Evaluation of clinicopathological features in cats with chronic gastrointestinal signs

Food-responsive enteropathy (FRE), idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and alimentary tract lymphoma (AL) are often the remaining differentials for cats presenting with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) signs. Differential diagnosis is further complicated by overlapping clinicopathological features and histopathological changes, however. In this study we describe the clinical presentation of cats with chronic GI signs secondary to FRE, IBD, and AL, and evaluate possible associations between clinical, clinicopathological, ultrasonographic findings and diagnosis. The medical records of client-owned cats with chronic GI signs secondary to FRE, IBD, and AL were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were used for testing the data. Of the 56 cats included in the study, 22 were diagnosed with FRE (mean age, 70 months ± 49), 17 with IBD (mean age, 101 months ± 40), and 17 with AL (mean age, 122 months ± 45). Cats with FRE were younger and presented more often with diarrhea and less frequently with muscle wasting than cats with IBD or AL. In cats with AL, serum cobalamin levels were lower than in those with FRE or IBD (239 ± 190 ng/L vs. 762 ± 408 ng/L and 625 ± 443 ng/L, respectively) and folate levels were higher than in cats with IBD (18.2 ± 4.2 μg/L vs. 9.1 ± 4.7 μg/L, respectively). Multivariate/ROC curve analysis showed increased values of BUN (sensitivity 100, specificity 29.4, criterion >37 mg/dl) and serum folate (sensitivity 80, specificity 100, criterion >15.6 μg/L) and reduced values of cobalamin (sensitivity 100, specificity 62.5, criterion â¤540 ng/L), which suggested a diagnosis of AL versus IBD. Some clinicopathological features evaluated at diagnosis might suggest AL; however, because differentiating AL from IBD is often difficult, definitive diagnosis should be based on invasive diagnostic workup

Author Correction: The mTORC1/4E-BP1 axis represents a critical signaling node during fibrogenesis

Correction to: Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07858-8, published online 2 January 2019

Identification of stable QTLs for vegetative and reproductive traits in the microvine (Vitis vinifera L.) using the 18 K Infinium chip

UMR AGAP - équipe DAAV - Diversité, adaptation et amélioration de la vigne[b]Background[/b] [br/]The increasing temperature associated with climate change impacts grapevine phenology and development with critical effects on grape yield and composition. Plant breeding has the potential to deliver new cultivars with stable yield and quality under warmer climate conditions, but this requires the identification of stable genetic determinants. This study tested the potentialities of the microvine to boost genetics in grapevine. A mapping population of 129 microvines derived from Picovine x Ugni Blanc flb, was genotyped with the Illumina® 18 K SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) chip. Forty-three vegetative and reproductive traits were phenotyped outdoors over four cropping cycles, and a subset of 22 traits over two cropping cycles in growth rooms with two contrasted temperatures, in order to map stable QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci). [br/][b]Results[/b] [br/]Ten stable QTLs for berry development and quality or leaf area were identified on the parental maps. A new major QTL explaining up to 44 % of total variance of berry weight was identified on chromosome 7 in Ugni Blanc flb, and co-localized with QTLs for seed number (up to 76 % total variance), major berry acids at green lag phase (up to 35 %), and other yield components (up to 25 %). In addition, a minor QTL for leaf area was found on chromosome 4 of the same parent. In contrast, only minor QTLs for berry acidity and leaf area could be found as moderately stable in Picovine. None of the transporters recently identified as mutated in low acidity apples or Cucurbits were included in the several hundreds of candidate genes underlying the above berry QTLs, which could be reduced to a few dozen candidate genes when a priori pertinent biological functions and organ specific expression were considered. [br/][b]Conclusions[/b] [br/]This study combining the use of microvine and a high throughput genotyping technology was innovative for grapevine genetics. It allowed the identification of 10 stable QTLs, including the first berry acidity QTLs reported so far in a Vitis vinifera intra-specific cross. Robustness of a set of QTLs was assessed with respect to temperature variatio

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Crosstalk between reactive oxygen species and pro-inflammatory markers in developing various chronic diseases: a review

The inflammation process in the human body plays a central role in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) exert potentially a decisive role in human body, particularly in physiological and pathological process. The chronic inflammation state could generate several types of diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and arthritis, especially if it is concomitant with high levels of pro-inflammatory markers and ROS. The respiratory burst of inflammatory cells during inflammation increases the production and accumulation of ROS. However, ROS regulate various types of kinases and transcription factors such nuclear factor-kappa B which is related to the activation of pro-inflammatory genes. The exact crosstalk between pro-inflammatory markers and ROS in terms of pathogenesis and development of serious diseases is still ambitious. Many studies have been attempting to determine the mechanistic mutual relationship between ROS and pro-inflammatory markers. Therefore hereby, we review the hypothetical relationship between ROS and pro-inflammatory markers in which they have been proposed to initiate cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and arthritis

Confronto tra staging laparoscopico e laparotomico dell\u2019apparent early stage ovarian cancer

Lo scopo dello studio era di confrontare l'outcome chirurgico, complicanze e costi tra lo staging laparoscopico e quello laparotomico nell'apparent early stage ovarian cancer.I risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato che la durata dell'operazione era superiore nel gruppo laparoscopico, ma che allo stesso tempo in questo gruppo vi era una minor perdita di sangue intraoperatoria, minor richiesta di trasfusioni, minor durata di ricovero opedaliero postoperatorio, pi\uf9 precoce ripresa dell'alimentazione spontanea e miglior qualit\ue0 di vita.In conclusione, lo staging chirurgico \ue8 stato effettuato in maniera completa in tutti i pazienti sia del gruppo laparotomico che laparoscopico con per\uf2 un'incidenza inferiore di complicanze intra e post operatorie in quest'ultimo; di contro i costi per la laparoscopia sono stati significativamente maggiori rispetto a quelli di un intervento in laparotomia

Schema grafico rappresentativo del tumore residuo dopo citoriduzione nel carcinoma ovarico avanzato.

L'obiettivo principale della chirurgia del carcinoma ovarico avanzato \ue8 quello di portare ad un minimo residuo tumorale la malattia intraperitoneale. In letteratura non esiste una definizione univoca di quale sia il residuo tumorale ottimale da perseguire con la chirurgia citoriduttiva, tuttavia studi recenti hanno dimostrato che la miglior sopravvivenza si ottiene nelle pazienti con residuo microscopico e che non vi \ue8 differenza in termini di prognosi quando il tumore \ue8 maggiore di 2cm

The mTORC1/4E-BP1 axis represents a critical signaling node during fibrogenesis

Myofibroblasts are the key effector cells responsible for excessive extracellular matrix deposition in multiple fibrotic conditions, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis has been implicated in fibrosis, with pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibition currently under clinical evaluation in IPF. Here we demonstrate that rapamycin-insensitive mTORC1 signaling via 4E-BP1 is a critical pathway for TGF-β1 stimulated collagen synthesis in human lung fibroblasts, whereas canonical PI3K/Akt signaling is not required. The importance of mTORC1 signaling was confirmed by CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in normal and IPF fibroblasts, as well as in lung cancer-associated fibroblasts, dermal fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells. The inhibitory effect of ATP-competitive mTOR inhibition extended to other matrisome proteins implicated in the development of fibrosis and human disease relevance was demonstrated in live precision-cut IPF lung slices. Our data demonstrate that the mTORC1/4E-BP1 axis represents a critical signaling node during fibrogenesis with potential implications for the development of novel anti-fibrotic strategies