Osborneochoa4622

Recent experimental observations have shown evidence of an unexpected sudden drop-off in the dense core vesicles (DCVs) content at the ends of certain types of axon endings. This article seeks to determine whether these observations may be explained without modifying the parameters characterizing the ability of distal en passant boutons to capture and accumulate DCVs. We developed a mathematical model that is based on the conservation of captured and transiting DCVs in boutons. The model consists of 77 ordinary differential equations and is solved using a standard Matlab solver. We hypothesize that the drop in DCV content in distal boutons is due to an insufficient supply of anterogradely moving DCVs coming from the soma. As anterogradely moving DCVs are captured (and eventually destroyed) in more proximal boutons on their way to the end of the terminal, the fluxes of anterogradely moving DCVs between the boutons become increasingly smaller, and the most distal boutons are left without DCVs. We tested this hypothesis by modifying the flux of DCVs entering the terminal and found that the number of most distal boutons left unfilled increases if the DCV flux entering the terminal is decreased. The number of anterogradely moving DCVs in the axon can be increased either by the release of a portion of captured DCVs into the anterograde component or by an increase of the anterograde DCV flux into the terminal. This increase could lead to having enough anterogradely moving DCVs such that they could reach the most distal bouton and then turn around by changing molecular motors that propel them. The model suggests that this could result in an increased concentration of resident DCVs in distal boutons beginning with bouton 2 (the most distal is bouton 1). This is because in distal boutons, DCVs have a larger chance to be captured from the transiting state as they pass the boutons moving anterogradely and then again as they pass the same boutons moving retrogradely.Incidence of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is steadily increasing. It is a mite-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. In this study, the chigger mites were collected from field small mammals in Hwaseong-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province), Korea, 2019 and 2020. The field small mammals captured were 56 Apodemus agrarius (94.9%) and 3 Crocidura lasiura (5.1%). A total of 7,531 chigger mites were collected from the captured small mammals. Using PCR test, 153 chigger mite pools were examined and 17 pools were reported positive for O. tsutsugamushi. The O. tsutsugamushi were identified to 5 strains; Jecheon strain was most prevalent, followed by Boryong strain. The other strains were OI011, Taguchi, and Shimokoshi. Collectively, these results provide essential regional information on mite-borne tsutsugamushi disease in the Hwaseong-si, and further contribute to bring awareness and rapid diagnosis for the tsutsugamushi disease.The present study reports a rare case of Taenia saginata infection, which was initially diagnosed as acute cholecystitis in a Tibetan patient at the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau pastoral area, China. A 45-year-old female was initially diagnosed with acute cholecystitis at a hospital in China. She had a slight fever, weight loss and constipation and complained of pain in the upper abdomen and left back areas. HO-3867 Increase of monocyte, eosinophil and basophil levels were shown. Taenia sp. eggs were detected in a fecal examination. An adult tapeworm approximately 146 cm in length, whitish-yellow color, was collected from the patient after treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. The adult tapeworm had a scolex and proglottids with genital pores. The scolex was rectangular shape with 4 suckers and rostellum without hooklet. The cox1 gene sequence shared 99.5-99.8% homology with that of T. saginata from other regions in China. The patient was diagnosed finally infected with T. saginata by morphological and molecular charateristics.In this study, we intended to describe an unrecorded species of heterophyid trematode recovered from the small intestine of a Korean raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, in Korea. A total of 13 small flukes were collected from a deceased Korean raccoon dog which was found in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, Korea in May 2017. The trematode body were covered with many small spines, rectangular, broader than long, 807-1,103 µm long and 1,270-1,550 µm wide. Oral sucker in the anterior end slightly smaller than acetabulum. Pharynx muscular and well developed. Esophagus relatively long and sigmoid. Acetabulum small and located at median in anterior 2/5 portion. Ceca bifurcated at the anterior of genital pore and acetabulum and terminated at testis level. Testes larger, deeply lobed and located at the near of posterior end of body. Ovary small, triangular and located at the slight left of median and the anterior of left testis. Vitelline follicles dendritic and extend from the middle level of esophagus to the posterior portion of body. Eggs embryonated, operculated, small and 33-35×15-16 µm in size. Based on the morphological characteristics, the small heterophyid flukes recovered from the small intestines of Korean raccoon dog, N. procyonoides koreensis, were identified as Euryhelmis squamula (Digenea Heterophyidae). Accordingly, this species of heterophyid flukes is to be a new trematode fauna in Korea by this study.Toxoplasma gondii infection is widespread worldwide, not only posing a serious threat to human food safety and animal husbandry, but also endangering human health. The selectivity index was employed to measure anti-T. gondii activity. Hederagenin (HE) exhibited potent anti-T. gondii activity and low cytotoxicity. For this reason, HE was selected for in vivo experiments. HE showed 64.8%±13.1% inhibition for peritoneal tachyzoites in mice, higher than spiramycin 56.8%±6.0%. Biochemical parameters such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, glutathione, and malondialdehyde, illustrated that HE was a good inhibitor of T. gondii in vivo. This compound was also effective in relieving T. gondii-induced liver damage. Collectively, it was demonstrated that HE had potential as an anti-T. gondii agent.Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is considered as a fatal zoonosis caused by the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lungs and brain are the most common metastatic organs. We report a human case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis accompanied by lung and brain metastasis. In particular, the patient had a history of tuberculosis and the lung lesions were easily misdiagnosed as lung abscesses. The lesions of liver and lung underwent radical resection and confirmed as alveolar echinococcosis by pathological examination. The patient had no surgical complications after operation and was discharged after symptomatic treatment. Unfortunately, the patient later developed multiple intracerebral AE metastases. We required the patient to take albendazole orally for life and follow up.This study aimed to characterize the seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from April to November 2019 and 2020 on Ganghwa-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The ticks were collected at grassland, grave site, copse and mountain road using a collection trap method. The ixodid hard ticks comprising three species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) collected were 6,622 in 2019 and 3,811 in 2020. H. longicornis was the most frequent (97.9% in 2019 and 96.0% in 2020), followed by H. flava (2.0% and 3.0% in 2019 and 2020, respectively) and I. nipponensis (less than 0.1%). Our study demonstrated that seasonal patterns of the tick populations examined for two years were totally unsimilar. The hard ticks tested using RT-qPCR were all negative for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.Biting midges (Culicoides Ceratopogonidae) were collected using New Jersey light traps at Yongsan US Army Garrison (USAG;urban), Seoul Metropolitan city and Camp Humphreys USAG (rural), Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do (province), Republic of Korea , from May-October 2010-2013 and 2015-2017, to determine species composition and seasonal distribution patterns in urban and rural habitats. A total of 9,958 female (53.85%) and 8,533 male (46.15%) Culicoides comprising 16 species were collected. Overall, the most commonly collected species was Culicoides arakawae (74.3%), followed by C. circumscriptus (16.2%), C. kibunensis (2.5%), C. nasuensis (2.2%), C. clavipalpis (1.4%), and C. pallidulus (1.3%), while the remaining 10 species accounted for less then 2.1% of all Culicoides spp. collected. The 2 predominant species collected were C. circumscriptus (47.4%) and C. arakawae (33.4%) at Yongsan, and C. arakawae (90.4%) and C. circumscriptus (3.9%) at Camp Humphreys. The seasonal abundance of these 2 species varied between years and between sites but on average peaked in August-September for C. arakawae and June-July for C. circumscriptus. Annual variations in abundance were observed for most species collected during this study. Unusually high proportions of male specimens were observed for most species at both sites which may be due to the use of the New Jersey trap.We surveyed on the infection status of zoonotic trematode metacercariae (ZTM) in freshwater fishes from Soyang-cheon (a branch stream of Mangyeong-gang) in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, the Republic of Korea. A total of 927 fishes were individually examined with the artificial digestion method during 2013-2015 (462 fish in 15 spp.) and 2018-2019 (465 fish in 25 spp.). Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae were detected in 207 (31.4%) out of 659 fishes in 14 positive fish species (PFS), and their mean intensity was 114 per fish infected (PFI). Metagonimus spp. metacercariae were found in 302 (37.4%) out of 808 fishes in 21 PFS, and their mean intensity was 12 PFI. Centrocestus armatus metacercariae were detected in 222 (59.0%) out of 376 fishes in 12 PFS, and their mean intensity was 383 PFI. Echinostoma spp. metacercariae were found in 139 (22.1%) out of 628 fishes in 10 PFS, and their mean intensity was 7 PFI. Clinostomum complanatum metacercariae were detected in 14 (6.5%) out of 214 fishes in 4 PFS, and their mean intensity was 2.4 PFI. Metorchis orientalis metacercariae were detected in 36 (13.5%) out of 267 fishes in 5 PFS, and their mean intensity was 4.3 PFI. Conclusively, the prevalence and infection intensity of ZTM is generally not so high in fishes from Soyang-cheon. However, those of C. sinensis metacercariae are more or less higher in 2 fish species, Pungtungia herzi and Sarcocheilichthys variegatus wakiyae.Human gnathostomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Gnathostoma nematode infection. A rapid, reliable, and practical immunoassay, named dot immuno-gold filtration assay (DIGFA), was developed to supporting clinical diagnosis of gnathostomiasis. The practical tool detected anti-Gnathostoma-specific IgG4 in human serum using crude extract of third-stage larvae as antigen. The result of the test was shown by anti-human IgG4 monoclonal antibody conjugated colloidal gold. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were both 100% for detection in human sera from patients with gnathostomiasis (13/13) and from healthy negative controls (50/50), respectively. Cross-reactivity with heterogonous serum samples from patients with other helminthiases ranged from 0 (trichinosis, paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis, schistosomiasis, and cysticercosis) to 25.0% (sparganosis), with an average of 6.3% (7/112). Moreover, specific IgG4 antibodies diminished at 6 months after treatment. This study showed that DIGFA for the detection of specific IgG4 in human sera could be a promising tool for the diagnosis of gnathostomiasis and useful for evaluating therapeutic effects.