STUDY OF PROBIOTICS ON THE SEED PRODUCTION OF BLACK TIGER SHRIMP Penaeus monodon

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in shrimp hatcheries to control bacterial infections. Appearance of antibiotic resistant pathogens and restriction on the use of antibiotics have led to the development of alternatives to antibiotics in hatchery systems. In light of this, an attempt was undertaken to investigate the effects of probiotics on the larval rearing of Penaeus monodon, compared with control tanks (without probiotics). The results showed that several issues significantly improved with administering probiotics in the experimental tanks compared with the tanks without probiotics. For example, the concentration of ammonia was estimated to be 1.25 mg/L that was less than half of what was measured in the control tanks. The size variation was observed more in the control tanks than in the experimental tanks. Moreover, the muscle gut ratio of PL15 was about 85 to 92% in the probiotic treated tank and 70 to 80% in the control tank during the eight cycles of production. The fouling organisms were more in the control tank compared to the experimental tanks. The average length of PL15 was maximum when reared in the experimental tanks compared to the control tanks. The final survival rate of PL15 from the control and experimental tank was 35 and 52%, respectively. The present investigation indicated that probiotics played an important role in the growth, survival and health status of P. monodon larvae

Substantial and sustained reduction in under-5 mortality, diarrhea, and pneumonia in Oshikhandass, Pakistan : Evidence from two longitudinal cohort studies 15 years apart

Funding Information: Study 1 was funded through the Applied Diarrheal Disease Research Program at Harvard Institute for International Development with a grant from USAID (Project 936–5952, Cooperative Agreement # DPE-5952-A-00-5073-00), and the Aga Khan Health Service, Northern Areas and Chitral, Pakistan. Study 2 was funded by the Pakistan US S&T Cooperative Agreement between the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) (No.4–421/PAK-US/HEC/2010/955, grant to the Karakoram International University) and US National Academies of Science (Grant Number PGA-P211012 from NAS to the Fogarty International Center). The funding bodies had no role in the design of the study, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Changes in plasma biomarkers following treatment with cabozantinib in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a post hoc analysis of an extension cohort of a phase II trial

BACKGROUND: Cabozantinib is an orally available inhibitor of tyrosine kinases including VEGFR2 and c-MET. We performed a post hoc analysis to find associations between select plasma biomarkers and treatment response in patients (pts) with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who received cabozantinib 100 mg daily as part of a phase 2 non-randomized expansion cohort (NCT00940225). METHODS: Plasma samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks and at time of maximal response from 81 mCRPC pts with bone metastases, of which 33 also had measurable soft-tissue disease. Levels of 27 biomarkers were measured in duplicate using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for the association between biomarker levels or their change on treatment and either bone scan response (BSR) or soft tissue response according to RECIST. RESULTS: A BSR and RECIST response were seen in 66/81 pts (81 %) and 6/33 pts (18 %) respectively. No significant associations were found between any biomarker at any time point and either type of response. Plasma concentrations of VEGFA, FLT3L, c-MET, AXL, Gas6A, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, interleukin-8 and the hypoxia markers CA9 and clusterin significantly increased during treatment with cabozantinib irrespective of response. The plasma concentrations of VEGFR2, Trap5b, Angiopoietin-2, TIMP-2 and TIE-2 significantly decreased during treatment with caboznatinib. CONCLUSIONS: Our data did not reveal plasma biomarkers associated with response to cabozantinib. The observed alterations in several biomarkers during treatment with cabozantinib may provide insights on the effects of cabozantinib on tumor cells and on tumor micro-environment and may help point to potential co-targeting approaches

PROBIOTICI U PROIZVODNJI POTOMSTVA TIGRASTE KOZICE (Penaeus monodon)

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in shrimp hatcheries to control bacterial infections. Appearance of antibiotic resistant pathogens and restriction on the use of antibiotics have led to the development of alternatives to antibiotics in hatchery systems. In light of this, an attempt was undertaken to investigate the effects of probiotics on the larval rearing of Penaeus monodon, compared with control tanks (without probiotics). The results showed that several issues significantly improved with administering probiotics in the experimental tanks compared with the tanks without probiotics. For example, the concentration of ammonia was estimated to be 1.25 mg/L that was less than half of what was measured in the control tanks. The size variation was observed more in the control tanks than in the experimental tanks. Moreover, the muscle gut ratio of PL15 was about 85 to 92% in the probiotic treated tank and 70 to 80% in the control tank during the eight cycles of production. The fouling organisms were more in the control tank compared to the experimental tanks. The average length of PL15 was maximum when reared in the experimental tanks compared to the control tanks. The final survival rate of PL15 from the control and experimental tank was 35 and 52%, respectively. The present investigation indicated that probiotics played an important role in the growth, survival and health status of P. monodon larvae.U mrijestilištima kozica trenutno je vrlo rasprostranjena upotreba antibiotika za sprečavanje bakterijskih infekcija. Pojavom otpornih patogenih svojstva antibiotika i ograničenja njihove upotrebe, razvili su se drugi načini sprečavanja infekcija patogenima u mrijestilištima. Sukladno tome je provedeno istraživanje učinkovitosti probiotika u uzgoju ličinki Penaeus monodon te su dobiveni rezultati uspoređeni s onima iz kontrolnih spremnika bez probiotika. Rezultati su pokazali znatno unapređenje nekih odrednica uzgoja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima s dodatkom probiotika (u odnosu na spremnike bez probiotika). Primjerice, koncentracija amonijaka procijenjena je na 1,25 mg/L, što je manje od polovice izmjerene vrijednosti u kontrolnim spremnicima. Veća varijacija veličine zabilježena je u kontrolnim, a manja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Štoviše, tijekom osam faza proizvodnje, omjer crijevnih mišića PL15 bio je otprilike 85-92% u spremnicima s probioticima, a 70-80% u kontrolnim spremnicima. Obraštajnih organizama bilo je više u kontrolnim nego u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Prosječna dužina PL15 bila je maksimalna za jedinke koje su mriještene u eksperimentalnim spremnicima (u odnosu na kontrolne). Konačna stopa preživljavanja PL15 je 35% u kontrolnim i 52% u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Ovim istraživanjem dokazana je važna uloga probiotika u rastu, preživljavanju i održavanju zdravlja ličinki P. monodon

Facility Assessment for Maternal and Child Health Services in Bangladesh Using Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (Sara) Tool: A Cross-sectional Pilot Study

Background: To initiate journey towards the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) it is essential to assess the health facilities. Unfortunately, no health facility assessment has been conducted in Bangladesh so far using "Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA)” tool. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a pilot study to assess health facilities for maternal and child health services using SARA tool so that we can scale-up this assessment throughout the country later.Aim: We aimed to assess the health facilities for maternal and child health services in Tangail, Bangladesh using service availability and readiness assessment (SARA) tool.Methods: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted in Bashail and Shokhipur Upazilla of Tangail district. A sample of 14 health facilities was assessed purposefully for data collection using a modified version of the SARA tool. Data was collected from November 01 to November 15, 2013, using paper-based questionnaire. Finally, following data collection, data were documented into Microsoft Excel by data collectors. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel, version 2010.Results: General service readiness has been segregated into five domains and their readiness scores were basic amenities (53.06%), basic equipment (83.33%), standard precautions for infection prevention (55.56%), and basic equipment (58.93%) for included health facilities. Similarly, specific service readiness includes family planning (48.15%), child immunization (67.71%), preventive and curative care (71.43%), and basic surgery (93.33%).Conclusion: Since we are moving towards UHC, it is essential to know the current scenario of health facilities. This pilot study reveals the strength and weakness of the health facilities in providing the maternal and child health services. These findings will help us to resolve all the identified gaps through proper planning and action

Changes in plasma biomarkers following treatment with cabozantinib in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer:a post hoc analysis of an extension cohort of a phase II trial

© 2016 Leibowitz-Amit et al. Background: Cabozantinib is an orally available inhibitor of tyrosine kinases including VEGFR2 and c-MET. We performed a post hoc analysis to find associations between select plasma biomarkers and treatment response in patients (pts) with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who received cabozantinib 100 mg daily as part of a phase 2 non-randomized expansion cohort (NCT00940225). Methods: Plasma samples were collected at baseline, 6 weeks and at time of maximal response from 81 mCRPC pts with bone metastases, of which 33 also had measurable soft-tissue disease. Levels of 27 biomarkers were measured in duplicate using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for the association between biomarker levels or their change on treatment and either bone scan response (BSR) or soft tissue response according to RECIST. Results: A BSR and RECIST response were seen in 66/81 pts (81 %) and 6/33 pts (18 %) respectively. No significant associations were found between any biomarker at any time point and either type of response. Plasma concentrations of VEGFA, FLT3L, c-MET, AXL, Gas6A, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, interleukin-8 and the hypoxia markers CA9 and clusterin significantly increased during treatment with cabozantinib irrespective of response. The plasma concentrations of VEGFR2, Trap5b, Angiopoietin-2, TIMP-2 and TIE-2 significantly decreased during treatment with caboznatinib. Conclusions: Our data did not reveal plasma biomarkers associated with response to cabozantinib. The observed alterations in several biomarkers during treatment with cabozantinib may provide insights on the effects of cabozantinib on tumor cells and on tumor micro-environment and may help point to potential co-targeting approaches

Epidemiological profile of stroke in Qatar : Insights from a seven-year observational study

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