Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in clinically healthy German sheep flocks

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current epidemiological data on the situation of <it>Coxiella (C.) burnetii </it>infections in sheep are missing, making risk assessment and the implementation of counteractive measures difficult. Using the German state of Thuringia as a model example, the estimated sero-, and antigen prevalence of <it>C. burnetii </it>(10% and 25%, respectively) was assessed at flock level in 39/252 randomly selected clinically healthy sheep flocks with more than 100 ewes and unknown abortion rate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CHECKIT™ Q-fever Test Kit identified 11 (28%) antibody positive herds, whereas real-time PCR revealed the presence of <it>C. burnetii </it>DNA in 2 (5%) of the flocks. Multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis of 9 isolates obtained from one flock revealed identical profiles. All isolates contained the plasmid QpH1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrate that <it>C. burnetii </it>is present in clinically inconspicuous sheep flocks and sporadic flare-ups do occur as the notifications to the German animal disease reporting system show. Although <it>C. burnetii </it>infections are not a primary veterinary concern due to the lack of significant clinical impact on animal health (with the exception of goats), the eminent zoonotic risk for humans should not be underestimated. Therefore, strategies combining the interests of public and veterinary public health should include monitoring of flocks, the identification and culling of shedders as well as the administration of protective vaccines.</p

Association between congenital cardiovascular malformations and neuroblastoma

We explored the association between neuroblastoma and congenital cardiovascular malformations (CCM), previously described in case reports. Echocardiogram and chart reviews of a series of 158 patients with neuroblastoma and a control group of 192 children with leukemia were performed. The proportion of patients with CCM in each group was compared. Fourteen of the 70 (20%) patients with neuroblastoma and echocardiography had CCM, compared with 7 of the 192 (3.6%) patients with leukemia with echocardiograms (P=.0001). If all of the patients with neuroblastoma without echocardiograms (n=88) are considered to have normal cardiac anatomy, this difference remains significant (14 of 158 patients with neuroblastoma have CCM detected [8.9%] versus 7 of 192 patients with leukemia [3.6%]; P=.045). Neural crest-derived CCM were more common in patients with neuroblastoma, detected in 5 of 70 patients with neuroblastoma versus 2 of 192 patients with leukemia (P=.016). Congenital cardiovascular malformations in patients with neuroblastoma were associated with a cancer diagnosis at age less than 1 year and a lower neuroblastoma stage, but there was no association with tumor MYCN amplification. Neuroblastoma and CCM may be associated. We recommend echocardiography for CCM screening in patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma

Characterization and Use of a Digital Light Projector for Vision Research

For creating stimuli in the laboratory, digital light projection (DLP) technology has the potential to overcome the low output luminance, lack of pixel independence, and limited chromaticity gamut of the cathode ray tube (CRT). We built a DLP-based stimulator for projecting patterns on the in vitro primate retina. The DLP produces high light levels and has good contrast. Spatial performance was similar to that of a CRT. Temporal performance was limited by the refresh rate (63 Hz). The chromatic gamut was modestly larger than that of a CRT although the primary spectra varied to a small degree with light output and numerical aperture. 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Biomarker in Patients With Stage III and IV Wilms Tumor: Analysis From a Children\u27s Oncology Group Trial, AREN0533

PURPOSE: The utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analyses has not been established in the risk stratification of Wilms tumor (WT). We evaluated the detection of ctDNA and selected risk markers in the serum and urine of patients with WT and compared findings with those of matched diagnostic tumor samples. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty of 395 children with stage III or IV WT enrolled on Children\u27s Oncology Group trial AREN0533 had banked pretreatment serum, urine, and tumor available. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect ctDNA. Copy-number changes in 1q, 16q, and 1p, and single-nucleotide variants in serum and urine were compared with tumor biopsy data. Event-free survival (EFS) was compared between patients with and without ctDNA detection. RESULTS: ctDNA was detected in the serum of 41/50 (82%) and in the urine in 13/50 (26%) patients. Agreement between serum ctDNA detection and tumor sequencing results was as follows: 77% for 1q gain, 88% for 16q deletions, and 70% for 1p deletions, with ĸ-coefficients of 0.56, 0.74, and 0.29, respectively. Sequencing also demonstrated that single-nucleotide variants detected in tumors could be identified in the ctDNA. There was a trend toward worse EFS in patients with ctDNA detected in the serum (4-year EFS 80% 100%, = .14). CONCLUSION: ctDNA demonstrates promise as an easily accessible prognostic biomarker with potential to detect tumor heterogeneity. The observed trend toward more favorable outcome in patients with undetectable ctDNA requires validation. ctDNA profiling should be further explored as a noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic tool in the risk-adapted treatment of patients with WT

Leveraging Clinical Trial Populations and Data from the Children's Oncology Group for Cancer Survivorship Research.

Children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer can now expect an average 85% 5-year overall survival, with significant improvements in longer-term morbidity and mortality reported over the past several decades. However, the long-term impact of therapeutic agents and modalities introduced in recent years remains unclear and will require dedicated follow-up in the years ahead. The Children's Oncology Group (COG), a part of the NCI's National Clinical Trials Network, with over 200 sites across North America and beyond, enrolls more than 10,000 patients onto research protocols annually, inclusive of first-line clinical trials and nontherapeutic studies. COG provides a platform to conduct survivorship research with several unique strengths: (i) a huge catchment to ascertain relatively rare but important adverse events, (ii) study populations that are otherwise too rare to study in smaller consortia, including access to highly diverse patient populations, (iii) long-term follow-up of clinical trial populations linked to the original trial data, and (iv) a natural platform for intervention research. Enhancements in COG infrastructure facilitate survivorship research, including a COG patient registry (Project:EveryChild), availability of a long-term follow-up tracking resource, and successful deployment of various remote-based study procedures to reduce the burden on participants and participating institutions