First record of Skrjabingylus petrowi (Nematode: Metastrongyloidea) in a pine marten Martes martes from Ireland

We report the first record of the parasitic nematode Skrjabingylus petrowi in Ireland, the fifth record of S. petrowi outside Russia. Twenty-three of the nematodes were removed from the skull of a male road kill pine marten Martes martes from Co. Tipperary. The spicule lengths measured in the male nematodes removed ranged from 410 to 500 μm, which is in agreement with the range of 410 to 605 μm previously recorded for S. petrowi. This investigation presents further evidence that anatomical measurements are required for the accurate diagnosis of Skrjabingylus spp. and that S. petrowi has a host preference for Martes spp.     

Antineoplastic kinase inhibitors: A new class of potent anti-amoebic compounds

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite which infects approximately 50 million people worldwide, resulting in an estimated 70,000 deaths every year. Since the 1960s E. histolytica infection has been successfully treated with metronidazole. However, drawbacks to metronidazole therapy exist, including adverse effects, a long treatment course, and the need for an additional drug to prevent cyst-mediated transmission. E. histolytica possesses a kinome with approximately 300–400 members, some of which have been previously studied as potential targets for the development of amoebicidal drug candidates. However, while these efforts have uncovered novel potent inhibitors of E. histolytica kinases, none have resulted in approved drugs. In this study we took the alternative approach of testing a set of twelve previously FDA-approved antineoplastic kinase inhibitors against E. histolytica trophozoites in vitro. This resulted in the identification of dasatinib, bosutinib, and ibrutinib as amoebicidal agents at low-micromolar concentrations. Next, we utilized a recently developed computational tool to identify twelve additional drugs with human protein target profiles similar to the three initial hits. Testing of these additional twelve drugs led to the identification of ponatinib, neratinib, and olmutinib were identified as highly potent, with EC₅₀ values in the sub-micromolar range. All of these six drugs were found to kill E. histolytica trophozoites as rapidly as metronidazole. Furthermore, ibrutinib was found to kill the transmissible cyst stage of the model organism E. invadens. Ibrutinib thus possesses both amoebicidal and cysticidal properties, in contrast to all drugs used in the current therapeutic strategy. These findings together reveal antineoplastic kinase inhibitors as a highly promising class of potent drugs against this widespread and devastating disease.     

US Coast Guard collision at sea

The collision between the USCGC Cuyahoga and the motor vessel Santa Cruz II resulted in psychological distress among the Coast Guard crewmen. The US Navy Special Psychiatric Rapid Intervention Team (SPRINT) was activated to provide mental health services to the Coast Guard survivors and others who had been affected by the disaster. The psychiatric records of the 18 survivors were examined and summarized, and combined with anecdotal comments made by SPRINT members. The most prominent psychological reactions among the survivors were shock, anger, sadness, and guilt. Spouses of the survivors dealt with bereavement and strove to understand their husbands' reactions. Variables identified by the SPRINT as being important to their success were communication with and support from the training center command, assurances of confidentiality to the survivors, and commencement of their work almost immediately following the collision.     

Taste Responses in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract in Saccharin-preferring and Saccharin-averse Rats

A minority of rats consistently reject the taste of sodium saccharinat concentrations that the majority find palatable. We choserats that selected either water (WP), or 0.03 M NaSaccharin(SP) in two-bottle preference tests and monitored single unitresponses to a range of taste qualities in the nucleus of thesolitary tract. WP rats gave significantly greater responsesto Na/Li salts and QHCI. Their responses to sugars were equalto those from SP rats. Total activity to NaSaccharin did notdiffer between the two groups, but its distribution across thethree identified neuron types did. The response was skewed fromone in which sugar (S) and sodium salt (N) participated nearlyequally (SP) to one dominated by the activity of N cells andnearly devoid of an S cell contribution (WP rats). Accordingly,the response profile for NaSaccharin was correlated nearly aswell with those of the sugars (+ 0.60) as with the Na/Li salts(+ 0.73) in SP rats, but was reshaped in WP rats to be nearlyidentical with those of the salts (+ 0.85) and unlike sugars(+ 0.30). In their heightened sensitivity to stimuli that humanscall salty and bitter, and in their rejection of the complextaste of NaSaccharin, WP rats showed many of the characteristicsof human tasters of PTC/PROP. Chem. Senses 21: 147–157,1996.     

Comparison and evaluation of the specificity and binding capacity of commercial and in house affinity columns used in sample preparation for analysis of growth-promoting drugs

Immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) and affinity chromatography (AC) are widely used for extraction of drugs from biological samples. Fifteen column types were purchased from five different manufacturers and their ability to bind specific drugs including β-agonists and anabolic steroids over a range of analyte concentrations in fortified bovine urine samples was assessed. The performance data obtained from these columns were compared with columns produced in this laboratory (in house columns). The in house columns gave the highest recoveries, ranging from 92 to 100% at the 1 ng spiking concentration, for five of the seven analytes assessed. Forty percent (11 of 27) of all the commercial column assessments recorded recoveries of less than 50% even when the lowest spiking concentration was applied (1 ng). For one manufacturer, only one of seven different columns purchased delivered extraction efficiencies greater than 50%. The extraction efficiencies of the clenbuterol columns were the highest with all commercially prepared columns showing at least 50% binding of radiolabelled tracer. Recoveries of -nortestosterone were the lowest. The variability of these products with respect to quality control requires constant monitoring.