bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adipocyte size in morbidly obese women and its relation to type 2 diabetes
Authors: Kamarad V , Chylikova J , Dvorackova J , Cizkova K , Lacey H.
Published: July 2019

Aim of the study: The aim was to perform a morphometric analysis of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue of morbidly obese women and to determine the relationship between adipocyte size and the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Materials and methods: White adipose tissue of morbidly obese women was obtained from subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue during bariatric surgery. The same tissues were obtained at judicial autopsy in non-obese (lean) non-diabetic patients. The harvested tissue was embedded in paraffin and 5 μm thick hematoxylin-eosin stained sections were analyzed by the Olympus cellSens system. Statistical evaluation was performed by GraphPad Prism 6.1 software.

Results: We found a relationship between adipocyte size and the presence of T2D. The most pronounced changes were seen in visceral adipocytes (cell diameter increased from 61.9 μm in controls to 79.5 μm in patients with T2D). Also, the size of the subcutaneous adipocytes increased against the control. A statistically significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic patients was not proven in subcutaneous adipocytes. We also observed differences in the distribution of adipocyte mean diameters. Whilst in the control group there was a normal (Gaussian) distribution, in the morbidly obese we found an asymmetric distribution with a positive skewness to the right.

Conclusion: We have demonstrated that in morbidly obese women a significant increase in visceral adipocyte size is associated with the development of both insulin resistance and T2D.
Sympathetic nervous system and cardiovascular risk in mitral valve prolapse
Authors: Bona Olexova L , Mestanik M , Jurko A , Sekaninova N , Slavikova M , Tonhajzerova I
Published: July 2019

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) represents a frequent cardiovascular condition associated with increased cardiovascular risk, which may have progressive course and become malignant. Dysregulation of autonomic nervous system - especially sympathetic overdrive – is one of the factors considered to play a key role in its aetiology and development. There is a growing evidence of a large impact of sympathetic system on the development of MVP. Exaggerated sympathetic activity may lead to morphologic changes in valves tissue such as thickening and redundancy. Nowadays, few investigative methods are known for evaluation of the regulatory state of sympathetic nervous system, which could be, theoretically, used to identify the subjects with sympathetic overactivity associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Electrodermal activity or blood pressure variability represent promising non-invasive methods for evaluation of the regulatory outputs of sympathetic nervous system. There is a possibility to extend a set of investigative methods in MVP and include the monitoring of sympathetic activity in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. This article summarizes knowledge about pathogenesis, diagnostic and therapeutical approaches of MVP, and brings some novel insights on the parameters of autonomic nervous regulation, which haven’t yet been used in cardiovascular risk assessment in MVP.
Cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy in term newborns: reference values and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Authors: Gumulak R , Nandraziova L , Tulejova L , Pazicka Z
Published: July 2019

Non-invasive measurement of cerebral tissue oxygenation (cStO2) using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is attracting an increasing attention not only in neonatology. The vast diversity of commercially available NIRS devices makes it difficult to compare in the published clinical studies. This review provides a view on the practical use of NIRS as a tool for cStO2 measurement, its limitations and pitfalls, with a focus on brain dysfunction caused by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. This syndrome of disturbed neurologic function in the earliest days after the birth in the term infants is manifested by difficulty with initiating and maintaining respiration, depression of tone and reflexes, subnormal level of consciousness, and often seizures. This fascinating technology has already proven accurate and has been recommended to use during daily routine tool to evaluate the level of oxygen saturation in brain in intensive care units worldwide.
Radio-guided miniinvasive surgery of solitary parathyroid adenoma as a cause of primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Janosova V , Hanzel P , Calkovsky V , Evin D , Slavik P , Hajtman A
Published: July 2019

The function of parathyroid gland is affected by a wide spectrum of diseases, among them primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common. In about 85% of the patients a solitary parathyroid adenoma is the cause of the hyperparathyroidism. Surgical removal of pathologically changed gland is a treatment of choice, usually performed by miniinvasive radio-guided parathyroidectomy.

In this article the authors review current knowledge, research state, and present some cases of this operation at the Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University and University Hospital Martin, Martin, Slovakia.
Cannabis and alcohol in road traffic: an overview
Authors: Marcinkova M , Straka L , Novomesky F.
Published: July 2019

Traffic medicine is an important part within the scope of concerns of forensic medicine. We are dealing with consequences of traffic accidents – fatal or survived – but this problem overlaps the borders of our specialization. Sustained injuries are the focus of various fields of medicine and in combination with alcohol and illicit drugs abuse this issue is growing. The following review has an ambition to bring more light into the problem concerning the effect of alcohol and cannabis (which is the most common illicit drug used worldwide) on driving abilities.
One Snake or Two? Exploring Medical Symbols Among Medical Students
Authors: Kehinde Kazeem Kanmodi , Oladimeji Adebayo , Miracle Ayomikun Adesina , Omotayo Francis Fagbule , Franklin Emerenini
Published: July 2019

Background: Symbols play a very crucial role in the culture of a society, and the medical society is not an exception to this. In the world of Orthodox medicine, the Rod of Asclepius is regarded as the true symbol of medicine. However, there exists to be an issue of interchange of the correct medical symbol (i.e. Rod of Asclepius) with another similar symbol (i.e. the Caduceus). This study aims to explore medical students’ knowledge and opinion on the appropriate symbol of medicine.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey of 84 medical students at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDU), North-West Nigeria. Study tool was a paper questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using the Epi info 7 Software.

Results: The mean (±SD) age of the participants was 23.7 (±3.4) years, 72.6% were males, and 73.8% were in their 4th year. Only 59.5% had interest in non-medical literature. Also, only 6.0% had doctors as their parents. The majority (88.1%) of the participants erroneously identified the Caduceus symbol as the most appropriate symbol of medicine. Furthermore, only 45.2% indicated that the Rod of Asclepius and the Caduceus symbols originated from ancient Greece. Virtually all (97.6%) the participants opined that the Caduceus symbol is the most popular symbol of Medicine. Finally, the majority (73.8%) of the participants recommended that a course on the History of Medicine should be added to the medical curriculum of their school.

Conclusion: This study found that the majority of the surveyed medical students did not know much about the historically correct medical symbol. This shows the need for awareness creation on the true symbol of medicine among medical students, and even the public-at-large.
Mechanical Damage to Corn Seeds
Authors: Shahbazi F. , Shahbazi R.
Published: July 2019

The objective of this research was to evaluate and model the mechanical damage to corn seeds under impact loading. The experiments were conducted at moisture contents of 7.60 to 25% (wet basis) and at the impact energies of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 J, using an impact damage assessment device.

The results showed that impact energy, moisture content, and the interaction effects of these two variables significantly influenced the percentage of physical damage in corn seeds (p<0.01). Increasing the impact of the energy from 0.1 to 0.3 J caused a significant increase in the mean values of damage from 23.73 to 83.49%. The mean values of physical damage decreased significantly by a factor of 1.92 (from 83.75 to 43.56%), with an increase in the moisture content from 7.6 to 20%.

However, by a higher increase in the moisture from 20 to 25%, the mean value of damage showed a non-significant increasing trend. There was an optimum moisture level of about 17 to 20%, at which seed damage was minimized. An empirical model composed of seed moisture content and energy impact was developed for accurately describing the percentage of physical damage to corn seeds. It was found that the model has provided satisfactory results over the whole set of values for the dependent variable.
Effect of Storage Containers and Lengths of Storage on the Germination, Moisture Content and Pest Infestation of Wheat Seed
Authors: Golam Azam M. , Sohidul Islam M. , Hasan K. , Kaum Choudhury M. , Jahangir Alam M. , Obaidullah Shaddam M. , El Sabagh A.
Published: July 2019

A laboratory experiment was conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dianjpur-5200, Bangladesh to evaluate the storage containers and duration of seed storage on the germinability and health of wheat seeds. The experiment was carried out in two factors, viz. three storage containers naming i) sealed tin container, ii) plastic container, iii) gunny bag, and four storage periods of i) 15 days, ii) 30 days, iii) 45 days, and iv) 60 days. Completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this experiment with eight replications. The results revealed that the germination percentages (GP) of the seeds stored in the gunny bag decreased quickly from 66.1 to 32.8% due to contained with high moisture content in seed. But, slowly decreasing trends of GP from 80.4% to 69.2% was observed in the sealed tin container seeds with lesser moisture content than that of gunny bag and plastic container. The reduction of GP was so higher of 50.38% in the seeds contained in gunny bag than that of only 13.93% in the seeds contained sealed tin container. Wheat seeds stored in sealed tin container, plastic container and gunny bag significantly increased moisture content in ambient condition for 60 DAS. The moisture content of the seeds stored in gunny bag was found to rise remarkably more than other containers. This escalation of seed moisture content was closely related to the surrounding environmental conditions, like temperature and relative humidity where seeds were stored. The rate seed deterioration in gunny bag and plastic container paralleled the level of invasion by storage insect was found. During storage period, insect infected the seeds, and the insect bitten seeds were also found higher in gunny bag and plastic container, but lower in sealed container. Wheat seeds should be stored in air tight sealed container and drying should be done after some days of storage (45-60 DAS).
Effects of GA3 and ABA on the Germination of Dormant Oat Seeds
Authors: Ge J. , Hu Y , Ren C , Guo L , Wang C , Sun W , Shahrajabian M.H.
Published: July 2019

Oat seed with dormancy characteristics, which can germinate after one season or one year, are used to build and maintain vegetation to protect soils from been damaged by desertification in Northern China. The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of endogenous and exogenous GA3 and ABA on oat seed (var. Baiyan 7) germination. The results showed that seeds without peel hull had lower endogenous ABA content and the ratio of ABA/GA3 than seeds with peel hull. The best GA3 treatment duration for milky ripe, wax ripe, full ripe seeds were 60 min or 120 min, 60 min and 30 min, respectively. Seed germination rate, germination potential and germination index increased before they declined with the increasing of GA3 concentrations. The best GA3 concentration treatment was 100 mg/l, while the turning point was 200 mg/l. The dormancy rate of low temperature storage seeds were higher than those of room temperature storage seeds at each storage time, and both decreased with the increase of the storage time. For the seeds which were new or stored for 1-2 months, the germination rates were enhanced significantly by exogenous GA3. For the seeds that had been stored for over three months, GA3 treatment had no effect on germination rate. Germination rate decreased with the increase of ABA concentrations. The most inhibitive effect, which leaded to a seed germination reduction by 37.7% and 4.0%, appeared, when the concentration of ABA was 500 mg/L and 1000 mg/l, respectively. GA3 could abate the effect which ABA inhibited seed germination.
Isolation and Identification of Trichoderma Species and Investigating their Seed Treatment Effect on Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Germination
Authors: Ghasemialitappeh M. , Sadravi M. , Mirabadi A.
Published: July 2019

Trichoderma fungus species are highly populations of fungi in world that they can colonize roots as plant symbiosis. Various types of Trichoderma are free-living fungi that are, generally, saprophytic on the remains of soil. In addition to its role in biological control, this fungus increases plant yield and growth. So far, many studies have been conducted to examine the ability of this agent to reduce biological tensions and biological control of plant pathogens. Thus, this study was conducted to isolate and identify species of Trichoderma fungus from rapeseed fields in Golestan and Qazvin province from Iran, and also to study isolated species on germination percentage and growth parameters of rapeseed seedlings in a randomized complete block design with three replications in vitro. Based on the results, three species of T. harzianum, T. virens, and T. atroviride were identified, which the isolate of T. harzianum Ta19 showed a significant effect on the control group and other treatments in increasing germination percentage, root length and stem; whereas, the seeds treated with the isolate T. atroviride Ta11 showed no significant difference with the control group in spite of the increase in seed germination rate in comparison with the control and other treatments. According to the results, the use of Trichoderma fungus as a seed treatment like other researches on different products is recommended for increasing the growth of rapeseed.
Salinity Tolerance of Black Gram Cultivars During Germination and Early Seedling Growth
Authors: Hasan M.K. , Islam M.S. , Islam M.R. , Ismaan H.N. , El Sabagh A.
Published: July 2019

A laboratory experiment regarding germination and seedling growth test was conducted with three black gram genotypes tested under three salinity levels (0, 75 and 150 mM), for 10 days, in sand culture within small plastic pot, to investigate the germination and seedling growth characteristics. Different germination traits of all black gram genotypes, like germination percentage (GP), germination rate (GR), coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG) greatly reduced, as well as mean germination time (MGT) increased with increasing salt stress. At high salt stress, BARI Mash-3 provided the highest GP reduction (28.58%), while the lowest was recorded (15.79% to control) in BARI Mash-1. Salinity have the negative impact on shoot and root lengths, fresh and dry weights. The highest (50.32% to control) and lowest reduction (36.39%) of shoot length were recorded in BARI Mash-2 and BARI Mash-1, respectively, under 150 mM NaCl saline conditions. There were significant reduction of root lengths, root fresh and dry weight, shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weight in all genotypes under saline condition. The genotypes were arranged as BARI Mash-1 > BARI Mash-3 > BARI Mash-2, with respect to salinity tolerance.
Onion (Allium cepa L.) Growth, Yield and Economic Return Under Different Combinations of Nitrogen Fertilizers and Agricultural Biostimulants
Authors: Hafez E. , Geries L.
Published: July 2019

Two field experiments have been conducted to study the effects of application of nitrogen fertilizer, bio-fertilizers and organic compounds on growth, yield and economic of onion production in 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 seasons. From the data it was found that combination of N fertilization of onion plants with 100 kg N fed.−1 (hectare = 2.38 feddan) and foliar with humic acid at the rate of 1 kg fed.−1 is the best in this study, for giving the highest bulb yield with the highest net returns of 12580 EGP (1USD = 17.80 EGP), with a benefit: cost ratio (B:C ratio) of 2.35. While, the highest cost of cultivation was obtained by 120 kg N fed.−1 and spraying onion plants with humic acid followed by compost tea. Also, from the economic view, the revenue of EGP is higher when used some biofertilizers and organic fertilizers if compared with chemical fertilization only.
Alternaria and Cercospora Leaf Spot Diseases of Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) – A Traditional Tribal Crop of South Gujarat, India, with Cost Benefit Ratio in Relation to Different Fungicides
Authors: Sandipan P.B. , Jagtap P.K. , Patel M.C.
Published: July 2019

Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) is an important minor oil seed crop grown in dry areas grown mostly by tribal and interior places as life line of tribal segment. Tribal people mainly use its oil for cooking purpose, above than that there were also other uses. Hence, the niger crop should be protected from the infection. The crop is affected by number of fungal diseases. Therefore, a field experiment was formulated for three years with the four replications at the Niger Research Station (NRS) at Navsari Agricultural University (NAU), Vanarasi, Navsari (Gujarat) on the foliar diseases of GN-1 variety of niger crop. In this experiment, six different fungicides along with one control have been evaluated to control the Alternaria and Cercospora leaf spot diseases, out of which all the fungicidal treatments were significantly superior over the control. Here, foliar spray on the incidence of diseases was compared with the control (without any treatment). All the fungicidal treatments were significantly superior over the control to reduce Alternaria and Cercospora leaf spot diseases of Niger crop. Treatment of Carbendazim + Mancozeb (0.2 %) with two sprays first from the initiation of the disease and second after the interval of 15 days recorded the lowest incidence of Alternaria (14.56) and Cercospora (14.94) leaf spot diseases of niger and recorded the highest seed yield 337 seed yield kg/ha along with the net return with cost benefit ratio graph.
Studies on Biology and Antibiosis Resistance in Mango (Mangiferae indica) Varieties Against Mango Mealy Bug, Drosicha mangiferae Green (Hemiptera: Margarodidae)
Authors: Karar H. , Bakhsh M.A. , Abbas G. , Hameed A.
Published: July 2019

Mango is known as king of fruits. Among mango pests, mango mealy bug, Drosicha mangiferae (MMB), is considered one of the most destructive pests of mango orchards and other plantations. Whenever it enters in any orchards it is difficult to eradicate it from those orchards. The experiment was conducted at Entomological Research Sub Station, Multan-Punjab, Pakistan, during 2009 and 2010, to evaluate fitness of mango mealy bug on different varieties of mango and biology on ‘Chaunsa’ variety. Mango mealy bug, Drosicha mangiferae Green (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Margarodidae), is matter of concern, as it is widespread pest of woody plants even in urban areas. A study was conducted on cultivar resistance and fecundity of mango mealy bug. The ‘Chaunsa’ cultivar of mango proved highly susceptible to mango mealy bug with maximum number of eggs laid, i.e. 335.90, and maximum weight, i.e. 0.239 g of the female, was recorded on the cultivar ‘Chaunsa’. The maximum length, i.e. 1.63 cm, and width, i.e. 0.80 cm of female, was observed on ‘Chaunsa’, which showed a susceptible response and did not differ significantly with the width of female on ‘Black Chaunsa’. Regarding biology, the 1st instar male and female duration on an average is 56.3 days, whereas the 2nd instar has 26 days. In case of the 3rd instar, female has duration 19.5 days and male has three days. Male has pupal stage, while it is absent in female. On an average two study years, the ranking of susceptibility of mango cultivars was as under: ‘Chaunsa’ > ‘Black Chaunsa’ > ‘Malda’ > ‘Fajri’ > ‘Retaul-12’ > ‘Langra’ > ‘Sensation’ > ‘Sindhri’ > ‘Dusehri’ > ‘Sufaid Chaunsa’ > ‘Anwar Reutul’ and > ‘Tukhmi’.
Variability Influence of the Volatile Compounds of Three Algerian Date Cultivars (Phoenix dactylifera L.) on Infestation Rates of the Date Moth [(Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zell. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)]
Authors: Arif Y. , Lombarkia N.
Published: July 2019

The date moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae) is a serious pest for the dates production in Algerian oasis. Its dangerousness resides in its wide geographic distribution on various bioclimatics stages and his polyphagia on various hosts. In this context, to find out the impact of the dates volatile compounds on the date moth oviposition behavior. To do this, we conducted the following study, which is divided into two parts, one in the field and the other in the laboratory. This study investigated the effect of the biochemical profiles of three Algerian date cultivars (Deglet-Nour, Ghars and Degla-Beidha) on the infestation rates of the date moth. The monitoring infection rates in the field produced the following results: during the campaigns from 2011/2012 to 2014/2015 at the INRAA Sidi Mahdi-Touggourt station (Algeria), revealed that the cultivar Deglet-Nour is the most affected with a rate of 18.84%, followed by Ghars with 10.28% then Degla-Beidha with 6.66%. As for the extracts analysis of the three date cultivars with hexane were identified and quantifie via coupling gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The analysis of the volatile compounds of the cultivars studied allowed to identify 110 compounds distributed in eight chemical classes (hydrocarbons (saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, unsaturated monocyclic hydrocarbons, saturated monocyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, terpene hydrocarbons), alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, amides, phenols and carboxylic acids), whose compounds are distributed as follows: 72 compounds for the Deglet-Nour, 38 compounds for the cultivar Ghars and 29 compounds for Degla-Beidha.
The Important Record of Monolexis fuscicornis Forster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) in Turkey with Notes on Trogoxylon impressum (Comoli, 1837)
Authors: Özgen İ. , Beyarslan A. , Ruizzer E. , Topdemir A.
Published: July 2019

In the present paper, Monolexis fuscicornis Förster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) is recorded in Turkey for the second time and it is documented as parasitoid of Trogoxylon impressum (Comolli, 1837) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), firstly pest T. impressum (Comolli, 1837) record on fig plants. This damage to the fig plant and nutritional behavior with exit holes was observed for the first time with this work. In additionally, this record was firstly reported in the Southeast Anatolia region of the pest. Harmful has the potential to cause significant damage to fig plants over the years. It is necessary to studies whether the natural enemy detected on the pest is under the pressure of this pest. In this study, M. fuscicornis Förster,1862 is recognised as larva-pupa parasitoid of T. impressum, important pest in fig tree plantations in Turkey. This interaction could have significant implication in biodiversity conservation and pest management. Hence, this new parasitoid-host interaction on fig plants has highly significance in pest management and biocontrol, because it is thought that the damage will increase in the future.
Results on search for the broad fish tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus (Linnaeus, 1758), (syn. Diphyllobothrium latum) (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidea), in the Danube River
Authors: Radačovská A. , Bazsalovicsová E. , Králová-Hromadová I.
Published: July 2019

Diphyllobothriosis is a fish-borne parasitic zoonosis caused by so-called “broad tapeworms” or “fish tapeworms” of different genera of the order Diphyllobothriidea. Dibothriocephalus l atus (Linnaeus 1758), (syn. Diphyllobothrium latum), is a medically important type species of the genus, whose occurrence in various European regions is either regular, e.g. in the Alpine lakes region, or occasional and sporadic, e. g. in the Danube River region. For the latter, data on the detection of D. latus plerocercoids in the second intermediate fish host (European perch Perca fluviatilis), as well as in definitive hosts (human and dog), in which infection was directly linked to the consumption of infected fish from the Danube, were published more than 50 years ago. In order to assess the current situation, we aimed to find out whether D. latus is present in the natural environment of the Danube River. In total, 700 perch from five sampling sites in the Slovak part of the Danube River were examined. Plerocercoids were not detected in any fish examined, which leads to the conclusion that D. latus is currently not present in the studied aquatic environment.
A new root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne moensi n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), parasitizing Robusta coffee from Western Highlands, Vietnam
Authors: Le T. M. L. , Nguyen T. D. , Nguyen H. T. , Liebanas G. , Nguyen T. A. D. , Trinh Q. P.
Published: July 2019

A new root-knot nematode, parasitizing Robusta coffee in Dak Lak Province, Western Highlands of Vietnam, is described as Meloidogyne moensi n. sp. Morphological and molecular analyses demonstrated that this species differs clearly from other previously described root-knot nematodes. Morphologically, the new species is characterized by a swollen body of females with a small posterior protuberance that elongated from ovoid to saccate; perineal patterns with smooth striae, continuous and low dorsal arch; lateral lines marked as a faint space or linear depression at junction of the dorsal and ventral striate; distinct phasmids; perivulval region free of striae; visible and wide tail terminus surrounding by concentric circles of striae; medial lips of females in dumbbell-shaped and slightly raised above lateral lips; female stylet is normally straight with posteriorly sloping stylet knobs; lip region of second stage juvenile (J2) is not annulated; medial lips and labial disc of J2 formed dumbbell shape; lateral lips are large and triangular; tail of J2 is conoid with rounded unstriated tail tip; distinct phasmids and hyaline; dilated rectum. Meloidogyne moensi n. sp. is most similar to M. africana, M. ottersoni by prominent posterior protuberance. Results of molecular analysis of rDNA sequences including the D2–D3 expansion regions of 28S rDNA, COI, and partial COII/16S rRNA of mitochondrial DNA support for the new species status.
The first description of Setaria tundra (Issaitshikoff & Rajewskaya, 1928) in roe deer from Croatia
Authors: Čurlík J. , Konjević D. , Bujanić M. , Sabol Ž. , Martinković F. , Sindičić M.
Published: July 2019

Genus Setaria, Viborg 1795, comprises 46 species that parasitize in the peritoneal cavity of Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla and Hyracoidea. The majority of these infections pass unnoticed, but occasionally they can induce severe peritonitis or neurological signs in aberrant hosts and, rarely, even in humans. In this paper we describe for the first time the finding of Setaria tundra in roe deer in Croatia. We examined 45 roe deer and determined the presence of Setaria nematodes in 24.4% of samples, which were subsequently diagnosed as Setaria tundra using molecular methods.
Human dirofilariasis in Bulgaria between 2009 and 2018
Authors: Velev V. , Vutova K. , Pelov T. , Tsachev I.
Published: July 2019

Autochthonous Dirofilaria repens infections have been found in dogs and other carnivores in most European countries. In the same countries, reports of human dirofilariasis are becoming increasingly prevalent. We present 18 cases of people infected with D. repens for a 10-year period traced in our hospital. The data was collected from the observations and tests of all 18 patients from the whole country treated at the Specialized Hospital for Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Sofia in the period 2009 – 2018. We used a morphological method, serology test and Knott’s method for microfilariae. The patients were 11 to 74 years of age, 12 female and 6 male. In most cases, patients have subcutaneous nodules or face, eyelid and eyes localization. The trend of increasing incidence in Bulgaria continues, with age and sex distribution and localization of the larva being similar to those in other European countries.
The impact of acids approved for use in foods on the vitality of Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus (Nematoda) larvae
Authors: Boyko O. O. , Brygadyrenko V. V.
Published: July 2019

The laboratory experiment described in this article evaluated the death rate of larvae of Haemonchus contortus (Rudolphi, 1803) nematodes of the Strongylida order and Strongyloides papillosus (Wedl, 1856) of the Rhabditida order under the impact of different concentrations of 8 flavouring acids and source materials approved for use in and on foods and in medicine (formic, wine, benzoic, salicylic, stearic, kojic, aminoacetic, succinic acids). Minimum LD50 for third stage larvae of (L3) S. papillosus was observed with salicylic and wine acids, for L3
H. contortus larvae – with formic acid. Minimum impact on all studied stages of development of nematodes was caused by stearic, kojic, aminoacetic and succinic acids: larvae did not die in the course of one day even at 1 % concentration of these substances. The best parameters of LD50 were observed for benzoic and formic acid. Further experiments on flavouring acids and source materials approved for use in and on foods and in medicines, and also their compounds, will contribute to developing preparations with a stronger impact on nematode larvae – parasites of the digestive tract of vertebrate animals and humans.
First report of segmented filamentous bacteria associated with Rhigonema sp. (Nematoda: Rhigonematidae) dwelling in hindgut of Riukiaria sp. (Diplopoda: Xystodesmidae)
Authors: Kitagami Y. , Kanzaki N. , Matsuda Y.
Published: July 2019

We morphologically and molecularly characterized segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) associated with Rhigonema sp. nematodes in millipede hindguts. Seventy-three Riukiaria sp. millipedes were collected from a broad-leaf forest in Japan, and nematodes were excised from the millipede’s hindguts. The occurrence rate of SFB associated with nematodes was 24 % (10/41) for males, 47 % (14/30) for females, and 100 % (2/2) for juveniles. Genomic DNA was extracted from four SFB-rich nematode heads, and we obtained 40 bacterial clones via analysis of nearly full-length 16S rDNA gene sequences. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia accounted for 55 %, 40 %, and 5 % of SFB, respectively. In Firmicutes, Clostridiaceae (28 %) and Lachnospiraceae (15 %) were the dominant groups. Our sequences were divided into seven and three subclades between Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the phylogenetic tree. In the Firmicutes clade, eight sequences were classified as Lachnospiraceae with a bootstrap value >83 %. A phylogenetic tree involving known uncultured Lachnospiraceae sequences characterized the phylogenetic position of SFB associated with nematodes. Our results suggest that the association of SFB with nematode bodies was probably incidental and that SFB are not always present in millipede hindguts. Our bacterial groups corresponded to those of arthropod hindgut, and SFB associated with nematodes were inferred to belong to Lachnospiraceae. Because the Lachnospiraceae sequences obtained in this study showed specific lineages that differed from all the known deposited sequence data, these groups may be unique to Riukiaria sp.
First record of Stephanostomum sp. Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) metacercariae parasitising the pleasure oyster Crassostrea corteziensis (Hertlein) from the Mexican Pacific coast
Authors: Grano-Maldonado M. I. , Rubalcava-Ramirez F. , Rodriguez-Santiago A. , Garcia-Vargas F. , Medina-Jasso A. , Nieves-Soto M.
Published: July 2019

The aim of this investigation was to identify the parasites present in the largely understudied pleasure oyster Crassostrea corteziensis in Sinaloa state in the northwestern Mexican Pacific coast. Inspection of twenty-eight oysters collected on “Ceuta” lagoon revealed the presence of the digenean Stephanostomum sp. (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) cysts. Metacercariae were found encapsulated and embedded in the digestive gland and mantle tissue of oysters. The prevalence of infection revealed that 84.6 % were infected, the abundance was 13.62, with a mean intensity of 16.09 per host. The members of this genus are characterized by a double crown of spines in the cephalic region surrounding the buccal opening of the worm. Significantly, we report the first incidence of the digenean Stephanostomum sp of the family Acanthocolpidae parasitizing Crassostrea corteziensis. Further we report that this bivalve is now considered a new intermediate host, and the northwestern Mexican Pacific coast is a new geographical distribution area for this digenean. The findings contribute to our understanding of the biology, biodiversity and host preference of these parasites, with implications for health risks posed by human consumption of the pleasure oyster.
Quantifying spirorchiid eggs in splenic histological samples from green turtles
Authors: D’Azeredo F. , Meira-Filho M. , Work T. M.
Published: July 2019

The present study proposes a new methodology for the quantification of parasite eggs in animal tissue. Quantification of parasites are important to understand epidemiology of spirorchiid infections in sea turtles, however different methodologies for quantifying Spirorchiidae eggs in turtle tissues have been used. The most representative way to quantify Spirorchiidae burdens in tissues is counting eggs / g of tissue, however, this method is very laborious. As an alternative, we propose quantifying number of Spirorchiidae eggs/area of tissue on a microscope slide. We compared this method to number of eggs / slide, a common metric of egg burden in turtle tissues. Both methods correlated well with eggs / g with eggs/mm2 of tissue having better correlation.
Differential sensitivity of myeloid and lymphoid cell populations to apoptosis in peritoneal cavity of mice with model larval Mesocestoides vogae infection
Authors: Mačák Kubašková T. , Mudroňová D. , Gergeľ-Čechová M. , Hrčková G.
Published: July 2019

The metacestode stage of the tapeworm Mesocestoides vogae (M. vogae) has the ability of asexual growth in the peritoneal cavity of rodents and other intermediate hosts without restriction. Early immunological events have decisive role in the establishment of infection. In the present study we investigated the kinetic of myeloid and lymphoid cell populations and the proportions of cells undergoing apoptosis in peritoneal cavities of mice within the first month after oral infection with M. vogae larvae. Proportions of cell phenotypes and apoptotic cells were examined by flow cytometry and by microscopical analysis of cells following May/Grünwald staining and fluorescent stain Hoechst 33234, respectively. Total numbers of peritoneal cells increased and their distribution changed towards accumulation of myelo-monocytic cell lineage in the account of reduced proportions of lymphoid cells. CD4+ T cell subpopulations were more abundant than CD8+ and their proportions elevated within two weeks post infection (p.i.) which was followed by a significant decline. Expression level of CD11c marker on myelo-monocytic cells revealed phenotype heterogeneity and proportions of cells with low and medium expression elevated from day 14 p.i. along with concurrent very low presence of CD11chigh phenotype. Lymphoid cell population was highly resistant to apoptosis but elevated proportions of myeloid cells were in early/late stage of apoptosis. Apoptosis was detected in a higher number of adherent cells from day 14 p.i. onwards as evidenced by nuclear fluorescent staining. By contrast, cells adherent to larvae, mostly macrophages and eosinophils, did not have fragmented nuclei. Our data demonstrated that apoptosis did not account for diminished population of peritoneal lymphoid cells and substantial proportions of myeloid cells seem to be more susceptible to apoptotic turnover in peritoneal cavity of mice with ongoing M. vogae infection, suggesting their important role in the host-parasite interactions.
Helminths of the Eurasian marsh frog, Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) (Anura: Ranidae), from the Shiraz region, southwestern Iran
Authors: León-Règagnon V.
Published: July 2019

Fourty seven specimens of Pelophylax ridibundus were collected in the vicinity of Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran in 1972. Fourteen helminth species were found, eight digeneans (Diplodiscus subclavatus, Halipegus alhaussaini, Haematoloechus similis, Codonocephalus urniger, and four species of metacercariae) and 6 nematodes (Cosmocerca ornata, Rhabdias bufonis, Abbreviata sp., Eustrongylides sp., Onchocercidae gen. sp. and one species of larval nematodes). Of these, only six are adults, while 8 are in their larval stage. The most prevalent helminths were the metacercariae of Codonocephalus urniger (61.7%) and the larvae Abbreviata sp. (55.32%). The adults with the highest prevalence are the digenean Halipegus alhaussaini, and the nematode Cosmocerca ornata (34% in both cases).
Determination of Echinococcus granulosus genotypes in livestock slaughtered in Shush County, Southwest Iran using PCR-RFLP
Authors: Fallahizadeh S. , Arjmand R. , Jelowdar A. , Rafiei A. , Kazemi F.
Published: July 2019

Echinococosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus spp. that occurs in most parts of the world. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the genotypes of isolated hydatid cysts from slaughtered animals in Shush county, southwestern Iran. Totally, 96 hydatid cysts were collected, including 11 buffaloes, 13 cattle, 12 goat and 60 sheep. The PCR was done by a primer pair (BDI and 4s) to amplify ITS1 fragment. Four restriction endonucleases including AluI, HpaII, RsaI, and TaqI were used for RFLP products and enzymatic reactions were electrophoresed. Finally, twenty PCR products were sent for sequencing and phylogenetic tree was drawn with MEGA6. Molecular identification of 96 hydatid cysts demonstrated a distinctive 1000 bp fragment in all samples from four animal hosts. RFLP analysis showed similar digestion patterns in all samples. AluI digestion yielded 800 bp and 200 bp fragments, HpaII digestion made 700 bp and 300 bp fragments and RsaI digestion entailed 655 and 345segments. Moreover, TaqI rendered no digestion pattern on rDNA-ITS1 region. Additionally, E. granulosus sensu stricto (G1-3 complex) was the prevailing genotype in all livestock samples, according to PCR-RFLP and sequencing analyses.
Describing Life: Towards the Conception of Howard Pattee
Authors: Zámečník Lukáš Hadwiger , Krbec Jaroslav
Published: July 2019

A description of living systems is still a topic of discussion among a number of disciplines. By an evaluation of the approaches, we get to an axis differentiating those that are indisputable in sense of dealing with verifiable and measurable phenomena. We thus also get to approaches that integrate particular extensions when dealing with the possibilities to describe living systems and processes. It is a task for biosemiotics to find connections of these approaches and thus ways to enrich each other or simply describe phenomena to the widest extent possible. One of the authors whose work is permeated by this idea is Howard Pattee. Inspired by his work, we discuss the options of description when talking about living systems and semiotic apparatuses. We do so by a formulation of two viewpoints that differ in questions of contextual dependency, interpretation and necessity of the existence of an autonomous agent as indispensable elements for the description of life phenomena.
Nesting success and productivity of the Common Barn-owl Tyto alba: results from a nest box installation and long-term breeding monitoring program in Southern Hungary
Authors: Bank László , Haraszthy László , Horváth Adrienn , Horváth Győző F.
Published: July 2019

In this study, the results of a long-term nest box installation program of the Common Barn-owl Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) in Southern Hungary were evaluated, which program was conducted during a 24-year period (1995–2018). The percentages of occupied nest boxes ranged from 9.72 to 73.44% in the first breeding periods while this varied between 0 and 41.46% in the case of repeated clutches in the same nest boxes with second broods. A total of 1,265 breeding attempts were recorded including 1,020 (80.63%) in the first and 245 (19.36%) in the second breeding periods, from which a total of 210 (16.6%) clutches did not produce any fledglings. The modal clutch size was 7 eggs in both first and second annual clutches. However, the value of productivity was higher in the case of larger clutch sizes and we found significant linear relationship between initial clutch size and fledgling production per nesting attempt in both breeding periods. Significant variation of reproductive parameters was observed among the years. The proportion of egg loss showed significant decline, while the change of hatching success and the variation of annual productivity showed significant slight positive linear trend during the 24 years. Our results suggested that despite the outlier values of reproduction characteristics in the extreme years with negative effect, a relatively stable Common Barn-owl population can be maintained by the placement of nest boxes in the investigated region.
Investigating the relationship between the prey composition of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) and the habitat structure of their hunting range in the Marcal Basin (Hungary), based on pellet analysis
Authors: Szép Dávid , Klein Ákos , Purger Jenő J.
Published: July 2019

Little was known about the small mammal fauna of the Marcal Basin to date, therefore we collected 1,144 Barn Owl pellets from 15 locations in 2017. After the analysis of the pellets, remnants of 3,063 prey items were identified, of which 97.5% were small mammals, belonging to 21 species, while the remaining 2.5% were birds, frogs and insects. Mammal prey items consisted of Cricetidae 41%, Muridae 31% and Soricidae 28%, and in some samples, we found the remnants of European Mole (Talpa europaea), Kuhl’s Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) and Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis). Small mammal species were classified into four functional groups based on their preferences for urban, open, forest or wetland habitats. We investigated whether their relative abundances match with the proportions of the four habitat types in the assumed Barn Owl hunting ranges (cca. 2 km radius circle) in five sample sites. The relative abundance of small mammal species preferring urban habitats showed concordance with the proportion of the appropriate habitat types in the hunting area in two samples, while such concordance was proved for species favouring open, forest and wetland habitats just in one out of five samples. Small mammal functional groups represented in the prey composition do not directly correspond to the proportion of their typical habitats. We conclude that the abundance of various prey types is not suitable for characterising the landscape within the Barn Owl’s hunting range.
Little Owl’s (Athene noctua) vertebrate food composition during breeding season with high frog dominance in grasslands
Authors: Hámori Dániel , Winkler Dániel , Cserkész Tamás
Published: July 2019

The aim of our study was to investigate the feeding of the Little Owl (Athene noctua) during the breeding period in three protected sites (Upper Kiskunság Puszta, Upper Kiskunság Lakes, Peszéradacs Meadows) in an extensively managed lowland plain area (Upper Kiskunság) of the Carpathian Basin. A further objective was to provide a detailed assessment of the vertebrate prey spectrum and dominance structure based on the analyses of pellets. Little Owl pellets were collected in September 2015 and 2016 from 20 artificial nest boxes in which successful breeding occurred in both years. Mean pellet number was calculated per individuals. Distribution of individual number and biomass of vertebrate prey taxa were also examined. The number of collected and dissected owl pellets was 2,094 in 2015 and 2,024 in 2016, respectively. The average rate of pellet regurgitation was 25.57 pellets/ind. in 2015, and 27.74 pellets/ind. in 2016. From the 40 samples (4,118 owl pellets) a total of 2,017 vertebrate preys were determined. Cumulative species richness was 21, including 12 mammalian, 1 amphibian, 4 reptile and 4 bird species. Mammals were dominant in the food (average 50.83%), and the consumption of amphibians was similar (48.06%). The consumption of birds and reptiles was not significant. Amphibians were represented by a single species, the Common Spadefoot (Pelobates fuscus) in remarkably high proportions among the prey items, followed by the Common Vole (Microtus arvalis) by approx. 37% proportion. The high proportion of the latter two species was also clearly reflected in the biomass amounts. Among the birds, the Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) proved to be the most commonly predated species apart from other species closely related to farmland habitats (Motacilla alba, M. flava, Passer montanus).
Spectrum of plant and animal diet of European Great Bustard (Otis tarda tarda) – an overview
Authors: Faragó Sándor
Published: July 2019

We have pointed out 272 plant and 217 animal, altogether 489 taxa in the diet of Great Bustard on the basis of data received from 9 (10) countries for Otis tarda tarda (Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, former Soviet Union). Out of 272 plant taxa, 40 were classified as cultivated plants, 232 wild plants and weeds. From the latter, 43 taxa were monocotyledons and 189 were dicotyledons. Animal food is shared among Annelida (n = 3), Arthropoda (189) Mollusca (2) and Vertebrata (23) phyla. Arthropods are mostly represented with Insecta (181), Arachnoidea (3), Chilopoda (2), Diplopoda (2) and Crustacea (mostly Isopoda) (1) classes. The component of the diet is possibly not related to selection but to the change of the abundance and availability of food and the ever present demand for animal food needed for the organism. Owing to the high number of taxa known as food, Great Bustard is definitely a generalist species. Due to the wide spectrum of animal taxa and because of the ability to subsidize the inefficient quality of food with quantity, Great Bustards can be regarded as a species with positive adaptation ability. It can be explained with a wide plant and animal food spectrum that Great Bustards even in intensive agricultural habitats can find food with indispensable quantity and quality.