Parasites of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758) in Murcia, southeast Spain

© 2007This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Revue Médicine Vétérinaire.Fifty five red foxes were captured in Murcia province (Southeast Spain) and necropsied to evaluate parasitic infections. Fifteen helminth species were found, including five cestodes (Mesocestoides lineatus, Mesocestoides litteratus, Joyeuxiella pasqualei, Taenia pisiformis and Dipylidium caninum), nine nematodes (Pterygodermatites affinis, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Toxascaris leonina, Oxynema crassispiculum, Eucoleus (Capillaria) aerophilus, Toxocara cati, Uncinaria stenocephala and Angiostrongylus, vasorum), and one acanthocephalan (Macracanthorhynchus catulinus). Coprological method revealed the presence of, Isospora spp. oocysts. Also, fleas and ticks were recovered from the carcasses, corresponding to Pulex irritans, Spilopsyllus cuniculi, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ventalloi, and Ixodes ricinus. Both S. cuniculi and C. felis felis are first records in foxes in the Iberian PeninsulaNous avons réalisé une étude parasitologique chez le renard roux (Vulpes vulpes) dans la province de Murcie (sud-est de l’Espagne). Au total, 55 renards ont été collectés et autopsiés. L’examen coprologique parasitaire a révélé la présence d’oocystes d’Isospora spp. Nous avons trouvé quinze espèces de helminthes, desquels cinq sont cestodes (Mesocestoides lineatus, Mesocestoides litteratus, Joyeuxiella pasqualei, Taenia pisiformis et Dipylidium caninum) et neuf nématodes (Pterygodermatites affinis, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Toxascaris leonina, Oxynema crassispiculum, Eucoleus (Capillaria) aerophilus, Toxocara cati, Uncinaria stenocephala et Angiostrongylus vasorum), et une espèce d’acanthocephalan (Macracanthorhynchus catulinus). Par ailleurs, nous avons identifié des puces et des tiques appartenant aux espèces Pulex irritans, Spilopsyllus cuniculi, Ctenocephalides felis felis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ventalloi et Ixodes ricinus. C’est la première fois que S. cuniculi et C. felis felis ont été décrits chez le renard dans la Péninsule Ibérique

Usefulness of Serial Blood Sampling and PCR Replicates for Treatment Monitoring of Patients with Chronic Chagas Disease

This work evaluated a serial blood sampling procedure to enhance the sensitivity of duplex real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for baseline detection and quantification of parasitic loads and posttreatment identification of failure in the context of clinical trials for treatment of chronic Chagas disease, namely, DNDi-CHE1224-001 (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT01489228) and the MSF-DNDi PCR Sampling Optimization Study (NCT01678599). Patients from Cochabamba (n 294), Tarija (n 257), and Aiquile (n 220) were enrolled. Three serial blood samples were collected at each time point, and qPCR triplicates were tested for each sample. The first two samples were collected during the same day and the third one 7 days later. A patient was considered PCR positive if at least one qPCR replicate was detectable. Cumulative results of multiple samples and qPCR replicates enhanced the proportion of pretreatment sample positivity from 54.8% to 76.2%, 59.5% to 77.8%, and 73.5% to 90.2% in Cochabamba, Tarija, and Aiquile cohorts, respectively. This strategy increased the detection of treatment failure from 72.9% to 91.7%, 77.8% to 88.9%, and 42.9% to 69.1% for E1224 low-, short-, and high-dosage regimens, respectively, and from 4.6% to 15.9% and 9.5% to 32.1% for the benznidazole arm in the DNDi-CH-E1224-001 and MSF-DNDi studies, respectively. The addition of the third blood sample and third qPCR replicate in patients with nondetectable PCR results in the first two samples gave a small, non-statistically significant improvement in qPCR positivity. No change in clinical sensitivity was seen with a blood volume increase from 5 to 10 ml. The monitoring of patients treated with placebo in the DNDi-CH-E1224-001 trial revealed fluctuations in parasitic loads and occasionally nondetectable results. In conclusion, a serial sampling strategy enhanced PCR sensitivity to detecting treatment failure during follow-up and has the potential for improving recruitment capacity in Chagas disease trials, which require an initial positive qPCR result for patient admission

Efficacy and safety of the combination of reduced duration prophylaxis followed by immuno-guided prophylaxis to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in lung transplant recipients (CYTOCOR STUDY) : An open-label, randomised, non-inferiority clinical trial

Introduction Prolonged use of antivirals to prevent the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in lung transplant patients has been shown to have significant side effects, for which alternatives are being sought to reduce their use. The monitoring of cell immunity against CMV could be an alternative as it has shown to be useful in identifying transplant patients at low risk of infection, who could benefit from shorter prophylaxis. The aim of the CYTOCOR study is to demonstrate that the combination of a reduced prophylaxis strategy with subsequent CMV-specific immunological monitoring would allow CMV infection to be controlled in lung transplant patients as effectively as the usual strategy (prophylaxis followed by pre-emptive therapy), while reducing the side effects of antivirals due to the shorter duration of prophylaxis. Methods and analysis Phase III randomised, open, multicentre, parallel, non-inferiority clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of the combination of a prophylaxis strategy up to month +3 post-transplant followed by immuno-guided prophylaxis using the QuantiFERON-CMV technique up to month +12 post-transplant to prevent CMV disease in CMV-seropositive lung transplant recipients. This strategy will be compared with a combination of a usual prophylaxis strategy up to month +6 post-transplant followed by pre-emptive therapy up to month +12. To study the incidence of CMV disease, patients will be followed up to 18 months post-transplantation. A total of 150 patients are expected to be recruited for the study. Ethics and public dissemination The clinical trial has been approved by the Research Ethics Committees and authorised by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS). If the hypothesis of this clinical trial is verified, the dissemination of the results could change clinical practice by increasing knowledge about the safety and efficacy of discontinuing valganciclovir prophylaxis in lung transplant recipients. Trial registration number NCT03699254

Veganism and animal welfare, scientific, ethical, and philosophical arguments

Published Online: May 1, 2023The justification for this review article is to understand the position of vegans and those individuals who consume food of animal origin from an unbiased perspective but with a grounding in scientific evidence. This will provide people who eat meat with scientific and ethical arguments to defend their alimentary autonomy in the context of the moral conflict that has emerged in societies regarding the consumption of meat and animal products, which is criticized –sometimes even attacked– by activists, ovolactovegetarians, or vegetarians with alimentary habits that stress ethical and moral respect for animals. These individuals refuse to eat meat and animal products but sometimes show disrespect for those who do. In recent decades, veganism and vegetarianism have reached an apogee in some western societies where they are often considered a healthy option for humans that simultaneously fosters animal and environmental welfare. While those diets may provide numerous benefits, they can also entail health risks by failing to provide balance and necessary dietary supplements. Various researchers concur that they are not appropriate for pregnant women, children, or carnivorous or omnivorous pets. Our review of scientific articles in favor and against dietary regimens that lack protein of animal origin leads to the conclusion that these dietary changes, on their own, do not reduce animal suffering or the contamination generated by the meat, dairy, and poultry industries. Finally, it is important to consider that, despite the popular opinion that vegetarianism and veganism are healthy diet alternatives, the diet must be individualized and well-balanced according to each stage of their life cycle.Daniel Mota-Rojas, Alexandra L. Whittaker, Leonardo Thielo de la Vega, Marcelo Ghezzi, Karina Lezama-García, Adriana Domínguez-Oliva, Isabel Falcón, Alejandro Casas-Alvarado, María Alonso-Spilsbur

Non-Markovian stochastic description of quantum transport in photosynthetic systems

We analyze several aspects of the transport dynamics in the LH1-RC core of purple bacteria, which consists basically in a ring of antenna molecules that transport the energy into a target molecule, the reaction center, placed in the center of the ring. We show that the periodicity of the system plays an important role to explain the relevance of the initial state in the transport efficiency. This picture is modified, and the transport enhanced for any initial state, when considering that molecules have different energies, and when including their interaction with the environment. We study this last situation by using stochastic Schr{\"o}dinger equations, both for Markovian and non-Markovian type of interactions.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

Phenotypic, transcriptomic, and genomic features of clonal plasma cells in light-chain amyloidosis

Immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis (AL) and multiple myeloma (MM) are 2 distinct monoclonal gammopathies that involve the same cellular compartment: clonal plasma cells (PCs). Despite the fact that knowledge about MM PC biology has significantly increased in the last decade, the same does not apply for AL. Here, we used an integrative phenotypic, molecular, and genomic approach to study clonal PCs from 24 newly diagnosed patients with AL. Through principal-component-analysis, we demonstrated highly overlapping phenotypic profiles between AL and both monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and MM PCs. However, in contrast to MM, highly purified fluorescence-activated cell-sorted clonal PCs from AL (n = 9) showed almost normal transcriptome, with only 38 deregulated genes vs normal PCs; these included a few tumor-suppressor (CDH1, RCAN) and proapoptotic (GLIPR1, FAS) genes. Notwithstanding, clonal PCs in AL (n=11) were genomically unstable, with a median of 9 copy number alterations (CNAs) per case, many of such CNAs being similar to those found in MM. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) performed in 5 AL patients revealed a median of 15 nonrecurrent mutations per case. Altogether, our results show that in the absence of a unifying mutation by WES, clonal PCs in AL display phenotypic and CNA profiles similar to MM, but their transcriptome is remarkably similar to that of normal PCs

Alterations in PGC1[alfa] expression levels are involved in colorectal cancer risk: a qualitative systematic review

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global public health problem and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Mitochondrial dysfunction has long been suspected to be involved in this type of tumorigenesis, as supported by an accumulating body of research evidence. However, little is known about how mitochondrial alterations contribute to tumorigenesis. Mitochondrial biogenesis is a fundamental cellular process required to maintain functional mitochondria and as an adaptive mechanism in response to changing energy requirements. Mitochondrial biogenesis is regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-? (PPARGC1A or PGC1?). In this paper, we report a systematic review to summarize current evidence on the role of PGC1? in the initiation and progression of CRC. The aim is to provide a basis for more comprehensive research. Methods: The literature search, data extraction and quality assessment were performed according to the document Guidance on the Conduct of Narrative Synthesis in Systematic Reviews and the PRISMA declaration. Results: The studies included in this review aimed to evaluate whether increased or decreased PGC1? expression affects the development of CRC. Each article proposes a possible molecular mechanism of action and we create two concept maps. Conclusion: Our systematic review indicates that altered expression of PGC1? modifies CRC risk. Most studies showed that overexpression of this gene increases CRC risk, while some studies indicated that lower than normal expression levels could increase CRC risk. Thus, various authors propose PGC1? as a good candidate molecular target for cancer therapy. Reducing expression of this gene could help to reduce risk or progression of CRC

Impacto de la cirugía bariátrica en la microbiota intestinal y el metaboloma fecal

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la 14ª Reunión de la Red Española de Bacterias Lácticas (RedBAl), celebrada de forma telemática del 8 al 10 de Septiembre de 2021.Introducción: El tratamiento de la obesidad severa mediante cirugía bariátrica presenta la mejor relación efectividad/coste, siendo el sleeve gástrico (SG) y el bypass gástrico (BPG) las técnicas laparoscópicas más utilizadas. El BPG está recomendado en pacientes con mayor exceso de peso (IMC>50). Aunque se han descrito alteraciones en la microbiota intestinal (MI) en relación con la obesidad, existen pocos estudios en obesidad severa en los que se haya caracterizado este ecosistema y el metaboloma fecal. Objetivos: Evaluar el impacto de la dieta pre-operatoria y la técnica de cirugía bariátrica sobre la MI y el metaboloma fecal en obesidad severa. Sujetos y métodos: Se incluyeron 40 pacientes de cirugía bariátrica (14 SG y 26 BPG), se recogió información clínica de interés, así como muestras de heces a cuatro tiempos: 1)-basal, 2)-tras dieta preoperatoria, 3)-al mes y 4)- a los tres meses de la cirugía. Se determinó la composición de la MI mediante secuenciación del gen ARNr 16S y la concentración fecal de varios metabolitos (ácidos grasos de cadena corta-AGCC, aminoácidos y aminas biógenas-AB) mediante cromatografía de gases y líquida. Resultados: Se han detectado diferencias significativas en la composición de la MI de la muestra basal de los pacientes de BPG y de SG y cambios estadísticamente significativos en la composición de la MI y en el metaboloma fecal entre las cuatro muestras, existiendo un mayor impacto en el BPG. En el caso del patrón fecal de AGCC, ambas cirugías disminuyeron la concentración de los AGCC mayoritarios, aunque no hubo diferencias significativas entre ambas. La concentración fecal de aminoácidos transcurridos tres meses desde la operación fue en general inferior en el grupo de pacientes sometidos a BPG, mientras que la concentración de AB fue superior en comparación con los individuos operados mediante SG. Conclusiones: Los pacientes con obesidad severa e IMC>50 tienen una MI diferente, con mayor abundancia de Firmicutes. La cirugía bariátrica y la dieta preoperatoria asociada modifican la composición de la MI y el perfil de metabolitos fecales, siendo estos cambios más profundos cuando se utiliza la técnica de BPG, probablemente por la alteración anatómica del tránsito intestinal

Desarrollo de una aplicación informática para aprender clínica y producción equina jugando al Trivial

Introducción/objetivos: esta iniciativa surge de la puesta en común de experiencias docentes en las I Jornadas de Innovación Docente en Medicina y Cirugía Animal (Córdoba, 2011). Allí se presentaron algunas actividades que utilizan el éxito de metodologías basadas en concursos y competiciones, que consiguen que los alumnos las adopten fácilmente como métodos de aprendizaje.La actividad propuesta se basa en el popular juego TRIVIAL™ en el que equipos de alumnos contestan cuestiones de una batería de preguntas sobre veterinaria equina. Las preguntas están agrupadas por sistemas/especialidades.Se persigue crear un sistema de aprendizaje y autoevaluación formativa, que permita la evaluación de conocimientos adaptados al nivel de los alumnos de S~ del Grado en Veterinaria. Además de autoevaluar sus propios conocimientos sin la presión de un examen formal, el alumno practica la dinámica de grupo. La competitividad generada entre equipos estimula el trabajo individual y de grupo (...

A forced titration study of the antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of Ambrotose AO supplement

Background Oxidative stress plays a role in acute and chronic inflammatory disease and antioxidant supplementation has demonstrated beneficial effects in the treatment of these conditions. This study was designed to determine the optimal dose of an antioxidant supplement in healthy volunteers to inform a Phase 3 clinical trial. Methods The study was designed as a combined Phase 1 and 2 open label, forced titration dose response study in healthy volunteers (n = 21) to determine both acute safety and efficacy. Participants received a dietary supplement in a forced titration over five weeks commencing with a no treatment baseline through 1, 2, 4 and 8 capsules. The primary outcome measurement was ex vivo changes in serum oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The secondary outcome measures were undertaken as an exploratory investigation of immune function. Results A significant increase in antioxidant activity (serum ORAC) was observed between baseline (no capsules) and the highest dose of 8 capsules per day (p = 0.040) representing a change of 36.6%. A quadratic function for dose levels was fitted in order to estimate a dose response curve for estimating the optimal dose. The quadratic component of the curve was significant (p = 0.047), with predicted serum ORAC scores increasing from the zero dose to a maximum at a predicted dose of 4.7 capsules per day and decreasing for higher doses. Among the secondary outcome measures, a significant dose effect was observed on phagocytosis of granulocytes, and a significant increase was also observed on Cox 2 expression. Conclusion This study suggests that Ambrotose AO® capsules appear to be safe and most effective at a dosage of 4 capsules/day. It is important that this study is not over interpreted; it aimed to find an optimal dose to assess the dietary supplement using a more rigorous clinical trial design. The study achieved this aim and demonstrated that the dietary supplement has the potential to increase antioxidant activity. The most significant limitation of this study was that it was open label Phase 1/Phase 2 trial and is subject to potential bias that is reduced with the use of randomization and blinding. To confirm the benefits of this dietary supplement these effects now need to be demonstrated in a Phase 3 randomised controlled trial (RCT)