Histopathological and immunohistochemical findings of swine with spontaneous influenza A infection in Brazil, 2009-2010

Swine influenza (SI) is caused by the type A swine influenza virus (SIV). It is a highly contagious disease with a rapid course and recovery. The major clinical signs and symptoms are cough, fever, anorexia and poor performance. The disease has been associated with other co-infections in many countries, but not in Brazil, where, however, the first outbreak has been reported in 2011. The main aim of this study was to characterize the histological features in association with the immunohistochemical (IHC) results for influenza A (IA), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in lung samples from 60 pigs submitted to Setor de Patologia Veterinária at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (SPV-UFRGS), Brazil, during 2009-2010. All of these lung samples had changes characterized by interstitial pneumonia with necrotizing bronchiolitis, never observed previously in the evaluation of swine lungs in our laboratory routine. Pigs in this study had showed clinical signs of a respiratory infection. Swine samples originated from Rio Grande do Sul 31 (52%), Santa Catarina 14 (23%), Paraná 11 (18%), and Mato Grosso do Sul 4 (7%). Positive anti-IA IHC labelling was observed in 45% of the cases, which were associated with necrotizing bronchiolitis, atelectasis, purulent bronchopneumonia and hyperemia. Moreover, type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, alveolar and bronchiolar polyp-like structures, bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) hyperplasia and pleuritis were the significant features in negative anti-IA IHC, which were also associated with chronic lesions. There were only two cases with positive anti-PCV2 IHC and none to PRRSV. Therefore, SIV was the predominant infectious agent in the lung samples studied. The viral antigen is often absent due to the rapid progress of SI, which may explain the negative IHC results for IA (55%); therefore, IHC should be performed at the beginning of the disease. This study has shown how important a careful histological evaluation is for the diagnosis. Since 2009, a new histological feature of swine pneumonia in animals with respiratory clinical signs has been observed in samples from pigs with clinical respiratory disease submitted to SPV-UFRGS. In addition, the results proved the importance of histological evaluation for swine herd health management

Cnidarians as a Source of New Marine Bioactive Compounds—An Overview of the Last Decade and Future Steps for Bioprospecting

Marine invertebrates are rich sources of bioactive compounds and their biotechnological potential attracts scientific and economic interest worldwide. Although sponges are the foremost providers of marine bioactive compounds, cnidarians are also being studied with promising results. This diverse group of marine invertebrates includes over 11,000 species, 7500 of them belonging to the class Anthozoa. We present an overview of some of the most promising marine bioactive compounds from a therapeutic point of view isolated from cnidarians in the first decade of the 21st century. Anthozoan orders Alcyonacea and Gorgonacea exhibit by far the highest number of species yielding promising compounds. Antitumor activity has been the major area of interest in the screening of cnidarian compounds, the most promising ones being terpenoids (monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids). We also discuss the future of bioprospecting for new marine bioactive compounds produced by cnidarians

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody-containing plasma improves outcome in patients with hematologic or solid cancer and severe COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial

Patients with cancer are at high risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with high morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, impaired humoral response renders severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines less effective and treatment options are scarce. Randomized trials using convalescent plasma are missing for high-risk patients. Here, we performed a randomized, open-label, multicenter trial (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/trial/2020-001632-10/DE) in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 (n = 134) within four risk groups ((1) cancer (n = 56); (2) immunosuppression (n = 16); (3) laboratory-based risk factors (n = 36); and (4) advanced age (n = 26)) randomized to standard of care (control arm) or standard of care plus convalescent/vaccinated anti-SARS-CoV-2 plasma (plasma arm). No serious adverse events were observed related to the plasma treatment. Clinical improvement as the primary outcome was assessed using a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to discharge and overall survival. For the four groups combined, those receiving plasma did not improve clinically compared with those in the control arm (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.29; P = 0.205). However, patients with cancer experienced a shortened median time to improvement (HR = 2.50; P = 0.003) and superior survival with plasma treatment versus the control arm (HR = 0.28; P = 0.042). Neutralizing antibody activity increased in the plasma cohort but not in the control cohort of patients with cancer (P = 0.001). Taken together, convalescent/vaccinated plasma may improve COVID-19 outcomes in patients with cancer who are unable to intrinsically generate an adequate immune response

Two herbivore-induced cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP79D6 and CYP79D7 catalyze the formation of volatile aldoximes involved in poplar defense.

Aldoximes are known as floral and vegetative plant volatiles but also as biosynthetic intermediates for other plant defense compounds. While the cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYP) from the CYP79 family forming aldoximes as biosynthetic intermediates have been intensively studied, little is known about the enzymology of volatile aldoxime formation. We characterized two P450 enzymes, CYP79D6v3 and CYP79D7v2, which are involved in herbivore-induced aldoxime formation in western balsam poplar (Populus trichocarpa). Heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed that both enzymes produce a mixture of different aldoximes. Knockdown lines of CYP79D6/7 in gray poplar (Populus × canescens) exhibited a decreased emission of aldoximes, nitriles, and alcohols, emphasizing that the CYP79s catalyze the first step in the formation of a complex volatile blend. Aldoxime emission was found to be restricted to herbivore-damaged leaves and is closely correlated with CYP79D6 and CYP79D7 gene expression. The semi-volatile phenylacetaldoxime decreased survival and weight gain of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) caterpillars, suggesting that aldoximes may be involved in direct defense. The wide distribution of volatile aldoximes throughout the plant kingdom and the presence of CYP79 genes in all sequenced genomes of angiosperms suggest that volatile formation mediated by CYP79s is a general phenomenon in the plant kingdom

Fluoride therapy of type I osteoporosis.

Sodium Fluoride (NaF) is the only medication so far clinically available with a bone formation stimulating property, through its peculiar mitogenic dose-dependent action on the osteoblast cell line. Bone strength is commensurate to bone mass, and in a condition with fragility fractures, like osteoporosis, it seems logical to restore bone mass without weakening bone strength. However, as with any active drug. NaF therapy requires adhesion to elementary rules if drawbacks are to be prevented. A first mandatory rule is not to prescribe NaF without calcium supplementation, if bone loss at the appendicular skeleton is to be avoided; to prevent this, the availability of monofluorophosphate (MFP), containing the fluoride and calcium salts in the same preparation has enhanced the compliance to calcium supplementation. A second rule is not to give supraphysiological doses of vitamin D, for the same reason. Third, if one wants to avoid a calcium shift from cortical to trabecular bone and osteomalacia, one should use small doses of NaF, of the order of 50 mg/day. With this in mind, the bioavailability of the drug has to be taken into account, particularly its gastrointestinal absorption which is dramatically enhanced if a plain non entericoated (EC) capsule is used, as compared to that of an EC tablet with the same face value. Too much NaF is deleterious to bone, a fact known for years. Already in 1972, it was noted that in all patients receiving 60 mg or more of NEC NaF, daily, morphologically abnormal bone developed and which appeared irregular and contained areas of incompletely mineralized bone. The bone was histologically and microradiographically normal in patients receiving 45 mg or less of NEC NaF/day. Fourth, NaF therapy is contraindicated in renal insufficiency owing to an enhanced retention in the skeleton. NaF is, however, by no means the ideal medication, because its therapeutic window is narrow. It has many bothersome drawbacks, and notably it is irritating for the gastric mucosa, a hazard which may be partly circumvented by the use of an Ec or slow release tablet. Furthermore, peripheral stress fractures may occur, and, in our experience, they were seen in 17% of patients, almost exclusively in females with a low lumbar BMD. Their occurrence should be curtailed by not allowing an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity of more than 50%. This is a relatively benign complication, because no stress fracture degenerated into a complete fracture. In all cases, the stress fractures healed after a transitory drug discontinuation. If there is some concern about cortical bone, NaF therapy may be associated with an antiresorber like estrogens which will prevent any further bone loss, and does not impair the response to NaF. NaF therapy should be reserved for patients suffering chiefly from trabecular osteoporosis and should be avoided in senile osteoporosis, because of a frequently impaired renal function. Currently, we would recommend in clinical practice a daily dose of 50 mg EC-NaF or 150 mg Ca-MFP as the therapy of involutional osteoporosis in women, reserving the dose of 75 mg EC-NAF or 200 mg MFP for males or female patients resistant to lower dose. The therapy should be maintained for 2 to 3 years, or more, according to the bone response, taking into account that patients with the vertebral crush fracture syndrome have lost on average 30%, as compard to the young adult mean