Strongyloides stercoralis infection in a Finnish kennel

Background: Intestinal threadworm Strongyloides stercoralis is a parasite of dog, cat and primates that occurs worldwide being most prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries. The adult parasitic worm is about 2 mm long and slender. It possesses both parasitic and free-living lifecycles. The parasitic worms are females. Strongyloides stercoralis infects the host via percutaneous, peroral or transmammary transmission in addition to autoinfection. Clinical disease varies from inapparent to severe enteritis and pneumonia. The diagnosis is based on demonstration of larvae in fresh faeces, which is best made by Baermann technique. Case presentation: Strongyloides stercoralis infection was diagnosed in autopsy in a 10-week-old puppy born and raised in a Finnish kennel. Prior to its sudden death, the puppy had suffered from gastrointestinal disturbance for three weeks. Subsequent sampling of the dogs in the kennel revealed that three adult dogs in the kennel were also infected. Conclusion: The present case shows that S. stercoralis can complete its life cycle and cause disease in dogs also in Northern Europe. Infection can be maintained also in a temperate climate and may become a chronic problem in a kennel environment. Infection may be underdiagnosed as Baermann technique is not routinely performed in small animal practice

Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in Finland

Background: Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms. Methods: The data of a follow-up study of 73 conventional piglet producing farms was used in the case-control study. The selection of the 41 PWD case and 28 control farms was based on the use of antimicrobials for treating diarrhoea in weaned pigs and the answers related to the occurrence of diarrhoea after weaning in the questionnaire. Four intermediate farms were excluded from the statistical analysis. Altogether 39 factors related to herd characteristics, weaner pig management and pig health were studied. The median number of sows was 59.0 (IQR = 44.0; 74.5) and 52.5 (IQR = 36.8; 61.5) on the case and the control farms, respectively. The significances of the univariable associations between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable were tested, and in the multivariate analysis quasibinomial generalized linear models were applied. Results: An increased risk of PWD was associated with the regimen of twice a day feeding and feed restriction after weaning (P = 0.02; compared to feeding three or more meals a day or the use of ad libitum feeding) and with a higher number of sows on the farm (P = 0.02; risk increasing with increasing number of sows). Automatic temperature control was associated with a decreased risk of PWD (P = 0.03; compared to manual temperature control). Conclusion: Twice a day feeding of newly-weaned pigs should be avoided if the amount of feed given is restricted. Variation in ambient temperature should be minimized in housing of newlyweaned pigs and this can be achieved by using automatic temperature control. With increasing number of sows in the herds the risk of PWD increases and more attention should be paid to prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea

Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in

Background: Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms. Methods: The data of a follow-up study of 73 conventional piglet producing farms was used in the case-control study. The selection of the 41 PWD case and 28 control farms was based on the use of antimicrobials for treating diarrhoea in weaned pigs and the answers related to the occurrence of diarrhoea after weaning in the questionnaire. Four intermediate farms were excluded from the statistical analysis. Altogether 39 factors related to herd characteristics, weaner pig management and pig health were studied. The median number of sows was 59.0 (IQR = 44.0; 74.5) and 52.5 (IQR = 36.8; 61.5) on the case and the control farms, respectively. The significances of the univariable associations between the explanatory variables and the outcome variable were tested, and in the multivariate analysis quasibinomial generalized linear models were applied. Results: An increased risk of PWD was associated with the regimen of twice a day feeding and feed restriction after weaning (P = 0.02; compared to feeding three or more meals a day or the use of ad libitum feeding) and with a higher number of sows on the farm (P = 0.02; risk increasing with increasing number of sows). Automatic temperature control was associated with a decreased risk of PWD (P = 0.03; compared to manual temperature control). Conclusion: Twice a day feeding of newly-weaned pigs should be avoided if the amount of feed given is restricted. Variation in ambient temperature should be minimized in housing of newlyweaned pigs and this can be achieved by using automatic temperature control. With increasing number of sows in the herds the risk of PWD increases and more attention should be paid to prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea

Mesoteliooma koiralla - kolme potilastapausta ja kirjallisuuskatsaus

Peer reviewe

Obstruktiivinen uniapneaoireyhtymä

Perustuu SBU:n julkaisemaan yhteispohjoismaiseen arviointiin: Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome- A systematic literature revie

Nonsense variant in COL7A1 causes recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa in Central Asian Shepherd dogs

A rare hereditary mechanobullous disorder called epidermolysis bullosa (EB) causes blistering in the skin and the mucosal membranes. To date, nineteen EB-related genes have been discovered in human and other species. We describe here a novel EB variant in dogs. Two newborn littermates of Central Asian Shepherd dogs with severe signs of skin blistering were brought to a veterinary clinic and euthanized due to poor prognosis. In post-mortem examination, the puppies were shown to have findings in the skin and the mucosal membranes characteristic of EB. A whole-genome sequencing of one of the affected puppies was performed to identify the genetic cause. The resequencing data were filtered under a recessive model against variants from 31 other dog genomes, revealing a homozygous case-specific nonsense variant in one of the known EB-causing genes, COL7A1 (c.4579C> T, p.R1527*). The variant results in a premature stop codon and likely absence of the functional protein in the basement membrane of the skin in the affected dogs. This was confirmed by immunohistochemistry using a COL7A1 antibody. Additional screening of the variant indicated full penetrance and breed specificity at similar to 28% carrier frequency. In summary, this study reveals a novel COL7A1 variant causing recessive dystrophic EB and provides a genetic test for the eradication of the disease from the breed.Peer reviewe

Digitalisaation edistämisen ohjelman loppuraportti

Digitalisaation edistämisen ohjelma 2020-2023 oli yksi pääministeri Marinin hallitusohjelman digitalisaatiohankkeista. Ohjelman roolina on ollut erilaisten yhteistoimenpiteiden kautta ohjata, tukea ja kannustaa viranomaisia viemään kansalaisille ja yrityksille suunnattu palvelutarjontansa digitaaliseen palvelukanavaan. Ohjelmaan sisältyi hallitusohjelmasta myös digitaalisten julkisten palveluiden saavutettavuus ja riittävien palveluiden käytön tukipalveluiden turvaaminen kansalaisten yhdenvertaisuuden varmistamiseksi. Arvioinnin mukaan ohjelma on tuottanut hyödyllisiä tuotoksia, kuten työkaluja ja toimintamalleja, sekä vahvistanut kokonaiskuvaa julkishallinnon digikehittämisen kokonaisuudesta. Digikehittämisen tarpeiden ja pullonkaulojen täsmentyminen on tärkeää jatkokehittämisen kannalta. Ohjelman tuotosten vaikuttavuus on kuitenkin toistaiseksi ollut pistemäistä. Arviointi suosittelee, että ohjelmassa valmistuneiden tuotosten ja tulosten käyttöönottoa ja viemistä osaksi muuta kehitystyötä, kuten Digikompassia, jatketaan ohjelman päätyttyä

Cytokine-Coding Oncolytic Adenovirus TILT-123 Is Safe, Selective, and Effective as a Single Agent and in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Anti-PD-1

Oncolytic viruses provide a biologically multi-faceted treatment option for patients who cannot be cured with currently available treatment options. We constructed an oncolytic adenovirus, TILT-123, to support T-cell therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors. Adenoviruses are immunogenic by nature, are easy to produce in large quantities, and can carry relatively large transgenes. They are the most commonly used gene therapy vectors and are well tolerated in patients. TILT-123 expresses two potent cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-2, to stimulate especially the T-cell compartment in the tumor microenvironment. Before entering clinical studies, the safety and biodistribution of TILT-123 was studied in Syrian hamsters and in mice. The results show that TILT-123 is safe in animals as monotherapy and in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-1. The virus treatment induces acute changes in circulating immune cell compartments, but the levels return to normal by the middle of the treatment period. The virus is rapidly cleared from healthy tissues, and it does not cause damage to vital organs. The results support the initiation of a phase 1 dose-escalation trial, where melanoma patients receiving a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy are treated with TILT-123 (NCT04217473).Peer reviewe

Diagnostic evaluation and short-term outcome as indicators of long-term prognosis in horses with findings suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease treated with corticosteroids and anthelmintics

Abstract Background Recurrent colic and unexplained weight loss despite good appetite and adequate feeding and management practices are common conditions in the horse. However, little information has been published on the systematic diagnostic evaluation, response to treatment, prognostic factors or outcome of either presentation. The aims of this study were to 1) identify possible prognostic indicators and 2) report the short- and long-term response to treatment with corticosteroid therapy of a variety of horses with a presumptive diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thirty-six horses with a history of recurrent colic and/or unexplained weight loss were screened with a detailed clinical, clinicopathological and diagnostic imaging examination. Twenty horses were subsequently selected that had findings consistent with inflammatory bowel disease based on the fulfilment of one or more of the following additional inclusion criteria: hypoproteinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, malabsorption, an increased intestinal wall thickness on ultrasonographic examination or histopathological changes in rectal biopsy. These 20 horses were treated with a standardized larvicidal anthelmintic regime and a minimum of three weeks of corticosteroid therapy. Results The initial response to treatment was good in 75% (15/20) of horses, with a 3-year survival rate of 65% (13/20). The overall 3-year survival in horses that responded to initial treatment (12/15) was significantly higher (P = 0.031) than in those that did not respond to initial treatment (1/5). The peak xylose concentration was significantly (P = 0.048) higher in survivors (1.36 ± 0.44 mmol/L) than non-survivors (0.94 ± 0.36 mmol/L). Conclusions The overall prognosis for long-term survival in horses with a presumptive diagnosis of IBD appears to be fair to moderate, and the initial response to anthelmintic and corticosteroid therapy could be a useful prognostic indicator. The findings of the present study suggest that a low peak xylose concentration in absorption testing is associated with a less favourable prognosis, supporting the use of this test