h later. As the reactions due to infection with tubercle bacilli could not be
clearly delineated from cross-reactions on the frequency distributions of tuberculin reaction sizes at either survey, the prevalence of tuberculin reactions ≥10 mm, ≥12 mm and ≥14 mm in size were compared between the two surveys. The annual risk of tuberculous infection (ARTI) was
computed from the estimated prevalence of reactions ≥14 mm in size.RESULTS: Estimates of prevalence of reactions at all chosen cut-off points were lower at Survey II compared to Survey I. These differences were statistically significant. An average per annum decline in ARTI of about
4% was observed between the two surveys.CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis control measures should be further intensified to enhance the rate of decline in transmission of infection.
We report an anomalous present day crustal thickness of 43–52 km beneath the 3.4–3.0 Ga mid-Archean segment of the western Dharwar craton (WDC) undisturbed by Proterozoic events. In contrast, ...adjoining late-Archean (2.7–2.5 Ga) eastern Dharwar craton (EDC) has a 33–40 km crustal thickness similar to the Archean global average. Considering that mineral assemblages in the central part of the WDC crust (amphibolite grade metamorphics) equilibrated at a depth of 15–20 km, we argue that the western Dharwar crust 3.0 Ga ago must have been at least 60–80 km thick. Both segments of Dharwar craton crust exhibit Poisson's ratio of 0.24–0.28 suggesting felsic to intermediate average crustal composition. The thickest crust beneath WDC has also underlying high-velocity thicker lithosphere compared to EDC, inferred from faster arrivals of teleseismic P and S wave. The contact between WDC and EDC is marked as gradational thinning of crust (42–36 km) from Chitradurga thrust to the western part of Closepet granite. In WDC, the crustal thickness increases in step fashion towards the oldest crustal block. These details suggest terrain accretion in Dharwar craton during 3.4 to 2.5 Ga through subduction related process.
SETTING: Twenty-six selected districts in India.OBJECTIVES: To estimate the average annual risk of tuberculous infection (ARTI) in four defined zones in the country.STUDY DESIGN: A tuberculin survey ...was conducted in selected clusters of 26 districts in four defined zones of
India. Children 1-9 years of age were subjected to tuberculin testing with 1TU PPD RT23 with Tween 80, and the maximum transverse diameter of induration was measured 72 h later. Prevalence of infection was estimated using the cut-off point method (Method I) and the mirror-image technique
(Method II) among children without bacille Calmette-Guérin scar. Results from individual zones have been reported earlier, and the results from all four zones are presented here as a consolidated summary.RESULTS: The ARTI computed from estimated prevalence was found to be lowest
in the southern zone (Method I: 1.1%, Method II: 1.0%). It was higher in the eastern zone (1.3% by both methods) and highest in the western (Method I: 1.8%, Method II: 1.6%) and northern zones (1.9% by both methods). The proportion of infected children was found to be significantly higher
in urban than in rural areas in all zones.CONCLUSION: The intensified tuberculosis control efforts need to be sustained for many years.
Greengram Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek, also known as mung bean, widely cultivated in a large number of countries, is an important pulse crop of Asia and is considered one of the ancestral species of ...the genus Vigna. Since yields of greengram have remained low across subtropical and tropical Asia, it is important to estimate genetic diversity in existing cultivars in order to see if the lack of genetic variability might be a constraining factor. In this study, 32 Indian cultivars of greengram were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis using 21 decamer primers. A total of 267 amplification products were formed at an average of 12.71 per primer with an overall polymorphism of 64%. The extent of polymorphism was moderate to low. Jaccard similarity coefficient values ranged from 0.65 to 0.92. The cluster analysis resulted in mainly three clusters revealing greater homology between cultivars released from the same source. The results of principal components analysis also substantiated this conclusion. The close genetic similarity between the cultivars could be explained due to the high degree of commonness in their pedigrees. The narrow genetic base of the greengram cultivars revealed in the present analysis emphasises the need to exploit the large germplasm collections having diverse morphoagronomic traits in cultivar improvement programs.
Objective
To estimate the prevalence of under- nutrition among school children and to find out the relationship between nutritional status and tuberculin sensitivity.
Methods
A cross sectional study ...was carried out among 3335 children between 5–8 years of age attending 60 schools in Bangalore city selected by stratified random sampling. The nutritional anthropometric indices were calculated using reference median as recommended by World Health Organization, classified according to standard deviation units termed as Z-scores. The nutritional status of the children was assessed by Weight for age, Height for age and Bio-mass-index (BMI).
Results
Depending upon the method for classifying nutritional status, the prevalence of under-nutrition (including mild and severe under-nutrition) varied between 14.9–29.8%. The prevalence of severe under-nutrition varied from 2.9–6.7%. The frequency distributions of reaction sizes were found to be similar among children classified by nutritional status. The differences in proportions of significant reactions (=10mm) and mean tuberculin reaction sizes between children classified by nutritional status were not found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion
Tuberculin sensitivity was not influenced by nutritional status among apparently healthy school children.
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