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A year younger then I am right now
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21...for most of it.
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Last year <br />
And I didn't see da guy for like 3 years almost
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Last year? 47, but I always add a year on in my head, no idea why.
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I'm not old...how dare you madam!!! I'm more new than old.... old being 120years new being 1 day
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Singer Charlotte Church and rugby player Gavin Henson split in April after a four-year relationship, and now the 24-year-old mom-of-two is reportedly ready to date again.
Church, who is mom to Ruby, 2 1/2, and Dexter, 1 1/2, has revealed that she is currently dating her songwriting collaborator, Jonathan Powell, telling The Sun, "Jonathan is a handsome guy and really cool and we have worked together a lot. We get on well, so we'll see how it goes. Both Jonathan and I ended our relationships long before either of us even thought of moving on."
Church insists that her children are her priority, saying,
I would drop a man like a hot chip if ever my children said they didn't like him. It's all about my children and that's the way things will always remain."
Of her ex-fiance Henson, Church shared that the two get along well, "It's not acrimonious. There's no discomfort. I think we actually get on better now than we did when we were together."
On his part, Henson is not happy to see his children being raised around another man, saying, "It's the worst thing in the world to see your kids being brought up by another fella. It's not nice at all. I don't want people feeling sorry for me, it goes on and I've got to deal with it and I'm dealing with it."

subset: commoncrawl


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Fiery flamenco returns to the CCP in June
Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer Eduardo Guerrero returns to Manila to perform De Dolores, a stunning flamenco concert which mesmerized Manila audiences last year, on June 14-15, 8 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).
Guerrero took his first dance steps at the early age of six. He studied Spanish dance at the Conservatorio de Danza de Cádiz and later completed his contemporary and classical training with David Greenall and Monserrat Marin.
He has worked with the biggest names in flamenco such as Eva Yerbabuena, Amador Rojas and Antonio Canales. He has garnered several awards such as La Perla de Cádiz and the first prize in the II Choreographic Contest of Andalucia Professional Dance Conservatories.
Flamenco is rooted deeply in the cultures of Spain, though it is mostly centered in Andalusia, yet included in almost every social event in both European and Spanish countries. The CCP has presented flamenco dance and music productions, among them, Spain's famed Flamenco dancer Sara Baras.
Call the Embassy of Spain at 8176676 loc. 112 or e-mail email@example.com; or CCP at 8321125.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


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Within a day of landing in Rovaniemi I'd already learned one curious fact beyond the knowledge of most: Nostril hairs freeze when the temperature falls below 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15º C).
Tearing along a frozen river on a snowmobile was another new experience, although the tranquil pace of snowshoeing suited me better. Unfortunately, it seemed that my inability to catch a fish in Australia had followed me all the way to the other end of the world, when my attempt at ice fishing ended in a meal of campfire sausages with my unsurprised guide.
Like most westernized destinations, there was no forgetting that Christmas was approaching, with the usual sparkly tinsel, red baubles and illuminated Christmas trees crowding the hotels, shops and house windows.
But the true spirit of Christmas was waiting for me at Santa's Village, located directly on the Arctic Circle, a short bus ride from Rovaniemi. After mentally cataloguing the incredible array of countries from which Santa had received letters, I sent my own special greetings to my family from Santa's Post Office, and then nervously went to meet the man himself.
The chubby bearded one ― not only a master at putting both adults and children at ease, but also adept at multilingual conversation ― knowledgeably discussed the climate of our Australian hometown with us before turning to the question of how we were coping with a Lapland winter. "Getting there," we answered, before making warmer weather our special Christmas request of Santa.
By Christmas Day, we had adapted to the cold completely — well, as much as Australians can, let's say. Donning all our cold-weather finery, we took a final snowmobile ride to a reindeer farm and its appropriately named caretaker, Reino the reindeer herder.
After we had each completed several circuits of the sleigh track without losing control of our reindeer, native Laplander Reino awarded us our reindeer sleigh-driving licenses, valid for five years. I guess that means we'll have to go back to Reino's farm soon, or at the very least, when our licenses come up for renewal. You never know when Santa might need some Aussies to help drive the sleigh.
If You Go
Finnish Tourist Board
Numerous safari companies offer both day trips and longer journeys, from Rovaniemi and other smaller towns, such as Kemi. Each company's offerings are similar in content and price.
It's easy to book independently over the Internet ― Finns speak excellent English, so there's no language barrier ― and a lot cheaper than taking one of the many organized package tours. A list of tour operators based in or near Rovaniemi can found at:
And when you have your list ready (and you're sure you've been good), take it out to Santa at Santa Claus Village: www.santaclausvillage.info


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With a national program initiated recently to reduce transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China), there is an urgent need for accessible, quality-assured diagnostics for case detection, surveillance, and program monitoring of chemotherapy efficacy and other control interventions in areas of low endemicity. We compared the performance of nine immunodiagnostic tests developed in P.R. China for detection of antibodies against S. japonicum and established their priority for further assessment in field settings.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Using the Kato-Katz technique as the reference standard, 240 well-characterized archived serum specimens (100 positive and 140 negative) were evaluated in nine immunological tests developed in P.R. China. The enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (EITB), which uses an adult worm extract of S. japonicum, supplied by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, USA, was also evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of each test were determined and the reproducibility of each test was assessed by evaluating operator-to-operator and run-to-run variation. In addition the simplicity of use for the end-user was evaluated. All tests showed good sensitivities ranging from 92.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 86.7–97.3%) to 98.0% (95% CI: 95.3–100.0%). The test specificities varied from 70.0% (95% CI: 62.4–77.6%) to 97.1% (95% CI: 94.4–99.9%). All tests showed excellent reproducibility with a discordant rate in the range of 0–10.0% for operator-to-operator variation and run-to-run variation. All tests, except one magnetic particle-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were found to be easy to use, especially the dot immunogold filtration assays.
Most evaluated tests had acceptable performance characteristics and could make an impact on the schistosomiasis control programs in P.R. China. Three tests with the highest sensitivity, specificity and greatest ease of use, were selected for further evaluation in field settings.
Author Summary
With the advantages of higher sensitivity and simpler ease of use over stool examination, antibody-detection methods have been integrated into programs for schistosomiasis control in the People's Republic of China after the notable decrease of prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma japonicum infection. We compared the performance of nine immunoassays for diagnosis of S. japonicum using well-characterized archived serum specimens and prioritized tests for future evaluation. Most tests had acceptable performance characteristics and could have an impact on the control of schistosomiasis. Three tests, including one indirect hemagglutination assay, one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and one dot immunogold filtration assay were selected for further assessment in field settings. Our final goal is to have appropriate tools for different stages of schistosomiasis control, such as screening targets for chemotherapy, evaluating the efficacy of schistosomiasis control programs, and monitoring the endemic status of schistosomiasis.
Citation: Xu J, Peeling RW, Chen J-X, Wu X-H, Wu Z-D, Wang S-P, et al. (2011) Evaluation of Immunoassays for the Diagnosis of Schistosoma japonicum Infection Using Archived Sera. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 5(1): e949. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000949
Editor: Jürg Utzinger, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Switzerland
Received: July 8, 2010; Accepted: December 16, 2010; Published: January 18, 2011
Copyright: © 2011 Xu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: This work was supported by UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme on Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (No. 70350) and Chinese National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2008ZX10004-11). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Schistosomiasis, caused by infection with Schistosoma spp., remains a public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is currently estimated that 207 million people harbor the parasites and about 779 million people are at risk of being infected with schistosomes [1]. Among three main disease-causing species, namely Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum, the later is the only species endemic in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China). Through more than a half century of effort, the prevalence and intensity of S. japonicum infection have decreased significantly resulting in a decrease in the number of infected people, from 11.6 million in the 1950s to about 0.73 million in 2004 [2]–[4]. According to the latest national epidemiological sampling survey, the average prevalence rate was 2.5% in all surveyed endemic areas and 5.1% in the areas where control of schistosomiasis transmission had not been achieved [4]. With the ultimate goal of elimination, a national program was initiated in 2004, with specific objectives to decrease the prevalence of schistosome infection in all endemic counties below 5% in 2008 and 1% in 2015 [5]–[7]. To reach these goals, accurate, simple, and affordable diagnostic tests are needed urgently for case detection, surveillance, and program evaluation, including evaluation of control interventions and verification of elimination of schistosomiasis in areas with very low endemicity.
Demonstration of eggs or miracidia in the feces is considered to be the 'gold' standard for the identification of S. japonicum infections [8]. The Kato-Katz technique is frequently used in the field because it is quantitative, inexpensive, and easy to use [9], but it can be plagued by decreased sensitivity in areas of low endemicity and particularly in individuals with low worm burdens [10]–[12]. The sensitivity of the Kato-Katz technique can be improved by repeated stool collection and examination but this is more labor intensive and costly [10]–[13]. Nucleic acid amplification techniques based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been reported for S. japonicum detection [14]–[17]. However, the methods are not standardized and their sensitivity needs to be verified further. Moreover, the equipment, personnel, and financial investments required are too costly for primary health-care settings in P.R. China.
With the advantages of higher sensitivity and ease of use over stool examination, immunological techniques and methods for antibody detection have attracted scientists' attention. Two national collaborative studies to evaluate the antigens used for detection of antibodies against S. japonicum were organized in the 1980's and the results showed crude soluble antigens extracted from parasite eggs performed with the highest sensitivity and specificity [18], [19]. For unknown reasons, no single test evaluated in these studies was further developed or widely adopted in P.R. China. Based on the findings of these previous studies using crude egg antigens, a variety of immunodiagnostic methods such as the circumoval precipitin test (COPT), indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), dipstick dye immunoassay (DDIA) and dot immunogold filtration assay (DIGFA) have been developed and integrated into national control programs in P.R. China [4,8,20.21]. Although a number of immunodiagnostic kits have been widely used in the field in P.R. China, none had been standardized and licensed by 2008. Furthermore, due to the lack of strict regulatory approval standards, several poorer performing diagnostics are also used. Because so many different tests with differing performance characteristics are being used, it is difficult to interpret the reported data on prevalence of schistosome infection accurately.
In order to pre-qualify available diagnostic tests for S. japonicum infection and identify their priorities for future field trials [22], a laboratory-based evaluation for test performance and operational characteristics using panels of well-characterized archived serum specimens from geographically diverse settings of P.R. China was carried out. The study was also extended to include an evaluation of the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (EITB) provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, to determine its utility as an independent reference method for confirmation of cases in low transmission areas.
Materials and Methods
Selection of tests for evaluation
Considering the urgent need for quality-assured and approved reagents for diagnosis of schistosome infection in P.R. China, letters of invitation and the study protocol were sent to companies and institutes, and only products that met the following criteria were included for evaluation: (1) tests which have been used in field or clinical settings with reported performance characteristics; (2) tests which could be performed with only minimal training; and (3) products which were in the licensing process. Tests were donated by companies or institutes who were interested in participation in the evaluation, and all test packages were stored according to manufacturers' instructions prior to, and during the evaluation. Well-characterized archived human serum specimens from the serum bank of the China National Reference Center for Schistosomiasis Diagnosis (based at the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, abbreviated as IPD, China CDC), which were collected in October 2007, were used to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of tests. The examinations were conducted by well trained technicians in a double blind way and operational characteristics of the tests were assessed in one week in May, 2008.
Collection and handling of specimens
Serum specimens from patients infected with S. japonicum were collected in endemic areas in Jiangxi, Anhui and Hubei provinces, P.R. China. S. japonicum infection was diagnosed on the basis of the 'gold' standard method, demonstration of schistosome eggs in feces with the Kato-Katz technique [9]. Nine slides (41.7 mg feces in each slide) were prepared from three separate stool specimens (three slides for each sample), resulting in evaluation of a total sample weight of 375.3 mg per person. Egg counts reflecting the infection intensity were expressed in eggs per gram of feces (EPG).
Sera were collected from healthy people living in Shandong province who had never traveled to schistosomiasis endemic areas when they underwent routine health check-ups. Serum specimens were also collected from patients with heterologous infections, i.e., hepatitis B, food-borne parasitic diseases (e.g. paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis, and trichinellosis) and soil-transmitted helminthiases (ascariasis, hookworm disease and trichuriasis) in areas free of schistosome infections.
Heterologous infections were diagnosed by stool examinations and/or specific serological tests. Blood samples of 5–10 ml from each donor were collected by venipuncture. Whole blood was kept at 4°C overnight for complete clot retraction. Whole blood was centrifuged and the serum was removed and divided among individual serum storage tubes. Aliquots of serum were frozen at −70°C and linked by a unique numerical code to detailed clinical and parasitological information.
Preparation of serum panels for evaluation
Assuming a sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 90%, respectively, against the 'gold' standard test, and allowing a 6% margin of error, a serum panel sample size of 240 was used for the evaluation. One hundred sera were collected from S. japonicum egg-positive persons, which were characterized as 73.0% (73/100) male, with a mean age of 47±13 years. The median infection intensity in patients was 9 EPG and 89.0% had infection intensities below 40 EPG. Fifty serum specimens from healthy persons and 90 specimens from patients with other heterologous diseases (20 cases with hepatitis B, 20 cases with paragonimiasis, and 10 cases each with trichinellosis, clonorchiasis, ascariasis, hookworm disease, and trichuriasis) were also included. Ten aliquots (0.1 ml per aliquot) were prepared per serum specimen and each aliquot was coded with a unique study ID.
For the assessment of reproducibility, panels were prepared with 19 specimens from patients with schistosomiasis and 11 specimens from healthy persons. Each specimen was divided by 40 aliquots (0.1 ml per aliquot) and labeled randomly with unique number.
Tests for evaluation
A total of nine immunodiagnostic kits developed in P.R. China met the inclusion criteria for evaluation. The antigen for all tests was the crude soluble egg extract of S. japonicum and the type of specimen tested in all kits was serum. According to assay type, these kits were classified into three categories: IHA (four tests coded as IHA_AJ, IHA_JX, IHA_XY, and IHA_HB), DIGFA (three tests coded as DIGFA_SH, DIGFA_XC and DIGFA_ZJ), and ELISA (two tests coded as ELISA_SZ and MELISA_BE). Major features of these tests are given in Table 1.
The four IHA tests were based on an indicator system consisting of sheep red blood cell or human red blood cell with "O" blood type coated with soluble antigen extracted from S. japonicum eggs. The IHA tests were performed as described in previous studies [23]–[28]. The titer in the test sera was recorded as one dilution before that which yielded a clear, sharp dark spot similar to that in the negative control wells. Titers were expressed as reciprocal values. Titers of ≥10 indicated a positive result.
The three DIGFA tests were based on the immunofiltration technique, using anti-human antibody labeled with colloidal gold as the indicator system. The volumes of specimen and reaction liquid were added according to the instructions provided by their manufacturers. For the DIGFA_SH and DIGFA_XC, the appearance of two red dots in the well indicated a positive reaction, and the appearance of a single red dot indicated a negative reaction [29], [30]. For the DIGFA_ZJ, the color of one dot in the well equivalent to or deeper than that of positive control serum was considered a positive result, while only pale or pink background in the well was defined as a negative result [31].
The ELISA_SZ and MELISA_BE were based on the indirect ELISA method but differed significantly in their operational procedures. In the ELISA_SZ, all serum specimens were diluted 1∶100 and transferred into the kit supplied microtiter wells. The incubation procedure, washing steps and detection steps were carried out according to the manufacturer's instructions. Optical density (OD) values were read at 450 nm zeroed by the reagent blank wells. For each run, positive and negative control sera were measured simultaneously. A positive result was defined as an OD value greater than 2.1 times the OD value of the negative control serum provided by the kit, as specified by the manufacturer's instructions [32]. The MELISA_BE test combined indirect ELISA and magnetic particle isolation techniques to identify antibodies against S. japonicum [33]. Briefly, serum specimens diluted 1∶200 and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled S. japonicum SEA were added to each tube successively. All the washing steps and detection steps were performed as described previously [33]. OD values were read at 550 nm zeroed by the reagent blank wells and the positives were defined as OD values greater than 0.635.
Finally, an EITB supplied by CDC, USA, was also evaluated. The EITB was performed as described in previous reports [34]. A positive result was defined as the appearance of any of three distinct glycoproteins with molecular masses of 18KD, 23KD and 29KD.
Performance of evaluation
To assess assay performance, each assay was tested with a panel of 240 serum specimens. The testers were blinded to reference standard results and performed the tests independently to avoid comparison of results between kits. Test reproducibility was investigated using a panel of 30 serum specimens. Operator-to-operator reproducibility was compared with two technicians who ran tests with the same 30 sera. Run-to-run variability was investigated using 30 sera that were tested on two different days for each test by the same testers.
Each test was assessed for its operational characteristics by the testing technicians. Tests were scored for clarity of the kit instructions (very clear = 3, clear = 2, not clear = 1), technical complexity (<5 steps and short intervals between steps = 3; 5–10 steps and short intervals between steps = 2; ≥10 steps or long intervals between steps = 1) and ease of interpretation (by eye and easy = 3, by eye but not easy = 2, by machine = 1). The maximum possible score for each index was 3. In addition, a score of 1 was given to the tests that did not require any additional equipment, giving a maximum score of 10. The higher the score, the more suitable the test was considered for use in the field.
All data were processed and analyzed with SPSS statistical software package 13.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Sensitivities and specificities were calculated relative to the 'gold' standard Kato-Katz results that correlated to each serum specimen. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for the sensitivity and specificity of each test. Youden's index, expressed as sensitivity + specificity - 1, was used to assess the ability of the test to discriminate true positives and true negatives. Operator-to-operator and run-to-run variability were calculated as the number of tests for which different results were obtained by two independent operators, two different days, divided by the number of specimens tested. Categorical variables between groups were compared by χ2 test or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. Significance was assigned at P<0.05 for all parameters and was two-sided unless otherwise indicated.
Ethics statement
The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of IPD, China CDC. The study procedures, potential risks, and benefits were explained to the village leaders. After their consent to perform the study, field workers visited the homes of the selected families where detailed information was provided to all potential participants, and questions were answered. All adult participants and parents/guardians of child participants in a given household provided informed consent. Written confirmation that full information had been provided and individual participation was voluntary (informed consent) was obtained from the head of each participating household or a literary substitute (adult or relative), and this procedure was approved by the aforementioned ethical committee.
Collection of serum specimens was conducted with approval from the Ethics Committee and Academic Board of IPD, China CDC. All personal identifiers and patient information were delinked from the serum specimens.
The sensitivity of each immunological test using 100 serum specimens collected from S. japonicum-infected individuals is detailed in Table 2. The IHA_HB, MELISA_BE and EITB tests performed with the highest sensitivities, 98.0% (98/100; 95% CI: 95.3–100.0%), while the IHA_JX and DIGFA_SH tests showed the lowest sensitivities (92.0%; 92/100; 95% CI: 86.7–97.3%). The nine evaluated tests did not differ from EITB in sensitivity (P>0.05). The 47 false negative specimens were mostly from patients with 20 or less EPG.
The cross-reactivity with heterologous serum specimens and specificity of each evaluated test is listed in Table 3. Cross-reactivity mainly resulted with sera from patients with paragonimiasis (false positive rates: 40.0–60.0%) for all tests except the EITB. Otherwise, false positive rates of each test were very low (0–20%) for patients infected with soil-transmitted helminths, including ascariasis, hookworm disease, and trichuriasis. The highest specificity was observed with the EITB, 97.1% (136/140; 95% CI: 94.4–99.9%). The DIGFA_SH showed the highest specificity (95.1%; 116/122; 95% CI: 91.2–98.9%) among the other nine tests developed in P.R. China, while IHA_XY performed with the lowest specificity (70.0%; 98/140; 95% CI: 62.4–77.6%).
The specificity of each two tests was compared (Table 4). The specificity of IHA_XY was significantly lower than those of other evaluated tests. Compared to the EITB, which had the highest specificity, four tests (IHA_XY, IHA_AJ, IHA_HB, and DIGFA_ZJ) performed with significantly lower specificities (P <0.05). The other five tests, which did not differ from the EITB in specificity, also showed no difference between any two tests (P>0.05).
Overall assay performance was evaluated using Youden's indices (Fig. 1). Except for the IHA_XY, all tests demonstrated good performance as indicated by Youden's indices higher than 0.80, especially the MELISA_BE and the EITB (0.92 and 0.95, respectively).
For all tests, reproducibility was measured by determining operator-to-operator and run-to-run variation. The results are summarized in Fig. 2. Overall, variability was low. The maximum variability observed was 10.0% (6/60) for DIGFA_ZJ test for operator-to-operator and run-to-run variation, respectively, while no variance was detected in the IHA_AJ, IHA_HB, and ELISA_SZ assays. The scores for operational characteristics are summarized in Table 5. Three DIGFA assays obtained the best scores on the questionnaire (10/10) but all presented technical problems with membrane permeability, as evidenced by several serum specimens that could not penetrate. The MELISA_BE received the lowest score (5/10). All tests scored 3 for clarity of kit instructions. Given the similar test principles, four IHA assays and three DIGFA assays were scored equally for technical complexity (2/3, 3/3, accordingly), while MELISA_BE and EITB scored the lowest (1/3). The three DIGFAs scored the highest for ease of interpretation (3/3) and no extra equipment except handheld micropipettes and micropipette tips was needed. The MELISA_BE and ELISA_SZ scored the lowest on ease of interpretation because results were generated using an enzyme-linked analyzer.
A: Operator-to-operator variability (n = 60). B: Run-to-run variability (n = 60).
Parasitological techniques, the definitive methods for determining S. japonicum infection, are relatively insensitive in populations with light infections, as is the case in P.R. China after years of integrated schistosomiasis control [20], [24], [35]. Other diagnostic alternatives include immunologic methods for detection of parasitic specific antibodies or circulating antigens. Although a number of monoclonal antibodies developed for detection of circulating antigens have been developed in P.R. China, these assays showed unsatisfactory sensitivity, especially in patients with light infections [36]–[38]. Antibody-detection has been shown to be more sensitive than stool examination and is needed in areas characterized by low level of transmission, low prevalence and particularly low intensity [39]–[41]. To identify quality-assured diagnostic assays for use in schistosomiasis control areas with low endemicity, we compared diagnostic tests developed in P.R. China in a controlled laboratory setting using well-characterized archived serum specimens (Figure S1), and prioritized the methods for further assessment in field settings.
Once transmission of the disease drops to very low levels, the positive predictive value for any test is decreased. Therefore a confirmatory method may be needed to verify results obtained in the field, especially in areas of low prevalence. The ideal confirmatory method should be independent of the first test method to increase the statistical reliability of the results. The EITB methods using S. mansoni and S. haematobium adult worm microsomal fractions have been demonstrated to be a highly sensitive and specific for detection of schistosomiasis caused by these species [34], [42]. The EITB using S. japonicum adult worm microsomal fractions was evaluated here to determine if this test would be a suitable reference method to confirm S. japonicum infections in especially low transmission settings. The EITB was also chosen for evaluation here because the assay format is independent of the other methods evaluated in this study, all of which detect antibodies to egg antigens. Instead the EITB detects antibodies to adult worm antigens presented in the microsomal fraction and thereby provides an independent means of confirming positives identified using the field tests. In this study, the EITB performed with a high sensitivity for detection of patients with light S. japonicum infections and also had a low cross-reaction rate with normal or heterologous sera. Considering these data and other studies, the EITB has been demonstrated to be effective and specific for detection of schistosome infections. For these reasons, we have identified the EITB as a possible method for definitive serodiagnosis of S. japonicum infections.
The nine other diagnostic tests evaluated demonstrated a good ability to identify schistosomiasis patients with light infections, with sensitivities in the range of 92.0% (95% CI: 86.7–97.3%) to 98.0% (95% CI: 95.3–100.0%). This observation is consistent with a previous study performed by our laboratory with archived serum specimens, in which most immunoassays had sensitivities above 90% [43]. We also found that the serum specimens that generated the most false negative results were collected from patients with very low infection intensities (generally less than 20 EPG). Thus, more sensitive assays need to be developed to avoid misidentifying those individuals with low level infections, but who pose a tremendous risk for continuing transmission. There are quite a few reports of PCR-based methods for detecting S. japonicum infection [14]–[17]. Although the application of molecular techniques in field studies needs further evaluation, these techniques could be improved and standardized as laboratory reference or confirmatory assays because of their excellent sensitivity and specificity.
The specificities of the nine assessed tests in P.R. China varied greatly and ranged from 70.0% (95% CI: 62.4–77.6%) to 95.1% (95% CI: 91.2–98.9%). Four tests, including the IHA_AJ, IHA_HB, IHA_XY, and DIGFA_ZJ, with specificities lower than 91%, differed significantly in specificity from that of the EITB (specificity: 97.1%, 95% CI: 94.4–99.9%). The remaining five assays, IHA_JX, DIGFA_SH, DIGFA_XC, MELISA_BE and ELISA_SZ, did not differ between any two tests in specificity. The specificities of the evaluated tests were mainly influenced by the cross-reactivity with specimens from paragonimiasis or trichinellosis patients. These observations suggested that when a positive result is obtained for a patient from an area co-endemic with schistosomiasis and paragonimiasis or trichinellosis, the history of infection with, or exposure to, the other two diseases should be considered also.
In addition to high sensitivity and specificity, an ideal diagnostic test to be considered for use in developing countries should be user-friendly, rapid and robust, require simple or no equipment, be deliverable to end-users, and be manufactured according to quality standards [44], [45]. First, reproducibility, which is a measure of the closeness of agreement between test results when the conditions for testing or measurement change [46], is an intrinsic factor that may affect performance especially when used in the field for a large-scale evaluation. Our study measured the reproducibility of assays by determining operator-to-operator and run-to-run variation. The discordant rate in the range of 0-10.0% indicates that all tests performed with good reproducibility. Second, the operational characteristics of each test were assessed based on a questionnaire administered to technicians performing the assays. Results from the questionnaire indicated that three DIGFA tests had the greatest advantage for field use, because of their short time to test completion, no extra equipment requirements and ease of interpreting results. We did note that membrane permeability needs to be improved in the DIGFA assays. Further modification for the DIGFA_SH and DIGFA_XC methods is necessary because the specimen volumes needed requires collection of whole blood via venipuncture. This is a limitation because well trained personnel are required and the practice is not always widely accepted in all populations. A later assessment of modified DIGFA tests, which only required a 25 µl serum specimen showed improved membrane permeability; however, only the DIGFA_SH still had high sensitivity and specificity, while the sensitivity of the other two DIGFA tests had decreased below 90% (data not shown). The IHA tests are the most widely used assays in P.R. China and no technical problems with these were identified except the need for an incubator. The ELISA_SZ, which had a high sensitivity and specificity and could detect specimens in panels and give quantitative results based on OD values, is more suitable for a large-scale community survey. However, the needs for a 37°C incubator and a microplate reader for results interpretation limit its use to settings with some moderate amount of laboratory resources. The MELISA_SE, which performed with highest sensitivity and specificity, similar to the EITB, is more appropriate for use as a reference laboratory method or a clinical diagnostic assay because of its complicated procedures and instrument requirements. If it is to be used in field trials, its operational procedures still need simplifying.
The specimen type for all of the tests evaluated here was serum, which means the whole blood collected from donors should be centrifuged or kept at a low temperature for a long time to promote clot formation. The use of whole blood or dried whole blood could negate the difficulties of processing and transporting blood samples for serologic surveys in rural areas of P.R. China.
In conclusion, most immunodiagnostic tests evaluated had an acceptable level of performance relative to the 'gold' standard Kato-Katz technique. After considering all the requirements of field diagnostics, i.e., sensitivity, specificity, validity, and ease of use, the IHA_JX, DIGFA_SH, and ELISA_SZ were selected for further field trials. With the caveat that the diagnostic approaches may need to be adjusted to the stage of control and the objective of the control activity [43], we expect to prioritize those tools depending on the specific need [47], [48], such as screening chemotherapy targets, assessing the efficacy of schistosomiasis control programs or monitoring the endemic status of schistosomiasis.
Supporting Information
Alternative Language Abstract S1.
Translation of the Abstract into Chinese by Jing Xu.
Figure S1.
Flowchart used for studies of diagnostic tests.
We express our special thanks to Yeuk-Mui Lee and Patricia P. Wilkins from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, for their kind help in providing the EITB assay. We also would like to thank Professor Ming-gang Chen, National Institute of Parasitic Disease, China CDC, and Patricia P. Wilkins for their valuable comments on the manuscript.
Author Contributions
Conceived and designed the experiments: JX RWP JXC ZDW SPW XNZ. Performed the experiments: JX TF SHC HL. Analyzed the data: JX RWP XHW XNZ. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JXC XHW JGG XNZ. Wrote the paper: JX RWP XNZ.
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text: How do I control which home screen opens when my Nexus 7 powers up? For example I built a screen full of widgets that I like. Now how do I set that screen to be the default upon open? The screen that it's opening to now has advertisements for magazines and books that I'm not interested in.


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EASTBOURNE, England - Caroline Wozniacki shook off a disappointing first set in the quarterfinals of the Aegon International on Thursday to get past Camila Giorgi and avenge a loss to her in their last meeting.
Watch highlights, interviews and much more video from Eastbourne right here on wtatennis.com!
The eighth-seeded Wozniacki had a 6-3 lead in the first set tie-break against Giorgi but couldn't hold on. She maintained her composure, though, and down 4-3 in the second set held, broke and held again to force a decider. There, she broke twice en route to a 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-2 win.
Break point opportunities were key, as Wozniacki was four of five on Giorgi's serve and saved seven of eight on her own serve.
"It was a really tough match," Wozniacki said. "Camila played really well. I really had to be focused out there. She hits the ball very hard and flat and has some good serves. This was a good win for me."
Wozniacki had fallen to Giorgi, who is no stranger to upset wins, in three sets in their most recent encounter in the third round of last year's US Open. Next up for the 2009 Eastbourne champion is Angelique Kerber, whom she is 3-4 against.
The fifth-seeded Kerber was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Ekaterina Makarova, taking a 5-4 lead in their back-and-forth head-to-head.
Advancing by the exact same score was Madison Keys over fellow American Lauren Davis. Keys had lost to Davis in a third set tie-break in their most recent clash earlier this year in Miami. She has now matched her best WTA outing - semifinal showings in Osaka in 2013 and Sydney and Strasbourg this year - but this will be her first semifinal appearance on grass.
Keys' opponent in that semifinal will be another WTA Rising Star, British No.1 Heather Watson.
"We know each other really well," Keys said. "We played each other last year at Wimbledon. It was a close match. She's obviously been playing very well. I think it will be a really close match."
Watson got through her quarterfinal by virtue of a walkover because of a right leg injury suffered by No.2 seed Petra Kvitova.
"I started to feel it yesterday morning, but I still played a solid match," Kvitova said. "However, it felt much worse today. I hope I'll be ready for Wimbledon."
"It's a shame that Petra is injured," Watson said. "I hope she gets well for Wimbledon, but obviously I'm glad to be through to my first semifinal here in Eastbourne and look forward to my next match."


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Me-Ouch! Man Wants to Rid New Zealand of Cats
Nobody loves cats more than us. After all, where would the internet be without Henri the Existential Cat, Grumpy Cat and Dubstep Cat? Probably firmly under the control of corgis, that's where. So, imagine how dismayed we were to learn that a man has a nutty plan to completely rid New Zealand of all kitties forever for the sake of birds.
Businessman and preservationist Gareth Morgan is leading an anti-cat crusade called "Cats to Go," where he argues that cats are "natural born killers" causing "massive" amounts of damage to New Zealand's bird population "The fact is," says his website, "that cats have to go if we really care about our environment."
So, in order to control the insidious spread of felines, Morgan wants cat owners to keep their pets inside at all times, have them neutered and make them wear bells. In addition — and this is where things get truly bizarre — he encourages owners not to replace cats when they die and sign a petition which would provide "eradication facilities" for unregistered cats.
Not surprisingly, cat lovers are up in arms and argue that felines actually help native bird populations by eliminating egg-eating rodents. Plus, removing one predator from New Zealand may only pave the way for the emergence of another, they say.
Whose side are you on?


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Organisers of the Broughton Castle Cycling Festival are aiming to include even more cyclists of all abilities as the event returns for a second year.
The festival, which is a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Banbury Cherwell and Banbury Star Cyclists' Club, will take place on Sunday, July 13.
Rotarian Tony Carney, one of the organisers, said: "We had 440 participants last year and we're aiming for more than 500 cyclists in total this year."
The event will feature a 72-mile Epic route and a 36-mile Challenge route, as well as a family fun ride.
National cycling charity CTC will be providing specially adapted bicycles for a new circuit on the castle grounds – aimed at getting those unable to use regular bicycles involved.
"This means all members of the community can participate," said Mr Carney, who added the event is ideal for everyone, from serious riders to families.
Last year's event raised more than £6,500 for Rotary charities and this year funds will go towards supported living charity Style Acre and other Rotary causes. To take part, register at www.britishcycling.org.uk or find out more at www.banburystar.co.uk. Once registered, cyclists participating as a team should request an entry form from Mr Carney on www.banburycherwell.org.uk.
Entries for the fun run and the adapted route will be taken on the day.


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Axwell and Ingrosso's 'Sun Is Shining' Earns Remixes from R3hab, Marcus Schossow and M-22
R3hab, Marcus Schossow and M-22 give us three new ways to enjoy the Axwell /\ Ingrosso anthem, "Sun Is Shining." Listen to each remix inside.
R3hab, Marcus Schossow and M-22 give us three new ways to enjoy the Axwell /\ Ingrosso anthem, "Sun Is Shining." Listen to each remix inside.
After unveiling the track in an H&M commercial. Axwell /\ Ingrosso have released the music video for their latest single, "Sun Is Shining."
Axwell /\ Ingrosso give fans an inside look at monumental 2015 performances, including headlining Ultra Music Festival, Coachella and a surprise NYC event.
Watch the commercial for H&M's summer campaign featuring Axwell /\ Ingrosso's "Sun Is Shining." Also, watch their set from Coachella.
Valentino Khan puts his personal spin on the Axwell /\ Ingrosso single "On My Way." Listen inside.
Axwell /\ Ingrosso have teamed up with H&M for a summer campaign, with a new track titled "Sun Is Shining" set to premiere in a commercial on April 30.
Axwell /\ Ingrosso will be performing at the 3,000 person venue Terminal 5 on Monday, March 30.
Axwell /\ Ingrosso continue the story introduced in their music video for "On My Way." Watch the continuation with the "Can't Hold Us Down" video.
Axwell and Ingrosso channel their inner Tyler Durden's in the new music video for "On My Way."
Axwell Λ Ingrosso release the music video for the duo's first single apart from Swedish House Mafia, "Something New."


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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was scheduled to arrive in Israel later Tuesday to try to secure a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Geoff Anisman said the "situation in under control."
Security was increased after the attack, and the suspect was being questioned, Rosenfeld said.
The beachfront embassy is one of the most secure locations in Israel, guarded around the clock by teams of Israeli and American security guards.


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The windows are shut tight against the chill in many of our homes these days. Without the fresh air, those of us who share our living quarters with a pet know that it can begin to smell like a kennel, even despite our best efforts.
That's why here at Super Cool Pets headquarters, we keep a few Odor Exterminator Candles handy to freshen up the premises from time to time. Lovely scents to choose from--Clothesline Fresh, Creamy Vanilla, Cinnamon Apple, Honey Dew Melon, Mulberry & Spice, Summer Storm, among many others.
Read More in: Cats | Dogs | Gifts and Home Decor | Problem Solvers
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I have a database table of plants, one of chemicals, one of products, one of illnesses. Each table is connected, for example lets say opium poppies. They contain the chemical morphine. Morphine is used in painkiller products. Its used to treat pain and other illnesses. On the opium poppy page, I want to list all the chemicals found in the poppy. All the products (i.e. opium, laudanum) made from the poppy. All the illnesses which are treated with the poppy. Users need to be able to edit this page, and enter chemicals, products or illnesses that are related to this plant. They also need to be able to edit the info on the page.
Making database relations is a pain in the ass with CakePHP. I don't want to waste any more time so I'm thinking maybe making it as a wordpress plugin is the way to go. How would you go about this? Is there an easier way than wordpress, like a better CMS, or framework? If I use wordpress, should I do all the DB interactions with AJAX to avoid having to interact with the DB through wordpress (this gave me massive trouble in the past since I had my data in an external db)?


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Bottom line is that there are no risk free options with birth.
Again, I would not choose to put myself at risk of being abused and assaulted because of a small decrease in absolute risk. This is consistent with my behaviour throughout pregnancy where I opt to take on some known risks every day by driving a car, walking outside on the ice, and so on. It's absolutely fine with me of other women would choose differently. It all comes down to respecting women's choices even if they're different than the ones we would make.
Also, the amnesty report talks a lot about race but that shouldn't limit it's value. The findings should be alaming regardless of whether one is white/middle class or racialized and poor.
There are questions about changes in the reporting of maternal mortality.
You keep talking about what you would choose. That's fine. But you don't know what other people would choose, and they have the right to make an informed decision. "Things happen in the hospital too" is meaningless. The statistics acknowledge that there is no perfect solution. What they say is that these things happen less often, and it includes the complications from interventions that are often pointed out.
What MANA has tried to do with this report, however, is highlight the findings that are favorable (lower rates of C-section, although I find the comparison to the national rate to be apples and oranges) and not the unfavorable (death). That's not acceptable.
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
I'm more interested in talking about consent and the appalling treatment of women in hositpals.
Either way I'm unsubscribing again because I don't think this thread is healthy for a 37w pregnant person.
I'd really like a place where women who are choosing homebirth can get unconditional support from other home birthers. Women need information but they also need support.
I someone knows about such a place please pm me? I'd like to be able to talk with other like minded women about the positive and exciting aspects of preparing for a hb.
This thread is all over the place. I think in many ways most of us agree on the core things: women should be treated with respect, women have a right to make health care decisions for themselves, and mothers don't make birth choices they believe would put themselves or their kids in harms' way for the sake of experience. But people do disagree about what they believe is risky, which is why we have such an array of decision making around birth.
The main disagreement seems to be whether or not talking about risk as something that can, in fact, be measured objectively is shaming or pressuring women.
Dr. Amy is strident and irritating. Sometimes the way she talks about moms who've lost babies bothers me and I don't think she necessarily understands why women make the choices they do. But the mana stats do seem to give us some information about how to improve home birth and make it safer. I think that is worth talking about and not handwaving away with "but birth is risky no matter where you do it."
Anyhow, good luck.
OK, I have edited the posts that directly link to the blog of the person in title. If you want to talk about the MANA stats, please start a new thread.
I want to remind members of this part of the general conduct part of the User Agreement
and this part of the Birth and Beyond forums guidelines
Judy, if you retired next year and let your license lapse would that immediately invalidate your degrees, your research and your experiences/training?
Also you assume that she retired at the same time she let her license lapse. Isn't it possible that she stopped practicing earlier and maintained her license for a while in case she missed practicing too much and then finally let it lapse when she decided to stay home permanently?
I support homebirth that meets the qualifications set forth in the AAP's 2013 policy on homebirth.
Godwin's Law: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/godwins-law
Single WAH mama to a fourteen-year-old girl.
She's been blogging for nearly 8 years and she's always done so under her real name. She wrote a book before that. If she had never been board certified or worked as an OB, don't you think someone would have exposed her already? People have been digging for dirt on her for years and they haven't found anything convincing yet.
This is up there with "She's a paid shill for ACOG."
Her husband is a lawyer, and I believe quite a successful one. She has 4 kids. She wouldn't be the first woman to quit working under those circumstances.
So I don't find that suspicious. I'm on my phone at the moment and can't check, but would her licensure info include her board certifications? Her credentials should be pretty checkable.
I've sometimes found Dr Amy strident and abrasive, and I sometimes think her conversational strategies backfire, but I've found her data generally good, to the extent that I can check it. She makes brash and contentious statements, but not hyperbolic ones.
I support homebirth that meets the qualifications set forth in the AAP's 2013 policy on homebirth.
I support homebirth that meets the qualifications set forth in the AAP's 2013 policy on homebirth.
Judy Slome- I was curious about all the articles you've authored. Is this typical of them?
The epidural trip: why are so many women taking dangerous drugs during labor?
Two million American women will take an epidural trip this year during childbirth. In most cases, they'll be ill–informed as to possible side effects or alternate methods of pain relief. In many ways, epidurals are the drug trip of the current generation. Similar to street drug pushers, most anesthesiologists in the delivery rooms maintain a low profile, avoid making eye contact and threaten to walk out if they don't get total cooperation. Women get epidurals for one of the main reasons so many women smoked pot in the 1970s—their friends are doing it. This article examines why so many women in the Western world are compelled to take powerful drugs during their labor and exposes the risks epidurals pose to both mother and baby.
Really? Epidurals are a drug trip, and it's like smoking pot? Anesthesiologists are like drug pushers? Is this they type of scholarly article you write?
my jaw dropped just from reading the abstract. Wow. I know anesthesiologists. They do not "not make eye contact" and they're usually very kind, and they explain that the "total cooperation" that they need is to avoid putting the drug in the WRONG PLACE in the woman's spine! Hello, they're putting a needle and then a tube in your spinal cord!! That's kinda dangerous if not done exactly right and with the full cooperation of the patient. They MUST cooperate to avoid injury. Epidurals can help women who cannot cope any longer with pain or exhaustion. I have seen women have "natural" births with an epidural. They managed to rest and then have the vaginal birth they were hoping for, safely and with little to no side-effects. I used to think epidurals were "evil" because that's what I was taught by the "birth community" both here and in real life. What a crock that turned out to be. There are many grossly undereducated women spouting the same and even more radical nonsense than I learned and learned to parrot, now. It's very pervasive. I had 5 natural births, some with medication, most without. I preferred non-medicated birth because I didn't like how meds made me feel, but I never had a long, protracted, horribly painful birth. If I had, I might have consented to an epidural. To be made to feel as if I was a pot-smoking hippy for doing so would have made me really upset and angry. Had it happened during my bout with PPD, it may well have horribly affected how I recovered from it. What nonsense! How irresponsible! That doesn't show caring and non-judgmental support I thought midwives were renowned for showing. :( I'm so disappointed to see this.
Mom of 5 working full-time and waiting to go to nursing school! Whew! I need a nap!
I support homebirth that meets the qualifications set forth in the AAP's 2013 policy on homebirth.
This is so offensive! I am shocked that the moderators are allowing this ^ to stay. Comparing a retired OB blogger to a man directly responsible for killing millions of people? That is insanity and the worst kind of inflammatory libel. It's also actionable, and if the wronged party can prove damages, they can win their case.
I agree that it is ridiculous, offensive, and a bunch of other words that I can't use here, but it most certainly is not "actionable." In order to sue for libel, you need to prove, among other elements, that factually false claim has been maliciously made. Saying that Tuteur is "like Hitler" is really, really, really stupid, but it's a statement of opinion, not of fact.
http://www.skepticalob.com/2011/03/epidural-hysteria.html She calls my article garbage, but her conclusion at the end, actually supports my research.
Amy- "The bottom line is that what gets is (sic) to the baby is far smaller than the amount of medication injected into the mother's epidural space."
(judy- I certainly hope so!)
Amy- If the epidural does not sedate the mother, it certainly won't sedate the baby."
(judy- but the mother is sedated!)
Source? I can't find anything anywhere saying the mother is sedated.
For personal experience, I was sedated briefly once to have a dislocated elbow put back in place. I tried pot a couple times in my youth, and do drink on rare occasions still. I had epidurals for two of my three births, and getting an epidural was not like any of those things. I was wide awake - it did not make sleepy or feel stoned or affect my mind in the least.
Supposedly spoke there? ACOG listed her as a speaker. Are they supposedly making this up for some reason?
IIRC, she kept her license for several years after she retired from practice - I think in the mid-90s? Many people have tried to prove her a fake going so far as to go back and find proof that yes, she actually was a clinical instructor at Harvard.
Also, while she's always said that raising her children was the main reason, ,I'm pretty sure I read something from her saying that another reason was she was somewhat unhappy with some of the stuff going on in practice and burned out.
She's always supported modern obstetric practice as being evidence based, she does not give doctors a free pass and has spoken out against some of the way stuff is done. She blames her father's death on medical malpractice - his cancer showed up on cans at an early stage, but doctors passing them around each thought someone else had given him those results, so the cancer was not found until much too late. She has also written about being called in to testify at a malpractice case and finding that the testimony she'd originally given in the hospital investigation had been altered before being submitted to the court.
Whoa. Totally missed this until I saw people responding and re-read. Tip: when trying to create a rational argument, going Godwin is pretty much an automatic fail. Also, in regards to rational arguments, those who live in glass houses....
I understand hyperbole, but we cannot allow posts that compare people to Hitler. This thread is very contentious and not within keeping of getting support and information about home birth, so I'm locking it permanently. This isn't intended to be a debate forum for either side.
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Research Topics
Machteld E Boel
Detail Information
- Malaria in the post-partum period; a prospective cohort studyMachteld E Boel
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
PLoS ONE 8:e57890. 2013..A matched cohort study was conducted to evaluate prospectively the susceptibility to malaria of post-partum women in an area where P.falciparum and P.vivax are prevalent...
- No association of phenotypic ABO blood group and malaria during pregnancyMachteld E Boel
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Am J Trop Med Hyg 87:447-9. 2012..The ABO blood group phenotype was not associated with the species of infection, frequency of malaria attacks, symptoms of malaria, hematocrit, or parasitemia during pregnancy...
- The epidemiology of postpartum malaria: a systematic reviewMachteld E Boel
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, PO Box 46, 63110 Mae Sot Tak, Thailand
Malar J 11:114. 2012..Current evidence suggests an effort should be made to detect and radically cure malaria during pregnancy so that women do not enter the postpartum period with residual parasites...
- Castor oil for induction of labour: not harmful, not helpfulMachteld Elisabeth Boel
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, PO Box 46 Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 49:499-503. 2009..Castor oil is one of the most popular drugs for induction of labour in a non-medical setting; however, published data on safety and effectiveness of this compound to induce labour remain sparse...
- Complex Interactions between soil-transmitted helminths and malaria in pregnant women on the Thai-Burmese borderMachteld Boel
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Tak, Thailand
PLoS Negl Trop Dis 4:e887. 2010..We examined the association between geohelminths and malaria in pregnancy on the Thai-Burmese border...
- Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine rescue treatment of multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnancy: a preliminary reportMarcus J Rijken
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
Am J Trop Med Hyg 78:543-5. 2008..This rescue treatment was effective and well tolerated and there was no evidence of toxicity for the mothers or the fetus. The PCR adjusted cure rate by Kaplan Meier analysis at day 63 was 92.2% (95% CI: 76.9-97.4)...
- Chloroquine resistant vivax malaria in a pregnant woman on the western border of ThailandMarcus J Rijken
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, PO Box 46 Mae Sot, Tak 63110, Thailand
Malar J 10:113. 2011..vivax. This is the first clinically and laboratory confirmed case of two high-grade CQ resistant vivax parasite strains from Thailand...
- Malaria in pregnancy in the Asia-Pacific regionMarcus J Rijken
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand
Lancet Infect Dis 12:75-88. 2012..When malaria in pregnancy cannot be prevented, accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment are needed to avert dangerous symptomatic disease and to reduce effects on fetuses...
- Quantifying Low Birth Weight, Preterm Birth and Small-for-Gestational-Age Effects of Malaria in Pregnancy: A Population Cohort StudyMarcus J Rijken
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
PLoS ONE 9:e100247. 2014....


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NEW YORK (Jul. 22)
Mordechai Newman, a pioneer book publisher in Israel, died at Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek July 16 at the age of 85, it was learned here today. Born in Lodz, Poland, Newman came to the United States at the age of 18. During World War I, he joined the Jewish Legion of the British army and served in Palestine.
After the war, he and two other veterans of the Legion founded a chain of book stores in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and other communities called Tarbuth. They founded the Mizpa Publishing Company in the 1920s and Newman was credited with providing Hebrew translations of the works of leading international authors. He was responsible for calling attention to Y.S. Agnon, who later became the only Israeli author to win the Nobel Prize.
The company was disbanded during World War II, but after the war Newman started his own publishing house, M. Newman Publishing Ltd., in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He was also a former chairman of the Kupat Bank Ltd.
Up to his death, while living with his daughter at Mishnar Haemek, he maintained an apartment in Tel Aviv and devoted most of his time to the publication of "Shnaton," an annual for Biblical and ancient Near East studies. He was buried last Friday at the kibbutz.


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EDITOR'S NOTE: In recent years, much public attention has been focused on worker safety in the sometimes hazardous working conditions of underground condition. In fact "DPS" or damage prevention and safety, has become somewhat of a buzzword for companies touting their commitment to safety.
But talking about safety and being truly committed to that concept is another matter. Contractors and owning companies who have established and maintained an effective and successful DPS program have taken great effort to create a culture of safety within their companies. The benefits are plentiful and often undervalued, ranging from human safety, elimination of property damage and reduced insurance costs. The risk of not having a quality DPS program can be catastrophic.
In this issue of Underground Construction, we decided it was time to stress the positive accomplishments of the underground industry in the arena of damage prevention and safety, rather than the often tear-jerking disasters we see on the evening news. Fortunately, we found most companies today take safety seriously. Senior Editor Jeff Griffin talked with four companies (one owner and three contractors) about their approach to developing and maintaining a culture of safety within their companies.
As Michigan's largest utility provider, Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electric service to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents, and the company's safety and damage prevention efforts must address multiple challenges that include:
• Protecting company employees who construct and maintain power and gas transmission and distribution systems plus contractor crews hired for projects;
• Protecting the public and preventing damage to the company's extensive gas and power infrastructure;
• Educating customers and the general public about the safe use of electricity and gas; and
• Safeguarding the environmental integrity of the company's extensive land holdings.
Consumers Energy construction and maintenance crews are in the field on a daily basis, and they receive continuing safety training. In addition, the company must ensure contractors working on Consumers projects operate in accordance with company safety policies and procedures.
"Safety is the foundation of everything we do," said Dirk R. Dunham, compliance assurance director – gas programs. "Our executive management takes responsibility for ensuring we have an effective safety program in place and that it is communicated to our key internal audiences – employees and subcontractors, as well as external stakeholders, customers, excavators, governmental officials, media and the general public. You can't have an effective, successful safety program without addressing both.
"Our current damage prevention program was created in 1999 following a series of incidents. We established field supervisors to focus on protecting our facilities and supervise damage prevention efforts. In addition we partnered with other utilities, contractors and damage prevention stakeholders within the state to form the Michigan Damage Prevention Board (MDPB). The MDPB works to establish a consistent understanding of safe digging practices for all excavators, stakers and utilities.
"Since '99, our damage rate has dropped every year."
Basic elements of Consumers' program include:
• Establishing the comprehensive program, including identification of potential risks;
• Creating benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of the program; and
• Developing strategies in four areas: identifying potential conflicts early in engineering and planning stages, public awareness of One-Call and safe digging, field response to staking requests, and investigation of incidents that occur to identify causes to reduce risks of future accidental strikes.
Always communicate
Communication is the essential element in the company's damage prevention and safety efforts, Dunham emphasizes. Consumers Energy works with other utilities, Miss Dig (the state's One-Call organization) and other organizations. Each year, the company launches a Dig Safely campaign in April that continues throughout the year to raise awareness of the need to call Miss Dig and follow proper digging procedures.
The campaign includes state of Michigan legislation to proclaim April as Dig Safely Month, special events designed to draw media coverage, television and radio public service announcements (also used during storm situations) and other related activities. The Dig Safely campaign is modeled after recommendations from the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), of which Consumers Energy was a founding member.
Another key element to reduce damages, Dunham said, was to establish a team of safety liaison employees who are dedicated to working in the field with contract staking crews throughout the utility's service territory. Their primary focus is to emphasize quality work, accuracy in locating facilities, and timeliness of completing staking with contractors. The team also provides gas and electric safety training for fire departments.
Investigation of incidents to determine root causes and analyzing how safety procedures can be improved is essential to safety and damage prevention programs.
Company statistics are shared with the CGA's Damage Incident Reporting Tool (DIRT), a secure web application for the collection and reporting of underground damage information. DIRT allows users to submit damage and near miss reports; browse files submitted by the user's organization; administer role-based company and user information; edit personal profiles; and submit feedback and questions.
Equally important are the company's efforts to keep employees safe on the job and to integrate the focus on safety.
"We believe," Dunham said, "that all employees have the responsibility to hold themselves and their peers accountable for compliance with company safety rules."
In May 2005, management and union leaders launched a historic joint initiative to radically transform Consumers Energy's safety performance. This led to the formation of the Safety Culture Transition Team (SCTT). Team members are responsible for identifying cultural issues and developing programs to move the culture in a positive direction."
A key focus of the SCTT is development of a safety organization responsible for addressing any issues that arise within the teams' areas of responsibility.
Stop the job
One tool that employees are embracing more is the Stop the Job: Take a Timeout for Safety initiative.
"Management and union leader's stress that anybody from a rookie to 30-year-plus veterans should feel comfortable in stopping any job," said Dunham. "Both management and union leaders are consistent in their message that while customer service and productivity are important, working safely is always number one."
In the event of safety incidents, Safety Flash and Safety Bulletin e-mails keep employees informed, as does the company's monthly Connect newsletter. State-of-the-art digital television monitors were also installed at all company headquarters locations to share topical safety and company news.
The company has employed several special methods and approaches to reduce safety incidents, including the Slippery Surface Simulator, a state-of-the art tool used to train employees that recently became part of Consumers Energy's block training. Use of this simulator is expected to reduce the company's number one cause of injuries: slips and falls.
After the 2012 death of an electric line worker who was hit by a vehicle when responding to a downed power line, a grassroots team was formed and became the impetus behind the Michigan legislature passing a Utility Worker Safety Awareness Day. The team continues to actively pursue other ways to encourage drivers to "slow down and go around" workers on or near roadways.
Consumers emphasizes safety is a 24/7 effort, not only at work, but also at home and at play, recognizing good safety habits away from the job are carried over to the workplace. Safety Fairs around the state are conducted by local Safety and Health Guidance Teams.
The payoff for these efforts is reduced accident rates.
In 2012, the American Gas Association honored Consumers Energy with a Safety Achievement Award for lowest DART (Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rate) incident rate.
Strengthening of Michigan's Miss Dig One-Call legislation passed in late November 2013 by the state legislature will have a positive effect protecting the underground utility infrastructure, believes Dirk R. Dunham, Consumers Energy compliance assurance director – gas programs.
Among its provisions, he said, is elimination of broad exemptions to the law, stipulation that fines for violations go to fund additional training and provides that offenders may be required to provide additional excavation safety training at their own expense.
Perhaps most important, the law provides for enforcement, which previous legislation did not contain.


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Like many of you I have been exposed to a ton of E3 media coverage. Rather than make a seperate story for each cool item that comes up I'll just put it all in one post and add stories that catch my eye throughout the day.
Read on for all the big news!
2nd Update added!
Blizzard E3 Website
Blizzard has launched their E3 website! They have a special section for each game with new screenshots, movies and info included. I downloaded the Starcraft Ghost movie and it's looking kind of like a Splinter Cell with more action and a chick in tight body armor. Honestly, despite Blizzard's name being attached to it I'm not terribly excited yet.
Nvidia Site Launched/Abduction
Nvidia has launched a new broadband website devoted to pimping their new video cards and showing off some of the games that use them. One title worthy of note is Abducted, a game created by Contraband Entertainment which has been made to use every feature on the GeForce FX cards. They are currently looking for a publisher and I don't it's going to take long to find one.
River City Ransom!
River City Ransom has been getting some buzz so far at E3. Not only is a GBA version of the popular game in the works, there is also word that a Gamecube edition (Thanks Pureboy) is in the cards as well. Not much more info than that so far but it's excellent news none the less!
Max Payne 2 Site
A Max Payne 2 site has been launched. Nothing too exciting there just yet but I do like the logo image. Thanks to VE3D for spotting this one.
Sony Online Entertainment's Big Deal
EA reports that SOE will be offering an interesting bundle deal on a selection of their online games. For $21.99 a month you can play the following games:
- EverQuest® (both PC and Mac version when it's released)
- EverQuest II® (when released)
- EverQuest® Online Adventures™
- PlanetSide™
- Station Pass™ Games (Infantry™, Cosmic Rift™, Tanarus®)
No Star Wars Galaxies but let's be honest, how much time do you really have in a day?
Grand Turismo 4 Shots
Gamefaction has a slew of Grand Turismo 4 shots up today. If you just look at the thumbs it's hard to believe it's just a game you're looking at!
IGN Insider
I'm only going to do this once, I promise. IGN Insider has been providing an incredible amount of coverage and videos from E3 so far. An excellent 8 minute feed of Halo 2 in action, the Doom 3 footage, the full Nintendo Conference (512 megs!) and much, much more. They are currently offering 20% off if you sign up right now. I couldn't think of a better time to do it, IGN is kicking some serious ass with their coverage this year!
I'm done now, you can put down your stone and pitchforks.
Gamespot has Doom III Trailer
Including all the footage from yesterday's Xbox Doom 3 teaser, this trailer adds about a minute worth of extra eye candy. I've said it before, I'll say it again. In this case, beauty before brains. You'd be remiss not to check it out!
Everquest 2 Screenshots
Also over at Gamespot, they've got some snazzy fine screenshots of SOE's upcoming sequel Everquest 2. The images are quite impressive, but considering SOE's history with video engines, and worse optimization thereof, I shudder to think what the system requirements might be. You can check out those shots here.
More to come!
- Certis & Elysium
A Max Payne 2 site has been launched. Nothing too exciting there just yet but I do like the logo image. Thanks to VE3D for spotting this one.
The woman in the logo is most likely Mona (or was that her sister's name?), the Desert Eagle-toting hotty that was out to waste Pucinello and the Evil Business Woman just like Max. And at last check, she was shot in the elevator of that Evil Business Woman's corporate HQ when the doors closed and Max got swarmed by thugs. When the doors reopened, she was gone and a big pool of blood was left.
Well, the pills would explain why he didn't need to stop at a bathroom during the whole game.


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It's no doubt supermodel Naomi Campbell is a fashion queen – but recently she wore a dress that left us scratching our heads.
Campbell, 43, attended the Novak Djokovic Foundation gala at The Roundhouse in London, U.K. on Monday evening.
Campbell donned a long, tiered black dress by Alaïa. We love the simple, classic cut of the top – but the bottom looks a little more like a lampshade than a dress.
Also see: Kate Middleton's best maternity looks
Apparently, Alaïa is one of Campbell's go-to fashion brands, and she's been spotted numerous times wearing the unique designs.
This winter, Campbell hit the red carpet wearing another odd, floor-length design by the same brand. Shortly after that, she wore a mini-dress version that we think was much more fun and flattering.
Also see: Miley has competition in bondage-inspired look
Maybe a mini version of this tiered dress is next up for Campbell? While the floor-length version is a little much, a '20s-style mini dress would be just right.
Although we have to admit, if anyone can pull off this daring dress, it's Campbell. She kept the rest of her look simple with slicked back hair and minimal jewelry.
What do you think: fashion hit or miss?