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Microbial Pathogenesis Sep 2021Cryptosporidiosis is an important zoonosis caused by Cryptosporidium. This disease causes a global public health problem. The cat is considered to be one of the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Cryptosporidiosis is an important zoonosis caused by Cryptosporidium. This disease causes a global public health problem. The cat is considered to be one of the potential hosts for transmitting Cryptosporidium to humans. In this study, a global meta-analysis for Cryptosporidium infection in cats was performed. The articles related to Cryptosporidium infection in cats were systematically searched in databases China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang data, VIP Chinese Journal Database, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Finally, 92 articles published from 1988 to 2021, which met the criteria of systematic review and meta-analysis, were collected. During the selected period, the overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium among cats was identified to be 6.0%. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium detected by microscopy, coproantigens, and molecular biology methods were 4.2%, 8.2%, and 5.0%, respectively. Among 9 species/genotypes (C. felis, C. parvum, C. muris, Cryptosporidium rat genotype IV, C. baileyi, C. ryanae, C. hominis, Cryptosporidium sp. rat genotype III and most closely related to Cryptosporidium sp. rat genotype III), the prevalence of C. parvum (4.2%) was significantly higher than that of other species/genotypes. Among five continents, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in Africa (30.5%) was significantly higher than in other continents. We also analyzed the effects of different geographical factors (longitude, latitude, altitude, mean temperature, precipitation, and humidity) on Cryptosporidium infection among cats. The results showed that cryptosporidiosis was common in cats all over the world. This systematic review and meta-analysis has systematically introduced the global epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in cats and correlated risk factors. Health authorities, doctors, veterinarians and cat owners' awareness of the prevalence, risk factors and complications of Cryptosporidium are important for the development of effective prevention strategies for cryptosporidiosis.
Topics: Animals; Cryptosporidiosis; Cryptosporidium; Feces; Genotype; Humans; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Zoonoses
PubMed: 34273476
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105096 -
Journal of Environmental Management May 2019Water quality is declining worldwide and an increasing number of waterbodies lose their ecological function due to human population growth and climate change.... (Review)
Review
Water quality is declining worldwide and an increasing number of waterbodies lose their ecological function due to human population growth and climate change. Constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) are a promising ecological engineering tool for restoring waterbodies. The functionality of CFWs has been studied in-situ, in mesocosms and in the laboratory, but a systematic review of the success of in situ applications to improve ecosystem health is missing to date. This review summarises the pollutant dynamics in the presence of CFWs and quantifies removal efficiencies for major pollutants with a focus on in situ applications, including studies that have only been published in the Chinese scientific literature. We find that well designed CFWs successfully decrease pollutant concentrations and improve the health of the ecosystem, shown by lower algae biomass and more diverse fish, algae and invertebrate communities. However, simply extrapolating pollutant removal efficiencies from small-scale experiments will lead to overestimating the removal capacity of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter of in situ applications. We show that predicted climate change and eutrophication scenarios will likely increase the efficiency rate of CFWs, mainly due to increased growth and pollutant uptake rates at higher temperatures. However, an increase in rainfall intensity could lead to a lower efficiency of CFWs due to shorter hydraulic retention times and more pollutants being present in the particulate, not the dissolved form. Finally, we develop a framework that will assist water resource managers to design CFWs for specific management purposes. Our review clearly highlights the need of more detailed in situ studies, particularly in terms of understanding the short- and long-term ecosystem response to CFWs under different climate change scenarios.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Eutrophication; Humans; Nitrogen; Phosphorus; Wetlands
PubMed: 30877941
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.064 -
Journal of Fish Diseases Oct 2022Haematological parameters are frequently used as physiological indicators in aquaculture studies. These parameters also have extended applications in clinical... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Haematological parameters are frequently used as physiological indicators in aquaculture studies. These parameters also have extended applications in clinical evaluation, diagnosis and prognosis in fish health status. However, no normal reference range of values has been demonstrated in depth for any of these haematological parameters for the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) or gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). The main objective of this article is to present for the first time through extended literature review, the haematological parameters normal range values for the two most important aquaculture fish species farmed in Mediterranean Sea, D. labrax and S. aurata, and to demonstrate their similarities and their differences. In this article, we also discuss the environmental and external factors affecting their normal blood parameters values and we propose fundamental guidelines on the reporting units.
Topics: Animals; Bass; Fish Diseases; Hematology; Reference Values; Sea Bream
PubMed: 35771971
DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13680 -
BioMed Research International 2019Chemical structures derived from marine foods are highly diverse and pharmacologically promising. In particular, chitooligosaccharides (COS) present a safe...
Chemical structures derived from marine foods are highly diverse and pharmacologically promising. In particular, chitooligosaccharides (COS) present a safe pharmacokinetic profile and a great source of new bioactive polymers. This review describes the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties of COS from recent publications. Thus, COS constitute an effective agent against oxidative stress, cellular damage, and inflammatory pathogenesis. The mechanisms of action and targeted therapeutic pathways of COS are summarized and discussed. COS may act as antioxidants their radical scavenging activity and by decreasing oxidative stress markers. The mechanism of COS antidiabetic effect is characterized by an acceleration of pancreatic islets proliferation, an increase in insulin secretion and sensitivity, a reduction of postprandial glucose, and an improvement of glucose uptake. COS upregulate the GLUT2 and inhibit digestive enzyme and glucose transporters. Furthermore, they resulted in reduction of gluconeogenesis and promotion of glucose conversion. On the other hand, the COS decrease inflammatory mediators, suppress the activation of NF-B, increase the phosphorylation of kinase, and stimulate the proliferation of lymphocytes. Overall, this review brings evidence from experimental data about protective effect of COS.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Chitin; Chitosan; Free Radical Scavengers; Gluconeogenesis; Glucose; Glucose Transporter Type 2; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Oligosaccharides
PubMed: 31781615
DOI: 10.1155/2019/4568039 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Apr 2024Chronic respiratory diseases are a dealing cause of death and disability worldwide. Their prevalence is steadily increasing and the exposure to environmental... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Chronic respiratory diseases are a dealing cause of death and disability worldwide. Their prevalence is steadily increasing and the exposure to environmental contaminants, including Flame Retardants (FRs), is being considered as a possible risk factor. Despite the widespread and continuous exposure to FRs, the role of these contaminants in chronic respiratory diseases is yet not clear. This study aims to systematically review the association between the exposure to FRs and chronic respiratory diseases. Searches were performed using the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Science (Science and Social Science Index), WHO Global Health Library and CINAHL EBSCO. Among the initial 353 articles found, only 9 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included. No statistically significant increase in the risk for chronic respiratory diseases with exposure to FRs was found and therefore there is not enough evidence to support that FRs pose a significantly higher risk for the development or worsening of respiratory diseases. However, a non-significant trend for potential hazard was found for asthma and rhinitis/rhinoconjunctivitis, particularly considering urinary organophosphate esters (OPEs) including TNBP, TPHP, TCEP and TCIPP congeners/compounds. Most studies showed a predominance of moderate risk of bias, therefore the global strength of the evidence is low. The limitations of the studies here reviewed, and the potential hazardous effects herein identified highlights the need for good quality large-scale cohort studies in which biomarkers of exposure should be quantified in biological samples.
Topics: Humans; Flame Retardants; Organophosphorus Compounds; Organophosphates; Asthma; Environmental Monitoring; Dust; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers
PubMed: 38458527
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123733 -
PloS One 2020Coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. While marine conservation has historically focused on passive... (Review)
Review
Coral reef ecosystems have suffered an unprecedented loss of habitat-forming hard corals in recent decades. While marine conservation has historically focused on passive habitat protection, demand for and interest in active restoration has been growing in recent decades. However, a disconnect between coral restoration practitioners, coral reef managers and scientists has resulted in a disjointed field where it is difficult to gain an overview of existing knowledge. To address this, we aimed to synthesise the available knowledge in a comprehensive global review of coral restoration methods, incorporating data from the peer-reviewed scientific literature, complemented with grey literature and through a survey of coral restoration practitioners. We found that coral restoration case studies are dominated by short-term projects, with 60% of all projects reporting less than 18 months of monitoring of the restored sites. Similarly, most projects are relatively small in spatial scale, with a median size of restored area of 100 m2. A diverse range of species are represented in the dataset, with 229 different species from 72 coral genera. Overall, coral restoration projects focused primarily on fast-growing branching corals (59% of studies), and report survival between 60 and 70%. To date, the relatively young field of coral restoration has been plagued by similar 'growing pains' as ecological restoration in other ecosystems. These include 1) a lack of clear and achievable objectives, 2) a lack of appropriate and standardised monitoring and reporting and, 3) poorly designed projects in relation to stated objectives. Mitigating these will be crucial to successfully scale up projects, and to retain public trust in restoration as a tool for resilience based management. Finally, while it is clear that practitioners have developed effective methods to successfully grow corals at small scales, it is critical not to view restoration as a replacement for meaningful action on climate change.
Topics: Animals; Anthozoa; Climate Change; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem
PubMed: 31999709
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226631 -
Frontiers in Bioengineering and... 2021Knowledge of the beneficial effects of perinatal derivatives (PnD) in wound healing goes back to the early 1900s when the human fetal amniotic membrane served as a... (Review)
Review
Knowledge of the beneficial effects of perinatal derivatives (PnD) in wound healing goes back to the early 1900s when the human fetal amniotic membrane served as a biological dressing to treat burns and skin ulcerations. Since the twenty-first century, isolated cells from perinatal tissues and their secretomes have gained increasing scientific interest, as they can be obtained non-invasively, have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-fibrotic characteristics, and are immunologically tolerated . Many studies that apply PnD in pre-clinical cutaneous wound healing models show large variations in the choice of the animal species (e.g., large animals, rodents), the choice of diabetic or non-diabetic animals, the type of injury (full-thickness wounds, burns, radiation-induced wounds, skin flaps), the source and type of PnD (placenta, umbilical cord, fetal membranes, cells, secretomes, tissue extracts), the method of administration (topical application, intradermal/subcutaneous injection, intravenous or intraperitoneal injection, subcutaneous implantation), and the type of delivery systems (e.g., hydrogels, synthetic or natural biomaterials as carriers for transplanted cells, extracts or secretomes). This review provides a comprehensive and integrative overview of the application of PnD in wound healing to assess its efficacy in preclinical animal models. We highlight the advantages and limitations of the most commonly used animal models and evaluate the impact of the type of PnD, the route of administration, and the dose of cells/secretome application in correlation with the wound healing outcome. This review is a collaborative effort from the COST SPRINT Action (CA17116), which broadly aims at approaching consensus for different aspects of PnD research, such as providing inputs for future standards for the preclinical application of PnD in wound healing.
PubMed: 34631683
DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.742858 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2021Industrial wastewaters and urban discharges contain complex mixtures of chemicals capable of impacting reproductive performance in freshwater fish, called...
Industrial wastewaters and urban discharges contain complex mixtures of chemicals capable of impacting reproductive performance in freshwater fish, called endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). In Chile, the issue was highlighted by our group beginning over 15 years ago, by analyzing the impacts of pulp and paper mill effluents (PPME) in the Biobio, Itata, and Cruces River basins. All of the rivers studied are important freshwater ecosystems located in the Mediterranean region of Central Chile, each with a unique fish biodiversity. Sequentially, we developed a strategy based on laboratory assays, semicontrolled-field experiments (e.g., caging) and wild fish population assessments to explore the issue of reproductive impacts on both introduced and native fish in Chile. The integration of watershed, field, and laboratory studies was effective at understanding the endocrine responses in Chilean freshwater systems. The studies demonstrated that regardless of the type of treatment, pulp mill effluents can contain compounds capable of impacting endocrine systems. Urban wastewater treatment plant effluents (WWTP) were also investigated using the same integrated strategy. Although not directly compared, PPME and WWTP effluent seem to cause similar estrogenic effects in fish after waterborne exposure, with differing intensities. This body of work underscores the urgent need for further studies on the basic biology of Chilean native fish species, and an improved understanding on reproductive development and variability across Chilean ecosystems. The lack of knowledge of the ontogeny of Chilean fish, especially maturation and sexual development, with an emphasis on associated habitats and landscapes, are impediment factors for their conservation and protection against the threat of EDCs. The assessment of effects on native species in the receiving environment is critical for supporting and designing protective regulations and remediation strategies, and for conserving the unique Chilean fish biodiversity.
Topics: Animals; Chile; Ecosystem; Endocrine Disruptors; Endocrine System; Environmental Monitoring; Estrogens; Fishes; Humans; Reproduction; Rivers; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; Water Pollutants, Chemical
PubMed: 33841326
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.611281 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2021Periodontitis is an infectious inflammatory disease characterized by clinical attachment loss and tooth supporting tissue destruction. As exosomes demonstrated...
Periodontitis is an infectious inflammatory disease characterized by clinical attachment loss and tooth supporting tissue destruction. As exosomes demonstrated pro-regenerative ability, their use in periodontal treatment has been suggested. The aim of this systematic review is to gather and summarize the most recent data regarding exosomes to determine their potential impact in bone and periodontal regeneration. Electronic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science) were searched up to February 2020. Studies assessing the impact of exosomes administration in experimental bone and periodontal defects have been identified according to PRISMA guidelines. Among the 183 identified articles, 16 met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Experimental bone defects were mainly surgically induced with a dental bur or distraction tools. All studies considered bone healing after exosomes administration as the primary outcome. Results showed that mesenchymal stem cells derived exosomes administration promoted bone healing and neovascularization. Nevertheless, a dose-effect relationship was observed. Exosomes administration appears to promote significantly the bone healing and periodontal regeneration. However, only a limited number of studies have been carried out so far and the optimized protocols in this context need to be evaluated.
Topics: Bone Regeneration; Bone and Bones; Exosomes; Guided Tissue Regeneration, Periodontal; Humans; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Periodontitis
PubMed: 33159304
DOI: 10.1007/5584_2020_593 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2021Climate change (CC) is a key, global driver of change of marine ecosystems. At local and regional scales, other local human stressors (LS) can interact with CC and...
Climate change (CC) is a key, global driver of change of marine ecosystems. At local and regional scales, other local human stressors (LS) can interact with CC and modify its effects on marine ecosystems. Understanding the response of the marine environment to the combined effects of CC and LS is crucial to inform marine ecosystem-based management and planning, yet our knowledge of the potential effects of such interactions is fragmented. At a global scale, we explored how cumulative effect assessments (CEAs) have addressed CC in the marine realm and discuss progress and shortcomings of current approaches. For this we conducted a systematic review on how CEAs investigated at different levels of biological organization ecological responses, functional aspects, and the combined effect of CC and HS. Globally, the effects of 52 LS and of 27 CC-related stressors on the marine environment have been studied in combination, such as industrial fisheries with change in temperature, or sea level rise with artisanal fisheries, marine litter, change in sediment load and introduced alien species. CC generally intensified the effects of LS at species level. At trophic groups and ecosystem levels, the effects of CC either intensified or mitigated the effects of other HS depending on the trophic groups or the environmental conditions involved, thus suggesting that the combined effects of CC and LS are context-dependent and vary among and within ecosystems. Our results highlight that large-scale assessments on the spatial interaction and combined effects of CC and LS remain limited. More importantly, our results strengthen the urgent need of CEAs to capture local-scale effects of stressors that can exacerbate climate-induced changes. Ultimately, this will allow identifying management measures that aid counteracting CC effects at relevant scales.
Topics: Climate Change; Ecosystem; Fisheries; Humans; Introduced Species; Temperature
PubMed: 33035971
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142564