Assessment of toxicity and clastogenicity of sterigmatocystin in Egyptian Nile tilapia

The increasing presence of genotoxic pollutants in the aquatic environment has led to the development of quick monitoring methods. Sterigmatocystin (Stg) is closely related to mycotoxins and has the carcinogenic potency in the experimental animal models. The exposure to genotoxic agents will give rise to alterations of DNA structure that can lead to abnormal changes of DNA fingerprints. Therefore, we have applied the random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD) method to evaluate the genotoxiceffects of Stg and to determine if the Egyptian montmorillonite (EM) has a protective effect against Stg. The experiment was conducted in vivo to evaluate the ability of EM at a level 0.5 mg/kg body weight(bw) to prevent the toxicity and genotoxicity induced by Stg in the Nile tilapia fish. Fishes were orally administrated with EM in corn oil with or without Stg (1.6 ìg/kg bw) twice a week for 4 weeks. Blood andtissue samples were collected at the end of the treatment. The results revealed that Stg had genotoxic and toxicopathological effects in Oreochromis niloticus fish. The genotoxic effects were indicated byappearance of some changes in polymorphism band patterns including lost of stable bands or occurrence of new bands. There also exists a distinct distance between the band patterns of exposed fish and protected or control fish samples. The effects on the tissues were manifested by different histopathological lesions in different organs including hyperplastic proliferation of branchial epithelium, necrobiotic changes in hepatic tissue and destruction of components of the spleen. These responses were virtually abolished or markedly decreased when fishes were exposed to EM combined with Stg. It could be conclude that addition of EM resulted in the inhibition of the toxicity andclastogenicity of St

First description of the environmental niche of the epibenthic dinoflagellate species Coolia palmyrensis, C. malayensis, and C. tropicalis (Dinophyceae) from Eastern Australia

© 2019 Phycological Society of America Environmental variables such as temperature, salinity, and irradiance are significant drivers of microalgal growth and distribution. Therefore, understanding how these variables influence fitness of potentially toxic microalgal species is particularly important. In this study, strains of the potentially harmful epibenthic dinoflagellate species Coolia palmyrensis, C. malayensis, and C. tropicalis were isolated from coastal shallow water habitats on the east coast of Australia and identified using the D1-D3 region of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA). To determine the environmental niche of each taxon, growth was measured across a gradient of temperature (15–30°C), salinity (20–38), and irradiance (10–200 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1). Specific growth rates of Coolia tropicalis were highest under warm temperatures (27°C), low salinities (ca. 23), and intermediate irradiance levels (150 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1), while C. malayensis showed the highest growth at moderate temperatures (24°C) and irradiance levels (150 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1) and growth rates were consistent across the range of salinity levels tested (20–38). Coolia palmyrensis had the highest growth rate of all species tested and favored moderate temperatures (24°C), oceanic salinity (35), and high irradiance (>200 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1). This is the first study to characterize the environmental niche of species from the benthic harmful algal bloom genus Coolia and provides important information to help define species distributions and inform risk management

A study looking at the role of food causing early and delayed aggravation of atopic dermatitis in Chinese children

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A study looking at the role of food causing early and delayed aggravation of atopic dermatitis in Chinese children

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Conversion to mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors in kidney transplant recipients with de novo cancers

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Neuroprotective Mechanism of Lycium barbarum Polysaccharides against Hippocampal-Dependent Spatial Memory Deficits in a Rat Model of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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Is ultrasonography-guided modified coaxial core biopsy of the breast a better technique?

Objective: To compare the diagnostic rate, patient comfort, and complications of ultrasonography-guided breast biopsy using a modified coaxial technique with ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration and traditional core biopsy. A secondary objective was to describe the use of the coaxial technique for the biopsy of breast lesions and our initial experience. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: A regional hospital in Hong Kong. Patients: Patients, who were referred for ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration or biopsy from 23 November 2007 to 19 March 2008, were divided into three groups. For breast lesions of 8 mm or smaller, fine needle aspirations were performed. For breast lesions larger than 8 mm, the patients were randomly divided into groups receiving traditional core biopsies and coaxial biopsies. The pathological reports were reviewed. Main outcome measures: Diagnostic rate, patient comfort assessed in terms of pain, and any procedural complications. Results: A total of 45 ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspirations or biopsies of breast lesions were performed. All core biopsies using the traditional core technique (n=15) and coaxial technique (n=16) were diagnostic. While for fine needle aspirations, three (21%) of 14 were not diagnostic and repeat biopsies were undertaken for the corresponding patients. Except for one breast lesion biopsied with the coaxial technique that revealed invasive ductal carcinoma, all others yielded benign lesions. The average pain score for coaxial biopsies was 2.2, while for traditional core biopsies and fine needle aspirations, average scores were 3.7 and 3.8, respectively (P=0.022). No procedure-related complication was documented with either of the three techniques. Conclusion: Modified coaxial core biopsy of the breast has an optimal diagnostic rate and hence avoids the need for repeat biopsies. It is associated with better patient comfort and no increase in the risk of complications.published_or_final_versio

Using Poetry to Explore Difficult Issues in Children's Nursing

Children's nurses not only have to consider the needs of the infant but the needs of the parents. This case study reports on an innovative way of supporting nurses in developing relational skills. The activity developed empathy, self-awareness and concern for others

Evidence for non-self-similarity of microearthquakes recorded at a Taiwan borehole seismometer array

We investigate the relationship between seismic moment M0 and source duration tw of microearthquakes by using high-quality seismic data recorded with a vertical borehole array installed in central Taiwan. We apply a waveform cross-correlation method to the three-component records and identify several event clusters with high waveform similarity, with event magnitudes ranging from 0.3 to 2.0. Three clusters—Clusters A, B and C—contain 11, 8 and 6 events with similar waveforms, respectively. To determine how M0 scales with tw, we remove path effects by using a path-averaged Q. The results indicate a nearly constant tw for events within each cluster, regardless of M0, with mean values of tw being 0.058, 0.056 and 0.034 s for Clusters A, B and C, respectively. Constant tw, independent of M0, violates the commonly used scaling relation tw∝M1/30tw∝M01/3. This constant duration may arise either because all events in a cluster are hosted on the same isolated seismogenic patch, or because the events are driven by external factors of constant duration, such as fluid injections into the fault zone. It may also be related to the earthquake nucleation size