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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Endoscopic diagnosis of early gastric cancer by the endoscopic Congo red-methylene blue test.

The endoscopic Congo red test combined with dyeing with methylene blue was performed in 85 patients with early gastric cancer (94 lesions). Results revealed that gastric cancer bleached the Congo red and methylene blue sprayed over their surface and this appeared in sharp contrast to the red-colored mucosa of unaffected areas. Grossly, polypoid and flat types, and histologically differentiated adenocarcinomas bleached the dyes more frequently and more intensely than depressed and undifferentiated adenocarcinomas. Thus the spread of cancerous growth could be judged rather accurately and so the target area could be reached by biopsy in cases where there were few if any visual signs of abnormality.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2001

Eight hundred-year-old human remains from the Ituri tropical forest, Democratic Republic of Congo: the rock shelter site of Matangai Turu Northwest.

Little is known about human prehistory in the central African lowland tropical forest due to a paucity of archaeological evidence. Here we report results from our archaeological investigations of a late Holocene site in the northeast Congo Basin, with emphasis on a single skeleton from the rock shelter site of Matangai Turu Northwest, in the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo. The skeleton dates from approximately 810 BP (1235 calibrated AD) and is associated with Later Stone Age lithics, animal bone and shell remains from wild taxa, fruit endocarps from forest trees, phytoliths from tropical forest plants, Late Iron Age ceramics, and a single iron artifact. Phytolith analysis indicates that the habitat was dense tropical forest, without evidence of domesticated food.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

An approach to understand the complexation of supramolecular dye Congo red with immunoglobulin L chain lambda.

Congo red, a dye of high self-assembling tendency, has been found to form complexes with proteins by adhesion of the ribbon-like supramolecular ligand to polypeptide chains of beta-conformation. Complexation is allowed by local or global protein instability, facilitating penetration of the dye to the locus of its binding. At elevated temperatures, L chain lambda of myeloma origin was found to form two distinct complexes with Congo red, easily differentiated in electrophoresis as slow- and fast-migrating fractions, bearing four- and eight-dye-molecule ligands, respectively, in the V domain of each individual chain. The slow-migrating complex is formed after displacement of the N-terminal polypeptide chain fragment (about 20 residues) from its packing locus, thereby exposing the entrance to the binding cavity. In this work the formation and stability of this complex was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effect of three- and five-molecule ligands introduced to the site binding the dye was also analyzed in an attempt to understand the formation of fast-migrating complexes. The wedging of the ligand containing five dye molecules, hence longer than established experimentally as the maximum for the slow-migrating complex, was found to generate significant structural changes. These changes were assumed to represent the crossing of the threshold on the way to forming a fast-migrating complex more capacious for dyes. They led to almost general destabilization of the V domain, making it susceptible to extra dye complexation. Theoretical studies were designed in close reference to experimental findings concerning the number of dye molecules in the ligand inserted to the site binding the dye, the location of the site in the domain, and the conditions of formation of the complexes. The results of the two kinds of studies appeared coherent.

Computational Biology↗
PubMed2004

Epidemic resurgence of Chikungunya virus in democratic Republic of the Congo: identification of a new central African strain.

The resurgence of Chikungunya virus is described during an urban epidemic in Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo, after 39 years without any isolation of the virus. Chikungunya virus was isolated in sera from nine patients with clinical symptoms. A 1,200 bp long partial sequence of the E1/3'UTR genomic region was determined for each isolate. All sequences clustered in the central African lineage. They constitute Chikungunya virus reference sequences for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Alphavirus Infections↗
PubMed2000

A beta fibrillogenesis: kinetic parameters for fibril formation from congo red binding.

Using Scatchard analysis, we have formulated as a function of time and pH the relationship between the binding of Congo red to Alzheimer's beta-amyloid and the aggregation number (i.e., monomer concentration within fibrils) as defined by nucleation-dependent self-assembly. This provides a basis on which to determine the kinetic parameters for fibril formation from the observed concentration of bound Congo red.

Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
PubMed1994

Diagnosis of colorectal tumors by the endoscopic Congo red-methylene blue test.

The endoscopic Congo red-methylene blue test was performed on 51 tumors of the large intestine. Results revealed that colorectal adenocarcinomas and adenomas bleached the Congo red and methylene blue sprayed over their surface and so appeared in sharp contrast to the bluish red mucosa of unaffected areas. No bleaching of the dyes was observed on the surface of non-neoplastic polyps. Moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas, submucosal or advanced cancers, and adenomas with severe atypia bleached the dyes most frequently. Thus this test facilitates early detection of colorectal tumors.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1979

A comparative study of the Crimean hemorrhagic fever-Congo group of viruses.

Twelve strains of the Crimean hemorrhagic fever (CHF)-Congo group of viruses the Bunyaviridae family were investigated with respect to sensitivity to lipid solvents and temperature, pathogenicity for animals, interactions with cell cultures and antigenic relationships. Complement fixation, agar gel diffusion and precipitation, immunofluorescence and neutralization tests showed Hazara virus to have a number of features distinguishing it from the other antigenic type of the CHF-Congo group.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Highly sensitive diagnosis of amyloid and various amyloid syndromes using Congo red fluorescence.

In order to find how best to diagnose amyloid deposits as early as possible, the sensitivity of three different methods that can be applied to the diagnosis of amyloid in tissue sections have been compared: the Congo red staining method (CR), the combination of CR and immunocytochemistry (CRIC) and Congo red fluorescence (CRF). Tissue blocks were available from 25 patients, including 11 with immunohistochemically distinct and 3 with chemically undefined amyloid diseases. The results revealed (a) that CRF is more sensitive than either CR or CRIC, as shown qualitatively and quantitatively, (b) that CRF can therefore be utilized to track down even minute amyloid deposits, which can be missed by the other two methods; (c) that the specificity of CRF and CRIC is secured on double-stained sections by the demonstration of green birefringence (GB) of the CRF-marked and IC-marked areas; (d) that CRF can be performed on the spot by just changing the light source; and (e) that CRF is not hampered by the congruent IC chromogen overlay, which ensures the specific classification of the amyloid deposits as applied to different amyloid classes. In conclusion, CRF was demonstrated to be the most sensitive method for direct diagnosis of amyloid in tissue sections. This method can, therefore, allow the earliest diagnosis and classification of amyloid, which is a good basis for an amyloid class-specific therapy while organ damage is still minimal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Genetic diversity of HIV-1 group M from Cameroon and Republic of Congo.

We analyzed 57 HIV-1 isolates from Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, with respect to the env C2V3 and/or the pol integrase regions. The results indicated that the topology of the pol tree correlated well with that of the env tree for four clusters of subtype D, F G and H, suggesting that these trees reflect the true evolution of the overall genome structures of these subtypes. However, of 22 Cameroonian isolates that were classified as subtype A based on env, 20 of them diverged in their pol sequence into two lineages that were completely different from the prototypical subtype A, tentatively designated as subtypes A1 and A2. The subtype A1 isolates (6 out of 22) were related in their env C2V3 regions with prototypical subtype A strain, but in their pol regions, they formed an independent cluster that diverged from known HIV-1 subtypes so far reported (except for subtypes I and J). The subtype A2 isolates (14 out of 22), which represent the major epidemic type of HIV-1 in Cameroon, clustered distinctly in both the env and pol trees with the recently described A/G mosaic strains from Nigeria and Djibouti. These two lineages were not spreading in the neighboring Republic of Congo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

The complete genomic sequence of strain ROS/HUVLV-100, a representative Russian Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strain.

The complete genomic sequence (minus primer-generated ends) of the laboratory-adapted Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) strain ROS/HUVLV-100, isolated in 2003 from the blood of a deceased female from the Rostov region of southern European Russia, was determined by direct sequencing of overlapping reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction amplified products. The size of the ROS/HUVLV-100 genome is 19.2 kilobases--individual genome segments are similar in size and sequence features to previously reported "Europe-1" group CCHFV strains. The low-passage ROS/HUVLV-100 strain is the first Russian Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus isolate for which complete sequence information is available, and this work reports the first complete genomic CCHFV sequence determined from a single viral RNA preparation in the same laboratory.

Female↗
PubMed1982

The congo red test to determine completeness of vagotomy: clinical application.

Over the past 5 years, we have evaluated the Congo red test for vagal competence as to its reliability under varied clinical conditions both intraoperatively and postoperatively. Our technique has been useful and accurate in approximately 200 patients. Insuring completeness of vagotomy during the operation has been of use in 42 patients uncovering an unsuspected incomplete vagotomy in 4. In a series of 31 patients with recurrent ulcer symptoms, the documentation of the cause as well as the presence of the ulcer is possible with one simple maneuver--endoscopy. Furthermore, the test has been utilized postoperatively in over 100 patients to determine the longevity of a negative test as well as the clinical sequelae of apositive study. With a trend to more selective vagal section and a continuing significant incidence of recurrent ulceration, we are convinced that the congo red test is an important adjunct to the surgical care of ulcer patients.

Congo Red↗
PubMed1983

The sheep as a potential reservoir of human trypanosomiasis in the Republic of the Congo.

The identical electrophoretic isoenzyme patterns of a human-plasma-resistant Trypanozoon stock from a sheep and of two other stocks from trypanosomiasis patients in the Congo Republic indicated that the sheep stock was probably infective to man. These, and one further human stock from the Congo, closely resembled stocks isolated from man in Liberia and Ivory Coast.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[A community battle against a tropical endemic disease: supernatural beliefs and tsetse fly traps in the Congo].

Community participation in the control of tropical diseases is of major importance nowadays, particularly for sleeping sickness (Gambian trypanosomiasis). Indeed, the authoritarian measures used with success to control this disease during the colonial period are difficult to apply now. Moreover, in the Congo, cultural and financial restrictions are such that patients sometimes refuse treatment. Thus, it has become highly desirable for vector control to be carried out at the same time as the treatment of patients. Trapping tsetse flies (or Glossina) is an ingenious and effective anti-vectorial method which has been tested in 55 villages of the Congo. The blue-black pyramid trap used does not require insecticide impregnation, and is hung in the branches by means of a capture-bag containing diesel oil. These trials, conducted in the sleeping sickness focus of the Niari river, have demonstrated the feasibility of local communities taking over the responsibility for the traps, while at the same time revealing certain obstacles. Indeed, the efficacy of this method depends on the optimization of trapping. This involves the determination of strategic capture sites by periodically harvesting the flies and moving the traps in order to catch the maximum number of flies. It also involves regular maintenance of the traps (i.e. repairs, checking the capture bag, clearing vegetation...). However, although these activities would appear to be feasible at community level, they are not always carried out satisfactorily. This results in the insufficient viability of the traps and finally to the reinvasion of the treated area by the tsetse. This study presents aspects of the present-day Congolese socio-cultural environment characterized by the revitalization of traditional Bantou mysticism and religious worship. The possessors of the 'Vital Force' or Kundu (sorcerers and healers) are confronted at night in an 'over-reality' consisting of the visible reality together with innumberable beings and objects existing specifically in the invisible state. This nocturnal confrontation may modify the local balance of power and relationships, and is also thought to cause certain symptoms of sleeping sickness and other diseases. During the colonial period, Kundu was prohibited. Under the influence of the Christian church, and because of the progress of modern medicine, the power of the sorcerers and healers gradually decreased. Then, in the 1960s, the eruption of Marxism as an anti-religious theory, modified the balance of power once more.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Comparative studies on the vector capacity of the different stages of Amblyomma variegatum Fabricius and Hyalomma rufipes Koch for Congo virus, after intracoelomic inoculation.

Groups of nymphs and adults of Hyalomma rufipes and larvae, nymphs and adults of Amblyomma variegatum were infected by intracoelomic inoculation with Congo virus at concentrations of 10(3.5)LD50 (Group A), 10(1.5)LD50 (Group B) and 10(0.5)LD50 (Group C). The infection rates for the different groups were: Groups A, 92-100% for all stages of ticks, except for adult H. rufipes which had 87%; Group B, 56.8, 68.1 and 50.7% for larvae, nymphs and adults of A. variegatum, respectively, and 96.3 and 84.4% for nymphs and adults of H. rufipes, respectively; Group C, 0% for larvae, nymphs and adults of A. variegatum and 8 and 1.7%, respectively, for nymphs and adult adult of H. rufipes. The 1-5% infection threshold was 10(0.5)LD50 for nymphs of H. rufipes and a dose greater than this for all the other stages of the two species of ticks. The 50% infection threshold was 10(1.5)LD50 for larvae and adults of A. variegatum, but less than 10(1.5)LD50 for nymphs of A. variegatum and nymphs and adults of H. rufipes. Peak virus titres obtained for H. rufipes were 10(6.0) for Group A and B nymphs and 10(3.0) for Group A and B adults, and 10(1.0) each for Group C nymphs and adults. For A. variegatum, the peak titres for Groups A, B and C were, respectively, 10(1.0), 10(0.8), and 0 for nymphs and 10(1.5), 10(0.6) and 0 for adults. Sera from 100% (24/24) of rabbits used to feed adult H. rufipes and from 65% (31/48) used to feed nymphs and adult A. variegatum were positive for compliment fixation antibody to Congo virus at a titre of 1:8 from Days 15-35 postattachment of ticks. Viremia in rabbit was detected in 12.5% (3/25) of rabbits used to feed adult H. rufipes.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

In vivo chloroquine resistance and prevalence of the pfcrt codon 76 mutation in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from the Republic of Congo.

Chloroquine (CQ) resistance in Plasmodium falciparum has been particularly associated with mutations in the pfcrt gene. The present study was carried out in the malaria hyperendemic town of Brazzaville (Republic of Congo, Central Africa) where CQ is still recommended and used as a first-line drug for P. falciparum malaria. We assessed the efficacy of CQ in vivo, and the association between pfcrt mutation at codon 76 and treatment outcome in 50 children with uncomplicated malaria. The failure rate on day 28 was 95.7% and the pfcrt K76T mutation was present in 100% of isolates. No variation in the multiplicity of infection was observed in pre- and post-treatment isolates. In further 87 isolates from uncomplicated patients not treated with CQ, the mutation was detected in 98.5% of isolates. This study confirms the high level of in vivo resistance to CQ and shows the high prevalence of pfcrt K76T mutation in the Republic of Congo.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of infant Vitamin A deficiency and undernutrition in the Republic of Congo.

OBJECTIVES: A representative sample of 5722 pre-school children living in rural and urban areas of the Congo was examined between July and September 1999 for assessing Vitamin A deficiency. METHODS: Using a randomized two-level cluster sampling method, 190 clusters of 30 children aged from 6 months to 6 years were selected in order to assess the prevalence of active xerophthalmia (night blindness and/or Bitot spots). Concurrently, the children's height and weight were determined. A semi-quantitative seven-day dietary questionnaire was applied to the mothers of 5722 children to estimate the latter's consumption of Vitamin A rich foodstuffs. The prevalence of biochemical deficiency was assessed based on the serum retinol concentrations analyzed in dried blood spots from a sub-sample of 300 children living in the Pointe-Noire area. RESULTS: Among the 5722 children studied, 0.7% were found to suffer from night blindness and 7.7% had Bitot spots. The weekly intake of Vitamin A rich foods was estimated in 5722 children. Our data suggest that Vitamin A rich food consumption was lower in rural zones than in urban area according to the food frequency method threshold values. The serum retinol levels were lower than 10 microg/dl in 18% (95% confidence interval [C.I.]: 13.7, 22.3) [8.04+/-2.87 microg/dl] and less than 20 microg/dl in 49% (95% C.I.: 43.4, 54.6) [15.05+/-2.76 microg/dl] of the 300 studied children. We have established a significant relation between mean serum retinol levels and high rate of Vitamin A food intake (chi-square=59.64, 2 d.d.l., p<0.05) in the sample studied. The mean serum retinol concentrations did not differ significantly between the various Z-scores of weight for age (W/A) and height for age (H/A) patterns. But children with a weight for height (W/H) ratio below -2 standard deviation (S.D.) had significantly lower serum retinol values [9.33+/-1.3 microg/dl] than those with a W/H ratio greater than or equal to -2S.D. [10.82+/-4.84 microg/dl]. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that Vitamin A deficiency is still a serious public health problem in rural areas of the Congo in which this study was carried out.

Body Height↗
PubMed2004

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease caused by the arbovirus Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), which is a member of the Nairovirus genus (family Bunyaviridae). CCHF was first recognized during a large outbreak among agricultural workers in the mid-1940s in the Crimean peninsula. The disease now occurs sporadically throughout much of Africa, Asia, and Europe and results in an approximately 30% fatality rate. After a short incubation period, CCHF is characterized by a sudden onset of high fever, chills, severe headache, dizziness, back, and abdominal pains. Additional symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, neuropsychiatric, and cardiovascular changes. In severe cases, hemorrhagic manifestations, ranging from petechiae to large areas of ecchymosis, develop. Numerous genera of ixodid ticks serve both as vector and reservoir for CCHFV; however, ticks in the genus Hyalomma are particularly important to the ecology of this virus. In fact, occurrence of CCHF closely approximates the known world distribution of Hyalomma spp. ticks. Therefore, exposure to these ticks represents a major risk factor for contracting disease; however, other important risk factors are known and are discussed in this review. In recent years, major advances in the molecular detection of CCHFV, particularly the use of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), in clinical and tick samples have allowed for both rapid diagnosis of disease and molecular epidemiology studies. Treatment options for CCHF are limited. Immunotherapy and ribavirin have been tried with varying degrees of success during sporadic outbreaks of disease, but no case-controlled trials have been conducted. Consequently, there is currently no antiviral treatment for CCHF approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, renewed interested in CCHFV, as well as increased knowledge of its basic biology, may lead to improved therapies in the future. This article reviews the history, epidemiology, ecology, clinical features, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of CCHF. In addition, recent advances in the molecular biology of CCHFV are presented, and issues related to its possible use as a bioterrorism agent are discussed.

Animals↗