Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever in Saudi Arabia: molecular detection from camel and other domestic livestock

AbstractObjectiveTo detect Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) DNA in clinical specimens from camel, goats, cattle and sheep in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.MethodsA total of 367 clinical samples including blood, milk, faeces and urine were collected from different livestock and subjected to PCR amplification using primers which amplify transposon-like region and transposase gene.ResultsPositive amplification from both regions was obtained from camel, goats and cattle but not from sheep. A percentage of 10.8% samples yielded positive PCR amplification from both blood and milk, where 15 of 139 blood and 16 of 148 milk samples were positive. Faeces and urine showed higher percentages of positive samples reaching 40.8% and 23.8% respectively.ConclusionsThe preferred route of shedding in camel appeared to be the faeces followed by urine, while that of goats appeared to be the faeces and that of the cattle appeared to be the milk

Histopathology of the Liver, Kidney, and Spleen of Mice Exposed to Gold Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are biocompatible nanomaterials that are currently researched for biomedical applications such as imaging and targeted drug delivery. In this investigation, we studied the effects of a single dose (injected on day 1) as well as a priming dose (two injections with a gap of one week) of 5 nm, 20 nm, and 50 nm diameter GNPs on the structural and biochemical changes in the liver, kidney, and spleen of mice. The results showed that small sized GNPs (5 nm) produced significant pathological changes in the liver on day 2 that gradually reduced on day 8. The medium (20 nm) and large (50 nm) sized GNPs preferentially targeted the spleen and caused significant pathological changes to the spleen architecture on day 2 that persisted on day 8 as well. There were minimal and insignificant pathological changes to the kidneys irrespective of the GNPs size. The animals that were primed with the pre-exposure of GNPs did not show any aggravation of histological changes after the second dose of the same GNPs. None of the dose regimens of the GNPs were able to significantly affect the markers of oxidative stress including glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in all of the organs that were studied. In conclusion, the size of GNPs plays an important role in their pathological effects on different organs of mice. Moreover, the primed animals become refractory to further pathological changes after the second dose of GNPs, suggesting the importance of a priming dose in medical applications of GNPs

ASOCIERE ÎNTRE AgRON ȘI EXPRESIA IMUNOHISTOCHIMICĂ A COX2 şi iNOS ÎN CANCERUL VEZICII URINARE

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to find out if there is correlation between AgNORs (Argyrophilic Nucleolar Organizer Region-associated proteins), COX2 and iNOS expression in bladder cancerMETHODOLOGY: The present study investigated the relationship between means AgNORs count and immunohistochemical expression of COX2 and iNOS in bladder carcinomas in serial paraffin sections from 155 bladder carcinomas. Thirty nine control cases of benign bladder cystitis lesions were included.RESULTS: Mean AgNOR counts correlated significantly with COX2 and iNOS, denoting P values of 0.000 for all three markers. Mean AgNOR count was significantly correlated with tumor type; the mean was 5.94 for SCC, 4.94 for TCC and 3.72 for benign bladder cystitis.CONCLUSION: Strong link between cell proliferation and cellular proliferative activity. Thus the three investigated markers (AgNORs, COX2 and iNOS) can be used as pre-warning factors of bladder cancers among patients at risk of bladder cancer.Keywords: Ag NORs, COX2. iNOS, Bladder cancer.OBIECTIV: Obiectivul acestui studiu a fost de a afla dacă există corelație între AgRON (proteinele organizator argyrofilic nucleolar regional asociate) şi COX2 și iNOS, în cancerul vezicii urinare.METODOLOGIE: Studiul a investigat relatia dintre valorile medii de AgRONs și expresia imunohistochimică de COX2 și iNOS în carcinoamele vezicii urinare în secțiuni seriale de parafină de la 155 de carcinoame ale vezicii urinare. Au fost incluse treizeci și nouă de cazuri- control de leziuni de cistita benignă a vezicii urinare.REZULTATE: valorile medii de AGRON se corelează în mod semnificativ cu COX2 și iNOS, rezultând valori ale P de 0.000 pentru toţi cei trei markeri. Media AgRON a fost corelată semnificativ cu tipul tumorii, media a fost de 5,94 pentru SCC, 4,94 pentru TCC și 3,72 pentru cistita benignă a vezicii urinare. CONCLUZIE: Există o legătură puternică între proliferarea celulelor și activitatea proliferativă celulară. Astfel, cei trei markeri investigaţi (AgRONs, COX2 și iNOS) pot fi utilizaţi ca factori de pre-avertizare de cancer al vezicii urinare la pacienții cu risc de cancer de vezică urinară.Cuvinte cheie : AgRON, COX2, iNOS , cancer de vezica urinară