Biomedical subjects

Kevin Palmer

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin Palmer.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Financial costs of deworming children in all primary schools in Cambodia.

In 2002, Cambodia's Ministry of Health launched a deworming programme to deliver an anthelmintic drug (mebendazole 500 mg) and health education to 75% of its school children twice a year. Cambodia's school population is approximately 2.8 million. The deworming programme was organized into two phases: the first phase (December 2002-March 2003) targeted more than one million school children from 11 provinces; and the second phase (July 2003-January 2004) targeted the entire school population. The cost to treat each child was 12 cents (0.11 USD) during the first phase, 6 cents during the second phase, and 3 cents for re-treatment in areas where the campaign was conducted for the second time. The Cambodian experience demonstrates that, with political commitment, high coverage for deworming is achievable even in a country with minimal resources. Cambodia's deworming programme represents a successful model for other developing countries.

Anthelmintics↗

PubMed2004

Use of the DNA flow-thru chip, a three-dimensional biochip, for typing and subtyping of influenza viruses.

Influenza A viruses, which are further subtyped on the basis of antigenic differences in external hemagglutinin and neuraminidase glycoproteins, and influenza B viruses are prominent among the viral causes of respiratory diseases and can cause a wide spectrum of illness. Each year these viruses are responsible for recurrent epidemics, frequently in association with genetic variation. There is a requirement for sensitive and rapid diagnostic techniques in order to improve both the diagnosis of infections and the quality of surveillance systems. A new three-dimensional biochip platform (Flow-Thru Chip; MetriGenix) was used to develop a rapid and reliable molecular method for the typing and subtyping of influenza viruses. Oligonucleotide probes immobilized in microchannels of a silicon wafer were selected to recognize multiple fragments of the influenza A virus matrix protein gene; the influenza B virus NS gene; the H1, H3, and H5 hemagglutinin genes; and the N1 and N2 neuraminidase genes. Biotinylated amplicons resulting from either multiplex or random reverse transcription-PCR were hybridized to arrayed oligonucleotides on the influenza virus chip before they were stained with horseradish peroxidase-streptavidin and were imaged by use of a chemiluminescent substrate. The chip analysis procedure, from the time of pipetting of the sample into the chip cartridge to the time of analysis of the results, was performed in less than 5 h. The random PCR exhibited a higher level of performance than the multiplex PCR in terms of the specificity of product hybridization to the influenza virus chip. Analysis of influenza A viruses (H1N1, H3N2, H1N2, and H5N1) and influenza B viruses showed that this microarray-based method is capable of the rapid and unambiguous identification of all types and subtypes of viruses by use of random PCR products. The redundancy of the probes designed for each gene selected yielded an additional criterion of confidence for the subtyping of viruses which are known for antigenic variations in some of their components.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Managing risks.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2003

Mekong malaria. II. Update of malaria, multi-drug resistance and economic development in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.

In an expansion of the first Mekong Malaria monograph published in 1999, this second monograph updates the malaria database in the countries comprising the Mekong region of Southeast Asia. The update adds another 3 years' information to cover cumulative data from the 6 Mekong countries (Cambodia, China/Yunnan, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam) for the six-year period 1999-2001. The objective is to generate a more comprehensive regional perspective in what is a global epicenter of drug resistant falciparum malaria, in order to improve malaria control on a regional basis in the context of social and economic change. The further application of geographical information systems (GIS) to the analysis has underscored the overall asymmetry of disease patterns in the region, with increased emphasis on population mobility in disease spread. Of great importance is the continuing expansion of resistance of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs in common use and the increasing employment of differing drug combinations as a result. The variation in drug policy among the 6 countries still represents a major obstacle to the institution of region-wide restrictions on drug misuse. An important step forward has been the establishment of 36 sentinel sites throughout the 6 countries, with the objective of standardizing the drug monitoring process; while not all sentinel sites are fully operational yet, the initial implementation has already given encouraging results in relation to disease monitoring. Some decreases in malaria mortality have been recorded. The disease patterns delineated by GIS are particularly instructive when focused on inter-country distribution, which is where more local collaborative effort can be made to rationalize resource utilization and policy development. Placing disease data in the context of socio-economic trends within and between countries serves to further identify the needs and the potential for placing emphasis on resource rationalization on a regional basis. Despite the difficulties, the 6-year time frame represented in this monograph gives confidence that the now well established collaboration is becoming a major factor in improving malaria control on a regional basis and hopefully redressing to a substantial degree the key problem of spread of drug resistance regionally and eventually globally.

Animals↗