The Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Children,Taiz District,Yemen

Background

This is the first work done on cryptosporidiosis among the children in Taiz, Yemen.

Methods

A number of 712 samples were collected from children of different ages (ranging from 1 month to 12 years) from Dec 2006 to Aug 2007. The collected samples were examined by Sheather''s sugar floatation and Modified Ziehl- Neelsen stain as well as ELISA methods. The test results were statistically analyzed by SPSS software.

Results

The overall positive percentage was 43.7%. The higher incidence (36.2%) was occurred in males while the lowest incidence (32.7%) was observed in females (r=0.876; P=0.001). The correlation between infected cases and the type of drinking water was r =0.121. Among the cases examined by ELISA (92 cases), 26.1% were infected. The correlation between seropositivity and gender was r=0.652 (P=0.031).

Conclusion

Cryptosporidium spp. is a significant pathogen among children at Taiz. Fresh water supplies, education, eating habits and domestic animals are considered the main sources for transmission of cryptosporidiosis.     

超低出生体重儿红细胞输注的临床分析

探讨超低出生体重(ELBW)儿减少红细胞输注的可能性。方法对1989～1997年9年间256 例超低出生体重儿的红细胞输注进行临床分析。在此期间红细胞输注指征进行了3次制订,对检验样本的采 血量进行了严格的控制,部分病例应用了重组人促红细胞生成素治疗。结果1994年以后有1/4的ELBW儿 不需要输注红细胞,1989～1997年平均输血次数由7次降至2.7次(P＜0.01)。按出生体重累计红细胞输注 量由163.5mL/kg降至69.2mL/kg(P＜0.01),接受供血者人数由6.3人降至1.5人(P＜0.01)。红细胞输注 前的平均红细胞压积比,机械通气者由0.43降至0.34、自主呼吸者由0.41降至0.31。ELBW儿更加不成熟,平 均胎龄由27.4周减至26.0周,平均出生体重由833g降至741g。存活率仍达78％,住院时间没有延长,严重并 发症如视网膜病、动脉导管未闭、脑室出血的发生率没有增加。结论制订严格的红细胞输注指征有助于减少 输血次数和接受供血者人数,且患儿临床耐受良好。     

Effects of perinatal exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on spatial and visual reversal learning in rats

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant that has been shown to alter spatial and visual learning following developmental exposure. The current study examined the effects of gestational and lactational exposure to TCDD on spatial and visual discrimination/reversal learning (spatial and visual RL) in rats using two-lever operant testing chambers. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (10 per dose) received either 0 or 0.1 microg/kg TCDD per orem in corn oil from gestational day (GD) 10 to GD 16. One male and one female from each litter were tested beginning at 100 days of age. For spatial RL, animals were reinforced for pressing the lever associated with the correct spatial location (either left or right). For visual RL, the animals were reinforced for pressing the lever associated with the correct visual stimulus (either the illuminated or nonilluminated cuelight). After reaching 85% correct for two consecutive days, the opposite spatial location or visual cue was reinforced. Five reversals were conducted for spatial RL, and two reversals for visual RL. For spatial RL, there were no differences between the TCDD-exposed and control rats in total number of errors committed. However, an in-depth analysis of errors in four different phases of the learning process revealed that TCDD-exposed rats made more errors early in learning when they were just beginning to learn the new reinforcement contingencies. The importance of this increase in errors during the initial stage of learning is unclear, given that there was no increase in overall errors to criterion. For visual RL, there was a reduction in errors on original learning (OL) for TCDD-exposed males, while TCDD-exposed females exhibited a reduction in errors on the second reversal. Subsequent response pattern analyses revealed that the facilitation in performance was due to a more rapid transition through the early phase of learning. Why males were improved on OL and females were not until the second reversal is unknown, but the different patterns could reflect differences in learning style in male and female rats. In keeping with previous research, the results of the current study underscore the fact that (1) alterations in cognitive function observed following early TCDD exposure are very subtle and (2) under some conditions, learning is actually facilitated, rather than impaired, in TCDD-exposed animals.     

脑康泰胶囊对阿尔茨海默氏病大鼠学习记忆作用的影响

目的：观察脑康泰胶囊对阿尔茨海默氏病模型大鼠学习记忆作用的影响。方法：采用脑立体定向颅内注射啉酸所致阿尔第默氏病（Alzheimers disease.AD)大鼠模型的方法。结果：脑康泰胶囊可显著增加强AD大鼠被动学习和主动学习的能力。调节脑组织中单胺类递质含量及血清中相关激素水平,并显著改善AD模型大鼠的脑电图。结论：脑康泰胶囊显著改善AD大鼠学习记忆能力的作用,其机制与其调节中枢递质及激素水平等相关。     

L1 knockout mice show dilated ventricles, vermis hypoplasia and impaired exploration patterns

L1 is a neural cell adhesion molecule mainly involved in axon guidance and neuronal migration during brain development. Mutations in the human L1 gene give rise to a complex clinical picture, with mental retardation, neurologic abnormalities and a variable degree of hydrocephalus. Recently, a transgenic mouse model with a targeted null mutation in the L1 gene was generated. These knockout (KO) mice show hypoplasia of the corticospinal tract. Here we have performed further studies of these KO mice including magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, neuropathological analysis and behavioral testing. The ventricular system was shown to be abnormal with dilatation of the lateral ventricles and the 4th ventricle, and an altered shape of the Sylvius aqueduct. Additionally, the cerebellar vermis of the KO mice is hypoplastic. Their exploratory behavior is characterized by stereotype peripheral circling reminiscent of that of rodents with induced cerebellar lesions.      

Surgical sperm retrieval and intracytoplasmic sperm injection as treatment of obstructive azoospermia

Male genital tract obstructions may result from infections, previous inguinal and scrotal surgery (vasectomy) and congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). Microsurgery can sometimes be successful in treating the obstruction. In other cases and in cases of failed surgical intervention, the patient can be treated by microsurgical or percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA, PESA) or testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). We present the results of 39 ICSI procedures for obstructive azoospermia in 24 couples. The aetiology of the obstruction was failed microsurgery in 11 patients, CBAVD in nine and genital infections in four. Sperm retrieval was accomplished via MESA in four cases, PESA in 18 cases and via TESE in 11 cases. TESE was only applied when PESA failed to produce enough spermatozoa for simultaneous ICSI. In six patients, the ICSI procedure was performed with cryopreserved spermatozoa after an initial PESA procedure. Fertilization occurred in 47% of the metaphase II oocytes; embryo transfer was performed in 92% of procedures and resulted in a clinical pregnancy in 13/39 procedures. Ongoing pregnancy was achieved in 10/39 procedures. One pregnancy was terminated early after prenatal investigation showed a cytogenetic abnormality (47,XX+18, Edwards syndrome). The other nine pregnancies resulted in the live birth of 10 children, without any congenital abnormalities. Epididymal and testicular retrieved spermatozoa were successfully used for ICSI to treat obstructive azoospermia, and resulted in an ongoing pregnancy in 10 of 24 couples (41.6%) after 39 ICSI procedures, a success rate of 25.6% per treatment cycle and of 27.7% per embryo transfer.      

MR imaging of the scrotum: normal anatomy

High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with a surface coil was utilized to evaluate the normal scrotum. Scrotal contents, spermatic canal, and inguinal regions were visualized within the same field of view. Differences in signal intensity in the testis, epididymis, tunica albuginea, fluid, fat, and spermatic cord allowed for clear delineation of these structures in detail. The high contrast and spatial resolution of MR imaging, coupled with the wide field of view and absence of ionizing radiation, make MR imaging well suited for evaluation of the scrotum.