Morphological and molecular characterization of Aporcelinus abeokutaensis sp. n. (Dorylaimida, Aporcelaimidae) from Nigeria.

A new species of dorylaimid nematode, Aporcelinus abeokutaensis sp. n., collected from a watermelon field in Nigeria, is described, illustrated and molecularly (D2-D3 28S ribosomal DNA) studied. It is characterized by its 1.18-1.52-mm-long body, lip region offset by weak constriction, 15.5-17.5 µm broad with perioral liplets, odontostyle 18-21.5 µm long at its dorsal side or 1.1-1.3 times the lip region diameter, neck 333-401 µm long, pharyngeal expansion occupying 45-51% of total neck length, uterus simple and 0.7-1.5 times the corresponding body diameter long, V = 48-53, tail conical with finely rounded tip (33-52 µm long, c = 26-41, c' = 1.3-1.9) and a variably distinct dorsal concavity, and male unknown. Molecular analysis reveals that the new species grouped with other species of Aporcelinus in a highly supported clade, confirming the monophyly of the genus.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Aporcella femina sp. n. (Dorylaimida, Aporcelaimidae) from Nigeria.

A new species of the genus Aporcella collected from a watermelon field in Nigeria is described, including its morphological and molecular (small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA (rDNA)) characterization. Aporcella femina sp. n. is distinguished by its 3.21-3.64 mm-long body, inner cuticle layer with fine but distinct transverse striation, lip region offset by deep constriction, 22-25 µm broad, odontostyle 20-26 µm, neck 661-811 µm long, pharyngeal expansion occupying 52-56% of the total neck length, female genital system didelphic-amphidelphic, uterus 191-350 µm or 1.9-3.3 mid-body diameters long, V = 52-57, tail short and convex conoid (35-48 µm, c = 72-98, c' = 0.7-0.9) and males absent. Phylogenetic analyses based on the partial sequence of SSU and LSU (D2-D3) rDNA revealed a close relationship of A. femina sp. n. with other Aporcella species, confirming the monophyly of the genus as well as its association to a clade made of several taxa characterized by the absence of pars refringens vaginae.

Oxygen consumption rate of Caenorhabditis elegans as a high-throughput endpoint of toxicity testing using the Seahorse XFe96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer.

Caenorhabditis elegans presents functioning, biologically relevant phenotypes and is frequently used as a bioindicator of toxicity. However, most C. elegans in vivo effect-assessment methods are laborious and time consuming. Therefore, we developed a novel method to measure the oxygen consumption rate of C. elegans as a sublethal endpoint of toxicity. This protocol was tested by exposing 50 larval stage one C. elegans individuals for 48 h (at 20 °C) to different concentrations of two toxicants i.e. benzylcetyldimethylammonium chloride (BAC-C16) and cadmium (Cd). Following exposures, the oxygen consumption rate of the C. elegans individuals were measured using the high-throughput functionality of the Seahorse XFe96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Dose-response curves for BAC-C16 (R2 = 0.93; P = 0.001) and Cd (R2 = 0.98; P = 0.001) were created. Furthermore, a strong, positive correlation was evidenced between C. elegans oxygen consumption rate and a commonly used, ecologically relevant endpoint of toxicity (growth inhibition) for BAC-C16 (R2 = 0.93; P = 0.0001) and Cd (R2 = 0.91; P = 0.0001). The data presented in this study show that C. elegans oxygen consumption rate can be used as a promising functional measurement of toxicity.

The association between vaginal bacterial composition and miscarriage: a nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise vaginal bacterial composition in early pregnancy and investigate its relationship with first and second trimester miscarriages. DESIGN: Nested case-control study. SETTING: Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London. POPULATION: 161 pregnancies: 64 resulting in first trimester miscarriage, 14 in second trimester miscarriage and 83 term pregnancies. METHODS: Prospective profiling and comparison of vaginal bacteria composition using 16S rRNA gene-based metataxonomics from 5 weeks' gestation in pregnancies ending in miscarriage or uncomplicated term deliveries matched for age, gestation and body mass index. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative vaginal bacteria abundance, diversity and richness. Pregnancy outcomes defined as first or second trimester miscarriage, or uncomplicated term delivery. RESULTS: First trimester miscarriage associated with reduced prevalence of Lactobacillus spp.-dominated vaginal microbiota classified using hierarchical clustering analysis (65.6 versus 87.7%; P = 0.005), higher alpha diversity (mean Inverse Simpson Index 2.5 [95% confidence interval 1.8-3.0] versus 1.5 [1.3-1.7], P = 0.003) and higher richness 25.1 (18.5-31.7) versus 16.7 (13.4-20), P = 0.017), compared with viable pregnancies. This was independent of vaginal bleeding and observable before first trimester miscarriage diagnosis (P = 0.015). Incomplete/complete miscarriage associated with higher proportions of Lactobacillus spp.-depleted communities compared with missed miscarriage. Early pregnancy vaginal bacterial stability was similar between miscarriage and term pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: These findings associate the bacterial component of vaginal microbiota with first trimester miscarriage and indicate suboptimal community composition is established in early pregnancy. While further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism, vaginal bacterial composition may represent a modifiable risk factor for first trimester miscarriage. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Vaginal bacterial composition in first trimester miscarriage is associated with reduced Lactobacillus spp. abundance and is independent of vaginal bleeding.

Natural history of pregnancy-related enhanced myometrial vascularity following miscarriage.

OBJECTIVES: Our primary aim was to report the incidence of enhanced myometrial vascularity (EMV) in consecutive women attending our early pregnancy assessment unit, following first-trimester miscarriage. We aimed further to evaluate the clinical presentation and complications associated with expectant and surgical management of EMV in these women. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study conducted in a London teaching hospital between June 2015 and June 2018, including consecutive patients with an observation of EMV on transvaginal ultrasonography following first-trimester miscarriage. The diagnosis was made following the subjective identification of EMV using color Doppler ultrasonography and a peak systolic velocity (PSV) ≥ 20 cm/s within the collection of vessels. Women were followed up with repeat scans every 14 days. Management was expectant unless intervention was indicated because of excessive or prolonged bleeding, persistent presence of retained tissue in the endometrial cavity or patient choice. The final clinical outcome was recorded. Time to resolution of EMV was defined as the interval from detection of EMV until resolution. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 2627 first-trimester fetal losses in the department and, of these, 40 patients were diagnosed with EMV, hence the incidence of EMV following miscarriage was 1.52%. All cases were associated with ultrasound evidence of retained products of conception (RPOC) at presentation (mean dimensions, 22 × 20 × 20 mm). Thirty-one patients opted initially for expectant management, of which 18 had successful resolution without intervention, five were lost to follow-up and eight subsequently had surgical evacuation due to patient choice. No expectantly managed case required emergency intervention. Nine patients chose surgical evacuation as primary treatment. No significant correlation was seen between PSV within the EMV at presentation and blood loss at surgery. Median PSV was 47 (range, 20-148) cm/s. The estimated blood loss in all cases managed surgically ranged from 20-300 mL. Presence of RPOC was confirmed in all specimens that were sent for analysis following surgery. For cases successfully managed expectantly, the mean time to resolution was 48 (range, 21-84) days. In the nine cases managed surgically from the beginning, the mean time to resolution of EMV was 10.6 (range, 3-29) days. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that EMV is an uncommon finding following miscarriage and is associated with the presence of RPOC. Expectant management was a safe option in our cohort, with minimal bleeding, although it was associated with protracted time to resolution. In patients who opted for surgery, the maximum blood loss was 300 mL and no patient required blood transfusion or embolization. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

First-trimester intrauterine hematoma and pregnancy complications.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether sonographic diagnosis of intrauterine hematoma (IUH) in the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with first-trimester miscarriage and antenatal, delivery and neonatal complications. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study of women with an intrauterine singleton pregnancy between 5 and 14 weeks' gestation recruited at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK, between March 2014 and March 2016. Participants underwent serial ultrasound examinations in the first trimester, and the presence, location, size and persistence of any IUH was evaluated. First-trimester miscarriage was defined as pregnancy loss before 14 weeks' gestation. Clinical symptoms, including pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding, were recorded at each visit using validated symptom scores. Antenatal, delivery and neonatal outcomes were obtained from hospital records. Logistic regression analysis and the chi-square test were used to assess the association between the presence and features of IUH and the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome. Odds ratios (OR) were first adjusted for maternal age (aOR) and then further adjusted for the presence of vaginal bleeding or pelvic pain in the first trimester. RESULTS: Of 1003 women recruited to the study, 946 were included in the final analysis and of these, 268 (28.3%) were diagnosed with an IUH in the first trimester. The presence of IUH was associated with the incidence of preterm birth (aOR, 1.94 (95% CI, 1.07-3.52)), but no other individual or overall antenatal, delivery or neonatal complications. No association was found between the presence of IUH in the first trimester and first-trimester miscarriage (aOR, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.44-1.50)). These findings were independent of the absolute size of the hematoma and the presence of vaginal bleeding or pelvic pain in the first trimester. When IUH was present in the first trimester, there was no association between its size, content or position in relation to the gestational sac and overall antenatal, delivery and neonatal complications. Diagnosis of a retroplacental IUH was associated with an increased risk of overall antenatal complications (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that there is no association between the presence of IUH in the first trimester and first-trimester miscarriage. However, an association with preterm birth, independently of the presence of symptoms of pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding, is evident. Women diagnosed with IUH in the first trimester should be counseled about their increased risk of preterm birth and possibly be offered increased surveillance during the course of their pregnancy. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Early-pregnancy events and subsequent antenatal, delivery and neonatal outcomes: prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess prospectively the association between pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, and nausea and vomiting occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy and the incidence of later adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This was a prospective observational cohort study of consecutive women with confirmed intrauterine singleton pregnancy between 5 and 14 weeks' gestation recruited at Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital, London, UK, from March 2014 to March 2016. Serial ultrasound scans were performed in the first trimester. Participants completed validated symptom scores for vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, and nausea and vomiting. The key symptom of interest was any pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding during the first trimester. Pregnancies were followed up until the final outcome was known. Antenatal, delivery and neonatal outcomes were obtained from hospital records. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between first-trimester symptoms and pregnancy complications by calculating adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with correction for maternal age. RESULTS: Of 1003 women recruited, 847 pregnancies were included in the final analysis following exclusion of cases due to first-trimester miscarriage (n = 99), termination of pregnancy (n = 20), loss to follow-up (n = 32) or withdrawal from the study (n = 5). Adverse antenatal complications were observed in 166/645 (26%) women with pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding in the first trimester (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.17-2.76) and in 30/181 (17%) women with no symptoms. Neonatal complications were observed in 66/634 (10%) women with and 11/176 (6%) without pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding (aOR = 1.73; 95% CI, 0.89-3.36). Delivery complications were observed in 402/615 (65%) women with and 110/174 (63%) without pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding during the first trimester (aOR = 1.16; 95% CI, 0.81-1.65). For 18 of 20 individual antenatal complications evaluated, incidence was higher among women with pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding, despite the overall incidences being low. Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy showed little association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that there is an increased incidence of antenatal complications in women experiencing pelvic pain and/or vaginal bleeding in the first trimester. This should be considered when advising women attending early-pregnancy units. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Irrigation water quality and the threat it poses to crop production: evaluating the status of the Crocodile (West) and Marico catchments, South Africa.

Ensuring food security is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited freshwater resources. Low-quality irrigation water also poses a severe threat to crop yield and quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality associated with the Crocodile (West) and Marico catchments, which represent one of South Africa's most developed regions. Sources of irrigation water include the hypertrophic Hartbeespoort Dam, as well as the heavily impacted Crocodile (West) River. Analysis of historical irrigation water quality data (from January 2005 to December 2015) revealed that the Hartbeespoort and Crocodile (West) irrigation schemes were exposed to calcium sulfate enrichment, likely as a result of extensive mining activities in the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Also, significant differences in water quality parameters occurred between these irrigation schemes and the reference system (Marico-Bosveld Irrigation Scheme), while important salt (chloride and sodium) and nutrient (inorganic nitrogen and orthophosphate (as phosphorus)) concentrations exceeded threshold values provided by irrigation water quality guidelines. The Hartbeespoort and Crocodile (West) irrigation schemes also presented distinctive temporal (long-term and seasonal) patterns in water quality. Seasonal variation in pH levels at the Hartbeespoort Irrigation Scheme is likely caused by excessive algae growth and cyanobacteria blooms (Mycrocystis sp.), which also pose an important threat to human and animal health. Despite mitigation efforts by government and other stakeholders, some of South Africa's major irrigation schemes remain highly impacted as a result of water quality deterioration.

Microdosimetry of the Auger electron emitting 123I radionuclide using Geant4-DNA simulations.

Microdosimetric calculations of the Auger electron emitter (123)I were done in liquid water spheres using the Geant4 toolkit. The electron emission spectrum of (123)I produced by Geant4 is presented. Energy deposition and corresponding S-values were calculated to investigate the influence of the sub-cellular localization of the Auger emitter. It was found that S-values calculated by the Geant4 toolkit are generally lower than the values calculated by other Monte Carlo codes for the (123)I radionuclide. The differences in the compared S-values are mainly due to the different particle emission spectra employed by the respective computational codes and emphasizes the influence of the spectra on dosimetry calculations.

Evaluation of two PCR-based procedures for typing Clostridium perfringens.

Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based procedures for typing Clostridium, perfringens, which affects most domestic animals, were compared and evaluated for efficiency as substitute to the guinea-pig intradermal test routinely used in our laboratory, namely a multiplex PCR and a protocol based on the individual amplification of gene sequences specific for each toxin. Reference isolates of C. perfringens types A, B, C and D as well as cultures from clinical specimens were tested. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR was confirmed on reference isolates. There was similarity in results on 43 of the 46 samples typed by all 3 methods. Clear results were obtained by PCR on 5 clinical samples that showed either equivocal or weak skin reactions in guinea-pigs. The multiplex PCR protocol, in combination with the evaluation of bacterial growth, is a better alternative to in vivo toxin typing, since C. perfringens can only be incriminated as cause of a disease when it is present in large numbers in the intestine.

Availability of condoms in urban and rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Promoting condom use to prevent HIV transmission is futile if condoms are not readily available. GOAL: This study assessed condom availability in clinics, shops, and other outlets in urban and rural South Africa. STUDY DESIGN: Snowball sampling was used to select 70 private-sector and public-sector outlets. One male and one female black fieldworker were posed as clients seeking condoms to assess condom availability and provider attitudes. RESULTS: Condoms were available in nine (100%) public clinics, in five of nine (55%) private doctor's rooms, and in only 5 of 52 (10%) nonhealth outlets. Access was limited in the public sector by clinic opening times, inadequate clinic signs and markings, and by some providers' attitudes. CONCLUSION: A major opportunity to make condoms available in nonhealth outlets in rural areas and urban townships is being missed in South Africa. Above all, the high level of condom awareness is not being matched by easy availability.

A scanning electron-microscope examination of the scolex of Houttuynia struthionis.

A scanning electron-microscope examination of the scolex of Houttuynia struthionis, a cestode of ostriches, was undertaken in order to study its surface structure. The scolex differs from those of other subfamilies in the family Davaineidae in that it does not have scale-like spines covering the base of the rostellum. Instead, the base is covered with small hooks resembling the larger rostellar hooks in shape.

Diagnosis of liver tapeworm, Stilesia hepatica, infection in sheep.

A practical method of diagnosing Stilesia hepatica in live sheep is described. Intestinal contents and faeces were sieved through a sieve with apertures of 1.0 mm onto a sieve with apertures of 100 microns to reduce volume and turbidity. The residue on the fine sieve was examined microscopically. Gravid proglottids passed through the intestine without being digested. Intact proglottids were recovered from the intestine and faeces of infected sheep. Used purely on faeces, the technique is simple and reliable as a diagnostic method. Its application could facilitate basic research into the biology and epidemiology of the parasite.