Heavy Hymenolepis nana Infection Possibly Through Organic Foods: Report of a Case

We encountered a patient with heavy Hymenolepis nana infection. The patient was a 44-year-old Korean man who had suffered from chronic hepatitis (type B) for 15 years. A large number of H. nana adult worms were found during colonoscopy that was performed as a part of routine health screening. The parasites were scattered throughout the colon, as well as in the terminal ileum, although the patient was immunocompetent. Based on this study, colonoscopy may be helpful for diagnosis of asymptomatic H. nana infections.     

Caspase 3 activation and PARP cleavage in lymphocytes from newborn babies of diabetic mothers with unbalanced glycaemic control

Several epidemiological studies showed that gestational diabetes mellitus is the most frequent metabolic disorder of pregnancy, the pathogenesis of which has yet to be completely clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and processing of caspase 3 (Casp3) and poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) in cord blood lymphocytes as markers of apoptosis in relation to glycaemic control during intrauterine life. Our results showed a specific positive correlation between the levels of active Casp3 (17–19 kDa) and the inactive form of PARP1 (89 kDa) in lymphocytes isolated from newborn babies of diabetic women with unbalanced glycaemic control, with a direct correlation between the activation of casp3 and the inactivation of PARP1, that makes lymphocytes unresponsive towards lipopolysaccharide stimulation, highlighting an altered functional response. Besides more studies are required to fully correlate the activation of the apoptotic process during the intrauterine life with the foetal health later in life, our study indicates that a cord blood lymphocyte, an easily accessible source, is informative about the activation of apoptotic stimuli in circulating cells of newborn babies in relation to the glycaemic control reached by the mother during pregnancy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Computer-aided gene design.

A computer program, which runs on MS-DOS personal computers, is described that assists in the design of synthetic genes coding for proteins. The goal of the program is the design of a gene which (i) contains as many unique restriction sites as possible and (ii) uses a specific codon usage. The gene designed according to the criteria above is (i) suitable for 'modular mutagenesis' experiments and (ii) optimized for expression. The program 'reverse-translates' protein sequences into degenerated DNA sequences, generates a map of potential restriction sites and locates sequence positions where unique restriction sites can be accommodated. The nucleic acid sequence is then 'refined' according to a specific codon usage to remove any degeneration. Unique restriction sites, if potentially present, can be 'forced' into the degenerated nucleic acid sequence by using 'priority codes' assigned to different restriction sequences.     

NEW RECORD OF PIONOPSIS,TIPHYINAE, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES IN CHINESE WATER MITE FAUNA (ACARI: HYGROBATOIDEA: PIONIDAE)*

Abstract Two new species of water mites, Pionopsis (s.s.)longicosta sp. nov. and Pionopsis (s.s.) zhaoi sp. nov. are described in the present paper. This is the first record of the genus of the subfamily Tiphyinae in the family Pionidae from China.     

Modelling Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Dispersion from Marine Salmon Farms in the Discovery Islands,British Columbia,Canada

Finite volume ocean circulation and particle tracking models are used to simulate water-borne transmission of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) among Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farms in the Discovery Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. Historical simulations for April and July 2010 are carried out to demonstrate the seasonal impact of river discharge, wind, ultra-violet (UV) radiation, and heat flux conditions on near-surface currents, viral dispersion and survival. Numerical particles released from infected farm fish in accordance with IHNV shedding rates estimated through laboratory experiments are dispersed by model oceanic flows. Viral particles are inactivated by ambient UV radiation levels and by the natural microbial community at rates derived through laboratory studies. Viral concentration maps showing temporal and spatial changes are produced and combined with lab-determined minimum infectious dosages to estimate the infective connectivity among farms. Results demonstrate that neighbouring naïve farms can become exposed to IHNV via water-borne transport from an IHNV diseased farm, with a higher risk in April than July, and that many events in the sequence of farm outbreaks in 2001-2002 are consistent with higher risks in our farm connectivity matrix. Applications to other diseases, transfers between farmed and wild fish, and the effect of vaccinations are also discussed.