While determining reference values for porphyrins in feces as measured by liquid chromatography, we observed strong fluctuations in fecal porphyrin contents. To explain these fluctuations, we selectively suppressed the intestinal flora of healthy persons. Suppression of aerobic flora had no effect on fecal porphyrin excretions, whereas suppression of anaerobic flora completely inhibited the tra...

Small ruminants are a major source of cash for many rural populations, especially in semi-arid and arid regions of developing countries. Extensively managed animals often host gastrointestinal parasites, and even chronic infestations lead to economic losses. We evaluated the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in sheep and goats of the Cholistan desert, Pakistan, where livestock is the bac...

Changes in urinary porphyrin excretion patterns (porphyrin profiles) during prolonged mercury exposure are attributable to mercury accumulation in the kidney and to consequent effects of Hg2+ on renal porphyrin metabolism. In the present study, we evaluated the quantitative relationship of urinary porphyrin concentrations to mobilizable renal mercury content, using the metal chelator 2,3-dimerc...

Fascioliasis is a common disease of cattle and other ruminants caused by F. hepatica and F. gigantica. The disease is world wide in distribution and is liable for causing extensive economic losses to the livestock industry encompassing reductions in weight gain, milk yield and fertility. In this study knowledge about prevalence, diagnosis, treatment and control of Fascioliasis has been reviewed...

Heme, like chlorophyll, is a primordial molecule and is one of the fundamental pigments of life. Disorders of normal heme synthesis may cause human diseases, including certain anemias (X-linked sideroblastic anemias) and porphyrias. Porphyrias are classified as hepatic and erythropoietic porphyrias based on the organ system in which heme precursors (5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), porphobilinogen ...

The prevalence of liver and intestinal fluke infections was determined by surveying inhabitants of Hengxuan, Fusui, and Shanglin villages which were known to be endemic for liver flukes in Guangxi, China in May 2010. A total of 718 people were examined for helminth eggs by the Kato-Katz thick smear technique, ultrasonography, immunoaffinity chromatography, and DNA sequencing. The overall egg po...

The detection of Fasciola antigen in serum or stool could be more valuable in diagnosis, hence early treatment before irreparable damage. In this study, fresh adult Fasciola gigantica worms were collected, then incubation in culture medium and collected medium was used to extract crude excretory-secretory (E/S) antigen. E/S was used to immunize rabbits to raise specific antibodies against Fasci...

We recorded fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of uro- and coproporphyrin under different experimental conditions, to see how these conditions influence quantifications based on measurement of fluorescence intensity. We found that, for bands alpha and beta of the emission spectra and the main peak of the excitation spectra, fluorescence depends on pH and is minimal near pH 5 and near ...

The problem of diagnosing Echinococcus granulosus in dogs has still only been partially resolved, even after the advent of biotechnology. The eggs of taeniid Cestoda are extremely similar, and thus identification by microscopic examination of the faeces is risky and non-specific. For this reason, Echinococcus granulosus was traditionally diagnosed in dogs ante mortem after an arecoline hydrobro...

In organic solvents, 1,3-dimethyl-4-(2,4-dichlorobenzoyl)-5-hydroxypyrazole (DTP) converted chlorophyll a and b extracted from rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L. ;Kinmaze') into pheophytin a and b, respectively. On comparing the chlorophyll-converting activity of DTP to those of acetic, glycolic, 2,4-dichlorobenzoic, monochloroacetic, 2,6-dichlorobenzoic, pyruvic, and dichloroacetic acids, it was ...