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Abstract Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders that are found in high prevalences in the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. These diseases provide varying levels of resistance to malaria and are proposed to have emerged as an adaptive response to malaria in these regions. The transition to agriculture in the Holocene has been suggested to have influenced the selection for thalassemia in the Mediterranean as land clearance for farming encouraged interaction between Anopheles mosquitos, the vectors for malaria, and human groups. Here we document macroscopic and microscopic skeletal evidence for the presence of thalassemia in both hunter-gatherer (Con Co Ngua) and early agricultural (Man Bac) populations in northern Vietnam. Firstly, our findings demonstrate that thalassemia emerged prior to the transition to agriculture in Mainland Southeast Asia, from at least the early seventh millennium BP, contradicting a long-held assumption that agriculture was the main driver for an increase in malaria in Southeast Asia. Secondly, we describe evidence for significant malarial burden in the region during early agriculture. We argue that the introduction of farming into the region was not the initial driver of the selection for thalassemia, as it may have been in other regions of the world.

Background: Current protocols recommend the use of a blunt needle to access the arteriovenous fistula via a buttonhole. This study aims to demonstrate whether a sharp needle can be used at the same buttonhole site without causing complications., Goal: To measure and compare fistula cannulation failures between the use of blunt and sharp needles. PLAN: Open-crossover randomised controlled trial., Participants: Adult out-patients who had provided consent and were on dialysis with a mature arteriovenous fistula and buttonhole cannulation., Outcome Measures: Failed cannulation-difficulty in inserting the needle and the trampoline effect; incidence of complications, such as infection and haematomas; times to haemostasis; patients' pain; and patients' preferences., Results: Based on analysis of the data from the 35 patients enrolled, no significant differences were detected in failed cannulation of the fistulae between the use of a blunt needle and a sharp needle for the 335 venous accesses (p = 0.071). However, a significant difference was detected for the 335 arterial accesses (p = 0.001), in which the sharp needle was more effective. Significant differences were also detected in the difficulty of insertion and in the trampoline effect for both venous and arterial access (p < 0.05); the use of a sharp needle was more favourable., Conclusion: This study demonstrates an increased incidence of failed cannulation using a blunt needle compared with using a sharp needle, although this was not significant. In addition, the use of a sharp needle did not result in any increase in complications., (© 2015 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.)

Introduction: Bioecological aspects of anophelines (Diptera: Culicidae) near areas under the direct influence of the hydroelectric plant reservoir of Serra da Mesa in Goiás, Brazil, were analyzed., Methods: Samples were collected at the surrounding dam area during the phases before and after reservoir impoundment. The influence of climatic and environmental factors on the occurrence of Anopheles darlingi, Anopheles albitarsis, Anopheles triannulatus, Anopheles oswaldoi and Anopheles evansae was assessed using Pearson's correlations with indicators for richness and diversity as well as the index of species abundance (ISA) and the standardized index of species abundance (SISA)., Results: The highest anopheline density occurred during the phase after filling the tank; however, no direct correlation with the climatic factors was observed during this stage. The reservoir formation determined the incidence of the anopheline species. An. darlingi was the predominant species (SISA = 1.00)., Conclusions: The significant difference (p < 0.05) observed between the species incidence during the different reservoir phases demonstrates the environmental effect of the reservoir on anophelines.

In an effort to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in Brazil, we sampled serum from horses and chickens from the Pantanal region of the state of Mato Grosso and tested for flavivirus-reactive antibodies by blocking ELISA. The positive samples were further confirmed for serological evidence of WNV infection in three (8%) of the 38 horses and one (3.2%) of the 31 chickens using an 80% plaque-reduction neutralisation test (PRNT80). These results provide evidence of the circulation of WNV in chickens and horses in Pantanal.