Background: The Cicadas Singers (hemiptera: cigadidae) of Bulgaria were poorly known. There are records published for 14 species: Cicada Orni, Lyrists Plebejus, Cicadatra Atra, Cicadatra Hyalina, Cicadatra Persica, Cicadatta Persica, Cicadetta Montana, Cicadetta Mediterranea, Timissaleta Dimissa, Oliglena Tibialis, Tympanistalis Gastrica, Pagiphora Annulata, Saiticula Coriaria, Tibicina Haematodes and Tibicina Steveni.
New information: Two species of this list were doubtful at the beginning of our study, because Tympanistalna Gastrica is distributed in the center and southern Portugal and Saiala Coriaria is a North African species. We have verified three main institutional collections hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria: the National Museum of Natural History (SOFM), the Institute of Zoology (ZISB) and the Faculty of Biology at Sofia University “St. Kliment ohridski »(BFU). We have confirmed 11 species mentioned in the literature, with the exception of Cicadetta Mediterranea and found two additional species: Cicadata Plassyptera and Cicadetta Macedonica (BFU specimens were confirmed bioacoustically).
Based on this knowledge, we still studied the Bulgaria’s singing cicadas with the use of morphological and bioacoustic methods in the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2012, 2016 and 2019. We could not confirm the presence of Cicadata Persica and Cicadetta Mediterranea, but has Found three additional species: Cicadetta BreviNnis s. Lat., Cicadetta Cantilatrix and Tettettula Pygmea. Using bioacoustic methods, we also detected unknown song models, which could belong to three or four additional taxa, which must be described. The Bulgarian fauna of Cicada singing at the same time is composed of 16 potential species confirmed and 3-4.
SCN1A mutation spectrum in a cohort of Bulgarian patients at the GEFS + phenotype
BACKGROUND: Dravet syndrome (DS) is the most serious form of widespread epilepsy with febrile crisis syndrome and febrile supports (GEFS +) with a clear genetic component in 85% of cases. It is characterized by a seizure caused by fever of about six months and a deterioration of subsequent development later in life.
Methods: In the current study, 60 patients with crises and suspicions caused by fever, either FEMS + (50 patients) or DS (10 patients) were referred for the analysis of the SCN1A genes sequence.
Results: SCN1A Gene Sequencing revealed clinically significant variants in 11 patients (18.3%); Seven pathogens (11.7%) and four probable pathogens (6.7%). Five of these variants were not reported previously. Among the preselected group of ten DS patients, five had SCN1A pathogenic variants that confirmed the diagnosis of DS. In four patients with preliminary diagnosis GEFS +, the detected variant SCN1A allowed us to specify the diagnosis of DS in these patients. Thus, the SCN1A sequencing resulted in a confirmation of the 50% (5/10) genetic diagnosis of DS patients, as well as to clarify the diagnosis of DS in 8% of FEMS + patients (450). In this study, four patients with truncating mutations have had refractory crises and additional psychomotor anomalies. In addition, Missense pathogenic mutations have been detected in three children with comparable phenotypes, which favors observations that mutations despite critical channel function regions can cause a devastating epileptic disease.
Conclusions: This is the first systematic screening of the SCN1A gene in our country, which expands the spectrum of SCN1A variants with five new variants in Bulgaria and demonstrates the clinical utility of CNN1A confirmatory tests, which helps clinicians make Early and precise diagnoses. It is important for better monitoring, the choice of appropriate treatment, the prevention of the development of refractory seizures and neuropsychological complications. Identification of pathogenic variants in the SCN1A in the milder cases of FEMS + and serious DS, will help provide adequate prenatal diagnosis and improve genetic tips for affected families.
Checklist and provisional atlas of singing cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Bulgaria, based on bioacoustics
Respiratory symptoms of exposure to workplace substances among Bulgarian dentists
Objectives: Dentists are exposed to a variety of airborne chemicals that can serve as irritants and sensitizers and can give rise to work-related respiratory symptoms. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms of exposure to workplace substances and risk factors involved in Bulgarian dentists.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Bulgarian dentists using a self-recall questionnaire. A direct acyclic chart (DAG) has been developed to illustrate direct and indirect causal paths between exposure to irritants and / or allergens from the dental environment and work-related respiratory symptoms in dentists. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to study the relationship between sex, work experience, daily exposure to chemicals from the dental environment, a history of atopic disorders and respiratory symptoms related to the job.
Results: A total of 4675 dentists completed the questionnaire (response rate 48.1%). The prevalence of self-reported respiratory symptoms was 20.7%. The most commonly repeated causes of respiratory reactions were disinfectants (65.7%) and materials based on acrylic resins (29.7%). Factors associated with work-related respiratory symptoms are a personal history of confidence interval of asthma, work experience> 20 years and female sex.
Description: Epoxy Fluor 7 is a sensitive fluorescent substrate for soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) that can be used for human and mouse enzymes. Epoxy Fluor 7 is hydrolyzed to yield fluorescence used for monitoring the activity of sEH.
Conclusion: Work-related respiratory symptoms are common among dentists and indicate efforts to establish effective programs and techniques for reducing or eliminating direct exposure to chemicals in the air in the dental environment.