Toxoplasma gondii. The disease is distributed worldwide and can affect all warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans. The present review aimed to collect, compile and summarize the data on the prevalence of T. gondii infection in humans and animals in the five North African countries . Published data from national and international databases were used. Distribution patterns and risk factors for T. gondii infection are discussed, focusing on biotic and abiotic factors. This review is a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of T. gondii infection in North Africa and will therefore be a useful tool for researchers. It can also be used to propose or enhance appropriate national toxoplasmosis control programs.Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan,  Toxoplasma gondii was discovered in North Africa, more precisely in the Pasteur Institute of Tunis. In fact, during experiments on leishmaniosis, Nicolle and Manceaux observed an arc-shaped protozoan in tissues of a North African rodent, the gundis (Ctenodactylus gundi) [Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) based on its morphology  and its host.s gundi) . It was T. gondii is the agent of toxoplasmosis. It infects all warm-blooded animals including birds and mammals [The protozoan  mammals . Toxopla mammals . The his mammals , 98, 126Toxoplasma infection in North African countries is not well understood since few studies are available for the whole region.North Africa, a south Mediterranean region, lies between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. It represents a specific agro-ecological and socio-economic context, leading to specific epidemiological patterns for several human and animal diseases. The past and current status of Toxoplasma infection in five North African countries , where several studies have been published in the grey literature but are not available to international readers.This review aimed to collect, update and analyse the epidemiological data on North Africa includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt . All couBased on the latest United Nations estimates, the current population of North Africa is 192,517,616 as of November 2017  Table 1Table 1. In North African cuisine, the most common staple foods are fish, seafood, goat meat, lamb, beef, dates, almonds, olives, various vegetables, and fruits. Because the region is predominantly Muslim, pork is not consumed, and animals are totally bled when slaughtered. Meat is predominantly consumed cooked in sauce, but undercooked grilled lamb is consumed during the Muslims’ sacrifice feast, and very often in restaurants at the side of the road .Livestock  play an important role in food security, nutrition, and the economies of North African countries by supporting rural livelihoods and employment, and ensuring access to animal source foods (ASF) . In the Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate apicomplexan intracellular protozoan; it has a cosmopolitan distribution [T. gondii involves (i) felines, essentially domestic cats, as definitive hosts in which sexual reproduction occurs, and (ii) intermediate hosts, where asexual reproduction occurs; the latter consist of all warm-blooded animals, including birds and mammals, with T. gondii being most common in sheep [T. gondii consist of three forms: (i) tachyzoites present during the early infection period, (ii) bradyzoites present in the intermediate hosts as tissue cysts, and (iii) sporulated oocysts containing sporozoites, shed as non-sporulated oocysts by the final hosts with feces [T. gondii  ingestion of oocysts of y felids , 102,  study was performed in humans and animals from five North African countries; (ii) both serologic and molecular techniques were considered; (iii) only natural infection by T. gondii was taken into consideration; (iv) studies carried out with vaccine assays were not taken into consideration; (v) in each country, information regarding prevalences of infection by T. gondii were organized by species, starting with humans then animals; and (vi) only articles written in English and French were considered.A literature review on the seroprevalence and the molecular prevalence of T. gondii infection in humans was studied for the first time in 1969 by Le Viguelloux and Epardeau [T. gondii antibodies in 1,026 human sera from Rabat city [T. gondii antibodies detection among pregnant women in Fes city [Toxoplasma infection increases with age [T. gondii (rapid and complete sporulation). Regular contact with the land  was retained as a major risk for T. gondii infection in Rabat city [p < 0.01), while the consumption of raw meat, contact with cats, and level of hygiene were not significant. Toxoplasmosis was also studied in HIV-infected patients in the city of Marrakech and its surroundings [T. gondii in 95 HIV-infected adults of different ages. Seroprevalence was estimated to be 62.1%.All investigations carried out in Morocco in both humans and animals were based on serological tests using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence of Epardeau . A high Fes city . Among twith age , 83–85. with age . The autbat city , 85. In T. gondii infection in livestock species; only sheep and goats were concerned  [T. gondii occurring in Morocco using 15 microsatellite markers, and referred to a human strain of type III genotype [Few studies have targeted oncerned . The serng ELISA . Using te (8.5%) . One stugenotype .Figure 1T. gondii in Algeria was published in 1955 by Balozet [T. gondii antibodies in 10% and more than 30% in humans and dogs, respectively. Schneider et al. [T. gondii infection [The first paper studying  Balozet . It was r et al.  found hir et al.  found thr et al.  found lor et al. . The resnfection . Genotypnfection .T. gondii in animals in Algeria (T. gondii in sheep were low (8.28%) in Eastern and South Algeria, and in Djelfa locality (11.6%) using ELISA and immunofluorescent antibody tests (IFAT), respectively [T. gondii infection, namely season, origin of animals, and absence of abortion history. Concerning the season, summer, spring and autumn were characterized as more suitable periods for oocyst survival. The authors also suggested that the high relative humidity that typifies Northern Algeria  enhances oocyst viability since infection rates were higher than in the south. The presence of T. gondii antibodies in goats has only been investigated using IFA testing in a study carried out by Dechicha et al. [T. gondii in cattle was lower than that reported for sheep and goats. This emphasises the lower susceptibility of cattle to T. gondii compared to small ruminants. Other studies were conducted in cats, horses and donkeys. The seroprevalence in cats was comparable to that in humans, and the two species shared the same genotype, i.e. genotype II [Only serological studies have been performed to detect  Algeria . Seropreectively , 37. Throtype II , 129.FigT. gondii as a parasite of food origin [T. gondii infection increased with age. This pattern was later confirmed in a larger survey including 142 individuals from the northern parts of the country using ELISA and IFAT [The first study concerning human infection was published in 1970 followed by many other studies in humans , 81, or d origin . In the d origin  using thand IFAT . This epand IFAT , 114. Thand IFAT , 56, 111and IFAT . ToxoplaToxoplasma gondii infection has also been studied in animals and several studies were conducted in sheep , living area , diet (consumption of lamb meat), drinking water source, and contact with cats. Recently, T. gondii DNA was detected in 9.9% of the umbilical cord of neonates, indicating a high level of congenital toxoplasmosis [T. gondii infection in psychiatric patients in Tripoli was estimated and this prevalence was significantly higher than in the control group. The authors explain this as a causal relationship between toxoplasmosis infection and psychiatric diseases [The first serological survey on human infection was carried out by Khadre and El Nageh  in Tripolasmosis . In 2014diseases . NeverthT. gondii infection in animal species  [To the best of our knowledge, there are few studies in Libya related to  species . Indirectensive) .Figure 5T. gondii infection exceed 200 articles and clearly show it is widespread in the country. Nevertheless, many studies were not taken into consideration to respect the imposed criteria in this review. The seroprevalence of T. gondii in humans is high, reaching 59.6% [T. gondii genotypes I and II were reported in Egyptian patients [T. gondii DNA was detected in several population groups: in children and their mothers , and in inhabitants and workers [T. gondii infection rates [T. gondii in Egyptian cats reached 97% [Toxoplasmosis was declared for the first time as a “new disease” in Egypt in 1952 . Egyptiang 59.6% , 72, 130on rates , 73, 76.T. gondii in sheep has shown a downward trend in recent studies, at 17.65% [T. gondii prevalence was comparably low. Toxoplasma gondii in chickens, ostriches and ducks was also reported [T. gondii from chicken samples belonged to genotypes II and III, while in ducks, the genotype was type III. Several studies were performed in camels, horses, donkeys and stray dogs [In small ruminants, high prevalence of infection was reported, reaching 98.4% and 41.7% by serological tools, and 67.6% and 25% by molecular methods in sheep and goat samples, respectively  , demonstrating that the epidemiological cycle of this protozoan is very well maintained in this region.T. gondii infection in humans was almost equal in the five countries . This is a concern since T. gondii infection is widespread in food animals consumed in North Africa, especially chicken, camel, sheep, and goat meat [T. gondii infection, there was heterogeneity in the molecular and serological prevalences estimated in the five North African countries, which is correlated with the techniques used. In fact, serological methods appear to lack sensitivity and specificity, even though the qualitative detection of antibodies remains a standard tool. At the same time, there are differences within the serological techniques. Moreover, Dubey et al. [For human infection, there was broad diversity in sampling in the five countries. Only in Egypt, a variety of animal species was screened for the presence of oat meat . In bothy et al.  found thIn many studies conducted in the five countries of North Africa, age was a major risk factor. Higher levels of positive results were found in older animals. This is consistent with many studies conducted in France and Iran for example , 66. TheFarm management is also a risk factor. For example, in Algeria, sheep are reared in extensive systems and fed on fresh bulk feed or pasture, which are a greater risk as sources of contamination .Generally, in North Africa, trends indicate that production systems have become more intensive: agricultural by-products, non-conventional sources of feed, and commercial concentrates are increasingly used. The use of concentrates represents a risk factor since contaminated grain could be responsible for the rapid spread of infection in a flock . WidesprT. gondii to humans via meat or milk consumption, or by the prominent role of cats in the contamination of the environment by oocysts, studying prevalence rates of animal toxoplasmosis will be helpful to estimate the rate of human toxoplasmosis [Since animals play an important role in the transmission of lasmosis .T. gondii prevalence in wild felids.In the five North African countries studied, little is known about the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in wild animals. In fact, there is no information about Toxoplasma, the presence of T. gondii in Africa could be due to the spread of this parasite from the Americas to Asia via the Bering Strait. It is believed that this parasite entered Africa around 1.5 million years ago [Concerning the evolutionary history of ears ago . Only geears ago .T. gondii infection patterns between the populations of the Mediterranean basin could be explained by human travel and trade within these regions [The similarities in  regions , 91. Mor regions , 124.T. gondii infections and their complications is prevention. The preventive measures depend strongly on the knowledge of women about toxoplasmosis. However, this remains a major problem in the North African context since, within the same country, there are considerable differences in the socioeconomic status of women.In North African countries, no specific national programs against toxoplasmosis are currently in place. The major tool for avoiding congenital Even though serological screening for the infection is highly recommended during the first antenatal care visit, an analysis of the current situation indicates that a control program for human toxoplasmosis is lacking and pregnant women are not sufficiently aware of all the infection routes.T. gondii is fairly well documented in most countries, little information is available to quantify the resulting impact for the livestock sector and for public health. Having better impact data would make it easier to convince decision makers to invest in toxoplasmosis control and prevention. In addition, more in-depth epidemiological studies are needed to inform the design of regional strategies and to guide implementation of control programs involving both the medical and veterinary sectors.Toxoplasmosis represents a significant health threat to both humans and livestock, inducing high morbidity and economic losses. While the occurrence of Given the involvement of the environment in the transmission cycle, attention should also be given to environmental sampling in order to develop adequate transmission models between animals, the environment and people, providing the basis for a real One Health approach in the control of toxoplasmosis.


In the last decade, extended-spectrum cephalosporin and carbapenem resistant Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) have been extensively reported in the literature as being disseminated in humans but also in animals and the environment. These resistant organisms often cause treatment challenges due to their wide spectrum of antibiotic resistance. With the emergence of colistin resistance in animals and its subsequent detection in humans, the situation has worsened. Several studies reported the transmission of resistant organisms from animals to humans. Studies from the middle east highlight the spread of resistant organisms in hospitals and to a lesser extent in livestock and the environment. In view of the recent socio-economical conflicts that these countries are facing in addition to the constant population mobilization; we attempt in this review to highlight the gaps of the prevalence of resistance, antibiotic consumption reports, infection control measures and other risk factors contributing in particular to the spread of resistance in these countries. In hospitals, carbapenemases producers appear to be dominant. In contrast, extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL) and colistin resistance are becoming a serious problem in animals. This is mainly due to the continuous use of colistin in veterinary medicine even though it is now abandoned in the human sphere. In the environment, despite the small number of reports, ESBL and carbapenemases producers were both detected. This highlights the importance of the latter as a bridge between humans and animals in the transmission chain. In this review, we note that in the majority of the Middle Eastern area, little is known about the level of antibiotic consumption especially in the community and animal farms. Furthermore, some countries are currently facing issues with immigrants, poverty and poor living conditions which has been imposed by the civil war crisis. This all greatly facilitates the dissemination of resistance in all environments. In the one health concept, this work re-emphasizes the need to have global intervention measures to avoid dissemination of antibiotic resistance in humans, animals and the environment in Middle Eastern countries. DandachIn this context, Middle Eastern countries are thus of special interest. The dissemination of MDROs in this region of the world involves an interplay of over/misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals, the absence of infection control measures and most importantly the recent continuous population mobilization due to socio-economic conflicts and multiple war crises. In this review, our aim is to describe the epidemiology of extended spectrum cephalosporin, carbapenem and colistin resistant GNB in humans, animals and the environment in the Middle Eastern area. The Middle East includes 15 countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Sultanate Oman, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Our attempt is to highlight the gaps in bacterial resistance reports, antibiotic consumption data as well as infection control measures in this distinct area of the world.Extended spectrum cephalosporins and penicillin’s have been widely used in clinical settings due to their wide spectrum of activity as well as their negligible toxicity compared to other antimicrobial agents . Their uKlebsiella spp., resistance to extended spectrum beta lactams is mainly mediated via the production of CTX-M variants    and to aCTX-M-2) , TEM genCTX-M-2)  and otheCTX-M-2) . pAmpC beumoniae . PFGE aneumoniae . This isreported . Mehrganfections . Similarhia coli . It is wnic ones . These Etestines . Moreove in Iran . Statistctamases . Moreovella spp. . The higlla spp. ; this islla spp. . Other E cloacae . On the nd GES-1 . This isnd GES-1 . Only onpatients .E. coli and K. pneumoniae is mainly mediated via CTX-M-group1 (CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-1) and CTX-M-group2. Others include PER and OXA-10 in E. coli  at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. In this center, the incidence of COBSI has increased 2.7-fold over a 7 year period. This increase appears to be correlated with the clonal expansion of ST131 E. coli strains carrying the blaCTX-M-14 and blaCX-M-15 genes , sulfonamide (sul1 and sul2), TET [tet(A)], macrolides (mphA), and trimethoprim (dfrA17), resistance determinants , VIM (VIM-1 and VIM-4), and IMP  that modifies the organism’s genomic structure  and VIM variants   . Only twruginosa . Akhi etenotypes  were detenotypes .K. pneumoniae were the most common GNB resistant to carbapenems . In non-fermenters, OXA-23, OXA-24, and OXA-58 were detected in A. baumannii with no evidence of clonal dissemination   , b, Enteter spp. , and C. freundii  suggestsirabilis , VIM-2/Valestine  and NDM-alestine .E. coli and E. cloacae clinical isolates, respectively , NDM-1, and OXA-48 E. cloacae in Kuwaiti hospitals  , and OXA-48 carbapenemases were detected in clinical isolates of clonally unrelated  strains . In one eumoniae . Moreoveospitals , 2017b. d VIM-2) . On the  strains . The P. nd ST654 . In factnd ST654 .K. pneumoniae and others   are the most common carbapenem resistance genes detected in Enterobacteriaceae . These irogenes) . In factl center . In one as 93.2%  whereas as 93.2% . Furtherlla spp. . Indeed,lla spp. . Moreoveth MDROs . On the  and IMP . Clonal  and IMP . In one detected .P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii, respectively  were detected in genetically variant ectively , 2018. Isettings .K. pneumoniae  were found between these strains and the ST147 K. pneumoniae strains isolated in South Korea. Interestingly, one of the Korean isolates was from a patient transferred from the United Arab Emirates. This reveals the huge capacity of the ST147 K. pneumoniae clone in maintaining itself over a long period of time in addition to its ability to be transmitted internationally , OXA-48 and to a lesser degree KPC, are the predominant carbapenemases detected in clinical isolates of eumoniae , 2017a. eumoniae . ST147 itionally . Similaraumannii , 2015b. aumannii . AccordiE. coli and K. pneumoniae) is mediated via the production of NDM (NDM-1 and NDM-7) and OXA-48 carbapenemases  and E. cloacae strains , VIM (VIM-1 and VIM-2), IMP, SIM, and GIM , NDM (NDM-1 and NDM-5), and OXA-48 are the predominant carbapenamases detected in Enterobacteriaceae . Molecul strains . The polhospital . Isolatehospital  and othehospital ; and ST1onged to . Polyclotophilia . In non- and GIM . High ge and GIM . As for  and GIM . On the ruginosa . The majruginosa .mcr-1 producing E. coli isolated from a clinical setting occurred in 2016. This strain co-produced the CTX-M-15 and had a sequence type of ST1011 which was previously detected in an avian E. coli strain within this same country. This finding could be a direct manifestation of a zoonotic transmission of mcr-1 from animals to humans  with mutations in the mgrB, phoQ, pmrA/B genes in a hospital in Beirut. In Israel, one study reported the case of an Israeli patient with prior colistin administration during hospitalization and subsequent isolation of colistin resistant K. pneumoniae from his stool, supporting the theory of colistin resistance emergence as a result of antibiotic overuse in hospitals  with minimal side effects and optimal outcomes  were associated with the mcr-1 gene being on an Incl2 plasmid type  as well as carbapenem resistant non-fermenters (CR-NF) was reported in several studies . Accordingly, nasal and rectal screening was performed for all NICU patients. In addition, contact isolation precautions were implemented as well as an intensive infection control program was performed for all staff personnel. Subsequently, after 1 month, no infection/colonization with CRE was observed  was correlated to an ICU stay, ampicillin carbapenem use, mean daily antibiotic use, presence of underlying diseases, surgical intervention and nasogastric tube placement  in a post-acute care hospital (PACH) from 65% in 2008 to 80% in 2013. The acquisition source of more than 50% of the carriers was the PACH itself  hand in a Kuwaiti hospital. This highlight the important role that the health care personnel can play as vectors and reservoirs from which bacterial resistance can spread. This is especially true when non-adherence to proper sanitation and hand hygiene occur. In Qatar, only one study reported the fecal carriage of MDR ESBL E. coli in food handlers  SHV and TEM ESBL type . Fouda e country .E. coli strains in broiler farms. The plasmid mediated AmpC beta lactamase genes blaCMY-2 and blaDHA-1 were also observed   and SHV-12 were the only ESBL types detected in  Chicken . Similar Chicken . In Leba Chicken . On the d ST156) . This emE. coli strains belonging to the B1 phylogenetic group isolated from cattle with bovine mastitis  have been isolated from broilers, drinking water and workers in chicken farms  in sewage systems  in instruments that are frequently used for the care of patients such as dressing sets, suction tubes, hand-washing sinks and faucets. The occurrence of MDROs in the aforementioned surfaces raise the chance of acquisition and HGT of resistance genes among patients, health care personnel and visitors, creating thus a significant source of hospital acquired infections  from hospital environmental samples  from a hospital environment as well as from patients respiratory tracts; the high similarity of MDR patterns suggest the persistence of these MDRO in the environment is responsible for their high colonization rates detected in the respiratory tracts of ICU patients.In Iraq, only one study revealed the detection of ESBL  samples . InteresIn the gulf, one study in the KSA found ESBL producing GNB in hospital sewage. The sewage tank might play a significant role in the dissemination of MDROs, especially if it enters the sea and beach recreational activity areas, subsequently affecting the community population .Nowadays, antibiotics are among the most common drugs prescribed worldwide. Between 2000 and 2010, antibiotic consumption increased by 20 billion standard units . The groIn the Middle East, studies have shown that SM is highly prevalent. In Iran, SM ranges from 35.4 to 83%, 32 to 42% in Lebanon, 32 to 62% in Jordan, 98% in Palestine, 85% in Syria. In the Gulf, SM rates were as high as 89.2% in the United Arab Emirates, 48% in the KSA and 60% in Yemen . This isBesides SM, inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals is another reason behind the dissemination of MDROs in the Middle East. Indeed, ASP, although implemented in some hospitals in several countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, the KSA, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman; these are still in their infancy . BarrierFurther research assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices of antibiotic prescription among expatriates is crucial for the adoption of successful programs, in order to promote the rational use of antimicrobial agents in the Middle East . FurtherUnfortunately, it is evident that MDROs are nowadays disseminated in animals and the environment as it has been reported worldwide . SimilarThis review shows the extensive dissemination of ESBL and carbapenemase producing GNB in Middle Eastern hospitals. The prevalence of these MDROs is less well documented in animals and the environment. However, studies reported that ESBL is common in livestock whereas carbapenemases are scarce. In the environment, to some extent both groups (ESBL and carbapenemases) were reported equally. This emphasizes that the environment plays a double route in the transmission of resistant organisms from humans to animals and vice versa. In some countries especially in the gulf, nothing is known about the spread of MDROs in animals nor the environment; therefore, a clear conclusion cannot be drawn. One major mediator of MDROs spread in the Middle East is the recent population mobilization due to the socio-economic crisis and the Syrian war. This conflict promotes the introduction of resistance genes not previously reported in those countries. The emergence of colistin resistance is another major issue. In most of the epidemiological studies, colistin susceptibility is assessed by the Kirby-Bauer technique. This method is unreliable and might underestimate the real prevalence of colistin resistance in all ecological niches.ID, AC, JH, and JM wrote the manuscript. ZD corrected the manuscript. All authors approved and revised the final version of the manuscript.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


AbstractDonaciaclavareaui Jacobson, 1906 and Donaciafukiensis Goecke, 1944 have been confused for decades. Finally, D.fukiensis was synonymized with D.clavareaui by D.fukiensis because it was stored in an inaccessible collection. D.fukiensis as a distinct species, also without direct access to the type series. The synonymization by Chrysomelidae (Chrysomelidae (D.fukiensis is now accessible, it has been possible to proof that D.fukiensis is a distinct species, and a lectotype has been established from the series of seven syntypes. Donaciakweilina Chen, 1966 and D.mediohirsuta Chen, 1966, which were split from the mixture of D.clavareaui and D.fukiensis, are now also synonymized with D.clavareaui, because their characters are the same or within the variation range of the characters of D.clavareaui. Furthermore, a distribution map is provided with the reliable records known to date.The East Palaearctic species omelidae  and the omelidae . Because Donaciaclavareaui Jacobson, 1906, D.fukiensis Goecke, 1944, D.kweilina Chen, 1966, and D.mediohirsuta Chen, 1966 all have in common that their pronotum is pubescent while their elytra are glabrous. All other East Palaearctic Donacia species have either hairs on both pronotum and elytra or no hairs.The East Palaearctic species of D.clavareaui and of D.fukiensis are very detailed  it is not possible to distinguish these two species with the described characters alone. Worse, each description leads to D.clavareaui and to D.fukiensis without any contradiction. Therefore many misidentifications occurred, especially in specimens from China. Subsequently in the identification key of D.fukiensis was considered to occur in China, which resulted in further identification errors. D.kweilina and D.mediohirsuta from this mixture. D.fukiensis with D.clavareaui. D.fukiensis as a distinct species, but in the main comprehensive books on Palaearctic Chrysomelidae . NMB-FREY0000001: ♂ “Kuatun 2300m) 27,40 n. Br. 117,40 ö. L.; J. Klapperich [leg.] 7.5.1938 (Fukien)”. 300m 27,43 ♂, ♀♀ 7.5.1938, 3 ♂♂, ♀ 27.04.1938 (other data same as lectotype) ”ASIZ except for two paratypes in ISAC.The type specimens are kept in Taxon classificationAnimaliaColeopteraChrysomelidaeChen, 196622°1'N, 100°48'E, 1200 m a.s.l.China: Yunnan, Shishong-Baana (Xishuangbanna), ♀ “Yunnan: Shishong-Baana, 15.5.1958”ASIZ.The type specimen is retained in D.kweilina and D.mediohirsuta are analysed by the detailed first description of The characters of the type specimens of Donacia species known to date are listed. The specimens indicated with “det. E. Geiser” or “vid. E. Geiser” were examined.In Table D.clavareaui from Kjachta (Russia) in south-east Siberia. It could be easily distinguished from all other Donacia species known by its pubescent pronotum combined with glabrous elytra. In the subsequent decades several Donacia specimens from East Asia where identified as Donaciaclavareaui.Donaciinae specialist, examined specimens of D.clavareaui in the collection of the Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn (Germany). He recognized that the specimens from Fujian (south-east China) were different in some characters which are typical for species limitation in Donacia. In 1944 Goecke published the description of the new species D.fukiensis which he split from D.clavareaui.In the 1940s Goecke, a world-renowned D.fukiensis from D.clavareaui. He also published no identification key. Both descriptions match with both species . This resulted in many misidentifications of East Asian specimens.The description of Chrysomelidae of China and Korea”. Because there were so many Chinese specimens misidentified as D.fukiensis they assumed that D.clavareaui was restricted to Siberia. Therefore their identification key contains only D.fukiensis. The characters they mention in their key are applicable to both species. Their key became famous and widespread. Subsequently almost all specimens of D.clavareaui outside Siberia were identified as D.fukiensis from then on.In 1961 Gressitt and Kimoto published their comprehensive volume “The D.fukiensis, some specimens have different characters. He split two new species, D.kweilina and D.mediohirsuta, off from what was actually still a mixture of the two species D.clavareaui and D.fukiensis.Donacia. He investigated the type specimen of D.clavareaui which has been stored in the collection of the MNHN Paris. He also intended to investigate the type specimen of D.fukiensis stored in the collection Goecke which was then part of the private Coleopterea Museum Frey in Tutzing, Bavaria. Due to the special situation of the Museum Frey (see next chapter) no research on type or other specimens was possible at that time. Therefore Askevold studied series of D.fukiensis from Japan and China, which in fact were D.clavareaui. He concluded that there are no differences to the type specimen of D.clavareaui (he was right!) and therefore erroneously synonymized D.fukiensis with D.clavareaui. In 1990 Askevold published his comprehensive revision of the genus Donacia which has been widely used as a reference since.In the 1980s Askevold worked on his comprehensive revision of the genus Donaciinae of China. They recognized some differences in the specimens labelled D.clavareaui from Fujian as compared with specimens from other parts of China (as Goecke did more than 50 years before). Therefore they intended to study the type specimens of D.fukiensis from Goecke in Museum Frey. At that time, once again no loan of specimens was possible, but for a short period during the quarrels about the Frey collection it was stored at the ZSMC (see next chapter). Martin Baehr, the curator of Coleoptera section in Munich was in charge; Cong and Yu wrote to Baehr and asked him to check some critical characters at the syntype specimens of D.fukiensis, and Baehr confirmed these characters. D.fukiensis from synonymy and published the first identification key to distinguish D.clavareaui and D.fukiensis; they also included D.kweilina Chen, 1966 and D.mediohirsuta Chen, 1966. They also published accurate distribution data of these four species as far as they were substantiated.In the 1990s Cong and Yu worked on a list of the Chrysomelidae  and Silfverberg is a specialist for Criocerinae und Galerucinae. Both wrote the Donaciinae chapter as no Donaciinae specialist was available and they both referred to the last comprehensive work on Donaciinae  was the owner of a clothes-producing company (“Lodenfrey”). He had an ardent interest in beetles, and attended and paid for field trips worldwide to collect beetles; he also bought collections from specialists. Near his house in Tutzing  he established a private museum and employed up to five scientists and assistants. When the pecimens .Chrysomelidae specialists, Jan Bechyne and Gerhard Scherer. When Georg Frey died in 1976, a quarrel began in the Frey family. The sons of Georg Frey intended to donate the whole collection to the ZSMC, because that had been the will of their father they argued; but the widow of Georg Frey began negotiations and finally sold the whole collection to the Natural History Museum of Basel, Switzerland. This started a conflict which involved the Frey family, the Munich State collection, several Switzerland institutions, and German Government institutions. The latter declared this beetle collection a national treasure which must not be transferred outside the borders of Germany. In 1992 the widow died and the collection was clandestinely transferred to the ZSMC before the Basel Museum received information on her death. The legal dispute continued and from 1995 onwards the collection was stored in boxes in Weil am Rhein, Germany, a city near Basel at the Swiss border (https://kaeferfuerbasel.ch/die-sammlung-georg-frey/]). These incidents were the reason that between 1976 and 1998 it was impossible for long periods to borrow specimens and even to visit the collection to examine it in situ.In the decades after the WWII scientific institutions like natural history museums had insufficient and often only provisional storage facilities. At the Museum Frey the Goecke collection was well maintained as Frey employed the then-s border . In 1997D.clavareaui in Latin and D.fukiensis in German, both languages being widely used in science at the time. For traceability the original descriptions and their translations are shown in Appendix 1, 2.The head, antennae, legs, and pronota are very similar, but their elytra are strikingly different. The main character differences are– Shape of the contour of the elytra– Punctures of the elytra– Elytral epipleura– Elytral apex– Female: last sternite– Male: aedeagusDonacia. There are some well-established species in Donacia which differ in much more subtle characters. Therefore it was correct that D.fukiensis as a valid species. Now that the type series of Goecke is available to scientists, I was able to designate a lectotype from the seven syntypes on which the description of Goecke had been based  and Appendix 4 (for D.mediohirsuta). Donaciakweilina is known only from the type series  in Ibariki-ken in Honshu, Japan. According to Bienkowski (2014)D.clavareaui also feeds on Isolepisfluitans (L.) R.Br. (syn. Scirpusfluitans). D.clavareaui in Korea on Scirpusmaritimus L. The food plants of D.fukiensis, D.kweilina, and D.mediohirsuta are unknown.The larva of D.clavareaui and D.fukiensis are compared directly, the differences are striking, especially of the elytra. Although the first descriptions of these species are comprehensive and detailed, they both described both species. Furthermore, it was not possible to create a reliable identification key without correctly identified specimens to hand. This created a vicious circle and caused decades of misidentifications, as well as the splitting of new species from a conglomerate of what was in fact two species. The situation was worsened by the inaccessibility of the type series of D.fukiensis in the Frey collection for a long period.If specimens of Donacia species. Donaciafukiensis may be also hidden within specimens of Plateumaris.If specimens are identified incorrectly, all further studies on ecology and distribution are useless. In Figure D.clavareaui from its food plant. According to GBIF  Scirpusfluviatilis occurs outside of North America only in Japan and Korea and some spots on the east coast of Australia. The data provided by KewScience  indicate further records from New Zealand, but no records in Asia; GBIF shows only one record of Isolepisfluitans from Ceylon. Scirpusmaritimus is widespread, but there is only one record from China and none from Russia. It is very likely that D.clavareaui feeds on Scirpus sp. sensu lato.It is also very difficult to infer the distribution of D.fukiensis and to analyse the DNA of both species, to include them in the phylogenetic tree published by Donacia it is likely that they are not closely related.Although both species are rare, I hope this paper will trigger some interest to examine the fauna more carefully during field trips in this area. If recent sample sites are known, it would be possible to find the food plant and larvae of


AbstractHaemaphysalischordeilis  and Haemaphysalisleporispalustris , were known to occur in the United States, and neither was considered to be of significant medical or veterinary importance. In 2017–2018 established populations of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalislongicornis Neumann, 1901, were detected in the eastern US for the first time. Haemaphysalislongicornis has the potential to be a significant threat to human and animal health, and the urgent need to determine the full extent of its distribution and host range requires availability of a straightforward and practical guide to differentiate it from native species. We created a pictorial dichotomous key to all stages of Haemaphysalis spp. known to occur in North America with scanning electron photomicrographs of all H.longicornis life stages, including rarely seen males, to aid researchers in differentiating these species. The largely Neotropical species Haemaphysalisjuxtakochi Cooley, 1946, with established populations in Mexico and sporadic detections in the US on migrating birds is also included.Until recently, only two haemaphysaline species,  Haemaphysalis ticks are known to occur in the United States: the rabbit tick, Haemaphysalisleporispalustris  and the bird tick, Haemaphysalischordeilis   (Francisellatularensis) and of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsiarickettsii) have been isolated from this tick  . Haemaphd hares) . Its fuld hares) . The agehis tick  althoughn Canada . BecauseHaemaphysalisjuxtakochi Cooley, 1946  was detected in Ohio, USA, on a white-tailed deer at a deer-checking station  climate change is predicted to alter the distribution of many tick species  unlike some of the exotic species imported by birds  as it continues its invasion of North America, H.longicornis may eventually be collected farther south, coinciding with H.juxtakochi’s existing range.In order to study potential impacts of  species , therefoby birds , H.juxtaH.longicornis were obtained from US National Tick Collection archives for imaging. Males, females, and nymphs were sent from a laboratory colony started with specimens collected in Jeju-teukbyeoljachido, Republic of Korea (Accession # RML48803). Larvae originated from a colony started with specimens from Queensland, Australia (Accession # RML58949). Specimens were coated with gold and imaged with a JEOL JSM-6610LV scanning electron microscope  .Specimens of H.juxtakochi (adult), H.leporispalustris  and H.chordeilis  were obtained from the US National Tick Collection archives (http://www.discoverlife.org).Additional photomicrographs of A literature search was conducted and key characters useful for distinguishing the four species were gleaned from the following: Adults Fig. Nymphs Fig. Larvae Fig. Haemaphysalis that may be encountered in North America in all life stages. Previously, readers would have had to peruse keys from several distinct parts of the world in order to compare the morphology of these four species, e.g. US keys containing H.chordeilis , with over 160 additional species in the Old World (Haemaphysalis species establish themselves in North America, this key will require revision.However, as ld World , includild World , careful


A method for analysing the hadronic resonance contributions in  Decays with a mentclass2pt{minimdictions . Global cument}σ –17.In this paper, the possibility that hadronic resonances are interfering with the short-distance amplitude and mimicking physics beyond the SM is considered. This is because in addition to the short-distance contribution to mentclass2pt{minimThe approach presented in this paper models the hadronic contributions originating from charm and light quark resonances as Breit–Wigner amplitudes. This approach is inspired by Refs. , 19 and plitudes . The levThese non-local contributions are difficult to calculate and to date there is no consensus as to whether the deviations seen in global analyses can be explained by the these intermediate hadronic contributions, or by physics beyond the SM. Differentiating between these two hypotheses is of prime importance for confirming the existence and subsequently characterising phenomena not predicted by the SM. More detailed discussions on this point can be found in Refs. , 21–28.Due to the more complex amplitude structure of the decay, for each resonant final state there are three relative phases and magnitudes that need to be determined instead of one in the case of the plitudes –32 can bThe level of An increasingly large part of the discrepancy in - decays , 33, 34.This paper is organised as follows: Section B-meson, z function is given byThe differential decay rate of ervables . Each of in Ref. . The dec in Ref. , that ex in Ref. . The decing Ref. , the forrom Ref.  and the in Refs. , 37.The functions of Refs. –20. In pp is the momentum of the muons in the rest frame of the dimuon system evaluated at q, and The rom Ref. , the resrom Ref. . The runThis isobar approach, although not rigorous, it provides a model for the strong phase variation of the amplitude across the full It is customary that for each helicity amplitude, the expressions of the non-local components V denotes any Measurements of In order to assess the impact of the resonances appearing in the dimuon spectrum of orations , 31, 39 orations , 32, thein Refs. –42.For the decay ansition , 43, 44.No measurements exist for final states involving the  in Ref. . The valmentclass2pt{minimThe study presented in Ref.  providesFigure  in Ref. . The rel in Ref. . The preentclass1pt{minima of Ref. . However in Ref.  are knowurements . Howeverurements  did not z-expansion truncated after the second order as in Eq.  decays , 56 willThe statistical precision on the angular observables is estimated by generating values for the non-local parameters of mentclass2pt{minimBy the end of Run2 of the LHC, the dominant theoretical uncertainty of the angular observables in the tainties , be possRecent tests of lepton universality in mentclasspt{minimament}C9μ , 59. TheThe model of entclass1pt{minima in Ref.  with the by Ref. .An empirical model to describe the hadronic resonance contributions in of Refs. , 28. TheThe lack of knowledge of the longitudinal phase differences between In addition, the resonant contributions to the decay provide large strong-phase differences that enhance sensitivity to CP violating effects. In this way, there is no need to rely on a time dependent analysis to a In the SM, observables such as  in Ref.  and in t


Scientific Reports 10.1038/s41598-018-33783-3, published online 19 October 2018Correction to: Christian Scheurig-Münkler was omitted from the author list in the original version of this Article. This has been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.The Author Contributions section now reads:Dr. Alexander Reshetnik: conception of study design, analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article.Dr. Christopher Gohlisch: writing the article; acquisition of data.Dr. Christian Scheurig-Münkler: acquisition of data; interpretation of data, providing intellectual content of critical importance to the work described; final approval of the version to be published.Dr. Maximilian De Bucourt: interpretation of data; providing intellectual content of critical importance to the work described; final approval of the version to be published.Prof. Dr. Walter Zidek: providing intellectual content of critical importance to the work described; final approval of the version to be published.Dr. Markus Tölle: providing intellectual content of critical importance to the work described; final approval of the version to be published.Prof. Dr. Markus van der Giet: conception of study design, interpretation of data; revising the article.


BH, as the consultant gynaecologist, consented patients and conducted the hysterectomies. AA, as the consultant histopathologist, reviewed and released cervical tissue under ethical approval to FM's study. CB was responsible for donor recruitment, consenting and clinical administration of the study. JF and RW collected tissue, JF, RW and FM prepared and cryopreserved it. JF undertook the viability experiments described and JM performed the tissue sectioning and H&E staining. JF, RW and FM wrote the manuscript; all authors approved the final version.JF and FM were responsible for designing the research project. FM secured the grant funding and national and local ethical approval for the project. Mr Bill Hunter was mistakenly omitted from the original version of the manuscript; this corrigendum rectifies this error.The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cryobiol.2017.06.004.DOI of original article:


Bioengineered veins can benefit humans needing bypass surgery, dialysis, and now, in the treatment of varicose veins. The implant of this vein in varicose veins has significant advantages over the conventional treatment methods. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), vein patch repair, pulmonary embolus, and tissue-damaging problems can be solved with this implant. Here, the authors have proposed biomedical microdevices as an alternative for varicose veins. MATLAB and ANSYS Fluent have been used for simulations of blood flow for bioengineered veins. The silver based microchannel has been fabricated by using a micromachining process. The dimensions of the silver substrates are 51 mm, 25 mm, and 1.1 mm, in length, width, and depth respectively. The dimensions of microchannels grooved in the substrates are 0.9 mm in width and depth. The boundary conditions for pressure and velocity were considered, from 1.0 kPa to 1.50 kPa, and 0.02 m/s to 0.07 m/s, respectively. These are the actual values of pressure and velocity in varicose veins. The flow rate of 5.843 (0.1 nL/s) and velocity of 5.843 cm/s were determined at Reynolds number 164.88 in experimental testing. The graphs and results from simulations and experiments are in close agreement. These microchannels can be inserted into varicose veins as a replacement to maintain the excellent blood flow in human legs. Generally, microfluidic systems consist of microchannels, micropumps, microneedles, micro-chambers, micro-sensors, and micro-mixers. Microchannels can be categorized and designed in any alphabetical letter shape. Some are designed with shapes, like straight, square, serpentine, rectangular, curved, curvilinear, coil, trapezoidal, parallel, spiral, and sine wave. They can also be designed in mixed shapes with an alphabetical letter shape. On the basis of design, microchannels can also be fabricated in alphabetical letters of English e.g., T shape and Y shape. A microchannel classification is shown below in Bioengineered veins give new hope for people lacking healthy and strong veins. There are several main challenges in the implantation of bioengineered veins for medicinal treatments. One of them is that the implanted veins were being rejected by the human body. The humanoid immune system attacks these external objects, perceiving them as harmful invaders. Finally, the first bioengineered vein was implanted successfully, marking a breakthrough in bioengineered humanoid tissues in 2013 . MicroflThe complete historical development of microchannels was presented by Kandlikar and Grande (2003) . MicrochThe design of microchannels helps to analyze the fluid flow and mixing of two or more fluids. Many scientists have worked on fluid flow analysis. Straight and serpentine microchannels were used by Afzal and Kim (2014) for the analysis of flow and mixing of non-Newtonian fluids . MicrochAn important and promising use of microchannels is to examine the mass flow rate. The flow rate was generated thermally, due to the direct relation of the mass flow rate and increased temperature. Cubaud et al. 2016) have examined the behavior of threads of viscous fluids, influence of fluid injection schemes, and flow rates experimentally . Law et  have exaThe sinusoidal design and the miniaturized form of the microchannels have been used to separate the small particles from larger particles successfully. Liu et al. (2015) used straight rectangular microchannels for the sheathless separation of bacteria and red blood cells, by using viscoelastic effect technique . Liu et Many other scientists worked on other research parameters of microchannels. Lau et al. (2016) have demonstrated a solution for high throughput of fluids at micron level on the basis of flow cytometry. The existing demonstrations of optofluidic time-stretch imaging were based on the inertial flow microfluidic platforms ,29,30,31The sinusoidal design of microchannels has better capabilities for cell sorting, cell focusing, fluid flow and heat transfer. Tayyaba et al. (2013) simulated the sinusoidal microchannel for cell sorting systems . SinusoiThere is widespread use of microchannels in bioengineering technology. The microchannels can also be designed like the structure of veins and arteries. These microchannels are used as bioengineered blood vessels. These vessels are also the integral part and an important innovation in the field of tissue engineering and biomedical engineering. Bioengineered vein implants have proven to be a landmark in tissue engineering. All the veins, including tortuous veins, carry blood from the heart to the other parts of the body and back. There are one-way valves in veins. The valves prevent backward blood flow. The major function of the valve is to make the flow consistent in one direction. Due to the failure of valves and the inconsistency of flow, the blood is collected in the veins and overfills them. Therefore, the veins become dilated, swelled, and enlarged. Often it brings pain, heaviness, aches, bluish–purple or red color, discoloration, ulcers, sores, blood clots, and chronic inflammation in human legs . These tThe conventional treatment of such diseases is ligation and stripping. Today, there are also minimally invasive methods as an alternative of surgery, such as endovenous ablation with laser or radiofrequency, and foam sclerotherapy. These treatments may cause bruising and swelling . To overThere are many complications and risks of varicose vein surgery, such as listed below.Wound complicationsLeakage of lymph from the groinDeep vein thrombosis (DVT)Pulmonary embolusVascular injuryDamaged femoral veinVein patch repairThese problems often occur after or during surgery. The issues often arise in lymphatic system after ligation and stripping. The lymphatic system is a part of the circulatory and immune system. This system is disturbed because of chylous leakage, due to surgical procedures in lymphatic system. After surgery, the blood clots are formed in the vein, which are called DVT, usually occurring in the legs. This clot can cause pulmonary embolus and vascular injury. Patient cannot walk with the damage of femoral vein patch after surgery. There are also other treatments like sclerotherapy, radiofrequency treatment, and endovenous laser treatment, but they are very costly. In radiofrequency treatment, the electric signals are produced in the varicose vein to reduce the pain, and the problem may persist even after this treatment. Therefore, it is not considered a successful treatment. The costly laser treatment is also used for stripping veins ,57,58,59In this study, fuzzy logic control (FLC) has been used to estimate the flow rate and velocity of an ascending sinusoidal microchannel. The system has four inputs and two outputs. The inputs are taken as Reynolds number, pressure, curve height, and % loss. Here, % loss means friction and surface roughness. The outputs are taken as flow rate and velocity. Three membership functions are taken for each parameter of inputs and outputs in this microchannel system. The ranges of membership functions are presented below with each parameter of inputs and outputs for ascending sinusoidal microchannel system in In FLC, rule tables are needed to describe the parameters (three inputs and two outputs) with three membership functions . When flThe Hagen–Poiseuille equation is used for each and every rule of flow rate and velocity . This eqHere, 4). Therefore, 81 rules are prepared by MATLAB rule editor and viewer with the help of IF-AND-THEN logic [The number of inputs are four, and each input has three membership functions. The formula for the number of rules is membership functions to the power of inputs  and 4.65 (cm/s), respectively. MATLAB simulated values for flow rate and obtained velocity are 5.11 (0.1 nL/s) and 4.55 (cm/s) respectively. The minor error percentages in the values for flow rate and obtained velocity are 0.78% and 2.19%, respectively. The results are in close agreement. Now in the next section, ANSYS Fluent simulation has been presented to verify the MATLAB results for the ascending sinusoidal microchannel system.After the successful simulation of MATLAB FUZZY LOGIC with Mamdani’s model, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation has been performed for the ascending sinusoidal microchannel. Here, the blood is taken as the non-Newtonian flowing fluid. The flow rate and blood velocity for the ASMC have been determined. The commercial CFD software ANSYS Fluent has been used for simulation. For velocity parameter, different values like 0.02 m/s, 0.03 m/s, 0.04 m/s, 0.05 m/s, 0.06 m/s, and 0.07 m/s, have been used. While, for pressure difference, values like 1 kPa, 1.1 kPa, 1.2 kPa, 1.3 kPa, 1.4 kPa, and 1.5 kPa, have been used . These a2/s2 and 4 m2/s3. In the set up section, the fluid temperature has been taken as 320 K. In calculations, the Reynolds number for the microchannel was determined by the following equation: The computational domain of ASMC is represented in three dimensions (3D). The channel has been designed with three ascending curves of increasing radii, by using design modeler tool. The length of the channel has been taken as 51 mm. The model is sinusoidal in shape, with the dimension of 0.9 mm for width and the same for depth. The model consisted of inlet, outlet, and the wall. For accurate results, mesh independence has been carried out by varying the cell density of the model for similar boundary conditions. This procedure has been followed for fine mesh tetrahedrons to discretize the computational domain. The meshing has been done for up to 7524 elements and 2541 nodes. Moreover, a high-resolution scheme has been selected as the solving option. The model has been set for two domains, like fluid and solid. In the fluid domain, blood has been used as fluid. Besides, silver has been used in the solid domain. Here, flow regime has been applied at the inlet of microchannels, with normal velocities of 0.02 m/s, 0.03 m/s, 0.04 m/s, 0.05 m/s, 0.06 m/s, and 0.07 m/s. In the set up section of ANSYS Fluent, turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent dissipated rate have been set at 5 md is diameter and r is the curvature radius of the microchannel. K-epsilon viscous model has been considered in the set up tool of Fluent. Amongst all models at the back end of the ANSYS, the K-epsilon model has been found accurate in predicting the fluid flow [In this equation, uid flow ,74,75,76uid flow . For theuid flow . The flohe fluid .The contour plot illustrates different values of velocity and pressure inside the microchannel. The pressure is generally increased at the inlet of the channel, and decreased at the outlet. It is clear from the above figure that the pressure drop increases due to an increase in the Reynolds number. It is noted that the higher Reynolds number is actually affecting the pressure drop. The high-pressure fluid pushed the fluid to flow along the microchannel and come out from the outlet region. When the fluid with constant properties flows through the channel, a linear relationship is expected between pressure drop and Reynolds number. However, there are three ascending curves used in this research work. So, when the fluid passes through all the curves, the graph shows a small rise in pressure drop. The simulation has been carried out to identify flow rate, pressure drop, and velocity in the ascending sinusoidal microchannel. In the above Micromachining is the most diverse category of manufacturing processes available for the fabrication of parts with dimensions of less than 1 mm. Machining is a process in which a cutting tool is used to remove small chips of material from the work piece . First oThe fabricated ascending sinusoidal microchannel was tested for its flow rate and velocity. Actual values of pressures and velocities were used as in ANSYS Fluent simulation. MP 6 micropump was used along with the other experimental apparatus. Pure blood could clot in the MP 6 micropump. Therefore, an anticoagulant heparin was used and mixed in the blood as a blood thinner. It prevented blood clots forming in the MP 6 micropump. MP6 could measure flow rate up to 0–7 mL/min, and could apply pressure up to 550 mbar  pressure. There were ports on the microcontroller through which the desired pressure could be made. The microchannel was covered tightly with the glass sheet with glass glue, to avoid the escape of blood out of the channel. Flow rate and velocity were determined at the output. The experimentally obtained values are in agreement with the simulated values. The testing apparatus is shown in The bioengineered strategies and plans are made before the implantation. Before the implant, the selected area would be shaved, washed, cleaned, and anesthetized. The ASMC (bioengineered vein) will be separated from the silver substrate and implanted into the vein through a thin tube fabricated from medical grade materials, called a catheter. The surgery is similar to an angioplasty technique. In this procedure, blood thinner medication should be used before surgery to diminish the possibility of blood clots. The person will lie straight on an operation table during the procedure. Once the patient is on the implant procedure, a cut is made near the varicose veins. The surgeon then implants the bioengineered vein. The electronic devices will monitor the blood pressure and the heart rate. Satisfactory flow of blood will be restored after the implant, if the surgeon is satisfied with the implant.In the MATLAB FUZZY LOGIC simulation, the flow rate and velocity were found to be 5.11 (0.1 nL/s) and 4.55 (cm/s), at Reynolds number 160, respectively. In the ANSYS Fluent simulation, the flow rate and velocity were found to be 6.0 (0.1 nL/s) and 6.088 (cm/s), at Reynolds number 161.33, respectively. The results of two simulations were found to be in close agreement. MATLAB is a parametric estimation tool, and it performs a significant role in describing the behavior of the system through mathematical models, while ANSYS Fluent is the most general purpose powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package. Fluent has extensive physical modeling capabilities, through which the fluid flow can be modeled precisely for microchannels. The discussion has been presented in the following four easy steps.The direct relation of Reynolds number and the pressure difference is discussed here with some experimental deviations. The reasons for these deviations were the frictional factor in the path of the fluid, and the ascending nature of the microchannel . The friIn The Dean number and the corresponding Reynolds number has been calculated for all three curves of ASMC. For the first 5 mm curve of ASMC, the Dean numbers were 10.347, 19.737, 29.01, 40.875, 49.407, and 58.404. For the second 6 mm curve of ASMC, the Dean numbers were 9.3123, 17.7633, 26.109, 36.7875, 44.4663, and 52.5636. For the third 7 mm curve of ASMC, the Dean numbers were 8.6225, 16.4475, 24.175, 34.6625, 41.1725, and 48.67. This data clearly shows that the Dean number and Reynolds number are in direct relation. It also shows that the Dean number decreases with the increase of radius of curvature. From Equations (2) and (3), it is clear that the Dean number has an inverse relation with viscosity of fluid. Therefore, the Dean vortices are not very prominent.The biomedical application of the fabricated and tested ASMC is the implantation of bioengineered veins in varicose (tortuous) veins. All surgical problems can lead to a main problem of stopping the blood flow through the great saphenous vein. Actually, this ligation stops the blood flow through this passage now. There are other natural smaller tortuous veins in legs for blood flow. If blood flows from these smaller tortuous veins, then quantity of flowing blood becomes large. Therefore, pressure of blood can be disturbed in these tortuous veins. Persistence of pressure to the femoral nerve and in these tortuous veins can prevent blood from flowing. The decreased or increased blood flow can result in damaging of tissues. The recovery from varicose vein surgery is also very slow and painful. The stripping and ligation of great saphenous vein can also cause problems in doing extensive exercise . The bloThere is an urgent need for implantation of such biomedical devices in order to improve the current biomedical condition of old age patients. The majority of these bioengineered veins are made of metal and metal alloys. The corrosion issue was the first to be reported. The concerns about corrosion implications from these implants are minor as compared to the relief that patients feel and get from the anticipated beneficial effects . Silver The comparison between simulated values and experimental values has been presented in In the MATLAB simulation, at 160 Reynolds number, the flow rate and velocity are 0.511 nL/s or 5.11 (0.1 nL/s), and 0.0455 m/s or 4.44 (cm/s), respectively. In the ANSYS Fluent simulation, at 161.3 Reynolds number, the flow rate and velocity are 0.6 nL/s or 6.0 (0.1 nL/s), and 0.06088 m/s, respectively. In the experiment, at 164.88 Reynolds number, the flow rate and velocity are 0.5843 nL/s or 5.843 (0.1 nL/s), and 0.05843 m/s or 5.843 (cm/s), respectively. The experimental and simulated results are found in close agreement for other Reynolds numbers, which are also used in this research. In the next section, a comparison of simulated and experimental values of this research work with the previous research of other microchannels, has been given. However, there is still no research data available on the flow rate and velocity measurement for ASMC and comparisons; that is the novelty of this research. The measurements of flow rate and velocity for other types of microchannels are available ,68,90,91The purpose of this research was the simulations, fabrication, and testing of ascending sinusoidal microchannels. The research work includes computer simulations for blood flow rate and velocity using MATLAB FUZZY LOGIC and ANSYS Fluent. Furthermore, a bioengineered vein (silver based three curved ASMC) is fabricated to calculate the flow rate and velocity of human blood. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison has been presented between simulated and experimental values. Silver is a low cost and biocompatible material. Bioengineered veins can be implanted in the varicose (tortuous) veins that lead to better blood flow. These bioengineered veins can also be fabricated with other biocompatible materials, like polymers. These bioengineered veins can be made with any vein length, shape, and design. This is the novel solution of better blood flow through the ligated great saphenous vein. A bioengineered vein of similar length and diameter can also be fabricated and implanted in place of ligated saphenous veins. This research posed some limitations. Firstly, this channel was limited to a single-phase laminar flow regime, and neglected the venous leaflet valve. Secondly, the natural elasticity of the vein is neglected in this study, and third, is the frictional factor used in this research. In future, we will simulate a model that will consider all these limitations, in order to produce more physiological results.


We retract this article. The sequences were submitted to the NCBI GenBank  by the primary author, Mohamed E. Megahed, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), Suez, Egypt. Unfortunately Dr. Megahed has been instructed by NIOF, Suez, Egypt, not to share the raw sequence data under the Law No. 82/2002 and via a declaration of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture & Land Reclamation. Due to this inability to share the raw sequence data, we are retracting the article.Volume 7, no. 9, e00809-18, 2018,


Salmonella spp., S. enterica serovar Typhimurium and S. enterica serovar Enteritidis in various (food) matrices. Early and fast detection of these pathogens facilitates effective intervention and prevents further distribution of contaminated food products on the market. Three primer and probe sets were designed to target the invA gene, the STM4200 gene, and the SEN1392 gene to detect and differentiate Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The multiplex qPCR targeting these three genes was optimized for efficiency and linearity. By testing 225 Salmonella isolates and 34 non-Salmonella isolates from various sources the inclusivity and exclusivity were determined. The inclusivity of the multiplex qPCR was 100% for all Salmonella isolates, including 72 S. Typhimurium isolates, and 53 S. Enteritidis isolates. The exclusivity for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis was 100%, 94.6%, and 100%, respectively. No positive results were reported for non-Salmonella isolates. The limit of detection (LOD) for the qPCR was determined for the matrices poultry, minced meat, egg, herbs/spices, powdered milk, fish, animal feed, boot-socks with chicken feces and chicken down. LOD values for qPCR and the conventional culture methods were similar, except for the matrix boot-socks and down, for which the LOD for the conventional culture methods performed better than the qPCR method. In conclusion, the multiplex qPCR assay developed allows for rapid screening of Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis in various (food) matrices.A multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) was developed and evaluated for the simultaneous detection of  Salmonella gastroenteritis and 155,000 cases of mortality occur worldwide ,12:i:- was the third most commonly reported serovar in the EU, followed by S. Infantis in fourth place. in 2011 ,10. MonoS. enterica subsp. enterica serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis ,12:i:−. The qPCR method developed by Silva et al.[Salmonella spp. and S. Enteritidis, but is not able to detect S. Typhimurium. The qPCR presented here has selectivity comparable to the qPCR described by Park and Ricke [Salmonella isolates, whereas the presented qPCR in this manuscript was validated using 225 isolates of which 72 S. Typhimurium isolates and 53 S. Enteritidis isolates.Malorny et al.  was the t et al.  offers ava et al. includesnd Ricke , howeverSalmonella spp. and detection after enrichment was performed using the qPCR and the ISO and MSRV method. The results per matrix, contamination level and method are displayed in For official control purposes it is necessary to know which level of contamination in a sample, before enrichment, will be detected by the method. Therefore, 10 different matrices were artificially contaminated with three levels of Salmonella have been performed [Salmonella spp., S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium in one reaction, instead of just detection of Salmonella spp. [S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium [The presented result suggest that the qPCR method can be used to screen the matrices, with the exception of the matrix down, followed by isolation of the bacterial strain using culture-based methods for the enrichments that had a positive result in the screening. This method with screening of enrichment broth allows negative samples to be identified faster in comparison to culture-based method, since enrichment followed by screening takes 24 h, whereas enrichment followed by selective enrichment using the ISO method or the MSRV method takes at least 48 h. Cooled storage of the enrichment broths prior to DNA extraction for a maximum of 48 h gave identical LOD values compared to direct testing of the enrichment. This allows laboratories to store enrichment broths during weekends or holidays, without a negative effect on the sample result. Although earlier validation studies for screening of enrichments for presence of erformed ,32,34, tlla spp.  or S. Enhimurium .In silico BlastN analysis indicates primers and probe sets to be highly specific for their targets, and no a-specific signals were expected based on the results. Constructed standard curves showed the qPCR was highly efficient. There was a linear relationship between cell numbers and Cq-values both with and without matrix. The inclusivity of the multiplex qPCR was 100% for all Salmonella isolates, including 72 S. Typhimurium isolates, and 53 S. Enteritidis isolates. The exclusivity for Salmonella spp., S. Typhimurium, and S. Enteritidis was 100%, 94.6%, and 100%, respectively. No positive results were reported for non-Salmonella isolates.S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis, it is a robust tool to easily detect both strains as requested by regulation No 2073/2005. Since the serovars S. Derby, S. Goldcoast, and S. Rissen are not excluded by the STM4200 primer set, further confirmation of the isolated strains needs to be performed, identical to the confirmation for conventional culture methods.Due to the ability of the method to differentiate Salmonella in various (food) matrices. By using the multiplex qPCR method, instead of conventional culture methods, for screening of enrichments broths, the analysis time of samples is reduced from 48 h to 24h. This method therefore facilitates effective and faster intervention when contaminated food products are on the market.The LOD of the multiplex qPCR method is comparable to the ISO method and MSRV method, and allows for detect of low levels (around or below 10 CFU/25g) of


Okenia taxa inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, as well as their general taxonomy, varies according to different specialists. So far, eight valid species have been reported from the area: Okenia aspersa , Okenia cupella , Okenia elegans , Okenia hispanica Valdés & Ortea, 1995, Okenia impexa Er. Marcus, 1957, Okenia leachii , Okenia mediterranea , and Okenia zoobotryon . Of these, only three  have their type localities in the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the others were described from different biogeographic areas and later included in the Mediterranean biota. We carried out a review on Mediterranean Okenia species through an integrative approach, based on a wide literature search and a morphological and molecular analysis of available type material and samples collected recently. The present study confirmed the presence of O. aspersa, O. elegans, O. hispanica, and O. mediterranea in the Mediterranean Sea, although leaving remaining questions about some of those taxa. The distribution of O. cupella, O. impexa, and O. zoobotryon is limited to the western Atlantic, and of O. leachii to the eastern Atlantic. All specimens previously identified as O. cupella, O. impexa, and O. zoobotryon by different authors in the Mediterranean Sea were repeatedly misidentified. Thus, we describe Okenia problematica sp. nov. and Okenia longiductis sp. nov., from the “Mediterranean” Okenia cupella/impexa and O. zoobotryon. We also consider here Okenia pusilla Sordi, 1974 a nomen dubium and include a redescription of the holotype of O. cupella. A molecular phylogeny, including all the sequenced Okenia species, was performed in order to evaluate the evolutionary relationships of the newly described species with the other congeneric taxa.The precise number of  Okenia Menke, 1830 (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) includes around 50 valid species worldwide and is composed by small to medium-sized sea slugs, whose distribution spans from cold, temperate, and tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean to the north and south Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea, and bathymetric range goes from the intertidal to the 160 meters depths of Okenia vancouverensis   was suppressed in 1974 under ICZN Opinion 1014 [O. hispanica. Despite being described more than 20 years ago, it is still only known from its holotype [O. hispanica is a truly Mediterranean endemism or the knowledge of its distribution is still incomplete; new collections are also required to evaluate its phylogenetic relationships with congeneric taxa. Finally, the external and internal anatomy of the O. mediterranea specimen studied here did fit well with that previously described by Cervera et al. [O. mediterranea is made up of two different morphs highly variable in their external anatomy and colour pattern. Unfortunately, the original description lacks detail of its internal anatomy, and therefore a topotype is needed to evaluate putative taxonomic differences between these colour morphs.Unfortunately, the elusive character of pecimens –18, 85. ion 1014 , and thuholotype , 74, 123holotype –125, altholotype . Taking a et al. . Howevera et al.  and Cerva et al.  already Okenia in the Mediterranean Sea, by i) recapitulating all the known records of species within this genus, and highlighting the questionable ones; ii) restricting the taxonomically validated records to O. aspersa, O. elegans, O. hispanica, and O. mediterranea, although leaving doubts on some of those taxa; iii) adding O. problematica sp. nov and O. longiductis sp. nov to the present Mediterranean biota; iv) resolving the status of some intricated taxonomic problems, and proposing Okenia pusilla as a “nomen dubium”. Finally, it restricts the presence of O. cupella, O. impexa, and O. zoobotryon to the western Atlantic, and of O. leachii to the eastern Atlantic. A comparative table highlighting main external diagnostic characters and radular formula of Okenia species living in the Mediterranean is reported in In summary, the present study significantly clarifies the biodiversity of the genus


AbstractAmaryllidaceae tentatively assigned to the tribe Clinantheae, Pamiantheecollis Silverst., Meerow & Sánchez-Taborda, is described from the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental in the department of Cauca, Colombia. The new species differs from the two hitherto known species of Pamianthe in its yellow flowers and in its nearly obsolete perianth tube. The near loss of the perianth tube may be correlated with a change in pollinator. The new species lacks a bulb; it produces a large number of winged seeds that are wind-dispersed. A key to the species of Pamianthe is provided. This is the first record of the genus Pamianthe for Colombia. The phylogenetic position of the genus Pamianthe is discussed.A new saxicolous species of  Amaryllidaceae J. St.-Hil. is a cosmopolitan family represented in Colombia by nine native genera and 26 native species, including a monotypic endemic genus, Plagiolirion Baker  Stapf, P.cardenasii Traub, P.parviflora Meerow, P.peruviana Stapf, and P.quitoensis (Herb.) Stapf. Pamianthequitoensis was transferred to the genus Leptochiton Sealy, as L.quitoensis (Herb.) Sealy, and P.andreana is considered a synonym of this species. Pamianthecardenasii has been placed in the synonymy of P.peruviana , known from Perú and Bolivia. The new species described in this paper is the third species of the genus and the first record from Colombia. It is also the first species of the tribe Clinantheae, to which Pamianthe has been assigned .DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing protocols were as described in nantheae  using thnantheae . A brancnantheae , followeTaxon classificationPlantaeAsparagalesAmaryllidaceaeSilverst., Meerow & Sánchez-Tabordasp. nov.urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77193890-1Pamiantheparviflora Meerow and P.peruviana Stapf in having a yellow perianth and staminal cup (versus white) and in nearly lacking a perianth tube. Additionally, it differs from P.parviflora in having shorter pedicels, a longer ovary, and more numerous ovules, and from P.peruviana in having much longer pedicels, more flowers per umbel, much shorter tepals, a shorter staminal cup that is not exserted from the perianth, and a smaller fruit.This species differs from both J. A. Sánchez-Taborda 2870 . GPS coordinates are withheld to discourage poaching; they are available to bonafide researchers upon request.COLOMBIA. Cauca: Municipio Argelia, road between Nuevo Horizonte and La Montaña, north of the Serranía El Pinche, Cordillera Occidental, western slope Fig. , 2839 m,Terrestrial saxicolous herbs Fig. ; bulb abPamiantheecollis is known only from the type locality . However, this species does not grow within closed forest. The seeds of P.ecollis, which are adapted for anemochory, and a photograph of the population at the type locality , indicate that this species inhabits open areas on steep banks near creeks. Plants from the type collection were growing near a waterfall. Plants from a later collection, from which herbarium specimens were not prepared, were growing on an apparently disturbed, open slope on rocky substrate. The roots of the plants are superficial, immersed in a thick layer of moss, and grasp the surface of the rock. Thus, this species is a lithophyte.ity Fig. . The genPlants were collected in flower in February and in fruit in August.e (without), collum (neck), adjectival collis, referring to the almost absent perianth tube of this species.The specific epithet is from Latin, Since nothing is known of the distribution of this species apart from the type locality, it is best to place it in the category Data Deficient , 2017.Clinantheae places the new species of Pamianthe as sister to P.peruviana with 92% jackknife support, in a subclade that is sister to a second subclade comprising Clinanthus Herb. and Paramongaia Velarde. However, with ITS there is no support for Pamianthe as part of Clinantheae , two lobes or teeth between each two staminal filaments, and the staminal filaments strongly curved inward, as well as numerous, biseriate, winged, wind-dispersed seeds. Leaf width and the conspicuous midvein are similar to that of P.peruviana. It differs from both of the two hitherto known species in having a yellow perianth and staminal cup (versus white in the other two species) and in its nearly obsolete perianth tube. Moreover, P.parviflora has a shorter ovary (10 mm versus 40 mm in P.ecollis) and fewer ovules per locule (about 20 versus about 100 in P.ecollis). Pamiantheperuviana additionally differs in having fewer flowers , shorter pedicels (1.5–3 cm long versus 7–9 cm long in P.ecollis), free tepals much longer , staminal cup 8 cm long and long-exserted (versus ca. 0.5 cm long and included in P.ecollis), and larger fruit .P.peruviana, which contains three nectar-bearing internal channels  perianth tube in channels , may be Gilliesia Lindl. (Amaryllidaceae of closed lowland tropical forest, such as Eucharis Planch. & Lind., are relatively few per locule, subglobose, and wingless, and probably are bird-dispersed, and in one case possibly water-dispersed (The glandular papillae Fig.  on the aa Lindl. . The flaispersed .Clinantheae, which is sister to the tribe Hymenocallideae (Pamianthe may represent the remnants of a once more broadly distributed epiphytic and lithophytic lineage in the tribe that were isolated as the Andes rose to their present position, and moist forests contracted on the western slopes. We are confident that rigorous analysis of our next generation sequence data will successfully resolve the current ambiguous phylogenetic position of the genus.The allideae , was not


Palvennia hoybergeti, is based on the single holotype specimen (SVB 1451) with an incomplete skull. A newly discovered specimen (PMO 222.669) with a disarticulated but largely complete skull and anterior postcranium is described, which considerably expands our knowledge of this taxon. Two additional new ophthalmosaurid specimens with pectoral girdles from the same member are described. The taxonomic utility of the ophthalmosaurid pectoral girdle is contentious, and an assessment of seven pectoral girdles from the Slottsmøya Member provides a basis for addressing this question via a 2D landmark principal component analysis of baracromian coracoids. The analysis reveals a taxonomic signal in the coracoids but also highlights the degree of individual variation. Commonly used phylogenetic characters do not fully encapsulate the degree of variation seen in coracoids and in some cases combine analogous features.The Late Jurassic Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte on Spitsbergen preserves a diverse array of marine reptiles, including four named taxa of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs. One of these,  Ichthyopterygia was one of the major secondarily aquatic vertebrate clades that existed during the Mesozoic. Fossils are found from the Early Triassic (Olenekian) to the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian). The Late Jurassic was an interval with great species richness of thunnosaurian ichthyosaurs that evolved an elongated skull with an enormous eye and forefins larger than hindfins .Palvennia hoybergeti (The Slottsmøya Member Lagerstätte (SML) on Spitsbergen, Norway  and 2, iybergeti  based onOphthalmosaurus icenicus was erected on the basis of characters in the pectoral girdle and forefin  will be used in the text. The ichthyosaur specimen PMO 222.669 was collected in 2011 and PMO 224.250 in 2012. The stratigraphic position of the specimens was determined with a total station. The specimens were collected in protective plaster jackets and transported to NHM in Oslo for mechanical preparation. PMO 222.669 was largely covered in siderite, gypsum, and barite, and an air scribe and a sand blaster were used to remove the matrix. The taphonomy and stratigraphic position of the specimens has previously been discussed in The taxonomic utility of the post-Triassic ichthyosaurian pectoral girdle has been challenged . BecauseOphthalmosaurus and Stenopterygius coracoids can be separated on the basis of this method. The two genera were chosen for this purpose as they are known from multiple specimens. Coracoid landmarks were digitized from photographs either taken by the authors in museum collections or provided by colleagues. Only adult specimens where all landmarks could be scored were included. Photographs were taken from directly above the element to reduce distortion. Both left and right coracoids were used and mirrored to ensure comparable values. Six landmarks were selected  were not included in this study due to a lack of data or insufficient photo quality.A total of 30 specimens were included in the analysis , with thes level . In addiIchthyosauria De Blainville, 1835Neoichthyosauria Sander, 2000Thunnosauria Motani, 1999Ophthalmosauridae Baur, 1887Palvennia hoybergetiDruckenmiller et al., 2012Remark: Several elements from the P. hoybergeti holotype (SVB 1451) that were not included in the original description , whereas in Mollesaurus periallus it is dorsoventrally taller than anteroposteriorly long  and unique character combination: relatively short rostrum with snout ratio of 0.59 (relatively longer in hekiodon ); very lnapartei ); strongextremus ); narrownapartei ); frontaicenicus ); long ficenicus ); *very ustralis ); extracs densus ) and laceriallus ); lateraextremus ); anterihrisorum ); short s densus ); gracilicenicus ); anteronapartei ); medialpondylus ); facet nsolitus ); proximustralis ); absencpondylus ); phalanustralis ).Based on the orientation of the articulated skull roof, braincase, and vertebrae as preserved in the excavation site, PMO 222.669 landed on its dorsal side on the sea floor after death . The speP. hoybergeti and is relatively large compared to other SML specimens, which also support an adult stage  (O. icenicus and Cryopterygius kristiansenae (Platypterygius hercynicus (The preservation of the premaxillae in PMO 222.669 is superior to that seen in the holotype of VB 1451) . They ariansenae . The latrcynicus . In the rcynicus .Athabascasaurus bitumineus, O. icenicus, and Leninia stellans  in having an unusually large parietal foramen bordered by the frontals anteriorly and laterally and the parietals posteriorly, which is autapomorphic for this taxon. The frontals do not contact the supratemporal fenestra, which is similar to the situation in stellans  but diffstellans , 2012.Platypterygius australis , the postorbital bar in y narrow . The posiansenae . The antustralis  and inststellans . The crostellans . From thustralis . The eleicenicus . In lateP. hoybergeti (SVB 1451) , but in contrast to Cryopterygius kristiansenae, which is nearly straight  . In overstraight . The jugtumineus . The substellans . It lackemaxilla . In PMO ustralis , and insPlatypterygius australis, O. icenicus, and Simbirskiasaurus birjukovi  L.L. Delsett, personal observation)  , but becirjukovi , and somrvation)  and Simbirjukovi . On the ustralis . The antnapartei . In ventnapartei .O. icenicus and Gengasaurus nicosiai , the pterygoid is only partially known  . The hyoid is oval in cross-sectional shape, differing from that of Platypterygius hercynicus and Sveltonectes insolitus, which are circular in cross-section for parts of its length  . It was VB 1451) . The hyoicenicus  and moreJ. lundi  and one s length . In medircynicus  and is rO. icenicus, the most robust portion of the element makes up the posterolateral corner of the cranium. From the posterolateral portion, the anterior ramus extends on the lateral side of the supratemporal fenestra and meets with the postfrontal anteriorly. The supratemporal does not contact the frontal in contrast to Platypterygius hercynicus , the basioccipital lacks exposure of extracondylar area in posterior view   , in contnsolitus . The forentrally . The eleextremus .O. icenicus and Athabascasaurus bitumineus  . Two fortumineus . The holforamina , probablforamina . Only onextremus . The venicenicus .P. hoybergeti (SVB 1451) due to poor preservation. In posterior view, the element is pentagonal with a straight ventral margin. The incomplete medial margin is the longest. The element possesses a small, medially directed process probably for articulation with the exoccipital. This morphology differs from Acamptonectes densus, which lacks this process and instead has a concave medial margin  was originally interpreted to be a left as it was found disarticulated on the left side of the skull . HoweverJ. lundi  in contrlekseevi . In anteicenicus . In ventustralis . L. stelosaurids , 2013. IP. hoybergeti (SVB 1451), the quadrates were not described due to poor preservation   . The vens densus . Medial s margin  whereas s margin . In vents margin . On the s margin , but it nicosiai . On the O. icenicus , the left splenial is partly visible in ventral view of the skull. The anterior end is forked as in ustralis , but thee dorsal . The maiustralis . The posvisaurus , and frorior end . The venustralis . In latesis ends . The eleO. icenicus  disarticulated splenial, similar to icenicus  and Platustralis . The eleJ. lundi . The dorustralis . Betweenustralis . The preSveltonectes insolitus   . Many roPlatypterygius hercynicus ; L.L. Delsett, personal observation). The anterior edge is thickened, and the facets for the scapulae are elongated. The posterodorsal tip of the clavicle is dorsoventrally narrow, and widens gradually anteriorly, resembling PMO 222.667, in contrast to the clavicle of J. lundi, which widens more abruptly anteriorly , L.L. Delsett, personal observation)   and morelekseevi . It has nsolitus  and PMO nsolitus . Ventral 222.667  and Platericanus . The gle , L.L. Delsett, personal observation) and N. enthekiodon  dorsal and ventral sides . Its plicenicus . Two paiructures .P. hoybergeti holotype) with the exception of Cryopterygius kristiansenae, which has two facets on one humerus and three facets on the other in addition to several other ophthalmosaurids, for example, Caypullisaurus bonapartei, Acamptonectes densus, and Undorosaurus  and five (on the left) elements, representing metacarpals and phalanges. The elements are circular or oval in dorsal view, not squared as in ustralis , Platyptrcynicus , and Svensolitus . An inteextremus . Some fon natans  have a rTwo small elements were found associated with the left forefin, out of which one has the shape of half an oval and could represent the pisiform. The other is circular in dorsal view and probably a phalanx.P. hoybergeti  or possibly earliest Berriasian (Early Cretaceous). 39.1 m above the echinoderm marker bed   . The ulnSveltonectes insolitus and O. icenicus and . As themosaurus . The int gradual . The gleschensis  where thschensis . Both thhrisorum . The scaArthropterygius chrisorum where this is absent in caudal centra . The visceral surface is concave, but lacks the narrow trough of J. lundi . The intercoracoid facets are dorsoventrally thick near the symphysis and larger ventrally than dorsally. Similar to PMO 222.669, the glenoid and scapular facets well demarcated and have a more acute angle than in Arthropterygius chrisorum .PC1 explains 35.0%, PC2 22.0%, and PC3 16.5%, and the remaining PCs each explain less than 10%, of the variation. Increasing values of PC1 scores describe an increasing anteroposterior length: mediolateral width and a mediolaterally narrower posterior portion, an increasing demarcation of the glenoid and scapular facets, as well as an increasingly mediolaterally narrower anterior notch. PC2 is related to the relative size of the anteromedial process, and PC3 describes mostly the shape of the anteromedial process. In the discriminant analysis, the groups with specimens of Arthropterygius chrisorum, Acamptonectes densus, PMO 222.667, and O. icenicus specimens. The latter type is found in Sveltonectes insolitus and Paraophthalmosaurus kabanovi, and in the SML material PMO 222.658.PC1 manages to separate coracoids that have a distinctly different outline; namely, specimens with a more rounded, equal-sided coracoid can be distinguished from those that are longer than wide, and narrower in the posterior half than in the anterior half. The former are represented by K. nui (PMO 222.655)  , or coveP. hoybergeti, an ophthalmosaurid previously described from the SML (P. hoybergeti (SVB 1451)  . The latVB 1451) .K. nui   .O. icenicus, Cryopterygius kristiansenae, and Acamptonectes densus  foramen  and a cf. Leptonectes specimen also possess enlarged parietal foramina that are egg-shaped and bilobed, respectively  and O. icenicus (Brachypterygius and Caypullisaurus (same refs). Based on the new material, P. hoybergeti possesses the ophthalmosaurine synapomorphy of a supratemporal-stapes contact (P. hoybergeti. A peripheral groove on the basioccipital is often considered an ophthalmosaurine trait and is also present in this specimen, but extremely shallow.icenicus . The oth contact . However contact , 2014a, Ophthalmosaurus and Stenopterygius specimens (Ophthalmosaurus is relatively large, but the specimens do form a cluster. Four of the SML specimens (Cryopterygius kristiansenae holotype cluster inside, together with the Acamptonectes densus and U. gorodischensis holotypes. Except from this, the SML specimens are well separated from each other. The coracoid of Cryopterygius kristiansenae cannot be separated from the variation within Ophthalmosaurus, as suggested earlier (U. gorodischensis and Cryopterygius kristiansenae share many similarities on the coracoids, which is consistent with other features, and Cryopterygius might be a junior synonym of Undorosaurus (PC1 and PC2 almost separate the groups of pecimens . The morpecimens –22 fall  earlier . The holrosaurus .Stenopterygius is the lack or reduction of a posterior notch of the coracoids (Ichthyosaurus (Stenopterygius is not separated from ophthalmosaurids in this analysis. The specimens of Stenopterygius in this analysis have a squarer outline than the ophthalmosaurids and a more demarcated glenoid facet at its posterior margin.A diagnostic character for the genus oracoids . This feyosaurus  and mighStenopterygius and Ichthyosaurus, for instance in the shape and size of the anterior notch (Stenopterygius this is not a consistent relationship (The analysis confirms that there is a significant degree of variation in the outline of the coracoids, as shown by the plot and the relatively low values of the principal components . Individor notch . Howeveror notch . This cationship .Sveltonectes insolitus, PMO 222.667, PMO 222.669, and Cryopterygius kristiansenae represent all four possible combinations of strong/slight dorsal expansion and large/small extent of the dorsolateral flange (O. icenicus and Acamptonectes densus, in the latter probably due to ontogeny (In the scapulae, the acromion process is an important feature, phylogenetically and functionally. A “prominent” acromion process is a synapomorphy of Baracromia , but eval flange  and 22 (l flange . The acrontogeny .Clavicles and interclavicles are rarely preserved and studied because they are more fragile than the scapula and coracoid . The SMLP. hoybergeti is now better understood based on an almost complete partly disarticulated skull and a complete pectoral girdle with two forefins and two distinctly different Ophthalmosauridae indet. specimens add to the knowledge about variation in pectoral girdle and forefin morphology.Three ichthyosaur specimens from the important Late Jurassic—Early Cretaceous SML on Spitsbergen provide new information about cranial and pectoral features in ophthalmosaurids and represent valuable data points in the understanding of the ichthyosaur distribution during this critical time. The species Individual variation in ichthyosaur skeletal elements is currently not well understood. To gain a more quantitative understanding of coracoid outline variation, a PCA of 2D landmarks from six SML specimens and 24 other baracromian specimens was conducted for the first time and provided a valuable input to the debate on the amount of phylogenetic value in the coracoid in post-Triassic ichthyosaurs. Future studies should aim to include a large number of specimens and use quantitative approaches to reveal phylogenetic and evolutionary patterns.10.7717/peerj.5776/supp-1Supplemental Information 1Click here for additional data file.10.7717/peerj.5776/supp-2Supplemental Information 2Click here for additional data file.10.7717/peerj.5776/supp-3Supplemental Information 3Click here for additional data file.10.7717/peerj.5776/supp-4Supplemental Information 4Click here for additional data file.


Large vaginal cysts during pregnancy are rare and can mislead Obstetricians to a false diagnosis, that of “Protruding membranes”. Aspiration of the cyst can be easily performed, resulting in the collapsing of the cyst and an uneventful vaginal delivery can be conducted. The patAccording to the literature, this is one of the few incidences reported,None declared.IKP: handled the patient in the Emergency Room, conceived and wrote the clinical case. IC: treated the patient, provided critical revision of the article. PK: treated the patient, provided critical revision of the article. SM: treated the patient. NT: collected the data. MB: collected the data. KN: was responsible for patient's labor. EP: was responsible for patient's labor. MD: co‐wrote the clinical case. ZF: handled the patient in the Emergency room. GM: performed histological analysis of the vaginal cyst. DL: provided final approval of the version to publish.


The use of multiple technologies in the service of social relations in widely evident. It is not at all clear, however, that we recognize the fundamental changes in social relations that are occurring as a result. Some changes are quite positive, e.g., low cost maintenance of geographically distant but emotionally close relationships. Others can be quite negative, e.g., the lost ability to gauge emotional reactions through face-to-face contact, often resulting in unnecessarily hurtful behaviors. Preliminary data indicate that people selectively use different forms of communication under positive circumstances, e.g. to transmit good news; or negative circumstances, e.g. resolve a dispute/express anger and dependent on the nature or closeness of the relationship e.g., parent, spouse, child. We need to be mindful of the good, the bad, and the ugly of technology; and, its specific effect on the relationships of and with older people.