Hepatic biomarkers and coprology as indicators of clinical bovine fasciolosis in Chad

Background and Aim: Fasciolosis is a cosmopolitan parasitic disease of food-producing animals and is typically caused by digenetic trematodes, Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica. It has a direct negative impact on the liver and consequently affects liver metabolism. It has indirect effects, including lowered milk production and effects on quality and general health conditions leading to extensive economic losses. This study aimed to focus on the link between clinical fasciolosis and some biochemical analysis of the hepatic profile of cattle in Chad. Materials and Methods: This study was initiated in response to emerging complaints from dairy cattle owners detecting a bitter milk cream and butter taste. Furthermore, those animals had shown poor health conditions by presenting with diarrhea. Preliminary surveillance for possible causes was performed, including fecal and serum biochemical analyses and clinical observation to diagnose the possible disease. Results: The results obtained, including the finding of parasite stages during the coprological examination, confirmed the role of fasciolosis. The independent sample t-test indicated highly significantly altered values of all biochemical liver indicators in the infected animals. All animals were treated with two doses of rafoxanide (3 mg/kg b.w.) S/C, at 21 days intervals, with vitamin supplements, mineral mixtures, and food additives. Surprisingly, the main complaint was restored after treatment. This is another evident clue of fasciolosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first recent study that diagnosed fasciolosis in Chad. Conclusion: This study emphasized the importance of fasciolosis, its negative impact on milk taste, and the necessity for veterinary advice regarding routine examination and prophylactic measures, especially before autumn, to minimize economic losses. However, regardless of the small sample size, this study could serve as a cornerstone for future studies on evaluating the accurate epidemiological status of fasciolosis in Chad. This study reported a close association between the alteration of liver enzymes and total protein levels in fasciolosis and the bitter milk cream taste, which could be used as a diagnostic tool for fasciolosis.

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The Cottage: providing medical respite care in a home-like environment for people experiencing homelessness

Housing Care and Support ◽

10.1108/hcs-08-2018-0020 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 54-64

Author(s):

Angela Gazey ◽

Shannen Vallesi ◽

Karen Martin ◽

Craig Cumming ◽

Lisa Wood

Keyword(s):

Case Studies ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Small Sample ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Hospital Inpatient ◽

City Hospital ◽

Post Discharge ◽

Content Type ◽

The Usa

Purpose Co-existing health conditions and frequent hospital usage are pervasive in homeless populations. Without a home to be discharged to, appropriate discharge care and treatment compliance are difficult. The Medical Respite Centre (MRC) model has gained traction in the USA, but other international examples are scant. The purpose of this paper is to address this void, presenting findings from an evaluation of The Cottage, a small short-stay respite facility for people experiencing homelessness attached to an inner-city hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach This mixed methods study uses case studies, qualitative interview data and hospital administrative data for clients admitted to The Cottage in 2015. Hospital inpatient admissions and emergency department presentations were compared for the 12-month period pre- and post-The Cottage. Findings Clients had multiple health conditions, often compounded by social isolation and homelessness or precarious housing. Qualitative data and case studies illustrate how The Cottage couples medical care and support in a home-like environment. The average stay was 8.8 days. There was a 7 per cent reduction in the number of unplanned inpatient days in the 12-months post support. Research limitations/implications The paper has some limitations including small sample size, data from one hospital only and lack of information on other services accessed by clients (e.g. housing support) limit attribution of causality. Social implications MRCs provide a safe environment for individuals to recuperate at a much lower cost than inpatient admissions. Originality/value There is limited evidence on the MRC model of care outside of the USA, and the findings demonstrate the benefits of even shorter-term respite post-discharge for people who are homeless.

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COVID-19 potentially causes long-term deterioration of lung function: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Medical Journal of Indonesia ◽

10.13181/mji.oa.215660 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 279-89

Author(s):

Yudha Nur Patria ◽

Rahmaningsih Mara Sabirin

Keyword(s):

Lung Function ◽

Pulmonary Function ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Small Sample ◽

Lung Function Measurement ◽

Meta Analyses

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 is an emerging disease that commonly involves respiratory complaints, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. The effect of COVID-19 on pulmonary function is still unclear and only based on sporadic reports with a small sample size. This study aimed to compile evidence on the pulmonary function of patients who have recovered from COVID-19. METHODS Literature searching was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and CINAHL. Any types of studies published before June 26, 2020 and reported lung function tests of post-COVID-19 patients were included. Articles reporting data from early hospitalization were excluded. The risk of bias was measured using tools developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Meta-analysis was done using a meta statistical package in R and presented in the random effects model. RESULTS 378 recovered COVID-19 patients in 7 studies were included. The lung function measurement periods were varied, ranging from 14 days after hospitalization to 10 weeks after receiving rehabilitation. Meta-analyses found that the pooled mean of diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide in recovered COVID-19 patients was lower than 80% predicted, whereas the other parameters were normal. The forced vital capacity and total lung capacity showing restrictive lung disorders were significantly lower in the severe COVID-19 survivors. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 has a negative impact on lung function for at least several weeks in the recovery period. Diffusion and restrictive problems could be the main long-term consequences of COVID-19.

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Circulating MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Still a Long Way to Go

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2022/4180215 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 2022 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Matteo Sobrero ◽

Fabrizio Montecucco ◽

Federico Carbone

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Embolism ◽

Clinical Application ◽

Acute Pulmonary Embolism ◽

Clinical Evidence ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Small Sample ◽

Development Organization

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents the third most frequent cause of acute cardiovascular syndrome. Among VTE, acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is the most life-threatening complication. Due to the low specificity of symptoms clinical diagnosis of APE may be sometimes very difficult. Accordingly, the latest European guidelines only suggest clinical prediction tests for diagnosis of APE, eventually associated with D-dimer, a biomarker burdened by a very low specificity. A growing body of evidence is highlighting the role of miRNAs in hemostasis and thrombosis. Due to their partial inheritance and susceptibility to the environmental factors, miRNAs are increasingly described as active modifiers of the classical Virchow’s triad. Clinical evidence on deep venous thrombosis reported specific miRNA signatures associated to thrombosis development, organization, recanalization, and resolution. Conversely, data of miRNA profiling as a predictor/diagnostic marker of APE are still preliminary. Here, we have summarized clinical evidence on the potential role of miRNA in diagnosis of APE. Despite some intriguing insight, miRNA assay is still far from any potential clinical application. Especially, the small sample size of cohorts likely represents the major limitation of published studies, so that extensive analysis of miRNA profiles with a machine learning approach are warranted in the next future. In addition, the cost-benefit ratio of miRNA assay still has a negative impact on their clinical application and routinely test.

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Assessment of Business Interruption of Flood-Affected Companies Using Random Forests

Water ◽

10.3390/w10081049 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1049 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Zakia Sultana ◽

Tobias Sieg ◽

Patric Kellermann ◽

Meike Müller ◽

Heidi Kreibich

Keyword(s):

Random Forests ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Important Variable ◽

Small Sample ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Data Set ◽

Variable Importance Measures ◽

Interruption Costs ◽

Business Interruption

Losses due to floods have dramatically increased over the past decades, and losses of companies, comprising direct and indirect losses, have a large share of the total economic losses. Thus, there is an urgent need to gain more quantitative knowledge about flood losses, particularly losses caused by business interruption, in order to mitigate the economic loss of companies. However, business interruption caused by floods is rarely assessed because of a lack of sufficiently detailed data. A survey was undertaken to explore processes influencing business interruption, which collected information on 557 companies affected by the severe flood in June 2013 in Germany. Based on this data set, the study aims to assess the business interruption of directly affected companies by means of a Random Forests model. Variables that influence the duration and costs of business interruption were identified by the variable importance measures of Random Forests. Additionally, Random Forest-based models were developed and tested for their capacity to estimate business interruption duration and associated costs. The water level was found to be the most important variable influencing the duration of business interruption. Other important variables, relating to the estimation of business interruption duration, are the warning time, perceived danger of flood recurrence and inundation duration. In contrast, the amount of business interruption costs is strongly influenced by the size of the company, as assessed by the number of employees, emergency measures undertaken by the company and the fraction of customers within a 50 km radius. These results provide useful information and methods for companies to mitigate their losses from business interruption. However, the heterogeneity of companies is relatively high, and sector-specific analyses were not possible due to the small sample size. Therefore, further sector-specific analyses on the basis of more flood loss data of companies are recommended.

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The Impact of Breast Cancer on Female Sexuality: An Integrative Literature Review

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v9n5p180 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 180 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana Rita P Castelo ◽

Mônica Oliveira B Oriá ◽

Anne Fayma L Chaves ◽

Karine C Bezerra ◽

Ana Fátima C Fernandes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Literature Review ◽

Latin American ◽

Female Sexuality ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

The Impact

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to conduct an integrative literature review on the impact of breast cancer (CA) on female sexuality.METHODS: The search was performed online in November 2014 using the following databases: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS) and the Cochrane Library. The search results consisted of 13 articles.SYNTHESIS: Most studies have shown that women have less lubrication and a decrease in desire, which directly affect their quality of life. Moreover, 70% of the articles described limitations of the studies, the most cited of which were as follows: small sample size because of the feeling that participants considered the theme to be embarrassing, the altered emotional state decreased willingness to participate in the study, and the non-participation of husbands in the study reduced the impact on marital intimacy.CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that breast cancer has a negative impact on the sexual function of women who are affected by this disease.

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Activity throughout the lichen phylogeny indicates a focus on regulation of specialized metabolites

10.1101/2020.07.09.195743 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ludmila V. Roze ◽

Maris Laivenieks ◽

Kristi Gdanetz ◽

John E. Linz ◽

Alan M. Fryday ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Activities ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Close Association ◽

Small Sample ◽

Lichen Species ◽

Specialized Metabolism ◽

Specialized Metabolites ◽

Lichen Community ◽

Interesting Study

AbstractLichens are complex multi-microorganismal communities that have evolved the ability to share their thalli with a variety of microorganisms. As such, the lichenized fungus becomes a scaffold for a variety of microbes and occasionally insects. Lichens are known to produce a plethora of unique specialized (secondary) compounds that demonstrate biological activities, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant, that may provide protection from harmful microbes. The longevity of lichens and their robustness, despite a close association with diverse microbes, provides an interesting study system to view the role of specialized metabolites in managing a microbial community. The objective of this study was to identify the effects lichens may have on basic functions of fungi in and on the lichens. We tested chemical extracts from lichen species across the phylogenetic tree for their effects on sporulation, hyphal growth and specialized metabolite production, using two well-studied mycotoxigenic fungi (Aspergillus parasiticus (aflatoxin) and Fusarium graminearum (trichothecenes) whose functions are easily observed in culture. By far the most prevalent activity among the 67 lichens we tested were effects on accumulation of fungal specialized metabolites, which appeared in 92% of the lichen species analyzed across the phylogeny, although the lichen extracts were also active against fungal sporulation (31%) and growth (12%). The consistent presence of this regulatory activity for specialized metabolism indicates this is an important aspect of lichen integrity. Interestingly, inhibition of accumulation of products of the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway was the predominant activity, whereas increased accumulation versus decreased accumulation of the production of trichothecenes were about equal. This suggests multiple mechanisms for addressing fungal processes. We performed microbiome analysis of four lichen species and identified oomycetes as members of the microbiomes. Although a small sample size was used for comparing microbiomes, the lichen species exhibiting lower effects on the test fungi had a higher number of OTUs. Members of the lichen community may manipulate specialized metabolism of the essential and transient fungal members and thus attenuate negative interactions with the incumbent fungi or, alternatively, may support the production of compounds by beneficial fungal partners. The ability to control the microbiome by specialized metabolites as opposed to controlling by reducing sporulation of growth, can be effective, discerning, and energetically thrifty, allowing the microbiome members to be controlled without being invasive. Elucidating the role of specialized metabolites in the mechanisms underlying lichen assembly and function has important implications for understanding not only lichen community assembly but for revealing the fundamental processes in microbiota in general.

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Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in ruminants in Ukraine: a 5-year meta-analysis

Biosystems Diversity ◽

10.15421/012131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 251-257

Author(s):

O. V. Kruchynenko ◽

S. M. Mykhailiutenko ◽

M. A. Petrenko ◽

L. M. Kuzmenko

Keyword(s):

Fasciola Hepatica ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Live Weight ◽

The Body ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

The European Union ◽

Gastrointestinal Helminths ◽

Wide Range

The production of environmentally friendly livestock products is currently receiving much attention, especially in the European Union. The problem of monitoring the quality and safety of meat and milk in modern conditions is relevant not only for Ukraine but also for the world community. The scientific substantiation of the methods of research on meat for sale subject to invasive diseases is especially important, as the product may pose risks to the consumer. One of the criteria for assessing the welfare of a herd is the prevalence of helminthiases in cattle. Ruminant parasitoses in Ukraine have always been and remain a separate, often significant, problem for veterinary specialists. Helminths have evolved to use a wide range of ecological niches. In this study, we tried to quantify the prevalence of helminthiases among ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) in Ukraine. The relevant studies were searched for in the online databases. The meta-analysis included 15 publications from January 2015 to December 2020 which reported the spread of parasites in Ukraine. The research results show that the infestation of ruminants with gastrointestinal helminths on the territory of Ukraine is 56.7%. Egger’s regression test revealed no significant publication bias. During the period of pastured farming, stable parasitocenoses are formed in the body of ruminants. The parasitoses are caused by helminths (gastrointestinal strongyles, liver flukes, paramphistomas, dicrocelia). They are recorded in monoinvasions or mixed invasions. Ruminants, according to helminthological examination in different climatic zones, are constantly infested with trematodes. In Ukraine, the presence of three species of flukes has been confirmed in ruminants: Fasciola hepatica, Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Paramphistomum cervi. Parasitization by those species negatively affects the profitability of dairy farming. Trematodes cause significant economic losses: reduced milk productivity of cows, reduced live weight gain of young animals, negative impact on reproduction. At the same time, fascioliasis is socially significant and dangerous to humans. According to the analyzed literature sources, two types of cestodes have been registered in Ukraine: Moniezia benedeni and M. expansa. The epizootic situation regarding nematodes is just as fraught. That is the most numerous group of helminths, their fauna is represented by the following species: Strongyloides papillosus, Nematodirus spathiger, Bunostomum spp., Oesophagostomum radiatum, Haemonchus contortus, Toxocara vitulorum, Trichuris skrjabini, T. ovis and T. globulosa. It is proven that in cattle parasitocenoses are recorded more often than monoinvasions. The highest rates of prevalence of infection were observed when polyinvasion included gastrointestinal strongyles, namely from the order Strongylida. Strongyloides papillosus is the most common taxonomic representative, while Fasciola hepatica has the lowest prevalence of infection, especially in sheep. Updated data on helminthiasis will expand the screening strategy to maintain the health of farm ruminants and reduce economic losses.

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Neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NACRT) and the prognostic effect of surgical margin (SM) status in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.33.3_suppl.407 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 407-407

Author(s):

Lora S Wang ◽

John Parker Hoffman ◽

Elizabeth Handorf ◽

Colin T. Murphy ◽

Harry S. Cooper ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Surgical Margin ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation ◽

Small Sample ◽

R0 Resection ◽

Palliative Intent ◽

Prognostic Effect ◽

Group I ◽

Group Ii

407 Background: Many studies have associated a R0 resection to have significantly improved survival compared with a R1 resection in PAC. Patients (pts) who undergo NACRT often go to surgery 4-8 weeks after the end of therapy, before the effects of NACRT can be fully manifested. The goal of this study is to evaluate if a positive SM (+SM) after NACRT has the same poor prognosis as a +SM after upfront surgery. Methods: After IRB approval, we retrospectively reviewed all cases of surgically resected PAC at a single institution from Dec 1996 to Jan 2014. Pts were stratified by receipt of NACRT as well as by SM status. We excluded pts treated with palliative intent, metastatic disease at presentation, death within 90 days of surgery, and biliary or ampullary tumors. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). We assessed the relationship between pt and tumor variables with treatment/margin combination using Chi-squared tests. OS was examined using Kaplan-Meier curves, and we tested association with treatment/margin using log-rank tests. Results: A total of 213 pts met inclusion criteria; 111 received upfront surgery (group I) with 94 (85%) receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or CRT and 102 received NACRT (group II) with either concurrent 5-fluorouracil (n=18) or gemcitabine (n=84). There were 31 pts with +SM in group I and 29 pts in group II. Pt demographics were balanced. There was more vessel involvement in group II (81%) at diagnosis than group I (11%) (p<0.01) with a trend towards improved OS in group II vs group I (p=0.09). Pathological evaluation revealed more PNI (61% vs 42%, p<0.01) and more lymph node positivity (71% vs 33%, p<0.01) in group I vs group II, respectively. Median OS for group I SM+/SM- and group II SM+/SM- were 15/25 months and 26/32 months respectively. OS is significantly improved with a negative SM (-SM) compared with a +SM (p<0.01). If the SM is positive, pts in group II had improved OS compared with group I (p=0.02). OS was not significantly different for group II +SM vs group I –SM (p=0.34). Conclusions: The negative impact of a +SM on survival is partially mitigated by NACRT. This data further supports the use of NACRT, although it is limited by its retrospective nature and small sample size.

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Trust antecedents: emotional intelligence and perceptions of others

International Journal of Organizational Analysis ◽

10.1108/ijoa-07-2013-0695 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 89-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Anne M.H. Christie ◽

Peter J. Jordan ◽

Ashlea C. Troth

Keyword(s):

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Workplace Performance ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Cross Sectional Design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if teachers’ trust in others is predicted by their perceptions of others and their emotional intelligence. Employees need to trust others to achieve outcomes, and a lack of trust can have a negative impact on workplace performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper surveys a sample of 84 employed teachers. Findings – Our findings show that perceptions of others’ ability, benevolence and integrity are strongly and positively associated with trust. The emotional intelligence ability to perceive emotions is also related to trust. Regression analysis showed that perceptions of others (ability and integrity) and an individual’s emotional intelligence (perceiving) combined to predict a large portion of the variance in trust. Research limitations/implications – This study was limited by a small sample size and the use of a cross-sectional design. These issues were addressed in our analysis. Originality/value – The majority of trust research examines employee-to-manager trust. Our study is one of the few to examine trust among co-workers. This study also contributes to research on the emotional intelligence and trust relationship by showing that the ability to perceive one’s own and others emotions significantly predicts increases in trust. It also reaffirms that perceptions of others’ integrity and ability are strongly linked to trust, but that further investigation of the benevolence construct is required.

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Probing the ultrastructure of the mitotic and meiotic spindle in eggs: An expeditious approach based on semi-thin (0.25 μm) serial sections

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100076408 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 552-555

Author(s):

Conly L. Rieder ◽

S. Bowser ◽

R. Nowogrodzki ◽

K. Ross ◽

G. Sluder

Keyword(s):

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Meiotic Spindle ◽

Serial Sections ◽

Mitotic Apparatus ◽

Thin Sections ◽

Cell Cycles ◽

Ultrastructural Studies

Eggs have long been a favorite material for studying the mechanism of karyokinesis in-vivo and in-vitro. They can be obtained in great numbers and, when fertilized, divide synchronously over many cell cycles. However, they are not considered to be a practical system for ultrastructural studies on the mitotic apparatus (MA) for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that sectioning them is a formidable task: over 1000 ultra-thin sections need to be cut from a single 80-100 μm diameter egg and of these sections only a small percentage will contain the area or structure of interest. Thus it is difficult and time consuming to obtain reliable ultrastructural data concerning the MA of eggs; and when it is obtained it is necessarily based on a small sample size.We have recently developed a procedure which will facilitate many studies concerned with the ultrastructure of the MA in eggs. It is based on the availability of biological HVEM's and on the observation that 0.25 μm thick serial sections can be screened at high resolution for content (after mounting on slot grids and staining with uranyl and lead) by phase contrast light microscopy (LM; Figs 1-2).

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