A comparative study on the prevalence of Anaplasma parasite was conducted on ticks carrying buffaloes and cattle. Five hundred blood samples of both animals (250 of each) were collected during February, March and Apri...A comparative study on the prevalence of Anaplasma parasite was conducted on ticks carrying buffaloes and cattle. Five hundred blood samples of both animals (250 of each) were collected during February, March and April. Thin blood smears on glass slides were made, fixed in 100% methyl alcohol and examined. Microscopic examination revealed that 205 (41%) animals had Anaplasma parasites, out of which 89, 44 and 72 animals had Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale and mixed infection respectively. Infected buffaloes and cattle were 75 and 130 respectively. The infection in female was 53 and 92 in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Twenty-two and 92 blood samples of male were found positive in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Com- parative study revealed that the cattle were 26.82% more susceptible than buffaloes. The parasite prevailing percentage in female of both animals was slightly higher than that of the male. This investigation was aimed at studying the comparative prevalence of Anaplasma parasite in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle.展开更多
AIM： To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of MK615, a Japanese apricot extract, in an animal model, and its clinical therapeutic effect. METHODS： Wistar rats were administered physiologi- cal saline （4 mL/kg...AIM： To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of MK615, a Japanese apricot extract, in an animal model, and its clinical therapeutic effect. METHODS： Wistar rats were administered physiologi- cal saline （4 mL/kg） or MK615 solution （4 mL/kg） for 7 d. On the sixth d, acute hepatic injury was induced by administering a single intraperitoneal injection （ip） of D-galactosamine hydrochloride （D-GaIN） （600 mg/kg）. Plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were determined, and liver tissues were used for histopathological analy- sis. Fifty-eight patients with liver disorders [hepatitis C （n = 40）, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （n = 15）, and autoimmune liver disease （n = 3）] were orally admin- istered commercially available Misatol ME-containing MK615 （13 g/d） daily for 12 wk. Blood and urine were sampled immediately before and 6 wk, 12 wk, and 16 wk after the start of intake to measure various bio- chemical parameters. The percentage change in ALT and AST levels after 12 wk from the pre-intake baseline served as a primary endpoint. RESULTS： D-GaIN effectively induced acute hepatic injury in the rats. At 48 h after the ip injection of D-GaIN, the plasma levels of ALT （475.6 ：t： 191.5 IU/L vs 225.3 ＋ 194.2 IU/L, P 〈 0.05） and AST （1253.9：1：223.4 IU/L vs 621.9 ＋ 478.2 IU/L, P 〈 0.05） in the MK615 group were significantly lower than the control group. Scattered single cell necrosis, loss of hepatocytes, and extensive inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in hepatic tissue samples collected from the control group. However, these findings were less pronounced in the group receiving MK615. At the end of the clinical study, serum ALT and AST levels were significantly de- creased compared with pre-intake baseline levels from 103.5 ：l： 58.8 IU/L to 71.8 ＋ 39.3 IU/L （P 〈 0.05） and from 93.5 ：E 55.6 IU/L to 65.5 ＋ 34.8 IU/L （P 〈 0.05）, respectively. A reduction of 〉~ 30% from the pre-study baseline ALT level was observed in 26 （45%） of the 58 patients, while 25 （43%） patients exhibited similar AST level reductions. The chronic hepatitis C group exhibit- ed significant ALT and AST level reductions from 93.4：1： 51.1 IU/L to 64.6 ＋ 35.1 IU/L （P 〈 0.05） and from 94.2 ＋ 55.5 IU/L to 67.2：1：35.6 IU/L （P 〈 0.05）, respective- ly. A reduction of 〉~ 30% from the pre-study baseline ALT level was observed in 20 （50%） of the 40 patients.ALT levels in both the combined ursodeoxycholic acid （UDCA） treatment and the UDCA uncombined groups were significantly lower after Misatol ME administration. MK615 protected hepatocytes from D-GaiN-induced cytotoxicity in rats. Misatol ME decreased elevated ALT and AST levels in patients with liver disorders. CONCLUSION： These results suggest that MK615 and Misatol ME are promising hepatoprotective agents for patients with liver disorders.展开更多
Retinal dystrophies are genetically determined diseases, implying the loss of function of the retina with a wide phenotypic and genotypic variability. There are very few phenotypic, genotypic and epidemiological data ...Retinal dystrophies are genetically determined diseases, implying the loss of function of the retina with a wide phenotypic and genotypic variability. There are very few phenotypic, genotypic and epidemiological data on retinal dystrophies in Latin America. The Objective of this study is to describe the epidemioiogical and clinical characteristics of hereditary retinal and choroidal diseases, in retina practices in Panama. A descriptive study, from 2012 to 2013, was performed in the main retina practices in Panama. All detected patients were given a free appointment to gather their phenotypic characteristics and pedigrees. An incidence of five new cases per year, and an accumulated incidence of 5.35 patients per I0,000 was calculated for the public hospitals. A frequency of 2.7 cases per 1,000 patients was observed in the main retina practices, where 69% had rod-cone dystrophies, 14.3% cone-rod dystrophies, 7.1% Stargardt disease, 4.8% Stargardt-like macular dystrophy and two patients presented other dystrophies. Blindness was the main family antecedent （45.2%）. Retinal pigment was present in 59% and strabismus in 21.4% of the patients. Rod-cone and cone-rod dystrophies had similar geographic distribution and the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern was the most frequently observed. This study gives the first phenotypic data of retinal dystrophies in Panama to orient clinicians for a better diagnosis and phenotyping-genotyping correlation for retinal dystrophies in Central America.展开更多
OBJECTIVE:Acupuncture has often been used for aphasia rehabilitation in China.The purpose of this paper was to:1) provide a historic overview of acupuncture for aphasia due to stroke;2) summarize the commonly used acu...OBJECTIVE:Acupuncture has often been used for aphasia rehabilitation in China.The purpose of this paper was to:1) provide a historic overview of acupuncture for aphasia due to stroke;2) summarize the commonly used acupuncture approaches;and 3) objectively comment on the effectiveness of acupuncture for the rehabilitation of this type of disorder.METHODS:The Elsevier database and a Chinese database(CNKI) were searched through December,2010 with the key words "aphasia,acupuncture" in English and Chinese,respectively.Case reports,uncontrolled clinical observations and controlled clinical trials were all included if acupuncture was the sole treatment or the main component of complex intervention for the rehabilitation of aphasia caused by cerebrovascular disease.RESULTS:More than 100 relevant articles were found.After analyzing these articles,we found that acupuncture for apoplectic aphasia most often included tongue,scalp,body and combination acupuncture.Tongue bleeding,deep insertion and strong stimulation were adopted by many practitioners.The ten most frequently used acupoints(or areas) were Lianquan(RN 23),Jinjin(EX-HN 12),Yuye(EX-HN 13),Tongli(HT 5),Fengchi(GB 20),Neiguan(PC 6),Baihui(DU 20),No.1,2 and 3 language sections,Sanyinjiao(SP 6) and Yamen(DU 15).CONCLUSIONS:Controlled clinical studies and a systematic literature review demonstrate that acupuncture has therapeutic effects on aphasia after stroke.展开更多
文摘A comparative study on the prevalence of Anaplasma parasite was conducted on ticks carrying buffaloes and cattle. Five hundred blood samples of both animals (250 of each) were collected during February, March and April. Thin blood smears on glass slides were made, fixed in 100% methyl alcohol and examined. Microscopic examination revealed that 205 (41%) animals had Anaplasma parasites, out of which 89, 44 and 72 animals had Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale and mixed infection respectively. Infected buffaloes and cattle were 75 and 130 respectively. The infection in female was 53 and 92 in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Twenty-two and 92 blood samples of male were found positive in buffaloes and cattle respectively. Com- parative study revealed that the cattle were 26.82% more susceptible than buffaloes. The parasite prevailing percentage in female of both animals was slightly higher than that of the male. This investigation was aimed at studying the comparative prevalence of Anaplasma parasite in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle.
文摘AIM： To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of MK615, a Japanese apricot extract, in an animal model, and its clinical therapeutic effect. METHODS： Wistar rats were administered physiologi- cal saline （4 mL/kg） or MK615 solution （4 mL/kg） for 7 d. On the sixth d, acute hepatic injury was induced by administering a single intraperitoneal injection （ip） of D-galactosamine hydrochloride （D-GaIN） （600 mg/kg）. Plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） were determined, and liver tissues were used for histopathological analy- sis. Fifty-eight patients with liver disorders [hepatitis C （n = 40）, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （n = 15）, and autoimmune liver disease （n = 3）] were orally admin- istered commercially available Misatol ME-containing MK615 （13 g/d） daily for 12 wk. Blood and urine were sampled immediately before and 6 wk, 12 wk, and 16 wk after the start of intake to measure various bio- chemical parameters. The percentage change in ALT and AST levels after 12 wk from the pre-intake baseline served as a primary endpoint. RESULTS： D-GaIN effectively induced acute hepatic injury in the rats. At 48 h after the ip injection of D-GaIN, the plasma levels of ALT （475.6 ：t： 191.5 IU/L vs 225.3 ＋ 194.2 IU/L, P 〈 0.05） and AST （1253.9：1：223.4 IU/L vs 621.9 ＋ 478.2 IU/L, P 〈 0.05） in the MK615 group were significantly lower than the control group. Scattered single cell necrosis, loss of hepatocytes, and extensive inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in hepatic tissue samples collected from the control group. However, these findings were less pronounced in the group receiving MK615. At the end of the clinical study, serum ALT and AST levels were significantly de- creased compared with pre-intake baseline levels from 103.5 ：l： 58.8 IU/L to 71.8 ＋ 39.3 IU/L （P 〈 0.05） and from 93.5 ：E 55.6 IU/L to 65.5 ＋ 34.8 IU/L （P 〈 0.05）, respectively. A reduction of 〉~ 30% from the pre-study baseline ALT level was observed in 26 （45%） of the 58 patients, while 25 （43%） patients exhibited similar AST level reductions. The chronic hepatitis C group exhibit- ed significant ALT and AST level reductions from 93.4：1： 51.1 IU/L to 64.6 ＋ 35.1 IU/L （P 〈 0.05） and from 94.2 ＋ 55.5 IU/L to 67.2：1：35.6 IU/L （P 〈 0.05）, respective- ly. A reduction of 〉~ 30% from the pre-study baseline ALT level was observed in 20 （50%） of the 40 patients.ALT levels in both the combined ursodeoxycholic acid （UDCA） treatment and the UDCA uncombined groups were significantly lower after Misatol ME administration. MK615 protected hepatocytes from D-GaiN-induced cytotoxicity in rats. Misatol ME decreased elevated ALT and AST levels in patients with liver disorders. CONCLUSION： These results suggest that MK615 and Misatol ME are promising hepatoprotective agents for patients with liver disorders.
文摘Retinal dystrophies are genetically determined diseases, implying the loss of function of the retina with a wide phenotypic and genotypic variability. There are very few phenotypic, genotypic and epidemiological data on retinal dystrophies in Latin America. The Objective of this study is to describe the epidemioiogical and clinical characteristics of hereditary retinal and choroidal diseases, in retina practices in Panama. A descriptive study, from 2012 to 2013, was performed in the main retina practices in Panama. All detected patients were given a free appointment to gather their phenotypic characteristics and pedigrees. An incidence of five new cases per year, and an accumulated incidence of 5.35 patients per I0,000 was calculated for the public hospitals. A frequency of 2.7 cases per 1,000 patients was observed in the main retina practices, where 69% had rod-cone dystrophies, 14.3% cone-rod dystrophies, 7.1% Stargardt disease, 4.8% Stargardt-like macular dystrophy and two patients presented other dystrophies. Blindness was the main family antecedent （45.2%）. Retinal pigment was present in 59% and strabismus in 21.4% of the patients. Rod-cone and cone-rod dystrophies had similar geographic distribution and the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern was the most frequently observed. This study gives the first phenotypic data of retinal dystrophies in Panama to orient clinicians for a better diagnosis and phenotyping-genotyping correlation for retinal dystrophies in Central America.
文摘OBJECTIVE:Acupuncture has often been used for aphasia rehabilitation in China.The purpose of this paper was to:1) provide a historic overview of acupuncture for aphasia due to stroke;2) summarize the commonly used acupuncture approaches;and 3) objectively comment on the effectiveness of acupuncture for the rehabilitation of this type of disorder.METHODS:The Elsevier database and a Chinese database(CNKI) were searched through December,2010 with the key words "aphasia,acupuncture" in English and Chinese,respectively.Case reports,uncontrolled clinical observations and controlled clinical trials were all included if acupuncture was the sole treatment or the main component of complex intervention for the rehabilitation of aphasia caused by cerebrovascular disease.RESULTS:More than 100 relevant articles were found.After analyzing these articles,we found that acupuncture for apoplectic aphasia most often included tongue,scalp,body and combination acupuncture.Tongue bleeding,deep insertion and strong stimulation were adopted by many practitioners.The ten most frequently used acupoints(or areas) were Lianquan(RN 23),Jinjin(EX-HN 12),Yuye(EX-HN 13),Tongli(HT 5),Fengchi(GB 20),Neiguan(PC 6),Baihui(DU 20),No.1,2 and 3 language sections,Sanyinjiao(SP 6) and Yamen(DU 15).CONCLUSIONS:Controlled clinical studies and a systematic literature review demonstrate that acupuncture has therapeutic effects on aphasia after stroke.
