32 research outputs found

    Papilomatosis bovina: epidemiología y diversidad de papilomavirus bovinos (BPV)

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    Bovine papillomatosis is a cattle disease characterized by the presence of papillomas and fibropapillomas. It is caused by the infection of bovine papillomavirus (BPV), naked viruses of the family Papillomaviridae. They are epithelitropic viruses, although they have also been detected in blood, milk, urine and seminal fluid. They present high viral diversity, and up to date 13 types are recognized (BPV-1 a BPV-13). Although they were originally described in cattle, some genotypes (BPV-1 and BPV-2) have been associated with the development of papillomas in buffaloes, zebras, giraffes and yaks. Some genotypes also have been associated with the development of tumors in the gastrointestinal tract and in the urinary bladder in cattle, and with equine sarcoids. BPV infection has been described in different areas of the world, although not all genotypes have the same prevalence. Recent studies show a high incidence of multiple infections.La papilomatosis bovina es una enfermedad del ganado vacuno caracterizada por la presencia de papilomas y fibropapilomas, especialmente en piel y ubres. Está originada por la infección por papilomavirus bovinos (BPV), virus desnudos de la familia Papillomaviridae. Son virus epiteliotrópicos, aunque se ha detectado su presencia en sangre, leche, orina y semen. Presentan alta diversidad viral, reconociéndose hasta la fecha 13 tipos (BPV-1 a BPV- 13). Aunque originalmente se describieron en ganado vacuno, algunos genotipos (BPV-1 y BPV-2) se han asociado al desarrollo de papilomas en búfalos, cebras, jirafas y yaks. Algunos genotipos se han relacionado asimismo con el desarrollo de tumores en tracto gastrointestinal y cáncer de vejiga urinaria en ganado bovino y con sarcoides equinos. La infección por BPV se ha descrito en diferentes zonas del mundo, aunque no todos los genotipos presentan la misma prevalencia. Los trabajos más recientes muestran una elevada incidencia de infecciones múltiples

    The effect of ageing on the ocular surface parameters

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    Received 11 July 2017, Revised 18 September 2017, Accepted 19 September 2017, Available online 10 October 2017.Depto. de Optometría y VisiónFac. de Óptica y OptometríaTRUEinpres

    Follow-up of viral parameters in FeLV- or FIV-Naturally infected cats treated orally with low doses of human interferon Alpha

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    Specific treatments for the long-life infections by feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are either toxic, expensive or not too effective. Interferon α (IFN-α) is an immunomodulatory molecule which has been shown in vitro to decrease the release of infective particles. The aim of this study was to follow the progress of the clinical score and viral parameters of FeLV- and FIV-naturally infected privately owned cats treated with recombinant human IFN-α (rHuIFN-α, Roferon-A). Twenty-seven FeLV-infected cats (FeLV+) and 31 FIV-infected cats (FIV+) were enrolled in the study. Owners were instructed to orally administer 1 mL/day of 60 IU rHuIFN-α/mL in alternating weeks for four months. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of the study (M0), mid-treatment (M2), end of treatment (M4), and 6–10 months later (M10). Clinical status at these time points improved notably with rHuIFN-α treatment, regardless of the initial severity of the disease, an effect which lasted throughout the study in most animals (15 of the 16 FeLV+ symptomatic cats; 20 of the 22 FIV+ symptomatic cats) improved markedly their clinical situation. In FeLV+ cats plasma antigenemia (p27CA), reverse transcriptase (RT) activity, and proviral load decreased at M2 and M4 but increased again at M10 (“rebound effect”). The level of antigenemia or RT activity was below the detection limits in FIV+ cats, and the effect on proviral load was less marked than in FeLV+ cats. Taken together, these results indicate that rHuIFN-α is a good candidate for treating FeLV+ cats, but the “rebound effect” seen when treatment was discontinued suggests that additional studies should be conducted to clarify its effect on progression of the infection in cats

    The influence of meibomian gland loss on ocular surface clinical parameters

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    Purpose: To assess the relationship between the meibomian gland loss (MGL) and relevant ocular surface clinical parameters as well as the influence of age in this relationship. Methods: A total of 161 participants (mean age; 42±17 years) were enrolled in this study. Infrared meibography was performed using Keratograph 5M (K5M; Oculus GmbH, Wetzlar). Participants were divided into five groups according to total meiboscore and the ocular surface parameters of each MGL group were studied. In addition, the relationship between MGL and the ocular surface parameters was established including age as covariant. Results: Both eyelids were taken into account since no association between the MGL from upper and lower eyelid was found (k value=0.2; p=0.3) despite they were significantly correlated (r= 0.3; p<0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in symptomatology among different MGL groups. Statistically significant differences were found among MGL groups in tear osmolarity (p=0.02), bulbar redness (p=0.04), corneal and conjunctival staining (p=0.01 and p=0.004, respectively). Despite this, only corneal staining showed a significant correlation with MGL when age was covariant (r=0.2; p=0.04). Conclusions: MGL higher than 50% seems to be accompanied by signs on the ocular surface. Furthermore, age demonstrated to be a relevant factor when assessing MGL. For this reason, future studies should compare age-matched groups in order to know the contribution of the MGL on the ocular surface and establish valid cut-off values for dry eye diagnosis

    A novel group of avian astroviruses from Neotropical passerine birds broaden the diversity and host range of Astroviridae

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    Metagenomics is helping to expand the known diversity of viruses, especially of those with poorly studied hosts in remote areas. The Neotropical region harbors a considerable diversity of avian species that may play a role as both host and short-distance vectors of unknown viruses. Viral metagenomics of cloacal swabs from 50 Neotropical birds collected in French Guiana revealed the presence of four complete astrovirus genomes. They constitute an early diverging novel monophyletic clade within the Avastrovirus phylogeny, representing a putative new astrovirus species (provisionally designated as Avastrovirus 5) according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) classifcation criteria. Their genomic organization shares some characteristics with Avastrovirus but also with Mamastrovirus. The pan-astrovirus RT-PCR analysis of the cloacal samples of 406 wild Neotropical birds showed a community-level prevalence of 4.9% (5.1% in passerines, the highest described so far in this order of birds). By screening birds of a remote region, we expanded the known host range of astroviruses to the avian families Cardinalidae, Conopophagidae, Furnariidae, Thamnophilidae, Turdidae and Tyrannidae. Our results provide important frst insights into the unexplored viral communities, the ecology, epidemiology and features of host-pathogen interactions that shape the evolution of avastroviruses in a remote Neotropical rainforest

    Tetrahymena Metallothioneins Fall into Two Discrete Subfamilies

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    BACKGROUND: Metallothioneins are ubiquitous small, cysteine-rich, multifunctional proteins which can bind heavy metals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report the results of phylogenetic and gene expression analyses that include two new Tetrahymena thermophila metallothionein genes (MTT3 and MTT5). Sequence alignments of all known Tetrahymena metallothioneins have allowed us to rationalize the structure of these proteins. We now formally subdivide the known metallothioneins from the ciliate genus Tetrahymena into two well defined subfamilies, 7a and 7b, based on phylogenetic analysis, on the pattern of clustering of Cys residues, and on the pattern of inducibility by the heavy metals Cd and Cu. Sequence alignment also reveals a remarkably regular, conserved and hierarchical modular structure of all five subfamily 7a MTs, which include MTT3 and MTT5. The former has three modules, while the latter has only two. Induction levels of the three T. thermophila genes were determined using quantitative real time RT-PCR. Various stressors (including heavy metals) brought about dramatically different fold-inductions for each gene; MTT5 showed the highest fold-induction. Conserved DNA motifs with potential regulatory significance were identified, in an unbiased way, upstream of the start codons of subfamily 7a MTs. EST evidence for alternative splicing in the 3′ UTR of the MTT5 mRNA with potential regulatory activity is reported. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The small number and remarkably regular structure of Tetrahymena MTs, coupled with the experimental tractability of this model organism for studies of in vivo function, make it an attractive system for the experimental dissection of the roles, structure/function relationships, regulation of gene expression, and adaptive evolution of these proteins, as well as for the development of biotechnological applications for the environmental monitoring of toxic substances

    Memorias de investigación: Feria de Semilleros y Jornadas de Investigación de uniminuto, Seccional Antioquia - Chocó.

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    Feria de Semilleros y Jornadas de Investigación de uniminuto, Seccional Antioquia - Chocó.Esta publicación busca divulgar investigaciones y producción académica en diferentes disciplinas, realizadas por estudiantes y docentes de UNIMINUTO Seccional Antioquia – Chocó, así como dar a conocer los semilleros de investigación que participaron en la V Feria de Semilleros, con el fin de visibilizar el trabajo que realiza el Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo de UNIMINUTO Bello —CIDUB—, con respecto a debates académicos y espacios de interlocución. Igualmente, permite que la comunidad educativa conozca los temas de investigación y las discusiones que se están dando entre los semilleros y grupos de investigación, para así buscar puntos de encuentro y sinergias entre los investigadores. Adicionalmente, el texto se convierte en una invitación para que se vinculen otros investigadores, docentes, estudiantes e incluso otras instituciones a los procesos investigativos coordinados desde el CIDUB

    Memorias de investigación: Feria de Semilleros y Jornadas de Investigación de uniminuto, Seccional Antioquia - Chocó.

    Get PDF
    Feria de Semilleros y Jornadas de Investigación de uniminuto, Seccional Antioquia - Chocó.Esta publicación busca divulgar investigaciones y producción académica en diferentes disciplinas, realizadas por estudiantes y docentes de UNIMINUTO Seccional Antioquia – Chocó, así como dar a conocer los semilleros de investigación que participaron en la V Feria de Semilleros, con el fin de visibilizar el trabajo que realiza el Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo de UNIMINUTO Bello —CIDUB—, con respecto a debates académicos y espacios de interlocución. Igualmente, permite que la comunidad educativa conozca los temas de investigación y las discusiones que se están dando entre los semilleros y grupos de investigación, para así buscar puntos de encuentro y sinergias entre los investigadores. Adicionalmente, el texto se convierte en una invitación para que se vinculen otros investigadores, docentes, estudiantes e incluso otras instituciones a los procesos investigativos coordinados desde el CIDUB
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