Septicemic Outbreak in A Rainbow Trout Intensive Aquaculture System: Clinical Finds, Etiological Agents, and Predisposing Factors.

On the 23rd of September 2022, a small intensive aquaculture unit populated with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reported increased mortality in adults and juvenile fish. The unit comprised 12 enclosed concrete basins with a capacity of ten cubic meters of water, populated with 150 kg of fish each. Fish were subjected to a clinical examination on the site, after which whole fish were harvested for a bacteriological and histopathological examination. Water quality parameters were examined using classic biochemical methods and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in order to find out whether the environment in which the fish live is also a predisposing factor that could facilitate different pathogens and induce a state of disease in the fish. Real-time PCR was performed on strains of Aeromonas spp. sampled from the fish to accurately identify the pathogen species. The goal was to accurately identify the problems and predisposing factors that lead to disease outbreaks.

Chemotherapy followed by anti-CD137 mAb immunotherapy improves disease control in a mouse myeloma model.

Immunotherapy holds promise for multiple myeloma (MM) patients but little is known about how MM-induced immunosuppression influences response to therapy. Here, we investigated the impact of disease progression on immunotherapy efficacy in the Vk*MYC mouse model. Treatment with agonistic anti-CD137 (4-1BB) mAbs efficiently protected mice when administered early but failed to contain MM growth when delayed more than three weeks after Vk*MYC tumor cell challenge. The quality of CD8+ T cell response to CD137 stimulation was not altered by the presence of MM, but CD8+ T cell numbers were profoundly reduced at the time of treatment. Our data suggest that an insufficient ratio of CD8+ T cells over MM cells (CD8/MM) accounts for the loss of anti-CD137 mAb efficacy. We established serum M-protein levels prior to therapy as a predictive factor of response. Moreover, we developed an in silico model to capture the dynamic interactions between CD8+ T cells and MM cells. Finally, we explored two methods to improve the CD8/MM ratio: anti-CD137 mAb immunotherapy combined with Treg-depletion or administered after chemotherapy treatment with cyclophosphamide or melphalan efficiently reduced MM burden and prolonged survival. Altogether, our data indicate that consolidation treatment with anti-CD137 mAbs might prevent MM relapse.

A rare case of intracardiac fibrosarcoma with myxoid features inducing venous occlusion in a dog - a case report.

BACKGROUND: In both humans and animals, cardiac fibrosarcoma is rare among primary cardiac malignant neoplasia. The overall prevalence of cardiac neoplasia in dogs is low, reported to be between 0.17% and 0.19% of hospital admissions. The aim of this report is to describe the clinical and pathological findings of a dog presenting signs of right sided congestive heart failure due to an intracardiac and venous obstructing mass, diagnosed by histopathology as cardiac fibrosarcoma with myxoid features. CASE PRESENTATION: A 7 years old male mix breed Husky weighing 23 kg was presented to our Veterinary Teaching Hospital the owner reporting weight loss, inappetence and exercise intolerance and on presentation exhibited breathlessness and an enlarged abdomen. A 5 minutes six leads electrocardiogram and cardiac ultrasonography were performed using standard, established techniques. Complete blood count, serum liver enzyme activities and renal parameters were assessed. Shortly after the cardiologic examination, the dog died and necropsy examination of the cardiovascular system revealed an elongated and branched mass attached dorsally to the endocardial insertion of the septal tricuspid valve leaflet. This mass extended retrogradely into the lumen of the cervical veins, obstructing the venous flow. Histological diagnosis of the mass was cardiac fibrosarcoma with myxoid features. Multiple metastases were found inside the lungs only. CONCLUSION: This is the first report describing a right cardiac fibrosarcoma with myxoid features and venous obstruction in a dog. Cardiac fibrosarcoma is a rare finding, however should be considered when an intracardiac mass is diagnosed.

A switching control law approach for cancer immunotherapy of an evolutionary tumor growth model.

We propose a new approach for tumor immunotherapy which is based on a switching control strategy defined on domains of attraction of equilibria of interest. For this, we consider a recently derived model which captures the effects of the tumor cells on the immune system and viceversa, through predator-prey competition terms. Additionally, it incorporates the immune system's mechanism for producing hunting immune cells, which makes the model suitable for immunotherapy strategies analysis and design. For computing domains of attraction for the tumor nonlinear dynamics, and thus, for deriving immunotherapeutic strategies we employ rational Lyapunov functions. Finally, we apply the switching control strategy to destabilize an invasive tumor equilibrium and steer the system trajectories to tumor dormancy.

Non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding: clinical, therapeutic and evolution aspects. Comparison between a tertiary medical center and a municipal hospital.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is one of the most common emergencies in gastroenterology practice. In recent years, the introduction of urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) and of the treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in high doses has resulted in an improvement of the treatment outcome in patients with UGIB, but without a significant improvement in mortality rates. In our study we compared the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic aspects in patients with non-variceal UGIB admitted over a period of one year in a tertiary center where urgent UGIE is a routine procedure and in a municipal hospital where UGIE with endoscopic hemostasis is not available. Patients admitted to the tertiary medical center had more clinical and endoscopic severity factors compared to those from the municipal hospital: they were older, with more frequent intake of NSAIDs, several comorbidities, some of them severe, and more severe posthemorrhagic anemia. The endoscopic examination revealed that active bleeding and stigmata of recent hemorrhage were more frequent in these patients. Urgent UGIE and, where necessary because of lesions, endoscopic hemostasis were performed in most of these patients. Patients admitted to the municipal hospital were treated more frequently with high-dose intravenous PPIs. Patients undergoing urgent UGIE and endoscopic therapy had a shorter duration of hospitalization. However, there were no differences regarding the need for surgery or mortality rates. The results of our study are consistent with the literature.