Attending home vs. clinic-based deliveries: perspectives of skilled birth attendants in Matlab, Bangladesh.

In an effort to make skilled attendance at birth more accessible, some countries in Asia have begun major initiatives to promote the option of home delivery with a midwife. Yet there is little empirical evidence from the region to suggest that home-based care is as safe or effective as care in medical facilities. Qualitative research involving key informant and in-depth interviews and group discussions was carried out in 2003 and 2004 in Matlab, a rural area of Bangladesh, to examine the feasibility of home- vs.

Effective surgical treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome based on provocative clinical testing without electrodiagnostics.

Learning Objectives: After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Describe a method of clinical evaluation for accurate diagnosis of ulnar compression syndrome at the elbow. 2.

Uranyl(VI) nitrate salts: modeling thermodynamic properties using the binding mean spherical approximation theory and determination of "fictive" binary data.

This work is aimed at a description of the thermodynamic properties of highly concentrated aqueous solutions of uranyl nitrate at 25 degrees C. A new resolution of the binding mean spherical approximation (BIMSA) theory, taking into account 1-1 and also 1-2 complex formation, is developed and used to reproduce, from a simple procedure, experimental uranyl nitrate osmotic coefficient variation with concentration. For better consistency of the theory, binary uranyl perchlorate and chloride osmotic coefficients are also calculated.

Dithiocarbamate fungicide thiram detection: comparison of bioluminescent and fluorescent whole-cell bioassays based on hsp22 stress promoter induction.

Detection of toxic substances interfering with endocrine system is one of the major preoccupations of the European community. A whole-cell bioassay for pollution detection based on stress induction has been designed. Well characterized toxicants, cadmium chloride and thiram (a dithiocarbamate fungicide), were used to optimize the detection conditions such as time-course conditions, cell line and reporter gene to be used.

DNA covalent immobilization onto screen-printed electrode networks for direct label-free hybridization detection of p53 sequences.

A new electrochemical biochip for the detection of DNA sequences was developed. The entire biochip-i.e.

Equity in use of home-based or facility-based skilled obstetric care in rural Bangladesh: an observational study.

Background: Few studies have assessed whether the poorest people in developing countries benefit from giving birth at home rather than in a facility. We analysed whether socioeconomic status results in differences in the use of professional midwives at home and in a basic obstetric facility in a rural area of Bangladesh, where obstetric care was free of charge.

Methods: We routinely obtained data from Matlab, Bangladesh between 1987 and 2001.

Pneumococcal cellulitis in an immunocompetent adult.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a rare cause of cellulitis that develops mainly in patients with underlying chronic disease or those immunocompromised by drug or alcohol abuse. We report here a case of pneumococcal cellulitis in an immunocompetent patient.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli (ATCC 4157) in diluted apple cider by dense-phase carbon dioxide.

Dense-phase carbon dioxide (CO2) treatments in a continuous flow through system were applied to apple cider to inactivate Escherichia coli (ATCC 4157). A response surface design with factors of the CO2/product ratio (0, 70, and 140 g/kg), temperature (25, 35, and 45 degrees C), and pressure (6.9, 27.

Diazonium-protein adducts for graphite electrode microarrays modification: direct and addressed electrochemical immobilization.

Diazonium cation electrodeposition was investigated for the direct and electro-addressed immobilization of proteins. For the first time, this reaction was triggered directly onto diazonium-modified proteins. Screen-printed (SP) graphite electrode microarrays were studied as active support for this immobilization.

State of the art and recent advances in immunoanalytical systems.

This article is an overview the state of the art and the recent developments in immunosensors. Homogeneous immunosensors, heterogeneous immunosensors, integrated immunosensors and biochip format immunosensors are presented, based on optical, electrochemical, magnetic or mechanical detection/transduction systems.

Myelofibrosis in a patient with pachydermoperiostosis.

Pachydermoperiostosis (idiopathic or primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy) is a rare condition of unknown origin involving the skin and the skeleton, with an autosomal dominant transmission. We report a case of anaemia in a patient with pachydermoperiostosis indicating myelofibrosis, and review the literature and the pathogenetic mechanisms.

Enzyme association with lipidic Langmuir-Blodgett films: interests and applications in nanobioscience.

This review presents the recent advances in the achievement of organized proteo-lipidic nanostructures based on Langmuir-Blodgett technology and their potential applications in the nanobioscience area. By using the self-assembled properties of amphiphilic biomolecules at the air-water interface, the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique offers the possibility to prepare ultrathin layers suitable for biomolecule immobilization at the molecular level. This review will provide a general overview of the enzyme association with preformed Langmuir-Blodgett films in connection with their potential applications in biosensing device developments, and then introduce the design of a new functionalised biomimetic nanostructure with oriented recognition site.

Willingness to be vaccinated against shigella and other forms of dysentery: a comparison of three regions in Asia.

We conducted a cross sectional survey of 3163 women and men in six Asian countries to examine willingness for children and adults to be vaccinated against shigellosis and other forms of dysentery. The six sites were clustered into three regions for ease of comparison. The regions are: Northeast Asia (China), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia) and South Asia (Bangladesh and Pakistan).

Chemical stress sensitive luminescent human cells: molecular biology approach using inducible Drosophila melanogaster hsp22 promoter.

A whole-cell bioassay has been developed for the total toxicity testing of liquid samples. The method is based on the induction of the bioluminescent activity of genetically manipulated mammalian cells. For that purpose, transfection was used to introduce, in HeLa cells, a DNA sensing element that responds to chemical stress agents (heavy metals, genotoxic agents, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals).

Congenital toxoplasmosis from an HIV-infected woman as a result of reactivation.

Congenital toxoplasmosis usually results from acquired infection in non-immune pregnant women. However, severely HIV-infected women with a latent Toxoplasma infection can transmit the parasite as a result of reactivation. We report a case of toxoplasmic reactivation in an HIV-infected woman with moderate immunosuppression resulting in a severe congenital toxoplasmosis.

Detection of DNA hybridization by ABEI electrochemiluminescence in DNA-chip compatible assembly.

The electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of a luminol derivate (ABEI) generated both by a carbon electrode and a polypyrrole-coated carbon electrode was examined. It was found that the polypyrrole film (ppy) did not inhibit the ECL. After that, ABEI anchored on a single stranded DNA target (ODNt) has been used for the ECL detection of the hybridization between a complementary single stranded DNA probe (ODNp) covalently linked to a polypyrrole support and the ODNt.

Acinetobacter baumanii folliculitis in a patient with AIDS.

Gram-negative folliculitis usually involves the face and develops in patients with acne or rosacea during long-term antibiotic therapy. Numerous pathogens have been found, but not, until now, Acinetobacter baumanii which has previously been recognized as an important cause of nosocomial infections and hospital outbreaks. We report here a case of A.

Electroaddressed immobilization of recombinant HIV-1 P24 capsid protein onto screen-printed arrays for serological testing.

A serological chemiluminescent biochip was designed based on screen-printed electrode arrays composed of nine 1-mm(2) electrodes. Arrays were shown to be produced with good batch-to-batch reproducibility (standard deviations of 4.4 and 12.

Synthesis, characterization of dihydrolipoic acid capped gold nanoparticles, and functionalization by the electroluminescent luminol.

The use of gold nanoparticles as biological probes requires the improvement of colloidal stability. Dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), a dithiol obtained by the reduction of thioctic acid, appears therefore very attractive for the stabilization and the further functionalization of gold nanoparticles because DHLA is characterized by a carboxylic acid group and two thiol functions. The ionizable carboxylic acid groups ensure, for pH > or = 8, the water solubility of DHLA-capped gold (Au@DHLA) nanoparticles, prepared by the Brust protocol, and the stability of the resulting colloid by electrostatic repulsions.

Seronegative secondary syphilis in an HIV-infected patient.

Recently, increased rates of syphilis among gay men have been observed in American and European cities. It is important to establish the diagnosis because syphilis facilitates HIV transmission during the primary and secondary stages when sores are open on the skin. However the diagnosis can present a dilemma as negative reactions to serological tests may be observed in AIDS patients.

Distribution of microbial communities associated with the dominant high marsh plants and sediments of the United States East Coast.

Microbial communities in the sediment and associated with the dominant type of standing dead plant were collected from the high marsh zones of 10 sites along the eastern coast of the United States from Maine to Florida. Microbial community composition was examined using T-RFLP, and bacterial and fungal abundance was determined microscopically. Within the sediment, community composition was strongly correlated with latitude, indicating that biogeographical factors are important determinants of sediment community composition, whereas abundance was positively and strongly correlated with sediment organic matter content.