ARTICLE IN PRESS Abstracts the study. Seventeen individuals with apparently normal urothelium served as controls. NO was assayed in urine and serum using the modified Griss reaction technique. Expression of iNOS in bladder tissue was determined by indirect immunohistochemical techniques. Results: All controls were negative for NO in both serum and urine. The rate of positivity of NO in sera of the malignant group was significantly higher than in the chronic cystitis group (po0.001), and reached 100% in cases with bilharzial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). A significant higher rate of positivity was also observed between patients with superficial and invasive stages of TCC (po0.001). Urinary NO positivity was 100% in all cases of bilharzial TCC, while in non-bilharzial TCC, positivity reached only 68.8% (po0.01). iNOS tissue expression in invasive bladder tumors was significantly higher than in superficial tumors. Conclusion: Urinary and serum NO levels as well as iNOS expression in bladder tissue could be used as tumor markers for diagnosis of bladder cancer. Urinary NO could be also used as an early non-invasive predictive marker for the tumor behavior and prognosis. KEYWORDS Nitric oxide; Nitric oxide synthase; Bladder lesions; Malignancy
407 percentage positivity was 7%, 35.3%, 82.6%, respectively. It is also measured at early shedding snails (4 weeks, i.e. early patency) and at shedding (5, 6 weeks or maximal shedding) and percentage positivity was 87.5%, 96.2%, 89.5%, respectively. Also, after stop shedding (late patency) the percentage positivity was 15%.The hemolymph of normal control group of snails were all negative against SEA. Hemolymph of B.trunculata and B. glabrata infected snails showed 0% positivity against SEA. Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) technique was used for molecular identification of the infected snails at the time of 2 weeks post-infection and at the time of snails shedding. Conclusion: The use of monoclonal antibodies for early detection of S. mansoni infected B. Alexandrina snails, is considered as an accurate, rapid and specific method to facilitate the control of infected snails that randomly surveyed from different areas of a suspected fields. KEYWORDS Schistosoma mansoni; Infection; Biomphalaria Alexandrina; Snails 10.1016/j.tmaid.2007.09.025
10.1016/j.tmaid.2007.09.024
P12 A risk based approach to travel health
P11 Assessment of biomphalaria Alexandrina Snails by detecting Schistosoma mansoni antigens in the hemolymph
W.A. Mansoura, H.M. Abu El Eininb a
Immunology department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI), Cairo, Egypt b Department of Medical Malacology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute (TBRI), Cairo, Egypt Abstract To control spread of Schistosma mansoni infection, rapid investigation of infected Biomphalaria Alexandrina snails that surveyed from any suspected area of a field, must be evaluated before shedding of cercariae. Detection of S. mansoni antigens in snails hemolymph was exposed to be an accurate and rapid method for assessment of infected snails. In the present study, two murine monoclonal antibodies (MABs) against soluble egg antigen (SEA) were employed for detecting S. mansoni in the hemolymph of 143 infected B. Alexandrina snails and 88 normal control snails, by using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (sandwich ELISA). Also, 63 snails and 56 snails of B. glabrata and Bulinus truncularia respectively were examined. The optical density (OD) values of SEA were measured in the hemolymph of infected snails. A total of 143 infected snails showed 100% percentage of positivety. Optical density at intervals 1, 2, 3 weeks post-exposure (prepatency) was measured and
R.D. Grenfell Grenfell Health Consulting P/L, Australia Two approaches to the problem of human fallibility exist: the person and the system approaches. The person approach focuses on the errors of individuals, blaming them for forgetfulness, inattention, or moral weakness. The system approach concentrates on the conditions under which individuals work and tries to build defences to avert errors or mitigate their effects (James Reason BMJ 2000;320: 768–770 (18 March). Risk management techniques have been developing in the healthcare sector for the last 20 years. The Australian New Zealand standard of risk management (SA/SNZ 1999) has provided a basis for action in this area. This standard incorporates the framework of establishing the context of risk, risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation and risk treatment, with continuous communication and monitoring. Various travel scenarios can be evaluated using the risk framework, from individual traveler, the tourism operator, the host country and the travel industry as a whole. KEYWORDS Management of risk in travel health 10.1016/j.tmaid.2007.09.026