In recent parasitological surveys performed on the Peruvian scallop,
Argopecten purpuratus
, from bottom cultures of Sechura Bay, Piura, Peru, free and encysted metacestodes were frequently found in ...their gonads. The objective of this study was to identify this metacestode, determine their prevalence and intensity and briefly assess the histopathological impact in the affected tissues. A parasitological study of 890 scallops over a 3-year period was performed in order to determine the parasite prevalence and intensity. Microscopical observation of details of the scolex and histopathological study of the affected host tissues were performed as well as molecular characterization of the parasite based on 18S and 28S rDNA sequences. The prevalence of the metacestode was 82.2% in August of 2013, 90.4% in November of 2014, and 83.1% and 85.6% in April and September of 2015, respectively. The highest average intensity (218.4) was found in spring of 2014. The histopathological study showed that plerocercoids reduced the gonadal space where the ovules develop. The molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the metacestodes belong to the genus
Caulobothrium
having high sequence similarity to
Caulobothrium opisthorchis
. This study constitutes the first report of
Caulobothrium
metacestodes in the scallop
A. purpuratus
.
Ichthyophonus infection was first detected in Peruvian Oncorhynchus mykiss in 1986, but the occurrence of ichthyophonosis disease in the region is unknown. This study investigated the presence and ...distribution of Ichthyophonus sp. in Peruvian rainbow trout using traditional and DNA sequencing tools. Between 2007 and 2008, 205 rainbow trout from 13 hatcheries in the Mantaro river basin were examined for the presence of Ichthyophonus, and at that time only 3 farms were positive. This early study confirmed the presence of Ichthyophonus sp. in the Tranca Grande lagoon for the first time, at a prevalence of 50%. In 2012, examination of 240 trout from 24 fish farms in 2 Peruvian Departments found 9 infected farms. More recently, in 2018, Ichthyophonus sp. was found in Lake Titicaca, infecting a trout in the Ichu area (in the Department of Puno). Our molecular analysis of the infected trout showed that ichthyophonosis disease in the Peruvian trout was caused by Ichthyophonus sp. Clade C. The finding of this pathogen in Lake Titicaca should be an alert for nearby farms and entities dealing with fish of economic importance in the rivers of Peru.
El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener una solución salina modificada que permita una supervivencia más prolongada para el estudio morfológico de plerocercoides Tetrafilideos de la concha de abanico ...Argopecten purpuratus. Se evaluaron dos temperaturas: T-1, temperatura ambiente y T-2, temperatura constante de 0.5 °C y cinco soluciones: A = SSF (solución salina fisiológica – SSF – al 0.85%), B = ¼ AM (agua de mar) + ¾ SSF, C = ½ AM+ ½ SSF, D = ¾ AM + ¼ SSF, E = AM. Se utilizaron 100 larvas vivas recién extraídas de gónadas de A. purpuratus (10 por grupo experimental) durante 13 días. La mayor supervivencia se observó en las soluciones B y C del T-1, donde permanecieron vivos cuatro plerocercoides hasta el día 10 y tres hasta el día 12, respectivamente. Con excepción de la solución A, las larvas mantuvieron su actividad y forma normal en el resto de las soluciones hasta el día 6. Este trabajo demuestra que las soluciones salinas usuales (0.75 a 0.9%) pueden no ser óptimas para mantener plerocercoides marinos vivos y que una salinidad que se aproxima al agua de mar es más apropiada.
MLN9708 (ixazomib citrate), which hydrolyzes to pharmacologically active MLN2238 (ixazomib), is a next-generation proteasome inhibitor with demonstrated preclinical and clinical antimyeloma activity, ...but yet with an unknown effect on myeloma bone disease. Here, we investigated its bone anabolic and antiresorptive effects in the myeloma setting and in comparison with bortezomib in preclinical models.
The in vitro effect of MLN2238 was tested on osteoclasts and osteoclast precursors from healthy donors and patients with myeloma, and on osteoprogenitors derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells also from both origins. We used an in vivo model of bone marrow-disseminated human myeloma to evaluate MLN2238 antimyeloma and bone activities.
Clinically achievable concentrations of MLN2238 markedly inhibited in vitro osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption; these effects involved blockade of RANKL (receptor activator of NF-κB ligand)-induced NF-κB activation, F-actin ring disruption, and diminished expression of αVβ3 integrin. A similar range of MLN2238 concentrations promoted in vitro osteoblastogenesis and osteoblast activity (even in osteoprogenitors from patients with myeloma), partly mediated by activation of TCF/β-catenin signaling and upregulation of the IRE1 component of the unfolded protein response. In a mouse model of bone marrow-disseminated human multiple myeloma, orally administered MLN2238 was equally effective as bortezomib to control tumor burden and also provided a marked benefit in associated bone disease (sustained by both bone anabolic and anticatabolic activities).
Given favorable data on pharmacologic properties and emerging clinical safety profile of MLN9708, it is conceivable that this proteasome inhibitor may achieve bone beneficial effects in addition to its antimyeloma activity in patients with myeloma.
Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs) emerge as a unique system that simultaneously features in vivo near‐infrared (NIR) imaging, remote heating, and low toxicity thermal sensing. In this work, their capabilities ...are extended into the fields of optical coherence tomography (OCT), as contrast agents, and NIR probes in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments in eyeballs. The new dual property for ocular imaging is obtained by the preparation of Ag2S NPs ensembles with a biocompatible amphiphilic block copolymer. Rather than a classical ligand exchange, where surface traps may arise due to incomplete replacement of surface sites, the use of this polymer provides a protective extra layer that preserves the photoluminescence properties of the NPs, and the procedure allows for the controlled preparation of submicrometric scattering centers. The resulting NPs ensembles show extraordinary colloidal stability with time and biocompatibility, enhancing the contrast in OCT with simultaneous NIR imaging in the second biological window.
In recent years, Ag2S nanoparticles have shown great potential in nanomedicine, specifically in areas such as near‐infrared (NIR) imaging, photothermal therapy, and photoluminescence nanothermometry. In this work, biocompatible and size‐controlled ensembles of Ag2S nanoparticles demonstrate their great dual performance as bright NIR probes and enhancers of the optical coherence tomography signals in ex vivo and in vivo studies.
Arable layer of pastureland in Galicia (NW Spain) was monitored for total content of heavy metals, and analysed by multivariate statistical techniques, in order to investigate the different origin ...that metals may have in pasture soils. Principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and correlation matrix (CM) were applied to 65 samples in which the total concentrations of Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd and Pb were measured. Four significant components were extracted by PCA, explaining 78.830% of total variance. Mn, Co and Ni (and partially Cu), and Fe and Cr, were associated in two lithogenic components, respectively, while an anthropogenic origin was identified for Cd, Pb and Zn. Zn (and Cu) were mainly associated with soil fertilisation by cattle slurry or with other activities regarding cattle management. Although the origin of Cd and Pb was also attributed to slurry application, other sources like commercial fertilisers, vehicle exhaust or aerial deposition were not discarded as possible contributors. CA confirmed and completed the results obtained by PCA, classifying the data in four groups representing different areas. Group 1 represented samples corresponding to areas were the application of manure was moderate, while Group 2 included samples of lithogenic origin. Highest contents of anthropogenic metals were included in Group 3, although soils in this cluster were not considered as polluted. The last cluster grouped the samples with the lowest content of all the metals analysed, representing areas correctly managed and not affected by other external sources. Finally, the results obtained by CM agreed with PCA and CA, also helping in elucidating individual relationships between metals.
Estimates of influenza-associated mortality are important for national and international decision making on public health priorities. Previous estimates of 250 000–500 000 annual influenza deaths are ...outdated. We updated the estimated number of global annual influenza-associated respiratory deaths using country-specific influenza-associated excess respiratory mortality estimates from 1999–2015.
We estimated country-specific influenza-associated respiratory excess mortality rates (EMR) for 33 countries using time series log-linear regression models with vital death records and influenza surveillance data. To extrapolate estimates to countries without data, we divided countries into three analytic divisions for three age groups (<65 years, 65–74 years, and ≥75 years) using WHO Global Health Estimate (GHE) respiratory infection mortality rates. We calculated mortality rate ratios (MRR) to account for differences in risk of influenza death across countries by comparing GHE respiratory infection mortality rates from countries without EMR estimates with those with estimates. To calculate death estimates for individual countries within each age-specific analytic division, we multiplied randomly selected mean annual EMRs by the country's MRR and population. Global 95% credible interval (CrI) estimates were obtained from the posterior distribution of the sum of country-specific estimates to represent the range of possible influenza-associated deaths in a season or year. We calculated influenza-associated deaths for children younger than 5 years for 92 countries with high rates of mortality due to respiratory infection using the same methods.
EMR-contributing countries represented 57% of the global population. The estimated mean annual influenza-associated respiratory EMR ranged from 0·1 to 6·4 per 100 000 individuals for people younger than 65 years, 2·9 to 44·0 per 100 000 individuals for people aged between 65 and 74 years, and 17·9 to 223·5 per 100 000 for people older than 75 years. We estimated that 291 243–645 832 seasonal influenza-associated respiratory deaths (4·0–8·8 per 100 000 individuals) occur annually. The highest mortality rates were estimated in sub-Saharan Africa (2·8–16·5 per 100 000 individuals), southeast Asia (3·5–9·2 per 100 000 individuals), and among people aged 75 years or older (51·3–99·4 per 100 000 individuals). For 92 countries, we estimated that among children younger than 5 years, 9243–105 690 influenza-associated respiratory deaths occur annually.
These global influenza-associated respiratory mortality estimates are higher than previously reported, suggesting that previous estimates might have underestimated disease burden. The contribution of non-respiratory causes of death to global influenza-associated mortality should be investigated.
None.
Ag
S nanoparticles (NPs) emerge as a unique system that simultaneously features in vivo near-infrared (NIR) imaging, remote heating, and low toxicity thermal sensing. In this work, their capabilities ...are extended into the fields of optical coherence tomography (OCT), as contrast agents, and NIR probes in both ex vivo and in vivo experiments in eyeballs. The new dual property for ocular imaging is obtained by the preparation of Ag
S NPs ensembles with a biocompatible amphiphilic block copolymer. Rather than a classical ligand exchange, where surface traps may arise due to incomplete replacement of surface sites, the use of this polymer provides a protective extra layer that preserves the photoluminescence properties of the NPs, and the procedure allows for the controlled preparation of submicrometric scattering centers. The resulting NPs ensembles show extraordinary colloidal stability with time and biocompatibility, enhancing the contrast in OCT with simultaneous NIR imaging in the second biological window.
A seven-core few-mode multicore fiber in which each core supports both the LP 01 mode and the two degenerate LP 11 modes has been designed and fabricated for the first time, to the best of our ...knowledge. The hole-assisted structure enables low inter-core crosstalk and high mode density at the same time. LP 01 inter-core crosstalk has been measured to be lower than -60 dB/km. LP 11 inter-core crosstalk has been measured to be around -40 dB/km using a different setup. The LP 11 free-space excitation-induced crosstalk is simulated and analyzed. This fiber allows multiplexed transmission of 21 spatial modes per polarization per wavelength. Data transmission in LP 01 /LP 11 mode over 1 km of this fiber has been demonstrated with negligible penalty.
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