Leptospirosis outbreak in Ecuador in 2023: A pilot study for surveillance from a One Health perspective.

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonotic disease that is endemic in tropical regions, including Ecuador. It is caused by spirochetes of the genus , which can infect humans through animal reservoirs such as rats and dogs, or through contact with contaminated water or soil. In March 2023, public health authorities declared a concerning outbreak of leptospirosis in Durán Cantón, located in the Coastal region of Ecuador.

Risk Factors Associated with Attacks of Hematophagous Bats () on Cattle in Ecuador.

In recent years, there has been an increasing risk of hematophagous bat attacks in Latin America, where livestock production is a basic source of food for local populations. In Ecuador, livestock represented an important part of agricultural output. Some cases of cattle bitten by bats in the province of Santa Elena have been reported; however, no previous studies have been conducted to determine the magnitude of the attacks and the associated risk factors.

Transcriptomic information from Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) ovary and eyestalk, and expression patterns for genes putatively involved in the reproductive process.

The increased use of massive sequencing technologies has enabled the identification of several genes known to be involved in different mechanisms associated with reproduction that so far have only been studied in vertebrates and other model invertebrate species. In order to further investigate the genes involved in Litopenaeus vannamei reproduction, cDNA and SSH libraries derived from female eyestalk and gonad were produced, allowing the identification of expressed sequences tags (ESTs) that potentially have a role in the regulation of gonadal maturation. In the present study, different transcripts involved in reproduction were identified and a number of them were characterized as full-length.

A novel CHH gene from the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei was characterized and found highly expressed in gut and less in eyestalk and other extra-eyestalk tissues.

The crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) family is an important group of neuropeptides involved in controlling growth, reproduction, and stress response in decapod species. In this study, a new gene containing 4 exons-3 introns flanked by canonical 5'-GT-AG-3' intron splice-site junctions was isolated from Litopenaeus vannamei. Two full length transcripts of this CHH were isolated from eyestalk and pericardial tissue of males and females using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE).

Outcomes of open intraperitoneal incisional hernia repair based on patient-reported outcomes.

Purpose: The outcomes of open incisional hernia repair from the patients' point of view have variations over time, and only continuous follow-up would reflect the real outcomes. The purpose of this study is to validate a standard measurement instrument in the form of a questionnaire to report the evolutionary outcomes of a specific open technique to repair incisional hernias.

Methods: Prospective study follows up a cohort of 82 consecutive patients submitted to elective intraperitoneal open hernioplasty of midline incisional hernias.