Use of a crude extract or purified antigen from first‐instar cattle grubs,Hypoderma lineatum,for the detection of anti‐Hypoderma antibodies in free‐ranging cervids from southern Spain

During the 2003–2005 hunting seasons, a total of 120 Cervidae, including 39 red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) and 81 fallow deer (Dama dama), were examined for subcutaneous myiasis. Animals were shot from January to June in southern Spain. Specific antibodies against Hypodermatinae (Diptera: Oestridae) were detected by indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) using a crude larval extract (CLE) and a purified antigen [hypodermin C (HC)] obtained from first instars of Hypoderma lineatum (De Villers) (Diptera: Oestridae). Hypoderma actaeon Brauer was the only species detected in this study, which represents the first confirmation of this species in fallow deer from Spain. The overall prevalence of animals presenting subcutaneous larvae (14.2%) was considerably lower than the prevalences determined by iELISA with CLE (43.3%) and HC (40.0%). Red deer showed a higher prevalence of Hypoderma than fallow deer. The concordance between larval examination during the hunting season and iELISA using both antigens was low, whereas the concordance between the CLE and HC ELISAs was good. Larval antigens obtained from H. lineatum constitute a good tool for the diagnosis of H. actaeon in Cervidae, especially when the hunting season does not coincide with the maximum presence of larvae on the back.     

The Dutch N-cascade in the European perspective

The Netherlands is "well known" for its nitrogen problems; it has one of the highest reactive nitrogen (Nr) emission densities in the world. It is a small country at the delta of several large European rivers. Ever since the industrial revolution, there has been a growing excess of nutrients and related emissions into the atmosphere (ammonia, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide) and into groundwater and surface water (nitrate), leading to a large range of cascading environmental impacts. Vehicular traffic, sewage and animal husbandry are the main sources of oxidized and reduced forms of Nr. This paper provides an overview of the origin and fate of nitrogen in the Netherlands, the various reported impacts of nitrogen, the Dutch and European policies to reduce nitrogen emissions and related impacts. In addition, ways are presented to go forward to potentially solve the problems in a European perspective. Solutions include the improvement of nitrogen efficiencies in different systems, technological options and education.     

The Impact of Dyspepsia on Symptom Severity and Quality of Life in Adults with Headache

Background

Dyspepsia and headache frequently co-exist, but the clinical implication of this association is uncertain. We planned to examine the prevalence and impact of dyspepsia in adults with headache.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a secondary care setting. Clinical, psychological and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) data were compared between subjects with headache and controls (non-headache subjects). The impact of dyspepsia was analysed further in subjects with headache alone.

Results

280 subjects (93 cases with headache and 187 matched controls) were recruited. The following baseline characteristics of subjects were as follows: mean age 45.0±17.3 years, 57.0% females and ethnic distribution—Malaysian = 45 (48.4%), Chinese n = 24 (25.8%) and Indians n = 24 (25.8%). Headache sub-types among cases with headache were as follows: tension-type headache (TTH) n = 53 (57.0%) and migraine n = 40 (43.0%). Dyspepsia was more prevalent in cases with headache compared to controls (25.8% vs 12.8%, p = 0.011), and headache was independently associated with dyspepsia (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.39–5.43). Among cases with headache, there was a trend towards a higher prevalence of dyspepsia in those with migraine (27.5%) compared to TTH (24.5%). Subjects with headache and dyspepsia, compared to those with headache alone, had a greater severity of headache symptoms (63.67±22.85 mm vs 51.20 ±24.0 mm VAS, p = 0.029). Overall HRQOL scores were lower in headache subjects with dyspepsia (EQ-5D summary score 0.82±0.18 vs 0.90 ±0.16, p = 0.037 and EQ-5D VAS 62.08±17.50 mm vs 72.62 ±18.85 mm, p = 0.018), compared to those without dyspepsia.

Conclusion

Dyspepsia is associated with more severe headache symptoms and results in a lower HRQOL in patients with headache.     

Shallow water marine gammaridean amphipods of Pulau Tioman,Malaysia, with the description of?a?new?species

Eleven taxa including one new species of gammaridean amphipods are reported from the waters of Pulau Tioman. The presence of Tethygeneia sunda sp. n. represents the first record of the genus from the South China Sea. Additional material of Ampelisca brevicornis (Costa, 1853); Cymadusa vadosa Imbach, 1967; Paradexamine setigera Hirayama, 1984; Ericthonius pugnax (Dana, 1853); Leucothoe furina (Savigny, 1816); Microlysias xenokeras (Stebbing, 1918); Monoculodes muwoni Jo, 1990 are identified from the South China Sea, supporting previous records by Lowry (2000), Huang (1994), Imbach (1967), Margulis (1968) and Nagata (1959). Three additional species, Gitanopsis pusilla K.H. Barnard, 1916, Liljeborgia japonica Nagata, 1965b and Latigammaropsis atlantica (Stebbing, 1888), whilst previously reported from the neighbouring waters, comprise new records for the South China Sea.     

Two new species of Urothoe (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridea) from the East Johor Islands Archipelago, Malaysia

Two new species of urothoid amphipods from Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi, Johor are described and illustrated. The specimens of Urothoe sibuensis new species were collected by vertical haul plankton net and is distinctively different from other existing Urothoe species by these combination of special characters; similar gnathopods 1-2 with short and stout propodus expanded into poorly defined palms; large eyes and epimeron 3 smooth. Urothoe tinggiensis new species as collected using an airlift suction sampler at seagrass area is characterized by its different gnathopodal configuration with setose dactylus of 5th pereopod; eyes minute; carpus is wider than merus in the 5th pereopod; subquadrate coxa 4; merus and carpus of pereopods 6-7 are linear.     

肠内营养对乳腺癌术后化疗患者肠道菌群及生活质量的影响

目的研究肠内营养对乳腺癌术后化疗患者肠道菌群、生活质量、营养指标水平的影响。方法选取2012年7月至2018年1月于我院进行乳腺癌术后化疗的91例女性乳腺癌患者为研究对象,根据是否进行肠内营养将患者分为肠内营养组和对照组,观察化疗前后2组患者肠道菌群、生活质量、营养指标水平的变化及不良反应发生情况。结果治疗前2组患者肠道菌群、生活质量、营养指标水平差异无统计学意义(均P0.05)。治疗后,肠内营养组患者肠道双歧杆菌数量为(6.7±0.5)lg CFU/g、乳杆菌数量为(8.5±0.4)lg CFU/g,均显著高于治疗前,同时显著高于对照组(均P0.05)。治疗后肠内营养组患者出现反酸、腹胀、便秘等胃肠道不良反应的比例与对照组比较差异无统计学意义(均P0.05)。治疗后两组患者总体健康、认知功能、情绪功能、角色功能、社会功能、活力、躯体疼痛、躯体功能评分显著高于治疗前(均P0.05),且肠内营养组患者生活质量各指标的评分显著高于对照组(均P0.05)。治疗后肠内营养组患者血清总蛋白(TB)、血清清蛋白(ALB)、血清前清蛋白(PA)、转铁蛋白(TF)水平均显著高于对照组(均P0.05)。结论肠内营养可预防乳腺癌术后化疗患者肠道菌群的紊乱及营养不良的发生,安全有效,有助于提高乳腺癌患者的生活质量。     

Genetic Polymorphisms in LDLR,APOB, PCSK9 and Other Lipid Related Genes Associated with Familial Hypercholesterolemia in Malaysia

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by elevations in total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc). Development of FH can result in the increase of risk for premature cardiovascular diseases (CVD). FH is primarily caused by genetic variations in Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR), Apolipoprotein B (APOB) or Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. Although FH has been extensively studied in the Caucasian population, there are limited reports of FH mutations in the Asian population. We investigated the association of previously reported genetic variants that are involved in lipid regulation in our study cohort. A total of 1536 polymorphisms previously implicated in FH were evaluated in 141 consecutive patients with clinical FH (defined by the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria) and 111 unrelated control subjects without FH using high throughput microarray genotyping platform. Fourteen Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were found to be significantly associated with FH, eleven with increased FH risk and three with decreased FH risk. Of the eleven SNPs associated with an increased risk of FH, only one SNP was found in the LDLR gene, seven in the APOB gene and three in the PCSK9 gene. SNP rs12720762 in APOB gene is associated with the highest risk of FH (odds ratio 14.78, p<0.001). Amongst the FH cases, 108 out of 141 (76.60%) have had at least one significant risk-associated SNP. Our study adds new information and knowledge on the genetic polymorphisms amongst Asians with FH, which may serve as potential markers in risk prediction and disease management.     

Hybridization between diploid Centaurea pseudophrygia and tetraploid C. jacea (Asteraceae): the role of mixed pollination,unreduced gametes,and mentor effects

We studied hybridization between the diploid Centaurea pseudophrygia and the tetraploid C. jacea by performing crossing experiments and screening natural populations using flow cytometry. The experiments confirm that the studied species exhibit strong reproductive isolation. Interspecific hybrids were formed at a low frequency, including triploids (originating from reduced gametes) and tetraploids (involving unreduced gametes of the diploids). In contrast, hybrids were almost absent among seeds and adult plants of natural mixed populations and among the offspring from experimental pollinations with a mixture of pollen of both ploidy levels. We found that mixed pollination is an important mechanism for preventing hybridization between plants of different ploidy levels and sustaining the reproduction of the tetraploids. A mentor effect (induced selfing in the presence of pollen of different ploidy levels) was observed in both diploids and tetraploids, reinforcing the reproductive isolation between cytotypes. Higher ploidy levels (pentaploid, hexaploid) involving unreduced gametes of the tetraploid species were identified. Notably, pentaploids were discovered for the first time in Centaurea sect. Jacea. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104 , 93–106.     

马卵母细胞体外成熟的初步研究

采用抽吸法和切割法两种采卵方法收集马卵母细胞,显示采用切割法的卵母细胞回收率为83%,高于抽吸法的回收率46.5%(P＜0.05),在卵母细胞的成熟上,使用M199和DMEM/F12两种培养液为基础液的成熟体系,紧凑型(Cp)COCs和扩展型(Ex)COCs在以M199为基础液和以DMEM/F12为基础液的培养液中的卵母细胞成熟率分别为41.7%和64.7%、46.7%和66.7%,差异不显著(P＞0.05).两种培养体系中成熟的Cp COCs采用Ionomycin与6-DMAP和CHX联合激活,在以M199和以DMEM/F12为基础液的培养液中成熟的卵母细胞的卵裂率分别为45%和57.1%,差异不明显(P＞0.05).     

Identification of Host-Immune Response Protein Candidates in the Sera of Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

One of the most common cancers worldwide is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is associated with a significant death rate and has been linked to several risk factors. Notably, failure to detect these neoplasms at an early stage represents a fundamental barrier to improving the survival and quality of life of OSCC patients. In the present study, serum samples from OSCC patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 25) were subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and silver staining in order to identify biomarkers that might allow early diagnosis. In this regard, 2-DE spots corresponding to various up- and down-regulated proteins were sequenced via high-resolution MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and analyzed using the MASCOT database. We identified the following differentially expressed host-specific proteins within sera from OSCC patients: leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein (LRG), alpha-1-B-glycoprotein (ABG), clusterin (CLU), PRO2044, haptoglobin (HAP), complement C3c (C3), proapolipoprotein A1 (proapo-A1), and retinol-binding protein 4 precursor (RBP4). Moreover, five non-host factors were detected, including bacterial antigens from Acinetobacter lwoffii, Burkholderia multivorans, Myxococcus xanthus, Laribacter hongkongensis, and Streptococcus salivarius. Subsequently, we analyzed the immunogenicity of these proteins using pooled sera from OSCC patients. In this regard, five of these candidate biomarkers were found to be immunoreactive: CLU, HAP, C3, proapo-A1 and RBP4. Taken together, our immunoproteomics approach has identified various serum biomarkers that could facilitate the development of early diagnostic tools for OSCC.