BACKGROUND: Less attention is given to cancer treatment and control in Ethiopia. METHODS: To investigate the challenges and opportunities facing cancer treatment services in Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was applied to recruit the study subjects from Black Lion Specialized Hospital Oncology Department. A semi-structured interview guide was used to investigate challenges and opportunities in oncology service in Ethiopia. Data was transcribed and coded by two independent coders and analyzed thematically in reference to the objectives. RESULTS: Fifteen professionals from four different disciplines were interviewed on opportunities and challenges facing cancer treatment in Ethiopia. Out of these respondents 3 were senior clinical oncologists while 4 individuals were senior oncology residents. The rest were 2 medical Physicists, 2 radiotherapy technologists and 4 oncology nurses. Majority (80%) of the respondents were males. We demonstrate that the challenges of cancer treatment service in Ethiopia emanate from the patients themselves, the administrating body, the professionals, and the technology limitations. In general, the result of this study was grouped under the following five themes: Customer-related challenges, provider-related challenges, facility-related challenges, technology-related challenges and the opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: Several assignments are waiting for the policy makers, the professionals, the communities and other concerned bodies to combat the alarmingly growing burden of cancer in Ethiopia. Escalating the awareness of the general population about cancer, expanding well-developed diagnostic and treatment centers, and producing well-trained competent oncology professionals are the forefront challenges in combating cancer in Ethiopia.
Administrative Personnel ; Ethiopia ; Humans ; Lions ; Male ; Radiotherapy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To compare parameters of confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph [HRT] II) in high myopia with age- and sex-matched emmetropes. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Nepalese subjects aged 18 to 35 years at BP Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu from November 2015 to October 2016. Fifty consecutive subjects with high myopia (spherical equivalent ranging from −6.00 to −12.00 diopters) and age- and sex-matched emmetropic subjects were enrolled for comparison. Correlations between disc area and other HRT parameters, asymmetry between the right and left eyes, and comparisons between male and female subjects in both high myopic and emmetropic groups were evaluated. RESULTS: Disc area was not significantly (p = 0.11) larger in high myopic eyes than in emmetropic eyes. HRT parameters in highly myopic eyes involved smaller cup parameters and greater rim parameters compared with emmetropic eyes. Disc area was found to be significantly positively correlated with inter disc parameters and significantly negatively correlated with rim to disc area ratio in the high myopia group. Disc area and other intra-disc parameters showed significant correlations between right and left eyes in both high myopia and emmetropia, and no significant differences between males and females from a Nepalese population. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of HRT parameters in high myopic eyes involved smaller cup parameters and greater rim parameters compared with emmetropic eyes in a Nepalese population. The effect of disc area on HRT parameters differed significantly only in height variation contour by emmetropic eyes.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emmetropia ; Female ; Humans ; Institute of Medicine (U.S.) ; Lions ; Male ; Myopia ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Optic Disk ; Optic Nerve ; Retinaldehyde

The present study was performed with morphological and molecular analysis (cox1 and nad1 mitochondrial genes) to identify the proglottids of spirometrid tapeworm found in the stool of an African lion, Panthera leo, in the Serengeti plain of Tanzania. A strand of tapeworm strobila, about 75 cm in length, was obtained in the stool of a male African lion in the Serengeti National Park (34° 50′ E, 02° 30′ S), Tanzania, in February 2012. The morphological features of the adult worm examined exhibited 3 uterine coils with a bow tie appearance and adopted a diagonal direction in the second turn. The posterior uterine coils are larger than terminal uterine ball and the feature of uteri are swirling rather than spirally coiling. The sequence difference between the Spirometra species (Tanzania origin) and S. erinaceieuropaei (GenBank no. KJ599680) was 9.4% while those of S. decipiens (GenBank no. KJ599679) differed by 2.1% in the cox1 and nad1 genes. Phylogenetic tree topologies generated using the 2 analytic methods were identical and presented high level of confidence values for the 3 major branches of the 3 Spirometra species in the cox1 gene. The morphological and molecular findings obtained in this study were nearly coincided with those of S. ranarum. Therefore, we can know for the first time that the African lion, Panthera leo, is to the definitive host of this tapeworm.
Adult ; Cestoda ; Humans ; Lions ; Male ; Panthera ; Parks, Recreational ; Spirometra ; Tanzania ; Trees ; Uterus

Dermatophytosis was found on the right front leg of a 4-month-old female African lion cub (Panthera leo) kept at a zoo with locally marginal alopecia. For diagnosis, culturing on sabouraud dextrose agar was performed and skin scrapings from the lesion were analyzed. The ones from the culture and skin scrapings were identified as Trichophyton mentagrophytes. A zookeeper that had been in contacted with the lion for artificial rearing developed skin lesions with well-defined erythematous plaques on the right arm about 1 month after the lesion in the lion was observed. The ringworm was probably transmitted from the lion through continuous contact.
Agar ; Alopecia ; Arm ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Infant ; Leg ; Lions* ; Skin ; Tinea ; Trichophyton*

PURPOSE: We report a case of tectonic lamellar corneal patch graft using acellular corneal tissue (Halo Sterile Cornea; Lions VisionGift, Portland, OR, USA) for treating a large corneal ulcer perforation CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old male previously treated for corneal ulcer was referred after presenting with decreased vision and abrupt tears in the right eye. His best-corrected visual acuity was 0.025 (20/800) and slit-lamp examination showed collapsed anterior chamber and 2 x 2 mm corneal perforation with protruded iris at the peripheral cornea. Infiltration in superficial stroma was observed near the perforation. Despite conjunctival flap, the cornea showed leakage due to perforation. To preserve ocular integrity, the patient underwent tectonic lamellar corneal patch graft using acellular corneal tissue. After surgery, the corneal patch graft was well attached. Re-epithelialization occurred after 3 days. There was no recurrence of perforation or corneal graft melting. Visual acuity improved to 0.32 (20/63) after 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Tectonic lamellar corneal patch graft using acellular corneal tissue can be a useful treatment option in large corneal ulcer perforation located at the periphery.
Aged ; Anterior Chamber ; Cornea* ; Corneal Perforation ; Corneal Ulcer* ; Freezing ; Humans ; Iris ; Lions ; Male ; Re-Epithelialization ; Recurrence ; Tears ; Transplants* ; Visual Acuity

A 14-year-old female South American sea lion (Otaria byronia) with persistent vaginal secretion and chronic hemorrhagic diarrhea was encountered. During postmortem examination, the uterus was found to resemble a balloon with mucosal congestion and was filled with grayish milky material. The ovaries also had abnormal features, including necrotic surface lesions and multiple whitish foci in the cut section. Hemorrhages and ulcerated changes due to toxemia were observed in other organs, including the liver, spleen, lung, intestines, and lymph nodes. Microscopically, the left ovary contained interlacing fascicles of fibroblast-like cells with blunt-end nuclei showing cytoplasmic positive immunoreactivity against alpha-smooth muscle actin and desmin. The right ovary contained cells with round to cigar-shaped nuclei showing cytoplasmic positive immunoreactivity against vimentin. In conclusion, based on classification of bilateral ovarian tumors as a leiomyoma in the left region and a fibroma in the right region, this sea lion was diagnosed with chronic closed pyometra.
Actins ; Autopsy ; Cytoplasm ; Desmin ; Diarrhea ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Fibroma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestines ; Leiomyoma ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Muscles ; Ovary ; Pyometra ; Sea Lions ; Spleen ; Toxemia ; Ulcer ; Uterus ; Vimentin

In this study, peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was detected in frozen pooled tissue samples from a dead Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). The samples were negative for canine distemper virus and positive for PPRV nucleic acids when tested with one-step RT-PCR using the appropriate virus-specific primers. Subsequent amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the partial nucleocapsid, matrix, and fusion genes confirmed the presence of PPRV nucleic acid. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the structural genes of the isolated virus confirmed that the virus belonged to Asian lineage IV and was closely related to PPRV circulating in India.
Animals ; Cloning, Molecular ; *Lions ; Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary

We reported here the first known case of natural infection of a lion (Panthera leo-Linnaeus, 1758) with Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi (L. chagasi) in Brazil. The specimen was created by a circus handler in the state of Mato Grosso and was donated to the zoological park of the Federal University of Mato Grosso. Infection by L. chagasi was detected using a PCR-RFLP test. It was known that the domestic felids can act as reservoir of infection of L. chagasi in endemic areas, making it important that studies demonstrate their participation in the epidemiological chain. We demonstrate in this work that wild animals can have an important role in the epidemiological chain and must be considered in order to plan methods of control of this zoonosis.
Animal Diseases ; parasitology ; Animals ; Brazil ; Leishmania ; classification ; genetics ; Leishmaniasis ; veterinary ; Lions ; parasitology

BACKGROUND: The possible role of apolipoprotein E (APOE for gene, apoE for protein) allele in atherosclerotic diseases is not clearly understood. For the putative role of APOE genotypes, we examined APOE polymorphism among patients with stroke. METHODS: A total of 202 ischemic stroke patients were involved in this study. The genotype DNA was isolated from whole blood and the APOE alleles were determined by polynicrase chain reaction. RESULTS: The genotype of APOE epsilon3/3 was the most common allele in the stroke group and the control group. The frequencies of APOE epsilon2, epsilon3, epsilon4 allele in stroke group were 0.052, 0.851, and 0.097, respectively. There was no significant difference in APOE genotypes between the stroke group and the control group. No significant associations lions were found for the APOE genotypes and the serum lipid profiles. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that APOE was not related to the stroke,
Alleles ; Apolipoprotein E2 ; Apolipoproteins E ; Apolipoproteins* ; DNA ; Genotype ; Humans ; Lions ; Stroke

STUDY DESIGN: The operative treatment methods of twenty-one patients with Denis type B burst fractures were evaluated according to the level of pedicle screw fixation. OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of short segment pedicle screw fixation with long segment pedicle screw fixation in Denis type B burst fractures treated anteriorly with short bone graft. SUMMARY OF BACK GROUND DATA: Relatively good results(Short fusion time, good union rate, less loss of lordosis postoperatively etc.) were obtained in long segment fixation group during follow-up period. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with Denis B type burst fractures of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine were divided into two groups depend on the level of pedicle screw fixation in operative treatment methods, one group consisted of 10 cases which were treated by posterior short segment pedicle screw fixation and anterior interbody fusion with short bone graft(Group I : one level above and below posteior pedicle screw fixation of the fracture site and upper end plate of fracture site was fused with autogenous iliac bone or rib to adjacent vertebral body anteriorly through involved disc space) and the other groups consisted of 11 cases which were treated by posterior long segment pedicle screw fixation and anterior interbody fusion with short bone graft (Group II : more than two level above and below posterior pedicle screw fixation of the fracture site and additionally, anterior interbody fusion with short bone graft performed same as Group I). Bony union rate, union period, changes of height of bone and disc, kyphotic angle loss, interscrew angle and complications were measured using pre-, post-operative and follow-up radiographs and chart review. RESULTS: Comparing the two groups, there were no significant postoperative and follow-up results in both groups, especially, change of body & disc height, change of kyphotic angle and change of interscrew angle. However, relatively short fusion time, good union rate, less kyphotic angle loss, and low complication rates were obtainecl and maintained during follow-up period in long segment fixation lion group(Group II). CONCLUSIONS: Long segment pedicle screw fixation and anterior interbody fusion with short bone graft group could effectiyely treat Denis B type burst fractures of thoracolumbar & lumbar spine and maintain their postoperative results during follow up peroid.
Animals ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lions ; Lordosis ; Ribs ; Spine ; Transplants*