RATIONALE There is evidence that parasitic helminths can ameliorate colitis in animal models and humans. Although infections with Hymenolepis sp. are clinically benign, the immunomodulatory interactions between host and parasite are largely unknown. PATIENT CONCERNS In this study we examined the intestinal mucosa of an adult asymptomatic patient harboring adult and larval dwarf tapeworms (Hym...

Sill,?Captain Stewart begins his note on Hymenolepis nana, in the June number of the Indian Medical Gazette, with the words, " Ah far as the literature at the disposal of the present writer permits of a statement, Hymenole/iis nana has been recorded on one occasion only from India, nnmely, by Capt:iin M. Foster lleaney from the Ward a district. (6)." Number (6) in Captain Stewart's references r...

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the gastric mucosa of about half of the world's population, causing chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. An increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant H. pylori arouses demand on alternative non-antibiotic-based therapies. In this study, we freshly prepared crude N-acetylneuraminic acid obtained from glycomacropeptide (G-NANA) of whey through a neuraminidase-med...

Graphical Abstract “Science is fun because it can take us one step closer to understanding the world … My favorite musician Alecia Beth Moore (aka Pink) …” Find out more about Nana Wang in her Introducing Profile.

Hymenolepis nana and Hymenolepis diminuta are globally widespread zoonotic cestodes. Rodents are the main reservoir host of these cestodes. Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are the best known and most common rats, and usually live wherever humans live, especially in less than desirable hygiene conditions. Due to the little information of the 2 hymenolepidid species in brown rats in China, the aim...

The effects of dietary sialic acid in dams on the learning abilities of their pups after weaning were investigated using rats deficient in n-3 fatty acids. Nine-week-old female Wistar rats were fed an n-3 fatty acid-deficient diet for 3 wk and were mated at 12 wk of age. During pregnancy and lactation, the female rats were fed the n-3 fatty acid-deficient diet, and were given water or water con...

Cell surface expression of sialic acid has been reported to decrease during immune cell activation, but the significance and regulation of this phenomenon are still being investigated. The major human bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae causes pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis, often accompanied by strong inflammatory responses. S. pneumoniae expresses a sialidase (NanA) that contributes...

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis in newborns. GBS possesses a protein with homology to the pneumococcal virulence factor, NanA, which has neuraminidase (sialidase) activity and promotes blood-brain barrier penetration. However, phylogenetic sequence and enzymatic analyses indicate the GBS NanA ortholog has lost sialidase function - and for this d...