Characterization of Echinostoma miyagawai in domestic ducks in Wuhu City / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the morphological characteristics of Echinostoma miyagawai in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and to explore the feasibility of the cytochrome oxidase subunit-1 (Cox1) gene as a molecular marker for the identification of E. miyagawai. Methods E. miyagawai was isolated from free-ranged domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the parasites were stained and identified. In addition, the mitochondrial Cox1 gene of E. miyagawai was amplified using a PCR assay, and the amplification product was sequenced and aligned with the GenBank database to yield the homology for the identification of parasite species in combination with morphological findings. Intra-species comparison was done based on the Cox1 gene sequence. Results The prevalence of E. miyagawai infection was 16.67% in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the adult E. miyagawai was 6.6 to 13.2 mm in length. The size of the E. miyagawai Cox1 gene was approximately 660 bp, which had a 99.68% homology to the E. miyagawai accessed in GenBank. The morphological findings were in agreement with molecular identification. Conclusion E. miyagawai infection is common in domestic ducks in Wuhu area, and the mitochondrial Cox1 gene is a feasible marker of intra- and inter-species molecular identification of Echinostoma.

Koyanagi technique for repairing proximal hypospadias with penoscrotal transposition / 中华整形外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the application of Koyanagi technique for repairing proximal hypospadias with penoscrotal transposition.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Koyanagi procedure was used for repairing proximal hypospadias with penoscrotal transposition in 26 boys (mean age 4.2 years) between July 2005 and June 2010.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Primary healing was achieved in 22 cases. Three patients suffered from urinary fistula and the external urethral orifice in one patient was retracted to penis coronary sulcus, who were re-operated successfully. Two cases showed slight penile ventral curvature. Slight stricture of the urethral external orifice was noted in one case, which relieved after one to two times of urethral sounding every week for eight months. 20 patients were followed up for 6-36 months (mean 10.5 months) with good cosmetic result and normal urethra function. The penoscrotal transposition was also corrected.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The original Koyanagi procedure might be one of the simple and effective method for repairing proximal hypospadias with penoscrotal transposition.</p>