Yaws, caused by Treponema pallidum ssp. pertenue, is reportedly endemic in Ghana. Mass distribution of azithromycin is now the cornerstone of the WHO yaws eradication campaign. Mass distribution of azithromycin at a lower target dose was previously undertaken in two regions of Ghana for the control of trachoma. Ongoing reporting of yaws raises the possibility that resistance may have emerged in...

The aim of this study was to investigate the serology and gene sequence characteristics of the A307 subgroup of ABO blood group. Monoclonal anti-A and anti-B antibodies were used to detect the ABO antigens of a proband whose positive blood type was not consistent with the negative blood type of ABO blood group. Meanwhile, standard A-, B-, and O-negative typing cells were used to test for ABO an...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the frequencies of DR and DQ HLA class II alleles and the prevalence of dental caries in Brazilian adolescents. The study sample consisted of 164 adolescents aged 15- 19 years. For the assessment of caries experience the DMFT index was used, according to World Health Organization criteria. DNA samples of the adolescents were extr...

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) belongs to a group of autoimmune diseases affecting the axial skeleton. Beside thehla-b*27allele, several other human genes that control the variety processes of immune homeostasis are considered to be associated with AS manifestation in different human populations. Among strong associated non-MHC geneserap1 encodingthe endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 isoform ...

To the Editor: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Typhimurium definitive phage type (DT) 104 with chromosomally encoded resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, strepto-mycin/spectinomycin, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines (ACSSpSuT) was first identified and characterized in the United Kingdom in the early 1990s (1). MDR DT104 has subsequently caused numerous outbreaks throughout the world (...

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is one of the most important crops in the world. Drought stress is a major abiotic stress factor that significantly reduces sugarcane yields. However the gene network that mediates plant responses to water stress remains largely unknown in several crop species. Although several microRNAs that mediate post-transcriptional regulation during water stress have been descri...

BACKGROUND Array CGH is the criterion standard for identifying copy number variations (CNV), but the restrictive requirement of DNA quality and relatively high cost prevent the use of this method as a general assay in hospitals in developing countries. Our principal objective was to determine whether the semiconductor sequencing platform (SSP) could be an alternative method in CNV detection for...

A serine protease (SSP) of Serratia marcescens is one of the extracellular enzymes secreted from this Gram-negative bacterium. SSP is produced as a large precursor and converted to a mature protein by cleavages removing an NH2-terminal signal sequence and a COOH-terminal pro-region. This COOH-terminal pro-region is integrated into the outer membrane and has a functional role for the export of t...

Two genetic linkage maps of cultivated maize inbred lines and teosinte species were constructed. One population comprised 81 F(2) individuals derived from a cross between maize inbred line B73 and Zea mays ssp parviglumis, while the second consisted of 63 backcross individuals from a cross of maize inbred line B73 with Z. mays ssp diploperennis. In the B73 x Z. mays ssp parviglumis F(2) p...