Oral Lesions in Dogs with Visceral Leishmaniosis.

Canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL) is an important zoonotic disease, which is endemic in Brazil and several other parts of the world. The disease may affect multiple organs, but lesions in the oral cavity are considered uncommon. Twenty-three cases of oral lesions compatible with CVL were diagnosed from 2015 to 2018 in the Federal District, Brazil. Six cases were confirmed to be CVL based on histopathology, immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction amplification of Leishmania infantum kDNA. Most of the affected dogs were >9 years of age, of mixed breed and were classified as having stage C of the disease. The most important gross findings were ulcerated nodular lesions in the tongue, lip, gingiva and hard palate. Microscopically, there was lymphoplasmacytic to granulomatous inflammation that was diffuse, moderate to severe and associated with ulceration. CVL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nodular and ulcerative oral lesions in dogs.

Coherent combining of high brightness tapered amplifiers for efficient non-linear conversion.

We report on a coherent beam combination of three high-brightness tapered amplifiers, which are seeded by a single-frequency laser at λ = 976 nm in a simple architecture with efficiently cooled emitters. The maximal combined power of 12.9 W is achieved at a combining efficiency of > 65%, which is limited by the amplifiers' intrinsic beam quality. The coherent combination cleans up the spatial profile, as the central lobe's power content increases by up to 86%. This high-brightness infrared beam is converted into the visible by second harmonic generation. This results in a high non-linear conversion efficiency of 4.5%/W and a maximum power over 2 W at 488 nm, which is limited by thermal effects in the periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN).

Visceral Marek's disease in white-peafowl (Pavo cristatus) / Doença de Marek visceral em pavão-branco (Pavo cristatus)

Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disorder caused by Gallid herpesvirus 2 (MDV) that infects mainly domestic gallinaceous birds although wild birds may occasionally be affected. The current report describes the anatomopathological and molecular findings of a case of MD in a white-peafowl (Pavo cristatus). The signs included apathy, hyporexia, and diarrhea. Grossly, 0.5 to 1.5cm in diameter, yellow, soft nodules were observed in the skeletal muscle, lung, kidney, air sacs, small intestine, heart, ovary, ventriculus, and proventriculus. Microscopically, numerous atypical round neoplastic cells were noted. The molecular detection of MDV DNA was implemented to amplify part of the meq gene and products were sequenced for the phylogenetic analysis. Template DNA was obtained from tissues of the affected bird and from blood of all the gallinaceous birds of the Zoo. The expected amplicon for the partial amplification of MDV meq gene was obtained and the amplicons were sequenced. Sequences obtained enabled grouping the strain (accession no. KT768121) with MDV serotype 1 strains from the GenBank. Based on the anatomopathological and molecular findings, the diagnosis of MD in a white-peafowl was reached, and to the authors' knowledge, no previous report regarding MD was published in Pavo cristatus.(AU)

Doença de Marek (MD) é uma desordem linfoproliferativa causada pelo Gallid herpesvirus 2 (MDV), que infecta principalmente galináceos domésticos, porém aves silvestres podem ser ocasionalmente afetadas. O presente relato descreve os achados anatomopatológicos e moleculares de um caso de MD em um pavão-branco (Pavo cristatus). Os sinais clínicos incluíram apatia, hiporexia e diarreia. Macroscopicamente, foram observados nódulos macios, de 0,5 a 1,5cm de diâmetro, no músculo esquelético, no pulmão, nos rins, nos sacos aéreos, no intestino delgado, no coração, no ovário, no ventrículo e no proventrículo. Microscopicamente, numerosas células redondas neoplásicas atípicas foram notadas. A detecção molecular do DNA do MDV foi implementada para amplificar parte do gene meq, e os produtos foram sequenciados para análise filogenética. DNA foi obtido de tecidos de aves afetadas e do sangue de todos os galináceos do zoológico. A esperada amplificação de parte do gene meq de MDV amplificado foi ampliada e sequenciada. As sequências obtidas permitiram o agrupamento da cepa (acesso KT768121) com cepas do sorotipo 1 de MDV do GenBank.. O diagnóstico de MD em pavão-branco foi obtido com base nos achados anatomopatológicos e moleculares e, pelo conhecimento dos autores, não há relatos anteriores publicados de MD em Pavo cristatus.(AU)

Watt-level second-harmonic generation at 589 nm with a PPMgO:LN ridge waveguide crystal pumped by a DBR tapered diode laser.

A DBR tapered diode laser in continuous wave operation was used to generate second-harmonic radiation at 589 nm in a PPMgO:LN ridge waveguide crystal. An optical output power of 0.86 W at an optical-to-optical and an electrical-to-optical efficiency of 42% and 11%, respectively, was achieved. The visible radiation was characterized by a spectral bandwidth ΔνFWHM of 230 MHz and a beam propagation parameter M1/e22 better than 1.1. The integration of such a system into a housing of a small footprint will enable a portable and highly efficient module featuring a visible output power in the watt-level range.

Rear-side resonator architecture for the passive coherent combining of high-brightness laser diodes.

We describe a new coherent beam combining architecture based on passive phase locking of emitters in an extended cavity on the rear facet and their coherent combination on the front facet. This rear-side technique provides strong optical feedback for phase locking while maintaining a high electrical-to-optical efficiency. Two high-brightness high-power tapered laser diodes are coherently combined using a Michelson-based cavity. The combining efficiency is above 82% and results in an output power of 6.7 W in a nearly diffraction-limited beam with an M(4σ)(2)≤1.2. A semi-active automatic adjustment of the current enhances the long-term stability of the combination, while the short-term stability is passively ensured by the extended cavity. This new laser configuration exhibits the simplicity of passive self-organizing architectures while providing a power conversion efficiency of 27% that is comparable to master oscillator power amplifier architectures.

Single-mode master-oscillator power amplifier at 647 nm with more than 500 mW output power.

Using an AlGaInP-based truncated tapered power amplifier, it was possible to boost the output power of a 647-nm distributed Bragg reflector laser from 50 mW to more than 500 mW. The light source has the potential to replace bulky Kr ion lasers still in use at this wavelength.

Immunohistochemical expression of growth factors in the follicular wall of normal and cystic ovaries of sows.

The expression of growth factors was evaluated immunohistochemically in normal and cystic ovaries of sows. The immunohistochemically stained area (IHCSA) was quantified by image analysis to analyse the expression of these proteins in the follicular wall of secondary, tertiary and cystic follicles. IGF-I immunoreactivity was strong in the granulosa cell layer (GC), moderate in the theca interna (TI) and mild in the theca externa (TE) of the normal follicles. There was severe reduction of the labelling to IGF-I in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts. In the normal follicles, the reactivity for IGF-II was very similar to pattern noted in IGF-I. There was reduction of the IHCSAs in the GC of the follicular and luteinized cysts, but the decrease was not significant. The staining of the IGF-II in the TI and TE of the cysts was increased, in comparison with normal follicles. The IHCSAs for VEGF were higher in the GC and TE of the normal follicles in contrast to TI, but this difference was noted only in the tertiary follicle. The VEGF reactivity increased in the GC of the cysts, in relation to normal follicles. The results of the current study show that the formation of ovarian cysts in sows is associated with alterations in the immunohistochemical expression of some growth factors.

Cryopreservation of boar sperm comparing different cryoprotectants associated in media based on powdered coconut water, lactose and trehalose.

In swine spermatozoa, the damage caused by cryopreservation is more severe than other species, provoking reduced potential for fertilization. Adjustments in the freezing extender composition may be an important alternative to increase its efficiency. The objective of this study was to test the efficiency of different cryoprotectant solutions during cryopreservation of swine semen with a controlled cooling curve. Three cryoprotectant solutions (5% dimethylformamide, 3% glycerol and the combination of these two cryoprotectants) were used in association with three base media (powdered coconut water, lactose and trehalose), constituting nine different treatments. The semen was frozen using a controlled-rate freezer (TK-3000). After thawing, semen was evaluated for total sperm motility, vigor, morphology, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. Cryopreservation with the controlled curve using an automated system showed satisfactory results, guaranteeing practicality and repeatability for the process of freezing swine sperm. With this curve, the solutions of lactose, trehalose and powdered coconut water associated with glycerol, as well as the solution of coconut water containing dimethylformamide, presented higher quality of sperm compared to the other solutions. Powdered coconut water associated with dimethylformamide appears as a new solution for swine sperm cryopreservation. The freezing controlled curve used in this study allowed standardization of the cryopreservation technique.

High-power diode lasers at 1178 nm with high beam quality and narrow spectra.

High-power distributed Bragg reflector tapered diode lasers (DBR-TPLs) at 1180 nm were developed based on highly strained InGaAs quantum wells. The lasers emit a nearly diffraction-limited beam with more than two watts with a narrow spectral width. These features are believed to make this type of diode laser a key component for the manufacturing of miniaturized laser modules in the yellow and orange spectral range by second-harmonic generation to cover a spectral region currently not accessible with direct emitting diode lasers. Future applications might be the laser-cooling of sodium, high-resolution glucose-content measurements, as well as spectroscopy on rare earth elements.

Monolithic 626 nm single-mode AlGaInP DBR diode laser.

Single-mode lasers below 630 nm are still realized using complex laser systems. We present distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) ridge waveguide lasers (RWL) based on AlGaInP. When packaged into sealed TO-3 housings and cooled internally to about 0°C the DBR-RWL emit more than 50 mW at a wavelength of 626.0 nm into a nearly diffraction-limited single longitudinal mode with a spectral width below 1 MHz. These new monolithic diode lasers have the potential to drastically miniaturize existing set-ups e.g. for quantum information processing.

Laser cooling of beryllium ions using a frequency-doubled 626 nm diode laser.

We demonstrate laser cooling of trapped beryllium ions at 313 nm using a frequency-doubled extended cavity diode laser operated at 626 nm, obtained by cooling a ridge waveguide diode laser chip to -31°C. Up to 32 mW of narrowband 626 nm laser radiation is obtained. After passage through an optical isolator and beam shaping optics, 14 mW of 626 nm power remains of which 70% is coupled into an external enhancement cavity containing a nonlinear crystal for second-harmonic generation. We produce up to 35 µW of 313 nm radiation, which is subsequently used to laser cool and detect 6×10(2) beryllium ions, stored in a linear Paul trap, to a temperature of about 10 mK, as evidenced by the formation of Coulomb crystals. Our setup offers a simple and affordable alternative for Doppler cooling, optical pumping, and detection to presently used laser systems.

Internet-based lay person rating of facial photographs to assess effects of a cleansing product and a decent cosmetic foundation on the attractiveness of female faces.

It is well established that decorative cosmetics can enhance female facial attractiveness. In this study, we investigated the effects of a cleanser and a decent foundation on attractiveness of female faces. Comparative rating of a set of facial photographs by a group of lay persons revealed that the cleansing product was significantly reducing the attractiveness of the stimulus persons. Treatment with the foundation increased the attractiveness of the female faces clearly. The authors conclude that even unobtrusive cosmetic treatments like cleansers and light foundations may cause relevant changes of the attractiveness of female faces.

96 mW longitudinal single mode red-emitting distributed Bragg reflector ridge waveguide laser with tenth order surface gratings.

Red-emitting ridge waveguide lasers with integrated tenth order surface distributed Bragg reflector gratings were developed. The grating was implemented by the use of a BCl3-Ar-plasma, while the shape of the grating trench was controlled by additional He-backside cooling of the wafer. The devices exhibit longitudinal single mode operation up to 96 mW at 635.3 nm with a side mode suppression ratio of 18 dB and a good beam quality of M2<3. The spectrum is free of mode hops for a span of more than 55 pm.

High-power distributed Bragg reflector ridge-waveguide diode laser with very small spectral linewidth.

We manufactured and investigated distributed Bragg reflector ridge-waveguide diode lasers having sixth-order surface gratings and an emission wavelength around 974 nm. The single-mode output power of the lasers with a total length of 4 mm exceeded 1 W. A very small spectral linewidth of 1.4 MHz (3 dB) consisting of a Lorentzian part of 146 kHz and a Gaussian part of 1308 MHz was measured using a self-delayed heterodyne measurement technique.

High-power 808 nm ridge-waveguide diode lasers with very small divergence, wavelength-stabilized by an external volume Bragg grating.

We present data on ridge-waveguide diode lasers having a vertical far-field divergence of only 11.5 degrees (FWHM) owing to an appropriate waveguide design. The lasers emitted an optical power of more than 1 W into the spatial fundamental mode from a ridge width of 5 microm. The emission wavelength was stabilized to a narrow range around 808 nm by placing a volume Bragg grating in front of the outcoupling facet.

Particle size of liposomes influences dermal delivery of substances into skin.

In the present study, the influence of vesicle size on the penetration of two fluorescently labeled substances into the human skin was investigated. For the measurements either a hydrophilic fluorescent compound [carboxyfluorescein (CF)] or a lipophilic one [1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tertramethylindocarbo-cyanine perchlorate (DiI)] were encapsulated into vesicles. Liposomal formulations were prepared by extruding the vesicles through polycarbonate membrane filters with pores of different sizes. In vitro penetration studies into human abdominal skin were performed by using the Franz diffusion cell and a standardized skin stripping technique in attempt to find an optimum size for topical drug delivery by liposomes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to visualize the effect of penetration ability of liposomal DiI. The maximum DiI fluorescence in the skin was observed with smaller liposomes of 71 nm diameter. The liposomes with a size of 120 nm diameter showed statistically enhanced penetration of CF into the skin as compared to larger ones. The results indicated that the CF penetration was inversely related to the size of the liposomes, which was confirmed by the data of the confocal laser scanning microscopy studies.

Liposomes increase skin penetration of entrapped and non-entrapped hydrophilic substances into human skin: a skin penetration and confocal laser scanning microscopy study.

Liposomes have been extensively studied and suggested as a vehicle for topical drug delivery systems. However, the mechanism by which liposomes deliver drugs into intact skin is not fully understood. In the present study, we have tried to understand the mechanism of transport of hydrophilic drugs into the skin using liposomes. The effect of separation of the non-entrapped, hydrophilic fluorescent compound, carboxyfluorescein (CF), from liposomally entrapped CF was investigated by measuring the penetration of CF across human skin under non-occlusive conditions in vitro using Franz diffusion cells. The fluorescent dye, CF, was incorporated into the liposomes and applied onto the skin. After a 6 and 12h incubation period, the amount of CF in the epidermal membrane and the full thickness skin was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy or by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The liposomal formulation containing CF both inside and outside the vesicles showed statistically enhanced penetration of CF into the human stratum corneum (SC) as compared to the formulations containing CF only outside of the liposomes and CF in Tris buffer. The CLSM results revealed that the formulation in which CF was present outside the liposomes showed bright fluorescence intensity in the SC and very weak fluorescence in the viable epidermis. However, the CF in Tris buffer failed to show any fluorescence in the viable epidermis. The results indicated that phospholipid vesicles not only carry the entrapped hydrophilic substance, but also the non-entrapped hydrophilic substance into the SC and possibly into the deeper layers of the skin.

New, highly efficient formulation of diclofenac for the topical, transdermal administration in ultradeformable drug carriers, Transfersomes.

Transfenac, a lotion-like formulation of diclofenac, is described. It consists of pharmaceutically acceptable ingredients and mediates the agent transport through intact skin and into the target tissues. Therapeutically meaningful drug concentrations in the target tissue are reached even when the administered drug dose in Transfenac is below 0.5 mg/kg body weight. Ultradeformable agent carriers, called Transfersomes, form the basis of Transfenac. These Transfersomes are proposed to cross the skin spontaneously under the influence of transepidermal water activity gradient (see [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1104 (1992) 226]). Diclofenac association with ultradeformable carriers permits it to have a longer effect and to reach 10-times higher concentrations in the tissues under the skin in comparison with the drug from a commercial hydrogel. For example, Transfenac achieves intramuscular agent concentrations between 0.5 and 2 microg/g and 2 and 20 microg/g at t=12 h, depending on the tissue depth, when it is administered in the dose range 0.25-2 mg/kg of rat body weight. A much higher drug concentration in a hydrogel (1.25-10 mg/kg body weight) creates the drug level of only <0.5 microg/g in the muscle. The drug concentration in the rat patella for these two types of formulation is between 1 microg/g and 5 microg/g or 0.4 microg/g, respectively. The relative advantage of diclofenac delivery by means of ultradeformable carriers increases with the treated muscle thickness and with decreasing drug dose, as seen in mice, rats and pigs; this can be explained by assuming that the drug associated with carriers is cleared less efficiently by the dermal capillary plexus. In pigs it suffices to use 0.3 mg of diclofenac in highly deformable vesicles per kg body weight, spread over an area of 25 cm(2), to ensure therapeutic drug concentration in a 5-cm thick muscle specimen, collected under the agent application site. When the drug is used in a hydrogel at 8 times higher dose, the average intramuscular concentration is at least three times lower and subtherapeutic. This suggests that diclofenac in Transfersomes has the potential to replace combined oral/topical diclofenac administration in humans.

Ultraflexible vesicles, Transfersomes, have an extremely low pore penetration resistance and transport therapeutic amounts of insulin across the intact mammalian skin.

New vehicles for the non-invasive delivery of agents are introduced. These carriers can transport pharmacological agents, including large polypeptides, through the permeability barriers, such as the intact skin. This capability depends on the self-regulating carrier deformability which exceeds that of the related but not optimized lipid aggregates by several orders of magnitude. Conventional lipid suspensions, such as standard liposomes or mixed lipid micelles, do not mediate a systemic biological effect upon epicutaneous applications. In contrast to this, the properly devised adaptable carriers, when administered on the intact skin, transport therapeutic amounts of biogenic molecules into the body. This process can be nearly as efficient as an injection needle, as seen from the results of experiments in mice and humans with the insulin-carrying vesicles. The carrier-mediated transcutaneous insulin delivery is unlikely to involve shunts, lesions or other types of skin damage. Rather than this, insulin is inferred to be transported into the body between the intact skin cells with a bio-efficiency of at least 50% of the s.c. dose action.

Multifocal motor neuropathy: serum IgM binding to a GM1 ganglioside-containing lipid mixture but not to GM1 alone.

IgM anti-GM1 antibodies are associated with motor neuropathy syndromes, including multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). We compared the ability of serum IgM from patients with multifocal motor neuropathy to bind to GM1 ganglioside alone and to GM1 as a component of a lipid mixture that also contained galactocerebroside and cholesterol (GGC). Our results showed that high-titer selective serum IgM binding to GGC has strong specificity for MMN. Further, over 40% more serums from patients with MMN have high-titer serum IgM binding to GGC than to GM1 alone. The specific composition and structure of the lipid mixture altered the ability of serum IgM to bind to GM1 ganglioside. Substitutions of other lipids for galactocerebroside or cholesterol could completely inhibit the antibody binding. We conclude that serum IgM anti-GGC autoantibodies have specificity for MMN and their binding is strongly influenced by the lipid environment of GM1 ganglioside.