scholarly journals Ecology and Genetic Structure of Zoonotic Anisakis spp. from Adriatic Commercial Fish Species

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1281-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivona Mladineo ◽  
Vedran Poljak

ABSTRACTConsumption of raw or thermally inadequately treated fishery products represents a public health risk, with the possibility of propagation of liveAnisakislarvae, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease anisakidosis, or anisakiasis. We investigated the population dynamics ofAnisakisspp. in commercially important fish—anchovies (Anisakis), sardines (Sardina pilchardus), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), whiting (Merlangius merlangus), chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), and Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)—captured in the main Adriatic Sea fishing ground. We observed a significant difference in the numbers of parasite larvae (1 to 32) in individual hosts and between species, with most fish showing high or very highAnisakispopulation indices. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that commercial fish in the Adriatic Sea are parasitized byAnisakis pegreffii(95.95%) andAnisakis simplexsensu stricto(4.05%). The genetic structure ofA. pegreffiiin demersal, pelagic, and top predator hosts was unstructured, and the highest frequency of haplotype sharing (n= 10) was between demersal and pelagic fish.

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuanshan Zhang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Tuerganaili Aji ◽  
Liang Li ◽  
Xiaojuan Bi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. There is an urgent need to develop new drugs for the treatment of this disease. In this study, we identified two new members of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, MKK3/6 and MEK1/2 homologs (termed EgMKK1 and EgMKK2, respectively), from E. granulosus sensu stricto. Both EgMKK1 and EgMKK2 were expressed at the larval stages. As shown by yeast two-hybrid and coimmunoprecipitation analyses, EgMKK1 interacted with the previously identified Egp38 protein but not with EgERK. EgMKK2, on the other hand, interacted with EgERK. In addition, EgMKK1 and EgMKK2 displayed kinase activity toward the substrate myelin basic protein. When sorafenib tosylate, PD184352, or U0126-ethanol (EtOH) was added to the medium for in vitro culture of E. granulosus protoscoleces (PSCs) or cysts, an inhibitory and cytolytic effect was observed via suppressed phosphorylation of EgMKKs and EgERK. Nonviability of PSCs treated with sorafenib tosylate or U0126-EtOH, and not with PD184352, was confirmed through bioassays, i.e., inoculation of treated and untreated protoscoleces into mice. In vivo treatment of E. granulosus sensu stricto-infected mice with sorafenib tosylate or U0126-EtOH for 4 weeks demonstrated a reduction in parasite weight, but the results did not show a significant difference. In conclusion, the MAPK cascades were identified as new targets for drug development, and E. granulosus was efficiently inhibited by their inhibitors in vitro. The translation of these findings into in vivo efficacy requires further adjustment of treatment regimens using sorafenib tosylate or, possibly, other kinase inhibitors.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Gonzalez-martinez ◽  
Laura Hernandez ◽  
Lucia Zamorano ◽  
Andrew Sloan ◽  
Kenneth Levin ◽  
...  

Object. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery for intracranial metastatic melanoma and to identify prognostic factors related to tumor control and survival that might be helpful in determining appropriate therapy. Methods. Twenty-four patients with intracranial metastases (115 lesions) metastatic from melanoma underwent radiosurgery. In 14 patients (58.3%) whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was performed, and in 12 (50%) chemotherapy was conducted before radiosurgery. The median tumor volume was 4 cm3 (range 1–15 cm3). The mean dose was 16.4 Gy (range 13–20 Gy) prescribed to the 50% isodose at the tumor margin. All cases were categorized according to the Recursive Partitioning Analysis classification for brain metastases. Univariate and multivariate analyses of survival were performed to determine significant prognostic factors affecting survival. The mean survival was 5.5 months after radiosurgery. The analyses revealed no difference in terms of survival between patients who underwent WBRT or chemotherapy and those who did not. A significant difference (p < 0.05) in mean survival was observed between patients receiving immunotherapy or those with a Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score of greater than 90. Conclusions. The treatment with systemic immunotherapy and a KPS score greater than 90 were factors associated with a better prognosis. Radiosurgery for melanoma-related brain metastases appears to be an effective treatment associated with few complications.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 ◽  
pp. 484-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Serizawa ◽  
Junichi Ono ◽  
Toshihiko Iichi ◽  
Shinji Matsuda ◽  
Makoto Sato ◽  
...  

Object. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors from lung cancer, with particular reference to small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) compared with non-SCLC (NSCLC). Methods. Two hundred forty-five consecutive patients meeting the following five criteria were evaluated in this study: 1) no prior brain tumor treatment; 2) 25 or fewer lesions; 3) a maximum of three tumors with a diameter of 20 mm or larger; 4) no surgically inaccessible tumor 30 mm or greater in diameter; and 5) more than 3 months of life expectancy. According to the same treatment protocol, large tumors (≥ 30 mm) were surgically removed and the other small lesions (< 30 mm) were treated with GKS. New lesions were treated with repeated GKS. Chemotherapy was administered, according to the primary physician's protocol, as aggressively as possible. Progression-free, overall, neurological, qualitative, and new lesion—free survival were calculated with the Kaplan—Meier method and were compared in the SCLC and NSCLC groups by using the log-rank test. The poor prognostic factors for each type of survival were also analyzed with the Cox proportional hazard model. Conclusions. Tumor control rate at 1 year was 94.5% in the SCLC group and 98% in the NSCLC group. The median survival time was 9.1 months in the SCLC group and 8.6 months in the NSCLC group. The 1-year survival rates in the SCLC group were 86.5% for neurological survival and 68.9% for qualitative survival; those in the NSCLC group were 87.9% for neurological and 78.9% for qualitative survival. The estimated median interval to emergence of a new lesion was 6.9 months in the SCLC group and 9.8 months in the NSCLC group. There was no significant difference between the two groups for any type of survival; this finding was verified by multivariate analysis. The results of this study suggest that GKS appears to be as effective in treating brain metastases from SCLC as for those from NSCLC.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asif Hamid Charag ◽  
Asif Iqbal Fazili ◽  
Irfan Bashir

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the residents’ perception towards environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts of tourism development in Kashmir. Design/methodology/approach The research instrument containing 27 items pertaining to six variables is adopted from the literature. A mix-method survey approach is used to solicit residents’ perceptions regarding environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts of the current level of tourism development. A total of 326 useful responses were subjected to descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc analysis using SPSS (Version 22.0). Findings In general, the negative and positive impacts of tourism development are well perceived by the residents. The results indicate that the residents display positive perception regarding economic impacts, however, social and environmental impacts are negatively perceived. Furthermore, barring level of education, the study found no significant difference in the residents’ perception towards tourism impacts (environmental, social, cultural, economic, quality of life and cost of living). Research limitations/implications The paper identifies perceived impacts and issues of tourism development thereby, proposing possible mitigating measures. Also, the study identifies the need to develop a comprehensive policy framework addressing the issues related to the resident’s negative feelings towards tourism impacts. Further, the study envisages the need for engaging residents in developing a progressive and participatory planning process for future tourism activities in the area. Social implications The study offers critical social implications for city tourism development. It suggests a community-based approach should be adopted to sensitize residents about the positive benefits of tourism. Originality/value The study is a novel attempt concerning residents’ residents perceptual differences towards tourism impacts. Furthermore, this study investigated socio-cultural impacts of tourism under two separate categories for better understanding. in doing so, this study provides finer understanding of perception of residents towards tourism impacts in Indian context. The findings of the study will prove critical for different stakeholders in developing future tourism framework and policies in the region.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1243-1251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Cabral Rebouças ◽  
Maria do Carmo Passos Rodrigues ◽  
Silvia Maria de Freitas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the front of a package label and the nutritional claims linked to it over consumers’ expectations as to acceptance, purchase attitude and perception of quality characteristics of a new functional beverage made from cashew nut milk and added with mango juice and prebiotic substances. Design/methodology/approach Three versions of the front label were developed, which differed just by the type of nutritional claim presented (“0 per cent lactose and 0 per cent cholesterol; 0 per cent lactose, 0 per cent cholesterol and source of fibers, 0 per cent lactose, 0 per cent cholesterol and antioxidants”) and were evaluated in two phases, expectation and informed. For the evaluation, consumers used a multi-attribute scale, the nine-point hedonic scale and a nine-point semi-structured buying attitude scale. Findings The labels created a positive expectation on the consumers regarding the quality attributes, overall impression (mean = 6.0 “Like slightly”) and buying attitude (mean = 6.0 “Would probably buy”). After tasting the beverage associated with labels (informed phase), consumers kept a positive evaluation. The t-test performed between the pair of means of both phases showed that there has not been a significant difference regarding the quality attributes (p > 0.05), special, attractive, nutritive, healthy and buying attitude (Label 1, p = 0.26; Label 2, p = 0.18; Label 3, p = 0.26) in all labels. Originality/value The authors evaluated how the influence of label and nutritional claims in regards to a new product, a beverage made from cashew nut, affects its acceptance, buying attitude and characteristics of quality. Until this moment, there are no studies that evaluate how external attributes affect the acceptance of this beverage totally unique in the Brazilian market.


1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Salar ◽  
Salvatore Mingrino ◽  
Marco Trabucchi ◽  
Angelo Bosio ◽  
Carlo Semenza

✓ The β-endorphin content in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated in 10 patients with idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia during medical treatment (with or without carbamazepine) and after selective thermocoagulation of the Gasserian ganglion. These values were compared with those obtained in a control group of seven patients without pain problems. No statistically significant difference was found between patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia and those without pain. Furthermore, neither pharmacological treatment nor surgery changed CSF endorphin values. It is concluded that there is no pathogenetic relationship between trigeminal neuralgia and endorphins.


2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nadeem Khan ◽  
Qingfu Xu ◽  
Michael E. Pichichero

ABSTRACTAn increase inStreptococcus pneumoniaenasopharynx (NP) colonization density during a viral coinfection initiates pathogenesis. To mimic naturalS. pneumoniaepathogenesis, we commensally colonized the NPs of adult C57BL/6 mice withS. pneumoniaeserotype (ST) 6A or 8 and then coinfected them with mouse-adapted H1N1 influenza A virus (PR/8/34).S. pneumoniaeestablished effective commensal colonization, and influenza virus coinfection causedS. pneumoniaeNP density to increase, resulting in bacteremia and mortality. We then studied histidine triad protein D (PhtD), anS. pneumoniaeadhesin vaccine candidate, for its ability to prevent invasiveS. pneumoniaedisease in adult and infant mice. In adult mice, the efficacy of PhtD vaccination was compared with that of PCV13. Vaccination with PCV13 led to a greater reduction ofS. pneumoniaeNP density (>2.5 log units) than PhtD vaccination (∼1-log-unit reduction). However, no significant difference was observed with regard to the prevention ofS. pneumoniaebacteremia, and there was no difference in mortality. Depletion of CD4+T cells in PhtD-vaccinated adult mice, but not PCV13-vaccinated mice, caused a loss of vaccine-induced protection. In infant mice, passive transfer of antisera or CD4+T cells from PhtD-vaccinated adult mice led to a nonsignificant reduction in NP colonization density, whereas passive transfer of antisera and CD4+T cells was needed to cause a significant reduction in NP colonization density. For the first time, these data show an outcome with regard to prevention of invasiveS. pneumoniaepathogenesis with a protein vaccine similar to that which occurs with a glycoconjugate vaccine despite a less robust reduction in NP bacterial density.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaojing Zong ◽  
Wei Jing ◽  
Jin Shi ◽  
Shu'an Wen ◽  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Oxazolidinones are efficacious in treating mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB) caused by drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this study, we compared the in vitro activities and MIC distributions of delpazolid, a novel oxazolidinone, and linezolid against multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) in China. Additionally, genetic mutations in 23S rRNA, rplC, and rplD genes were analyzed to reveal potential mechanisms underlying the observed oxazolidinone resistance. A total of 240 M. tuberculosis isolates were included in this study, including 120 MDR-TB isolates and 120 XDR-TB isolates. Overall, linezolid and delpazolid MIC90 values for M. tuberculosis isolates were 0.25 mg/liter and 0.5 mg/liter, respectively. Based on visual inspection, we tentatively set epidemiological cutoff (ECOFF) values for MIC determinations for linezolid and delpazolid at 1.0 mg/liter and 2.0 mg/liter, respectively. Although no significant difference in resistance rates was observed between linezolid and delpazolid among XDR-TB isolates (P > 0.05), statistical analysis revealed a significantly greater proportion of linezolid-resistant isolates than delpazolid-resistant isolates within the MDR-TB group (P = 0.036). Seven (53.85%) of 13 linezolid-resistant isolates were found to harbor mutations within the three target genes. Additionally, 1 isolate exhibited an amino acid substitution (Arg126His) within the protein encoded by rplD that contributed to high-level resistance to linezolid (MIC of >16 mg/liter), compared to a delpazolid MIC of 0.25. In conclusion, in vitro susceptibility testing revealed that delpazolid antibacterial activity was comparable to that of linezolid. A novel mutation within rplD that endowed M. tuberculosis with linezolid, but not delpazolid, resistance was identified.


2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 3621-3623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Ferraris ◽  
Sophia Schönherr ◽  
Philippe Bouvet ◽  
Brunhilde Dauphin ◽  
Michel Popoff ◽  
...  

“Clostridium neonatale” sp. nov., previously involved in an outbreak of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis, was recently proposed as a new species of theClostridiumgenussensu stricto. We developed a one-step multiplex colony PCR forC. neonataleidentification and investigatedC. neonataleintestinal colonization frequency in healthy preterm neonates.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 840-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iciar Martinez ◽  
Michaela Aschan ◽  
Taran Skjerdal ◽  
Salah M. Aljanabi

Abstract The genetic structure of shrimp (Pandalus borealis) in the Northeast Atlantic was examined by RAPD analysis on specimens caught at eight stations in the Barents Sea, three off Svalbard, two off Jan Mayen, and in two northern Norwegian fjords (19 < n > 31 per station). A total of 34 polymorphic markers generated by seven 10-mer arbitrary primers was used to assess the genetic population structure using analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). There was considerable RAPD diversity (>90%) among shrimp at all stations. The two Norwegian fjords and the Jan Mayen stations were different from all the others, and the Jan Mayen stations also differed from each other. More than 98% of the genetic variation between Barents Sea and Svalbard was ascribed to individual diversity, and there was no significant difference between the two areas, although there seemed to be a subpopulation structure in the Barents Sea. Principal component analysis on the frequency of each RAPD marker on each sampled station confirmed the presence of three populations: Barents Sea and Svalbard, northern Norwegian fjords, and Jan Mayen. We postulate that the large genetic variability found at an individual level may provide the total population with a diverse genetic pool from which traits can be selected to respond to variations in local environmental conditions, and that this local selection may be the cause of the subpopulation structure observed.


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