Although the microscopic examination of stool samples remains the reference method of choice for the diagnosis of intestinal protistan infections, this method is time-consuming and requires experienced and well-trained operators. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of agreement between the BD MAX TM Enteric Parasite Panel (EPP) and microscopy for the detection of Giardia intestinalis (Lambl, 1859), Cryptosporidium spp. and Entamoeba histolytica Schaudinn, 1903 in stool samples. The study included faecal samples of 362 patients who were admitted to our hospital due to gastrointestinal complaints. In the microscopic examination, which was made with the native-lugol method on the stool samples that were taken from the patients, cysts, trophozoites and eggs of the parasite were examined. The diagnosis of G. intestinalis, Cryptosporidium parvum Tyzzer, 1912 and Cryptosporidium hominis Morgan-Ryan, Fall, Ward, Hijjawi, Sulaiman, Fayer, Thompson, Olson, Lal et Xiao, 2002, and E. histolytica was made in the faecal samples using the EPP assay. and In the microscopic examination, Cryptosporidium spp. positive stool samples were stained with kinyoun's acid-fast. In the microscopic examination, parasites were detected in 41 (11%) of the 362 stool samples. In contrast, EPP assay identified parasites in 23 (6.3%) of the samples. In the microscopic examination, E. histolytica and Entamoeba dispar Brumpt, 1925 were detected in 22 (6.1%) of the samples, G. intestinalis was seen in 15 (4.1%), and C. parvum or C. hominis were detected in three (0.8%); these values were five (1.4%), 16 (4.4%) and two (0.5%) positive with the EPP assay. Although C. parvum or C. hominis were detected as positive in the microscopic examination of three samples, only two of the samples were positive in both EPP assay and kinyoun's acid-fast method. The EPP assay is a relatively simple test that can distinguish E. histolytica and E. dispar, but it cannot replace microscopy in the diagnosis of amoebiasis. Diagnosis for G. intestinalis and C. parvum/C. hominis with the BD MAXTM enteric parasite panel was equivalent to that with microscopy. We believe that E. histolytica must be diagnosed with nucleic acid amplification tests that have a high sensitivity and specificity like EPP assay in certain patient groups.
According to previous observations, it was hypothesized that the feeding behavior of some ant species would be deterred by a scavenger deterrent factor (SDF), whereas for other species it would not. The effects of the SDF were studied on 11 ant species in three different subfamilies: Dolichoderinae Forel, 1878, Formicinae Latreille, 1809, and Myrmicinae Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835. The experiments were conducted from 2014-2015 in Davis, California, United States, Aydin, Turkey, and Duzce, Turkey. Five-day-old Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Poinar, 1976), (Hb)-killed and freeze-killed Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) were exposed to ant colonies in the field for 3 to 4 h. Seven ant species fed significantly less on Hb-killed insects than freeze-killed insect. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in cadaver consumption with five species, but Liometopum occidentale Emery, 1895 did consume a higher rate of Hb-killed insects than freeze-killed insects and was not deterred by SDF. It was also observed that four ant species took Hb-killed insects into the nests, but two Myrmicinae species, Pogonomyrmex subdentatus Mayr, 1870 and Messor meridionalis (André, 1883) removed the cadavers after 30 min, whereas two Formicinae species, Cataglyphis nodus (Brullé, 1833) and Formica fusca Linnaeus, 1758, retained the cadavers in the nest. It was assumed that the latter two species consumed both Hb-killed and freeze-killed insects. Further studies are needed to explain why L. occidentale C. nodus and F. fusca are not deterred by SDF., Baris Gulcu, Selcuk Hazir, Edwin E. Lewis, Harry K. Kaya., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This study aims to investigate serum makorin ring finger protein 3 (MKRN3) levels in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) and premature thelarche (PT), in order to determine whether circulating MKRN3 level is associated with ICPP and PT. A total of 90 girls were enrolled in the study. 30 age-matched girls were allocated for each group (ICPP, PT and healthy controls [HC], respectively). The base LH (B-LH) and E2 levels were higher in ICPP girls than those in HC and PT girls. The peak LH (P-LH) levels and P-LH/P-FSH values were obviously higher in ICPP girls than those in PT girls, while higher peak FSH (P-FSH) levels were detected in PT girls when compared to those in ICPP girls. Kisspeptin levels were lower in HC girls than those in ICPP and PT girls. MKRN3 levels were the highest in HC girls among the three groups. There were relatively strong negative correlations among MKRN3, kisspeptin and P-LH/P-FSH. Circulating MKRN3 can have an important role in the onset of ICPP and PT. However, this should not be used as an independent diagnostic criterion for diagnosing ICPP or differentiating ICPP from PT, but should be used only as an adjunctive diagnostic biomarker.
Livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) have been used for centuries to reduce depredation on livestock and, more recently, to facilitate the conservation of threatened carnivores. Conservation organisations in southern Africa promote the use of Anatolian shepherds as LGDs. However, livestock farmers in Botswana use a variety of breeds for this purpose, including local landrace “Tswana” dogs. Our study sought to test the overall effectiveness of these local breeds as LGDs. Irrespective of breed, all LGDs reduced livestock losses, with 47.9% of farmers experiencing no losses after obtaining a guarding dog. Owners with more LGDs, and LGDs of a single sex, had greater reductions in livestock losses. Anatolian shepherds displayed more behavioural problems than other breeds in our study. The health of LGDs was reliant on them receiving a balanced diet, and owners with fewer dogs reported fewer health issues. Moreover, Tswana guarding dogs were cheaper to purchase and feed than their purebred counterparts. Our results show that local landrace dogs can be considered a cheaper and more practical alternative to purebred LGDs for reducing livestock losses and for mitigating human-wildlife conflict in Botswana.
Tracking and sniffer dogs have been employed in a variety of law enforcement roles world-wide and are increasingly utilized to combat wildlife crimes (i.e. poaching and trafficking). I examined the K-9 counter--poaching unit based at Akagera National Park in Rwanda. I discuss motivations and reasoning for the unit's creation, and examine the challenges faced and methods used to overcome these. I also highlight successes and best practices in place at the Park. The major challenge encountered is health issues related to the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma spp. Minor budgetary and facility challenges exist. Developing in-house solutions such as setting up a small clinic and basic veterinary training for handlers have reduced health risks and costs. Crossbreeding the original tracking dogs from Europe with local dogs from the communities around the park has been a success. Puppies bred and trained on-site offer affordable alternatives to purchasing additional dogs from abroad. The cross-bred dogs may also be better suited for working in the Akagera environment but further scientific study is needed to understand this. Additional successes include training dogs to track both on- and off-lead, allowing for a unit with multiple skill sets and more efficient, faster tracking.
Recent studies reported association of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) with testosterone and vitamin D deficiency. Low testosterone and vitamin D levels have been linked to fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). However, the impact of testosterone and vitamin D deficiency on EDS in subjects with SDB remains unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the predictors of EDS in habitual snorers. Role of testosterone, and vitamin D was studied in detail. We also looked for associations between testosterone, vitamin D, and sleep-related indices. We prospectively enrolled 291 consecutive male patients with habitual snoring. Baseline clinical characteristics were recorded on admission. Standard overnight polysomnography was performed to detect SDB, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was used to assess EDS. Blood samples were obtained in a fasting condition in the morning after polysomnography to determine levels of testosterone and vitamin D. Respiratory disturbance index (RDI) (95 % CI: 1.004-1.024, p=0.005) and the use of antihistamines (95 % CI: 1.083-11.901, p=0.037) were the only independent variables significantly associated with EDS in binary logistic regression analysis. In linear multiple regression analysis, body mass index (BMI) (Beta=-0.282, p˂0.001) and oxygen desaturation index (Beta=-0.150, p=0.043) were the only independent variables significantly associated with testosterone levels, and BMI (Beta=-0.142, p=0.016) was the only independent variable significantly associated with vitamin D. We failed to find any independent association of testosterone and vitamin D with subjectively rated EDS among habitual snorers. Our results suggest an independent association between the magnitude of nocturnal desaturation and testosterone levels., Pavel Šiarnik, Matúš Jurík, Miroslava Hardoňová, Katarína Klobučníková, Jakub Veverka, Pavol Šurda, Peter Turčáni, Branislav Kollár., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Exercise can improve the cardiovascular health. However, the mechanism contributing to its beneficial effect on elderly patients with myocardial infarction is obscure. 20-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish myocardial infarction (MI) model by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) of the heart, followed by 4-week interval exercise training on a motor-driven rodent treadmill. The cardiac function, myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses were determined by using pressure transducer catheter, polygraph physiological data acquisition system, Masson's trichrome staining, and ELISA to evaluate the impact of post-MI exercise training on MI. Western blot were performed to detect the activation of AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling in the hearts of aged rats. Exercise training significantly improved cardiac function and reduced the cardiac fibrosis. In infarcted heart, the apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation were significantly reduced after 4-week exercise training. Mechanistically, AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway was activated in the myocardial infarction area after exercise training, which might participate in the protection of cardiac function. Exercise training improves cardiac function in MI rats through reduction of apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation, which may mediate by the activation of AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.
Exercise tolerance in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis IPF is mainly limited by mechanical constrain of ventilation and high physiologic dead space. Oxygen enriched gas inhalation seems to increase ventilatory efficiency by reduction of dead space to tidal volume ratio (VD/VT) which probably mirrors improved pulmonary capillary flow and leads to longer physical tolerance at lower level of minute ventilation. The effect is noticeable at FIO2 that can be delivered in rehabilitation purposes or daily living activities.
FeNO measurement is a validated non-invasive technique, which
is used for diagnosis and monitoring of asthma. It would be
desirable to find a reliable method to monitor allergic rhinitis (AR)
via measurement of FeNO, and/or nasal nitric oxide (nNO). The
aim of our study was the assessment of the efficacy of FeNO and
nNO as markers in AR treatment. FeNO and nNO were measured
with the portable NO analyser (NIOX MINO®) in healthy
participants and in patients with AR. The patients were examined
during the pollen season and out of it. The effect of local
corticosteroids and antihistamine therapy was observed in
patients with AR during pollen season after three weeks of
therapy. There are significant differences between FeNO and
nNO in patients with AR compared to healthy controls at all set
points of measurements. While FeNO responded well to the
treatment with both antihistamines and combined therapy, nNO
decreased only after combined therapy with antihistamines and
nasal corticosteroids. nNO monitoring alone is not a suitable
method to monitor inflammation of the upper airways in AR and
its suppression by anti-allergic treatment and should be
correlated with other markers as FeNO or symptom scores.
An infection model for sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo (Walbaum) challenged with the myxosporean Enteromyxum leei (Diamant, Lom et Dyková, 1994), resembling the natural infection conditions, was used to evaluate the antiparasitic efficacy of a functional diet. Fish of an average weight of 12.5 ± 1.2 g were delivered either a functional (included as feed supplement at 0.3% levels) or a control extruded diet. After four weeks of administration of the experimental diets, fish were challenged with the parasites (cohabitation with infected donors; donor: recipient ratio 1 : 1). The experiment was terminated four weeks after the start of the challenge. At the end of the experiment, growth and feeding (specific growth rate and feed efficiency), as well as immunological parameters (respiratory burst activity, antibacterial activities, hemoglobin concentration, anti-protease activity and ceruloplasmin activity) were measured along with cumulative mortality and total parasitic count in the gut. No significant difference was evident with regard to growth and feeding performance, mortality, gut parasitic load or immunological parameters as the parasitical challenge significantly affected both the performance of the control and functional diet fed fish. However, there was a less prominent impact on antibacterial, anti-protease and ceruloplasmin activity in fish fed with the functional diet. Overall, the present study validated the experimental cohabitation infection model and evaluated the efficacy of a functional ingredient as an antiparasitic agent, showing some potential effects on the fish immune response.