Histopathology,Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Nannizziopsis arthrosporioides from a Captive Cuban Rock Iguana (Cyclura nubila)

Mycopathologia - Chrysosporium-related fungi, the cause of superficial and deep mycoses, are an emerging infectious disease affecting not only reptiles but also immunocompromized humans. However,...     

Deep Cutaneous Neoscytalidium dimidiatum Infection: Successful Outcome with Amphotericin B Therapy

Mycopathologia - Phaeohyphomycosis is a term used to describe a heterogenous group of cutaneous and systemic mycotic infections caused by melanized fungi. Many fungi have been reported as pathogens...     

Bioactive new withanolides from the cultured soft coral Sinularia brassica

Continuing study of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract of the cultured soft coral Sinularia brassica afforded five new withanolides, sinubrasolides H–L (1–5). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. The cytotoxicities of new compounds 1–5 and a known compound sinubrasolide A (6) against the proliferation of a limited panel of cancer cell lines were assayed. The anti-inflammatory activities of compounds 1–6 were evaluated by measuring their ability to suppress N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenyl-alanine/cytochalasin B (fMLP/CB)-induced superoxide anion generation and elastase release in human neutrophils.     

五大连池鳙的生长分析

为了分析五大连池鳙(Aristichthys nobilis)的生长情况,于2013和2014年在五大连池三池及二池随机采集223尾鳙样本,采用鳞片鉴定其年龄,退算体长、体重。同时采用von Bertalanffy生长方程分析了五大连池鳙体长、体重的生长规律。结果显示,鳙渔获物的平均体长、体重分别为54.61 cm和3 280.53 g,由3+~8+共6个年龄组组成,以5+龄个体为主,占总数的50.67%。五大连池鳙体长(L,cm)、体重(W,g)之间关系式为W=0.0289 L2.901(n=223,R=0.974)。体长、体重von Bertalanffy生长方程分别为:Lt=97.619[1﹣e﹣0.140(ti﹣0.004)]和Wt=17113.260[1﹣e~(﹣0.140(ti﹣0.004))]2.901。鳙体长生长速度曲线无拐点,随着年龄的增加生长速度逐渐降低。体重的生长速度曲线具有拐点,拐点年龄为7.61龄,所对应的体长和体重分别为63.94 cm和5 012.82 g。采用生长特征指数?对比分析五大连池与其他水域鳙的生长,结果显示五大连池鳙的生长较为缓慢,栖息环境的水温、饵料生物密度是影响五大连池鳙生长的重要因素。有效提高鳙生长速度的关键措施在于降低放养密度。     

Subcutaneous Fungal Infection Caused by a Non-sporulating Strain of Corynespora cassiicola Successfully Treated with Terbinafine

Mycopathologia - Corynespora cassiicola is a common plant pathogen, but C. cassiicola infection in human hosts is extremely rare. In this report, we present an 84-year-old male with long-term use...     

Deep Dermatophytosis Caused by Zoophilic Strain of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichophyton interdigitale</Emphasis> with Successful Treatment of Itraconazole

We report a 66-year-old female patient with deep dermatophytosis caused by zoophilic strain of Trichophyton interdigitale, a rare granulomatous presentation of Trichophyton species infection in patients with underlying systemic diseases, and she was successfully cured by itraconazole. Since the identification of Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex had been misused for years, a brief discussion of molecular diagnosis and taxonomy of T. mentagrophytes complex is given. The pathogenesis and comparison with cases reported in the literature are also discussed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichophyton erinacei</Emphasis> Infection from a Hedgehog: A Case Report from Taiwan

Trichophyton erinacei is a fungus affecting hedgehogs. As these animals have become popular as exotic pets, human infections with this organism have been documented in many countries. In Taiwan, a 36-year-old woman developed tinea lesions at multiple sites after carrying a sick hedgehog. The animal subsequently lost its quills and died. On culture of the patient’s skin scrapings, the pathogen was identified mycologically as Trichophyton erinacei, which was confirmed by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacers of the fungal nuclear ribosomal DNA. The same fungus was isolated from the sawdust bed previously used by the diseased hedgehog. A careful contact history is important for identifying this emerging zoonosis.     

Cutaneous Hyalohyphomycosis Caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paecilomyces lilacinus</Emphasis> Successfully Treated by Oral Voriconazole and Nystatin Packing

Paecilomyces lilacinus causes multiple diseases in humans, especially in immunocompromised patients. Cutaneous infections are the second most commonly encountered circumstance. We describe a woman with liver cirrhosis with hemorrhagic, bullous, ulcerative leg lesions caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus. The lesions improved after treatment with oral voriconazole and topical nystatin powder. We also reviewed previously reported cases of cutaneous P. lilacinus infection that were treated by oral voriconazole.     

Natural Genetic Variation of Integrin Alpha L (Itgal) Modulates Ischemic Brain Injury in Stroke

During ischemic stroke, occlusion of the cerebrovasculature causes neuronal cell death (infarction), but naturally occurring genetic factors modulating infarction have been difficult to identify in human populations. In a surgically induced mouse model of ischemic stroke, we have previously mapped Civq1 to distal chromosome 7 as a quantitative trait locus determining infarct volume. In this study, genome-wide association mapping using 32 inbred mouse strains and an additional linkage scan for infarct volume confirmed that the size of the infarct is determined by ancestral alleles of the causative gene(s). The genetically isolated Civq1 locus in reciprocal recombinant congenic mice refined the critical interval and demonstrated that infarct size is determined by both vascular (collateral vessel anatomy) and non-vascular (neuroprotection) effects. Through the use of interval-specific SNP haplotype analysis, we further refined the Civq1 locus and identified integrin alpha L (Itgal) as one of the causative genes for Civq1. Itgal is the only gene that exhibits both strain-specific amino acid substitutions and expression differences. Coding SNPs, a 5-bp insertion in exon 30b, and increased mRNA and protein expression of a splice variant of the gene (Itgal-003, ENSMUST00000120857), all segregate with infarct volume. Mice lacking Itgal show increased neuronal cell death in both ex vivo brain slice and in vivo focal cerebral ischemia. Our data demonstrate that sequence variation in Itgal modulates ischemic brain injury, and that infarct volume is determined by both vascular and non-vascular mechanisms.