Integrative Taxonomy Reveals Hidden Diversity in the Complex (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta).

is a variable moss typical of xerophytic environments in the Neotropics, characterized against other closely allied species with well-differentiated leaf border by its setae twisted to the left throughout. In order to clarify its variability and its relationships with the allied species with differentiated leaf border , , and , we performed an integrative study including sequence data from four markers (nuclear ITS, plastid B-L, G, L-F), morphometry, and species assembling by automatic partitioning (ASAP) algorithm. Our data suggest that consists of at least three species: (an earlier name for .

Circumscription and Phylogenetic Position of Two Propagulose Species of (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta) Reveals Minor Realignments within the Tribe Syntricheae.

In the course of a worldwide revision of the genus , we identified problems in the circumscription of some species of the genus as well as among some allied genera grouped in the tribe Syntricheae. This is the case for the two propagulose and , closely related to We analyzed phylogenetic relationships between these species, based on nuclear (ITS) and two plastid (L-F and G) markers and morphological features. Species delimitation using molecular data was consistent with our preliminary morphological inference.

Decolonizing Science Diplomacy: A Case Study of the Dominican Republic's COVID-19 Response.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare systems globally to handle a dramatic surge in healthcare utilization while also taxing available testing resources. In the context of healthcare systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, COVID-19 added to the existing burden of infectious diseases related to endemic infections such as arboviruses and HIV. In the Dominican Republic, testing is supplied mostly by the private sector and a national public laboratory.

C-Reactive Protein and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Predict Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome After Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

Objective: The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that high levels of preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are associated with an increased risk of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) following percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent PCNL at our institution between October 2012 and October 2013 when ESR and CRP levels were part of our standard preoperative order set. The primary endpoint was development of SIRS.

Surgical Salvage of Thermal Ablation Failures for Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Cryoablation and radio frequency ablation are attractive modalities for small renal masses in patients with substantial comorbidities. However, salvage extirpative therapy for local recurrence after thermal ablation can be challenging due to associated perinephric fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: Patients with thermal ablation refractory tumors requiring surgical salvage from 1997 to 2013 were identified and retrospectively reviewed.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the moss Oxystegus tenuirostris (Hook. & Taylor) A.J.E. Sm. (Pottiaceae, Bryophyta).

The mitochondrial genome of mosses is characterized by a highly conserved structure and genic content. This is confirmed here through the assembly and annotation of the mt genome of the moss Oxystegus tenuirostris, family Pottiaceae, for which it is assembled. A phylogenetic tree is inferred from the whole genome of 16 species of mosses to validate the sequence of O.

Clinically relevant pain relief with an ibuprofen-releasing foam dressing: results from a randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial in exuding, painful venous leg ulcers.

The objective of this 6-week, 120-patient, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was to investigate if a foam dressing with ibuprofen provided clinically relevant pain relief (PAR) for exuding, painful venous leg ulcers in comparison with a similar foam dressing without ibuprofen. Primary outcome parameter was PAR compared with baseline pain during the first 5 days of the investigation. PAR was registered by the patient morning and evening.

Diphyllobothrium pacificum infection is seldom associated with megaloblastic anemia.

Twenty cases of Dyphillobothrium pacificum (fish tapeworm) infections were prospectively studied to determine whether this tapeworm is associated with megaloblastic anemia, as commonly reported for D. latum infections. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue and mild abdominal pain, which were identified in approximately 66.

Efficacy of diverse antiparasitic treatments for cysticercosis in the pig model.

Taenia solium cysticercosis infects pigs and humans. Because antiparasitic treatment for human cysticercosis has sub-optimal efficacy, alternative regimes are needed. Seven antiparasitic regimens were tested in 42 naturally infected pigs with cysticercosis, and compared with prednisone alone (n = 6) or no treatment (n = 6).

Multiplex PCR for differential identification of broad tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothrium) infecting humans.

The specific identification of broad tapeworms (genus Diphyllobothrium) infecting humans is very difficult to perform by morphological observation. Molecular analysis by PCR and sequencing represents the only reliable tool to date to identify these parasites to the species level. Due to the recent spread of human diphyllobothriosis in several countries, a correct diagnosis has become crucial to better understand the distribution and the life cycle of human-infecting species as well as to prevent the introduction of parasites to disease-free water systems.

Differentiating Taenia eggs found in human stools: does Ziehl-Neelsen staining help?

Objective: To determine whether Ziehl-Neelsen staining can differentiate Taenia solium from Taenia saginata eggs.

Methods: Tapeworm proglottids (33 specimens, 23 T. solium and 10 T.

Suppression of renal cell carcinoma growth and metastasis with sustained antiangiogenic gene therapy.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most common urologic neoplasm. This aggressive malignancy has proven refractory to conventional treatment options. Antiangiogenic agents have shown early success in treating metastatic disease.

Anti-angiogenic gene therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma produces tumor growth suppression in an athymic nude mouse model.

Purpose: We investigated the anti-angiogenic and antitumor properties of 2 adenoviral vectors expressing the endostatin-angiostatin fusion protein Ad-EndoAngio and the soluble, endothelium specific tyrosine kinase receptor Ad-Tie2 in a mouse renal cell carcinoma xenograft model.

Materials And Methods: A total of 29 bilateral subcutaneous renal cell carcinomas were induced in athymic nude mice. On days 2 and 10 following tumor establishment the mice were intratumorally injected with an adenoviral vector in the right flank only.

Development of an enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay using two baculovirus expressed recombinant antigens for diagnosis of Taenia solium taeniasis.

Taeniasis diagnosis is an important step in the control and elimination of both cysticercosis and taeniasis. We report the development of 2 serological taeniasis diagnostic tests using recombinant antigens rES33 and rES38 expressed by baculovirus in insect cells in an EITB format. In laboratory testing with defined sera from nonendemic areas, rES33 has a sensitivity of 98% (n = 167) and a specificity of 99% (n = 310) (J index: 0.

Evaluation of immunodiagnostics for toxocarosis in experimental porcine cysticercosis.

We assessed whether immunodiagnostic tests for cysticercosis can cross-react with the currently available immunodiagnostic tests for Toxocara canis in an established animal model for cysticercosis infection in pigs, known host for Toxocara. We examined by TES-enzyme-linked immunosorbent test and immunoblot assay for toxocarosis and cysticercosis the baseline and final follow-up sera of 10 pigs, before and after (3 months) infection with Taenia solium. After successful cysticercosis infection, the nine evaluable pigs became seropositive to T.

Is the human-infecting Diphyllobothrium pacificum a valid species or just a South American population of the holarctic fish broad tapeworm, D. latum?

Using ITS2 gene sequences, the validity of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium pacificum (Nybelin, 1931), infecting humans on the Pacific coast of South America and in Japan, was assessed. ITS2 sequences of this cestode differed markedly (sequence similarity 79.0-80.

Current status of anti-angiogenesis therapy for prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in American men and the single most diagnosed cancer in men. Despite advances in early detection and conventional treatment strategies, prostate cancer progresses and becomes resistant to treatment. Because tumor growth and establishment of metastases are dependent on angiogenesis, interest in the development of anti-angiogenesis therapies has grown.

Future innovations in treating advanced prostate cancer.

Many novel techniques for the treatment of prostate cancer are being aggressively investigated because prostate cancer is prevalent in the population and the current treatments for advanced prostate cancer are woefully inadequate. Although the current treatment options prolong life, most patients will eventually experience local recurrence or develop advanced disease. A greater understanding of the molecular events underlying cancer has enabled investigators to explore gene therapy approaches that are targeted against these molecular events.

Can Taenia solium latent post-oncospheral stages be found in muscle tissue of cysticercosis-infected pigs (Sus scrofa)?

The existence of latent Taenia solium post-oncospheral stages in the tissues of infected pigs has been postulated. To assess whether such structures exist and can be detected, we examined muscle samples from cysticercosis-infected and uninfected pigs. Pork samples were homogenized, centrifuged, and resuspended in saline solution.

Gene therapy for prostate cancer by controlling adenovirus E1a and E4 gene expression with PSES enhancer.

PSES is a chimeric enhancer containing enhancer elements from prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) genes that are prevalently expressed in androgen-independent prostate cancers. PSES shows strong activity equivalent to cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, specifically in PSA/PSMA-positive prostate cancer cells, the major cell types in prostate cancer in the absence of androgen. We developed a recombinant adenovirus (AdE4PSESE1a) by placing adenoviral E1a and E4 genes under the control of the bidirectional enhancer PSES and enhanced green fluorescent protein gene for the purpose of intratumoral virus tracking under the control of CMV promoter.

Hair-cycle-dependent expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein and its type I receptor: evidence for regulation at the anagen to catagen transition.

The humoral hypercalcemia factor parathyroid hormone-related protein is a paracrine-signaling molecule that regulates the development of several organ systems, including the skin. In pathologic circumstances such as hypercalcemia and in development, parathyroid hormone-related protein signaling appears to be mediated by the type I parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related protein receptor. In order to clarify the role of the ligand and receptor pair in cutaneous biology, gene expression was monitored in a series of murine skin samples ranging from embryonic day 14 to 2 y with in situ hybridization and RNase protection.

Optimization and evaluation of a PCR assay for detecting toxoplasmic encephalitis in patients with AIDS.

Toxoplasma gondii is a common life-threatening opportunistic infection. We used experimental murine T. gondii infection to optimize the PCR for diagnostic use, define its sensitivity, and characterize the time course and tissue distribution of experimental toxoplasmosis.