A forced running wheel system with a microcontroller that provides high-intensity exercise training in an animal ischemic stroke model

We developed a forced non-electric-shock running wheel (FNESRW) system that provides rats with high-intensity exercise training using automatic exercise training patterns that are controlled by a microcontroller. The proposed system successfully makes a breakthrough in the traditional motorized running wheel to allow rats to perform high-intensity training and to enable comparisons with the treadmill at the same exercise intensity without any electric shock. A polyvinyl chloride runway with a rough rubber surface was coated on the periphery of the wheel so as to permit automatic acceleration training, and which allowed the rats to run consistently at high speeds (30 m/min for 1 h). An animal ischemic stroke model was used to validate the proposed system. FNESRW, treadmill, control, and sham groups were studied. The FNESRW and treadmill groups underwent 3 weeks of endurance running training. After 3 weeks, the experiments of middle cerebral artery occlusion, the modified neurological severity score (mNSS), an inclined plane test, and triphenyltetrazolium chloride were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed platform. The proposed platform showed that enhancement of motor function, mNSS, and infarct volumes was significantly stronger in the FNESRW group than the control group (P<0.05) and similar to the treadmill group. The experimental data demonstrated that the proposed platform can be applied to test the benefit of exercise-preconditioning-induced neuroprotection using the animal stroke model. Additional advantages of the FNESRW system include stand-alone capability, independence of subjective human adjustment, and ease of use.

Los probioticos tienen eficacia clinica, microbiologica e inmunolólica en la diarrea infecciosa aguda / Probiotics have clinical efficacy, microbiological and immunological acute infectious diarrhea

La diarrea infecciosa aguda es una causa importante de morbilidad en la infancia y responsable de unacarga económica para las familias. Es este estudio se evaluó las características clínicas, microbiológicas,inmunológicas y efectos de los probióticos en diarrea infecciosa aguda.

Atopic cataracts in a child with atopic dermatitis: a case report and review of the literature.

Cataracts induced by atopic dermatitis rarely occur in adolescent and young adult patients suffering from this problem. Lenticular opacity is an important ocular complication in atopic dermatitis. Although the cause of atopic dermatitis and its ocular complications are unknown, cataracts have been observed to develop and progress during periods of exacerbation of the dermatitis. We report the case of a 16-year-old boy with atopic dermatitis who abruptly developed cataracts in both eyes while suffering from severe skin itching which began 2 months before the initial examination. His peroxidation test result was very high, and we postulate the retinal peroxidation might play a key role in cataractogenesis. Lens aspiration and intraocular artificial lens implantation were performed smoothly with restoration of visual acuity in both eyes.

Exsheathment of microfilariae of Brugia pahangi in Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Culex quinquefasciatus.

In order to determine whether the exsheathment patterns described in our previous study occurred in other microfilaria-mosquito systems, exsheathment of microfilariae of Brugia pahangi was studied in two species of mosquitoes. The results of the quantitative observation revealed that the microfilariae of Brugia pahangi tend to carry their sheaths into the haemocoel of Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Culex quinquefasciatus within 4 hr after infected blood meals. The percentage of the sheathed microfilariae in the haemocoel progressively decreased to 0% at 24 hr post-ingestion. Microfilariae remaining in the midgut of both species of mosquitoes were recorded most frequently casting off their sheaths in the midgut 2 hr post-ingestion. The percentage of microfilariae exsheathed in the midgut progressively increased to about 100% and 40% 24 hr post-ingestion in Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Culex quinquefasciatus respectively. These results confirm that exsheathment of microfilariae of Brugia pahangi occurs both in the haemocoel and in the midgut of two species of mosquitoes.

Persistence of hepatitis B viral antigens in Culex quinquefasciatus.

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were fed on or inoculated with blood or serum positive for hepatitis B viral antigens and pools of mosquitoes were tested by radioimmunoassay daily for 3 weeks after exposure to detect the viral antigens. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detectable up to 3 weeks, while hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) persisted only for 3 days in mosquitoes after feeding on hepatitis B viral antigens-positive blood. Mosquitoes inoculated with serum were HBsAg-positive for 3 weeks and HBeAg positive for 4 days after inoculation. These results suggest that biological multiplication of hepatitis B virus did not occur in these mosquitoes. The possibility of mechanical transmission of hepatitis B antigens by mosquitoes is discussed.

The effect of diethylcarbamazine treatment on the development of bancroftian microfilariae in Culex p. fatigans.

Bancroftian microfilarie survived after one to three courses of diethylcarbamazine treatment in carriers and the larvae able to reach the infective stage in Culex p. fatigans. The infection rate and the development of infective larvae per infected mosquito from DEC-treated carriers was much lower than from the untreated carrier. The fact that surving MF can develop to infective stage in their vector indicates that such filarial carriers may be important sources for transmission of filariasis in the endemic areas after suspension of control measures.