Detection of Eimeria oocysts in chicken feces using flotation recovery with sucrose or saturated saline solution.

Purpose: Flotation methods are widely used to detect oocysts/cysts of protozoans and eggs of helminths, except trematodes. However, details regarding the concentration and recovery rates of these parasites are poorly understood.

Methods: Using Eimeria tenella oocysts as a model parasite, the present study evaluated three check points: (1) the proportion of parasites that remain floating in flotation solution (sucrose or saturated saline) during centrifugation, (2) the proportion of oocysts that naturally float after addition of flotation solution after centrifugation, and (3) the rate of recovery on cover slips after completion of the flotation protocol.

Booster COVID-19 mRNA vaccination ameliorates impaired B-cell but not T-cell responses in older adults.

Age-associated differences in the effect of repetitive vaccination, particularly on memory T-cell and B-cell responses, remain unclear. While older adults (aged ≥65 years) exhibited enhanced IgG responses following COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccination, they produced fewer spike-specific circulating follicular helper T cells-1 than younger adults. Similarly, the cytotoxic CD8 T-cell response remained diminished with reduced PD-1 expression even after booster vaccination compared with that in younger adults, suggesting impaired memory T-cell activation in older adults.

Plasmodium falciparum with pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions in asymptomatic malaria infections in the Lake Victoria region, Kenya.

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) targeting the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2) are widely used to diagnose P. falciparum infection. However, reports of P.

Real-world experience of tixagevimab/cilgavimab prophylaxis in Japanese patients with immunodeficiency.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes severe illness and mortality in patients with immunodeficiency. Although vaccination has been recommended, the induction of protective antibodies by immunization, and thus the disease-preventive effect, has proven insufficient in immunodeficient patients, especially in those with predominantly antibody deficiency. A monoclonal antibody combination of tixagevimab and cilgavimab (TIX/CIL) was developed as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Evaluation of diseases complicating long COVID: A retrospective chart review.

Background: Evidence for the pathogenesis and treatment of postacute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (long COVID) is lacking. As long COVID symptoms are predicted to have an impact on the global economy, clarification of the pathogenesis is urgently needed. Our experiences indicated that some symptoms were complicated by diseases established before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Segmental phase angles as predictors of functional recovery and activities of daily living in patients after stroke.

Background: This study investigated the association between segmental phase angles and functional outcomes in patients after stroke, hypothesizing that increased segmental phase angle correlates with improved functional status.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 1012 patients after stroke was conducted. Whole body and segmental phase angles were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis within 3 days of admission.

Cryptosporidium parvum inactivation from short durations of treatment with ozonated water produced by an electrolytic generation system.

Cryptosporidium is a waterborne pathogen that causes diarrhea in vertebrates and humans (mainly C. hominis and C. parvum).

Coevolution of norm psychology and cooperation through exapted conformity.

People willingly follow norms and values, often incurring material costs. This behaviour supposedly stems from evolved norm psychology, contributing to large-scale cooperation among humans. It has been argued that cooperation is influenced by two types of norms: injunctive and descriptive.

Site-specific skeletal muscle mass and functional prognosis in geriatric stroke patients.

Background: Evidence is scarce regarding prognostic value of site-specific muscle mass in geriatric stroke survivors. We aim to assess the association between four measures of muscle mass, namely the skeletal muscle mass index of the limbs (SMI), upper limb SMI (USMI), lower limb SMI (LSMI), and trunk muscle mass index (TMI), and the functional prognosis in stroke patients.

Methods: This study conducted a retrospective cohort analysis involving post-acute stroke inpatients.

Effect of Chair-stand Exercise on Improving Urinary and Defecation Independence in Post-stroke Rehabilitation Patients with Sarcopenia.

Objectives: There is a lack of evidence regarding the association between whole-body exercise and independence in urination and defecation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of chair-stand exercise on improving urination and defecation independence in post-stroke patients with sarcopenia.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on stroke patients admitted to a community rehabilitation hospital between 2015 and 2021.

Evaluation of the detection method by a flotation method using a wire loop for gastrointestinal parasites.

Infections by gastrointestinal parasites are found in a variety of animals worldwide. For the diagnosis of such infections, the flotation method is commonly used to detect parasitic microorganisms, such as oocysts or eggs, in feces. Instead of adding a flotation solution after the final centrifugation step and using a cover slip to collect the parasites, the method using a wire loop for the recovery of the organisms has been reported as one of alternative methods.

Coexistence of low body mass index and poor oral health negatively affects activities of daily living, swallowing, and cognition after stroke.

Aim: Low body mass index (BMI) and poor oral health are prevalent among older stroke patients and associated with adverse outcomes. However, their combined impact on functional recovery after stroke remains unclear. This study investigated the synergistic effects of low BMI and poor oral health on activities of daily living (ADL) independence, swallowing function, and cognitive status in post-stroke older patients.

Impaired oral health associations with cognitive and motor decline in activities of daily living independence during hospitalization: insights from a post-stroke cohort.

Purpose: Evidence is scarce on the associations between impaired oral health and cognitive level related to independence in activities of daily living (ADLs) among hospitalized older patients. We aimed to evaluate the associations between baseline oral problems and changes in cognitive level in post-stroke patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, encompassing consecutively hospitalized post-stroke patients.

Synergistic effects of novel penicillin-binding protein 1A amino acid substitutions contribute to high-level amoxicillin resistance of .

The growing resistance to amoxicillin (AMX)-one of the main antibiotics used in eradication therapy-is an increasing health concern. Several mutations of penicillin-binding protein 1A (PBP1A) are suspected of causing AMX resistance; however, only a limited set of these mutations have been experimentally explored. This study aimed to investigate four PBP1A mutations (i.

Hemoglobin levels and cognitive trajectory: unveiling prognostic insights in post-stroke geriatric cohort.

Purpose: Evidence is scarce regarding the association between anemia and alterations in cognitive level among hospitalized older patients. We aimed to evaluate the associations between baseline hemoglobin (Hb) levels and changes in cognitive level in patients undergoing rehabilitation after stroke.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, encompassing consecutively hospitalized post-stroke patients.

Dapagliflozin administration to a mouse model of type 2 diabetes induces DNA methylation and gene expression changes in pancreatic islets.

Decreased pancreatic β-cell volume is a serious problem in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and there is a need to establish appropriate treatments. Increasingly, sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which have a protective effect on pancreatic β-cells, are being prescribed to treat diabetes; however, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. We previously administered SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin to a mouse model of type 2 diabetes and found significant changes in gene expression in the early-treated group, which led us to hypothesize that epigenetic regulation was a possible mechanism of these changes.

Minimal Involvement of P-gp and BCRP in Oral Absorption of Ensitrelvir, An Oral SARS-CoV-2 3C-like Protease Inhibitor, in a Non-Clinical Investigation.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are important transporters causing drug-drug interaction (DDI). Here, we investigated the involvement of P-gp and BCRP in the oral absorption of ensitrelvir in non-clinical studies and estimated the DDI risk mediated by P-gp and BCRP inhibition in humans. Although ensitrelvir is an in vitro P-gp and BCRP substrate, it demonstrated high bioavailability in rats and monkeys after oral administration.