Primary Invasive Aspergillosis of the Digestive Tract: Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND: Disseminated aspergillosis is thought to occur as a result of vascular invasion from the lungs with subsequent bloodstream dissemination, and portals of entry other than sinuses and/or the respiratory tract remain speculative. METHODS: We report two cases of primary aspergillosis in the digestive tract and present a detailed review of eight of the 23 previously-published cases for which detailed data are available. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: These ten cases presented with symptoms suggestive of typhlitis, with further peritonitis requiring laparotomy and small bowel segmental resection. All cases were characterized by the absence of pulmonary disease at the time of histologically-confirmed gastrointestinal involvement with vascular invasion by branched Aspergillus hyphae. These cases suggest that the digestive tract may represent a portal of entry for Aspergillus species in immunocompromised patients

Ripples of hope: Acehnese refugees in post-tsunami Malaysia

10.1111/j.0129-7619.2005.00217.xSingapore Journal of Tropical Geography262249-25

Variability in condition and growth of Atlantic cod larvae and juveniles reared in mesocosms: environmental and maternal effects

Standard length, dry mass and RNA : DNA ratio measurements of 3876 Atlantic cod Gadus morhua larvae and juveniles from 26 families of recruit (fish during their first year of spawning) and repeat spawners (fish which were in their subsequent spawning season) reared in two mesocosms (2500 and 4400 m3) under semi-natural conditions were analysed over a period of 10 weeks using microsatellites. Larvae from recruit spawners were significantly longer and heavier at hatch and throughout the 10 weeks. RNA : DNA ratios from recruit spawner offspring were only significantly higher at week 1. The smaller (2500 m3) mesocosm was characterized by low plankton density during the transition from endogenous to exogenous feeding followed by a higher density during the metamorphosis period (weeks 4 and 5), with the reverse pattern evident in the 4400 m3 mesocosm. Patterns of larval growth followed patterns of zooplankton density. Significant differences in RNA : DNA ratios between the mesocosms at all comparable sampling dates were found and within each mesocosm individual fish exhibited a wide range of growth and condition responses under the same environmental conditions. RNA : DNA ratios as a function of size differed in the amount of variability between mesocosms, indicating that the higher food density led to a higher proportion of well-conditioned larvae in the first 3 weeks. Food availability probably has a major role in determining offspring growth and condition, with limited effects due to maternal effects in cases where the broodstock females are approximately of similar size and condition