No abstract

Research on the effects of environmental factors influenced by climate change on parasite transmissibility is an area garnering recent attention worldwide. However, there is still a lack of studies on the life cycle of Opisthorchis viverrini, a carcinogenic trematode found in countries of the Lower Mekong subregion of Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. To evaluate the influences of environmental factors water temperature and salinity on the transmissibility of the liver fluke O. viverrini through cercarial stage, longevity of O. viverrini cercaria was examined at different experimental temperatures (22°C, 30°C and 38°C) and salinities (2.5 parts per thousand (PPT), 3.75 PPT and 5 PPT). The results reveal that different temperatures have statistically significant effects on cercarial longevity. The cercariae exhibited a thermostability zone ranging between 22°C and 30°C. Cercarial longevity was significantly shortened when water temperatures reached 38°C. Salinity also plays a key role in cercarial longevity, with cercarial survival significantly shorter at a salinity of 3.75 PPT than at 2.5 PPT and 5 PPT. A combined analysis of salinity and temperature revealed unique trends in cercarial longevity. At all experimental salinities, cercarial longevity was lowest when incubated in 38°C, but statistically significant from cercarial longevity at temperatures of 22°C and 30°C, and salinities of 2.5 PPT and 5 PPT. The results suggest that higher temperatures negatively impact parasite longevity. This reflects that O. viverrini transmission patterns may be impacted by changes in water temperature and salinity resulting from climate change.

Objective: To investigate the trend in cleft care at a major children’s referral center in Bangkok, Thailand. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Patients and Methods: A review of 129 patients under 18 years of age who had underwent care by the senior author for cleft treatment between January 2015 and October 2017 was done. The impact of varying factors on patient care was analyzed. We compare our demographics and treatment timeline to that of previously published literature in more developed countries. Setting: Tertiary care medical center. Results: One hundred and two patient charts were reviewed with 53% male patients. Most patients had both cleft lip and cleft palate, 44%. Cleft lips most commonly were complete and occurred on the left side. In all, 77.4% of clefts were nonsyndromic. On average, primary cleft lip surgery was delayed being performed about 11 months of age. Sixteen percent of patients were treated with an obturator, while 11 patients had nasoalveolar molding use. Hearing screenings occurred on average at around 6 months of age. Abnormal tympanograms were evident in 32% of individuals. There was a significant difference in timing of surgery for patients who lived a distance greater than 30 kilometers from the hospital versus those from the Bangkok metropolis ( P < .05). Conclusion: Reviewing data from a high-volume referral center in Thailand reveals mild variance with regard to cleft care timing compared to published literature from the developed world. Distance traveled was found to impact timing of surgery.

BACKGROUND: Patients infected with a parasite often develop opisthorchiasis viverrini, which often progresses into cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) due to the asymptomatic nature of the infection. Currently, there are no effective diagnostic methods for opisthorchiasis or cholangiocarcinoma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the host-responsive protein that can be developed as a diagnostic biomarker of opisthorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected from non-OVCCA, OV, and CCA subjects, and the proteomes were investigated by LC-MS/MS. Venn diagrams and protein network prediction by STITCH were used to identify the potential biomarkers. The level of candidate protein, the plasma checkpoint protein 1 (Chk1), was measured by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Chk1 was present in the center of the protein network analysis in both the OV and CCA groups. In addition, the plasma Chk1 levels were significantly increased in both groups (P< 0.05). The sensitivity of the opisthorchiasis viverrini and cholangiocarcinoma was 59.38% and 65.62%, respectively, while the specificity of both was 85.71%. CONCLUSION: Chk1 was identified by differential plasma proteomes and was increased in O. viverrini-infected and cholangiocarcinoma-derived plasma samples. Higher levels of plasma Chk1 levels may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for opisthorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma.