| 41. |
- Bucardo, Filemon, et al.
(författare)
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Histo-blood group antigens and rotavirus vaccine shedding in Nicaraguan infants
- 2019
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABO, Lewis and secretor histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) are susceptibility factors for rotavirus in a P-genotype dependent manner and can influence IgA seroconversion rates following rotavirus vaccination. To investigate the association between HBGA phenotypes and rotavirus vaccine shedding fecal samples (n = 304) from a total of 141 infants vaccinated with Rotarix (n = 71) and RotaTeq (n = 70) were prospectively sampled in three time frames (= 3, 4-7 and = 8 days) after first vaccination dose. Rotavirus was detected with qPCR and genotypes determined by G/P multiplex PCR and/or sequencing. HBGAs were determined by hemagglutination and saliva based ELISA. Low shedding rates were observed, with slightly more children vaccinated with RotaTeq (19%) than Rotarix (11%) shedding rotavirus at = 4 days post vaccination (DPV). At = 4 DPV no infant of Lewis A (n = 6) or nonsecretor (n = 9) phenotype in the Rotarix cohort shed rotavirus; the same observation was made for Lewis A infants (n = 7) in the RotaTeq cohort. Putative in-vivo gene reassortment among RotaTeq strains occurred, yielding mainly G1P[8] strains. The bovine derived P[5] genotype included in RotaTeq was able to replicate and be shed at long time frames (amp;gt;13 DPV). The results of this study are consistent with that HBGA phenotype influences vaccine strain shedding as similarly observed for natural infections. Due to the low overall shedding rates observed, additional studies are however warranted.
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| 42. |
- Källestål, Carina, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting poverty : data mining approaches to the health and demographic surveillance system in Cuatro Santos, Nicaragua
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal for Equity in Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1475-9276. ; 18:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: In order to further identify the needed interventions for continued poverty reduction in our study area Cuatro Santos, northern Nicaragua, we aimed to elucidate what predicts poverty, measured by the Unsatisfied Basic Need index. This analysis was done by using decision tree methodology applied to the Cuatro Santos health and demographic surveillance databases.METHODS: Using variables derived from the health and demographic surveillance update 2014, transferring individual data to the household level we used the decision tree framework Conditional Inference trees to predict the outcome "poverty" defined as two to four unsatisfied basic needs using the Unsatisfied Basic Need Index. We further validated the trees by applying Conditional random forest analyses in order to assess and rank the importance of predictors about their ability to explain the variation of the outcome "poverty." The majority of the Cuatro Santos households provided information and the included variables measured housing conditions, assets, and demographic experiences since the last update (5 yrs), earlier participation in interventions and food security during the last 4 weeks.RESULTS: Poverty was rare in households that have some assets and someone in the household that has a higher education than primary school. For these households participating in the intervention that installed piped water with water meter was most important, but also when excluding this variable, the resulting tree showed the same results. When assets were not taken into consideration, the importance of education was pronounced as a predictor for welfare. The results were further strengthened by the validation using Conditional random forest modeling showing the same variables being important as predicting the outcome in the CI tree analysis. As assets can be a result, rather than a predictor of more affluence our results in summary point specifically to the importance of education and participation in the water installation intervention as predictors for more affluence.CONCLUSION: Predictors of poverty are useful for directing interventions and in the Cuatro Santos area education seems most important to prioritize. Hopefully, the lessons learned can continue to develop the Cuatro Santos communities as well as development in similar poor rural settings around the world.
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| 43. |
- Aiuppa, Sandro, et al.
(författare)
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Tracking formation of a lava lake from ground and space: Masaya volcano (Nicaragua), 2015-2017
- 2018
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Ingår i: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. - 1525-2027. ; 19:2, s. 496-515
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A vigorously degassing lava lake appeared inside the Santiago pit crater of Masaya volcano (Nicaragua) in December 2015, after years of degassing with no (or minor) incandescence. Here, we present an unprecedented-long (3 years) and continuous volcanic gas record that instrumentally characterizes the (re)activation of the lava-lake. Our results show that, before appearance of the lake, the volcanic gas plume composition became unusually CO2-rich, as testified by high CO2/SO2 ratios (mean, 12.2±6.3) and low H2O/CO2 ratios (mean, 2.3±1.3). The volcanic CO2 flux also peaked in November 2015 (mean, 81.3±40.6 kg/s; maximum, 247 kg/s). Using results of magma degassing models and budgets, we interpret this elevated CO2 degassing as sourced by degassing of a volatile-rich fast-convecting (3.6-5.2 m3·s-1) magma, supplying CO2-rich gas bubbles from minimum equivalent depths of 0.36-1.4 km. We propose this elevated gas bubbles supply destabilized the shallow (<1 km) Masaya magma reservoir, leading to upward migration of vesicular (buoyant) resident magma, and ultimately to (re)formation of the lava lake. At onset of lava lake activity on 11 December 2015 (constrained by satellite-based (MODIS) thermal observations), the gas emissions transitioned to more SO2-rich composition, and the SO2 flux increased by a factor ~40 % (11.4±5.2 kg/s) relative to background degassing (8.0 kg/s), confirming faster than normal (4.4 vs. ~3 m3·s-1) shallow magma convection. Elevated shallow magma circulation is also supported by gradual increase in irradiated thermal energy, captured by MODIS, from which we calculate that 0.4-0.8 m3·s-1 of magma have been surface-emplaced since December 2015.
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| 44. |
- Bucardo, Filemon, et al.
(författare)
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The Lewis A phenotype is a restriction factor for Rotateq and Rotarix vaccine-take in Nicaraguan children
- 2018
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) and the Lewis and secretor antigens are associated with susceptibility to rotavirus infection in a genotype-dependent manner. Nicaraguan children were prospectively enrolled in two cohorts vaccinated with either RotaTeq RV5 (n = 68) or Rotarix RV1 (n = 168). Lewis and secretor antigens were determined by saliva phenotyping and genotyping. Seroconversion was defined as a 4-fold increase in plasma IgA antibody titer 1 month after administration of the first dose of the vaccine. Regardless of the vaccine administered, significantly fewer of the children with Lewis A phenotype (0/14) seroconverted after receiving the first vaccine dose compared to 26% (45/175) of those with the Lewis B phenotype and 32% (15/47) of the Lewis negative individuals (P amp;lt; 0.01). Furthermore, following administration of the RV1 vaccine, secretor-positive ABO blood group B children seroconverted to a significantly lesser extent (5%) compared to secretor-positive children with ABO blood groups A (26%) and O (27%) (P amp;lt; 0.05). Other factors such as pre-vaccination titers, sex, breastfeeding, and calprotectin levels did not influence vaccine-take. Differences in HBGA expression appear to be a contributing factor in the discrepancy in vaccine-take and thus, in vaccine efficacy in different ethnic populations.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- Lundberg, Hans, 1967-
(författare)
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The discursive formation of 'seriousness' in the ship canal rat race between Panama, Mexico and Nicaragua
- 2017
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Ingår i: Contextualizing entrepreneurship in emerging economies and developing countries. - : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781785367533 - 9781785367526 ; , s. 105-128
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In entrepreneurship research, there is lack of in-depth and context-sensitive studies on mega-scale projects: ‘While urban entrepreneurialism and megaprojects have been discussed in academic literature for almost three decades, there are too few case studies which delve into the specific visions guiding these projects, the goals which they are meant to achieve and the positions which different actors play’ (Doucet, 2013: 2035). Given the magnitude of and competition between the existing mega-ship canal in Panama, the planned mega-ship canal project in Nicaragua and the planned port/railway/road/airport project in Mexico, the purpose of this study is to explore how ‘seriousness’ is contextually constructed in the communicative practices of these three cases. For this, I conducted a content analysis (Gioia et al., 2012) of the communicative practices followed for these three cases. The concept of ‘seriousness’ used in this chapter to analyze three cases of mega- and meso-scale entrepreneurship is theorized in scholarly literature on Greek tragedies and is focused on the use and function of the ‘prologue’: A prologue is an introduction to and framing of a story that provides details about the story’s background and its main characters. One crucial feature of a prologue is a quality that Segal (1992: 92-93) labels ‘seriousness and cosmicity’. He defines this quality by saying; ‘To win authority, the prologue must convince us of the seriousness of its contents.’ Furthermore, the prologue must demonstrate a connection between ‘the crisis of the moment and the remote beginnings of all things’ (Segal, 1992: 92-93, in Parsenios, 2010: 46). Applied to this study, the debates and discussions around the three planned canal projects are analyzed as prologues to the (eventual) actualization of the projects, where debaters and discussants try to win authority over the projects by trying to convince their audiences. They do so by emphasizing the seriousness of the project’s content as well as by anchoring the project in remote beginnings and trying to show how these are linked to contemporary tensions and even crises.
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| 49. |
- Bergström, Anna, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Knowledge about Sexual and Reproductive Health among School Enrolled Adolescents in Tololar, Nicaragua, A Cross-Sectional Study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Public Health International. - : Open Access Pub. - 2641-4538. ; 1:2, s. 27-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Nicaragua has the highest prevalence of teenage pregnancies in Latin America. Knowledge regarding sexual and reproductive health plays an integral part in sexual behavior. The objective was to assess school going adolescents' knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and possible factors affecting it in the semi-rural community of Tololar, Nicaragua.Methods: A cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire on tablets was used for data collection. All 253 registered students at the school present at the time of fieldwork who gave written informed consent were deemed eligible for the study. A total of 225 participants in the ages of 11-19 years were included. Simple linear regression and multiple linear regression were performed analyzing the outcome knowledge. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: The general knowledge about sexual and reproductive health was moderate; however, knowledge gaps were found such as prevailing myths and poor knowledge regarding human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) transmission and contraceptive methods. Being female and single were significant negative determinants of knowledge (p-value < 0.01) and knowledge increased significantly with age (p-value < 0.05). School teachers, websites, social networks, and TV were the most frequently chosen sources of information on the topic.Conclusions: Increased education on sexual and reproductive health with new interventions particularly for young females is recommended. Using IT-based materials as a complement may be an effective way to reach out to adolescents.
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| 50. |
- Wesseling, C., et al.
(författare)
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Kidney function in sugarcane cutters in Nicaragua - A longitudinal study of workers at risk of Mesoamerican nephropathy
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 147, s. 125-132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Chronic kidney disease is common among sugarcane workers in Central America. The main risk factor seems to be repeated high-intensity work in hot environments. Several cross-sectional studies have been performed but few longitudinal studies. Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine whether kidney function changes over a few months of work during the harvest period. Methods: A group of male sugarcane cutters in Nicaragua (N=29, aged 17-38 years) was examined with renal biomarkers before and after shift on the first day at the start of harvest, on the sixth day during acclimatization, and then in mid-harvest 9 weeks later. A reference group (N=25, mainly office workers) was examined with the same biomarkers at start of harvest, and then at end of harvest 5 months later. Results: The pre-shift renal function decreased significantly during 9 weeks of work in the cane cutters. Mean serum creatinine increased (20%), mean estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased (9%, 10 mL/min), serum urea N (BUN) increased (41%), and mean urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) increased (four times). The cane cutters also developed cross-shift increases in these biomarkers, in particular serum creatinine and BUN, and in urinary uric acid. The longitudinal decrease in eGFR tended to be associated with the cross-shift increase in serum creatinine. Conclusions: There was a remarkable decrease of glomerular kidney function, after only 9 weeks of harvest. The cross-shift increase in serum creatinine may be caused by dehydration (pre-renal dysfunction), and when repeated on a daily basis this may cause permanently reduced GFR. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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