1,354,068 research outputs found

    Myiasis by Megaselia scalaris (Diptera: Phoridae) in a Python Affected by Pulmonitis

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    Myiases are caused by the presence of maggots in vertebrate tissues and organs. Myiases have been studied widely in humans, farm animals, and pets, whereas reports of myiasis in reptiles are scarce. We describe a case of myiasis caused by the Megaselia scalaris (Loew) in an Indian python (Python molurus bivittatus, Kuhl) (Ophida: Boidae). The python, 15 yr old, born and reared in a terrarium in the mainland of Venice (Italy), was affected by diffuse, purulent pneumonia caused by Burkholderia cepacia. The severe infestation of maggots found in the lungs during an autopsy indicated at a myiasis

    Enzymatic characterization of Vibrio alginolyticus strains isolated from bivalves harvested at Venice Lagoon (Italy) and Guanabara Bay (Brazil) Caracterização enzimática de cepas de Vibrio alginolyticus isoladas de bivalves coletados na Lagoa de Veneza (Itália) e Baía de Guanabara (Brasil)

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    The aquatic ecosystem is the natural habitat of microorganisms including Vibrio and Aeromonas genus which are pathogenic to human and animals. In the present investigation the frequency of these bacteria and the enzymatic characteristics of 34 Vibrio alginolyticus strains isolated from bivalves harvested in Venice Lagoon (Italy) and Guanabara Bay (Brazil) were carried out from November 2003 to February 2004. The mussels' samples were submitted to enrichment in Alkaline Peptone Water (APW) added with 1% of sodium chloride (NaCl) and APW plus 3% NaCl incubated at 37 ºC for 18-24h. Following the samples were streaked onto TCBS Agar (Thiossulfate Citrate Bile Sucrose Agar) and the suspected colonies were submitted to biochemical characterization. Also, the Vibrio alginolyticus strains were evaluated to collagenase, elastase and chondroitinase production. The results showed the isolation of 127 microorganisms distributed as follows: 105 Vibrio strains such as V. alginolyticus (32.4%), V. harveyi (19%) and V. parahaemolyticus (7.6%), 20 Aeromonas strains and two Plesiomonas shigelloides were the main pathogens isolated. We observed the production of the three enzymes from V. alginolyticus strains considered as the main virulence factors of the bacteria, especially in cases of human dermatological infection.O ecossistema aquático é o habitat natural de microrganismos incluindo aqueles dos gêneros Vibrio e Aeromonas os quais são patogênicos para o homem e animais. Na presente investigação foi avaliada a freqüência destas bactérias e a característica enzimática de 34 cepas de Vibrio alginolyticus isoladas de bivalves coletados na Lagoa de Venice (Itália) e Baía de Guanabara (Brasil) durante o período de Novembro-2003 a Fevereiro-2004. As amostras de mexilhões foram submetidas a enriquecimento em Água Peptonada Alcalina (APA) adicionada de 1% de Cloreto de Sódio (NaCl) e APA com 3% de NaCl (37 ºC/18-24h). Em seguida as amostras foram semeadas em Agar TCBS (Agar Tiossulfato Citrato Bile Sacarose) e as colônias suspeitas foram submetidas à caracterização bioquímica. As cepas de Vibrio alginolyticus foram avaliadas quanto à produção das enzimas colagenase, elastase e condroitinase. Os resultados demonstraram o isolamento de 127 microrganismos assim distribuídos: 105 cepas de Vibrio das quais V. alginolyticus (32,4%), V. harveyi (19%) e V. parahaemolyticus (7,6%), 20 cepas de Aeromonas e 2 Plesiomonas shigelloides foram os principais patógenos isolados. Observou-se a produção das três enzimas a partir de V. alginolyticus, consideradas principais fatores de virulência da bactéria, em especial em casos de infecção dermatológica humana

    Free and bound testosterone in male heroin addicts

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    The plasma levels of the active (free) fraction of testosterone (Te) and of Te Binding Globulin (TeBG) in a group of 42 heroin addicts with similar sexual difficulties were investigated for almost 2 years. Plasma levels of free Te were significantly low and TeBG were significantly high not only in the addicts with low total Te concentrations, but also in the addicts with normal values of total Te

    Determination of morphine in the hair of heroin addicts by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

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    A procedure has been presented for the quantitative determination of morphine contained in the hair of heroin addicts, by means of heat-acid hydrolysis, pre-column dansyl derivatization, straight phase liquid chromatography, and fluorescence detection. External standardization was used. Intra-assay and day-to-day variation coefficients were 5.6 and 7.8%, respectively (n = 10), when hair containing 1 ng/mg of morphine was assayed. Hair samples of 22 heroin addicts showed positive results in the range 0.08 to 15.7 ng/mg. No false positive results were found in 20 control subjects. A close correlation was shown between high performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay results (y = 0.97x + 0.26)(r = 0.997, n = 15). Morphine hair content results significantly correlated with the grade of heroin use roughly estimated by means of serial determinations of morphine in urines during the last months before hair sampling

    Morbidity associated with anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery from the right aortic sinus.

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    Anomalous origin of the left circumflex (LC) coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva is the most common coronary anomaly and, generally, is considered to be benign.Nevertheless, myocardial infarction or sudden death in young patients with this coronary anomaly has infrequently been described.We report 2 cases of anomalous origin of the LC coronary artery from right aortic sinus, free of atherosclerotic obstructive lesions, presenting clinically with either myocardial infarction or effort angina

    ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION OF ANOMALOUS ORIGIN OF THE LEFT CIRCUMFLEX CORONARY-ARTERY FROM THE RIGHT SINUS OF VALSALVA

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    Echocardiographic identification of anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalv

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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