Coccidian Parasites (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) of Nerodia spp. (Serpentes: Colubridae), with a Description of a New Species of Eimeria

Eimeria conanli n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) is described from intestinal contents and feces of Nerodia erythrogaster transversa and N harteri harteri from northcentral Texas. Oocysts of the new species are ellipsoid in shape. 17.9 × 13.0(15–21 × 12–15) μm, with a smooth, thin, single-layered wall; shape index 1.4 (1.2–1.5). One to several (usually 2) polar granule(s) and an oocyst residuum are present, but a micropyie is absent. Sporocysts are elongate, 12.9 × 5.2 (13–15 × 5–6) -m, apparently without a true Stieda body structure. Each sporoeyst contains an ellipsoid residuum, 3.9 × 3.2 (3–6 × 2–4) μm, and elongate sporozoites, 11.4 × 2.5 (10–14 × 2–3) μm in situ, each with a spherical or subspherical anterior refractile body and spherical to ellipsoid posterior refractile body. In addition to the new species, oocysts of 4 previously described eimerians from colubrid snakes were found in these hosts.     

Distribution and incidence of yellowing viruses in sugar beet crops in Spain from 1990 to 1993

Surveys of the principal yellowing viruses of sugar beet, beet yellows virus (BYV) and beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) in Spain were carried out from 1990–1993. Beet yellowing viruses were detected in all provinces, although the mean percentages of plants infected with BYV and BMYV were practically zero in the southern zone. Within the northern zone high variations from one province to another could be observed. The mean percentages of plants infected with BYV were higher in the Ebro Valley than in the Duero Valley. Areas infected with BYV were very restricted, while BMYV could be found to a variable extent all over Spain, although the infection levels were lower. The incidence and distribution of these viruses in the Spanish sugar beet crop makes the study and application of control measures for beet yellowing viruses necessary.     

A Physician's Perspective on the Incorporation of Pictograms as a Supplement to Medical Instructions in Chile: A Pilot Study

Introduction and objectivesCurrent models of health care are progressively migrating to more participatory models, where for treatment to achieve results that last over time, there must be effective communication between the patient, his or her caregivers, and health professionals. Although the use of pictograms in the context of medical instructions has been widely studied, in our country, there are no studies about their usefulness, or which set of symbols should be used by the systems. This work aims to present the first step towards the development of platforms that automatically suggest pictograms to supplement medical instructions for primary care settings in Chile.Materials and methodsIn this pilot study, we collected and analyzed the physicians' opinions on the selection of medical instructions that later will automatically be supplemented by the software that is under construction. We designed an expert validation survey using a set of 66 medical instructions with pictograms. This survey provided three rating options for each medical instruction: Not necessary (supplementing the instruction with a pictogram does not carry any value), Useful (supplementing the instruction with a pictogram may help patients to understand and remember the instruction), and Essential (supplementing the instruction with a pictogram is essential). Seventy-one physicians responded to the survey.Results22 out of 66 medical instructions were considered “essential” by >=51% of the experts, and 12 of the 66 were considered to be “useful but not essential” by >=51% of the experts.ConclusionResults of our survey validate the potential use of pictograms as a complement to better comprehension of medical instructions in our country.     

Two-phase species–time relationships in North American land birds

The species–time relationship (STR) is a macroecological pattern describing the increase in the observed species richness with the length of time censused. Understanding STRs is important for understanding the ecological processes underlying temporal turnover and species richness. However, accurate characterization of the STR has been hampered by the influence of sampling. I analysed STRs for 521 breeding bird survey communities. I used a model of sampling effects to demonstrate that the increase in richness was not due exclusively to sampling. I estimated the time scale at which ecological processes became dominant over sampling effects using a two‐phase model combining a sampling phase and either a power function or logarithmic ecological phase. These two‐phase models performed significantly better than sampling alone and better than simple power and logarithmic functions. Most community dynamics were dominated by ecological processes over scales <5 years. This technique provides an example of a rigorous, quantitative approach to separating sampling from ecological processes.     

Individualistic responses of bird species to environmental change

We investigated how the population dynamics of the same bird species varied in different environments, and how the population dynamics of different species varied in the same environment, by calculating long-term population trends for 59 insectivorous songbird species in 22 regions or strata of eastern and central North America using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Of the 47 species that occurred in more than one region 77% increased in some regions and declined in others. Of the 22 regions 91% had some species that increased and others that decreased. There were only slightly more significant correlations between strata in species trends and between species for stratum trends than would be expected by chance. Because of nonlinearities in the data, the actual patterns of population fluctuations of the same species in different regions and of different species in the same region were even more heterogeneous than suggested by our analyses of linear trends. We conclude that these bird species respond to spatial and temporal variation in their environment in a very individualistic fashion. These individualistic responses show that the extrapolation of population trends gained from a few local studies to a larger spatial scale, and the use of a few indicator species to monitor the status of a broader community, are suspect.     

保护生物学概要

保护生物学的形成是对生物危机的反应和生物科学迅速发展的结果。它是应用科学解决由于人类活动干扰或其它因素引起的物种、群落和生态系统出现的问题的新学科。其”目的是提供保护生物多样性的原理和工具“,其基础科学和应用科学的综合性交叉学科。系统学、生态学、生物地理学和种群生态学的原理和方法是保护生物学重要的理论和实践基础。     

高血压患者饮食习惯、传统制剂服用现状调查及其影响因素分析

目的:调查高血压患者饮食习惯以及传统制剂服用现状,并分析饮食习惯与高血压患病的关系以及传统制剂服用的影响因素。方法:按照简单随机抽样法,采用自制调查问卷对呼和浩特市3个镇共8个行政村成年常住农村村民进行问卷调查,调查内容包括人口学特征、饮食习惯等内容,并采用多因素logistic回归分析饮食习惯与高血压患病的关系以及高血压患者传统制剂服用的影响因素。结果:呼和浩特市高血压患病率为22.68%。多因素logistic回归结果显示,较高的BMI、高血压家族史、饮酒史、泡菜咸菜、油炸食品、红肉(猪/牛/羊肉)/动物内脏、海产品是高血压独立危险因素(OR=1.257、1.451、1.358、1.317、1.108、1.146、1.373,P<0.05),奶制品、豆制品、新鲜果蔬是高血压保护因素(OR=0.797、0.868、0.903,P<0.05)。高血压患者传统制剂服用率为16.90%。多因素logistic回归结果显示,年龄≥60岁、文化程度高中以下、不了解高血压知识是高血压患者传统制剂服用的危险因素(OR=1.342、1.545、1.142,P<0.05)。结论:呼和浩特市农村成年村民高血压患病率较高,不良饮食习惯(饮食偏咸、油腻等)是高血压独立危险因素,高龄、文化程度低、不了解高血压知识的高血压患者传统制剂服用率较高,应加强农村居民合理膳食、保持均衡饮食习惯的宣传教育以及农村高血压患者用药规范。     

孕妇分娩机构选择及其影响因素分析

目的:调查孕妇分娩机构选择情况,并对影响分娩机构选择的因素进行分析,为加强分娩机构建设,合理配置助产机构医疗资源提供参考。方法:本研究调查对象均为2019年5月-2019年9月期间在我院办理建档立册的孕产妇,随机抽取420例孕妇进行自制问卷调查,实际发放问卷420份,获得有效问卷为395份。采用EpiData3.1软件建立数据库,统计孕妇基本资料、选择分娩机构考虑因素,多元Logistic回归分析影响选择分娩机构的因素。结果:90%以上的孕妇认为医疗技术水平、仪器设备水平、是否有新生儿科、医院声誉、服务态度、环境比较重要,是选择医疗机构会考虑的因素;大多数孕妇选择三级分娩机构、专科分娩机构进行分娩;经单因素和多因素分析显示,专家门诊、费用、医院级别可能是孕妇选择分娩机构类别的独立影响因素(P0.05)。结论:孕妇趋向于选择三级、专科分娩机构进行分娩,增强二级和民营助产机构的核心竞争力,有助于合理配置助产机构医疗资源,更好保障母婴安全。