Culture and youth psychopathology: testing the syndromal sensitivity model in Thai and American adolescents

Current widespread use of the same youth assessment measures and scales across different nations assumes that youth psychopathology syndromes do not differ meaningfully across nations. By contrast, the authors' syndromal sensitivity model posits 3 processes through which cultural differences can lead to cross-national differences in psychopathology syndromes. The authors tested this model in a comparison of Child Behavior Checklist syndromes for adolescents in Thailand and the United States. In support of the model, about half of the Thai-U.S. syndrome comparisons showed poor agreement (kappa = .40), and distinctive Thai syndromes emerged reflecting 3 prominent themes in Thai research literature: delayed maturation, indirect aggression and/or delinquency, and sex problems in boys. Such syndromal dissimilarity carries significant implications for assessment, diagnosis, epidemiology, and intervention across national boundaries.     

Rapid detection of Wuchereria bancrofti in mosquitoes by LightCycler polymerase chain reaction and melting curve analysis

A LightCycler real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed to detect Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in blood-fed mosquitoes. The assay is based on fluorescence melting curve analysis of the PCR product generated from a family of repeated DNA elements: the 182 bp SspI repeat, specific to the genus Wuchereria. According to the melting temperature, W. bancrofti infected-mosquitoes were differentiated from Brugia malayi-infected and non-infected mosquitoes as well as from genomic DNA of Dirofilaria immitis and human DNA. The method proved to be 100% sensitive in all W. bancrofti-infected mosquitoes. Melting curve analysis offers a rapid alternative for the specific detection of W. bancrofti in mosquitoes. It is very accurate and sensitive, allows a high throughput and can be performed on very small samples. The method therefore has great potential for application in epidemiological studies.     

A cohort study of the nature of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clones and PIG-A mutations in patients with aplastic anemia

Abstract:  Background:  Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is characterized by the clonal expansion of blood cells, which are deficient in glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored proteins (GPI-APs). As PNH frequently occurs during the clinical course of acquired aplastic anemia (AA), it is likely that a process inducing bone marrow failure in AA is responsible for the selection of GPI-AP deficient blood cells or PNH clone. Objective:  To explore the nature and mutation of a PNH clone in AA. Methods:  We performed regular repeated flow cytometric analyses of CD59 expression on peripheral blood cells from a cohort of 32 patients with AA. Mutation of phosphatidylinositol glycan class A (PIG-A) was also studied. Results:  Fifty-one episodes of occurrences of CD59 negative granulocytes out of a total cohort 167 flow cytometric analyses (31%) were observed in 22 patients (69%). CD59 negative erythrocytes were less apparent than the granulocytes. Repeated occurrences of PNH clones were observed in 16 patients. Most of the emerging PNH clones were transient in nature. They were more frequently detected during episodes of lower white blood cell and platelet counts. Persistence and expansion of the GPI-AP deficient blood cell populations to the level of clinical PNH were seen in only four patients (12.5%). Analysis of PIG-A gene demonstrated eight mutations among the four patients, with two and four independent mutations in two patients. Conclusions:  Our study indicates that PIG-A mutations of hematopoietic stem cells with resultant PNH clones, are relatively common among AA patients. It also supports the hypothesis of selection of the PNH clone by a process or condition associated with or responsible for bone marrow failure in AA. However, there must be an additional factor favoring expansion or growth of the clone to the level of clinical or florid PNH.     

Identification of a new Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus and analysis of its bro gene family

The highly pathogenic Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) has caused severe damages to sericulture in many countries, and the relationship between the pathogenicity of various BmNPV strains and their geographical evolution has been the topic of our interest. In this study, we isolated a new BmNPV strain from Thailand (BmNPV-Thai), based on the sequences of its conservative genes p10, p35, polh, egt and vp39. The BmNPV-Thai appears to have baculovirus repeated ORF (bro) genes different from four other well-known BmNPV strains of China (GD, CQ1), Japan (T3), and France (SC7); It only has bro-a, bro-c, and bro-d, but not bro-b and bro-e genes. These bro genes are localized only in the two subgroups highly homologous to their counterparts and their encoded BRO proteins differ mainly at their N-terminal amino acid residues. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the evolution of the bro genes of the five BmNPV strains is not obviously associated with their geographic locations.     

Differential detection of Brugia malayi and Brugia pahangi by real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR and its evaluation for diagnosis of B. pahangi-infected dogs

A real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR combined with melting curve analysis was developed for differentiating Brugia malayi and Brugia pahangi DNA in host blood using one set of primers and fluorophore-labeled hybridization probes specific for HhaI repetitive DNA. The differentiation of both species was based on their melting temperatures (Tm). The mean Tm ± SD of B. malayi and B. pahangi were 56.18?±?0.21 and 52.49?±?0.07, respectively. The method was used for the molecular detection of B. pahangi in infected dog blood samples. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values of this method were 100%. The detected mean difference of the Tm might allow the simple discrimination of two related species. This method is fast, sensitive, allows for a high throughput, can be performed on very small volumes, and has potential for diagnosis of B. pahangi-infected dogs in endemic areas as well as for large epidemiological investigations.     

Development of a Rapid Diagnostic Kit That Uses an Immunochromatographic Device To Detect Antibodies in Human Sparganosis

A diagnostic kit using an immunochromatographic device was developed to replace the time-consuming immunodiagnostic methods for human sparganosis. The kit was found to be faster and easier to use than an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and showed higher sensitivity and specificity. It will be useful for the laboratory diagnosis of hospitalized cases of sparganosis.     

Culture, Coping, and Context: Primary and Secondary Control among Thai and American Youth

Do cultural values and traditions influence the development of coping styles ? To address this question, we compared self-reports of coping by 6-14-year-olds in Thailand and the U.S. One hundred and forty-one children were interviewed about six common stressors: separation from a friend, injection in a doctor's office, adult anger, peer animosity, school failure, and physical injury. Children's self-reported coping methods were coded as overt or covert. Coping goals were coded as reflecting primary control (attempts to influence objective conditions), secondary control (attempts to adjust oneself to objective conditions), or relinquished control. Although findings revealed numerous cross-national similarities, there were also multiple main and interaction effects involving culture, suggesting that sociocultural context may be critical to our understanding of child coping. Consistent with literature on Thai culture, Thai children reported more than twice as much covert coping as American children for stressors involving adult authority figures (i.e. adult anger, injection in doctor's office). Thai children also reported more secondary control goals than Americans when coping with separation, but American children were five times as likely as Thais to adopt secondary control goals for coping with injury. The findings support a model of coping development in which culture and stressor characteristics interact, with societal differences most likely to be found in situations where culture-specific norms become salient.     

Clinical Features,Risk Factors,and Treatments of Microsporidial Epithelial Keratitis

Objective: To report the clinical manifestations, risk factors, and treatments of microsporidial epithelial keratitis in Thailand. Methods: Twenty eyes of 19 patients were diagnosed and the clinical presentations, risk factors, and management were analyzed. Results: Of 19 patients, six patients (32%) had no apparent risk factors. Predisposing factors included soil exposure (6/19, 32%), water contamination (6/19, 32%), and eye liner (1/19, 4%). Twelve cases (63%) were detected in the rainy season. All cases presented with disseminated, punctated, elevated, epithelial keratitis. Corneal scrapings with Gram-chromotrope staining were positive in all patients. Moxifloxacin 0.5% eye drops were given and all 16 patients experienced complete resolution. Three recurrent cases were resolved with only topical moxifloxacin without corneal scraping or swabbing. Conclusions: Predisposing factors were not found in some patients; thus, corneal scraping with staining should be considered in cases having a high index of suspicion. The incidence is increased during the rainy season; therefore, clinicians should have more awareness during these times. Debridement with topical moxifloxacin eye drops, without any systemic medication, may be an effective treatment. Corneal scraping or swabbing may not be required in recurrences.