DURATION OF ANTIGEN SHEDDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIBODY TITERS IN MALAYAN TIGERS (PANTHERA TIGRIS JACKSONI) NATURALLY INFECTED WITH SARS-CoV-2.

Natural infection of three captive Malayan tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni) with SARS-CoV-2 caused mild to moderate symptoms of lethargy, anorexia, and coughing. Each tiger was longitudinally sampled opportunistically via consciously obtained oral, nasal, and/or fecal samples during and after resolution of clinical signs, until 2 wk of negative results were obtained. Persistent shedding of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material was detected via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in feces up to 29 d after initial onset of clinical signs, but not in nasal or oral samples. Tigers became resistant to behavioral training to obtain nasal samples but tolerated longitudinal oral sampling. Serum was obtained from two tigers, and antibody titers revealed a robust antibody response within 9 d of onset of clinical signs, which was sustained for at least 3 mon. The tigers were infected despite the use of masks and gloves by husbandry personnel. No known cause of the outbreak was identified, despite extensive investigational efforts by the regional health department. No forward cross-species transmission was observed in primates housed in nearby enclosures. The increasing regularity of reports of SARS-CoV-2 infection in nondomestic felids warrants further investigations into shedding and immunity.

Education as Proxy for Cognitive Reserve in a Large Elderly Memory Clinic: 'Window of Benefit'.

BACKGROUND: The role of cognitive reserve (CR) to explain individual differences in cognitive functioning is unclear in memory clinic patients. OBJECTIVE: To examine the cross-sectional effect of CR on cognition in relation to levels of neurodegeneration in a large elderly single-center memory clinic population. METHODS: We included patients with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI, n = 481), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 628) or Alzheimer's disease (AD, n = 1,099). Education was used as proxy for CR and visually rated medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) on CT was used as parameter of neurodegeneration. Relations between CR, cognition, and MTA were analyzed with multiple linear regression adjusted for age, sex, and cerebral atrophy. In addition, we examined if education affects the relation between MTA and cognition using an interaction variable. RESULTS: Education was significantly related to all measures of cognition including subtests with an explained variance of education as a determinant of cognition of 11%. More highly educated patients had more advanced levels of MTA at the same level of cognition. All these results were stronger or only present in demented compared to non-demented patients but appeared no longer significant in those with lowest overall cognition. The interaction effect was significant indicating that with more advanced MTA, less cognitive decline was shown in higher educated patients. CONCLUSION: Education is a very strong determinant of cognition in an elderly memory clinic population. The positive effect of education was stronger in demented than in non-demented patients but disappeared in those with the lowest cognitive scores indicating a "window of CR benefit".

Propuesta para la creación de la unidad de farmacovigilancia de la empresa socialista para la producción de medicamentos biológicos (ESPROMED BIO) CA / Proposal for the creation of the pharmacovigilance unit of the socialist company for the production of biological medicines (ESPOMED BIO) CA

En Venezuela la producción de vacunas contra el tétanos y contra la difteria, tétanos y tosferina (DPT) se realizaba en el área de producción del Instituto Nacional de Higiene "Rafael Rangel" (INHRR), y con la construcción de la Empresa Socialista Para la Producción de Medicamentos Biológicos - ESPROMED BIO, C.A, se formularán las mismas vacunas antes mencionadas con nueva tecnología y adicionalmente las vacuna pentavalente y la vacuna antirrábica humana serán acondicionadas, por lo tanto se plantea la necesidad de crear una Unidad de Farmacovigilancia, que recolecte, registre y reporte los ESAVIS, para cumplir con las normativas nacionales y las recomendaciones internacionales, es por ello que esta investigación tiene como objetivo general, diseñar una propuesta para la creación de una Unidad de Farmacovigilancia, según la Norma Venezolana de Buenas Prácticas de Farmacovigilancia (2010). Se trata de una investigación enmarcada en la línea de Propuesta Basada en la Aplicación de Normas Regulatorias en la Industria Farmacéutica, con un diseño transversal, descriptiva, documental en modalidad tipo Proyecto Factible. Los resultados y conclusiones obtenidos en la investigación para la Propuesta de Creación de la Unidad de Farmacovigilancia presentada en esta investigación, pretende solucionar de manera práctica el problema planteado, cumplir con las normativas legales nacionales como las Buenas Prácticas de Farmacovigilancia, y adicionalmente los lineamientos establecidos por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), ya que en un futuro se plantea certificar la ESPROMED BIO, C.A, por la OMS como laboratorio productor nacional de vacunas.

In Venezuela the production of vaccines against tetanus and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DPT) was carried out in the production area of the National Hygiene Institute "Rafael Rangel" (INHRR), and the construction of Socialist Company for the Production of Biological Drugs - ESPROMED BIO, CA, the same vaccines mentioned above with new technology, the pentavalent vaccine and human rabies vaccine will be formulated, therefore it requires a Pharmacovigilance Unit, to collect, record AEFI and report to comply with national regulations and international recommendations, which is why this research has the general objective to design a proposal for the creation of a Pharmacovigilance Unit, according to the Venezuelan Standard Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (2010 ). It is a research under the line of pharmacovigilance, transversal, descriptive documentary mode type Feasible Project. The results and conclusions obtained from the research and the proposed creation of the Pharmacovigilance Unit presented in this research aims to solve the problem posed practical, comply with national legal requirements as Good Pharmacovigilance Practices and additionally with the guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO), and that in the future arises certify ESPROMED BIO, CA, by WHO as producer national laboratory