Microbial flora of Clarias Gariepinus in the early stages of Development

A study was carried out to establish the microbial flora in farmed Clarias gariepinus hatchery systems. Enumeration of total aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi, total coliforms, Salmonella spp. Vibrio spp. and Aeromonas hydrophila from eggs (fertilized and unfertilized), larvae, fry, fry feed and tank water showed that these microorganisms occurred more in advanced fry than in other early stages of fish development. The highest aerobic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi and total coliforms were encountered in fry feed while tank water gave the lowest counts of all microbial groups. A total of 136 bacterial and 13 fungal isolates were identified. The bacteria isolated from the samples were predominantly Gram negative except in fry feed where Gram positive bacteria predominated. Bacteria of the genera Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella, Aeromonas, Vibrio and Chromobacterium were isolated from the samples at different frequencies with Staphylococcus, Acinetobacter and Flavobacterium predominating. Fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Mucor, Fusarium, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Phoma, Phialophora, Exophila, Candida, Saccharomyces and Cryptococcus were isolated from the samples with Aspergillus and Saccharomyces predominating and contaminating all the samples. The microbial generic diversity increased with fish development. Key Words: Clarias eggs, larvae, fry, fry feed, hatchery systems, microbial flora Tropical Freshwater Biology 11 (2002) 91-10

Androgen regulates ADAMTS15 gene expression in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is a major cause of mortality, largely as a consequence of metastases and transformation to androgen-independent growth. Metalloproteinases are implicated in cancer progression. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) are expressed in prostate cancer cells, with ADAMTS-1 and ADAMTS-15 being the most abundant. ADAMTS-15 but not ADAMTS-1 expression was downregulated by androgen in LNCaP prostate cancer cells, possibly through androgen response elements associated with the gene. ADAMTS-15 expression is predictive for survival in breast cancer, and the situation may be similar in prostate cancer, as androgen independence is usually due to aberrant signaling through its receptor

Testicular torsion and weather conditions: analysis of 21,289 cases in Brazil

PURPOSE: The hypothesis of association between testicular torsion and hyperactive cremasteric reflex, worsened by cold weather, has not been proved. Thirteen studies in the literature evaluated this issue, with inconclusive results. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seasonality of testicular torsion in a large subset of patients surgically treated in Brazil, and additionally to estimate the incidence of testicular torsion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brazilian Public Health System Database was assessed from 1992-2010 to evaluate hospital admissions associated with treatment of testicular torsion. Average monthly temperature between 1992-2010 was calculated for each region. RESULTS: We identified 21,289 hospital admissions for treatment of testicular torsion. There was a higher number of testicular torsions during colder months (p = 0.002). To estimate the incidence of testicular torsion, we have related our findings to data from the last Brazilian census (2010). In 2010, testicular torsion occurred in 1.4:100,000 men in Brazil. CONCLUSIONS:Testicular torsion occurred at an annual incidence of approximately 1.4:100,000 men in Brazil in 2010. Seasonal variations do occur, with a significant increase of events during winter. Our findings support the theory of etiological role of cold weather to the occurrence of testicular torsion. Strategies to prevent these events can be based on these findings