Climatic, ecological and socioeconomic factors as predictors of Sindbis virus infections in Finland.

Mosquito-borne Sindbis virus (SINV) causes rash-arthritis syndrome in Finland. Major outbreaks with approximately 7-year cycles have caused substantial burden of illness. Forest dwelling grouse are suspected to be amplifying hosts, with the infection transmitted to humans by mosquito bites. SINV infection surveillance data for 1984­2010 were used to create a negative binomial hurdle model, with seasonality, long-term cycles, climatic, ecological and socioeconomic variables. Climatic factors during early summer and amount of snow in April described the occurrence and incidence of SINV infections. Regulated water shore and hatch-year black grouse density described the occurrence, while population working in agriculture, agricultural land(negative) and income (negative) described the incidence of the disease. The prediction for 2009 was 85 cases (95% prediction interval 2-1187), while the actual occurrence was 106. We identified novel and known risk factors. The prevention of SINV infections in regulated water areas by infected mosquito populations should be targeted.

Effects of extrinsic denervation with or without ischemia-reperfusion injury on constitutional mucosal characteristics in porcine jejunoileum.

We investigated the effects of jejunoileal denervation with or without ischemia-reperfusion on mucosal characteristics and small intestinal structure. Growing pigs underwent sham laparotomy, jejunal transection, or extrinsic jejunoileal denervation with or without in situ ischemia-reperfusion. Small intestinal morphology, crypt cell proliferation, enterocyte ultrastructure, and disaccharidase activities were analyzed from jejunum and ileum after eight weeks. Immunohistological analysis of the ileum showed no staining of catecholaminergic neurons after extrinsic denervation. Neural isolation of the jejunoileum with or without ischemia-reperfusion injury reduced weight gain and villous enterocyte density in the ileum, abolished the proximodistal gradient of sucrase activity, and increased mucosal thickness, villus height, and villus surface area in the ileum. However, gross jejunoileal morphology, crypt cell proliferation, and enterocyte ultrastructure remained unchanged. In conclusion, jejunoileal denervation in growing pigs selectively modulates constitutional mucosal characteristics in the ileum, presumably due to altered enterocyte turnover, without a decrease in small intestinal absorptive surface area. These changes are independent of short ischemia and subsequent reperfusion.