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Caroline Jones

Publications and source records attributed to Caroline Jones.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Participation of African social scientists in malaria control: identifying enabling and constraining factors.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the enabling and constraining factors that influence African social scientists involvement in malaria control. METHODS: Convenience and snowball sampling was used to identify participants. Data collection was conducted in two phases: a mailed survey was followed by in-depth phone interviews with selected individuals chosen from the survey. FINDINGS: Most participants did not necessarily seek malaria as a career path. Having a mentor who provided research and training opportunities, and developing strong technical skills in malaria control and grant or proposal writing facilitated career opportunities in malaria. A paucity of jobs and funding and inadequate technical skills in malaria limited the type and number of opportunities available to social scientists in malaria control. CONCLUSION: Understanding the factors that influence job satisfaction, recruitment and retention in malaria control is necessary for better integration of social scientists into malaria control. However, given the wide array of skills that social scientists have and the variety of deadly diseases competing for attention in Sub Saharan Africa, it might be more cost effective to employ social scientists to work broadly on issues common to communicable diseases in general rather than solely on malaria.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Malaria morbidity and immunity among residents of villages with different Plasmodium falciparum transmission intensity in North-Eastern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the burden of uncomplicated malaria and transmission intensity is unclear and a better understanding of this relationship is important for the implementation of intervention programmes. METHODS: A 6-month longitudinal study monitoring risk factors for anaemia and febrile malaria episodes was conducted among individuals aged below 20 years, residing in three villages of different altitude in areas of high, moderate and low malaria transmission intensity in North-Eastern Tanzania. RESULTS: The burden of anaemia and malarial fever fell mainly on the youngest children and was highest in the village with high transmission intensity. Although a considerable percentage of individuals in all villages carried intestinal worms, logistic regression models indicated that Plasmodium falciparum was the only significant parasitic determinant of anaemia. Interestingly, children who carried low-density parasitaemia at the start of the study had a lower risk of contracting a febrile malaria episode but a higher risk of anaemia during the study period, than children who were slide negative at this point in time. CONCLUSION: Young children living in the high transmission village carried a very high anaemia burden, which could be attributed to malaria. The overall incidence of febrile malaria was also highest in the high transmission village particularly among those under five years of age. These data suggest that in rolling back malaria, available resources in prevention programmes should primarily be focussed on young children, particularly those residing in areas of high malaria transmission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Acute renal failure associated with Gemella haemolysans pneumonia.

We describe a 13-year-old boy who developed acute renal failure associated with Gemella haemolysans pneumonia. At presentation he was found to have macroscopic hematuria associated with lobar pneumonia. Gemella haemolysans was isolated from blood cultures. Renal failure was detected on admission, progressed and dialysis was required until day 18. Renal impairment had resolved by 3 months after the initial presentation. Histopathology of a renal biopsy showed focal proliferative glomerulonephritis, but the predominant abnormality was tubular damage associated with erythrocyte casts in tubular lumina. We believe that tubular damage due to hematuria rather than the glomerular changes was the most likely cause of renal failure.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed2004

A generic sandwich-type biosensor with nanomolar detection limits.

A quantitative and highly sensitive, yet simple and rapid, biosensor system was developed for the detection of nucleic acid sequences that can also be adapted to the detection of antigens. A dipstick-type biosensor with liposome amplification, based on a sandwich assay format with optical detection, was combined with a simple coupling reaction that allows the transformation of the generic biosensor components to target specific ones by a mere incubation step. This biosensor platform system was developed and optimized, and its principle was proven using DNA oligonucleotides that provided a nucleic acid biosensor for the specific detection of RNA and DNA sequences. However, the coupling reaction principle chosen can also be used for the immobilization of antibodies or receptor molecules, and therefore for the development of immunosensors and receptor-based biosensors. The generic biosensor consists of liposomes entrapping sulforhodamine B that are coated with streptavidin on the outside, and polyethersulfone membranes with anti-fluorescein antibodies immobilized in the detection zone. In order to transform the generic biosensor into a specific DNA/RNA biosensor, two oligonucleotides that are able to hybridize to the target sequence were labeled with a biotin and a fluorescein molecule, respectively. By simultaneously incubating the liposomes, both oligonucleotides, and the target sequence in a hybridization buffer for 20-30 min at 42 degrees C, a sandwich complex was formed. The mixture was applied to the polyethersulfone membrane. The complex was captured in the detection zone and quantified using a hand-held reflectometer. The system was tested using RNA sequences from B. anthracis, C. parvum and E. coli. Quantitation of concentrations between 10 fmol and 1000 fmol (10-1000 nM) was possible without altering any biosensor assay conditions. In addition, no changes to hybridization conditions were required when using authentic nucleic acid sequence-based amplified RNA sequences, and the generic biosensor compared favorably with those previously developed specifically for the RNA sequences. Therefore, the universal biosensor described is an excellent tool, for use in laboratories or at test sites, for rapidly investigating and quantifying any nucleic acid sequence of interest, as well as potentially any antigen of interest that can be bound by two antibodies simultaneously.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Interaction of the repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) with target genes.

The repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) has been proposed to restrict expression of repressor element 1 (RE1) bearing genes to differentiated neurons by silencing their expression in non-neural tissue. Here, we have examined the interaction of REST with the M(4) muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene. We show that REST binds to the RE1 of the M(4) gene in those cell lines and brain regions where the M(4) gene is expressed but not in those where the M(4) is not expressed. Furthermore, in cells that express M(4), the presence of REST represses but is insufficient to silence transcription of M(4). In non-neural cells REST is absent from the RE1 of the silent M(4) gene and perturbation of REST function fails to induce M(4) expression. We propose that REST acts to regulate expression levels of some RE1-bearing genes in neural cells, thereby playing an important role in defining neuronal activity.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Effect of humeral condylar resection on strength and functional outcome after semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Under certain conditions it is standard practice to excise ununited humeral condyles during insertion of a semiconstrained total elbow prosthesis. Since the osseous origins of the common extensors and flexor-pronator muscles are lost, it has been postulated that this excision has a negative effect on strength. We are not aware of any previous study in which this issue has been investigated with use of standardized, objective testing of muscle strength. METHODS: We used objective testing to determine the effect of condylar resection on the muscle strength of the elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand in thirty-two patients who had undergone total elbow arthroplasty. To eliminate bias, the normal, contralateral limb served as the control, and all strength values are given as a percentage of the normal side. The humeral condyles were intact in sixteen patients and had been resected in the other sixteen. Patient demographics were similar in the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to strength of pronation (103% of the normal side in the group with intact condyles compared with 89% in the group with resection of the condyles; p = 0.40), supination (68% compared with 89%; p = 0.49), wrist flexion (66% compared with 56%; p = 0.46), wrist extension (75% compared with 65%; p = 0.40), or grip strength (83% compared with 72%; p = 0.40). There was also no difference between the two groups with regard to the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (79 points in the group with intact condyles compared with 77 points in the group with resection of the condyles; p = 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Condylar resection has a minimal, clinically irrelevant effect on forearm, wrist, and hand strength and no effect on the Mayo Elbow Performance Score following total elbow arthroplasty. Thus, the findings of our study support the practice of condylar resection, which simplifies total elbow arthroplasty for many conditions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2002

Social sciences in malaria control.

The second annual meeting of the Partnership for Social Sciences in Malaria Control was held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, from 8 to 10 January 2002.

Animals↗