Acute toxicity effects of ibuprofen on behaviour and haematological parameters of African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822)

Indiscriminate discharge of pharmaceutical waste into the aquatic ecosystem may pose serious health challenges to aquatic biota. The effect of acute exposure to ibuprofen was evaluated using changes in behaviour and haematological parameters under static bio-assay method in Clarias gariepinus. Test specimens were exposed to acute concentrations of ibuprofen (0.28, 0.33, 0.38, 0.43 and 0.48 mg l^?1) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h durations respectively. Behavioural and phenotypic changes were observed in surviving fish. There were significant (p < 0.05) concentration and duration-dependent increases in erythrocyte (RBC), haemoglobin (Hb), pack cell volume (PCV) and leukocytes (WBC) in treated fish compared to the control. Insignificant decreases (p > 0.05) in mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were observed in treated fish compared to the control. Ibuprofen elicited dose and duration- dependent decrease in neutrophil counts with the decreases being significant (p < 0.05) in the higher doses of 0.43 and 0.48 mg l^?1. Ibuprofen did not elicit any significant changes in monocytes, basophils and eosinophils. Changes observed in this study showed that ibuprofen negatively affected the health of the fish and we recommend that discharge of ibuprofen into the aquatic environment should be monitored and controlled.     

Visual pigments in a living fossil,the Australian lungfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoceratodus forsteri</Emphasis>

Background  

One of the greatest challenges facing the early land vertebrates was the need to effectively interpret a terrestrial environment. Interpretation was based on ocular adaptations evolved for an aquatic environment millions of years earlier. The Australian lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri is thought to be the closest living relative to the first terrestrial vertebrate, and yet nothing is known about the visual pigments present in lungfish or the early tetrapods.     

Mechanically braked elliptical Wingate test: modification considerations, load optimization, and reliability

The 30-second, all-out Wingate test evaluates anaerobic performance using an upper or lower body cycle ergometer (cycle Wingate test). A recent study showed that using a modified electromagnetically braked elliptical trainer for Wingate testing (EWT) leads to greater power outcomes because of larger muscle group recruitment. The main purpose of this study was to modify an elliptical trainer using an easily understandable mechanical brake system instead of an electromagnetically braked modification. Our secondary aim was to determine a proper test load for the EWT to reveal the most efficient anaerobic test outcomes such as peak power (PP), average power (AP), minimum power (MP), power drop (PD), and fatigue index ratio (FI%) and to evaluate the retest reliability of the selected test load. Delta lactate responses (ΔLa) were also analyzed to confirm all the anaerobic performance of the athletes. Thirty healthy and well-trained male university athletes were selected to participate in the study. By analysis of variance, an 18% body mass workload yielded significantly greater test outcomes (PP = 19.5 ± 2.4 W·kg, AP = 13.7 ± 1.7 W·kg, PD = 27.9 ± 5 W·s, FI% = 58.4 ± 3.3%, and ΔLa = 15.4 ± 1.7 mM) than the other (12-24% body mass) tested loads (p < 0.05). Test and retest results for relative PP, AP, MP, PD, FI%, and ΔLa were highly correlated (r = 0.97, 0.98, 0.94, 0.91, 0.81, and 0.95, respectively). In conclusion, it was found that the mechanically braked modification of an elliptical trainer successfully estimated anaerobic power and capacity. A workload of 18% body mass was optimal for measuring maximal and reliable anaerobic power outcomes. Anaerobic testing using an EWT may be more useful to athletes and coaches than traditional cycle ergometers because a greater proportion of muscle groups are worked during exercise on an elliptical trainer.     

Effects of some drugs on human cord blood erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases I and II: an in vitro study

In the present study, we purified hcbCA I and II from human cord blood erythrocytes using by Sepharose-4B-L tyrosine-sulfanilamide affinity gel chromatography. Also, it was checked the inhibition effects of ampicillin sulfate, ceftriaxone, ceftizoxime and ranitidine on hcbCA I and hcbCA II. IC(50) values for ceftriaxone, ceftizoxime and ranitidine were found to be 27.l, 79.4 and 55.5 μM for hcbCA I and of 21.0, 79.1 and 66.1 μM for hcbCA II, respectively. According to these results, Ampicillin sulfate inhibited only hcbCAII and IC(50) values of this antibiotic was found to be 56.8 μM. All these substances were found non-competitive inhibitors. It is important to study the inhibition effects of these drugs on hcbCA I and II izoenzymes. Because, pregnant woman is take all of these substance. For this reason, these drugs should be carefully used and the dosage should be very well ordered to minimize side effects.     

Species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and clonal relatedness of Candida isolates from patients in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units at a medical center in Turkey

The aim of this study was to assess species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and clonal relationships among Candida strains isolated from a group of pediatric/neonatal intensive care (PICU/NICU) patients that had a very high mortality rate (76%). The cases of 21 patients (19 with candidemia, 2 with Candida meningitides) treated over a 1-year period in a Turkish hospital PICU and NICU were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-eight Candida isolates were detected from blood (20), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (2) and other specimens (6). Candida species were identified using the API ID 32C System. Susceptibility testing was done (all 28 isolates) for amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole using the broth microdilution method. Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) was used for molecular typing of the 3 most common ones; C. albicans (15), C. parapsilosis (6), and C. pelliculosa (4). Electrophoretic karyotyping (EK) was done to check clonal identity obtained by AP-PCR. Of the 20 blood isolates, 8 (40%) were C. albicans, 12 (60%) were non-albicans Candida, and one of the 2 CSF isolates was C. albicans. The overall species distribution was as follows: 15 C. albicans isolates, 6 C. parapsilosis isolates, 4 C. pelliculosa isolates, 2 C. famata isolates and 1 C tropicalis isolate. Amphotericin B had the best antifungal activity with a MIC90 of 0.125 microg/ml, and the rates of susceptibility to fluconazole and itraconazole were 93% and 82%, respectively. AP-PCR revealed 11 genotypes (4 were identical pairs, 7 were distinct) among the 15 C. albicans isolates, 2 genotypes (5 were classified in the same type) among the 6 C. parapsilosis isolates, and 4 separate genotypes for the 4 C. pelliculosa isolates. Karyotyping results correlated well with the AP-PCR findings. As indicated in the previous research, our results confirmed that non-albicans Candida species have become more frequently causative agents for invasive fungal infections in the ICU. Transmission of C. albicans and C. pelliculosa was relatively low, but transmission of C. parapsilosis was high, suggesting that more effective control and very strict treatment protocols are needed for patients having high mortality and invasive fungal infection in ICU.     

Tetranucleotide,trinucleotide, and dinucleotide loci from the bobcat (Lynx rufus)

We describe primers and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions to amplify four dinucleotide, one trinucleotide, and three tetranucleotide microsatellite DNA loci from the bobcat (Lynx rufus). The primers were tested on 22 individuals collected from a population located within southwestern Georgia (USA). The primer pairs developed in this study yielded an average of 7.4 alleles per locus (range four to 10), an average observed heterozygosity of 0.60 (range 0.40 to 0.76), and an average polymorphic information content of 0.70 (range 0.51 to 0.78).     

Lifetable demography and population growth of the rotifer Brachionus angularis in Kenya: influence of temperature and food density

Lifetable demography and reproductive traits of a Kenyan strain of the rotifer Brachionus angularis were investigated using individual and small batch culture approaches. The rotifer was identified morphologically before conducting studies at 20, 25 and 30 °C, using Chlorella vulgaris at 2.5 × 10⁵ to 2.5 × 10⁷ cells ml^–1. The rotifers were highly fecund, producing 2.11 ± 0.07 offspring female^–1 day^–1 and reproductive, producing 8.43 ± 0.24 offspring female^–1 at 25 °C with 2.5 × 10⁶ algal cells ml^–1. The highest intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.74 ± 0.02 d^–1), specific population growth rate (0.49 ± 0.01), longest life expectancy at hatching (12.41 ± 0.28 d) and shortest generation time (2.87 ± 0.03 d) also occurred at 25 °C with 2.5 × 10⁶ algal cells ml^–1. The duration of hatching to first spawning was shortest (2.86 ± 0.21 h) at 30 °C with 2.5 × 10⁷ algal cells ml^–1 and longest (8.83 ± 0.39 h) at 20 °C with 2.5 × 10⁵ algal cells ml^–1. The highest population density (255.7 ± 12.6 ind. ml^–1) was realised at 25 °C with 2.5 × 10⁶ cells ml^–1 on Day 8, whereas the lowest population density (122.0 ± 3.6 ind. ml^–1) was realised at 20 °C with 2.5 × 10⁵ cells ml^–1 on Day 8. The lorica length and width of the Kenyan strain of B. angularis are 85.6 ± 3.1 µm and 75.4 ± 3.6 µm, respectively. The rotifer optimally reproduces at 25 °C when fed with 2.5 × 10⁶ algal cells ml^–1.     

Water level fluctuations in Lake Baringo,Kenya, during the 19th and 20th centuries: Evidence from lake sediments

This article presents a fossil diatom-based, semi-quantitative reconstruction of water level fluctuations for Lake Baringo over the past 200 years as a consequence of climatic variations. A 285 cm long sediment core sample was collected using a Rod-Operated Single-drive Stationary Piston corer. Lake level was inferred using indices based on the proportion of planktonic to benthic diatom taxa (P/B ratio). The sediment archive presented distinct zones dominated by planktonic and benthic diatom flora. An initial transgression in the early 19th century was characterised as a shallow water environment dominated by planktonic Aulacoseira spp. This was a response to extreme drought during the late 18th to early 19th century. Mid-19th century was defined by a high lake stand. The late 19th to early 20th centuries experienced low water level following the widely documented aridity at the time. The mid-20th century was marked by a spectacular rise in water level that coincided with remarkably wet years during the early 1960s and late 1970s. The first decade of the 21st century witnessed widespread changes in water level. The proxy records show that lake ramping and drawdown over the years follow approximately 50-year climatic cycles.     

Trophic state and nutrient limitation in Lake Baringo,Kenya

The trophic state of Lake Baringo and factors that could be limiting the development of algal biomass in it were investigated during one wet/dry hydrological cycle in 2014–2015. Water samples were analysed for dissolved inorganic nutrients, including , and , total phosphorus and Chlorophyll a. Light attenuation was estimated using Secchi depth. The trophic state was determined using Carlson trophic state indices (CTSI). Deviations in CTSI, nutrient ratios and ambient nutrient concentrations were used to identify factors limiting phytoplankton growth. The mean values measured for Secchi depth, nitrate, total phosphorus and Chlorophyll a showed significant seasonal variation (p < 0.05). Based on the Carlson trophic state index, the results show that Lake Baringo is eutrophic. However, the lake is also experiencing phosphorus limitation and poor light penetration, because of high turbidity, which is more pronounced during the wet season.     

Toxic effects of copper sulfate on the brains of term Hubbard broiler chicks: a stereological and biochemical study

Copper sulfate can cause different pathologies in different organ systems during development. We determined the effects of toxic levels of copper sulfate on brain development in term Hubbard broiler chicks using stereological and biochemical analyses. Hubbard broiler chicken eggs were divided into three groups: controls with no treatment, sham-treated animals and an experimental group. On day 1, 0.1 ml saline was injected into the air chambers of the sham and experimental groups. The experimental group received also 50 μg copper sulfate. At term (day 21), all chick brains were removed and their volumes were determined using the Cavalieri volume estimation. Parallel biochemical analyses were carried out for glutathione and malondialdehyde levels in the brain tissues as indicators of oxidative damage. With copper treatment, the mean brain volume (8079 μm³) was significantly decreased compared to both the control (10075 μm³) and sham (9547 μm³) groups. Copper treatment (143.8 nmol/g tissue) showed significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels compared to the control (293.6 nmol/g tissue) and sham groups (268.8 nmol/g tissue). Copper treatment (404.5 nmol/g tissue) showed significantly increased malondialdehyde levels compared to the control (158.6 nmol/g tissue) and sham (142.8 nmol/g tissue) groups. The morphological and biochemical parameters we measured demonstrated that in term Hubbard broiler chicks, toxic levels of copper sulfate cause developmental and oxidative brain damage.