Experimental Study on Brucella abortus Strain RB51 Vaccinated Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Challenged with Virulent B. abortus Strain during Pregnancy

The study was conducted to determine the efficacy of Brucella abortus strain RB51 (RB51) vaccine in preventing abortion in pregnant water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) experimentally challenged using the intravenous route, with a local pathogenic strain of B. abortus biovar 1 (Trinidad 1). Thirty-two female water buffalo calves aged 6-10 months were randomly divided into three groups for the vaccination trial using the subcutaneous route: Group I animals received recommended dose (RD) vaccine twice 4 weeks apart, Group II was vaccinated twice 18 weeks apart and Group III (control) received saline once. At approximately 6 months of pregnancy following natural breeding, the animals were challenged by the intravenous route with 2.5 x 108 to 4.4 x 108 colony forming units of a local strain of B. abortus, Trinidad 1. Blood samples were collected, pre-challenge and post-challenge, for serological assay using the BPAT and the animals were monitored for clinical signs. The bacteriological study was also performed on tissues of the dams and their calves. The frequency of abortion/stillbirths/early neonatal deaths was 55.6% (5/9), 42.9% (3/7) and 40.0% (2/5) for Groups I, II and III dams respectively (P>0.05; ?2). For calves from infected dams, the frequency of isolation of B. abortus Trinidad 1 from the abomasal and rectal swabs was 100.0%, 80.0% and 100.0% for Groups I, II and III animals respectively (P>0.05). It was concluded that vaccination of water buffalo with the RB51 vaccine using the recommended dose was ineffective in preventing infection, abortion, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths

Brucellosis in domestic water bufallo (Bubalus bubalis) of Trinidad and Tobago with comparative epidemiology to cattle

The water buffalo is an important domestic animal worldwide and the local Buffalypso variety was developed in Trinidad to have improved beef qualities. Brucellosis was diagnosed in Trinidad and Tobago during 1998 in both cattle and domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) populations. Brucellosis in the latter species is caused by infection with Brucella abortus, similar to bovine brucellosis. Control of brucellosis is of paramount importance to preservation of the genetic diversity of these animals in Trinidad, and this has been complicated by differences in the epidemiology of water buffalo and bovine brucellosis. Some diagnostic tests do not have comparable accuracy between the two species, and the RB51 vaccine does not adequately protect against infection in water buffalo. The water buffalo in Trinidad may also be more resistant to infection than cattle. Development of effective vaccination protocols is key to control disease in Buffalypso in Trinidad, and prohibitions on import of virulent B. abortus strains for vaccine efficacy studies has impeded progress in this area. These Trinidadian strains are of variable virulence; some might be effective for challenge in vaccine efficacy studies, while other, of lower virulence, may be vaccine candidates for use in water buffalo.The Campus Research Funds Committee, St. Augustine.http://www.springerlink.com/content/0049-4747ab201

Chromosome Xq23 is associated with lower atherogenic lipid concentrations and favorable cardiometabolic indices

Abstract Autosomal genetic analyses of blood lipids have yielded key insights for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, X chromosome genetic variation is understudied for blood lipids in large sample sizes. We now analyze genetic and blood lipid data in a high-coverage whole X chromosome sequencing study of 65,322 multi-ancestry participants and perform replication among 456,893 European participants. Common alleles on chromosome Xq23 are strongly associated with reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (min P = 8.5 × 10−72), with similar effects for males and females. Chromosome Xq23 lipid-lowering alleles are associated with reduced odds for CHD among 42,545 cases and 591,247 controls (P = 1.7 × 10−4), and reduced odds for diabetes mellitus type 2 among 54,095 cases and 573,885 controls (P = 1.4 × 10−5). Although we observe an association with increased BMI, waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI is reduced, bioimpedance analyses indicate increased gluteofemoral fat, and abdominal MRI analyses indicate reduced visceral adiposity. Co-localization analyses strongly correlate increased CHRDL1 gene expression, particularly in adipose tissue, with reduced concentrations of blood lipids

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele