Clinical cases of melioidosis caused by the saprophyte Burkholderia pseudomallei were first noted in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) in 1999. In this study, 36% of 110 soil samples in northern Lao PDR were positive for B. pseudomallei, providing further evidence for the presence of melioidosis in this country.

A prospective surveillance program for influenza viruses was established in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) in July of 2005. We report isolation of H5N1 virus genetically distinct from H5N1 circulating in 2004, which indicates reintroduction of H5N1 into Lao PDR after its disappearance (i.e., no virologic or serologic evidence) for 2 years.

The Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) committed to pandemic detection and response preparations when faced with the threat of avian influenza. Since 2006, the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology of Lao PDR has developed credible laboratory, surveillance, and epidemiological (human) capacity and as a result was designated a World Health Organization National Influenza Center in ...

Although biplane right anterior oblique-left anterior oblique (RAO/LAO) quantitative left ventricular (LV) angiography is commonly performed, justification of LV volume calculation using the area length method (originally formulated from anteroposterior-lateral (AP/LAT) angiograms) has been limited. To assess whether RAO/LAO and AP/LAT LV volumes are similar when computed by the area length met...

BACKGROUND Given the restricted distribution of Schistosoma mekongi in one province in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and two provinces in Cambodia, together with progress of the national control programmes aimed at reducing morbidity and infection prevalence, the elimination of schistosomiasis mekongi seems feasible. However, sensitive diagnostic tools will be required to determine...

Many nanofabrication methods based on scanning probe microscopy have been developed during the last decades. Local anodic oxidation (LAO) is one of such methods: Upon application of an electric field between tip and surface under ambient conditions, oxide patterning with nanometer-scale resolution can be performed with good control of dimensions and placement. LAO through the non-contact mode o...

The emergence of two-dimensional metallic states at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) heterostructure interface is known to occur at a critical thickness of four LAO layers. This insulator to-metal transition can be explained through the "polar catastrophe" mechanism arising from the divergence of the electrostatic potential at the LAO surface. Here, we demonstrate that nanostructuring can be effecti...

UNLABELLED Equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography (ERNA) scans are used to evaluate left ventricular function and pericardial anatomy. A photopenic "U-halo" around the cardiac blood pool in the left anterior oblique (LAO) view is commonly seen with pericardial effusion. We describe findings of false-positive pericardial effusion due to breast attenuation in cancer patients. METHODS Severa...

Spirituality, Gary Holthaus argues, is at the heart of the complex and related social and ecological crises that face humans. It is the key to creating a sustainable culture, and yet Holthaus observes that ‘‘I have yet to attend a meeting, lecture or workshop on sustainability that addresses it [spirituality]’’ (2008: 6). Holthaus sets out to convince his readers that this spiritual dimension i...

The emotion of pride has received complex and often opposing evaluations from scholars throughout history. On one hand, religious and philosophical thinkers have long decried the dangers of excessive pride, a view most famously put forth in the Biblical Proverb: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."' This negative view of pride was widespread among early Christian thi...