Height Estimation of Children under Five Years using Depth Images.

Malnutrition is a global health crisis and is a leading cause of death among children under 5 years. Detecting malnutrition requires anthropometric measurements of weight, height, and middle-upper arm circumference. However, measuring them accurately is a challenge, especially in the global south, due to limited resources.

Direct sequencing of SARS-coronavirus S and N genes from clinical specimens shows limited variation.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged, in November 2002, as a novel agent causing severe respiratory illness. To study sequence variation in the SARS-CoV genome, we determined the nucleic acid sequence of the S and N genes directly from clinical specimens from 10 patients--1 specimen with no matched SARS-CoV isolate, from 2 patients; multiple specimens from 3 patients; and matched clinical-specimen/cell-culture-isolate pairs from 6 patients. We identified 3 nucleotide substitutions that were most likely due to natural variation and 2 substitutions that arose after cell-culture passage of the virus.

Heat-shock proteins induced during the mycelial-to-yeast transitions of strains of Histoplasma capsulatum.

Heat-shock proteins (hsp) were elicited when mycelia of the Downs strain and the more virulent G184A and G222B strains of Histoplasma capsulatum were shifted up to temperatures which induced the mycelial-to-yeast transition (34-40 degrees C). The classes of the major hsp which increased in synthesis in each strain were similar. However, the pattern of synthesis of these proteins at the different temperatures in Downs differed from those in the G184A and G222B strains: hsp synthesis in Downs peaked at 34 degrees C, whereas in G184A and G222B it was highest at 37 degrees C.

A randomized study of the impact of home health aides on diabetic control and utilization patterns.

Home health aides were offered to half of a group of 227 low-income diabetic clinic patients; in the group offered aides, fasting blood sugar (FBS) declined when compared to control group (10.1 mg/dl vs an increase of 5.1 mg/dl), and missed clinic appointments and emergency room use also decreased.