The causes of the formation of an intensive focus of triaenophoriasis in the upper Tuloma River reservoir]

Observations on the Triaenophorus crassus invasion in Coregonus lavaretus and Esox lucius were carried out in the period of 1984 to 1989 in the upper Tuloma River [correction of Verkhnetulomsk] water reservoir and Pechozero water body (the Pecha River) which form a common basin. Significant differences were noted in the infection rate of fishes with this parasite in the above water bodies. In Pechozero, where there are preserved natural conditions and therefore an ecological equilibrium in the host-parasite system, T. crassus is not abundant and the infection rate of C. lavaretus and E. lucius with this parasite is low. In the upper Tuloma River [correction of Verkhnetulomsk] water reservoir, due to the dropping out of the amphipod group of benthos from the biocoenosis of the water body, there has been formed a close ecological connection between copepods, C. lavaretus and E. lucius that resulted in the increase of T. crassus and gave rise to Triaenophorus infection of C. lavaretus here.     

Parasite fauna of the perch fishes Percidae in waterbodies of the Kola Region

Results of the parasitological investigation of two species of perch fisches (perch Perca fluviatilis and ruff Gymnocephalus cernuus) from Kola Region are given. 63 species of parasites were found on perch in 16 waterbodies belonging to the White Sea and Barents Sea basins (Myxosporea--3, Pleurostomata--1, Suctoria--2, Peritricha--21, Protozoa incertae sedis--1, Monogenea--2, Cestoda--6, Trematoda--10, Nemadota--8, Acanthocephala--4, Hirudinea--1, Bivalvia--1, Crustacea--3). 33 species of parasites were found on ruff in 5 waterbodies belonging to the White Sea basin (Cyrtostomata--1, Hymenostomata--1, Peritricha--8, Monogenea--2, Cestoda--6, Trematoda--9, Nematoda--2, Acanthospehala--2, Bivalvia--1, Crustacea--1). Data on the infestation of perch and ruff by different parasite species are obtained, occurrence of the parasites in the examined waterbodies is shown.     

Acute Neuronal Injury and Blood Genomic Profiles in a Nonhuman Primate Model for Ischemic Stroke

The goal of this study was to characterize acute neuronal injury in a novel nonhuman primate (NHP) ischemic stroke model by using multiple outcome measures. Silk sutures were inserted into the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery of rhesus macaques to achieve permanent occlusion of the vessel. The sutures were introduced via the femoral artery by using endovascular microcatheterization techniques. Within hours after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), infarction was detectable by using diffusion-weighted MRI imaging. The infarcts expanded by 24 h after MCAO and then were detectable on T2-weighted images. The infarcts seen by MRI were consistent with neuronal injury demonstrated histologically. Neurobehavioral function after MCAO was determined by using 2 neurologic testing scales. Neurologic assessments indicated that impairment after ischemia was limited to motor function in the contralateral arm; other neurologic and behavioral parameters were largely unaffected. We also used microarrays to examine gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after MCAO-induced ischemia. Several genes were altered in a time-dependent manner after MCAO, suggesting that this ischemia model may be suitable for identifying blood biomarkers associated with the presence and severity of ischemia. This NHP stroke model likely will facilitate the elucidation of mechanisms associated with acute neuronal injury after ischemia. In addition, the ability to identify candidate blood biomarkers in NHP after ischemia may prompt the development of new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke in humans.Abbreviations: MCAO, middle cerebral artery occlusion; NHP, nonhuman primate; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cellsStroke is a debilitating neurologic condition, and little progress has been made in the development of neuroprotective treatments for acute stroke. The Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) report suggested that preclinical candidates for stroke therapy should be validated by testing in large animals with similarities to humans, such as nonhuman primates (NHP).²⁶ NHP stroke models have been developed in several species, including rhesus monkeys, marmosets, and baboons, by using a variety of techniques for middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).^{4,10,12,13,14,25,32} The rhesus macaque is ideal for stroke studies because of its structural similarities to human brain. The rhesus brain is gyrencephalic, which makes it preferable to those of lissencephalic primates (for example, marmosets) and is functionally similar to human brain.⁶ In addition, the immunologic profile of rhesus macaques is similar to that of humans; therefore these animals are the preferred model for the study of immune responses to infectious diseases such as HIV/SIV, Dengue virus, and others.^17,23,30In addition to their use for neuroprotection assessment, NHP stroke models can facilitate efforts to develop diagnostic tools for identifying and treating stroke symptoms. The use of genomics in peripheral blood cells has been shown to be an excellent method to identify candidate biomarkers and cellular mechanisms associated with stroke.^28,29 Blood biomarkers can be used to rapidly determine the occurrence, timing, subtype, and severity of stroke.^11,15 One possible reason for the lack of viable stroke biomarkers may be the research models used to search for these markers. Although rodent stroke models have yielded a wealth of information on the mechanisms associated with brain ischemia, the findings have not translated well to human clinical trials.²⁶ Recent studies in human patients showed promising results when genomic tools have been used to screen for novel stroke biomarkers.^3,16,27 However, validation of human studies is limited by the need for large data sets in light of heterogeneity in stroke onset, subtype, comorbidities, and other factors. In addition, it is also impossible to know the exact time of stroke onset in most patients.Here we characterized acute neuronal injury in a novel, minimally invasive permanent ischemic stroke model involving rhesus macaques. Using endovascular catheterization techniques, we introduced silk sutures into the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery and permanently occluded it. This procedure reliably produced infarcts that could be measured by MRI of the macaque brains during the acute phase period. The procedure resulted in discrete and limited neurobehavioral deficits, indicating the potential of this stroke model for chronic neuroprotection studies in the future. In addition, we used microarrays to identify blood genomic profiles that were altered in a time-dependent manner after ischemia. These studies characterize a preclinical model that is suitable for elucidating the mechanisms associated with cerebral ischemia and that may aid in identifying strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke in humans.     

Genetic structure of four socio-culturally diversified caste populations of southwest India and their affinity with related Indian and global groups

Background  

A large number of microsatellites have been extensively used to comprehend the genetic diversity of different global groups. This paper entails polymorphism at 15 STR in four predominant and endogamous populations representing Karnataka, located on the southwest coast of India. The populations residing in this region are believed to have received gene flow from south Indian populations and world migrants, hence, we carried out a detailed study on populations inhabiting this region to understand their genetic structure, diversity related to geography and linguistic affiliation and relatedness to other Indian and global migrant populations.     

Ecological-faunistical review of fish parasites in the Umbozero Lake (the Kola Peninsula)

Data on fish infestation by parasites in the Umbozero Lake are given. 90 species of parasites were identified including 16 species of Myxosporea, 2 Suctoria, 18 Peritricha, 12 Monogenea, 13 Cestoda, 18 Trematoda, 5 Nematoda, 2 Acanthocephala, 2 Hirudinea, and 2 species of Crustacea. Character of parasites' distribution in fishes of this lake and ecological peculiarities in the host-parasite system are demonstrated.     

Mahaim Fiber Accelerated Automaticity and Clues to a Mahaim Fiber Being Morphologically an Ectopic or a Split AV Node

Mahaim Fiber tachycardia characteristically causes a wide QRS tachycardia with left bundle branch morphology and left axis deviation, especially in young patients, having no structural heart disease. Mahaim fiber automaticity further cements the proposition of Mahaim fiber, due to its Atrioventricular (AV) node like property, being called as an ectopic AV node.     

In vitro antimicrobial activity of zimmu ( Allium sativum L. ‘ Allium cepa L.) leaf extract

The fungitoxic effect of various medicinal plants belonging to different families was evaluated in vitro on Rhizoctonia solani, the rice sheath blight pathogen. Of the various plant extracts, the leaf extract of zimmu (Allium cepa × Allium sativum) showed the maximum antifungal activity against R. solani and recorded an inhibition zone of 12?mm. The leaf extract of zimmu was also effective in inhibiting the growth of other agronomically important fungal and bacterial pathogens viz., Aspergillus flavus, Curvularia lunata, Alternaria solani, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri. The antimicrobial compound was dissoluble in methanol and the methanolic extract showed the absorption maxima at 210?nm and 230?nm. Phenolic compounds were present in greater amounts in methanol extract of zimmu. TLC analysis showed the appearance of two blue spots at R _f ?=?0.65 and R _f ?=?0.90. The compounds eluted at R _f ?=?0.65 and R _f ?=?0.90 by preparative TLC exhibited strong antifungal activity against R. solani.     

Phylogenetic analysis of cubilin (CUBN) gene

Cubilin, (CUBN; also known as intrinsic factor-cobalamin receptor [Homo sapiens Entrez Pubmed ref {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"NM_001081.3","term_id":"126091151","term_text":"NM_001081.3"}}NM_001081.3; {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"NG_008967.1","term_id":"212549718","term_text":"NG_008967.1"}}NG_008967.1; GI: 119606627]), located in the epithelium of intestine and kidney acts as a receptor for intrinsic factor – vitamin B12 complexes. Mutations in CUBN may play a role in autosomal recessive megaloblastic anemia. The current study investigated the possible role of CUBN in evolution using phylogenetic testing. A total of 588 BLAST hits were found for the cubilin query sequence and these hits showed putative conserved domain, CUB superfamily (as on 27^th Nov 2012). A first-pass phylogenetic tree was constructed to identify the taxa which most often contained the CUBN sequences. Following this, we narrowed down the search by manually deleting sequences which were not CUBN. A repeat phylogenetic analysis of 25 taxa was performed using PhyML, RAxML and TreeDyn softwares to confirm that CUBN is a conserved protein emphasizing its importance as an extracellular domain and being present in proteins mostly known to be involved in development in many chordate taxa but not found in prokaryotes, plants and yeast.. No horizontal gene transfers have been found between different taxa.     

Biomechanics of bone-fracture fixation by stiffness-graded plates in comparison with stainless-steel plates

Background  

In the internal fixation of fractured bone by means of bone-plates fastened to the bone on its tensile surface, an on-going concern has been the excessive stress-shielding of the bone by the excessively-stiff stainless-steel plate. The compressive stress-shielding at the fracture-interface immediately after fracture-fixation delays callus formation and bone healing. Likewise, the tensile stress-shielding of the layer of the bone underneath the plate can cause osteoporosis and decrease in tensile strength of this layer.