Reconstructing the history of helminth prevalence in the UK

Intestinal helminth parasites (worms) have afflicted humans throughout history and their eggs are readily detected in archaeological deposits including at locations where intestinal parasites are no longer considered endemic (e.g. the UK). Parasites provide valuable archaeological insights into historical health, sanitation, hygiene, dietary and culinary practices, as well as other factors. Differences in the prevalence of helminths over time may help us understand factors that affected the rate of infection of these parasites in past populations. While communal deposits often contain relatively high numbers of parasite eggs, these cannot be used to calculate prevalence rates, which are a key epidemiological measure of infection. The prevalence of intestinal helminths was investigated through time in England, based on analysis of 464 human burials from 17 sites, dating from the Prehistoric to Industrial periods. Eggs from two faecal-oral transmitted nematodes (Ascaris sp. and Trichuris sp.) and the food-derived cestodes (Taenia spp. and Diphyllobothrium latum syn Dibothriocephalus latus) were identified, although only Ascaris was detected at a high frequency. The changing prevalence of nematode infections can be attributed to changes in effective sanitation or other factors that affect these faecal-oral transmitted parasites and the presence of cestode infections reflect dietary and culinary preferences. These results indicate that the impact of helminth infections on past populations varied over time, and that some locations witnessed a dramatic reduction in parasite prevalence during the industrial era (18^th-19^th century), whereas other locations continued to experience high prevalence levels. The factors underlying these reductions and the variation in prevalence provide a key historical context for modern anthelmintic programs.     

四川省大熊猫保护地生态安全及其时空演变

大熊猫是生态保护的旗舰物种,保护大熊猫及其栖息地具有重要的示范作用和科学价值。中国致力于建设以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系,分析大熊猫保护地生态安全,为建立大熊猫国家公园提供理论依据,具有重要意义。以四川省为例,选取被划入或将来可能被划入大熊猫保护地的典型县域,构建大熊猫保护地生态安全评价指标体系,采用熵权法、层次分析法进行综合评价,并结合空间相关性分析,从时间和空间两个维度对大熊猫保护地生态安全状况进行时空动态分析。结果表明：（1）2003-2017年四川省大熊猫保护地生态安全综合指数呈波动性上升趋势,生态环境改善显著,但仍有部分县域出现不同程度的环境恶化现象。（2）各县域生态安全状况表现出较强的差异性,并且相邻县域生态安全指数存在显著的空间正相关性和空间集聚性。（3）大熊猫保护地生态安全与周边社会经济发展之间矛盾依然尖锐,相邻县域之间的经济发展和生态保护状况相互影响的作用明显,需联合治理,共同促进生态平衡,提高大熊猫及其栖息地保护效果。     

Preliminary note on anti-insulin antibody formation in diabetics treated with porcine insulin

In the present study, we have tested the sera of sixty five diabetic patients treated with insulin, researching the action of some physiologic and therapeutic factors (sex, age, insulin dose and time of treatment), to production of anti-insulin antibodies. Our results have shown that an important percentage of diabetic patients treated by porcine insulin produce antibodies: 72% of studied patients, concerning chiefly all the women and patients under-fourty years old. However our results have not pointed out any relation between the administered insulin dose versus the anti-insulin antibodies production, in spite of the early production of these antibodies in a great part of the patients.     

Parasitic effect of Opius concolor (Spzl) (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) on an intermediate host Ceratitis capitata Wied (Diptera, Trypetidae)

The parasitic incidence of Opius concolor (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) on a replacement host, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera, Trypetidae) was studied using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis methods. A noticeable modification of C. capitata proteins was observed when parasited by O. concolor. But the most important phenomenon is the finding of common antigens between the host and the parasite. These results are discussed with regard to trophic and parasitic behaviour of the parasite.     

A 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase-based probe for the discovery of the acyltransferase-less type I polyketide synthases

Acyltransferase (AT)-less type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) produce complex natural products due to the presence of many unique tailoring enzymes. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthases (HCSs) are responsible for β-alkylation of the growing polyketide intermediates in AT-less type I PKSs. In this study, we discovered a large group of HCSs, closely associated with the characterized and orphan AT-less type I PKSs through in silico genome mining, sequence and genome neighbourhood network analyses. Using HCS-based probes, the survey of 1207 in-house strains and 18 soil samples from different geographic locations revealed the vast diversity of HCS-containing AT-less type I PKSs. The presence of HCSs in many AT-less type I PKSs suggests their co-evolutionary relationship. This study provides a new probe to study the abundance and diversity of AT-less type I PKSs in the environment and microbial strain collections. Our study should inspire future efforts to discover new polyketide natural products from AT-less type I PKSs.