Urinary bladder diverticulum as an unusual content of the inguinal canal

The inguinal urinary bladder hernia is a rare pathology observed mostly in males. A new case of asymptomatic reducible acquired inguinal hernia was revealed in a 54-year-old male during computed tomography (CT) undertaken for oncological follow-up. The right nephrectomy was previously performed due to clear cell carcinoma. The hernia was not visible on the CT 6 months before and on ultrasound performed after voiding. Slight herniation with a wide invagination of transversalis fascia but with empty bladder was seen on CT 4 months after the initial detection of hernia

The sex ratio distortion in the human head louse is conserved over time

BACKGROUND: At the turn of the 19(th )century the first observations of a female-biased sex ratio in broods and populations of the head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, had been reported. A study by Buxton in 1940 on the sex ratio of lice on prisoners in Ceylon is still today the subject of reanalyses. This sex ratio distortion had been detected in ten different countries. In the last sixty years no new data have been collected, especially on scalp infestations under economically and socially more developed conditions. RESULTS: Here we report a female bias of head lice in a survey of 480 school children in Argentina. This bias is independent of the intensity of the pediculosis, which makes local mate competition highly unlikely as the source of the aberrant sex ratio; however, other possible adaptive mechanisms cannot be discounted. These lice as well as lice from pupils in Britain were carrying several strains of the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia pipientis, one of the most wide spread intracellular sex ratio distorters. Similar Wolbachia strains are also present in the pig louse, Haematopinus suis, suggesting that this endosymbiont might have a marked influence on the biology of the whole order. The presence of a related obligate nutritional bacterium in lice prevents the investigation of a causal link between sex ratio and endosymbionts. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of its origin, this sex ratio distortion in head lice that has been reported world wide, is stable over time and is a remarkable deviation from the stability of frequency-dependent selection of Fisher's sex ratio. A female bias first reported in 1898 is still present over a hundred years and a thousand generations later

Expression of PC, PCK1, PCK2, LDHB, FBP1 and G6PC genes in the liver of cows in the transition from pregnancy to lactation*

The effect of the transition of dairy cows from pregnancy to lactation on the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in hepatic glucose metabolism was studied. Six Holstein-Friesian heifers were used for this study. Liver samples were collected by biopsy on day 7 before expected parturition (-7) and days 3 and 21 after parturition (+3 and +21, respectively). The mRNA levels of pyruvate carboxylase (PC), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PCK1), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2), lactate dehydrogenase B (LDHB), fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) were measured using quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of PC and PCK2 mRNA on day 3 of lactation was significantly higher than that on day 7 before parturition (P<0.05) and slightly higher than on day 21 postpartum. The LDHB gene showed the highest expression level on day 3 of lactation, as compared with day 7 prepartum (P<0.001) and day 21 postpartum (P<0.001). No differences were shown in PCK1, FBP1 and G6PC expression levels between pregnancy and early lactation

Increased percentage of T cells with the expression of CD127 and CD132 in hypertrophic adenoid in children with otitis media with effusion

The hypertrophic adenoid may promote chronic suppurative otitis media in children as it fulfills its immune function. The number of lymphocytes in the adenoid and their cooperation in the immune response depend of on their proliferation and migration to the effector sites. Interleukin 7 (IL-7) is essential for the normal development and function lymphocytes. IL-7 plays pivotal role for activation and proliferation of T and B cells. The heterodimeric interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) is composed of the IL-7Rα (127) and the common cytokine receptor γc (CD132). The aim of this study was to evaluate the percentage of lymphocytes T (CD4+ and CD8+) with IL-7R (CD127 and CD132) expression in hypertrophic adenoid in children suffering with otitis media with effusion for a duration of 3 months. Adenoid excised due to hypertrophy with or without chronic otitis media with effusion was used as study material. CD4+ CD127+, CD4+132+, CD8+CD127+ and CD8+CD132+ cell subpopulations were identified using monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with CD127 receptor expression in hypertrophic adenoid of children with otitis media with effusion was statistically significantly higher than in hypertrophic adenoid group. The percentage of CD4+ T cells with CD132 expression in the study group was statistically significantly higher than in the reference group. The percentage of CD8+ T cells with CD132+ expression was not statistically different in both groups. The increased percentage of T lymphocytes with IL-7R expression (CD127 and CD132) in hypertrophic adenoid seems to influence the quantity of lymphocytes and upset the immunological function of tonsils which can influence the course of otitis media with effusion

Wpływ sposobu użytkowania doliny na przepływ fali wezbraniowej w basenie dolnym Biebrzy

The status of riparian wetlands depends on water conditions, especially the main role is played by flooding which occurs almost every year on wetland areas. The aim of this work is the evaluation of the influence of land use on flood wave propagation in the Biebrza River floodplain. An 1D numerical model of river flow was applied to the Biebrza River floodplains covered with reeds, sedges, grasses, bushes, and trees. Various scenarios of land use with such activities as extensive agriculture, willow scrubs and birch trees cutting or no activity (natural succession) were analyzed to evaluate the influence of changes in vegetation structure on the flood wave propagation in the river valley. Simulations were performed for the maximum flood event in 1979 in the Biebrza Basin. The results were presented for selected river cross-sections. The obtained results show the influence of floodplain vegetation type on the water stage hydrographs and flood duration in the Lower Biebrza Basin.Stan ekosystemów mokradłowych jest uzależniony głównie od warunków zasilania ich wodami wezbraniowymi. W pracy przeanalizowano wpływ sposobu użytkowania doliny na propagację fali wezbraniowej na obszarze Biebrzańskiego Parku Narodowego (BPN) w Basenie Dolnym Biebrzy. W tym celu zastosowano jednowymiarowy model hydrodynamiczny przepływu wód rzecznych. Opracowany model wykorzystano do obliczeń symulacyjnych dla różnych typów użytkowania doliny. Występuje tu roślinność łąkowa, turzyce, szuwary, krzewy oraz olszyna bagienna i wysokopienny ols. Sposób użytkowania określono w trzech wariantach. W pierwszym scenariuszu przeanalizowano wpływ ekstensywnego użytkowania terenów łąk i pastwisk oraz intensyfikację użytkowania terenów zajmowanych przez szuwary i turzycowiska. W wariancie drugim zabiegi ochronne poszerzono o wycięcie w dolinie zakrzewień. Wariant trzeci opisywał stan, w którym nastąpiła naturalna sukcesja roślinności na terenach zalewowych. Obliczenia numeryczne wykonano dla maksymalnego wezbrania w dolinie rzeki Biebrzy z 1979 r. Wyniki symulacji opracowano w wybranych przekrojach obliczeniowych. Uzyskane rezultaty pokazały, że odpowiednie zagospodarowanie terenów zalewowych ma istotne znaczenie w Basenie Dolnym Biebrzy na przejście fali wezbraniowej

BMC Genetics The sex ratio distortion in the human head louse is conserved over time

Abstract Background: At the turn of the 19 th century the first observations of a female-biased sex ratio in broods and populations of the head louse, Pediculus humanus capitis, had been reported. A study by Buxton in 1940 on the sex ratio of lice on prisoners in Ceylon is still today the subject of reanalyses. This sex ratio distortion had been detected in ten different countries. In the last sixty years no new data have been collected, especially on scalp infestations under economically and socially more developed conditions

Impact of Trichoderma Pleurotum and T. Pleuroticola Isolates on Yielding of Pleurotus Ostreatus (FR.) Kumm

The influence of substrate infestation with Trichoderma pleurotum and T. pleuroticola isolates on yielding of two commercial strains of Pleurotus ostreatus was investigated. The examined P. ostreatus strains growing on substrates infested with Trichoderma isolates showed a considerable yield decline. T. pleuroticola isolates were found to exert a greater unfavorable impact on P. ostreatus yields than T. pleurotum isolates. The performed experiments demonstrated that the response of the examined P. ostreatus strains to infestations with T. pleurotum and T. pleuroticola isolates was similar