Descriptive analyses of maternally-derived antibody levels against porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) in 3- and 21-day-old piglets from farms of four European countries using different vaccination protocols in sows.

BACKGROUND: Up to now, information on the levels of maternally-derived antibodies (MDA) against PCV-2 in suckling piglets born to sows vaccinated with different strategies is scarce in the literature. In the present observational study, the PCV-2-specific MDA titres from piglets from 109 farms (thirty 3-day-old and thirty 21-day-old piglets per farm) across four different European countries (France n = 30, Germany n = 27, Italy n = 22 and Spain n = 30) using different sow vaccination strategies (during gestation, as a gilt, as a piglet or never) were assessed. RESULTS: In all four countries, mean log PCV-2 MDA titres were higher in 3-day-old piglets than in the 3-week-old ones, being significant in most of all the comparisons performed. Within each country, the highest PCV-2-specific MDA titres were observed in the 3-day-old piglets born to sows vaccinated during gestation. Indeed, in the four countries, more than 60% of this subpopulation (3-day-old piglets from sows vaccinated during pregnancy) had the highest log PCV-2 titres detectable with the ELISA technique used in this study. The lowest MDA titres were more variable. Whereas in France and Germany the lowest titres corresponded to 21-day-old piglets born from sows vaccinated as a piglet, in Italy, they corresponded to 21-day-old piglets derived from sows vaccinated as a gilt and in Spain to 21-day-old piglets born from non-vaccinated sows. In this study, PCV-2-specific MDA titres at 3 and 21 days of age were not affected by sow parity. CONCLUSIONS: Data obtained could be considered as a European global overview of PCV-2-specific MDA titres present in the pre-vaccinated piglet populations in different European countries, with titres tending to be higher in younger piglets, but with values variable among countries and sow vaccination strategies.

Do adult patients with congenital colorectal conditions know their diagnosis?

PURPOSE: Limited research exists about the knowledge that adult patients have about their congenital colorectal diagnosis. METHODS: This was an IRB approved, prospective study of patients in the Adult Colorectal Research Registry who completed surveys between October 2019 and March 2022. Surveys were administered through REDCap after patients consented to being contacted for research purposes. Patients provided demographic data, which was linked to surgical records, and the diagnoses provided by patients were compared with diagnoses recorded by the original surgeons. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one questionnaires were collected, 115 patients had anorectal malformations (ARM) and 16 had Hirschsprung disease (HD). Seven patients who had ARM were unaware that they had an ARM or HD. The type of ARM recorded by the surgeon was unavailable for comparison with the patient's reported diagnosis in four cases. Of the 111 remaining patients with ARM, only 32 of them (29%) knew what their own type of anomaly was. Female patients recalled their diagnosis more often than male patients (42.4% vs 13.5%). All 16 participants with HD correctly identified their diagnosis severity as HD with or without total colonic aganglionosis. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate patient's limited understanding of their type of ARM and highlight the urgent need to enhance communication and education strategies, such as issuing patients with medical diagnosis identification cards. It is critical for clinicians to better communicate with patients to ensure that they and their relatives truly understand their precise diagnosis. Adequately informed patients can better advocate for themselves, adhere to treatments and precautionary recommendations and navigate the complexities of transitional care. Consequently they can more effectively manage their lifelong complications.

[Anaesthetic management in left ventricular assist device implantation as destination therapy: Our first experience]. / Manejo anestésico en el implante de un dispositivo de asistencia ventricular izquierda como terapia definitiva: nuestra primera experiencia.

Left ventricular assist devices have emerged as one of the main therapies of advanced cardiac failure due the increase of this disease and lack of organ supply for cardiac transplantation. The anaesthetic management is described on a patient without cardiac transplantation criteria. The device was successfully implanted as a destination therapy.

Sinonasal cavernous haemangioma: a case report.

Cavernous haemangiomas arising in the paranasal sinuses are very rare. Even though the lesion is benign in nature, its imaging features are non-specific, leading to an incorrect pre-operative diagnosis in most patients. We present a case of a maxillary sinus cavernous haemangioma in a young male. The clinical presentation and imaging characteristics of this entity are reviewed.

Population genetic data for 18 STR loci in Costa Rica.

Allele frequencies for 18 STR autosomal loci (D3S1358, VWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, Penta D, Penta E, D19S433, D2S1338 and SE33) were obtained from a sample of 191-500 unrelated individuals from Costa Rica, Central America.

Archimedes' principle in fluidized granular systems.

We fluidize a granular bed in a rectangular container by injecting energy through the lateral walls with high-frequency sinusoidal horizontal vibrations. In this way, the bed is brought to a steady state with no convection. We measured buoyancy forces on light spheres immersed in the bed and found that they obey Archimedes' principle. The buoyancy forces decrease when we reduce the injected energy. By measuring ascension velocities as a function of gamma, we can evaluate the frictional drag of the bed; its exponential dependence agrees very well with previous findings. Rising times of the intruders ascending through the bed were also measured, they increase monotonically as we increase the density.

Serologic evidence of Rickettsia akari infection among dogs in a metropolitan city.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether dogs in New York, NY are naturally infected with Rickettsia akari, the causative agent of rickettsialpox in humans. DESIGN: Serologic survey. ANIMALS: 311 dogs. PROCEDURE: Serum samples were obtained from dogs as a part of a study on Rocky Mountain spotted fever and borreliosis or when dogs were examined at area veterinary clinics for routine care. Dog owners were asked to complete a questionnaire inquiring about possible risk factors at the time serum samples were obtained. Samples were tested for reactivity to spotted fever group rickettsiae by use of an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Twenty-two samples for which results were positive were tested by use of an indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) assay followed by confirmatory cross-absorption testing. RESULTS: Results of the EIA were positive for 24 (7.7%) dogs. A history of tick infestation and increasing age were significantly associated with whether dogs were seropositive. Distribution of seropositive dogs was focal. Seventeen of the 22 samples submitted for IFA testing had titers to R rickettsii and R akari; for 11 of these, titers to R akari were higher than titers to R rickettsii. Cross-absorption testing indicated that in 6 of 7 samples, infection was caused by R akari. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that dogs can be naturally infected with R akari. Further studies are needed to determine the incidence of R akari infection in dogs, whether infection is associated with clinical illness, and whether dogs can serve as sentinels for human disease.

TabBO: a model reflecting common molecular features of androgen-independent prostate cancer.

We established two human prostate cancer cell lines, MDA PCa 2a and MDA PCa 2b, the TabBO model system, that reflect common features of human androgen-independent prostate cancer that are not present in other model systems: bone origin, prostate-specific antigen production, androgen receptor expression, and androgen sensitivity. We therefore hypothesized that molecular pathways in our model system reflect common alterations responsible for the progression of a subset of human prostate cancer. Progression to androgen independence has been hypothesized to be largely associated with impairment of the regulation of cell growth or apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Therefore, in this study, we examined molecular markers known or suspected to be important in prostate cancer progression and key regulators of cell growth and apoptosis: p53, p21WAF1/CIP1, Bcl-2, Bax, retinoblastoma (Rb), and p16INK4A/MITS1. We analyzed the expression of these markers in the cell lines, their tumor of origin, and tumors derived from the cell lines by s.c. inoculation into nude mice. DNA sequencing of the entire open reading frames of the p53 and p21 genes revealed no mutations. Additionally, accumulation of the p53 protein was not found by Western blot analysis, nor was overexpression of the Bcl-2 oncoprotein detected. Bax expression was detected in MDA PCa 2a cells, whereas it was absent in MDA PCa 2b. Rb and p16 protein expression was normal as measured by both Western blot and immunochemical analyses. Immunohistochemical studies of p53, p21, Bcl-2, and Rb in both samples from the original human cancer from which the lines were derived and mouse xenografts derived from the lines revealed similar levels of protein. These results are consistent with reports indicating that 40-50% of bone metastases of prostate cancer have wild-type p53, 50-70% do not overexpress the Bcl-2 protein, and mutations in the p21 gene are rare. Therefore, we conclude that MDA PCa 2a and MDA PCa 2b reflect molecular pathways in a common subset of human androgen-independent prostate cancer and that important molecular players in apoptosis (namely, p53 and Bcl-2) seem to be intact in this subset of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Understanding the signal-transduction pathways operating in these cell lines may help to identify therapeutic targets for prostate cancer.

Pyruvate carboxylase from Rhizobium etli: mutant characterization, nucleotide sequence, and physiological role.

Pyruvate carboxylase (PYC), a biotin-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to oxaloacetate, was hypothesized to play an important anaplerotic role in the growth of Rhizobium etli during serial subcultivation in minimal media containing succinate (S. Encarnación, M. Dunn, K. Willms, and J. Mora, J. Bacteriol. 177:3058-3066, 1995). R. etli and R. tropici pyc::Tn5-mob mutants were selected for their inability to grow in minimal medium with pyruvate as a sole carbon source. During serial subcultivation in minimal medium containing 30 mM succinate, the R. etli parent and pyc mutant strains exhibited similar decreases in growth rate with each subculture. Supplementation of the medium with biotin prevented the growth decrease of the parent but not the mutant strain, indicating that PYC was necessary for the growth of R. etli under these conditions. The R. tropici pyc mutant grew normally in subcultures regardless of biotin supplementation. The symbiotic phenotypes of the pyc mutants from both species were similar to those of the parent strains. The R. etli pyc was cloned, sequenced, and found to encode a 126-kDa protein of 1,154 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence is highly homologous to other PYC sequences, and the catalytic domains involved in carboxylation, pyruvate binding, and biotinylation are conserved. The sequence and biochemical data show that the R. etli PYC is a member of the alpha4, homotetrameric, acetyl coenzyme A-activated class of PYCs.

Spectroscopic characterization of mineral crystals produced by the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense.

The results of spectroscopic structural and trace elemental analyses of mineral crystals produced by the soil nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense cultivated in a synthetic medium are presented and discussed. The mineral formed is shown to have a structure close to struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4) x 6H(2)O; ASTM file No. 15-762) with some differences which may be attributed to the presence of isomorphic admixtures of other cations (struvite is known to have a variety of forms). AAS/AES and ion chromatography analyses for a number of biologically important microelements and their role in the formation of the crystal structure, as well as some questions related to biomineralization are also discussed.

[Measles outbreak in the indian community of Yaitepec, Oaxaca, 1988]. / Brote de sarampión en la comunidad indígena de Yaitepec, Oaxaca, 1988.

A measles outbreak that involved 230 cases occurred in 1988 in Santiago Yaitepec, Oaxaca, had an attack rate of 14% and a case-fatality ratio of 3.9%. That community is relatively speaking isolated. A pre-outbreak measles vaccine coverage of 38.7% was found among children 1-15 years old. We compared attack rates among vaccines and non-vaccines and adjusted the figures for age and source of vaccine information. The vaccine efficacy based on this comparison was 72%. We classified cases as primary and secondary for household level. The secondary attack rate was 15.5%. The comparison based on secondary attack rates yield an estimate of vaccine efficacy about 95%. The implications of the epidemic recurrence of measles for attack rates yield an estimate of vaccine efficacy about 95%. The implications of the epidemic recurrence of measles for isolated communities due to suboptimal vaccine coverage are discussed.

Tensión arterial en escolares de un medio rural / Blood pressure in school children of a rural environment

La TA en pacientes pediátricos no ha sido estudiada adecuadamente en Venezuela. El presente trabajo se realizó para determinar las cifras tensionales según edad y sexo en escolares de las poblaciones rurales de El Cortijo y Los Bagres, Dtto. Sanitario No. 3, Ed. Aragua y correlacionario con peso, talla, y antecedentes familiares. La muestra fue de 184 niños (94 varones y 90 hembras), con edades entre 7 y 14 años. Se registró el primer, cuarto y quinto ruido de Korotkoff en posición acostado, sentado y de pie, con esfigmomanómetro de mercurio. No se observó diferencia significativa entre las medias aritméticas de varones y hembras. Se evidenció una correlación significativa (p<0,05) y positiva entre TA y peso en la mayoría de los casos. Las cifras de TA registrada en posición sentado fueron siempre las más bajas en ambos sexos (p<0,05). La prevalencia de lecturas elevadas en la primera medición fue de 13,6% (6,0% en varones y 7,6% en hembras, p>0,05); el 5,6% mantendrán cifras elevadas a las cuatro semanas

[The battered child syndrome. Preliminary review in a Bolivian pediatric hospital]. / Síndrome del niño maltratado. Revisión preliminar en un hospital pediátrico boliviano.

Taking into account the prevalence of child abuse in countries with different socioeconomic levels, the authors review this entity through the casuistics in a Bolivian pediatric hospital. Besides confirming unquestionable clinical findings, it was observed that among twenty-seven cases there was a predominance in preschool and school age children, in contrast with previous papers. The finding of three children with burns of various degrees and two cases who died as consequence of child abuse must be emplasized. The authors comment the varying forms of this syndrome according with foregoing Occidental publications, accepting that non-physical forms should require prospective researches in order to define a creditable prevalence and incidence of child abuse in an exposed population.

Estrogen localization in the brain of the lizard, Anolis carolinensis (1).

Estrogen induces reproductive behavior in lizards by acting on specific areas of the brain. Neural areas that selectively concentrate radioactivity after 3-h-estradiol administration were mapped using thawmount autoradiography. Major accumulations of hormone-concentrating cells occur in the medial preoptic area, basal hypothalamus, amygdala (n. vetromedialis telencephali) and in and around the torus semicircularis. Numerous smaller accumulations are also described and the topographical distribution is compared with that of avian and mammalian species.

Anatomical distribution of estrogen target cells in the avian CNS: a comparison with the mammalian CNS.

The distribution of labeled cells was investigated in the brain of the ring dove one hour after administration of 3H-estradiol. Major areas of concentration of labeled cells were found in (1) the preoptico-strial region: nucleus preopticus medialis and nucleus interstitialis of the dorsal olfactory projection, (2) the basal hypothalamic region: nucleus hypothalamicus posterior medialis and nucleus inferior, (3) the amygdaloid region: nucleus taeniae and adjacent portions of the archistriatum, and (4) the midbrain: substantia grisea surrounding the nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis. The findings support the phylogenetic homologies between the avian nucleus interstitialis of the dorsal olfactory projection and the mammalian nucleus interstitialis of the stria terminalis, the avian nucleus hypothalamicus posterior medialis and the mammalian nucleus ventromedialis hypothalami, as well as the avian nucleus inferior and the mammalian nucleus infundibularis-premammillaris ventralis. The results also suggest that the nucleus medialis and other more differentiated labeled areas of the mammalian amygdala.

Estrogen target sites in the brain of the chick embryo.

Autoradiograms prepared from brains of chick embryos after injection of [3H]estradiol demonstrate the existence of target cells for estrogen in the medial preoptic and ventral hypothalamic regions as early as day 10 of incubation. Target cells also appear in telencephalic locations during later stages of embryonic development. These hormone-concentrating cells probably are the anatomical substrate for the formative action of sex steroids during embryonic life on certain brain functions such as control of sexual and aggressive behaviour and gonadotropin secretion.