• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.33 no.1 s.60
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• pp.23-28
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• 2007

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C, AsA) has been known as a strong reducing agent and is supposed to retard the synthesis of melanin pigment. A main problem that arose in using vitamin C in cosmetic formulation was its poor stability and low skin permeability, which result in low lightening efficacy in clinical trials. In this study, iontophoretic gel patch with flexible thin layer battery was employed in order to enhance skin permeation of vitamin c derivative (ascorbyl glucoside, AsAG) and to increase its lightening efficacy. in vitro iontophoretic skin permeation and stability of AsAG, safety and clinical lightening efficacy of iontophoretic patch containing 2% AsAG solution were examined. A optimun current of ionthophoretic patch for korean women was 0.1 mA, considering the skin permeability and skin irritation of consumers. We suggest that iontophoretic gel patch could be a safe system for enhancing the skin permeation of AsAG and lightning efficacy.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.153-159
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• 2011

A total of 286 individuals from 3 selected communities (Areedi-Aje, Ipakodo/Ojokodo, and Ijebu-Igbo) of Ijebu-North, southwestern Nigeria were examined for Loa loa microfilaremia using finger prick blood smear, between December 2008 and March 2009. Rapid assessment procedure for loiasis (RAPLOA) was used to obtain information, from 187 Ijebu-Igbo residents, on adverse reactions experienced from retrospective treatments with ivermectin and history of eye worm. Only 33.9% of the respondents reported having had a history of eye worm while 33.2% had microfilaremia. The demographic factor of gender was not significant determinants of the prevalence (p>0.05) while age was significant (P<0.05). The highest prevalence of eye worm history and microfilaremia were recorded in 61-70 and 15-20 years of age categories, respectively. Ijebu-Igbo had 27.3% eye worm history, 32.1% microfilaremia, and the highest intensity of 140 microfilariae (mf)/ml. Ipakodo area had the highest eye worm history of 54.4% and the highest intensity of 420 mf/ml. Areedi-Aje had the highest occurrence of 45.2% microfilaremia and the highest intensity of 460 mf/ml. Predictably, Areedi-Aje and Ipakodo areas were high risk communities. The low intensity of L. loa infection with an insignificant (2.1%; P>0.05) adverse reactions from 187 subjects involved in the retrospective ivermectin administration confirmed that ivermectin delivery may be considered safe. The community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) programme was most probably responsible for the low prevalence and intensity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.605-610
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• 2015

Toxoplasmosis is considered as an important risk factor for bad obstetric history (BOH) and one of the major causes of congenitally acquired infections. The present study aimed to estimate the seropositivity of T. gondii infection and associated risk factors among the attendees of high risk pregnancy and low risk antenatal care clinic of Minia Maternity and Pediatric University Hospital, Minia, Egypt. The study was carried out from April 2013 to April 2014 through 2 phases, the first phase was case-control study, and the second phase was follow-up with intervention. A total of 120 high risk pregnant and 120 normal pregnant females were submitted to clinical examinations, serological screening for anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA, and an interview questionnaire. Seropositive cases were subjected to spiramycin course treatment. The results showed that the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in high-risk pregnancy group was 50.8%, which was significantly different from that of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05). Analysis of seropositive women in relation to BOH showed that abortion was the commonest form of the pregnancy wastage (56.5%). The high prevalence of T. gondii seropositive cases was observed in the age group of 21-30 years. Post-delivery adverse outcome was observed in 80.3% of high-risk pregnancy group compared to 20% of normal pregnancy group. There was a statistically significant relationship between seropositivity and living in rural area, low socioeconomic level, and undercooked meat consumption (P<0.05). Serological screening for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies should be routine tests especially among high-risk pregnant women.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.189-196
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• 2015

The sequestration of infected erythrocytes in the placenta can activate the syncytiotrophoblast to release cytokines that affect the micro-environment and influence the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to fetus. The high level of IL-10 has been reported in the intervillous space and could prevent the pathological effects. There is still no data of Th17 involvement in the pathogenesis of placental malaria. This study was conducted to reveal the influence of placental IL-17 and IL-10 levels on fetal weights in malaria placenta. Seventeen pregnant BALB/C mice were divided into control (8 pregnant mice) and treatment group (9 pregnant mice infected by Plasmodium berghei). Placental specimens stained with hematoxylin and eosin were examined to determine the level of cytoadherence by counting the infected erythrocytes in the intervillous space of placenta. Levels of IL-17 and IL-10 in the placenta were measured using ELISA. All fetuses were weighed by analytical balance. Statistical analysis using Structural Equation Modeling showed that cytoadherence caused an increased level of placental IL-17 and a decreased level of placental IL-10. Cytoadherence also caused low fetal weight. The increased level of placental IL-17 caused low fetal weight, and interestingly low fetal weight was caused by a decrease of placental IL-10. It can be concluded that low fetal weight in placental malaria is directly caused by sequestration of the parasites and indirectly by the local imbalance of IL-17 and IL-10 levels.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 1989

A pathogenic free-living amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis to human and experimental animals. This infection is rare, but the mortality is very high. Nowadays, drug treatment or active immunization of human or mice are being tried with partial effectiveness. This study shows passive immunization effect by transfer of immunized spleen cells, serum, or milk from immunized mother in mouse experimental model. Young BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally with $2~3{\times}10^{6}$ trophozoites of N. fowleri, and spleen cells and sera were collected for injection to recipient mice. There were seven transfer groups, i.e., immunized mouse serum, spleen cells, serum and spleen cells, normal mouse serum, spleen cells, serum and spleen cells, and control group. Three days later, BALB/c mice were inoculated with $1{\times}10^{4}$ trophozoites of N. fowleri intranasally. After infection, decreased mortality ana prolonged survival time of mice were noted in immunized Bloops compared with non.immuniBed control group. The groups Injected with immunized spleen cells or normal serum shewed lower moltality than that of controls bult showed no changes of Serum IgG level. The groups injected with immunized serum or normal spleen cells showed increased serum IgG level after immunization but hundred percent mortality was observed. Mother mice were ifnfnunised increperitqneeliy with $2~3{\times}10^{6}$ trephozoites of N. fowleri at the end of pregnancy and weaning Period. Soon after the delivery, Jitters born of non-immunszed mother were matched with immunized mother for feeding immune milk. After three weeks, the litters were infected with $1{\times}10^{4}$ trophozeites of N. fowleri or sacrificed for serum collection to measure the IgG levels. The results show that anti-JV. fowleri IgG from mother was transferred to litter through milk but this IgG did not inauence the mortality or survival time of the infected mice.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.303-321
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• 2011

The availability and efficient use of the feed resources in Asia are the primary drivers of performance to maximise productivity from animals. Feed security is fundamental to the management, extent of use, conservation and intensification for productivity enhancement. The awesome reality is that current supplies of animal proteins are inadequate to meet human requirements in the face of rapidly depleting resources: arable land, water, fossil fuels, nitrogenous and other fertilisers, and decreased supplies of cereal grains. The contribution of the ruminant sector lags well behind that of non-ruminant pigs and poultry. It is compelling therefore to shift priority for the development of ruminants (buffaloes, cattle, goats and sheep) in key agro-ecological zones (AEZs), making intensive use of the available biomass from the forage resources, crop residues, agro-industrial by-products (AIBP) and other non-conventional feed resources (NCFR). Definitions are given of successful and failed projects on feed resource use. These were used to analyse 12 case studies, which indicated the value of strong participatory efforts with farmers, empowerment, and the benefits from animals of productivity-enhancing technologies and integrated natural resource management (NRM). However, wider replication and scaling up were inadequate in project formulation, including systems methodologies that promoted technology adoption. There was overwhelming emphasis on component technology applications that were duplicated across countries, often wasteful, the results and relevance of which were not clear. Technology delivery via the traditional model of research-extension linkage was also inadequate, and needs to be expanded to participatory research-extension-farmer linkages to accelerate diffusion of technologies, wider adoption and impacts. Other major limitations concerned with feed resource use are failure to view this issue from a farming systems perspective, strong disciplinary bias, and poor links to real farm situations. It is suggested that improved efficiency in feed resource use and increased productivity from animals in the future needs to be cognisant of nine strategies. These include priorities for feed resource use; promoting intensive use of crop residues; intensification of integrated ruminant-oil palm systems and use of oil palm by-products; priority for urgent, wider technology application, adoption and scaling up; rigorous application of systems methodologies; development of adaptation and mitigation options for the effects of climate change on feed resources; strengthening research-extension-farmer linkages; development of year round feeding systems; and striving for sustainability of integrated farming systems. These strategies together form the challenges for the future.