Pandemic H1N1 influenza-associated myocarditis in a patient with Castleman's disease.

We report on a patient with longstanding multicentric Castleman's disease, hyaline-vascular type, who presented with nearly-fatal myocarditis associated with a 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus infection. This is the first case of such an association described in the literature.

Interobserver discrepancy in liver fibrosis using transient elastography.

Transient elastography is a useful method to assess liver fibrosis, but uncertainties still exist regarding reliability and reproducibility of the technique. We aimed to improve knowledge on interobserver variability with the procedure and tried to find factors associated with such variability. This was a cross-sectional study to compare the results of transient elastography performed by two different operators, one test made just after the other. We assessed both results with correlation tests and with repeated parametric or nonparametric tests, as needed. We also carried out a multivariate analysis to find factors associated with discrepancy in the results obtained by the two operators. We included a total of 333 pairs of transient elastography tests, belonging to 274 different patients. A total of 325 pairs of tests (97.6%) were valid. Results of the first and the second tests were, respectively, median (and interquartile range) of direct measurement 6.2 (4.6-10.6) and 6.0 (4.4-10.1) kPa (P = 0.012), and mean ± standard deviation of log(10) of direct measurement 0.892 ± 0.316 and 0.871 ± 0.324 (P = 0.001). In 87 pairs of tests (26.7%), a discrepancy of at least 2 kPa between both results was found, and in 15 pairs of tests (4.6%), a discrepancy of at least 10 kPa was found. Discordance of at least one stage between both measurements was noted in 74 pairs of tests (22.8%). An association was found between higher stiffness and discrepancy between both operators (P < 0.001). Although transient elastography is a very convenient test to assess liver fibrosis in clinical practice, interobserver discrepancy in results is common and represents a significant problem with the technique. Discrepant results are more common in patients with higher values of stiffness.

Early deviations in performance, metabolic and immunological indicators affect stayability in rabbit females.

The main purpose of this study was to find several early factors affecting stayability in rabbit females. To reach this goal, 203 females were used from their first artificial insemination to their sixth parturition. Throughout that period, 48 traits were recorded, considered to be performance, metabolic and immunological indicators. These traits were initially recorded in females' first reproductive cycle. Later, removed females due to death or culling and those that were non-removed were identified. A first analysis was used to explore whether it was possible to classify females between those reaching and those not reaching up to the mean lifespan of a rabbit female (the fifth reproductive) cycle using information from the first reproductive cycle. The analysis results showed that 97% of the non-removed females were classified correctly, whereas only 60% of the removed females were classified as animals to be removed. The reason for this difference lies in the model's characteristics, which was designed using early traits and was able to classify only the cases in which females would be removed due to performance, metabolic or immunologic imbalances in their early lives. Our results suggest that the model defines the necessary conditions, but not the sufficient ones, for females to remain alive in the herd. The aim of a second analysis was to find out the main early differences between the non-removed and removed females. The live weights records taken in the first cycle indicated that the females removed in their first cycle were lighter, while those removed in their second cycle were heavier with longer stayability (-203 and +202 g on average, respectively; P < 0.05). Non-removed females showed higher glucose and lower beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in the first cycle than the removed females (+4.8 and -10.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). The average lymphocytes B counts in the first cycle were 22.7% higher in the non-removed females group (P < 0.05). The females removed in the first reproductive cycle presented a higher granulocytes/lymphocytes ratio in this cycle than those that at least reached the second cycle (4.81 v. 1.66; P < 0.001). Consequently, non-removed females at sixth parturition offered adequate body development and energy levels, less immunological stress and a more mature immune function in the first reproductive cycle. The females that deviated from this pattern were at higher risk of being removed from the herd.

Long-term implications of feed energy source in different genetic types of reproductive rabbit females. II. Immunologic status.

Genetic selection and nutrition management have played a central role in the development of commercial rabbitry industry over the last few decades, being able to affect productive and immunological traits of the animals. However, the implication of different energy sources in animals from diverse genetic lines achieving such evolutionary success remains still unknown. Therefore, in this work, 203 female rabbits housed and bred in the same conditions were used from their first artificial insemination until their fifth weaning. The animals belonged to three different genetic types diverging greatly on breeding goals (H line, hyper-prolific (n=66); LP line, robust (n=67) and R line, selected for growth rate (n=67), and were assigned to two experimental diets, promoting major differences in energy source (cereal starch or animal fat)). The aims of this work were to: (1) characterize and describe blood leucocyte populations of three lines of rabbit does in different physiological stages during their reproductive period: first artificial insemination, first weaning, second parturition and fifth weaning; and (2) study the possible influence of two different experimental diets on the leucocyte populations in peripheral blood. Flow cytometry analyses were performed on blood samples taken from females at each different sampling stade. Lymphocyte populations at both weanings were characterized by significantly lower counts of total, CD5+ and CD8+ lymphocytes (-19.8, -21.7 and -44.6%; P<0.05), and higher counts of monocytes and granulocytes (+49.2 and +26.2%; P<0.05) than in the other stages. Females had higher blood counts of lymphocytes B, CD8+ and CD25+ and lower counts of CD4+ at first than at fifth weaning (+55.6, +85.8, +57.5, -14.5%; P<0.05). G/L ratio was higher at both weanings (P<0.05), and CD4+/CD8+ ratio increased progressively from the 1AI to the 5 W (P<0.001). Regarding the effect of genetic type in blood leucocyte counts, LP animals presented the highest counts for total, B, CD5+ and CD8+ lymphocytes (+16.7, +31.8, +24.5 and +38.7; P<0.05), but R rabbits showed the highest counts for monocytes and granulocytes (+25.3 and +27.6; P<0.05). The type of diet given during the reproductive life did not affect the leucocyte population counts. These results indicate that there are detectable variations in the leucocyte profile depending on the reproductive stage of the animal (parturition, weaning or none of them). Moreover, foundation for reproductive longevity criteria allows animals to be more capable of adapting to the challenges of the reproductive cycle from an immunological viewpoint.

2-Hydroxyacid dehydrogenase from Haloferax mediterranei, a D-isomer-specific member of the 2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase family.

An NAD-dependent D-2-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.) was isolated and characterized from the halophilic Archaeon Haloferax mediterranei. The enzyme is a dimer with a molecular mass of 101.4 +/- 3.3 kDa. It is strictly NAD-dependent and exhibits its highest activity in 4 M NaCl. The enzyme is characterized by a broad substrate specificity 2-ketoisocaproate and 2-ketobutyrate being the substrates with the higher Vmax/Km. When pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate were the substrates the optimal pH was acidic (pH 5) meanwhile for 2-ketoisocaproate maximum activity was achieved at basic pH between 7.5 and 8.5. The optimum temperature was 52 degrees C and at 65 degrees C there was a pronounced activity decrease. This new enzyme can be used for the production of D-2-hydroxycarboxylic acid.

A robust rabbit line increases leucocyte counts at weaning and reduces mortality by digestive disorder during fattening.

The present work evaluates how a rabbit line selected for robustness and two other lines selected for productive criteria, could have affected the physiological maturity and blood leukocytes counts of young rabbits at weaning, as well as their possible effect on the subsequent performance and health status during the growing period. The study was conducted on a total of 2904 young rabbits weaned at 30 days, belonging to three different genetic types (line H, founded for litter size at birth and selected for litter size at weaning during 17 generations; line LP, characterised by robustness founded for reproductive longevity criteria and selected for litter size at weaning for 7 generations; and line R, founded and selected during 25 generations for average daily gain from the 4th to the 9th week of life). Two different diets were used during lactation. The two diets were both isoenergetic and isoprotein but their main energy source differed, being either animal fat (AF) or cereal starch (CS). Leucocyte subsets were characterised at weaning, and growing performance was studied until 58 days of age (feed intake, live weight, mortality by digestive disorders and morbidity) for both medicated and non-medicated dietary versions. At weaning, young rabbits fed an AF lactating diet evidenced greater B lymphocyte count (on av. +8.6 ± 3.5 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05) than those fed a CS diet. With respect to H and R rabbits, blood from LP ones had higher counts for total (on av. 591 ± 167 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05), B (on av. +11.05 ± 4.3 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05), T CD5(+) (on av. +266 ± 83 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05) and CD8(+) lymphocytes (on av. +72.5 ± 28 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05), and with respect to R, higher counts of CD4(+) (on av. +121 ± 47 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05) lymphocytes (on av. +12.3 ± 4.1 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05), monocytes (on av. +66 ± 32 × 10(6)/L; P < 0.05) and granulocytes (on av. +567 ± 182 × 10(6)/L; P<0.05) at weaning. LP line rabbits also showed lower mortality by digestive disorders (on av. -8 points of percentage) and morbidity (on av. -4 points) than those from H and R lines during the growing period (P < 0.05). R animals presented higher feed intake and daily weight gain, and a lower feed conversion ratio than H and LP animals (on av. +16.7 ± 2.7 g dry matter/day, +10.3 ± 0.4 g/day and -0.22 ± 0.04 g dry matter/g, respectively). In conclusion, the foundation of a line for reproductive longevity, which has been previously reported to give greater robustness (low environmental sensitivity) to their reproductive stock, could have conferred higher leukocytes counts at weaning to their offspring, as well as a better ability to confront digestive disorders as compared to other lines founded or selected exclusively for productive criteria.