Qawl qarrieqi?

L-awtur jagħti tagħrif etimoloġiku dwar il-qawl Malti: “Santa Luċija u l-jum jitwal pass ta’ tarbija.”N/

Emerging parvoviruses in domestic cats

Parvovirus infections in cats have been well known for around 100 years. Recently, the use of molecular assays and metagenomic approaches for virus discovery and characterization has led to the detection of novel parvovirus lineages and/or species infecting the feline host. However, the involvement of emerging parvoviruses in the onset of gastroenteritis or other feline diseases is still uncertain

La tigdibx

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Pax Brittanica – Ħajr u Talb ta’ Dun Karm – Londra ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Iż-Żmien ta’ Ġużè Chetcuti – Ix-Xatt t’Għawdex ta’ Ġorġ Pisani – Progress ta’ Dun Karm – La tigdibx ta’ C. Micallef Decaro.N/

National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Eligibility Determinations for Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites At Wright Patman Lake, Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas

Between 19 October and 11 November 2015, SEARCH conducted National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility determinations at previously recorded archaeological sites at Wright Patman Lake in Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas. This project was conducted under Contract W912HY-11-D-0002, Task Order 0006, between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, and SEARCH. The USACE, Fort Worth District, is proposing to raise and operate the current pool level at Wright Patman Lake to 228.64 feet (ft) above mean sea level (amsl), thereby meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve for the provision of water to the local area. The purpose of this project was to provide systematic testing through pedestrian survey and the excavation of shovel tests and 50-x-50-centimeter (cm) test units at a minimum of 15 previously recorded archaeological sites within the areas of potential effect of the Ultimate Rule Curve. The goal of this project was to determine if these unassessed (NRHP-eligibility undetermined) archaeological resources were ineligible for listing in the NRHP, required additional testing to determine NRHP status, or could not be evaluated because of inundation or inability to relocate the resource. During fieldwork, SEARCH archaeologists visited 20 archaeological sites. Four sites (41BW42, 41CS55, 41CS78, and 41CS109) are recommended for additional work to evaluate each resource’s NRHP status and mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve, while two sites (41CS73 and 41CS79) do not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s criteria for listing in the NRHP and no further work is recommended. Twelve (41BW69, 41BW77, 41CS48, 41CS58, 41CS76, 41CS95/96, 41CS108, 41CS110, 41CS117, 41CS118, 41CS122, and 41CS123) of the remaining 14 sites could not be fully examined based on complete or partial inundation by current and rising pool levels at Wright Patman Lake. As a result, the NRHP status of these sites remains undetermined until such time as the submerged deposits can be evaluated. The remaining two sites (41BW26 and 41CS16) were not evaluated as it was determined based on site elevation that these resources are outside of the proposed Ultimate Rule Curve Area of Potential Effect (APE). Site 41BW42 is a small multicomponent site on an easterly projecting peninsula near the area that serves as Elliot Bluff boat landing today. The historic component consists of a small collection of glass fragments, ceramic sherds, and other miscellaneous items. The Native American component is much more robust and shows evidence of horizontal clustering. The assemblage is dominated by lithic artifacts that include a relatively large amount of lithic debitage along with formal and expedient tools. A very small quantity of Native American pottery sherds was also recovered from the exposed shoreline; however, the artifact collection is more likely the result of a preceramic occupation in the area. The quantity of artifacts in such discrete area could be the result of multiple small-scale occupations (e.g., camp sites or resources extraction locations) through time or a larger logistics station aimed at providing access to lower reaches of the Sulphur River prior to inundation. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. Furthermore, the contextual integrity of the soils across the upper terrace, though slightly deflated from erosional processes during high water episodes at the lake, is relatively intact. Site 41CS55 is a large Native American site on a low sandbar/island surrounded by Wright Patman Lake. The large quantity of lithic debitage along with grog-tempered pottery sherds, lithic tools, and faunal and botanical remains suggest that site 41CS55 was a sizable Caddo occupation overlooking the Sulphur River prior to the inundation of the lake. The discernible concentrations of artifacts in the northern and central portions of the site suggest differential use of space, a typical hallmark of larger occupations such as villages or hamlets. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the daily lifestyle of Native American inhabitants of the site. Site 41CS78 is a large Native American site on a low a low terrace on the south shore of Wright Patman Lake. The artifact assemblage includes a relatively large collection of lithic debitage with a smaller quantity of formal lithic tools, fire-cracked rock, Native American pottery sherds, and faunal remains. The discernible concentrations of artifacts in the eastern and western portions of the site suggest differential use of space, and, in this case, the homogeneity of both assemblages may represent a series of smaller occupations along the landform edge. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. It is the recommendation of SEARCH that additional work be performed to mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve. A relatively large portion of site 41CS109 was inundated by rising lake levels at Wright Patman Lake. Exposed portions of the site and the adjacent uplands were tested to determine if intact cultural deposits existed within and adjacent to the defined boundary. One flake was recovered from subsurface context. The remaining large collection of debitage and lithic tools were encountered on the surface and mostly along the exposed beach. The assemblage is dominated by lithic artifacts that include a large amount of lithic debitage along with formal and expedient tools. The Kent and Gary projectile points indicate a potential Middle Archaic to Early Woodland cultural affiliation for the site. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. It is the recommendation of SEARCH that additional work be performed to mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve

National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) Eligibility Determinations for Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites at Wright Patman Lake, Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas

Between 19 October and 11 November 2015, SEARCH conducted National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility determinations at previously recorded archaeological sites at Wright Patman Lake in Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas. This project was conducted under Contract W912HY‐11‐D‐0002, Task Order 0006 between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, and SEARCH

Emerging hepatotropic viruses in cats: A brief review

The possible role of viruses in feline liver disease has long remained neglected. However, in 2018, an analogue of human hepatitis B virus was identified in cats. Moreover, antibodies for human hepatitis E have been detected consistently at various prevalence rates in cats. Although the correlation between these viruses and the liver injury in cats must be clarified, hepatotropic viruses might represent an increasing risk for feline and public health

The knotty biology of canine coronavirus: a worrying model of coronaviruses’ danger.

Severe clinical diseases associated to αCoronavirus (αCoV) infections were recently demonstrated for the first time in humans and a closely related but distinct canine CoV (CCoV) variant was identified in the nasopharyngeal swabs of children with pneumonia hospitalized in Malaysia, in 2017–2018. The complete genome sequence analysis demonstrated that the isolated strain, CCoV-HuPn-2018, was a novel canine-feline-like recombinant virus with a unique nucleoprotein. The occurrence of three human epidemics/pandemic caused by CoVs in the recent years and the detection of CCoV-HuPn-2018, raises questions about the ability of these viruses to overcome species barriers from their reservoirs jumping to humans. Interestingly, in this perspective, it is interesting to consider the report concerning new CCoV strains with a potential dual recombinant origin through partial S-gene exchange with porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) identified in pups died with acute gastroenteritis in 2009. The significance of the ability of CCoVs to evolve is still unclear, but several questions arisen on the biology of these viruses, focusing important epidemiological outcomes in the field, in terms of both virus evolution and prophylaxis. The new CCoV-Hupn-2018 should lead researchers to pay more attention to the mechanisms of recombination among CoVs, rather than to the onset of variants as a result of mutations, suggesting a continuous monitoring of these viruses and in particular of SARS-CoV-

Evaluation of virucidal activity of fabrics using feline coronavirus

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enveloped RNA virus responsible for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that represents a global health threat, causing an ongoing pandemic in many countries and territories. WHO recommendations emphasize the importance of all personal protective equipment (PPE) that can interrupt COVID-19 transmission. The textile industry and scientists are developing hygienic fabrics by the addition of or treatment with various antimicrobial and antiviral compounds. Methods for determining the antiviral activity of fabrics are reported in the International Standards Organization (ISO) 18184 (2019) guidelines. Three different fabric samples treated with silver derivate, copper derivative and a not treated cotton fabric used as control were examined and put in contact with a suspension of feline coronavirus (FCoV). After 2 h of incubation a significant decrease of viral titer, as high as 3.25 log10 Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID)50/50 μl, in feline cells was observed in treated fabrics, with respect to not treated fabrics. In this study, we optimized laboratory methods to evaluate the virucidal activity of silver- and copper treated cotton- based fabrics against coronavirus, using FCoV suitable as a surrogate of SARS-CoV-2 but safe for laboratory technicians

Decision analytic model for evaluation of suspected coronary disease with stress testing and coronary CT angiography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to apply a decision analytic model for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) to define the optimal utilization of coronary computed tomographic angiography (cCTA) and stress testing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model tested in this study assumes that CAD is evaluated with a stress test and/or cCTA and that a patient with positive evaluation results undergoes cardiac catheterization. On the basis of values of sensitivity, specificity, and radiation dose from the published literature and test costs from the Medicare fee schedule, a decision tree model was constructed as a function of disease prevalence. RESULTS: The false-negative rate is lowest when cCTA is used as an isolated test. The false-positive rate is minimized when cCTA is used in combination with stress echocardiography. Effective radiation is minimized by use of stress electrocardiography or stress echocardiography alone or prior to cCTA. When the pretest probability of CAD is low, a strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA minimizes the false-positive rate and effective radiation exposure, with relatively low imaging costs and with a false-negative rate only slightly higher than a strategy including stress myocardial scintigraphy. As the pretest probability of CAD increases above 20%, the false-negative rate of stress echocardiography followed by cCTA increases by \u3e5% relative to cCTA alone. CONCLUSION: Effective radiation dose and imaging costs for the workup of CAD may be minimized by an appropriate combination of stress testing and cCTA. A strategy that uses stress echocardiography followed by cCTA is most appropriate for the evaluation of low-risk patients with CAD with a pretest probability \u3c 20%, while cCTA alone may be more appropriate in intermediate-risk patients

Canine parvovirus 2c infection in central Portugal

Canine parvovirus (CPV) has been evolving, generating new genetic and antigenic variants throughout the world. This Study was conducted to determine the types of CPV circulating in dogs in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. Thirty fecal samples, collected between 2006 and 2007 from dogs with clinical signs of CPV infection, were tested for CPV by a rapid, in-clinic, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)/immunomigration test, by conventional real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and by minor-groove binding TaqMan PCR. Of the 29 PCR-positive samples, 15 were identified as CPV-2b and 14 as CPV-2c. No CPV-2a was detected. The sensitivity of the ELISA test was 82.76% compared with the PCR assays. No significant associations were found between CPV type, clinical outcome, breed, vaccination status, or age