Infection by Penicillium marneffei in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in India has recently been described; the aim of our study was to survey wild rodents and their associated environment in order to identify the natural populations of this fungus. Surveys recovered P. marneffei from the internal organs of 10 (9.1%) of 110 bamboo rats (Cannomys badius) examined from Manipur state, India, an area endemic for penicilliosis marneffei. Identification of the isolates was based on a detailed study of their morphological characteristics, in vitro conversion to fission yeast form, and exoantigen tests. Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) of the isolates revealed five genotypes. No genotypes were shared between sample sites, and all bamboo rats were infected with a single genotype within sample sites, demonstrating spatial genetic heterogeneity. One MLMT genotype was identical to that seen in a human isolate, suggesting that either coinfection from a common source or host-to-host transmission had occurred. This demonstrates the utility of an MLMT-based approach to elucidating the epidemiology of P. marneffei.Penicillium marneffei is the only dimorphic species of the genus Penicillium and is the etiological agent of penicilliosis marneffei. This opportunistic fungal infection occurs among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and other immunocompromised patients in several regions of southeast Asia. Areas where P. marneffei infection is known to be endemic include Thailand, southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Myanmar (Burma), and Manipur state in India (10,11,23,27,28). A single case of the disease in an African from Ghana, who had no history of travel to Asia, has also been described (21). Several cases of penicilliosis marneffei have been reported from Europe, the United States, Australia, and Singapore in patients who had prior history of visits to areas where the infection is endemic (17,28).Initial isolation of P. marneffei was from a captive bamboo rat (Rhizomys sinensis) used for laboratory experiments in South Vietnam (3). The native bamboo rat had been experimentally inoculated with the scrub typhus bacterium Rickettsia orientalis (now designated Rickettsia tsutsugamushi). At autopsy, the rodent was found to have an enlarged liver and spleen, viscous ascitic fluid, and epiploic nodules. Cultures from all the organs yielded a Penicillium species, which proved pathogenic to hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). The fungus was subsequently described as a new species by Segretain (25), who named the fungus Penicillium marneffei in honor of Hubert Marneffei, then-director of the Pasteur Institute in French Indochina. In later decades, several workers investigated the prevalence of P. marneffei in bamboo rats in different geographic areas (1,5,9,20,29,33). Four species of bamboo rats, R. sinensis, Rhizomys pruinosus, Rhizomys sumatrensis, and Cannomys badius, were identified as natural hosts of P. marneffei (1, 5, 9). The aim of the present study was to investigate whe...
This document intends to present a study of configurations for the uniform illumination over a square-targetsurface (of task-lighting dimensions) using power LEDs. A particular application of this is the illumination of a carrom board. A lighting scheme involving a distributed arrangement of LEDs that provides a near-uniform illumination level for a given height, is proposed. The optimized parameters for the variables in the arrangement are obtained by the use of MATLAB functions for optimization. The existing lighting system for the illumination of the carrom boards at NITK Surathkal is measured and compared with the proposed arrangement.
Background: Advances in surgery and anesthesia have paved the way for the establishment of day-care surgery (DCS). Observations that children achieve better convalescence in the home environment along with significant economic advantages have led to this paradigm shift in clinical practice. Aims and Objectives: This study is aimed to evaluate the feasibility of performing various surgical procedures on day-care basis and assess parental satisfaction with DCS in children. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational study, all children >3 months of age undergoing various elective surgical procedures as day-care cases in our institution were enrolled. Types of operations, complications, including any unplanned admissions and parental satisfaction, were recorded. Results: Between December 2015 and December 2018, a total of 654 day-care surgeries were performed in our institution by pediatric surgeons. The mean age was 5.5 years with M: F 5.5:1. Thirty different surgical procedures were successfully performed as DCS, the common procedures being inguinal herniotomy (31.5%), and orchidopexy (14.3%). Unplanned admissions were recorded in 2.29% (15/654) patients (scrotal edema-5, postoperative pain-8, and a long recovery from anesthesia-2). No major complications occurred; two minor complications during follow-up were superficial wound infection and drug reaction. Overall parental satisfaction was very high (100%)-preoperative prolonged fasting period and long waiting time in the preoperative room of afternoon shift patients (7.95% and 8.3%) were the reasons for their discontent. Conclusions: DCS in children is safe and effective with high parental satisfaction. It can substantially reduce the waiting list for several surgical procedures in children.
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