A novel strain of Leishmania braziliensis harbors not a toti- but a bunyavirus.

Leishmania is a genus of the family Trypanosomatidae that unites obligatory parasitic flagellates causing a variety of vector-borne diseases collectively called leishmaniasis. The symptoms range from relatively innocuous skin lesions to complete failures of visceral organs. The disease is exacerbated if a parasite harbors Leishmania RNA viruses (LRVs) of the family Pseudototiviridae.

The Association of Intraocular Pressure With Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in a Young Farmworker Population.

Prcis: Intraocular pressure (IOP) was found to be significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in a farmworker population located in the southeast Georgia, USA. BMI was correlated with IOP, independent of systemic blood pressures.

Purpose: Elevated IOP is a known risk factor for glaucomatous optic neuropathy and is believed to be associated with obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.

Thoracolumbar curve and Cobb angle in determining spread of spinal anesthesia in Scoliosis. An observational prospective pilot study.

Background And Aims: Disparity in spread of spinal anesthesia is a known complication in scoliosis patients. Our primary aim was to compare this disparity based on Cobb Angle and thorocolumbar spine curvature. Secondary aim was to calculate the appropriate lateral angulation of the spinal needle from midline for successful lumbar puncture.

Anticonvulsant and Antioxidant Effects of Stem Extract on Acute and Chronic Experimental Models of Epilepsy.

Background: (banana) plant extract has been shown to possess antioxidant activity in previous studies. Neuronal injury resulting from oxidative stress is an important factor involved in pathogenesis of epilepsy.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of stem extract (MSSE) in acute and chronic experimental models in mice and its effects on various markers of oxidative stress in the brain of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindled animals.

Effects stem extract on experimental models of anxiety.

Objective: The (banana) plant extract has shown antioxidant activity in previous studies. Oxidative stress is one of the important factors implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. The present study aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic activity of aqueous extract of stem (MSSE) in experimental models in mice.

Effect of Stem Extract on Animal Models of Depression.

Background: , the banana plant, has shown to possess antioxidant activity in previous studies. Oxidative stress has been linked to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD) with evidence of increased serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in MDD patients.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the antidepressant activity of stem extract (MSSE) in experimental models in mice.

Study on the proportion and determinants of polycystic ovarian syndrome among health sciences students in South India.

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) constitutes most cases of endocrine disorder among females.

Objectives: This study was done to assess the proportion of university students with PCOS and to study its risk factors.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected from students of a private medical, dental, and nursing college using a self-administered questionnaire.

Helminths in human carcinogenesis.

This review examines the salient literature on selected helminths involved in carcinogenicity in humans and updates information in an earlier review on cancer and helminths by Mayer and Fried (2007, Advances in Parasitology 65, 239-296). The earlier review was concerned with various helminths, i.e.

Studies on collar spines of echinostomatid trematodes.

This review is mainly concerned with the methods used to study collar spines in echinostomatid trematodes. The salient studies concerned with light microscopy on live and fixed larval and adult echinostomes are reviewed. Similar information is also provided for echinostomatid collar spines examined by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron miscroscopy.

An update on the use of helminths to treat Crohn's and other autoimmunune diseases.

This review updates our previous one (Reddy and Fried, Parasitol Research 100: 921-927, 2007) on Crohn's disease and helminths. The review considers the most recent literature on Trichuris suis therapy and Crohn's and the significant literature on the use of Necator americanus larvae to treat Crohn's and other autoimmune disorders. The pros and cons of helminth therapy as related to autoimmune disorders are discussed in the review.

Atopic disorders and parasitic infections.

This chapter examines the relationship between atopic disorders and parasitic infections. Atopy is an exaggerated IgE-mediated Type-1 immune response in predisposed individuals. Conflicting information exists in regard to the relationship of parasitic infections and the classic allergic diseases, that is, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma.

The use of Trichuris suis and other helminth therapies to treat Crohn's disease.

Infections with gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes are prevalent worldwide, despite the fact that anti-helminthic medications are regarded as safe, efficient, and widely available globally. In this review, we highlight the potential therapeutic benefits that may be realized through the clinical use of Trichuris suis and other helminths for Crohn's disease (CD). Long-lived helminthic parasites are remarkable in their ability to down-regulate host immunity, protecting themselves from elimination, and also minimize severe pathological host changes.

Effects of copper sulfate toxicity on cercariae and metacercariae of Echinostoma caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis and on the survival of Biomphalaria glabrata snails.

Copper in the form of copper sulfate (CuSO4) decreases the survival of Biomphalaria glabrata snails, but the effects of this molluscicide on Echinostoma caproni and Echinostoma trivolvis, 2 species of digeneans that use B. glabrata as intermediate hosts, are not known. Studies were done on the effects of various concentrations of CuSO4 in artificial spring water (ASW) on the survival and infectivity of E.