| 1. |
- Tran, K. B., et al.
(author)
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The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
- 2022
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In: Lancet. - 0140-6736. ; 400:10352, s. 563-591
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Munk, P., et al.
(author)
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Genomic analysis of sewage from 101 countries reveals global landscape of antimicrobial resistance
- 2022
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health. Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of individual antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to develop sustainable strategies combatting this threat. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to analyse ARGs in 757 sewage samples from 243 cities in 101 countries, collected from 2016 to 2019. We find regional patterns in resistomes, and these differ between subsets corresponding to drug classes and are partly driven by taxonomic variation. The genetic environments of 49 common ARGs are highly diverse, with most common ARGs carried by multiple distinct genomic contexts globally and sometimes on plasmids. Analysis of flanking sequence revealed ARG-specific patterns of dispersal limitation and global transmission. Our data furthermore suggest certain geographies are more prone to transmission events and should receive additional attention.
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| 5. |
- Murray, Christopher J. L., et al.
(author)
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Population and fertility by age and sex for 195 countries and territories, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
- 2018
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In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X .- 0140-6736. ; 392:10159, s. 1995-2051
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Population estimates underpin demographic and epidemiological research and are used to track progress on numerous international indicators of health and development. To date, internationally available estimates of population and fertility, although useful, have not been produced with transparent and replicable methods and do not use standardised estimates of mortality. We present single-calendar year and single-year of age estimates of fertility and population by sex with standardised and replicable methods. Methods: We estimated population in 195 locations by single year of age and single calendar year from 1950 to 2017 with standardised and replicable methods. We based the estimates on the demographic balancing equation, with inputs of fertility, mortality, population, and migration data. Fertility data came from 7817 location-years of vital registration data, 429 surveys reporting complete birth histories, and 977 surveys and censuses reporting summary birth histories. We estimated age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs; the annual number of livebirths to women of a specified age group per 1000 women in that age group) by use of spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression and used the ASFRs to estimate total fertility rates (TFRs; the average number of children a woman would bear if she survived through the end of the reproductive age span [age 10–54 years] and experienced at each age a particular set of ASFRs observed in the year of interest). Because of sparse data, fertility at ages 10–14 years and 50–54 years was estimated from data on fertility in women aged 15–19 years and 45–49 years, through use of linear regression. Age-specific mortality data came from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 estimates. Data on population came from 1257 censuses and 761 population registry location-years and were adjusted for underenumeration and age misreporting with standard demographic methods. Migration was estimated with the GBD Bayesian demographic balancing model, after incorporating information about refugee migration into the model prior. Final population estimates used the cohort-component method of population projection, with inputs of fertility, mortality, and migration data. Population uncertainty was estimated by use of out-of-sample predictive validity testing. With these data, we estimated the trends in population by age and sex and in fertility by age between 1950 and 2017 in 195 countries and territories. Findings: From 1950 to 2017, TFRs decreased by 49·4% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 46·4–52·0). The TFR decreased from 4·7 livebirths (4·5–4·9) to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·5), and the ASFR of mothers aged 10–19 years decreased from 37 livebirths (34–40) to 22 livebirths (19–24) per 1000 women. Despite reductions in the TFR, the global population has been increasing by an average of 83·8 million people per year since 1985. The global population increased by 197·2% (193·3–200·8) since 1950, from 2·6 billion (2·5–2·6) to 7·6 billion (7·4–7·9) people in 2017; much of this increase was in the proportion of the global population in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The global annual rate of population growth increased between 1950 and 1964, when it peaked at 2·0%; this rate then remained nearly constant until 1970 and then decreased to 1·1% in 2017. Population growth rates in the southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania GBD super-region decreased from 2·5% in 1963 to 0·7% in 2017, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, population growth rates were almost at the highest reported levels ever in 2017, when they were at 2·7%. The global average age increased from 26·6 years in 1950 to 32·1 years in 2017, and the proportion of the population that is of working age (age 15–64 years) increased from 59·9% to 65·3%. At the national level, the TFR decreased in all countries and territories between 1950 and 2017; in 2017, TFRs ranged from a low of 1·0 livebirths (95% UI 0·9–1·2) in Cyprus to a high of 7·1 livebirths (6·8–7·4) in Niger. The TFR under age 25 years (TFU25; number of livebirths expected by age 25 years for a hypothetical woman who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) in 2017 ranged from 0·08 livebirths (0·07–0·09) in South Korea to 2·4 livebirths (2·2–2·6) in Niger, and the TFR over age 30 years (TFO30; number of livebirths expected for a hypothetical woman ageing from 30 to 54 years who survived the age group and was exposed to current ASFRs) ranged from a low of 0·3 livebirths (0·3–0·4) in Puerto Rico to a high of 3·1 livebirths (3·0–3·2) in Niger. TFO30 was higher than TFU25 in 145 countries and territories in 2017. 33 countries had a negative population growth rate from 2010 to 2017, most of which were located in central, eastern, and western Europe, whereas population growth rates of more than 2·0% were seen in 33 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2017, less than 65% of the national population was of working age in 12 of 34 high-income countries, and less than 50% of the national population was of working age in Mali, Chad, and Niger. Interpretation: Population trends create demographic dividends and headwinds (ie, economic benefits and detriments) that affect national economies and determine national planning needs. Although TFRs are decreasing, the global population continues to grow as mortality declines, with diverse patterns at the national level and across age groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide transparent and replicable estimates of population and fertility, which can be used to inform decision making and to monitor progress. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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| 6. |
- Wang, Haidong, et al.
(author)
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Global, regional, and national levels of neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality during 1990-2013 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013
- 2014
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In: The Lancet. - 0140-6736 .- 1474-547X. ; 384:9947, s. 957-979
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Remarkable financial and political efforts have been focused on the reduction of child mortality during the past few decades. Timely measurements of levels and trends in under-5 mortality are important to assess progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) target of reduction of child mortality by two thirds from 1990 to 2015, and to identify models of success.METHODS: We generated updated estimates of child mortality in early neonatal (age 0-6 days), late neonatal (7-28 days), postneonatal (29-364 days), childhood (1-4 years), and under-5 (0-4 years) age groups for 188 countries from 1970 to 2013, with more than 29 000 survey, census, vital registration, and sample registration datapoints. We used Gaussian process regression with adjustments for bias and non-sampling error to synthesise the data for under-5 mortality for each country, and a separate model to estimate mortality for more detailed age groups. We used explanatory mixed effects regression models to assess the association between under-5 mortality and income per person, maternal education, HIV child death rates, secular shifts, and other factors. To quantify the contribution of these different factors and birth numbers to the change in numbers of deaths in under-5 age groups from 1990 to 2013, we used Shapley decomposition. We used estimated rates of change between 2000 and 2013 to construct under-5 mortality rate scenarios out to 2030.FINDINGS: We estimated that 6·3 million (95% UI 6·0-6·6) children under-5 died in 2013, a 64% reduction from 17·6 million (17·1-18·1) in 1970. In 2013, child mortality rates ranged from 152·5 per 1000 livebirths (130·6-177·4) in Guinea-Bissau to 2·3 (1·8-2·9) per 1000 in Singapore. The annualised rates of change from 1990 to 2013 ranged from -6·8% to 0·1%. 99 of 188 countries, including 43 of 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, had faster decreases in child mortality during 2000-13 than during 1990-2000. In 2013, neonatal deaths accounted for 41·6% of under-5 deaths compared with 37·4% in 1990. Compared with 1990, in 2013, rising numbers of births, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, led to 1·4 million more child deaths, and rising income per person and maternal education led to 0·9 million and 2·2 million fewer deaths, respectively. Changes in secular trends led to 4·2 million fewer deaths. Unexplained factors accounted for only -1% of the change in child deaths. In 30 developing countries, decreases since 2000 have been faster than predicted attributable to income, education, and secular shift alone.INTERPRETATION: Only 27 developing countries are expected to achieve MDG 4. Decreases since 2000 in under-5 mortality rates are accelerating in many developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The Millennium Declaration and increased development assistance for health might have been a factor in faster decreases in some developing countries. Without further accelerated progress, many countries in west and central Africa will still have high levels of under-5 mortality in 2030.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Akhtar, M., et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of the oral inactivated multivalent enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli vaccine ETVAX in Bangladeshi adults in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase I trial using electrochemiluminescence and ELISA assays for immunogenicity analyses
- 2019
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In: Vaccine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-410X. ; 37:37, s. 5645-5656
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The safety and immunogenicity of the second generation oral enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccine ETVAX, consisting of inactivated recombinant E. coli strains over-expressing the colonization factors (CFs) CFA/I, CS3, CS5 and CS6 and the heat labile toxoid LCTBA, were evaluated in Bangladeshi volunteers. To enable analysis of antibody responses against multiple vaccine antigens for subsequent use in small sample volumes from children, a sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay for analysis of intestine-derived antibody-secreting cell responses using the antibodies in lymphocyte secretions (ALS) assay was established using Meso Scale Discovery technology. Three groups of Bangladeshi adults (n = 15 per group) received two oral doses of ETVAX with or without double mutant LT (dmLT) adjuvant or placebo in the initial part of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, age-descending, dose-escalation trial. CF- and LTB-specific ALS and plasma IgA responses were analyzed by ECL and/or ELISA. ETVAX was safe and well tolerated in the adults. Magnitudes of IgA ALS responses determined by ECL and ELISA correlated well (r = 0.85 to 0.98 for the five primary antigens, P < 0.001) and ECL was selected as the ALS readout method. ALS IgA responses against each of the primary antigens were detected in 87-100% of vaccinees after the first and in 100% after the second vaccine dose. Plasma IgA responses against different CFs and LTB were observed in 62-93% and 100% of vaccinees, respectively. No statistically significant adjuvant effect of dmLT on antibody responses to any antigen was detected, but the overall anti-genic breadth of the plasma IgA response tended to favor the adjuvanted vaccine when responses to 4 or more or 5 vaccine antigens were considered. Responses in placebo recipients were infrequent and mainly detected against single antigens. The promising results in adults supported testing ETVAX in descending age groups of children.
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| 9. |
- Qadri, F., et al.
(author)
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Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae diarrhea, Bangladesh, 2004
- 2005
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In: Emerg Infect Dis. ; 11:7, s. 1104-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Flooding in Dhaka in July 2004 caused epidemics of diarrhea. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was almost as prevalent as Vibrio cholerae O1 in diarrheal stools. ETEC that produced heat-stable enterotoxin alone was most prevalent, and 78% of strains had colonization factors. Like V. cholerae O1, ETEC can cause epidemic diarrhea.
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| 10. |
- Chakraborty, S., et al.
(author)
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Phenotypic and genomic analyses of bacteriophages targeting environmental and clinical CS3-expressing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains
- 2018
-
In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diarrhea due to infection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is of great concern in several low and middle-income countries. ETEC infection is considered to be the most common cause of diarrhea in Bangladesh and is mainly spread through contaminated water and food. ETEC pathogenesis is mediated by the expression of enterotoxins and colonization factors (CFs) that target the intestinal mucosa. ETEC can survive for extended time periods in water, where they are likely to be attacked by bacteriophages. Antibiotic resistance is common amongst enteric pathogens and therefore is the use of bacteriophages (phage) as a therapeutic tool an interesting approach. This study was designed to identify novel phages that specifically target ETEC virulence factors. In total, 48 phages and 195 ETEC isolates were collected from water sources and stool samples. Amongst the identified ETEC specific phages, an enterobacteria phage T7, designated as IMM-002, showed a significant specificity towards colonization factor CS3-expressing ETEC isolates. Antibody-blocking and phage-neutralization assays revealed that CS3 is used as a host receptor for the IMM-002 phage. The bacterial CRISPR-Cas (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR-associated) defence mechanism can invoke immunity against phages. Genomic analyses coupled with plaque assay experiments indicate that the ETEC CRISPR-Cas system is involved in the resistance against the CS3-specific phage (IMM-002) and the previously identified CS7-specific phage (IMM-001). As environmental water serves as a reservoir for ETEC, it is important to search for new antimicrobial agents such as phages in environmental water as well as the human gut. A better understanding of how the interplay between ETEC-specific phages and ETEC isolates affects the ETEC diversity, both in environmental ecosystems and within the host, is important for the development of new treatments for ETEC infections.
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| 11. |
- Alam, M., et al.
(author)
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Antigen-Specific Memory B-cell Responses to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Infection in Bangladeshi Adults
- 2014
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In: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1935-2727 .- 1935-2735. ; 8:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Multiple infections with diverse enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains lead to broad spectrum protection against ETEC diarrhea. However, the precise mechanism of protection against ETEC infection is still unknown. Therefore, memory B cell responses and affinity maturation of antibodies to the specific ETEC antigens might be important to understand the mechanism of protection. Methodology: In this study, we investigated the heat labile toxin B subunit (LTB) and colonization factor antigens (CFA/I and CS6) specific IgA and IgG memory B cell responses in Bangladeshi adults (n = 52) who were infected with ETEC. We also investigated the avidity of IgA and IgG antibodies that developed after infection to these antigens. Principal Findings: Patients infected with ETEC expressing LT or LT+heat stable toxin (ST) and CFA/I group or CS6 colonization factors developed LTB, CFA/I or CS6 specific memory B cell responses at day 30 after infection. Similarly, these patients developed high avidity IgA and IgG antibodies to LTB, CFA/I or CS6 at day 7 that remained significantly elevated at day 30 when compared to the avidity of these specific antibodies at the acute stage of infection (day 2). The memory B cell responses, antibody avidity and other immune responses to CFA/I not only developed in patients infected with ETEC expressing CFA/I but also in those infected with ETEC expressing CFA/I cross-reacting epitopes. We also detected a significant positive correlation of LTB, CFA/I and CS6 specific memory B cell responses with the corresponding increase in antibody avidity. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that natural infection with ETEC induces memory B cells and high avidity antibodies to LTB and colonization factor CFA/I and CS6 antigens that could mediate anamnestic responses on re-exposure to ETEC and may help in understanding the requirements to design an effective vaccination strategies.
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| 12. |
- Ansaruzzaman, M., et al.
(author)
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Characterization of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from diarrhoeal patients in Bangladesh using phenotyping and genetic profiling
- 2007
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In: J Med Microbiol. - : Microbiology Society. ; 56:2Pt 2, s. 217-222
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A total of 99 isolates out of 370 colonization factor (CF)-positive, well-characterized enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains belonging to 13 different CF types isolated from diarrhoeal patients admitted to the hospital of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, were tested. The isolates were selected at random based on expression of the major CFs prevailing in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 1996 to 1998. These isolates were characterized by O-antigenic serotyping, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis and biochemical fingerprinting using the PhenePlate (PhP) system. The 99 ETEC isolates belonged to 10 O serogroups, the predominant ones being O6 (n=28), O115 (n=20) and O128 (n=20). Most isolates of serogroup O6 (CS1+CS3, 11/14; CS2+CS3, 5/8) belonged to the same PhP/RAPD type (H/f), whereas other isolates of serogroup O6 (n=12) belonged to different PhP/RAPD types (Si/f and F/c). Eleven serogroup O128 (CFA/I) isolates belonged to the same PhP/RAPD type (E/b), whereas the other O128 isolates formed different PhP/RAPD types. Fifteen (75%) serogroup O115 isolates (together with fourteen isolates from serogroups O25, O114, O142 and O159) demonstrated two closely related common groups by PhP typing (A and A1) and belonged to the same PhP/RAPD type (A/a). Three major clonal groups were identified among the ETEC strains in this study, largely based on O-antigenic type, CF expression pattern and toxin profile.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Begum, Y. A., et al.
(author)
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Resistance Pattern and Molecular Characterization of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Strains Isolated in Bangladesh
- 2016
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In: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of bacterial infection leading to acute watery diarrhea in infants and young children as well as in travellers to ETEC endemic countries. Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent nowadays used for the treatment of diarrhea. This study aimed to characterize ciprofloxacin resistant ETEC strains isolated from diarrheal patients in Bangladesh. A total of 8580 stool specimens from diarrheal patients attending the icddr, b Dhaka hospital was screened for ETEC between 2005 and 2009. PCR and Ganglioside GM1-Enzyme Linked Immuno sorbent Assay (ELISA) was used for detection of Heat labile (LT) and Heat stable (ST) toxins of ETEC. Antimicrobial susceptibilities for commonly used antibiotics and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin were examined. DNA sequencing of representative ciprofloxacin resistant strains was performed to analyze mutations of the quinolone resistance-determining region of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE. PCR was used for the detection of qnr, a plasmid mediated ciprofloxacin resistance gene. Clonal variations among ciprofloxacin resistant (Cip(R)) and ciprofloxacin susceptible (Cip(S)) strains were determined by Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Among 1067 (12%) ETEC isolates identified, 42% produced LT/ST, 28% ST and 30% LT alone. Forty nine percent (n = 523) of the ETEC strains expressed one or more of the 13 tested colonization factors (CFs) as determined by dot blot immunoassay. Antibiotic resistance of the ETEC strains was observed as follows: ampicillin 66%, azithromycin 27%, ciprofloxacin 27%, ceftriazone 13%, cotrimaxazole 46%, doxycycline 44%, erythromycin 96%, nalidixic acid 83%, norfloxacin 27%, streptomycin 48% and tetracycline 42%. Resistance to ciprofloxacin increased from 13% in 2005 to 34% in 2009. None of the strains was resistant to mecillinam. The MIC of the nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin of representative Cip(R) strains were 256 mu g/ml and 32 mu g/ml respectively. A single mutation (Ser(83)-Leu) in gyrA was observed in the nalidixic acid resistant ETEC strains. In contrast, double mutation in gyrA (Ser(83)-Leu, Asp(87)-Asn) and a single mutation in parC (Glu(84)-Ly) were found in ciprofloxacin resistant strains. Mutation of gyrB was not found in either the nalidixic acid or ciprofloxacin resistant strains. None of the ciprofloxacin resistant strains was found to be positive for the qnr gene. Diverse clones were identified from all ciprofloxacin resistant strains by PFGE analysis in both CF positive and CF negative ETEC strains. Emergence of ciprofloxacin resistant ETEC strains results in a major challenge in current treatment strategies of ETEC diarrhea.
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| 15. |
- Begum, Y. A., et al.
(author)
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Shift in Phenotypic Characteristics of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) Isolated from Diarrheal Patients in Bangladesh
- 2014
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In: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1935-2735. ; 8:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea. Over the last decade, from 1996 to 2012, changes in the virulence antigen properties of ETEC such as heat labile (LT) and heat stable (ST) toxins, colonization factors (CFs), and 'O'-serogroups have been observed. The aim of this prospective study was to compare changes in antigenic profiles of ETEC strains isolated from a 2% surveillance system at the icddr,b hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh between 2007-2012 and an earlier time period of 1996-1998 conducted at the same surveillance site. Methodology: In the surveillance system every 50th patient attending the hospital was screened for major enteric pathogens including ETEC, Vibrio cholerae, Shigella spp. and Salmonella spp. from January 2007 to December 2012. Principal Findings: Of the 15,152 diarrheal specimens tested between 2007-2012, the overall rate of ETEC isolation was 11%; of these, 43% were LT/ST, 27% LT and 30% ST positive. Isolation rate of ST-ETEC (p<0.009) and LT/ST ETEC (p<0.011) during 2007-2012 period differed significantly compared to those seen between 1996-1998. In comparison to the 19961998 period, difference in CF profile of ETEC isolates during 2007-2012 was observed particularly for strains expressing CS7 (12.4%), CS14 (9.5%) and CS17 (10.0%). The predominant CF types were CS5+CS6, CFA/I, CS7, CS17, CS1+CS3, CS6 and CS14. The most common serogroups among the CF positive ETEC isolates were O115, O114, O6, O25 and O8. A strong association was found between CFs and 'O' serogroups i.e. between CS5+CS6 and (O115 and O126); CS7 and (O114), CFA/I and (O78 and O126), CS17 and (O8 and O167) and CS1/CS2+CS3 and (O6). Conclusion: The analyses show a shift in prevalence of antigenic types of ETEC over the study period; the information is important in designing effective ETEC vaccines with broad protective coverage.
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| 16. |
- Hurter, C., et al.
(author)
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Usage of more transparent and explainable conflict resolution algorithm : Air traffic controller feedback
- 2022
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In: Transportation Research Procedia. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 2352-1457 .- 2352-1465. ; 66:C, s. 270-278
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have received increasable interest in various application domains including in Air Transportation Management (ATM). Different AI in particular Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are used to provide decision support in autonomous decision-making tasks in the ATM domain e.g., predicting air transportation traffic and optimizing traffic flows. However, most of the time these automated systems are not accepted or trusted by the intended users as the decisions provided by AI are often opaque, non-intuitive and not understandable by human operators. Safety is the major pillar to air traffic management, and no black box process can be inserted in a decision-making process when human life is involved. To address this challenge related to transparency of the automated system in the ATM domain, we investigated AI methods in predicting air transportation traffic conflict and optimizing traffic flows based on the domain of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI). Here, AI models’ explainability in terms of understanding a decision i.e., post hoc interpretability and understanding how the model works i.e., transparency can be provided for air traffic controllers. In this paper, we report our research directions and our findings to support better decision making with AI algorithms with extended transparency.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Sclafani, F., et al.
(author)
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Prognostic role of the LCS6 KRAS variant in locally advanced rectal cancer : results of the EXPERT-C trial
- 2015
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In: Annals of Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0923-7534 .- 1569-8041. ; 26:9, s. 1936-1941
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lethal-7 (let-7) is a tumour suppressor miRNA which acts by down-regulating several oncogenes including KRAS. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs61764370, T > G base substitution) in the let-7 complementary site 6 (LCS-6) of KRAS mRNA has been shown to predict prognosis in early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) and benefit from anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies in metastatic CRC. We analysed rs61764370 in EXPERT-C, a randomised phase II trial of neoadjuvant CAPOX followed by chemoradiotherapy, surgery and adjuvant CAPOX plus or minus cetuximab in locally advanced rectal cancer. DNA was isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour tissue and genotyped using a PCR-based commercially available assay. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to calculate survival estimates and compare treatment arms. A total of 155/164 (94.5%) patients were successfully analysed, of whom 123 (79.4%) and 32 (20.6%) had the LCS-6 TT and LCS-6 TG genotype, respectively. Carriers of the G allele were found to have a statistically significantly higher rate of complete response (CR) after neoadjuvant therapy (28.1% versus 10.6%; P = 0.020) and a trend for better 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) [77.4% versus 64.5%: hazard ratio (HR) 0.56; P = 0.152] and overall survival (OS) rates (80.3% versus 71.9%: HR 0.59; P = 0.234). Both CR and survival outcomes were independent of the use of cetuximab. The negative prognostic effect associated with KRAS mutation appeared to be stronger in patients with the LCS-6 TT genotype (HR PFS 1.70, P = 0.078; HR OS 1.79, P = 0.082) compared with those with the LCS-6 TG genotype (HR PFS 1.33, P = 0.713; HR OS 1.01, P = 0.995). This analysis suggests that rs61764370 may be a biomarker of response to neoadjuvant treatment and an indicator of favourable outcome in locally advanced rectal cancer possibly by mitigating the poor prognosis of KRAS mutation. In this setting, however, this polymorphism does not appear to predict cetuximab benefit.
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| 20. |
- Abdalla, A. M., et al.
(author)
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Nanomaterials for solid oxide fuel cells: A review
- 2018
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In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0690 .- 1364-0321. ; 82, s. 353-368
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nanotechnology is utilized well in the development and improvement of the performance in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). The high operating temperature of SOFCs (700–900 °C) has resulted in serious demerits regarding their overall performance and durability. Therefore, the operating temperature has been reduced to an intermediate temperature range of approximately 400–700 °C which improved performance and, subsequently, commercialized SOFCs as portable power sources. However, at reduced temperature, challenges such as an increase in internal resistance of the fuel cell components arise. Although, this may not be as serious as problems encountered at high temperature, it still significantly affects the performance of SOFCs. This review paper addresses the work of researchers in the application of nanotechnology in fabricating SOFCs through distinct methods. These methods have successfully omitted or at least reduced the internal resistance and showed considerable improvement in power density of the SOFCs at reduced temperatures.
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| 21. |
- Begum, D. A., et al.
(author)
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Condensate Fractionation Column: Design Variation Study by Simulation
- 2010
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In: Journal of Chemical Engineering. - : Bangladesh Journals Online (JOL). - 2221-7436 .- 2408-8617. ; 25:1, s. 65-70
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This work aims to study the quality of three products of a fractionation column considering different design conditions of the column using natural gas condensate as column feed. The first design was on a single traditional distillation column whereas the consecutive studies were done by modifying the distillation column to yield the same quality of products. This study includes the details quality variation along with the variation of design. The whole simulation study and analysis was done on ASPEN HYSYS.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Begum, Noorjahan, et al.
(author)
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Reaction of [Ru-3(CO)(12)] with tri(2-furyl)phosphine: Di- and tri-substituted triruthenium and phosphido-bridged diruthenium complexes
- 2008
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In: Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-328X. ; 693:8-9, s. 1645-1655
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reaction of [Ru-3(CO)(12)] with tri(2-furyl)phosphine, P(C4H3O)(3), at 40 degrees C in the presence of a catalytic amount of Na[Ph2CO] furnishes two triruthenium complexes [Ru-3(CO)(10){P(C4H3O)(3)}(2)] (1) and [Ru-3(CO)(9){P(C4H3O)(3)}(3)] (2) with the ligand coordinated through the phosphorus atom. Treatment of 1 and 2 with Me3NO at 40 degrees C affords the dinuclear phosphido-bridged complexes [Ru-2(CO)(6)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}] (3) and [Ru-2(CO)(5)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}{P(C4H3O)(3)}] (4), respectively, that are formed via phosphorus-carbon bond cleavage of a coordinated phosphine followed by coordination of the dissociated furyl moiety to the diruthenium center in a sigma,pi-alkenyl mode. Reaction of [Ru-3(CO)(12)] with tri(2-furyl) phosphine in refluxing benzene gives, in addition to 3 and 4, low yields of the cyclometallated complex [Ru-3(CO)(9){mu-eta(1),eta(1)-P(C4H3O)(2)(C4H2O)}(2)] (5). Treatment of 3 with EPh3 (E = P, As, Sb) at room temperature yields the monosubstituted derivatives [Ru-2(CO)(5)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}(EPh3)] (E = P, 8; E = As, 9; E = Sb, 10). Similar reactions of 3 with P(C4H3O)(3), P(OMe)(3) and (BuNC)-N-t yield 4, [Ru-2(CO)(5)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}{P(OMe)(3)}] (11) and [Ru-2(CO)(5)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}(NCBut)] (12), respectively. The molecular structures of complexes 3, 4 and 8 have been elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Each complex contains a bridging sigma,pi-alkenyl group and while in 4 the phosphine is bound to the sigma-coordinated metal atom, in 8 it is at the pi-bound atom. Protonation of 3 and 4 gives the hydride complexes [(mu-H)Ru-2(CO)(6)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}](+) (6) and [(mu-H)Ru-2(CO)(5)(mu-eta(1),eta(2)-C4H3O){mu-P(C4H3O)(2)}{P(C4H3O)(3)}] (+) (7), respectively, while heating 3 with dimethylacetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) in refluxing toluene gives the cyclotrimerization product, C-6(CO2Me)(6).
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| 25. |
- Begum, Shamim A., et al.
(author)
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Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies of As(V) removal from aqueous solution using cattle bone char
- 2016
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In: Journal of Water Supply. - : IWA Publishing. - 0003-7214 .- 1365-2087. ; 65:3, s. 244-252
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The As(V) adsorption onto bone char was investigated as a function of bone char dosage, pH and contact time in batch tests. The initial As(V) concentrations were varied from 0.1 to 1 mg/L to evaluate the adsorption kinetics and isotherm. The As(V) concentrations were analyzed using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The highest As(V) removal was found to be 62% after 3 d using 3 g bone char at a pH level of 4.0 for 0.5 mg/L As(V) concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity was 0.13 for 1 mg/L As(V) concentration. A Langmuir isotherm and second order adsorption kinetics were observed for As(V) adsorption.
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