Seroprevalence of Neospora spp. in Horses in North East of Iran

Background

Neospora caninum, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, is recognized as a major cause of abortion in cattle, while limited information is presently available on the seroprevalence of Neospora antibodies in horses’ worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine serologic prevalence of Neospora infection in horses in Iran.

Methods

Sera from 150 horses from Mashhad suburb in Razavi Khorasan Province, northeast Iran were examined for antibodies to Neospora spp. using Neospora modified direct agglutination test (N-MAT).

Results

Antibodies to this parasite were detected in 45 (30%) of the examined serum samples. Thirty four percent of the samples had titer of 1:40 while then reduced to 30% when 1:80 serum dilution was applied as significant cut off titer.

Conclusion

This study is the first investigation carried out on the Neospora in horses in Iran and indicates that horses in Iran are exposed to this parasite.     

Prophylactic effect of lamivudine on chemotherapy‐induced hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients with solid tumour: A meta‐analysis

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a remarkable risk during the chemotherapy for solid tumour patients. Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are recommended as prophylaxis for the reactivation of HBV infection in some cancer patients prior to systemic chemotherapy. Therefore, we performed a meta‐analysis aiming to determine the efficacy of prophylactic lamivudine on prevention of HBV reactivation and its related negative outcomes among solid tumour patients with chronic HBV infection receiving systemic chemotherapy. The primary outcome was HBV reactivation, and the secondary outcomes were HBV‐related hepatitis, chemotherapy disruption, mortality and tyrosine‐methio‐nine‐aspartate‐aspartate (YMDD) mutations. Twelve original researches involving 1,101 patients were analysed in this study. The relative risk of HBV reactivation in patients with lamivudine prophylaxis was significantly lower than that without prophylaxis (RR = 0.17, 95% CL: 0.10‐0.29, p < .00001). Lamivudine prophylaxis reduced the relative risk of hepatitis (p < .00001), chemotherapy disruptions (p = .01) and mortality (p = .08) due to HBV reactivation. Lamivudine prophylaxis is effective in reducing HBV reactivation and its related negative outcomes, such as hepatitis and chemotherapy disruption and mortality among chemotherapeutic solid tumour patients with chronic HBV infection. Future studies should lay more emphasis on the early HBV screening, mode of treatment and duration of NAs prophylaxis among solid tumour patients receiving chemotherapy.     

Inhibition by chlordiazepoxide of adenosine-stimulated glucagon secretion

The action of a water soluble benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide (CDZ) on the stimulatory effect of adenosine on glucagon secretion from the isolated pancreas of the rat perfused in presence of 2.8 mM glucose was studied. CDZ 10(-7) and 10(-6) M had no effect per se on glucagon secretion under our experimental conditions. In contrast, CDZ 10(-6) M (but not 10(-7) M) markedly reduced the peak of glucagon secretion provoked by adenosine, 2-chloroadenosine (1.65 C 10(-6) M) and by a stable analogue, 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine or NECA (1.65 X 10(-8) M). This peripheral interaction between CDZ and adenosine seemed to be specific, since CDZ did not modify the peak of glucagon secretion induced by (-)isoproterenol (10(-8) M). Our results demonstrate an inhibitory effect of CDZ on adenosine-stimulated glucagon secretion.     

Pulmonary embolism after hip or knee replacement: postoperative changes on pulmonary scintigrams in asymptomatic patients

Serial pulmonary imaging has proved to be effective in the evaluation of patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. A clinical dilemma arises in asymptomatic patients whose postoperative pulmonary images differ from the preoperative images. The authors prospectively evaluated 403 patients with serial imaging to determine the significance of changed postoperative images in asymptomatic patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty. Twenty-two (5.5%) patients had significant changes on postoperative images. Seventeen were asymptomatic; all but one underwent pulmonary angiography. Documented pulmonary emboli were demonstrated in 100% of patients whose postoperative images changed to indicate a high probability of pulmonary embolism, 71% whose images changed to a moderate probability, and 0% whose images changed to indeterminate probability. Overall, pulmonary emboli occurred in 76% of all asymptomatic patients with significantly change postoperative images. Asymptomatic pulmonary embolism is a significant occurrence after total hip or knee repair, and a changed lung scan with appropriate clinical evaluation is an accurate indicator of pulmonary emboli in asymptomatic postarthroplasty patients.