Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) in sheep: an update on epidemiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a spontaneous lung tumor in sheep caused by Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) belonging to the Retroviridae. The primary aim of this review work is to give brief insights into the epidemiological aspects of OPA based on a meta-analysis of available research work. This review article also discussed pathogenesis, diagnostic tests and control strategies available for OPA in Sheep. This will help in developing future strategies for disease-free status in India. This disease is endemic in Europe, Africa, Asia, and American continents, causing significant economic losses due to chronic respiratory illness and persistent infections in flocks. The virus is unique among retroviruses with selective affinity to lungs and is the only virus known to cause spontaneous lung tumors in sheep. The incubation time ranges for sheep with naturally occurring OPA ranged from one to four years. There are two pathological forms of the disease: classical and atypical. At an early stage, OPA is difficult to detect in sheep due to a lack of preclinical diagnostic methods, as JSRV is poorly immunogenic and doesn't induce an immune response. PCR, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry are recommended methods for OIE diagnosis. To become a JSRV-free country, mandatory surveillance, detection, and removal of positive animals are required, as OPA is difficult to control due to a lack of vaccines and preclinical diagnostic tests. Due to its similar histological and molecular pathogenesis to that of human lung cancer, OPA is considered an ideal large animal model of human lung adenocarcinoma

Comparative evaluation of equine mesenchymal stem cells derived from amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising therapeutic tools for the treatment of tendon rupture and other musculoskeletal injuries in horses. Although MSCs from bone marrow and adipose tissues are commonly used for therapeutic purpose in equines, umbilical cord blood (UCB) and amniotic fluid (AF) are potential non-invasive sources of MSCs. We collected AF and UCB from twenty mares during foaling for isolation of MSCs and evaluated them for the differences in isolation rates, proliferation capacity, expression of MSC markers and multi-lineage differentiation ability. The plastic adherent colonies were observed in 60% AF and 65% UCB samples. The mean doubling time for AF cells was significantly lower than that of UCB cells. The AF-MSCs proliferated till passage 36 whereas UCB-MSCs till passage 20 only. Both AF and UCB derived cells expressed CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90 and CD105 and were negative for haematopoietic and leukocytic markers (CD14, CD34 and CD45). The CD90 and CD73 expression was significantly higher in AF derived cells as compared to UCB-MSCs. On the other hand, CD29 expression was significantly lower in AF derived cells as compared to UCB derived cells. The UCB-MSCs differentiated poorly to adipogenic lineage compared to AF-MSCs. These results suggested that equine AF yields more MSCs with greater in vitro proliferation and differentiation capacities and is better non-invasive source of MSCs for regenerative therapies in equines

Određivanje i validacija novih početnica za učinkovitu genotipizaciju životinjskih rotavirusa G3.

The present study describes the problem of genotyping failures of animal rotaviruses with existing and in-use G3 genotyping primers. To overcome the problem, published and in-use G3 typing primers with sequences of VP7 genotyping regions from human and animal G3 rotavirus isolates were evaluated. The sequence alignment analysis showed that existing in-use G3 primers exhibit higher complementarities with rotavirus isolates of G6, G8 and G10 genotype specificities. The existing G3 primers showed up to 9 nucleotide mismatches with the animal origin rotavirus isolates of G3 genotype specificity. The modified G3 genotyping primers yielded positive amplification in all the G3 isolates of animal origin, with no incorrect amplification with any other group A rotavirus genotypes viz. G6 and G10. We advise the use of the proposed primers in molecular surveillance studies to discover the truly dominant genotypes of rotaviruses in animals.U radu je opisan problem neuspjeha genotipizacije životinjskih rotavirusa s dosadašnjim početnicama za genotipizaciju G3. Za rješavanje tog problema vrednovane su objavljene i rabljene početnice za G3 sa sekvencijama za VP7 područja genotipizacije izolata rotavirusa podrijetlom od ljudi i životinja. Analiza poravnanja sekvencije pokazala je da rabljene početnice G3 pokazuju veću komplementarnost s izolatima rotavirusa genotipa G6, G8 i G10. Postojeće početnice G3 bile su u devet nukleotida nepodudarne s rotavirusima G3 životinjskog podrijetla. Preinačene početnice za genotipizaciju G3 pokazale su se uspješnima za umnožavanje sva tri izolata G3 podrijetlom od životinja bez pogrješnog umnožavanja bilo kojeg genotipa skupine A rotavirusa odnosno G6 i G10. Preporučuje se upotreba predloženih početnica u molekularnim istraživanjima za dokaz uistinu dominantnih genotipova rotavirusa u životinja

Serosurveillance for Japanese encephalitis virus infection among equines in India

The seroprevalence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) among equines was evaluated from January 2006 to December 2009 in 13 different states of India by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and virus neutralization test (VNT). Antibodies against JEV were detected in 327 out of 3,286 (10%) equines with a maximum prevalence reported in the state of Manipur (91.7%) followed by Gujarat (18.5%), Madhya Pradesh (14.4%), and Uttar Pradesh (11.6%). Evidence of JEV infection was observed in equines in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) where a 4-fold or higher rise in antibody titer was observed in 21 out of 34 horses in November 2007 to October 2006. In March 2008, seven of these horses had a subsequent 4-fold rise in JEV antibody titers while this titer decreased in nine animals. JEV-positive horse sera had a JEV/WNV (West Nile virus) ratio over 2.0 according to the HI and/or VNT. These results indicated that JEV is endemic among equines in India

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Not Available

Not AvailableNine members of the family Herpesviridae infect equines and two of them (EHV1 and EHV4) are the globally significant pathogens causing respiratory disease, abortion and more rarely paralysis. The ability of equid herpesviruses to establish life-long latent infection in lymphoid and neural tissues with periodic reactivation and shedding is central to the maintenance of these viruses in horse populations. Over 50% of horses become latently infected after infection with EHV1 and EHV4. During latency, expression of viral genes is highly restricted with expression of few or no viral proteins. The recent scientific advances have provided insight into the mechanism of equine herpesvirus pathogenesis, including latency. The establishment of latent infection is highly coordinated process regulated by inter-play of viral, host and environmental factors. In this article, we review how molecular, cellular and viral regulatory mechanisms influence the switch between latent and lytic infections.Not Availabl

Mosquito abundance and pig seropositivity as a correlate of Japanese encephalitis in human population in Assam, India

Background & objectives: Assam is the most vulnerable state for Japanese encephalitis (JE) in India. The situation warrants characterization of epidemiological patterns of JE in vectors, pigs and human population. This investigation was aimed to determine the relative abundance of mosquito species and seroprevalence of JE in pigs in order to draw an epidemiological association with reported human JE cases in Assam. Methods: Pig sera and mosquitoes from selected farms in Sivasagar and Kamrup districts of Assam were collected fortnightly for one year during June 2015–May 2016. Pig sera were tested for JE antibodies by haemagglutination and virus neurtralization tests. Mosquito species were identified microscopically following the taxonomic keys. The results were analyzed with data on confirmed human JE cases in the selected districts. Results: Culex gelidus (26.07%) and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (24.07%) were the most abundant species in collected mosquitoes (n = 997). A total of 22.99% of pigs (n = 335) were JEV seropositive and 45.65% of human acute encephalitis syndrome cases (n = 230) were positive for JE virus (JEV) infection. Relative mosquito abundance, pig positivity and human cases were highest during monsoon (June–September) and least during winter (December–February). Rise in mosquito population was observed during pre-monsoon season (March–May) and concurrently higher number of human cases and pig seropositivity were recorded. A good correlation was observed between mosquito number and JEV positivity in pigs/human, and between pigs and human cases (p < 0.05). Human population in Sivasagar was at higher risk for JE infection (OR: 6.46, p < 0.0001) than in Kamrup rural district. Interpretation & conclusion: This study indicates that a seasonal correlation exists between mosquito abundance and JEV seroconversion in pigs with concurrent human JEV outbreaks under field conditions in Sivasagar and Kamrup rural districts of Assam and that monitoring mosquito abundance/density and pig JEV seropositivity may help in predicting JEV outbreak in human population in the region