An epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kashan (2007-2008)

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a parasitological disease, which is common between human and animals. This disease cause always serious health problems for the human communities. This disease is prevalent in many parts of the world. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a prevalent parasitological disease with diverse clinical manifestations in Iran. It is an important health problem in many parts of Iran as well and its incidence has doubled over the last decade. This study was designed to determine the epidemiology of CL in Kashan during 2007-2008. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which 5098 persons were randomly selected in thirteen rural and urban districts of Kashan. The disease was diagnosed based on clinical examination and microscopic observation of the parasite in the ulcer site. The patient's information such as age, sex, job, number and sites of ulcer(s) or scar(s), date and place of the ulcer, and results of clinical examination and laboratory tests were recorded. Data analysis was performed using statistical Ki-square test. Results: The prevalence rate of disease in 5089 inhabitants studied was 6.4. One hundred and three persons (2) had active ulcers and 223 persons (4.4) had scar. Fifty three out of 200(26.5) infected male suffering from CL, and fifty out of 126 (39.7) infected female had active ulcer (P=0.013) The highest frequency and the least infected age groups were observed in 20-29 years old patients with a rate of 23.3 and 0-9 years old with the rate of 7.8, respectively. 49.5 of the infected cases were under 30 years old. 64.1 of the patients had one and 35.9 had two or more ulcers. The most common location of ulcers were on hands (46.6) and then on feet, on face and on the other parts of the body. 75.8 of the patients were infected in Kashan city. The estimated rate for CL incidence was approximately 37.6 cases in 100000 people in Kashan during 2007-2008 Conclusion: The prevalence and incidence rate of CL are higher than expected rate in Kashan city. Such a high prevalence and incident rate is alarming and require control and prevention measures. Further epidemiological investigations of disease particularly CL are suggested

Determination of CPUA and distribution pattern of families Haemulidae, Nemipteridae and Ariidae in the Oman Sea

This trawl survey was carried out during 2013 for the stock assessment of families Haemulids, Nemipterids and Ariids in the Oman Sea. Sampling was carried out at five different stratum and depths. The highest value of CPUA of Haemulidae was estimated for Pomadasys stridens in “B” stratum (885.78 kg nm^-2), for Pomadasys kaakan at depths of 10-20 m (330.35 kg nm^-2), and for Nemipteridae it was estimated for Nemipterus japonicus in “D” stratum (1042.31 kg nm^-2) at 30-50 m depths (1734.97 kg nm^-2), and for Ariidae, it was estimated for Netuma thalassina in the stratum B (752.64 kg nm^-2) at 20-30 m depths (428.33 kg nm^-2). The highest biomass for Haemulidae was estimated in stratum B (320.53 ton) at 50-100 m depths (282.98 tons), and for Nemipteridae in “D” stratum (559.72 tons) and at depths of 30-50 m (604.04 tons), and for Ariidae it was estimated in “B” stratum (272.35 tons) and at 50-100 m depths (255.12 ton). Based on the results obtained, the highest species diversity for Haemulids was in “A” stratum at depths less than 50 m, while for Nemipterids it was similar in the total study area and different depth layers. Highest species diversity for Ariids were found in “A” and “D” strata at depth layers of 10-20 m and 30-50 m, respectively. In light of the fact that fishing efforts decreased during these years, our results illustrate that CPUA and biomass have ascending trends which indicate the relative stability of the stocks of these families

The sub-lethal effects of cadmium on some gill histopathology in the cultivated Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)

The sub-lethal effects of water-born Cadmium (Cd) on histopathological changes of gill tissues were investigated on Sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus. In this research, 60 fish (41.69 ± 0.95 g and 23.98 ± 0.14 cm) were randomly distributed in 4 experimental groups, each with 3 replicates. The fish were exposed to different concentrations of Cd for 21 days under semistatic experimental condition as: 0, 16, 32 and 64 µg/L Cd. At the end of the experiment, the gill tissues were fixed in Bouin's solution for histopathological studies. Qualitative and quantitative changes of the gill tissues were analyzed. Several qualitative changes including hyperplasia, hypertrophy of epithelial cells and epithelial edema as well as necrosis, rings and fusion of gill filaments and secondary lamellae were observed in all treated fish including control group. Quantitative analysis based on organ index (Iorg) showed significant increase in histopathological changes in the gill tissues coincided by elevation of Cd concentration in the water. However, there was no significant differences in the organ index between control and 16Cd group.The results of this study demonstrate severe histopathological changes in the gill tissues after exposing to sub-lethal concentration of water-born Cd under experimental condition. The results of this study might be used as a guildline for evaluation of histopahological changes being induced by heavy metals in natural or cultivated environment for sturgeon fish

Age, growth and reproduction of Chondrostoma regium (Heckel, 1843) from the Zayandeh Roud River, Iran

Age, growth and reproduction were investigated for Chondrostoma regium, collected monthly (November 2007- August 2008) from the Dimeh Spring region, Zayandeh Roud River, Iran. The maximum age of collected female and male fish were estimated based on scale increments as five and four years respectively. Von Bertalanffy growth equations were calculated as Lt=246[1-e^-0.206(t-0.034)], Wt=163.29[1-e^-0.206(t-0.034)]^2.77 for females and Lt=253.1[1-e^-0.206(t-0.175)], Wt=188.25[1-e^-0.206(t-0.175)]^2.99 for males. Size ranges of the male and female specimens were almost similar. The fork length range for females was 10.5-18.0 cm and 10.7-19.7 cm for males; and the weight range was 15.7-85.4 g in females, and 14.5-88.5 g in males. The female-male ratio was 1.8:1 (p<0.05), and for both sexes gonadal development and sexual maturity occurred in the second year of their life. Length-weight relationships revealed isometric growth pattern for males and a negative allometric growth for females. Monthly data of Gonadosomatic Index, and ovary condition suggested that spawning occurred during May and June. The mean absolute and relative fecundity was calculated as 2429±1512 (eggs/female) and 78.1±18.7 (egg/g), respectively, and fecundity was significantly correlated with both body weight (r^2=0.90) and fork length (r^2=0.84)

Effect of dietary canola oil level on the growth performance and fatty acid composition of fingerlings of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study evaluated the suitability of canola oil as a source of supplemental dietary lipid for rainbow trout. Triplicate groups of the 30 fingerlings held under identical culture conditions were fed twice daily by iso-nitrogenous, iso-calorific and iso-lipidic diets for eight weeks. Experimental diets consisted of 30.3% protein, 18.7 kJg^-1 energy and 16.7% lipid from fish oil (FO), canola oil (CO) and 1:1 blend of the two oils (FCO). Moisture, ash, protein, lipid, final body weight, condition factor, feed conversion ratio, survival and hepatosomatic indices were not affected by treatments. Specific growth rate and weight gain of fish reared on fish oil diet (FOD) and canola oil diet (COD) were significantly higher than those fed with the fish and canola oils diet (FCOD). Protein efficiency ratio was highest in fish fed with the COD. Whole body fatty acid compositions mirrored those of diet treatments. The highest amounts of HUFAs were detected in fish fed with FOD, which was significantly different from other treatments. In all treatments PUFAs/SFAs and n-6/n-3 ratios were higher than 0.45 and lower than 4, respectively. Our results indicate the fingerlings can be reared on diets in which FO has been replaced with CO, with no significant effects on fish growth performance

Meta-analysis: Effects of zinc supplementation alone or with multi-nutrients, on glucose control and lipid levels in patients with type 2 diabetes

The present study aims to assess the effects of zinc supplementation on metabolic parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes. A literature search was conducted in PubMedTM, Google ScholarTM, and ScopusTM up to March 2018. Twenty randomized controlled trials met the predefined inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95 confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for net changes in glycemic indices including fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and in lipid markers including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c). Subgroup analyses were performed based on intervention and study quality. Compared to controls, zinc supplementation significantly reduced the concentrations of both FBG and HbA1c (FBG WMD: �19.66 mg/dL, 95 CI: �33.71, �5.62; HbA1c WMD: �0.43 mg/dL, 95 CI: �0.80, �0.07). The pooled estimate showed a significant decrease in serum TC and LDL-c, and increase in serum HDL-c levels in treatment group compared with the control group (TC WMD: �18.51 mg/dL, 95 CI: �21.36, �15.66; LDL-c WMD: �4.80 mg/dL, 95 CI: �6.07, �3.53; HDL-c WMD: 1.45 mg/dL, 95 CI: 1.40, 1.51). Subgroup analysis of �no co-supplement� intervention demonstrated significant differences for mean changes in HDL-c and FBG levels, whereas subgroup analysis of high quality studies showed significant differences for mean changes of LDL-c, HDL-c, and FBG levels. Results suggested that zinc supplementation reduces FBG, HbA1c and LDL-c levels and increases HDL-C levels; however, these changes were related to intervention and quality of studies. Copyright © 2019 by The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition. All rights Reserved

Epigenetic polypharmacology: from combination therapy to multitargeted drugs

The modern drug discovery process has largely focused its attention in the so-called magic bullets, single chemical entities that exhibit high selectivity and potency for a particular target. This approach was based on the assumption that the deregulation of a protein was causally linked to a disease state, and the pharmacological intervention through inhibition of the deregulated target was able to restore normal cell function. However, the use of cocktails or multicomponent drugs to address several targets simultaneously is also popular to treat multifactorial diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders. We review the state of the art with such combinations that have an epigenetic target as one of their mechanisms of action. Epigenetic drug discovery is a rapidly advancing field, and drugs targeting epigenetic enzymes are in the clinic for the treatment of hematological cancers. Approved and experimental epigenetic drugs are undergoing clinical trials in combination with other therapeutic agents via fused or linked pharmacophores in order to benefit from synergistic effects of polypharmacology. In addition, ligands are being discovered which, as single chemical entities, are able to modulate multiple epigenetic targets simultaneously (multitarget epigenetic drugs). These multiple ligands should in principle have a lower risk of drug-drug interactions and drug resistance compared to cocktails or multicomponent drugs. This new generation may rival the so-called magic bullets in the treatment of diseases that arise as a consequence of the deregulation of multiple signaling pathways provided the challenge of optimization of the activities shown by the pharmacophores with the different targets is addressed

Molecular characterization of occult hepatitis B virus infection in patients with end-stage liver disease in Colombia.

ABSTARCT: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) occult infection (OBI) is a risk factor to be taken into account in transfusion, hemodialysis and organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize at the molecular level OBI cases in patients with end-stage liver disease. METHODS: Sixty-six liver samples were obtained from patients with diagnosis of end-stage liver disease submitted to liver transplantation in Medellin (North West, Colombia). Samples obtained from patients who were negative for the surface antigen of HBV (n = 50) were tested for viral DNA detection by nested PCR for ORFs S, C, and X and confirmed by Southern-Blot. OBI cases were analyzed by sequencing the viral genome to determine the genotype and mutations; additionally, viral genome integration events were examined by the Alu-PCR technique. RESULTS: In five cases out of 50 patients (10%) the criteria for OBI was confirmed. HBV genotype F (subgenotypes F1 and F3), genotype A and genotype D were characterized in liver samples. Three integration events in chromosomes 5q14.1, 16p13 and 20q12 affecting Receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase T, Ras Protein Specific Guanine Nucleotide Releasing Factor 2, and the zinc finger 263 genes were identified in two OBI cases. Sequence analysis of the viral genome of the 5 OBI cases showed several punctual missense and nonsense mutations affecting ORFs S, P, Core and X. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first characterization of OBI in patients with end-stage liver disease in Colombia. The OBI cases were identified in patients with HCV infection or cryptogenic cirrhosis. The integration events (5q14.1, 16p13 and 20q12) described in this study have not been previously reported. Further studies are required to validate the role of mutations and integration events in OBI pathogenesis

Stabilization of Networked Control Systems with Variable Delays and Saturating Inputs

In this paper, improved conditions for the synthesis of static state-feedback controller are derived to stabilize networked control systems (NCSs) subject to actuator saturation. Both of the data packet latency and dropout which deteriorate the performance of the closed-loop system are considered in the NCS model via variable delays. Two different techniques are employed to incorporate actuator saturation in the system description. Utilizing Lyapunov-Krasovskii Theorem, delay-dependent conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to determine the static feedback gain. Moreover, an optimization problem is formulated in order to find the less conservative estimate for the region of attraction corresponding to different maximum allowable delays. Numerical examples are introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed schemes