Although classified by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) as unimproved sanitation facilities, public toilets still play a critical role in eliminating open defecation in informal settlements. We explored perspectives of toilet operators on opportunities and barriers to operation and maintenance (O&M) of public toilets in informal settlements. A cross-sectional study design was used. Up to 20 in-depth interviews were used to obtain data on the experiences of public toilet operators. Thematic content analysis was used.
Ressults show that opportunities for improving O&M include; operation of public toilets is a source of livelihood; operators are knowledgeable on occupational risks, and the community is involvedin sanitation activities. Barriers to effective O&M include; high operation costs, failure to break even and a lack of investments in occupational health Therefore, there is need to recognise the significance of public toilets as a viable alternative to open defecation in areas where ownership of private sanitation facilities is difficult. Failure to observe the health and safety of toilet operators may further compromise O&M. 相似文献
Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) has mainly been used as a research tool in children. To evaluate the clinical utility of pQCT and formulate recommendations for its use in children, the International Society of Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) convened a task force to review the literature and propose areas of consensus and future research. The types of pQCT technology available, the clinical application of pQCT for bone health assessment in children, the important elements to be included in a pQCT report, and quality control monitoring techniques were evaluated. The review revealed a lack of standardization of pQCT techniques, and a paucity of data regarding differences between pQCT manufacturers, models and software versions and their impact in pediatric assessment. Measurement sites varied across studies. Adequate reference data, a critical element for interpretation of pQCT results, were entirely lacking, although some comparative data on healthy children were available. The elements of the pQCT clinical report and quality control procedures are similar to those recommended for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Future research is needed to establish evidence-based criteria for the selection of the measurement site, scan acquisition and analysis parameters, and outcome measures. Reference data that sufficiently characterize the normal range of variability in the population also need to be established. 相似文献
Zusammenfassung Die Diagnostik vieler rheumatischer Systemerkrankungen wird heute durch den Nachweis von Autoantik?rpern unterstützt und
erleichtert. Für die Serodiagnostik der Rheumatoiden Arthritis (RA) stehen nur die doch wenig spezifischen Rheumafaktoren
zur Verfügung. Mit dem Ziel, neue krankheitsspezifische Autoantik?rper nachzuweisen, erfolgte eine besondere Proteinaufarbeitung
aus Synovialisbiopsien und anderen Geweben. Western Blots der gewonnenen Proteine wurden eingesetzt, um Seren von RA-Patienten
und solchen mit anderen rheumatischen Erkrankungen zu untersuchen. Die signifikanteste Immunreaktion von RA-Patienten richtete
sich gegen ein 68k-Antigen, welches vermutlich ubiquit?r exprimiert wird, da es nicht nur in Synovialis, sondern in allen
weiteren untersuchten Humangeweben und HeLa-Zellen nachgewiesen werden konnte. Der isoelektrische Punkt liegt bei 5,1, das
Protein ist O-glykosyliert und im endoplasmatischen Retikulum und/oder Cytoplasma lokalisiert. Antik?rper gegen dieses 68k-Antigen
waren bei 110 von 167 RA-Patienten nachzuweisen, was einer Sensitivit?t von 66% entspricht. Ihr Vorkommen war unabh?ngig vom
Rheumafaktornachweis, da sie auch bei 7 von 12 seronegativen RA-Patienten zu finden waren, dagegen nur bei einem Patienten
aus einer Kontrollgruppe von 98 Patienten mit anderen rheumatologischen Krankheitsbildern, bei einem von 22 HIV-Patienten
und überhaupt nicht bei 55 Gesunden. Daraus resultiert eine RA-Spezifit?t für diesen Antik?rper von 99%. Wegen der auff?lligen
Krankheitsspezifit?t der anti-68k-Antik?rper liegt es nahe, nach korrespondierenden autoreaktiven T-Zellen zu suchen, um
die Rolle dieser neuen Autoreaktivit?t in dem Pathomechanismus der RA zu analysieren.
Eingegangen: 20. Mai 1996 Akzeptiert: 13. Februar 1997 相似文献
Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a subtype of early-onset diabetes mellitus which is characterized by autosomal dominant inheritance. Several genes are known to induce MODY : HNF4A/MODY1, GCK/MODY2, TCF1/MODY3, IPF1/MODY4, TCF2/MODY5 and NEUROD1/MODY6. We studied a Swiss family with 13 diabetic patients over 3 generations. The average age at diagnosis was 35 +/- 15 years (7 subjects before 30). In addition, 2 individuals had an abnormal oral glucose tolerance. The mutation present in this family was located in the DNA binding domain of HNF4A, a strongly conserved region across almost all species, and segregated in all the MODY patients. Identification of this missense mutation allowed for presymptomatic diagnosis in the younger generations and will improve medical follow-up of the predisposed individuals. 相似文献
Summary Southern blot analysis of AvaI-digested total cellular DNA from the interfertile species Chlamydomonas eugametos and Chlamydomonas moewusii with a coxI mitochondrial gene probe from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii revealed single hybridizing fragments of 5.0 and 3.5 kb, respectively. The transmission of these mitochondrial DNA physical markers along with that of chloroplast genetic markers for resistance to streptomycin and resistance to erythromycin was studied in the fourth backcrosses of F1 hybrids to one or the other parent. Viability in these backcrosses is high in contrast to the cross C. eugametos x C. moewusii and its reciprocal which are associated with considerable meiotic product lethality. The resulting zygospores were found to transmit the mitochondrial and chloroplast genome markers uniparentally or preferentially from the mating-type-plus parent. Thus the species pair C. eugametos and C. moewusii differs from the pair Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlamydomonas smithii in which mitochondrial genome markers are transmitted uniparentally by the mating-type minus parent, while the chloroplast genome markers are transmitted uniparentally by the opposite parental mating-type (Boynton et al. 1987). 相似文献
A 7-year-old child presented with a severe form of Takayasu's arteritis, with two consecutive episodes involving the right testis and then the left kidney 6 months later. The renal artery obstruction was accompanied by severe hypertension. An aortography showed a complete obstruction of the left renal artery and a narrowing of the right subclavian artery. Plasma renin activity was high. Serum immunoglobulins were within the normal range, except for an increase in IgE (880 /l). Despite 4 months', treatment with antihypertensive drugs, prednisone, cyclophosphamide, and anticoagulant, the blood pressure never returned to normal and the left renal function remained completely absent. A nephrectomy was performed which immediately normalized plasma renin activity and blood pressure. The child was subsequently treated with alternateday prednisone for 3 months, alternating with 3 months of cyclophosphamide or, later, azathioprine. Persantine (dipyridamole) and acetylsalicylic acid were administered continuously. The right radial pulse returned to normal within 2 years. An 8-year follow-up failed to detect any new episode of arteritis. The right kidney showed signs of compensatory hypertrophy. Finally, a recent arteriography demonstrated not only a normal right renal artery blood flow but almost total disappearance of the right subclavian artery obstruction. However, the IgE remained abnormally high (2,023 g/l). 相似文献
Aquatic breeding-condition newts kept at 5, 11, or 18 degrees showed temperature-dependent changes in body weight (BW), tail height, plasma [Na+], hematocrit, integumental osmotic permeability, urine production, and transepithelial potential. Net urine production could account for the change in weight observed in animals kept at 11 and 18 degrees, suggesting that initial weight change results from a reduction in extracellular volume. Weight loss was correlated with increased hematocrit and plasma [Na+]. In another experiment, newts were sham-hypophysectomized (sham-HX) or hypophysectomized (HX) and injected with saline, ovine prolactin (PRL), ovine growth hormone (GH), or porcine adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and maintained at 5 degrees for 13 days. All animals lost 3-7% of their initial BW. Plasma [Na+] was reduced in animals injected with hormone compared with both sham-operated and saline-injected controls. Following an increase in water temperature to 11 degrees for 13 days, weight loss in sham-operated and ACTH-injected newts increased to 16% of BW compared with a total of 4-8% in newts injected with PRL, GH, or saline. In this experiment also, loss of body weight was correlated with increased plasma [Na+]. Although measurements of plasma Na+ concentrations indicated that ACTH caused "sodium retention," estimates of changes in total extracellular Na+ revealed that both sham-operated and ACTH-injected newts experienced a net sodium loss. In Taricha granulosa, warm temperatures and ACTH (presumably acting via interrenal hormones) appear necessary for the fluid and electrolyte loss which accompanies the transition from the aquatic to the terrestrial condition. 相似文献