Effectiveness of the spot-on combination of moxidectin and imidacloprid (Advocate®) in the treatment of ocular thelaziosis by Thelazia callipaeda in naturally infected cats

Background: The present study evaluated the therapeutic effectiveness of moxidectin 1.0% (w/v) and imidacloprid 10% (w/v) (Advocate® spot-on solution for cats, Bayer Animal Health) against natural infections with the eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda in cats. This study was conducted as a GCP, negative-controlled, blinded and randomised field study in privately owned cats living in an area in southern Italy where T. callipaeda is enzootic. Methods: The study was carried out in 30 cats (19 females and 11 males, aged from 8 months to 5 years, weighing 1.2-5.2 kg) of different breeds, naturally infected by T. callipaeda. At study inclusion (Day 0), animals were physically examined and the infection level was assessed by examination of both eyes for clinical score and live adult T. callipaeda count. Each cat was weighed and randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups (G1: Advocate, G2: untreated control). Clinical assessments and T. callipaeda adult counts were performed on Day 14. At the study completion visit on Day 28, clinical assessments and counts of T. callipaeda adults and larvae were performed. All cats were daily observed by their owners and general health conditions were recorded during the entire period of the study. Results: The primary effectiveness variable was the percentage of animals in G1 group (Advocate) showing a complete elimination (parasitological cure) of adult eye worms at Day 14 and Day 28. The effectiveness of the treatment in the G1 group was 93.3 and 100% at Day 14 and Day 28, respectively, when compared to group G2. Total worm count reduction from both eyes for Advocate was 96.3% on Day 14 and 100% on Day 28. Clinical data were confirmed by the examination of conjunctival pouch flushing. An overall reduction in the number of cats with lacrimation and conjunctivitis was observed following treatment despite the fact that in a few cats treated with Advocate clinical signs persisted due to the chronic nature of the disease. Conclusions: Based on the results of the present trial, a single dose of Advocate was found to be safe and highly effective in the treatment of natural T. callipaeda infection in cats

Promotion of E-bikes for delivery of goods in European urban areas: an Italian case study

The paper presents the first results of some tasks of Pro-E-Bike, an Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) funded project, started on March 2013 ending in February 2016. Pro-E-Bike promotes clean and energy efficient vehicles, analyses the performance of electric bicycles and electric scooters (Light Electric Vehicle, LEV) for the delivering of goods in urban areas and tests the use of these vehicles in seven European countries with twenty five companies, both delivering ones and companies that deliver their own products. Pilots will enable the demonstration of measurable effects in terms of reduction of CO2 emissions and energy savings in urban transport: related data about environmental, economic and social effects resulted by the introduction of e-bikes and e-scooters in the pilot cities will be collected. The paper will give an overlooks of the Italian pilot, that will take place in Genova, describing the subjects involved and the expected results

Pengaruh Ukuran Bahan Dan Metode Destilasi (Destilasi Air Dan Destilasi Uap-air) Terhadap Kualitas Minyak Atsiri Kulit Kayu Manis (Cinnamomum Burmannii)

Minyak atsiri kayu manis selama ini banyak dimanfaatkan sebagai flavor makanan dan minuman, bahan kosmetik, parfum,serta sebagai antiseptik dan antimikroba dalam bidang kedokteran. Minyak atsiri kayu manis diproduksi secara komersial dengancara penyulingan atau destilasi. Tetapi masih diperlukan penelitian tentang pengaruh metode destilasi terhadap minyak atsiri yangdihasilkan. Selain itu minyak atsiri dalam tanaman aromatik diselubungi oleh kelenjar minyak, serabut, kantung minyak ataugranular, sehingga penelitian tentang pengaruh ukuran bahan terhadap kualitas minyak atsiri kulit batang kayu manis sangatdibutuhkan.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh ukuran bahan dan metode destilasi terhadap kualitas minyak atsiri kayumanis (Cinnamomum burmannii) yang berasal dari Desa Bubakan, Girimarto, Wonogiri. Penelitian ini menggunakan RancanganAcak Lengkap (RAL) dengan dua faktor yaitu variasi metode destilasi (metode destilasi air dan metode destilasi uap-air) dan ukuranbahan (ukuran gulungan, ± 1 cm, dan ukuran gilingan kasar). Adapun perlakuan tersebut yaitu : Destilasi Uap-Air UkuranGulungan, Destilasi Uap-Air Ukuran ± 1 cm, Destilasi Uap-Air Ukuran Gilingan Kasar, Destilasi Air Ukuran Gulungan, DestilasiAir Ukuran ± 1 cm, Destilasi Air Ukuran Gilingan Kasar. Masing-masing perlakuan destilasi dilakukan selama 4 jam. Kemudianminyak atsiri yang dihasilkan dianalisa kualitasnya, meliputi analisa bobot jenis, indeks bias, kelarutan dalam alkohol, viskositasdan analisa komponen kimia penyusun minyak atsiri.Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa ukuran bahan dan metode destilasi berpengaruh terhadap kualitas minyak atsiri kulitbatang kayu manis. Pada penelitian ini randemen minyak atsiri tertinggi dihasilkan pada perlakuan Destilasi Uap-Air UkuranGilingan Kasar menghasilkan yaitu sebesar 0,456%, dan randemen minyak atsiri terendah dihasilkan pada perlakuan Destilasi AirUkuran Gulungan yaitu sebesar 0,106%. Sedangkan komponen utama dari minyak atsiri kulit batang kayu manis Cinnamomumburmannii yaitu sinamaldehid (37,12%), p-Cineole (17,37%), Benzyl benzoate (11,65%), Linalool (8,57%), α-Cubebene (7,77%),serta α-Terpineol (4,16%)

Als‐associated sod1(G93a) decreases serca pump levels and increases store‐operated ca2+ entry in primary spinal cord astrocytes from a transgenic mouse model

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective death of motor neurons (MNs), probably by a combination of cell- and non-cell-autonomous processes. The past decades have brought many important insights into the role of astrocytes in nervous system function and disease, including the implication in ALS pathogenesis possibly through the impairment of Ca2+-dependent astrocyte-MN cross-talk. In this respect, it has been recently proposed that altered astrocytic store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) may underlie aberrant gliotransmitter release and astrocyte-mediated neurotoxicity in ALS. These observations prompted us to a thorough investigation of SOCE in primary astrocytes from the spinal cord of the SOD1(G93A) ALS mouse model in comparison with the SOD1(WT)-expressing controls. To this purpose, we employed, for the first time in the field, genetically-encoded Ca2+ indicators, allowing the direct assessment of Ca2+ fluctuations in different cell domains. We found increased SOCE, associated with decreased expression of the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase and lower ER resting Ca2+ concentration in SOD1(G93A) astrocytes compared to control cells. Such findings add novel insights into the involvement of astrocytes in ALS MN damage

Peningkatan Kapasitas Kurikulum 2013 Pendidikan Usia Dini pada Guru dan Pengelola PAUD Al Birru Nasyiatul Aisyiyah

Early Childhood Education (PAUD) is an embryo of children's education in shaping a generation of people who are superior and dignified. Education provided to children aged 0-6 years primarily introduces physical activity to stimulate the child's motoric development, affection and introduce the process of socializing to children. Considering the importance of PAUD, the curriculum 2013 PAUD has now been developed, where previously there was no specific curriculum that could be used in the learning process in PAUD. Applying the curriculum 2013, the teachers still did not have enough capacity to be able to translate the concepts of the curriculum into the learning process. Therefore, training was carried out in an effort to increase capacity in the application of the Curriculum 2013 PAUD. The analytical method used is descriptive analysis and inference. The result of this activity is that there is a change in knowledge about the 2013 PAUD curriculum for the training participants. Participants give evaluators on the implementation of training in general is good. Outcome of this training the participants are required to disseminate the curriculum 2013 PAUD materia

Resveratrol Inhibits KSHV Reactivation by Lowering the Levels of Cellular EGR-1

In the field of herpesvirus research, the exact molecular mechanism by which such viruses reactivate from latency remains elusive. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) primarily exists in a latent state, while only 1–3% of cells support lytic infection at any specific time. KSHV reactivation from latency is an exceedingly intricate process mediated by the integration of viral and cellular factors. Previously, our lab has described early growth response-1 (Egr-1) as an essential component for the KSHV reactivation process via its ability to mediate transcription of KSHV ORF50, the gene encoding for replication and transcription activator (RTA), a viral component known to control the switch from latent to lytic infection. In here, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments revealed that Egr-1 binds KSHV ORF50 promoter (ORF50P) in at least two different GC-rich binding domains. Expression profiles of cellular egr-1 and KSHV-encoded ORF50 follow a similar pattern during de novo KSHV infection. Over-expressing Egr-1, a signaling component downstream of Raf>MEK>ERK1/2, in KSHV-infected cells activates KSHV lytic replication. Through performing more physiologically relevant experiments, we analyzed the effect of a dietary supplement containing resveratrol on KSHV-infected cells. Our results, for the first time, demonstrate resveratrol to act in lowering ERK1/2 activity and expression of Egr-1 in KSHV-infected cells, resulting in the suppression of virus reactivation from latency. Taken together, these findings will undoubtedly contribute to future studies on not only combating KSHV related disease conditions, but also on other herpesviruses-induced pathogenesis

Primordial origin and diversification of plasmids in Lyme disease agent bacteria

Abstract Background: With approximately one-third of their genomes consisting of linear and circular plasmids, the Lyme disease agent cluster of species has the most complex genomes among known bacteria. We report here a comparative analysis of plasmids in eleven Borreliella (also known as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato) species. Results: We sequenced the complete genomes of two B. afzelii, two B. garinii, and individual B. spielmanii, B. bissettiae, B. valaisiana and B. finlandensis isolates. These individual isolates carry between seven and sixteen plasmids, and together harbor 99 plasmids. We report here a comparative analysis of these plasmids, along with 70 additional Borreliella plasmids available in the public sequence databases. We identify only one new putative plasmid compatibility type (the 30th) among these 169 plasmid sequences, suggesting that all or nearly all such types have now been discovered. We find that the linear plasmids in the non-B. burgdorferi species have undergone the same kinds of apparently random, chaotic rearrangements mediated by non-homologous recombination that we previously discovered in B. burgdorferi. These rearrangements occurred independently in the different species lineages, and they, along with an expanded chromosomal phylogeny reported here, allow the identification of several whole plasmid transfer events among these species. Phylogenetic analyses of the plasmid partition genes show that a majority of the plasmid compatibility types arose early, most likely before separation of the Lyme agent Borreliella and relapsing fever Borrelia clades, and this, with occasional cross species plasmid transfers, has resulted in few if any species-specific or geographic region-specific Borreliella plasmid types. Conclusions: The primordial origin and persistent maintenance of the Borreliella plasmid types support their functional indispensability as well as evolutionary roles in facilitating genome diversity. The improved resolution of Borreliella plasmid phylogeny based on conserved partition-gene clusters will lead to better determination of gene orthology which is essential for prediction of biological function, and it will provide a basis for inferring detailed evolutionary mechanisms of Borreliella genomic variability including homologous gene and plasmid exchanges as well as nonhomologous rearrangements

GAMMA-ORYZANOL HAS AN EQUIVALENT EFFICACY AS A LIPID-LOWERING AGENT COMPARED TO FIBRATE AND STATIN IN TWO DYSLIPIDEMIA MICE MODELS

Objective: A substantial fraction of the population is intolerant or does not respond well to the recommended treatments for dyslipidemia. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy ofgamma-oryzanol (γ-ORZ) treatment in acute and long-term mouse experimental models of dyslipidemia in comparison toGemfibrozil and Simvastatin. Methods: For the acute dyslipidemia-induced model, dyslipidemia was induced in 40 mice using a single intra-peritoneal administration of Triton WR-1339. For the long-termmodel, dyslipidemia was induced in 24 mice using a hypercholesterolemic diet over 14 days. Thereafter, animals were divided into different groups of treatment,and orally received treatments with gamma-oryzanol (5, 25, 50mg. kg-1), gemfibrozil or simvastatin. For biochemical analysis, glucose, total cholesterol and triacylglycerols were measured. Body weight and net food intake was registered weekly, and urea, creatinine, AST and ALT levels were evaluated. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Student-Newman-Keuls method,and p value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Only the highest dose of γ-ORZ exhibited significant protective effects. Gamma-oryzanol andGemfibrozil treatments reduced total cholesterol and triacylglycerols levels in a similar manner in the acute model. In the second model, γ-ORZ and simvastatin treatments reduced glucose and total cholesterol levels in the same way. In addition, the administration ofγ-ORZ did not cause any adverse events, or significantly altered hepatic enzymes levels, plasmatic urea or creatinine concentrations. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that gamma-oryzanol acts as a potential lipid-lowering agent, reducing triglycerides and total cholesterol in dyslipidemia-induced models