Motivating contributions to online forums: can locus of control moderate the effects of interface cues?

In an effort to encourage users to participate rather than lurk, online health forums provide authority badges (e.g., guru) to frequent contributors and popularity indicators (e.

Can Customizing an Avatar Motivate Exercise Intentions and Health Behaviors Among Those with Low Health Ideals?

Studies have shown that self-resembling avatars in health games and other applications can heighten exercise intentions, but objective self-awareness (OSA) theory suggests that this effect is likely to be true only for those who believe in the ideal of a healthy self. How can avatars be used to motivate those who do not hold this ideal and may not be motivated by avatars to pursue healthy activities? One possibility is to afford individuals the ability to customize their avatar, so they are not only more self-aware but also feel in control of their persona, both of which are necessary conditions for behavior change according to OSA. In order to test this prediction, participants in an online virtual environment created an avatar of the same sex or opposite sex by choosing among a small or large number of possible traits, then completed a series of items measuring self-awareness, sense of control, health-focused behavior, and ideal internalization.

Exploring the inhibitory activity of Withaferin-A against Pteridine reductase-1 of L. donovani.

Withaferin A is an abundant withanolide present in Withania somnifera leaves and to some extent in roots. It has been known for its profound anti-cancer properties, but its role in counteracting the Leishmania donovani infection has to be explored. Pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1) is involved in pteridine salvage and an important enzyme for the parasite growth, which could be targeted for the development of an efficient antileishmanial drug.

A Correlative Study of Splenic Parasite Score and Peripheral Blood Parasite Load Estimation by Quantitative PCR in Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Parasitological diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) by splenic smear is highly sensitive, but it is associated with the risk of severe hemorrhage. In this study, the diagnosis of VL using quantitative PCR (qPCR) in peripheral blood was evaluated in 100 patients with VL. Blood parasitemia ranged from 5 to 93,688 leishmania parasite genomes/ml of blood and positively correlated with splenic score (P<0.

Eating disorders in women.

Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa have been classically described in young females in Western population. Recent research shows that they are also seen in developing countries including India. The classification of eating disorders has been expanded to include recently described conditions like binge eating disorder.

Arsenic, antimony, and Leishmania: has arsenic contamination of drinking water in India led to treatment- resistant kala-azar?

Background: In Bihar state, India, the cure rate of antimonial compounds (eg, sodium stibogluconate) in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has fallen from more than 85% to less than 50%. This reduction has been attributed to long-term, widespread misuse of antimonial drugs within the Indian private health-care system. We aimed to test the hypothesis that exposure to arsenic in drinking water in this region has resulted in antimony-resistant Leishmania parasites.

Developing imidazole analogues as potential inhibitor for Leishmania donovani trypanothione reductase: virtual screening, molecular docking, dynamics and ADMET approach.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) affects Indian subcontinent, African and South American continent, and it covers 70 countries worldwide. Visceral form of leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania donovani in Indian subcontinent which is lethal if left untreated. Extensive resistance to antileishmanial drugs such as sodium stibogluconate, pentamidine and miltefosine and their decreased efficacy has been reported in the endemic region.

Over-Expression of Cysteine Leucine Rich Protein Is Related to SAG Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Leishmania donovani.

Background: Resistance emergence against antileishmanial drugs, particularly Sodium Antimony Gluconate (SAG) has severely hampered the therapeutic strategy against visceral leishmaniasis, the mechanism of resistance being indistinguishable. Cysteine leucine rich protein (CLrP), was recognized as one of the overexpressed proteins in resistant isolates, as observed in differential proteomics between sensitive and resistant isolates of L. donovani.

Antimony-Resistant Leishmania donovani Exploits miR-466i To Deactivate Host MyD88 for Regulating IL-10/IL-12 Levels during Early Hours of Infection.

Infection with antimony-resistant Leishmania donovani (Sb(R)LD) induces aggressive pathology in the mammalian hosts as compared with ones with antimony-sensitive L. donovani (Sb(S)LD) infection. Sb(R)LD, but not Sb(S)LD, interacts with TLR2/TLR6 to induce IL-10 by exploiting p50/c-Rel subunits of NF-κB in infected macrophages (Mϕs).

Is late-onset OCD a distinct phenotype? Findings from a comparative analysis of "age at onset" groups.

Objective: Significant differences in clinical profile and comorbidity patterns have been observed between "juvenile-onset" and "adult-onset" obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There is little systematic research on onset of OCD after the fourth decade. The current study aims to compare the demographic, clinical, and comorbidity patterns of patients with "juvenile-onset" (<18 years), "adult-onset" (18-39 years), and "late-onset" (≥40 years) OCD.

An inflammatory pseudotumor in the thoracic epidural space presenting with progressive paraplegia: a histopathological diagnosis with clinical and radiological uncertainty. Case report with literature review.

Introduction: Inflammatory pseudotumors (IPTs) are benign lesions with unknown etiology, probably an immunological reaction to a traumatic or an infective insult or sometimes considered as an IgG4-related autoimmune disorder. It can occur as an isolated or multi-centric lesion and are reported to involve almost all parts of the human body. Although lung and orbital IPTs are reported commonly, central nervous system involvement is a rare occurrence.

Microsurgical management of aneurysms of the superior cerebellar artery - lessons learnt: An experience of 14 consecutive cases and review of the literature.

Objective: This is a retrospective study from January 2002 to December 2012 analyzing the results of microsurgical clipping for aneurysms arising from the superior cerebellar artery (SCA).

Materials And Methods: All patients with SCA were evaluated with computerized tomography angiography and/or digital subtraction angiography (DSA) prior to surgery. All patients in our series underwent microsurgical clipping and postoperative DSA to assess the extent of aneurysm occlusion.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of anti-leishmanial and immunomodulatory activity of Neem leaf extract in Leishmania donovani infection.

The toxicity and emergence of resistance to available chemical drugs against visceral leishmaniasis is evoking to explore herbal treatment. One such attempt with the Neem is being reported here. The current study is primarily focused to evaluate the anti-leishmanial effects of Neem leaf extracts.

Heterogeneity of Leishmania donovani parasites complicates diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: comparison of different serological tests in three endemic regions.

Diagnostic tests for visceral leishmaniasis that are based on antigens of a single Leishmania strain can have low diagnostic performance in regions where heterologous parasites predominate. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the performance of five serological tests, based on different Leishmania antigens, in three endemic countries for visceral leishmaniasis. A total number of 231 sera of symptomatic and asymptomatic cases and controls from three endemic regions of visceral leishmaniasis in East Sudan, North India and South France were evaluated by following serological tests: rKLO8- and rK39 ELISA, DAT (ITMA-DAT) and two rapid tests of rK39 (IT LEISH) and rKE16 (Signal-KA).

Arsenic exposure and outcomes of antimonial treatment in visceral leishmaniasis patients in Bihar, India: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: In the late twentieth century, emergence of high rates of treatment failure with antimonial compounds (SSG) for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused a public health crisis in Bihar, India. We hypothesize that exposure to arsenic through drinking contaminated groundwater may be associated with SSG treatment failure due to the development of antimony-resistant parasites.

Methods: A retrospective cohort design was employed, as antimony treatment is no longer in routine use.

Efficacy and safety of miltefosine in treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis.

Background: Long regimens for the treatment of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) result in noncompliance. A safe, effective, and acceptable regimen for the treatment of PKDL is still to be developed. Miltefosine has been found to be effective in the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL).

Proteomic analyses of membrane enriched proteins of Leishmania donovani Indian clinical isolate by mass spectrometry.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a major fatal disease prevalent in North-East India, caused by a protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani. The parasite multiplies and thrives inside mammalian macrophages and is transmitted by the bite of the sandfly. Due to the unsatisfactory treatment measures, increasing drug resistance and the advent of HIV-Leishmania co-infection there has been an urgent need to develop novel drug/vaccine targets against VL.

Evidence of multiband superconductivity in the β-phase Mo1-xRex alloys.

We present a detailed study of the superconducting properties in the β-phase Mo(1-x)Re(x) (x = 0.25 and 0.4) solid solution alloys pursued through magnetization and heat capacity measurements.

The overexpression of genes of thiol metabolism contribute to drug resistance in clinical isolates of visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) in India.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also called Kala Azar (KA) or black fever in India, claims around 20,000 lives every year. Chemotherapy remains one of the most important tools in the control of VL. Current chemotherapy for Kala Azar in India relies on a rather limited arsenal of drugs including sodium antimony gluconate and amphotericin B in addition to the very expensive drug miltefosine.

Single-dose indigenous liposomal amphotericin B in the treatment of Indian visceral leishmaniasis: a phase 2 study.

Liposomal amphotericin B is an effective and safe alternative for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent. In this study, we used a higher-dose regimen of an indigenously manufactured liposomal amphotericin B (FUNGISOME; L-AmBL), which was intended to improve the efficacy in terms of long-lasting cure rate. Thirty men and thirty women between 12 and 60 years old with parasitologically confirmed visceral leishmaniasis were enrolled in two cohorts of 15 patients each.

Quantitative PCR in epidemiology for early detection of visceral leishmaniasis cases in India.

Introduction: Studies employing serological, DTH or conventional PCR techniques suggest a vast proportion of Leishmania infected individuals living in regions endemic for Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) remain asymptomatic. This study was designed to assess whether quantitative PCR (qPCR) can be used for detection of asymptomatic or early Leishmania donovani infection and as a predictor of progression to symptomatic disease.

Methods: The study included 1469 healthy individuals living in endemic region (EHC) including both serology-positive and -negative subjects.

Immunological consequences of stress-related proteins--cytosolic tryparedoxin peroxidase and chaperonin TCP20--identified in splenic amastigotes of Leishmania donovani as Th1 stimulatory, in experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

In earlier studies, proteomic characterization of splenic amastigote fractions from clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani, exhibiting significant cellular responses in cured Leishmania subjects, led to the identification of cytosolic tryparedoxin peroxidase (LdcTryP) and chaperonin-TCP20 (LdTCP20) as Th1-stimulatory proteins. Both the proteins, particularly LdTCP20 for the first time, were successfully cloned, overexpressed, purified and were found to be localized in the cytosol of purified splenic amastigotes. When evaluated against lymphocytes of cured Leishmania-infected hamsters, the purified recombinant proteins (rLdcTryP and rLdTCP20) induced their proliferations as well as nitric oxide production.