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A study of the parasite fauna of feral cats in Dubai revealed the presence of two Joyeuxiella species, J. pasqualei (Diamare, 1893) and J. fuhrmanni (Baer, 1924). While the wide distribution of J. pasqualei includes countries of the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, J. fuhrmanni was previously reported from felid hosts from southern Africa and has not been found in other cat parasite surveys in the Middle East, except from Dubai. The availability of historical references, however, raised doubts about the correctness of the allocation of the small Joyeuxiella sp. from Dubai cats to J. fuhrmanni and for this reason, a reexamination of stored material in the parasite collection of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai was carried out. A total of 40 specimens of the small Joyeuxiella sp. with a strobila length between 30 and 60 mm and consisting of 52 to 85 segments obtained from domestic cats and formerly allocated to J. fuhrmanni were studied. In complete specimens, 10 – 13 rows of rostellar hooks were counted. Mature segments were wider than long, round testes were concentrated posterior to coiled vasa deferentia and did not reach the anterior rim of the proglottids. Narrow cirri reached up to 520 μm in length. Gravid segments were longer than wide and egg capsules were restricted to the space between longitudinal excretory vessels. The examination revealed that the morphology of these cestodes matched the main characteristics of J. fuhrmanni. However, the little known cestode, J. gervaisi (Setti, 1895), that had been described from Genetta abyssinica imported from Eritrea 29 years earlier and was declared a species inquirenda met the same main morphological criteria. In this paper, the status of J. gervaisi as a valid species was resurrected and J. fuhrmanni was declared a junior synonym.

Background: Peripheral hypertrophic subepithelial corneal opacification (PHSCO) is a corneal disease that may severely affect vision. The major goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that tear secretion, medication and systemic diseases are associated with PHSCO. Methods: This is a retrospective, case–control study conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. We analysed medical records of patients diagnosed with PHSCO. Sex, age, Schirmer's test II, general medication and medical history were assessed and compared to an age‐ and sex‐matched control group from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). Results: One hundred ninety‐five eyes of 112 patients with PHSCO were included. Eighty‐eight patients were female with a mean age of 55.3 ± 14.7 years (23–89 years) and 24 patients were male with a mean age of 59.3 ± 12.6 years (38–84 years). In 83 patients (74.1%) both eyes were involved. The Schirmer's test II was significantly reduced in patients with PHSCO compared to the GHS control group (p < 0.001). Patients with PHSCO were more frequently administered artificial tears and steroid eye drops (p < 0.001) and were more hyperopic than healthy controls (p = 0.01). Systemic diseases or medication did not differ markedly between PHSCO and healthy controls. Conclusion: Reduced tear secretion and more frequent use of artificial tears in patients with PHSCO suggest a link between PHSCO and dry eye disease. The results of the study do not support our hypothesis that PHSCO is associated with systemic diseases. Interestingly, patients with PHSCO were less frequently on β‐blockers than control subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory trials were carried out to investigate the development of three entomophagous parasitoid wasps in preimaginal stages of Sarcophaga dux in monoinfections and mixed infections. Laboratory-raised postfeeding S. dux third-stage larvae were exposed to Brachymeria podagrica. After pupation, 50 of these fly puparia were brought in contact with pupal parasitoid Dirhinus himalayanus and 50 with Nasonia vitripennis, and the remaining 50 puparia were left as Brachymeria monoinfection. In three further trials, each set of 50 freshly pupated host puparia from the same source was exposed to N. vitripennis and D. himalayanus, as monoinfections and mixed infections, respectively. The uninfected control group consisted of 50 S. dux larvae that were kept separately under the same conditions. The percentages of successfully developed B. podagrica and D. himalayanus in monoinfections were 56 and 86%, respectively, and progeny of N. vitripennis hatched from 88% of the exposed host puparia. In mixed infections, N. vitripennis dominated over B. podagrica and D. himalayanus with rates of successfully infected hosts of 50 and 94%, respectively. The number of Nasonia progeny in these groups ranged from 4 to 49 and 5 to 43, respectively. Dirhinus himalayanus did not develop in the simultaneous infection with N. vitripennis. Not a single S. dux eclosed in the six experimental groups, while in the uninfected control group, 46 (92%) adult flies eclosed 11 to 14 days after the start of pupation. Since the three parasitoids emerge from flesh fly pupae, these insects can become important in criminal forensic investigations when corpses are in an advanced stage of decay. More data on their preimaginal development at different temperatures are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether an obesity‐related inflammatory protein signature (OIPS) is associated with adverse cardiovascular events. Methods: The Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel was performed in 6662 participants from the population‐based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). The OIPS was selected by a logistic regression model, and its association with cardiovascular outcomes was evaluated by Cox regression analysis. The GHS‐derived OIPS was externally validated in the MyoVasc study. Results: The identified OIPS entailed 21 proteins involved in chemokine activity, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor binding, and growth factor receptor binding. The signature revealed a novel positive association of axis inhibition protein 1 with obesity. The OIPS was associated with increased risk of all‐cause and cardiac deaths, major adverse cardiovascular events, and incident coronary artery disease, independent of clinical covariates and established risk instruments. A BMI‐stratified analysis confirmed the association of OIPS with increased death in those with obesity and overweight and with increased risk for coronary artery disease in those with obesity. The association of OIPS with increased risk of all‐cause and cardiac deaths was validated in the MyoVasc cohort. Conclusions: The OIPS showed a significant association with adverse clinical outcomes, particularly in those with overweight and obesity, and represents a promising tool for identifying patients at higher risk for worse cardiovascular outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the association between self-reported birth weight (BW) and the prevalence of hypertensive retinopathy (HR) in a large population-based cohort in Germany, as part of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). The study involved analyzing fundus photographs of 6855 participants, aged 35 to 74, to assess signs of HR, classified according to the Mitchell-Wong Classification. The research aimed to explore the correlation between fetal growth restriction indicated by BW and the frequency of HR. The results showed that the frequency of HR did not significantly differ among groups with different BW ranges. In the univariable analysis, HR was initially associated with high BW, but this association disappeared after adjusting for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors. No association was found between low BW and HR. The study reveals novel insights as there are no prior population-based studies specifically exploring this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of the Paul Glaucoma Implant (PGI) in pediatric eyes diagnosed with glaucoma following congenital cataract surgery (GFCS). Methods: A retrospective, single-center, descriptive study was conducted on consecutive children diagnosed with GFCS who underwent PGI implantation between July 2022 and November 2023 at the University Medical Center Mainz. The primary outcome measure was the reduction in IOP at the last follow-up visit. Results: Ten eyes of nine children were included in the study. The mean follow-up time was 7.70 ± 4.22 months (4.68–10.72 months). At the end of the study follow-up, the mean (95% CI) reduction in IOP was −14.8 ± 8.73 mmHg (−8.56 to −21.04 mmHg, p < 0.001). At the last follow-up, 30.0% (3/10) of patients achieved an IOP (intraocular pressure) of ≥6 and ≤21 mmHg with a reduction in IOP of ≥25% without treatment, while 90.0% (9/10) achieved this target IOP regardless of glaucoma medication treatment. The mean number of antiglaucoma medications was significantly reduced from 3.50 (IQR = 1) to 2.0 (IQR = 2, p = 0.01), and the visual acuity logMAR improved from 1.26 ± 0.62 to 1.03 ± 0.48 (p = 0.04). Only one eye experienced numerical hypotony (4 mmHg) without choroidal detachment or anterior chamber shallowing within the first 24 h. No other adverse events were observed during the follow-up period. Conclusions: PGI implantation significantly lowered IOP and the number of antiglaucoma eye drops with a favorable safety profile in children diagnosed with GFCS, thereby achieving a high rate of qualified surgical success in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Oldenburg Sentence Test (OLSA) is a German matrix test designed to determine speech recognition thresholds (SRT). It is widely used for hearing-aids and cochlear implant fitting, but an age-adjusted standard is still lacking. In addition, knowing that the ability to concentrate is an important factor in OLSA performance, we hypothesized that OLSA performance would depend on the time of day it was administered. The aim of this study was to propose an age standardization for the OLSA and to determine its diurnal performance. Methods: The Gutenberg Health Study is an ongoing population-based study and designed as a single-centre observational, prospective cohort study. Participants were interviewed about common otologic symptoms and tested with pure-tone audiometry and OLSA. Two groups—subjects with and without hearing loss—were established. The OLSA was performed in two runs. The SRT was evaluated for each participant. Results were characterized by age in 5-year cohorts, gender and speech recognition threshold (SRT). A time stamp with an hourly interval was also implemented. Results: The mean OLSA SRT was − 6.9 ± 1.0 dB (group 1 male) and − 7.1 ± 0.8 dB (group 1 female) showing an inverse relationship with age in the whole cohort, whereas a linear increase was observed in those without hearing loss. OLSA-SRT values increased more in males than in females with increasing age. No statistical significance was found for the diurnal performance. Conclusions: A study with 2900 evaluable Oldenburg Sentence Tests is a novelty and representative for the population of Mainz and its surroundings. We postulate an age- and gender-standardized scale for the evaluation of the OLSA. In fact, with an intergroup standard deviation (of about 1.5 dB) compared to the age dependence of 0.7 dB/10 years, this age normalization should be considered as clinically relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]