A quantitative release assessment for the noncommercial movement of companion animals: risk of rabies reintroduction to the United kingdom.

In 2004, the European Union (EU) implemented a pet movement policy (referred to here as the EUPMP) under EU regulation 998/2003. The United Kingdom (UK) was granted a temporary derogation from the policy until December 2011 and instead has in place its own Pet Movement Policy (Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)). A quantitative risk assessment (QRA) was developed to estimate the risk of rabies introduction to the UK under both schemes to quantify any change in the risk of rabies introduction should the UK harmonize with the EU policy. Assuming 100 % compliance with the regulations, moving to the EUPMP was predicted to increase the annual risk of rabies introduction to the UK by approximately 60-fold, from 7.79 × 10(-5) (5.90 × 10(-5), 1.06 × 10(-4)) under the current scheme to 4.79 × 10(-3) (4.05 × 10(-3), 5.65 × 10(-3)) under the EUPMP. This corresponds to a decrease from 13,272 (9,408, 16,940) to 211 (177, 247) years between rabies introductions. The risks associated with both the schemes were predicted to increase when less than 100 % compliance was assumed, with the current scheme of PETS and quarantine being shown to be particularly sensitive to noncompliance. The results of this risk assessment, along with other evidence, formed a scientific evidence base to inform policy decision with respect to companion animal movement.

Diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in Parkinson's disease: increased total secretion and morning cortisol concentrations.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. There is limited knowledge about the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in PD. The primary aim of this prospective study was to analyze diurnal salivary cortisol concentrations in patients with PD and correlate these with age, gender, body mass index (BMI), duration of PD, and pain. The secondary aim was to compare the results with a healthy reference group. METHODS: Fifty-nine PD patients, 35 women and 24 men, aged 50-79 years, were recruited. The reference group comprised healthy individuals matched for age, gender, BMI, and time point for sampling. Salivary cortisol was collected at 8 am, 1 pm, and 8 pm, and 8 am the next day using cotton-based Salivette(®) tubes and analyzed using Spectria(®) Cortisol I(125). A visual analog scale was used for estimation of pain. RESULTS: The median cortisol concentration was 16.0 (5.8-30.2) nmol/L at 8 am, 5.8 (3.0-16.4) at 1 pm, 2.8 (1.6-8.0) at 8 pm, and 14.0 (7.5-28.7) at 8 am the next day. Total secretion and rate of cortisol secretion during the day (8 am-8 pm) and the concentration of cortisol on the next morning were lower (12.5 nmol/L) in the reference group. No significant correlations with age, gender, BMI, duration of PD, Hoehn and Yahr score, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III score, gait, pain, or cortisol concentrations were found. CONCLUSION: The neurodegenerative changes in PD does not seem to interfere with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Salivary cortisol concentrations in PD patients were increased in the morning compared with the reference group, and were not influenced by motor dysfunction, duration of disease, or coexistence of chronic or acute pain.

GLI1-dependent transcriptional repression of CYLD in basal cell carcinoma.

CYLD is a deubiquitination enzyme that regulates different cellular processes, such as cell proliferation and cell survival. Mutation and loss of heterozygosity of the CYLD gene causes development of cylindromatosis, a benign tumour originating from the skin. Our study shows that CYLD expression is dramatically downregulated in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer in humans. Reduced CYLD expression in basal cell carcinoma was mediated by GLI1-dependent activation of the transcriptional repressor Snail. Inhibition of GLI1 restored the CYLD expression-mediated Snail signaling pathway, and caused a significant delay in the G1 to S phase transition, as well as proliferation. Our data suggest that GLI1-mediated suppression of CYLD has a significant role in basal cell carcinoma progression.

First detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in Sweden, February to March 2011.

Surveillance for the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis, has been carried out in Sweden since 2000, with about 300 red foxes analysed annually. We report the first finding of E. multilocularis in Sweden, in a fox shot in December 2010 in the south-west of the country. A second infected fox shot in the same location was detected in March 2011. This paper describes the national monitoring programme and the ongoing work to estimate the prevalence and spread of the infection.

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis E virus in humans, pigs and wild boars in Sweden.

Hepatitis E infections in humans are usually acquired in endemic countries in Asia or Africa. In Sweden 17 cases infected in Europe, between 1993 and 2009, were identified. All had clinical hepatitis E with unknown source of infection. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) was identified in faecal samples from 63 piglets in 12 pig farms in Sweden. HEV was also identified in blood from 13 out of 159 investigated Swedish wild boars from nine counties. Partial HEV genomes from humans, pigs and wild boars were sequenced and compared by phylogeny. The results showed close relatedness between HEV strains from piglets from the same farm and from wild boars from the same county. HEV strains from humans showed relatedness with strains from pigs and wild boars from the same county. This study showed that HEV strains form geographical clusters in the phylogenetic tree. The methods used in this study may thus be used for tracing the origin of an infecting strain. Furthermore, this study indicated that there are endemic sources of human HEV infections in Sweden.

Infection with bluetongue virus serotype 8 in Sweden in 2008.

On September 6, 2008, bluetongue was detected for the first time in Sweden. Intensified active surveillance in cattle and vector surveillance, prompted by the situation in northern Europe, preceded the detection. A vaccination campaign and intensive surveillance activities were initiated nationally, but with a focus on the southern part of the country. Measures included both active and passive surveillance by serology and PCR in ruminants, along with vector surveillance. The investigations revealed that the infection occurred over a large area of southern Sweden during September and October 2008, despite comparatively low vector activity, an apparently low viral load and no clinical disease. Transplacental infection was detected in one case.