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“This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Leptospira species in Mazandaran Province of Iran by using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction Selleckchem SN-38 fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods and sequencing analysis. Blood samples (n = 119) were collected from humans suspected of having leptospirosis from different parts of the province in 2007. By using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test

(I FAT). we determined that 35 (29.4%) of 119 suspected cases had leptospiral antibody titers >= 1:80, which confirmed the diagnosis of leptospirosis. Nested PCR assay also determined that 60 (50.4%) of 119 samples showed Leptospira infection. Furthermore, 44 (73.3%) of 60 confirmed leptospirosis amplified products were subjected to sequencing analysis. Sequence alignment identified L. interrogans, L. kirschneri, and L. wolffii species. All positive cases diagnosed by IFAT

or PCR were in patients who reported contact with animals, high-risk occupational activities, and exposure to contaminated water. Therefore, it is important to increase attention about this disease among physicians and to strengthen laboratory capacity for its diagnosis in infected patients in Iran.”
“Spinal Muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe neuromuscular disease characterized by loss of spinal a-motor neurons, resulting in the paralysis of skeletal muscle. SMA is caused by deficiency of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein levels. Recent

evidence has highlighted an axon-specific role for SMN protein, raising the possibility that axon degeneration may be an early event in SMA pathogenesis. The Wallerian AZD3965 nmr degeneration slow (Wld(s)) gene is a spontaneous dominant mutation in mice that delays axon degeneration by approximately 2-3 weeks. We set Out to examine the effect of Wld(s) on the phenotype of a Mouse model of SMA. We found that Wld(s) does not alter the SMA phenotype, indicating that Wallerian degeneration does not directly contribute to the pathogenesis of SMA development. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Chronic wet cough strongly suggests endobronchial infection, which, if left untreated, may progress to established bronchiectasis. Our aim was to compare the effectiveness of chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning and Selleck Fer-1 flexible bronchoscopy (FB) in detecting airway abnormalities in children with chronic wet cough and to explore the association between radiologic and bronchoscopic/BAL findings.\n\nMethods: We retrospectively evaluated a selected population of 93 children (0.6-16.4 years) with wet cough for > 6 weeks who were referred to a specialized center and deemed unlikely to have asthma. All patients were submitted to hematologic investigations, chest radiographs (CXRs), HRCT scanning, and FB/BAL. HRCT scans were scored with the Bhalla method, and bronchoscopic findings of bronchitis were grouped into five grades of severity.