Reproductive characteristics of a precocious vaccine line (Rt3+15) of Eimeria tenella in embryonating chicken eggs

Coccidiosis of chickens, caused by species of Eimeria (Protozoa, Apicomplexa), is an intestinal disease of major economic importance worldwide. In the present study, the reproductive characteristics of a precocious line (designated E. tenella Rt3+15) from Australia were investigated in chicken embryos and the implications of the findings briefly discussed.     

TGF-β and IL-17 serum levels and specific immunotherapy

Two new T cell subsets may be involved in allergic rhinitis (AR) pathogenesis: Th17 and T regulatory cells, mainly producing IL-17 and TGF-β respectively. Successful Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) induces relevant immunological changes, thus the aim of this study was to evaluate serum IL-17 and TGF-β levels in AR patients treated with SLIT for 2 years. Patients' blood samples were collected before initiating SLIT (baseline), three months after the end of the first pre-seasonal SLIT course, and at the end of the second pre-seasonal course. IL-17 was detectable only in the most severe allergic patients. SLIT significantly induced an increase in serum TGF-β levels. There was moreover a significant relationship between TGF-β and symptom severity and drug use at the end of the study. Therefore, this study provides clinically relevant evidence that two pre-seasonal SLIT courses may significantly affect serum TGF-β levels.     

Zytogenetische Veränderungen des Prostatakarzinoms

Zusammenfassung Entstehung und Progression von Tumoren werden durch Funktionsst?rungen von spezifischen Genen gesteuert. Obwohl das Prostatakarzinom zu den h?ufigsten Tumoren geh?rt, ist über die bei diesem Tumor involvierten Gene wenig bekannt. Zytogenetische und molekulare Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, da? chromosomale Deletionen besonders h?ufig das Y-Chromosom, 7q, 8p, 10q, 13q, 16q und 17p betreffen. Diese Loci dürften für das Prostatakarzinom relevante Tumorsuppressorgene enthalten. H?ufige DNS-Sequenzvermehrungen von Chromosom 7, 8q und 11q deuten auf die Lokalisation von m?glichen Onkogenen hin. Bereits heute bestehen Anhaltspunkte für eine Prognoserelevanz genetischer Ver?nderungen. Der Nachweis von Polysomien in Prim?rtumoren deuten auf eine ungünstige Prognose hin. Eine Amplifikation des Androgenrezeptors spricht für einen Hormontherapie-resistenten Tumor, welcher m?glicherweise besonders gut auf eine totale Androgenblockade ansprechen wird. Die Identifikation der alterierten Gene und die Entschlüsselung ihrer Funktion k?nnte in Zukunft zu deutlich verbesserten Behandlungsstretegien für Patienten mit Prostatakarzinom führten.      

Serving seniors better: service guidelines for supermarkets

Objective: Generate a list of service guidelines to enable supermarket managers to accommodate the needs of their older customers. Methods: Focus groups and a national telephone survey were conducted with Australian seniors to generate 10 service guidelines for supermarkets. Results: The 10 guidelines produced are considered to be of significant importance by Australian seniors, with some apparent differences in importance and relevance ratings between older and younger seniors, and males and females. Conclusions: Seniors have distinct service preferences when grocery shopping and their needs require special attention in the supermarket environment. In particular, they feel strongly about the quality of staff and equipment with which they come into contact.     

Interdisziplin?re Leitlinien zur Diagnostik und Therapie der extrazerebralen Amyloidosen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Quality control of banked milk in Brasilia, Brazil.

The authors studied quality control procedures at human milk banks and nutritional profiles of 909 milk samples (from 195 donors, aged 15 to 45 years) from banked human milk (BHM) in Brasília, Brazil. Number of donations per donor ranged from 1 to > 10 that consisted mostly of mature milk (90.9%) with a mean total energy of 529 +/- 85 kcal/L and a mean total lipid of 22.7 g/L +/- 13.2. Microbiological quality (titrable acidity-Dornic, degrees D) was suitable for infant feeding in 99.2% of samples (< 8 degrees D), ranging from 2 degrees D to 8 degrees D (mean 4.8 +/- 1.4 degrees D). Most BHM (98.1%) samples were dispensed to inpatient infants (1-7 days) diagnosed with respiratory distress (30.1%), prematurity (20.7%), metabolic distress (16.0%), jaundice (14.4%), bacterial infection (6.0%), pneumonia (3.3%), congenital cardiac distress (2.2%), or other conditions (6.2%). Well-motivated mothers and trained staff are serving and sustaining an important life-saving network with long-lasting impact on public health.     

Retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma mimicking acute appendicitis: laparoscopic management.

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal leiomyosarcomas (RLMS) are a challenging clinical entity. The vast majority of patients are operated on when tumors are advanced. We report herein a case of RLMS, mimicking acute appendiceal disease and treated successfully via laparoscopy. METHODS: A 37-year-old woman, para 1, was admitted to our department for right lower quadrant abdominal pain, fever, and leukocytosis. She had no changes in gastrointestinal and urologic function. A physical examination revealed the presence of abdominal guarding, rebound, and a tender mass in the right lower quadrant. The abdominal ultrasound showed an inhomogeneous ovoid mass (6 cm in diameter) located below the cecum, with no definite margins, and consistent with an appendiceal abscess. The patient was referred for laparoscopy. The procedure was performed with the aid of 3 ports: a 12-mm trocar in the umbilicus (open technique), a 10-mm trocar in the left iliac fossa, and a 5-mm one in the supra-pubic space. On inspection of the abdominal cavity, a retroperitoneal 6-cm mass was immediately found below the cecum and the appendix. Neither intraperitoneal seeding nor suspected lymph nodes were present. After dissection of the parietal peritoneum, the mass appeared to be encapsulated and well demarcated from all surrounding structures. It was eventually dissected and removed via a plastic bag. A standard appendectomy was also performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the 3rd day. The histology analysis of the resected specimen showed a totally excised G2 leiomyosarcoma. The appendix had no signs of inflammation. Postoperatively, the patient underwent a total-body CT-scan, which had no signs of residual or distant disease. No adjuvant therapy was necessary. At an 18-month follow-up, the patient was doing well and was disease free. CONCLUSION: Surgery represents the main therapeutic option for resectable RLMS. Laparoscopy is a useful diagnostic tool that allows safe resection of incidentally discovered, small and well encapsulated RLMS.     

Outcome in emotionally related living kidney donor transplantation

Background. The growing shortage of cadaver kidneys, the limited possibilities to expand the living related donor pool and the good results obtained in our centre with poorly matched cadaver kidneys, led us in 1991 to begin accepting highly motivated, unrelated, living kidney donors who had a strong emotional bond with the recipients. Methods. Between 1 January 1991 and 1 January 1996, 46 potential living kidney donors and their emotionally related recipients were evaluated. Twenty-three cases were accepted for renal transplantation after thorough somatic and psychological evaluation. The mean post-transplant follow-up until 1 April 1996 was of 28±3 months. Compatible blood groups and a negative cross-match were mandatory, but no minimal HLA matching was required. Results. There was a 50% drop-out rate following the initial screening. The main reasons for not performing transplantation were immunological contraindications in 39% of the cases, somatic in 30.5%, psychological in 26% and socioeconomic in 4.5%. In the accepted group of recipients, 48% (11/23) received transplants without chronic dialysis. Donor survival was 91%; two deaths unrelated to nephrectomy occurred 1 year after donation. The 2-year actuarial recipient and graft survivals were 100% and 91% respectively, compared to 99% (recipients) and 93% (grafts) in the non-HLA-identical living related kidney transplant group, and to 93% (recipients) and 83% (grafts) in the cadaver kidney transplant group. Recipient rehabilitation was completed after 4±1 months. Emotionally related donors returned to work 5±2 weeks after nephrectomy, and no donor regretted his decision, even in the case of failure. Conclusions. Kidney transplantation from emotionally related living donors represents a valuable option, allowing more patients with end-stage renal disease to avoid chronic dialysis. Recipient and graft outcome were superior to cadaver kidney transplantation. Motivated and emotionally related donors should be allowed to donate one of their kidneys provided that they are carefully selected and thoroughly informed.