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Total Leucocyte (total + leucocyte)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Decreased immunocompetence in a severely bottlenecked population of an endemic New Zealand bird

ANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 1 2007
K. A. Hale
Abstract Inbreeding resulting from severe population bottlenecks may impair an individual's immune system and render it more susceptible to disease. Although a reduced immune response could threaten the survival of highly endangered species, few studies have assessed the effect of population bottlenecks on immunocompetence. We compared the counts of leucocytes and external, blood and gastrointestinal parasite loads in two populations of the endemic New Zealand robin Petroica australis to assess the immunocompetence of birds in a severely bottlenecked population relative to its more genetically diverse source population. Despite similar parasite loads in both populations, robins in the severely bottlenecked population showed lower counts of both total leucocyte and total lymphocyte numbers. When the immune system was experimentally challenged using the phytohaemagglutinin skin test, robins in the severely bottlenecked population exhibited a significantly lower immune response than the source population, suggesting that birds passing through a severe bottleneck have a compromised immunocompetence. Our results confirm that severe bottlenecks reduce the immune response of birds and highlight the need to avoid severe bottlenecks in the recovery programmes of endangered species. [source]

Serum albumin level predicts initial intravenous immunoglobulin treatment failure in Kawasaki disease

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 10 2010
Ho-Chang Kuo
Abstract Objectives:, Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis primarily affecting children who are <5 years old. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the standard therapy for KD. However, many patients with KD still show poor response to initial IVIG treatment. This study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for initial IVIG treatment failure in KD. Methods:, Children who met KD diagnosis criteria and were admitted for IVIG treatment were retrospectively enrolled for analysis. Patients were divided into IVIG-responsive and IVIG-resistant groups. Initial laboratory data before IVIG treatment were collected for analysis. Results:, A total of 131 patients were enrolled during the study period. At 48 h after completion of initial IVIG treatment, 20 patients (15.3%) had an elevated body temperature. Univariate analysis showed that patients who had initial findings of high neutrophil count, abnormal liver function, low serum albumin level (,2.9 g/dL) and pericardial effusion were at risk for IVIG treatment failure. Multivariate analysis with a logistic regression procedure showed that serum albumin level was considered the independent predicting factor of IVIG resistance in patients with KD (p = 0.006, OR = 40, 95% CI: 52.8,562). There was no significant correlation between age, gender, fever duration before IVIG treatment, haemoglobin level, total leucocyte and platelet counts, C-reactive protein level, or sterile pyuria and initial IVIG treatment failure. The specificity and sensitivity for prediction of IVIG treatment failure in this study were 96% and 34%, respectively. Conclusion:, Pre-IVIG treatment serum albumin levels are a useful predictor of IVIG resistance in patients with KD. [source]

Growth efficiency, body composition, survival and haematological changes in great sturgeon (Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758) juveniles fed diets supplemented with different levels of Ergosan

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2009
Mohammad Ali Jalali
Abstract Growth performance, carcass quality, survival and haematological responses were determined when Huso huso juvenile (41.7±1.8 g) fed diets containing Ergosan (an algal product) at 0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 g kg,1 for 60 days. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish at 10-day intervals (1,10, 20,30 and 40,50 with non-supplemented diets and 10,20, 30,40 and 50,60 with supplemented diets). Results showed that fish fed diets containing Ergosan had significantly higher growth than the control group (P<0.05). Survival was not different among all dietary treatments (P>0.05). Food conversion ratio in the fish fed a diet containing 4.0 and 6.0 g kg,1 Ergosan was significantly better than the other treatments (P<0.05), whereas protein efficiency ratio was not different between experimental diets. Lymphocyte count in the fish fed diets containing Ergosan was higher than the other treatments. Haematocrit, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, number of erythrocytes, total leucocytes, monocyte, eosinophil, myelocyte, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration were not different between treatments. Neutrophil count in the control group was higher than the fish fed supplemented diets. Furthermore, whole body lipid, moisture and fibre were not different among dietary treatments (P>0.05) but body protein in the fish fed a diet containing Ergosan at the level of 2.0 and 4.0 g kg,1 was higher than the other treatments. Whole body ash content was higher in the control group. It was concluded that dietary administration of Ergosan can influence some growth and haematological parameters in great sturgeon, H. huso juveniles. [source]

Flow cytometric analysis of BCL-2 can distinguish small numbers of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells from B-cell precursors

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Leah Hartung
Summary Flow cytometric identification of small numbers of precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) cells in post-treatment marrow specimens could benefit from the identification of additional, easily detectable markers that could be used in most cases. In this study, we evaluate whether bcl-2 expression quantified by four-colour flow cytometry can be effectively used to discriminate precursor B-ALL blasts from normal B-cell precursors (haematogones) and function as a leukaemia-specific marker. Levels of bcl-2 in the 22 precursor B-ALL cases studied were found to be significantly higher (over sixfold higher on average) than those present in haematogone populations from 22 control marrow specimens. Higher relative levels of bcl-2 expression in the B-ALL cases were maintained with respect to both immature CD34+ and more mature CD34, haematogone subsets, and appeared stable. Dilutional studies indicated that multiparameter flow cytometry analysis using bcl-2 could identify precursor B-ALL blasts representing as few as 1% of CD19+ cells or 0·01% of total leucocytes in bone marrow specimens containing substantial numbers of haematogones. This study suggests that bcl-2 may be an important marker for flow cytometric detection and quantification of small numbers of residual precursor B-ALL cells in bone marrow specimens. [source]