SPARC, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein containing the follistatin module, is expressed by astrocytes in synaptic enriched regions of the adult brain

Although extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoproteins play important roles in neural development, their levels are generally believed to decrease in the adult brain. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates that the anti-adhesive ECM glycoprotein SPARC/osteonectin, which contains a follistatin ‘module’, is expressed in the adult rabbit nervous system. In the cerebellum, SPARC is present in Bergmann glia, with a strong signal along their radial fibres. SPARC, while enriched in membrane fractions, is not a transmembrane protein. In the hippocampus, colocalization of SPARC is observed in cells which express the astrocytic marker GFAP. The expression of SPARC by a subset of astrocytes, particularly in synaptic enriched areas, suggests a continuing role for the ECM in the adult brain.     

Serological diagnosis of infection by Shigella dysenteriae-1 in patients with bacillary dysentery

A total of 192 samples of serum from 113 Sri Lankan patients with clinical dysentery was examined for antibodies of the IgM class to the lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Shigella dysenteriae-1 and Escherichia coli O157:H7. By means of ELISA and immunoblotting, 59 patients were found to have serum antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1 only. Four samples from one patient were found to contain serum antibodies to the LPSs of both S. dysenteriae-1 and E. coli 0157: H7. Antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1 were also detected in 16 samples from 25 children, from Sri Lanka, with no previous history of dysentery; one of these children also had antibodies to the LPS of E. coli 0157: H7. Analysis of 16 samples from apparently healthy children in the U.K. showed that only one serum contained antibodies to the LPS of S. dysenteriae-1. This patient had a history of recent travel to Pakistan. The isolation of S. dysenteriae-1 remains the preferred test for the diagnosis of bacillary dysentery. The use of serology as a means of providing evidence of infection with S. dysenteriae-1, however may prove to be a useful adjunct to cultural techniques but needs to be validated in an area where this organism is endemic.     

Method to estimate relative transmission efficiencies of Anopheles species (Diptera: Culicidae) in human malaria transmission.

A mathematical expression was derived to estimate the relative malaria transmission efficiency of an anopheline species with respect to a standard well-characterized species for which all vector parameters can be sufficiently determined. The method is particularly useful in situations where multiple anopheline species contribute to human malaria transmission and requires the estimation of the man-biting rate, the sporozoite rate, and the human malaria incidence. Under stable conditions of vector abundance, the average sporozoite rate in a species during a transmission season would by itself reflect its relative transmission efficiency. This "efficiency" then was used to calculate the "effective human-biting rate"; i.e., the human-biting rate of that species if it were to have ecological properties identical to those of the standard species. The standard well-characterized species then could be used with the effective human-biting rate of all species to quantify transmission, thus overcoming the need to measure vector parameters for all anopheline species contributing to transmission. An expression also was derived to calculate the relative contribution made by each species to malaria transmission. The usefulness of this method was illustrated using entomological and epidemiological data from Kataragama, Sri Lanka.     

Microstructure,mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg–Dy–Gd–Zr alloys for medical applications

In previous investigations, a Mg–10Dy (wt.%) alloy with a good combination of corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility showed great potential for use as a biodegradable implant material. However, the mechanical properties of Mg–10Dy alloy are not satisfactory. In order to allow the tailoring of mechanical properties required for various medical applications, four Mg–10(Dy + Gd)–0.2Zr (wt.%) alloys were investigated with respect to microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties. With the increase in Gd content, the number of second-phase particles increased in the as-cast alloys, and the age-hardening response increased at 200 °C. The yield strength increased, while the ductility reduced, especially for peak-aged alloys with the addition of Gd. Additionally, with increasing Gd content, the corrosion rate increased in the as-cast condition owing to the galvanic effect, but all the alloys had a similar corrosion rate (～0.5 mm year^?1) in solution-treated and aged condition.     

The prevalence and burden of recurrent headache in Australian adolescents: findings from the longitudinal study of Australian children

BackgroundHeadache disorders are highly prevalent worldwide, but not well investigated in adolescents. Few studies have included representative nationwide samples. This study aimed to present the prevalence and burden of recurrent headache in Australian adolescents.MethodsThe prevalence of recurrent headache, headache characteristics (severity and frequency) and burden on health-related quality of life in Australian children aged 10–17 years were presented, using nationally representative data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian children (LSAC). The LSAC, commencing in 2004, collects data every 2 years from a sample of Australian children of two different age cohorts: B ‘baby’ cohort, aged 0–1 years and K ‘kindergarten’ cohort, aged 4–5 years at the commencement of the study. Face-to-face interviews and self-complete questionnaires have been conducted with the study child and parents of the study child (carer-reported data) at each data collection wave, with seven waves of data available at the time of the current study. Wave 7 of the LSAC was conducted in 2016, with B cohort children aged 12–13 years and K cohort children aged 16–17 years. For the current study, data were accessed for four out of seven waves of available data (Wave 4–7) and presented cross-sectionally for the two cohorts of Australian children, for the included age groups (10–11 years, 12–13 years, 14–15 years and 16–17 years). All available carer-reported questionnaire data pertaining to headache prevalence, severity and frequency, general health and health-related quality of life, for the two cohorts, were included in the study, and presented for male and female adolescents. Carer-reported general health status of the study child and health-related quality of life scores, using the parent proxy-report of the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ 4.0, were compared for male and female adolescents with recurrent headache and compared with a healthy group. Finally, health-related quality of life scores were compared based on headache frequency and severity.ResultsThe LSAC study initially recruited 10,090 Australian children (B cohort n = 5107, K cohort n = 4983), and 64.1% of the initial sample responded at wave 7. Attrition rates across the included waves ranged from 26.3% to 33.8% (wave 6 and 7) for the B cohort, and 16.3% to 38.0% (wave 4–7) for the K cohort. Recurrent headache was more common in females, increasing from 6.6% in 10–11 years old females to 13.2% in 16–17 years old females. The prevalence of headache in males ranged from 4.3% to 6.4% across the age groups. Health-related quality of life scores were lower for all functional domains in adolescents with recurrent headache, for both sexes. Headache frequency, but not severity, was significantly associated with lower health-related quality of life scores, in both males and females.ConclusionsRecurrent headache was common among Australian adolescents and increased in prevalence for females, across the age groups. Frequent recurrent headache is burdensome for both male and female adolescents. This study provides information regarding the prevalence and burden of recurrent headache in the adolescent population based on findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.     

Filarial infection of the breast.

The breast is a common site of filarial infection in females in Sri Lanka. We report our experience with 13 cases of filarial breast nodules, 12 containing adult worms and the other only microfilariae. In five of these cases the species was identified as Wuchereria bancrofti.     

Genetic variation in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein and apolipoprotein A-I genes and its relation to coronary heart disease in a Sri Lankan population

The influence of variation in the genes for cholesteryl ester transfer protein and apolipoprotein A-I was investigated in 95 patients with coronary heart disease and 95 matched control subjects of South East Asian extraction. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) linked to the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene TaqIA and TaqIB, and to the apolipoprotein A-I gene SstI, were examined to investigate the extent of genetic variation at these loci. None of the alleles defined by these RFLPs were associated with increased coronary risk. Analysis of the data by division of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels into tertiles showed a trend of a higher frequency of B1 allele (presence of the TaqIB site) with reduced high density lipoprotein levels. The B1 allele was more frequent in control subjects, with low high density lipoprotein levels (P less than 0.02), but not in coronary heart disease patients. The differences became significant for both groups (P less than 0.05) when the data of non-smokers were analysed separately.     

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: a histopathological and immunohistochemical study

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy is an uncommon neoplasm that normally occurs in the anterior maxilla of children less than 1 year of age. This is a tumor with controversial origin, although neural crest origin is proposed. This case report presents an analysis of histopathological and immunohistochemical findings in this rare tumor.