BACKGROUND Although serum under-O-glycosylated IgA1 in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients may deposit more preferentially in glomeruli than heavily-O-glycosylated IgA1, the relationship between the glomerular IgA deposition level and the O-glycan profiles of serum IgA1 remains obscure. METHODS Serum total under-O-glycosylated IgA1 levels were quantified in 32 IgAN patients by an enzyme-linked im...

Sticky ovitraps (patent pending) were used to sample female Aedes aegypti (L.) weekly in a focus of dengue activity in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. In February 2003, transmission of dengue virus serotype 2 began in the suburb of Parramatta Park, peaking in mid-March 2003. This suburb features many older, unscreened houses with high populations of Ae. aegypti. Highest densities (2-3.5 females ...

OBJECTIVE A novel rapid reverse transcriptase (RT) recombinant HIV-1 drug-susceptibility assay was developed to evaluate resistance to RT inhibitors. MATERIAL AND METHODS HIV-1 RTs from five treatment-naive and 10 highly active antiretroviral therapy-experienced patients were evaluated. HIV-1 isolates recovered by culturing peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients were used in the con...

The efficiency of different types of traps for catching of the Caspian Sea crayfish, Astacus leptodactylus eichwaldi, was investigated from Mar. 2002 to Feb. 2003. Totally 56 traps of four most commonly used types, "Rectangular trap", "Round trap", "Opera house trap" in two colors of "black" and "blue", and "Fathoms plus" only in black...

We have developed a microscope system for real-time single sperm tracking with an automated laser tweezers escape power assay. Phase contrast images of swimming sperm are digitized to the computer at video rate. The custom algorithm creates a region of interest centered about a sperm in response to a mouse click and performs all subsequent tasks autonomously. Microscope stage movement responds ...

Entomological surveys were conducted in Mkuzi village in Muheza District, north-east Tanzania from April to September 2003. The objectives were to determine the species composition and infectivity rates of mosquitoes in Mkuzi village. Mosquito collection was done using CDC light trap and pyrethrum spray catch (PSC) techniques. The light trap: spray catch ratio was 2.2:1. A total of 2157 mosquit...

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) causes significant viral encephalitis and is distributed throughout the Asian countries. The virus is known to be transmitted by Culex tritaeniorhynchus, which mainly breeds in rice paddies in Korea. In this study, we investigated the presence of other mosquito species that can transmit JEV as a second or regional vector. We selected five cities where patients ...

A Tritrichomonas foetus-specific 5' Taq nuclease assay using a 3' minor groove binder-DNA probe (TaqMan MGB) targeting conserved regions of the internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) was developed and compared to established diagnostic procedures. Specificity of the assay was evaluated using bovine venereal microflora and a range of related trichomonad species. Assay sensitivity was evaluated wi...