Case Report: Positive outcome of medical leeches (hirudotherapy) for venous congestion

No Abstrac

Stress effect on magnetoimpedance (MI) in amorphous wires at GHz frequencies and application to stress-tunable microwave composite materials

The effect of tensile stress on magnetoimpedance (MI) in CoMnSiB amorphous wires at microwave frequencies (0.5-3 GHz) is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. In the presence of the dc bias magnetic field of the order of the anisotropy field, the impedance shows very large and sensitive change when the wire is subjected to a tensile stress: 100% and 60% per 180 MPa for frequencies 500 MHz and 2.5 GHz, respectively. It is demonstrated that this behavior owes mainly to the directional change in the equilibrium magnetization caused by the applied stress and field, which agrees well with the theoretical results for the surface impedance. This stress effect on MI is proposed to use for creating microwave stress-tunable composite materials containing short magnetic wires. The analysis of the dielectric response from such materials shows that depending on the stress level in the material, the dispersion of the effective permittivity can be of a resonant or relaxation type with a considerable change in its values (up to 100% at 600 MPa). This media can be used for structural stress monitoring by microwave contrast imaging

Experimentally increased brood size accelerates actuarial senescence and increases subsequent reproductive effort in a wild bird population

The assumption that reproductive effort decreases somatic state, accelerating ageing, is central to our understanding of life-history variation. Maximal reproductive effort early in life is predicted to be maladaptive by accelerating ageing disproportionally, decreasing fitness. Optimality theory predicts that reproductive effort is restrained early in life to balance the fitness contribution of reproduction against the survival cost induced by the reproductive effort. When adaptive, the level of reproductive restraint is predicted to be inversely linked to the remaining life expectancy, potentially resulting in a terminal effort in the last period of reproduction. Experimental tests of the reproductive restraint hypothesis require manipulation of somatic state and subsequent investigation of reproductive effort and residual life span. To our knowledge the available evidence remains inconclusive, and hence reproductive restraint remains to be demonstrated. We modulated somatic state through a lifelong brood size manipulation in wild jackdaws and measured its consequences for age-dependent mortality and reproductive success. The assumption that lifelong increased brood size reduced somatic state was supported: Birds rearing enlarged broods showed subsequent increased rate of actuarial senescence, resulting in reduced residual life span. The treatment induced a reproductive response in later seasons: Egg volume and nestling survival were higher in subsequent seasons in the increased versus reduced broods' treatment group. We detected these increases in egg volume and nestling survival despite the expectation that in the absence of a change in reproductive effort, the reduced somatic state indicated by the increased mortality rate would result in lower reproductive output. This leads us to conclude that the higher reproductive success we observed was the result of higher reproductive effort. Our findings show that reproductive effort negatively covaries with remaining life expectancy, supporting optimality theory and confirming reproductive restraint as a key factor underpinning life-history variation

Polymerization in Magnetic Field. XIX. Thermal Behavior of the Copolymers of Methyl Methacrylate with Glycidyl Methacrylate Synthesized in the Magnetic Field Presence

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Brown bear attacks on humans : a worldwide perspective

The increasing trend of large carnivore attacks on humans not only raises human safety concerns but may also undermine large carnivore conservation efforts. Although rare, attacks by brown bears Ursus arctos are also on the rise and, although several studies have addressed this issue at local scales, information is lacking on a worldwide scale. Here, we investigated brown bear attacks (n = 664) on humans between 2000 and 2015 across most of the range inhabited by the species: North America (n = 183), Europe (n = 291), and East (n = 190). When the attacks occurred, half of the people were engaged in leisure activities and the main scenario was an encounter with a female with cubs. Attacks have increased significantly over time and were more frequent at high bear and low human population densities. There was no significant difference in the number of attacks between continents or between countries with different hunting practices. Understanding global patterns of bear attacks can help reduce dangerous encounters and, consequently, is crucial for informing wildlife managers and the public about appropriate measures to reduce this kind of conflicts in bear country.Peer reviewe

Effect of ochratoxin A on the intestinal mucosa and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues in broiler chickens

The immunotoxic effect of ochratoxin A (OTA) on the intestinal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and its cytotoxic action on the intestinal epithelium were studied in broiler chickens experimentally treated with the toxin. From the 7th day of life, 80 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly divided into four groups of 20 birds each. The three experimental groups (E1-3) were treated with OTA for 28 days (E1: 50 μg/kg body weight [bw]/day; E2: 20 μg/kg bw/day; E3: 1 μg/kg bw/day) and the fourth group served as control. Histological examination of the intestinal mucosa and immunohistochemical staining for identification of CD4+, CD8+, TCR1 and TCR2 lymphocytes in the duodenum, jejunum and ileocaecal junction were performed, and CD4+/CD8+ and TCR1/TCR2 ratios were calculated. OTA toxicity resulted in decreased body weight gain, poorer feed conversion ratio, lower leukocyte and lymphocyte count, and altered intestinal mucosa architecture. After 14 days of exposure to OTA, immunohistochemistry showed a significant reduction of the lymphocyte population in the intestinal epithelium and the lamina propria. After 28 days of exposure, an increase in the CD4+ and CD8+ values in both the duodenum and jejunum of chickens in Groups E1 and E2 was observed, but the TCR1 and TCR2 lymphocyte counts showed a significant reduction. No significant changes were observed in Group E3. The results indicate that OTA induced a decrease in leukocyte and lymphocyte counts and was cytotoxic to the intestinal epithelium and the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, altering the intestinal barrier and increasing susceptibility to various associated diseases

Neutrophil-specific deletion of the CARD9 gene expression regulator suppresses autoantibody-induced inflammation in vivo

Neutrophils are terminally differentiated cells with limited transcriptional activity. The biological function of their gene expression changes is poorly understood. CARD9 regulates transcription during antifungal immunity but its role in sterile inflammation is unclear. Here we show that neutrophil CARD9 mediates pro-inflammatory chemokine/cytokine but not lipid mediator release during non-infectious inflammation. Genetic deficiency of CARD9 suppresses autoantibody-induced arthritis and dermatitis in mice. Neutrophil-specific deletion of CARD9 is sufficient to induce that phenotype. Card9(-/-) neutrophils show defective immune complex-induced gene expression changes and pro-inflammatory chemokine/cytokine release but normal LTB4 production and other short-term responses. In vivo deletion of CARD9 reduces tissue levels of pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines but not LTB4. The CARD9-mediated signalling pathway involves Src-family kinases, Syk, PLCγ2, Bcl10/Malt1 and NFκB. Collectively, CARD9-mediated gene expression changes within neutrophils play important roles during non-infectious inflammation in vivo and CARD9 acts as a divergence point between chemokine/cytokine and lipid mediator release