Temperature-dependent in vitro hepatocytotoxicity of insecticides in bats.

Heterothermic insectivorous bats are supposed to experience differential adverse effects of insecticidal pollutants depending on their seasonal and/or daily variation of metabolic and detoxification rates. Here, we investigated effects of imidacloprid, cypermethrin and fipronil on Nyctalus noctula bat-derived hepatocytes through cytotoxicity, cell inhibition and death at different concentrations (0.01, 0.

Case report: Filarial infection of a parti-coloured bat: sp. adult worms in abdominal cavity and microfilariae in bat semen.

Background: Filarial infections have been understudied in bats. Likewise, little is known about pathogens associated with the reproductive system in chiropterans. While semen quality is critical for reproductive success, semen-borne pathogens may contribute to reproductive failure.

Bat-derived cells use glucose as a cryoprotectant.

Evolution of heterothermy in environments with variable temperatures has allowed bats to survive food scarcity during seasonal climatic extremes by using torpor as a hibernation strategy. The controlled reduction of body temperature and metabolism through complex behavioural and physiological adaptations at organismal, organ, cellular and molecular levels includes the ability of tissues and cells to adapt to temperature alterations. Based on the prediction that cells of different tissues cultured in vitro would differ in their ability to withstand freezing and thawing of the medium, we determined the survival rate of bat-derived cells following exposure to -20 °C for 24 h in media with no cryoprotective agents or medium supplemented by glucose in concentration range 0-3333 mM.

Higher white-nose syndrome fungal isolate yields from UV-guided wing biopsies compared with skin swabs and optimal culture media.

Background: North American bat populations have suffered severe declines over the last decade due to the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus infection. The skin disease associated with this causative agent, known as white-nose syndrome (WNS), is specific to bats hibernating in temperate regions. As cultured fungal isolates are required for epidemiological and phylogeographical studies, the purpose of the present work was to compare the efficacy and reliability of different culture approaches based on either skin swabs or wing membrane tissue biopsies for obtaining viable fungal isolates of P.

Performance of bat-derived macrophages at different temperatures.

Heterothermy, as a temperature-dependent physiological continuum, may affect host-pathogen interactions through modulation of immune responses. Here, we evaluated proliferation and functional performance of a macrophage cell line established from the greater mouse-eared () bat at 8, 17.5, and 37°C to simulate body temperatures during hibernation, daily torpor and euthermia.

Blood Parasites and Health Status of Hibernating and Non-Hibernating Noctule Bats ().

Co-existence of bats with a wide range of infectious agents relates to their co-evolutionary history and specific physiology. Here, we examined blood samples collected during hibernation and the post-hibernation period to assess the influence of trypanosomes and babesias on the health status of 50 Noctule bats () using nested PCR. The impact of blood parasites on health was assessed by analysis of haematology and blood chemistry parameters in 21 bats.

One or two pups - optimal reproduction strategies of common noctule females.

Background: The success of animal reproduction is impacted by a trade-off between energetic costs and mortality associated with immediate vs. future reproductive attempts. The reproductive strategies of European insectivorous bats differ from common mammalian standards due to the use of delayed fertilisation.

Low-level pathogen transmission from wild to farmed salmonids in a flow-through fish farm.

While the potential effects of pathogens spread from farmed fish to wild populations have frequently been studied, evidence for the transmission of parasites from wild to farmed fish is scarce. In the present study, we evaluated natural bacterial and parasitic infections in brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario) collected from the Černá Opava river (Czech Republic) as a potential source of infections for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared in a flow-through farm system fed by the same river.

Muscle Activation and Subjectively Perceived Effort in Typical Violin Positions.

Violinists display a high incidence of task-specific musculoskeletal problems. Sources pertaining to violin playing and teaching traditions as well as musicians' medicine research offer only imprecise and contradictory recommendations regarding suitable instrument positions. The aim of this study was to add to a growing scientific base for teaching and medical counseling regarding violin positioning.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes, Visual Quality and Visual Function of Two Presbyopia-Correcting Intraocular Lenses Made from the Same Material, but with Different Design and Optics.

This semi-prospective, parallel, comparative investigation evaluated the clinical outcomes and quality of vision (contrast sensitivity, visual function, dysphotopsia, spectacle use, overall satisfaction) after mono- or bilateral implantation of two presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOL)-the Liberty 677MY or the AT LISA tri 839M-in 50 eyes of 25 cataract patients. Clinical outcomes were assessed 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Eighty-nine percent of eyes implanted with the Liberty IOL and 59% of eyes implanted with the AT LISA IOL achieved a refractive outcome ±0.

Evaluation of Astigmatism-Correcting Efficiency and Rotational Stability after Cataract Surgery with a Double-Loop Haptic Toric Intraocular Lens: A 1-Year Follow-Up.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes, predictability of results, efficiency of astigmatism correction, and rotational stability of the Bi-Flex 677TAY (Medicontur Medical Engineering Ltd., Zsámbék, Hungary) monofocal toric intraocular lens (IOL) designed for cataract patients with astigmatism.

Methods: The IOLs were implanted either mono- or binocularly, following routine cataract surgery.

Diclofenac-induced cytotoxicity in cultured carp leukocytes.

Diclofenac is a drug commonly used in human and veterinary medicine for the treatment of diseases associated with inflammation and pain. Medicinal products enter waste and surface waters on an everyday basis and contaminate the aquatic environment. Fish are therefore permanently exposed to these chemicals dissolved in their aquatic environment.

Urinary shedding of leptospires in palearctic bats.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic infection of worldwide occurrence. Bats, like other mammalian reservoirs, may be long-term carriers that maintain endemicity of infection and shed viable leptospires in urine. Direct and/or indirect contact with these Leptospira shedders is the main risk factor as regards public health concern.

Phagocyte activity reflects mammalian homeo- and hetero-thermic physiological states.

Background: Emergence of both viral zoonoses from bats and diseases that threaten bat populations has highlighted the necessity for greater insights into the functioning of the bat immune system. Particularly when considering hibernating temperate bat species, it is important to understand the seasonal dynamics associated with immune response. Body temperature is one of the factors that modulates immune functions and defence mechanisms against pathogenic agents in vertebrates.

IN VIVO BIODOSIMETRY OF PORCINE T-LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS AND NK CELLS.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the biodosimetric potential of peripheral blood lymphocytes, particularly of T-cell subsets (null and T helper) and natural killer cells (NK), upon exposure to gamma irradiation (60Co) in vivo. For this purpose, the change in relative numbers of NK cells and T-lymphocyte subsets, as well as in the H2AX phosphorylation rate, were evaluated as potential early markers of the lymphocytic response to irradiation in vivo. These experiments were performed on a Large White Pig model.

Reproductive toxicity of fluoroquinolones in birds.

Background: While commercial poultry and captive birds are exposed to antimicrobials through direct medication, environmental pollution may result in contamination of wild birds. Fluoroquinolones are commonly used medications to treat severe avian bacterial infections; however, their adverse effects on birds remain understudied. Here, we examine toxicity of enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin during the egg incubation period using the chicken (Gallus Gallus domesticus) as a model avian species.

Multianalyte Determination of NOACs Using LC-MS/MS and Comparison with Functional Coagulation Assays.

Background: Detection of new oral anticoagulant (NOAC) levels by screening, special and global tests, and liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is important in clinical situations when the cause of bleeding needs to be determined.

Methods: We compared a routine coagulation test, special function test for NOACs, global coagulation test, and an LC-MS/MS method that enables simultaneous determination of apixaban, dabigatran and rivaroxaban in human plasma within one analysis to determine the optimal indication of the comparison methods, including their limitations and interferences.

Results: This study was conducted on a set of blood samples from 116 patients treated with NOACs.

Cytokines and radiation-induced pulmonary injuries.

Radiation therapy is one of the most common treatment strategies for thorax malignancies. One of the considerable limitations of this therapy is its toxicity to normal tissue. The lung is the major dose-limiting organ for radiotherapy.

Infrared thermal imaging: a potential tool used in open colorectal surgery.

Aim of this pilot study was to assess blood perfusion of bowel in resection lines by means of the infrared thermal imaging in order to choose the best place for anastomosis. The paper brings a first experience with infrared thermal imaging used in colorectal surgery operation from initial observation of the patient with T3 adenomatous carcinoma with no lymph node metastasis. The obtained infrared images show a clear boundary between parts of the intestine with blood perfusion and without it.

Trade-off between carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation and sperm resistance to oxidative challenge.

It has been hypothesized that carotenoid-based sexual ornamentation signals male fertility and sperm competitive ability as both ornamentation and sperm traits may be co-affected by oxidative stress, resulting in positive covariation (the 'redox-based phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis'; redox-based PLFH). On the other hand, the 'sperm competition theory' (SCT) predicts a trade-off between precopulatory and postcopulatory traits. Here, we manipulate oxidative status (using diquat dibromide) and carotenoid availability in adult zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) males in order to test whether carotenoid-based beak ornamentation signals, or is traded off against, sperm resistance to oxidative challenge.

Epidermal Growth Factor Attenuates Delayed Ionizing Radiation-Induced Tissue Damage in Bone Marrow Transplanted Mice.

We examined the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) treatment in mice that received bone marrow transplantation (BMT) after 11 Gy whole-body irradiation. C57Bl/6 mice were divided into three treatment groups: 0 Gy; 11 Gy ((60)Co, single dose, 0.51 Gy/min) with BMT (5 × 10(6) bone marrow cells isolated from green fluorescent protein syngeneic mice, 3-4 h postirradiation); and 11 Gy with BMT and EGF (2 mg/kg applied subcutaneously 1, 3 and 5 days postirradiation).