The aim of this study was to examine variations in measures of body composition in elite soccer players. Skinfolds and measures of body mass (BM) recorded on a monthly basis across an entire competitive season in a group of senior professional players (N=26) were used to estimate body fat (%BF) and provide fat-free body mass values (FFBM). Mean values in players were compared between six specif...

Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in horses is a seasonal, IgE-mediated, pruritic skin disorder primarily caused by Culicoides spp. We hypothesize that a mixed Th2/Th1-type immune status, off season, alters into Th2-dominated immune reactivity in the skin of IBH-affected ponies in the IBH season. To study these immune response patterns Culicoides-specific IgE levels, skin histopathology and cy...

The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal expression of androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) and aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom) mRNA and protein by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry in the wild ground squirrel (WGS) testes. Histologically, all types of spermatogenic cells including mature spermatozoa were identified in the breeding season (Apri...

Bell’s palsy is a relatively common disease characterized by the sudden onset of unilateral facial paralysis. Using a centralized system that contains demographic data, the authors estimated rates, trends, and demographic risk of Bell’s palsy during a 2-year period. There were 140 incident cases of Bell’s palsy among patients referring to private clinics (a total of 6500 patients). The crude in...

Researchers and scientific organizations are becoming aware of the greenhouse-gas emissions and waste associated with attending scientific conferences. Fledgling efforts are now underway to address this problem by offering carbon offsets, recycling at conferences, reducing conference travel, or replacing meetings with teleconferences.

F or some infectious diseases specialists, the equivalent of the summer blockbuster was the release of the 'Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections' (SSTI) update on June 18, 2014, by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) (1). It is timely because summer is when patients consult the most for SSTI. In the present note, we review the mos...

Analysis of the fifteen years of European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis suggests that the transition from dry to wet season in Southern Amazonia is initially driven by increases of surface latent heat flux. These fluxes rapidly reduce Convective Inhibition Energy (CINE) and increase Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), consequently providing favourable co...