Background: Leptospirosis is one of the most common bacterial zoonoses in the world. However, there is scarce available literature on public awareness of the infection and the main clinical symptoms of leptospirosis. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of leptospirosis awareness among the general population and individuals with occupational risk of the disease in Lviv Region, Ukraine. Material and methods: A leptospirosis questionnaire on potential risk factors, routes of transmission and ways of protection along with the demographic data was prepared, posted on Facebook and distributed as a printed version. The statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's two-sided test. Results: A total of 446 individuals completed the questionnaire. Of these, 364 persons had no occupational risk of acquiring leptospirosis, while 82 of them had it. The study showed the following levels of leptospirosis awareness among the participants: 193 out of 446 (43.3%) individuals knew what leptospirosis was, with 158/364 (43.4%) representing general population (Group 1) and 35/82 (42.7%) representing individuals with an occupational risk of acquiring leptospirosis (Group 2), p>0.05. Furthermore, a total of 55.8% of all the participants knew how they could contract leptospirosis: 194/364 (53.3%) in Group 1 and 55/82 (67.1%) in Group 2, p<0.05. The most common risk factors of acquiring leptospirosis observed in both groups were as follows: swimming in ponds and lakes with stagnant water (57.69% in Group 1and 79.26% in Group 2, p<0.01), and the presence of rodents in houses, basements and utility rooms as well as periodic visits to these premises by respondents (45.6% of the respondents in Group 1 and 58.53% of the respondents in Group 2, p<0.01). Conclusions: Outreach campaigns should be implemented to raise the awareness of leptospirosis, both among the general population and among the individuals at increased risk of exposure.
The morphogenesis of the skin in the progeny of hypothyroid female rats in pre- and postnatal ontogenesis was studied using general morphology and lectin histochemistry methods. The experiment was conducted on 20 female Wistar rats weighing 180-200 g, which were divided into two groups: control (10), and experimental (10), from which were obtained 70 and 46 offsprings, respectively. Experimental hypothyroidism was induced by daily food supplementation with antithyroid drug mercazolil at the rate 5 mg/kg of animal body weight. After the second week of the experiment, females in the estrus stage were paired with males. Skin samples from the back of experimental and control groups progeny rats were taken on the embryonic day 16, and on the postnatal days 1, 10, 20 and 40. Skin samples were fixed in 4% neutral formalin and embedded in paraffin. 5-7 μm thick sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Carbohydrate determinants were detected using a set of lectin-peroxidase conjugates as follows: Con A, PNA, HPA, WGA, SNA, LABA and LTFA. Maternal hypothyroidism, alongside increased total body weight of progeny animals, induced hypodermal thickening, enhanced activity of granular cells layer and of keratinization processing. Rearrangement of lectin receptor sites included reduced reactivity of PNA, SNA and WGA, which play an important role in the formation of adhesive contacts between keratinocytes, and of DGal(β1- 3)DGalNAc and βDGal carbohydrate determinants in the sebaceous gland secretory products, which regulate proliferation and differentiation of cells of hair follicles.
Key words: Skin – Mercazolil – Hypothyroid rats progeny – Lectin histochemistry
Aim: to investigate the factors of bacterial virulence of oral microbiotopes against the background of long-term experimental action of an opioid analgesic.
Materials and Methods:The study was performed on 72 white outbred rats, which were injected “Nalbuphine” with a gradual increase in dose for 12 weeks. The microbial composition and virulence factors of bacteria in the microbiotopes of the oral cavity were studied.
Results: At the end of the 4th week of opioid exposure, the appearance of hemolytic escherichia was noted. At the end of the 8th week the appearance of capsular bacteria Klebsiella was registered, as a virulence factor. The production of staphylococcal virulence factors – lecithinase, was noted. At the end of the 12th week of opioid use, the appearance of phycomycete fungi was noted, Gram-negative diplococci, Klebsiella, Hemolytic Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aureginosa. These changes indicated the development of dysbiotic changes, as well as the gradual formation of foci of the inflammatory process in the oral cavity.
Conclusions: In the short-term stages of opioid exposure, changes in biocenoses were manifested in an increase in the contamination of certain types of microorganisms. In the long-term effects of the opioid, the activation of bacterial elements of the microbiocenosis was revealed, which were characterized by increased expression of virulence factors. At the later stages of opioid exposure, the predominance of gram-negative microflora and the activation of cytotoxic action against the background of suppressed activity of the body’s protective response were established.
KEY WORDS: experiment, oral cavity, microbiotopes, opioid, rats, microorganisms, virulence factors
УДК 616.716.4 - 089.843 - 073.7-018
Ефективність методів регенерації кісткової тканини є важливим фактором успіху в лікуванні дефектів щелепно-лицевої ділянки. Хітозан, завдяки своїй біосумісності, має потенціал для покращення процесів загоєння. Проте дослідження щодо його впливу на регенерацію кісток щелепно-лицевої ділянки, зокрема, механізмів та динаміки відновлення тканини, залишаються недостатньо вивченими. Дана робота спрямована на розкриття детальної картини взаємодії хітозану з кістковою тканиною та його ролі в процесі регенерації. Мета дослідження. Визначити та порівняти морфологічні, рентгенологічні та лектиногістохімічні особливості остеорегенерації після трансплантації в експериментальний дефект нижньої щелепи кролика активованого хітозану (Хітозан-А). Матеріали і методи. Для дослідження використовували статевозрілих кроликів-самців віком 6-7 місяців, вагою 2,5-3 кг. До контрольної групи увійшли тварини з дефектом кісткової тканини, який загоювався під кров’яним згустком. Експериментальну групу складали кролики, у яких кістковий дефект заповнювали активованим хітозаном (Хітозан-А). Контроль посттравматичного стану кісткової тканини в ділянці дефекту здійснювали впродовж 84 діб. Серед застосованих методик були наступні: моделювання кісткового дефекту, оцінка макроструктури щелеп, рентгенографічне дослідження, радіовізіографічне дослідження, вивчення мікропрепаратів шліфів кістки та лектиногістохімічні дослідження зрізів декальцинованої кістки. Результати. Дослідження макроструктури експериментального кісткового дефекту нижньої щелепи після імплантації в його порожнину хітозану, активованого оцтовою кислотою (Хітозан-А), дозволило виявити численні регенераційні зміни, що відбувалися після нанесення травми та корелювали з даними рентгенографічного, радіовізіографічного дослідження. Вивчення мікропрепаратів шліфів кістки дозволило встановити фазовий характер динаміки досліджуваних регенеративних змін та склад регенерату.
Висновки. Встановлено, що за умов застосування матеріалу Хітозан-А відбувалося обмеження розвитку і тканинних перебудов на всіх термінах експерименту, щільність кісткової тканини тварин експериментальної групи максимально наближалась до норми і була на 10,2% нижчою, ніж у контролі наприкінці експерименту. Мікроскопічне вивчення шліфів засвідчило ремоделювання кісткової тканини з ознаками неповноцінної геометрії новостворених остеонів із залишками матеріалу Хітозан-А.
Ключові слова: нижня щелепа, зубощелепний апарат, регенерація кісткової тканини, хітозан, остеопластичні матеріали, морфологічне дослідження, рентгенографічний метод, радіовізіографія, лектиногістохімія, шліфи.
Restoration of the motor function of the musculoskeletal system impaired due to innervation damageis an important clinical problem. In the study the potential therapeutic effect of C60 fullerene application was estimated in the Wistar rat model of neurogenic muscle atrophy caused by nervus ischiadicus injury. The animals were divided into the following: control, injury, injury+С60 groups. C60 fullerene aqueous solution was administrated orally for 30 days after ischiadicus injury at a daily dose of 1 mg/kg. Biomechanical parameters of gastrocnemius muscle contraction and biochemical indices (creatinine, lactate, reduced glutathione content as well as creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity) in the blood of rats were estimated on day 30 after nerve transection. It has been found that muscle strength response in the injury+С60 group was significantly enhanced, in particular, the muscle force impulse was increased by more than 30 ± 2% compared to the injury group. The studied biochemical indices of the muscle
fatigue and oxidative stress in the blood of experimental animals had a pronounced tendency to increase after the initiation of the muscle neurogenic atrophy, while under the influence of C60 fullerene they decreased compared with the injury group. In our opinion, C60 fullerene prevented significant dysfunction of the gastrocnemius muscle after neurogenic atrophy by exerting an antioxidant effect and improving its contractile activity.
K e y w o r d s: C60 fullerene, muscle gastrocnemius, neurogenic atrophy, muscle contraction, biochemical indicators.