Seroprevalence of Taenia solium infections in Croatian patients presenting with epilepsy

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, while neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium infection of the central nervous system currently represents the leading cause of secondary epilepsy in Central and South America, East and South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of increased migration from these endemic regions, neurocysticercosis and subsequent epilepsy are becoming a growing public health problem in developed countries as well. In order to determine the prevalence of T. solium infection in patients with epilepsy in Croatia, a retrospective serological study was conducted. A total of 770 serum samples were tested for the presence of T. solium IgG antibodies using a commercial qualitative enzyme immunoassay. The Western blot technique was used as a confirmatory test for the diagnosis. The overall seroprevalence rate of T. solium infection in patients with clinically proven epilepsy was 1.5%. Although the results have shown that infection with this tapeworm is rare in Croatia, this study hopes to increase awareness about the importance of preventive measures and benefits of accurate and timely diagnosis. Intervention measures for infection control are crucial, namely sanitation improvement, control of domestic pig-breeding, detailed meat inspection, detection and treatment of tapeworm carriers, hand washing and health education

Inmigración y dinámicas demográficas andaluzas a comienzos del siglo XXI. Una perspectiva territorial

The presence of foreign immigration in Andalusia has prompted a new phase in the evolution of the region’s geographic dynamics, characterised by different spatial traits due to pre-existing population imbalances in the region and the manner in which these are affected by foreign immigration which concentrates in the most dynamic areas but also has a significant local impact in areas in decline where its presence is more diffused. This paper identifies the different models of demographic dynamics that this combination of circumstances has generated, as well as the territorial factors of their distribution throughout the region.<br><br>La presencia de la inmigración extrajera en Andalucía ha propiciado una fase nueva en la evolución de su dinámica geográfica, cuya manifestación espacialmente tiene rasgos diferentes, por los desequilibrios poblacionales propios de la región y por la forma en que incide sobre ellos la inmigración extranjera, que si bien se concentra en las áreas más dinámicas, tiene también una presencia difuminada en áreas en declive, de alto impacto local. El artículo procede a identificar los modelos distintos de dinámicas demográficas que esta conjunción de circunstancias ha generado, y los factores territoriales de su distribución en la región.
 
 [fr] La présence de l'immigration étrangère en Andalousie a conduit a une nouvelle phase dans l'évolution de sa dynamique géographique, dont la manifestation spatiale a des traits différents, à cause des déséquilibres des populations propres à la région et de la facon par laquelle l'immigration étrangère les affecte, qui, bien qu'elle se concentre dans les zones les plus dynamiques, elle a aussi une présence diffuse dans des zones en déclin, avec un impacte local élevé. L'article vise à identifier les différentes modèles des dynamiques démographiques que cette conjonction de circonstances a générées, ainsi que les facteurs territoriaux de leur distribution dans la région

Motor dysfunction and alterations in glutathione concentration, cholinesterase activity, and BDNF expression in substantia nigra pars compacta in rats with pedunculopontine lesion

Pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) has been considered a critically important region in the regulation of some of the physiological functions that fail during the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this paper, the effects of unilateral neurotoxic lesion of the PPN [through the injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) solution (con - centration: 0.1 M; volume: 0.5 mu L.)] in motor execution and gait disorders and the changes in cellular and molecular indicators in rat nigral tissue were evaluated. The motor execution was assessed using the beam test (BT) and the gait disorders by footprint test. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations, acetyl cholinesterase enzymatic activity (AChE EA), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in nigral tissue were analyzed. NMDA-lesioned rats showed fine motor dysfunction with a significant increase in the slow (

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity and Circulating Tumor Cells: Travel Companions to Metastases

<b>This article is free to read at the publisher's website</b>\ud \ud Epithelial–mesenchymal transitions (EMTs) associated with metastatic progression may contribute to the generation of hybrid phenotypes capable of plasticity. This cellular plasticity would provide tumor cells with an increased potential to adapt to the different microenvironments encountered during metastatic spread. Understanding how EMT may functionally equip circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with an enhanced competence to survive in the bloodstream and niche in the colonized organs has thus become a major cancer research axis. We summarize here clinical data with CTC endpoints involving EMT. We then review the work functionally linking EMT programs to CTC biology and deciphering molecular EMT-driven mechanisms supporting their metastatic competence. Developmental Dynamics, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc