Molecular phylogeny provides new insights on the taxonomy and composition of Lyperosomum Looss, 1899 (Digenea, Dicrocoeliidae) and related genera

Lyperosomum Looss, 1899 is one of the largest genera of the Dicrocoeliidae and is one of the best examples of the systematic complexity and taxonomic instability within this family. We present the molecular analyses based on novel sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial genes obtained from 56 isolates of adult flukes and larval stages of dicrocoeliids belonging to Lyperosomum, Skrjabinus, Zonorchis as well as previously available sequence data. According to obtained results we propose to return Zonorchis clathratus and Z. petiolatus into Lyperosomum, and to recognize L. alagesi as a synonym of L. petiolatum. Our study shows that L. petiolatum commonly occurs in Europe in corvids as well as in several species of migratory songbirds, e.g. Sylvia atricapilla. At the same time, the Turdidae appear to host a distinct species of Lyperosomum. The phylogenetic analysis has clearly demonstrated the paraphylepic nature of Lyperosomum and indicated the need of its thorough revision preferably using specimens from type hosts and type territories of nominal species. In addition, inclusion of numerous not yet sequenced dicrocoeliid genera into future phylogenetic studies is necessary to clarify the interrelationships of taxa within the family and stabilize its system

Occurrence of Vector-borne Pathogens in Wild Rodent Populations in Southwestern Poland - Molecular and Ecological Approaches (2014-09-26)

Dr. Joanna Hildebrand, Assistant Professor, Department of Parasitology, University of Wroclaw presents: Occurrence of Vector-borne Pathogens in Wild Rodent Populations in Southwestern Poland - Molecular and Ecological Approaches at a UMD Biology Seminar hosted by Dr. Conrad Firling.University of Minnesota Duluth Biology Departmen

Maximal respiratory pressures and exercise tolerance in patients with COPD

Many authors reported respiratory muscle function impairment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Impaired respiratory muscle function may contribute exercise intolerance which is frequently observed in this disease. Aim of the study: was to determine the influence of respiratory muscle function on exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Methods: 23 patients with stable COPD aged 62.7 ± 9.3 years (6F, 17M; mean post-bronchodilator FEV1 = 47.9 ± 12.4% value predicted) participated in the study. Exercise capacity was assessed by the six-minute walk test and the incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill. Maximal respiratory pressures (PImax, PEmax) were evaluated before and directly after CPET. Results: The mean peak oxygen uptake (VO2max) was 27.2 ± 6.1 mlO2/min/kg and the mean distance walked during the 6MWT was 569.4 ± 101.7 m. Both PImax and PEmax decreased significantly after maximal exercise (71.4 ± 23.0 vs. 63.6 ± 22.2 cm H2O, p = 0.001 and 124.9 ± 46.5 vs 112.3 ± 46.6 cm H2O, p = 0.02 respectively). No correlation between VO2max and the 6-minute walk distance and the maximal respiratory pressures was found. We observed a negative correlation between the 6-minute walk distance and the difference between the pre- and post CPET maximal inspiratory pressure. Conclusions: respiratory muscle function is impaired in patients with COPD but this does not affect exercise performance. Exercise causes a decrease of the respiratory muscle strength

Influence of nasal continuous positive airway pressure on response to exercise in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients are at risk of cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the response to symptom limited exercise test. Methods: twenty nine OSAS patients (1 F, 28 M), mean age 50.7±9.7 yrs with body mass index of 32.6±4.5 kg/m2 participated in the study. OSAS was diagnosed by overnight polysomnography. Incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) on a treadmill was performed twice: before and after 2-3 weeks of regular treatment with CPAP. Results: mean apnea + hypopnea index (AHI) before therapy was 57.6±12 h-1. CPAP treatment did not change peak oxygen consumption (VO2max) (38.3±9.0 vs. 38.9±6.9 mlO2/kg/min, p=ns) or peak heart rate (153.4±21 min-1 vs. 155.5±22 min-1, p=ns). There were no significant changes in ventilation or gas exchange variables. However,a decrease in peak systolic blood pressure from 194.5±24 mm Hg to 186.7±27.9 mm Hg (

The relationship between markers of airway inflammation and thickness of the basement membrane in patients with asthma

Wstęp: Zapalenie i przebudowa (remodeling) ścian oskrzeli należą do najbardziej charakterystycznych cech astmy. Powszechnie się uważa, że zmiany strukturalne są konsekwencją przewlekłego zapalenia toczącego się w drogach oddechowych. Pojawiają się jednak opinie świadczące o tym, że remodeling i zapalenie są zupełnie odrębnymi procesami. Wciąż trwają badania, które mają na celu ocenę związku między zapaleniem a przebudową oskrzeli. Celem pracy była próba opisania zależności pomiędzy badanymi wskaźnikami zapalenia dróg oddechowych a remodelingiem określanym na podstawie grubości błony podstawnej u chorych na astmę w stabilnym okresie choroby. Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono u 18 chorych na astmę (M/K 9/9, średni wiek badanych 36 ± 15 lat). Czas trwania objawów wynosił 12,7 ± 11,5 roku. Chorzy nie stosowali leków przeciwzapalnych przez okres co najmniej 3 miesięcy poprzedzających włączenie do badania. U każdego chorego przeprowadzono indukcję plwociny i badanie bronchofiberoskopowe z BAL i pobieraniem wycinków z oskrzeli. Oceniano liczbę całkowitą i skład komórkowy plwociny i BALF. Grubość błony podstawnej oceniano po zabarwieniu preparatów hematoksyliną i eozyną w mikroskopie świetlnym, przy użyciu programu komputerowego. Wyniki: Grubość błony podstawnej w uzyskanych wycinkach błony śluzowej oskrzeli wyniosła średnio 12,9 ± 2,8 μm (zakres: 8,5-20,7 μm). Całkowita liczba komórek w plwocinie wynosiła 3,4 ± 2,7 × 106/ml, natomiast w BALF 9,7 ±10,2 × 106/ml. Nie stwierdzono korelacji pomiędzy składem komórkowym plwociny i BALF. Nie wykazano także żadnej korelacji między grubością błony podstawnej a składem komórkowym indukowanej plwociny i BALF. Grubość błony podstawnej nie korelowała z czasem trwania czy stopniem nasilenia choroby. Wnioski: W grupie chorych na astmę nie stwierdzono korelacji pomiędzy grubością błony podstawnej a całkowitą liczbą komórek ani też liczbą eozynofilów w BALF i/lub plwocinie indukowanej.Introduction: Airway inflammation and remodeling are well recognized features of asthma. Remodeling is usually regarded as a consequence of chronic inflammation, however there are also data suggesting that remodeling is a relatively independent process in asthma. Neither inflammation nor remodeling is a uniform process. Thus the precise relationship between markers of inflammation and different patterns of remodeling are still matter of investigations. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between total and differential cell count in induced sputum (IS) and BALF, and thickness of the basement membrane (BM) in patients with stable asthma. Material and methods: 18 patients with asthma (M/F 9/9, mean age 36 ± 15 yrs). Duration of symptoms amounted to 12.7 ± 11.5 years. Patients who have not been treated with steroids for at least 3 months were enrolled to the study. All patients underwent sputum induction and fiberoptic bronchoscopy with BAL and bronchial biopsies. Total and differential cell counts were measured in induced sputum and BALF. Light-microscopic measurements of BM thickness were performed in hematoxylin-eosin stained slides of bronchial wall specimens with semi-automatic software analysis. Results: Mean BM thickness was 12.9 ± 2.8 μm (range: 8.5–20.7 μm). Total sputum cell count was 3.4 ± 2.7 × 106 cells/ml, whereas in BALF 9.7 ± 10.2 × 106 cells/ml. There was no correlation between differential cell count in induced sputum and BALF. No significant correlations between BM thickness and total and differential cell count in IS and BALF were observed. There also was no correlation between BM thickness and length of asthma duration or degree of the disease. Conclusions: There was no relationship between BM thickness and total number of cells nor number of eosinophils in BALF and/or IS

Modeling the formation of the K-P boundary layer

Accepted versio

Mantle deformation beneath the Chicxulub impact crater

Accepted versio

The Far-Infrared Spectral Energy Distributions of X-ray-selected Active Galaxies

[Abridged] We present ISO far-infrared (IR) observations of 21 hard X-ray selected AGN from the HEAO-1 A2 sample. We compare the far-IR to X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of this sample with various radio and optically selected AGN samples. The hard-X-ray selected sample shows a wider range of optical/UV shapes extending to redder near-IR colors. The bluer objects are Seyfert 1s, while the redder AGN are mostly intermediate or type 2 Seyferts. This is consistent with a modified unification model in which the amount of obscuring material increases with viewing angle and may be clumpy. Such a scenario, already suggested by differing optical/near-IR spectroscopic and X-ray AGN classifications, allows for different amounts of obscuration of the continuum emission in different wavebands and of the broad emission line region which results in a mixture of behaviors for AGN with similar optical emission line classifications. The resulting limits on the column density of obscuring material through which we are viewing the redder AGN are 100 times lower than for the standard optically thick torus models. The resulting decrease in optical depth of the obscuring material allows the AGN to heat more dust at larger radial distances. We show that an AGN-heated, flared, dusty disk with mass 10^9 solar and size of few hundred pc is able to generate optical-far-IR SEDs which reproduce the wide range of SEDs present in our sample with no need for an additional starburst component to generate the long-wavelength, cooler part of the IR continuum.Comment: 40 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal, V. 590, June 10, 200

Occurrence of Dirofilaria repens in wild carnivores in Poland.

Dirofilaria repens is an expanding vector-borne zoonotic parasite of canines and other carnivores. Sub-clinically infected dogs constitute the most important reservoir of the parasite and the source of infection for its mosquito vectors. However, occurrence of D. repens infection in wild animals may contribute to the transmission of the parasite to humans and may explain the endemicity of filariae in newly invaded regions. The aim of the current study was to determine the occurrence of D. repens in 511 blood and spleen samples from seven species of wild carnivores (wolves, red foxes, Eurasian badgers, raccoons, raccoon dogs, stone martens, and pine martens) from different regions of Poland by means of a PCR protocol targeting the 12S rDNA gene. Dirofilaria repens–positive hosts were identified in seven of fourteen voivodeships in four of the seven regions of Poland: Masovia, Lesser Poland, Pomerania and Warmia-Masuria. The highest prevalence was found in Masovia region (8%), coinciding with the highest previously recorded prevalence in dogs in Central Poland. The DNA of Dirofilaria was detected in 16 samples of three species (total prevalence 3.13%). A low and similar percentage of positive samples (1.9%, 4.2% and 4.8%) was recorded among badgers, red foxes, and wolves, respectively. Dirofilaria repens–positive hosts were identified in seven of fourteen voivodships. Based on detection in different voivodeships, D. repens–positive animals were recorded in four out of the seven regions of Poland: in Masovia, Lesser Poland, Pomerania, and Warmia-Masuria. The highest prevalence of filariae was found in Masovia region (8%), reflecting the highest previously recorded prevalence in dogs (12–50%) in Central Poland. In summary, we conducted the first comprehensive study on the epidemiology of D. repens in seven species of wild hosts in all seven regions of Poland and identified the first case of D. repens infection in Eurasian badgers in Poland and the second in Europe

HIV and adolescents: focus on young key populations

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138345/1/jia20076.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138345/2/jia20076-sup-0001.pd