The present study is the first survey on the role of Artemia franciscana Kellogg as intermediate host of helminth parasites in its native geographical range in North America (previous studies have recorded nine cestode and one nematode species from this host in its invasive habitats in the Western Mediterranean). Samples of Artemia franciscana were collected from four sites in the Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah, across several months (June-September 2009). A. franciscana serves as intermediate host of five helminth species in this lake. Four of them are cestodes: three hymenolepidids, i.e. Confluaria podicipina (Szymanski, 1905) (adults parasitic in grebes), Hymenolepis (sensu lato) californicus Young, 1950 (adults parasitic in gulls), Wardium sp. (definitive host unknown, probably charadriiform birds), and one dilepidid, Fuhrmannolepis averini Spassky et Yurpalova, 1967 (adults parasitic in phalaropes). In addition, an unidentified nematode of the family Acuariidae was recorded. Confluaria podicipina is the most prevalent and abundant parasite at all sampling sites, followed by H. (s. l.) californicus. The species composition of the parasites and the spatial variations in their prevalence and abundance reflect the abundance and distribution of aquatic birds serving as their definitive hosts. The temporal dynamics of the overall helminth infections exhibits the highest prevalence in the last month of study at each site (August or September). This native population of A. franciscana from GSL is characterised with higher prevalence, intensity and abundance of the overall cestode infection compared to the introduced populations of this species in the Palaearctic Region. The values of the infection descriptors in the native population of A. franciscana are slightly lower or in some cases similar to those of the Palaearctic species Artemia parthenogenetica Barigozzi (diploid populations) and Artemia salina (Linnaeus) in their native habitats., Stella Redón, Nicole J. Berthelemy, Yasen Mutafchiev, Francisco Amat, Boyko B. Georgiev, Gergana P. Vasileva., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Parasitological examinations of 102 specimens of the lesser great cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis (Blumenbach) from two nesting regions in the Czech Republic (South Bohemia and South Moravia) were carried out at the Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences (previously the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences) in the years 1987-1992. In them, a total of 19 species of helminth parasites was found, including Trematoda (11 species), Cestoda (2), Nematoda (4) and Acanthocephala (2), which can be divided into three main groups regarding their host specificity: parasites specific for cormorants (Phalacrocorax spp.) (37%), those parasitic mainly in cormorants (16%) and non-specific parasites (47%). Of the 19 species recorded, 100% were found in South Moravia, but only 47% of these 19 species in South Bohemia. The higher number of helminth species in cormorants from South Moravia and a higher proportion of non-specific species may be associated with the presence of the large Nové Mlýny water reservoir, in addition to better ecological and environmental conditions in this warmer region. Scanning electron microscopical examination of three common nematode species parasitising cormorants, Contracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964, Desmidocercella incognita Solonitsin, 1932 and Syncuaria squamata (von Linstow, 1883), revealed some taxonomically important, previously unreported morphological features, such as the cephalic structures, numbers and distribution of male caudal papillae or the shapes of spicules., František Moravec, Tomáš Scholz., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a treatment modality that provides prolonged blood circulation, gas exchange and can partially support or fully substitute functions of heart and lungs in patients with severe but potentially reversible cardiopulmonary failure refractory to conventional therapy. Due to high-volume bypass, the extracorporeal flow is interacting with native cardiac output. The pathophysiology of circulation and ECLS support reveals significant effects on arterial pressure waveforms, cardiac hemodynamics, and myocardial perfusion. Moreover, it is still subject of research, whether increasing stroke work caused by the extracorporeal flow is accompanied by adequate myocardial oxygen supply. The left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume mechanics are reflecting perfusion and loading conditions and these changes are dependent on the degree of the extracorporeal blood flow. By increasing the afterload, artificial circulation puts higher demands on heart work with increasing myocardial oxygen consumption. Further, this can lead to LV distention, pulmonary edema, and progression of heart failure. Multiple methods of LV decompression (atrial septostomy, active venting, intra-aortic balloon pump, pulsatility of flow) have been suggested to relieve LV overload but the main risk factors still remain unclear. In this context, it has been recommended to keep the rate of circulatory support as low as possible. Also, utilization of detailed hemodynamic monitoring has been suggested in order to avoid possible harm from excessive extracorporeal flow., Pavel Hála, Otomar Kittnar., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The faeces of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus), and the domestic cat, Felis catus (Linnaeus), can be responsible for spreading eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 and oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) into the environment. The accidental ingestion of these eggs or oocysts, through consumption of raw fruits or vegetables grown in or in contact with contaminated soil, can lead to alveolar echinococcosis (AE) or toxoplasmosis in humans. The present study provides a quantitative assessment of the faecal deposition by foxes and cats in kitchen gardens where fruits and vegetables are grown and its consequences for zoonosis transmission. The density of definitive host faeces is considered as one of the main factors in infection risk for intermediate hosts. The density of fox and cat faeces, as well as the prevalence of both AE and toxoplasmosis in rodent populations (contaminated by ingestion of eggs or oocysts), were compared within and outside kitchen gardens. Our results showed that the mean density of fox faeces did not significantly differ between kitchen gardens and habitat edges (0.29 ± 0.04 faeces/m2 vs 0.22 ± 0.02 faeces/m2), the latter being known as an area of high fox faeceal densities. The density of cat faeces was significantly higher within the kitchen garden than outside (0.86 ± 0.22 faeces/m2 vs 0.04 ± 0.02 faeces/m2). The sampled kitchen gardens might therefore be considered as possible hotspots for both fox and cat defecation. Of the 130 rodents trapped, 14% were infected by at least one species of fox or cat intestinal parasite. These rodents were significantly more often infected when they were exposed to a kitchen garden. These results suggest that the deposit of fox and cat faeces in kitchen gardens would significantly impact the risk of human exposure to E. multilocularis and T. gondii. and should be prevented using effective means., Matthieu Bastien, Amélie Vaniscotte, Benoit Combes, Gérald Umhang, Estelle Germain, Valentin Gouley, Alice Pierlet, Thomas Quintaine, Marie-Amélie Forin-Wiart, Isabelle Villena, Dominique Aubert, Franck Boué, Marie-Lazarine Poulle., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The growing consumption of pharmaceuticals in the human population and the insufficient efficiency of their elimination in waste water has a long-term negative impact on the environment of aquatic ecosystems, including the organisms that inhabit them. A significant contributor is the consumption of antidepressants from the SSRI group, which corresponds to their increasing concentration in the environment. The aim of this work was to determine if antidepressant sertraline is able to be stored in fish organisms and to evaluate the content of residues in various body tissues. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchuss mykkis) was selected as the test organism and was artificially exposed to the antidepressant for 1 month (concentrations 0; 4.2; 44 and 400 ng.g-1 sertraline in the feed). Liver, kidney, brain and muscle tissue biopsies samples were taken for analysis. Detection was performed using an Accela 1250 LC pump and an Accela autosampler coupled with a high-performance mass analyzer with a heated electrospray ionization source Q-Exactive Orbitrap, operating in positive ionization mode and in PRM mode (m/z 306.08108→275.03888 and 309.009991→275.03888 for sertraline and internal standard, respectively). The limit of quantification of the method was 0.1 ng.g-1 of sertraline and the calibration curve showed a good linearity up to 20 ng.g-1 . From the collected data, amount of residues was found in the liver, kidney and brain. In contrast, the incidence of residues in muscle tissue was not detected in all groups, which is favorable from the point of view of fish meat consumption, by humans.
The diversity and role of the gut microbiota of insects is a rapidly growing field of entomology, primarily fueled by new metagenomic techniques. Whereas endosymbionts in the guts of xylophagous or herbivorous insects are well studied, the microbiomes in moss-eating (bryophagous) insects remain uncharacterized. Using the Illumina MiSeq platform, we determined the composition of microbiomes in the gut, abdomen and on the body surface of two bryophagous species: Simplocaria semistriata (Fabricius, 1794) and Curimopsis paleata (Erichson, 1846) (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae). Gut microbiomes differed substantially from abdominal microbiomes in the same individuals, which indicates the need to separate them during dissection. Microbiomes in the gut and abdomen differed markedly from surface microbial assemblages. Gut microbiomes in bryophages had the highest MOTU richness, diversity and relative rarity. The eudominant bacteria in the guts and abdomens of bryophages were Novosphingobium, Bradyrhizobium, Ralstonia and Caulobacter, which are responsible for the detoxification of secondary metabolites or nitrogen fixation. These are less common in the surface samples and, therefore, likely to be associated with the specific ability of bryophages to feed on mosses.
The objective of the current study is to present data on the
splitting of skeletal muscle fibers in C57BL/6NCrl mice. Skeletal
muscles (m. rectus femoris (m. quadriceps femoris)) from 500
(250 ♀ and 250 ♂) C57BL/6NCrl mice in the 16th week of life
were sampled during autopsy and afterwards standardly
histologically processed. Results show spontaneous skeletal
muscle fiber splitting which is followed by skeletal muscle fiber
regeneration. One solitary skeletal muscle fiber is split, or is in
contact with few localized splitting skeletal muscle fibers. Part of
the split skeletal muscular fiber is phagocytosed, but the
remaining skeletal muscular fiber splits are merged into one
regenerating skeletal muscle fiber. Nuclei move from the
periphery to the regenerating skeletal muscle fiber center during
this process. No differences were observed between female and
male mice and the morphometry results document <1 % skeletal
muscle fiber splitting. If skeletal muscular fibers splitting occurs
5 %> of all skeletal muscular fibers, it is suggested to describe
and calculate this in the final histopathological report.
During an ongoing systematic survey on species diversity of myxozoans parasitising allogynogenetic gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio (Bloch) in China, plasmodia were detected in the fins, lip, jaw, gill chamber, gill arches, operculum and oral cavity of infected fish. Combining the morphological and molecular data, the present species was identified as Myxobolus turpisrotundus Zhang, Wang, Li et Gong, 2010. Histopathological examination revealed that despite infecting different organs, M. turpisrotundus always occurred in dermis, demonstrating its affinity to this tissue. Histopathological effect of M. turpisrotundus on the host is relatively mild except parasites in the gill arches producing compression of the adipose tissue and heavy adductor muscles deformation with lymphohistiocytic infiltrates. In addition, the plasmodia in different sites were with the same complex structure arrangement: cup-like cells with unknown derivation, a thin collagenous fibril layer, areolar connective tissue, basement membrane and host epithelial cell. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the parasite has monosporic pansporoblast and sporogenesis followed the usual pattern of most of the myxosporeans., Qingxiang Guo, Yanhua Zhai, Zemao Gu, Yang Liu., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Problematika učení a zapomínání je předmětem systematického zkoumání již od konce 19. století. Od učení bezesmyslného materiálu se později přešlo ke zkoumání paměti pomocí materiálu smysluplného a v této tradici se pokračuje doposud. I přes postupný vývoj poznání a nových metod pro zkoumání paměti se pro tyto účely stále nejčastěji užívají testy seznamů slov. Vůbec prvním takovým testem, který je dodnes užíván, byl Test paměti na slova, známý pod názvem Reyův auditorně-verbální test učení (RAVLT). Metoda přispěním několika autorů postupně nabyla dnešní podoby, která kromě pokusů učení zahrnuje administraci seznamu B (interference), oddálené vybavení a rekognice. V současnosti se jedná o jednu z nejvíce používaných metod pro měření verbální paměti. V Česku jsou dostupné dvě verze RAVLT, starší známá pod názvem Paměťový test učení, a druhá, jejíž překlad se více přiblížil původní anglické verzi. Cílem příspěvku je poskytnout přehled historie a dosavadního vývoje RAVLT v Česku, popsat klinickou a výzkumnou užitečnost této metody zejména u populace starších osob a v neposlední řadě představit možnosti jejího využití do budoucna. and Learning and forgetting has been the subject of systematic research since the late 19th century. The examination of memory was through the meaningless syllables at the beginning, which was later replaced with meaningful material, and this tradition continues until now. Despite of the development of knowledge and new methods for testing memory, word list tests are still the most commonly used for these purposes. The first such test, which is still currently used, was Test of memory for words known as Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Thanks to the contribution of some authors, the method gained its current form and besides the learning trials includes administration of the list B (interference), delayed recall and recognition. Currently, it is one of the most used methods for examination of verbal memory. There are available two versions of RAVLT in the Czech Republic, older known as the “Paměťový test učení”, and the second one, which translation is more adequate to the English version. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the history and current development of RAVLT in the Czech Republic, to describe the clinical and research usefulness of this method especially in the elderly population and to present possibilities of its use in the future.
Článek pojednává o kvantitativní studii zaměřené na zmapování hodnocení prorodinné atmosféry v církevním prostředí mezi mladými věřícími (od 17 do 30 let). Teoretické zázemí se opírá o uchopení pojmu prorodinná atmosféra, právní zakotvení církví v České republice se zaměřením na popis Římskokatolické církve a Slezské církve evangelické a.v., vývoj hodnoty manželství a rodiny v církevní i sekulární společnosti a křesťanské pojetí manželství, rodiny a předmanželských vztahů, včetně jejich souvisejících aspektů. Empirická část vychází z anonymního šetření prostřednictvím online dotazníku se zaměřením na sociodemografické a náboženské charakteristiky, hodnotový žebříček (zjišťován standardizovanou Rokeachovou škálou hodnot) a hodnocení položek týkajících se prorodinné atmosféry v církvi, partnerských a manželských vztahů a sexuality. Výzkumu se zúčastnilo 262 respondentů. Získaná data byla zpracována popisnou statistikou, parametrickými a neparametrickými testy. Výsledky poukazují na odlišnou preferenci hodnot mezi věřícími v souvislosti s jejich rodinným stavem, který rovněž má vztah k míře spokojenosti s prorodinnou atmosférou. Dále byl prokázán vztah náboženské praxe a shody vlastních názorů s křesťanskými stanovisky. V závěru je pojednáno o limitech práce a případných intervencích či podnětech pro další studie. and The article discusses a quantitative study which maps the evaluation of pro-family atmosphere in a church among young believers (from 17 to 30 years). The theoretical background is based on understanding the concept of pro-family atmosphere, the legal base of churches in the Czech Republic with a focus on the Roman Catholic Church and the Silesian Evangelical Church description, the value development of marriage and family in church and secular society and the Christian concept of marriage, family and premarital relations, including their related aspects. The empirical part is based on anonymous surveys by an on-line questionnaire focusing on sociodemographic and religious characteristics, the scale of values (surveyed by the standardized Rokeach Value Survey) and the evaluation of questions about pro-family atmosphere in a church, partner and marriage relationships and sexuality. 262 respondents participated in the research. The obtained data were processed by descriptive statistics, parametric and nonparametric tests. The results indicate different value preferences among believers in relation to their marital status, which is also related to the degree of satisfaction with the pro-family atmosphere. The results confirmed the relation of religious practice and agreement between personal and Christian opinions. In conclusion, it discusses the limits of the research and possible interventions and suggestions for further study.