Myiasis in domestic cats: A global review

Myiasis is an infestation caused by larvae of Diptera in humans and other vertebrates. In domestic cats, Felis silvestris catus L. (Carnivora: Felidae), four dipteran families have been reported as agents of obligatory and facultative myiasis: Oestridae, Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae and Muscidae. Among agents of obligatory myiasis, the most frequent genus is Cuterebra Clark (Oestridae) and the most frequent species is Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Calliphoridae). Among the agents of facultative myiasis, the most frequent species is Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Calliphoridae). A survey of myiasis in cats reported in literature shows that the cases are distributed worldwide and linked to the geographical range of the dipteran species. Factors favouring the occurrence of myiasis in cats are prowling in infested areas, poor hygiene conditions due to diseases and/or neglect, and wounds inflicted during territorial or reproductive competition. The aim of the review is to provide an extended survey of literature on myiasis in cats, as general information and possible development of guidelines for veterinarians, entomologists and other researchers interested in the field

Morphological and Chemical Investigation of Ovarian Structures in a Bovine Model by Contrast-Enhanced X-ray Imaging and Microscopy

An improved understanding of an ovary’s structures is highly desirable to support advances in folliculogenesis knowledge and reproductive medicine, with particular attention to fertility preservation options for prepubertal girls with malignant tumors. Although currently the golden standard for structural analysis is provided by combining histological sections, staining, and visible 2D microscopic inspection, synchrotron radiation phase-contrast microtomography is becoming a new challenge for three-dimensional studies at micrometric resolution. To this aim, the proper use of contrast agents can improve the visualization of internal structures in ovary tissues, which normally present a low radiopacity. In this study, we report a comparison of four staining protocols, based on iodine or tungsten containing agents, applied to bovine ovarian tissues fixed in Bouin’s solution. The microtomography (microCT) analyses at two synchrotron facilities under different set-ups were performed at different energies in order to maximize the image contrast. While tungsten-based agents allow large structures to be well identified, Iodine ones better highlight smaller features, especially when acquired above the K-edge energy of the specific metal. Further scans performed at lower energy where the setup was optimized for overall quality and sensitivity from phase-contrast still provided highly resolved visualization of follicular and intrafollicular structures at different maturation stages, independent of the staining protocol. The analyses were complemented by X-ray Fluorescence mapping on 2D sections, showing that the tungsten-based agent has a higher penetration in this type of tissues

Synthesis of CdS and CdSe nanocrystallites using a novel single-molecule precursors approach

The synthesis of CdS and CdSe nanocrystallites using the thermolysis of several dithioor diselenocarbamato complexes of cadmium in trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) is reported. The nanodispersed materials obtained show quantum size effects in their optical spectra and exhibit near band-edge luminescence. The influence of experimental parameters on the properties of the nanocrystallites is discussed. HRTEM images of these materials show well-defined, crystalline nanosized particles. Standard size fractionation procedures can be performed in order to narrow the size dispersion of the samples. The TOPO-capped CdS and CdSe nanocrystallites and simple organic bridging ligands, such as 2,2¢-bipyrimidine, are used as the starting materials for the preparation of novel nanocomposites. The optical properties shown by these new nanocomposites are compared with those of the starting nanodispersed materials

Hemodynamics of the heart's left atrium based on a Variational Multiscale-LES numerical method

In this paper, we investigate the haemodynamics of a left atrium (LA) by proposing a computational model suitable to provide physically meaningful fluid dynamics indications and detailed blood flow characterization. In particular, we consider the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation to deal with the LA domain under prescribed motion. A Variational Multiscale (VMS) method is adopted to obtain a stable formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations discretized by means of the Finite Element method and to account for turbulence modelling based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The aim of this paper is twofold: on one hand to improve the general understanding of blood flow in the human LA in normal conditions; on the other, to analyse the effects of the turbulence VMS-LES method on a situation of blood flow which is neither laminar, nor fully turbulent, but rather transitional as in LA. Our results suggest that if relatively coarse meshes are adopted, the additional stabilization terms introduced by the VMS-LES method allow to better predict transitional effects and cycle-to-cycle blood flow variations than the standard SUPG stabilization method

A proposed new comprehensive index of oxidative stress: Oxiscore

Objective: Oxidative stress has been related both to the aging process and to several pathologies, like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Up to now, no ideal biomaxker for oxidative stress is available. This study was performed to identify a comprehensive index of oxidative status (OXISCORE)reflecting both injuries and antioxidant defences in vivo. Methods: We enrolled and stratified by age and gender, 87 healthy subjects (59% males; age 24-77) and 20 CAD patients (65% males; age 47-81). Plasma free and total malondialdehyde (F- and T-MDA), glutathione disulphide/reduced forms (GSSG/GSH) and urine isoprostane (iPF2alpha-III)levels were measured as markers of oxidative damage, and computed in the damage score (DS). Plasma glutathione, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol (TH) levels, and individual antioxidant capacity (IAC), were measured as indexes of antioxidant defence, and computed in the protection score (PS). OXISCORE was computed by subtracting PS from DS. Results: In healthy subjects, only MDA was associated with age; only GSH, GSSG/GSH ratio and alpha-TH correlated with gender. OXISCORE,was positively associated with both age (p=0.007) and male gender (p=0.01). Interestingly, OXISCORE was significantly higher in CAD subjects even after adjusting for age and gender (p=0.0001). Conclusions: No single parameter fully reflects the redox status. By representing both antioxidant and oxidative systems, the OXISCORE provides a comprehensive index of oxidative stress related to age, gender and CAD status. Funding: Grant from Italian Ministry of Healt