Effectiveness of integrated bovine leukemia virus eradication strategies utilizing cattle carrying resistant and susceptible major histocompatibility complex class II DRB3 alleles.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) has spread worldwide and causes serious problems in the cattle industry owing to the lack of effective treatments and vaccines. Bovine leukemia virus is transmitted via horizontal and vertical infection, and cattle with high BLV proviral load (PVL), which is a useful index for estimating disease progression and transmission risk, are considered major infectious sources within herds. The PVL strongly correlates with highly polymorphic bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA)-DRB3 alleles. The BoLA-DRB3*015:01 and *012:01 alleles are known susceptibility-associated markers related to high PVL, and cattle with susceptible alleles may be at a high risk of BLV transmission via direct contact with healthy cows. In contrast, the BoLA-DRB3*009:02 and *014:01:01 alleles comprise resistant markers associated with the development of low PVL, and cattle with resistant alleles may be low-risk spreaders for BLV transmission and disrupt the BLV transmission chain. However, whether polymorphisms in BoLA-DRB3 are useful for BLV eradication in farms remains unknown. Here, we conducted a validation trial of the integrated BLV eradication strategy to prevent new infection by resistant cattle and actively eliminate susceptible cattle in addition to conventional BLV eradication strategies to maximally reduce the BLV prevalence and PVL using a total of 342 cattle at 4 stall-barn farms in Japan from 2017 to 2019. First, we placed the resistant milking cattle between the BLV-positive and BLV-negative milking cattle in a stall barn for 3 yr. Interestingly, the resistant cattle proved to be an effective biological barrier to successfully block the new BLV infections in the stall-barn system among all 4 farms. Concomitantly, we actively eliminated cattle with high PVL, especially susceptible cattle. Indeed, 39 of the 60 susceptible cattle (65%), 76 of the 140 neutral cattle (54%), and 20 of the 41 resistant cattle (48.8%) were culled on 4 farms for 3 years. Consequently, BLV prevalence and mean PVL decreased in all 4 farms. In particular, one farm achieved BLV-free status in May 2020. By decreasing the number of BLV-positive animals, the revenue-enhancing effect was estimated to be ¥5,839,262 ($39,292.39) for the 4 farms over 3 yr. Our results suggest that an integrated BLV eradication program utilization of resistant cattle as a biological barrier and the preferential elimination of susceptible cattle are useful for BLV infection control.

Usefulness of Harmonic ACE+7 Scalpel in Breast Reconstruction with Extended Latissimus Dorsi Flap: An Open-label Single Institution Pilot Study.

The extended latissimus dorsi (ELD) flap is a safe and aesthetically acceptable method to reconstruct small to medium-sized breasts. However, the long time required for flap elevation and intraoperative bleeding contributes to various postoperative complications. We investigated the use of alternative devices, such as the Harmonic ACE+7, which has a long arm that can help simultaneously detach and seal tissues to prevent such complications. Methods: We compared 27 patients who underwent breast reconstruction with the ELD flap using the Harmonic ACE +7 scalpel, and 28 patients who underwent breast reconstruction using an electrocautery scalpel, between May 2019 and March 2022. Data on patient demographics, surgery, and postoperative complications were collected. Surgical outcomes were compared between electrocautery (EC) and Harmonic ACE+7 (HA) groups. Results: The median age of the patients was 50.2 years. The patient demographics between the groups did not show significant differences. Flap necrosis and hematomas did not occur, and seroma was the major postoperative complication (65.7% in the EC group and 70% in the HA group). The time required for flap elevation was significantly shorter in the HA group than in the EC group (286.0 minutes and 179.0 minutes, respectively). Blood loss reduced significantly in the HA and EC groups (138.5 mL and 78.2 mL, respectively). Moreover, decreased drainage was observed for the breast area. There were no significant differences in other end points. Conclusion: In breast reconstruction with ELD flaps, using the Harmonic ACE+7 can help reduce the rate of seroma, operative time, and intraoperative bleeding without further disadvantages.

New pitfalls of high-density postmortem computed tomography.

An 80-year-old female was transferred to the hospital due to a traffic accident. Multiple cranial bone fractures with intracranial hemorrhage and intracranial air were detected. Despite treatment, the patient died after 6h. Twenty-one hours after the patient died, her whole body was scanned by postmortem CT, and a region of high density was detected within the left putamen. The autopsy revealed a cerebral contusion and multiple skull base fractures. Moreover, superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) were found within the left lateral ventricle and adjacent to the putamen, which appeared as a high-density lesion on postmortem CT at the left putamen, where the SAPs were compacted. Both ante- and postmortem conditions should be considered to prevent misdiagnoses based only on postmortem CT.