BACKGROUND Confirmatory diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), as well as diagnosis of relapses and test of cure, usually requires examination by microscopy of samples collected by invasive means, such as splenic, bone marrow or lymph node aspirates. This causes discomfort to patients, with risks of bleeding and iatrogenic infections, and requires technical expertise. Molecular tests have gr...

In Kenya, HIV diagnosis is not routinely carried out in infants, and yet rapid diagnosis could improve access to lifesaving interventions. A cheap and readily accessible service can resolve this problem, if feasible. In this pilot study the feasibility and costs of provision of an infant HIV diagnosis service in Kenya are evaluated. Dried blood spots (DBS) were collected from infants exposed to...

Lung perfusion study is an important investigation in various pulmonary diseases. The radiopharmaceutical commonly used now-a- days is imported macroaggregated human albumin (in kit form), which is labelled with technetium (Tc99m-MAA). Due to its high cost the technique could not be fully exploited. We have tried to locally prepare freeze dried MAA particles. Various parameters like concentrati...

This report describes the histological and immunohistochemical features of a small intestinal tumor that resembled a human gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GISTs) in a seven-year-old male cross-breed dog. This was unique because of the expression of desmin by the tumor. Grossly, the white-gray tumor measured 8.0 × 4.0 × 6.5 cm and was 760 gram in weight. It was cystic and enveloped the jejunum. ...

a US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bozeman Fish Technology Center, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA b Montana State University, Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA c USDA-ARS, Trout Grains Project, Bozeman Fish Technology Center, Bozeman, MT 59715, USA d ADM Research, 1001 N Brush College Road, Decatur, IL 62521, USA e USDA-ARS, Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Rese...

A community based cross-sectional study was carried out in rural areas of West Bengal with the aim to assess the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among rural preschool children. Clinical examination was carried out on 9,228 children for the signs and symptoms of VAD and a sub-sample of 590 children were covered for the estimation of blood vitamin A levels using dried blood spot (DBS) me...

BACKGROUND Assays have been developed for cross-sectional HIV incidence estimation using plasma samples. Large scale surveillance programs are planned using dried blood spot (DBS) specimens for incidence assessment. However, limited information exists on the performance of HIV cross-sectional incidence assays using DBS. METHODS The assays evaluated were: Maxim HIV-1 Limiting Antigen Avidity E...

During brewery handling, production strains of yeast must respond to fluctuations in dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, osmolarity, ethanol concentration, nutrient supply and temperature. Fermentation performance of brewing yeast strains is dependent on their ability to adapt to these changes, particularly during batch brewery fermentation which involves the recycling (repitching) of a single ...

BACKGROUND Obesity and overweight are consistently associated with metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Herbal medicines have been currently suggested as an alternative source of potentially useful antihyperglycemic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant activities. The objective of this study was to assess the in vitro inhibitory effects of eleven herbal medicines on carbo...