Growth and the Investment Climate: Progress and Challenges for Asian Economies

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Clinic and pathological findings in dogs naturally infected with canine herpesvirus

Descrevem-se os achados clínicos e patológicos e os exames laboratoriais de filhotes de cães com diagnóstico post mortem de infecção por herpesvírus canino. Os casos ocorreram em duas propriedades da Cidade de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, em abril de 2007 e julho de 2008. Clinicamente, os cães apresentaram anorexia, apatia, choro e dispneia. A morte dos cães ocorreu após 24-72 horas do início dos sinais clínicos. Na necropsia observaram-se hemorragia multifocal renal e hepatomegalia com petéquias e pontos brancos na superfície natural do fígado. Os pulmões se apresentaram não-colapsados e vermelhos. Havia esplenomegalia e, em alguns cães, petéquias na superfície capsular do baço. Aumento dos linfonodos mesentéricos e do timo foi observado. Lesões microscópicas incluíram hemorragia e necrose multifocal em células epiteliais tubulares renais, hepatócitos e tecidos linfoides. Nos pulmões, havia necrose alveolar multifocal acentuada com abundante material fibrinoso e infiltrado inflamatório misto de intensidade variada. Ocasionais corpúsculos de inclusão intranucleares em áreas periféricas à necrose foram identificados em hepatócitos, células epiteliais de túbulos renais e células alveolares. Amostras de fígado, rim e pulmão foram positivas na imunofluorescência direta para herpesvírus canino tipo 1 (CHV-1). O diagnóstico de infecção por herpesvírus foi baseado nos achados de necropsia, histológicos e de imunofluorescência positiva em tecidos usando anticorpo anti-CHV-1. De nosso conhecimento, este é o primeiro relato da identificação do CHV-1 no Brasil, embora achados clínico-patológicos anteriores já sugerissem a presença do agente na população canina do país. ____________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe clinic and pathological findings and laboratorial testing of puppies with postmortem diagnosis of canine herpesvirus infection are described. The cases occurred in two households of Porto Alegre, RS, in April 2007 and July 2008. The puppies presented anorexia, depression, cry and dyspnea, followed by death about 24-72 hours after the onset of clinical signs. At necropsy multifocal pin point hemorrhages were observed in the kidneys. The liver was enlarged with petechiae and white foci on the surface. The lungs were red and did not collapse. The spleen was enlarged and, in some cases, with petechiae on the capsular surface. Mesenteric lymph nodes and thymus were enlarged. Microscopic lesions included hemorrhages and multifocal necrosis of the renal tubular epithelial cells, hepatocytes and lymphoid tissues. In the lungs there was severe multifocal alveolar necrosis with abundant fibrin deposits and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate of variable intensity. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were identified in the periphery of necrotic areas in hepatocytes, renal tubular epithelial cells and alveolar cells. Samples of liver, kidney and lung were positive in the direct immunofluorescence test for canine herpes virus type 1 (CHV-1). The diagnosis was based on epidemiological data, necropsy findings, histological lesions and positive immunofluorescence results using CHV-1 antibody in tissue samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of CHV-1 in Brazil, although previous clinic and pathological findings already suggested the presence of the virus in Brazilian canine population

Infections with Avian Pathogenic and Fecal Escherichia coli Strains Display Similar Lung Histopathology and Macrophage Apoptosis

The purpose of this study was to compare histopathological changes in the lungs of chickens infected with avian pathogenic (APEC) and avian fecal (Afecal) Escherichia coli strains, and to analyze how the interaction of the bacteria with avian macrophages relates to the outcome of the infection. Chickens were infected intratracheally with three APEC strains, MT78, IMT5155, and UEL17, and one non-pathogenic Afecal strain, IMT5104. The pathogenicity of the strains was assessed by isolating bacteria from lungs, kidneys, and spleens at 24 h post-infection (p.i.). Lungs were examined for histopathological changes at 12, 18, and 24 h p.i. Serial lung sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), terminal deoxynucleotidyl dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) for detection of apoptotic cells, and an anti-O2 antibody for detection of MT78 and IMT5155. UEL17 and IMT5104 did not cause systemic infections and the extents of lung colonization were two orders of magnitude lower than for the septicemic strains MT78 and IMT5155, yet all four strains caused the same extent of inflammation in the lungs. The inflammation was localized; there were some congested areas next to unaffected areas. Only the inflamed regions became labeled with anti-O2 antibody. TUNEL labeling revealed the presence of apoptotic cells at 12 h p.i in the inflamed regions only, and before any necrotic foci could be seen. The TUNEL-positive cells were very likely dying heterophils, as evidenced by the purulent inflammation. Some of the dying cells observed in avian lungs in situ may also be macrophages, since all four avian E. coli induced caspase 3/7 activation in monolayers of HD11 avian macrophages. In summary, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic fecal strains of avian E. coli produce focal infections in the avian lung, and these are accompanied by inflammation and cell death in the infected areas

Scrapie diagnosis in a goat and four Santa Inês sheep from the same herd in Brazil

Scrapie is a fatal and progressive transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of natural occurrence in sheep and goats. The suspicion of scrapie may be based on clinical signs; however, the detection of pathological features of the prionic protein (PrP) in target tissues is necessary to diagnose the disease. The presence of an abnormal protein form (PrPSc) in lymphoreticular and nervous tissues is an important characteristic in diagnosis. This paper reports a case of scrapie in a flock of 55 Suffolk crossbred sheep, 19 Santa Inês sheep and 21 goats in the Mato Grosso state, midwestern Brazil. The animals were euthanized after the confirmation of a scrapie case with clinical signs in a Suffolk sheep in the same farm. Samples of brainstem at the level of the obex and lymphoid issues like palatine tonsils, mesenteric lymph nodes, third eyelid fixed in formalin 10% were processed for histological examination. Histological examination with hematoxylin and eosin did not show any microscopic changes in samples. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) examination to detect anti-prion PrPSc was performed in lymphoid tissues. Scrapie diagnosis was confirmed based on IHC positive results for PrPSc in lymphoid tissues of a crossbreed goat and four Santa Inês sheep, without any clinical scrapie signs. IHC showed positive staining in at least three lymphoid germinal centers in goat mesenteric lymph node, palatine tonsil, and third eyelid samples. The mesenteric lymph node, and tonsil samples of all sheep showed positive immunostaining, and only one sheep showed positive staining in lymphoid follicles in the third eyelid. Scrapie diagnosis using IHC in fixed samples of lymphoreticular tissue is technically feasible to detect the disease in both goats and sheep, as a form of pre-clinical diagnosis. The results indicate that the herd was infected by a sheep coming from another herd where scrapie had been diagnosed before.Scrapie é uma encefalopatia espongiforme transmissível (EET) progressiva e fatal de ocorrência natural em ovinos e caprinos. A suspeita de scrapie é baseada nos sinais clínicos, porém a manifestação patológica da proteína priônica (PrP) nos tecidos-alvo é necessária para a confirmação da doença. A presença de uma forma anormal da proteína (PrPSc) em tecido linforreticular e tecido nervoso constitui uma característica importante para o diagnóstico. Este trabalho é o relato de um foco de scrapie ocorrido em rebanho com 55 ovinos mistos Suffolk, 21 caprinos e 19 ovinos Santa Inês, na região Centro-Oeste do Brasil. Os animais foram eutanasiados após a confirmação de um caso de scrapie com sinais clínicos em um ovino Suffolk nessa propriedade. Amostras de tronco cerebral na altura do obex e tecidos linfoides, que incluíram tonsilas, linfonodos mesentéricos e tecido linfoide da terceira pálpebra foram processados para exame histológico. O exame histológico utilizando a coloração de hematoxilina e eosina não revelou a presença de alterações microscópicas nos tecidos examinados. O diagnóstico de scrapie foi confirmado com base nos resultados positivos de imuno-histoquímica (IHQ) para PrPSc nos tecidos linfoides de um caprino sem raça definida e quatro ovinos da raça Santa Inês, sem sinais clínicos de scrapie. A IHQ apresentou marcação positiva em pelo menos três centros linfoides na tonsila, terceira pálpebra e linfonodo mesentérico do caprino. Em todos os ovinos, a IHQ revelou marcação positiva nos folículos linfoides da tonsila palatínica e linfonodo mesentérico; a marcação positiva nos folículos linfoides da terceira pálpebra só foi observada em um dos ovinos. Este trabalho demonstra a importância da utilização de tecido linforreticular para o diagnóstico pré-clínico de scrapie através de IHQ e é tecnicamente viável em ovinos e caprinos. Os resultados indicam que os animais foram contaminados por um ovino oriundo de um rebanho que apresentava casos clínicos de scrapie

Caracterização patológica, microbiológica e imuno-histoquímica de colibacilose em frangos de corte de Moçambique

Avian colibacillosis is an acute and globally occurring infectious disease of domestic and wild birds caused by Escherichia coli, and it is associated with considerable economic losses mainly due to the morbidity and mortality associated. The present study aimed to describe the pathological, bacteriological and immunohistochemical aspects of avian colibacillosis in broiler chickens of Mozambique. Forty-nine broiler chicken presented anorexia, decreased weight gain, ataxia, diarrhea, dyspnea, and death in a clinical course of 3-5 days. The birds were raised in five farms (small, medium and large farms) with manual and automatic breeding system, with flocks ranging from 100 to 20,000 birds. At the necropsy, all birds had poor body condition, and the pericardium and the Glisson’s capsule of all avian exhibited different degrees of adherence often associated with severe fibrin deposition. The thoracic and abdominal air sacs were thickened and adhered to the costal wall. Mild, moderate or marked hepatomegaly associated with white pinpoint multifocal areas (100%, 49/49) and mild to moderate splenomegaly in 75.5% (37/49) with a mottled surface were observed. The lungs and kidney were enlarged and reddish. Histologically, a multiorgan fibrinoheterophilic polyserositis was observed in 75.5% of the cases (37/49), which were characterized by inflammatory infiltrates composed mainly of degenerative heterophils, macrophages and plasma cells, associated with fibrin deposits and intermixed by coccobacillary bacterial basophilic aggregates. These affected mainly the pericardium (28.6%, 14/49), the pleura (18.4%, 9/49), the Glisson’s capsule (10.2%, 5/49), the ventriculus (10.2, 5/33), and the proventriculus (8.2%, 4/49) serosa. Multifocal to coalescing areas of coagulative necrosis associated with similar inflammatory cells were observed mainly in the spleen (28.6%, 14/49), liver (24.5%, 12/49), and intestines (22.4%, 11/49). A similar infiltrate was also observed affecting the the lungs (16.3%, 8/49), the kidney (16.3%, 8/49) and the myocardium (14.3%, 7/49). Isolation and identification of E. coli was obtained in 12 cases through bacterial culture. Some organs (2 cases of each farms) were selected and submitted to immunohistochemistry anti-E. coli, and a positive stain was observed in all tested cases in liver (3/3), heart (4/4), spleen (1/1), lungs (4/4), intestines (4/4), bursa of Fabricius (1/1), ventriculus (1/1), and proventriculus (1/1) tissue sections. These results demonstrate that E. coli was the cause of mortality in these birds. Therefore, biosecurity and management measures should be employed to prevent and control the disease occurrence in Mozambique’s poultry farming.A colibacilose aviária é uma doença aguda de ocorrência mundial que acomete aves domésticas e silvestres, causada por Escherichia coli e resulta em perdas econômicas consideráveis devido à elevada morbidade e mortalidade das aves. O presente estudo teve o objetivo de descrever os aspectos patológicos, bacteriológicos e imuno-histoquímicos de colibacilose aviária em frangos de corte de Moçambique. Um total de 49 frangos de corte apresentaram anorexia, baixo ganho de peso, ataxia, diarreia, dispneia e morte em um curso clínico de 3 a 5 dias. As aves eram provenientes de 5 granjas (pequenas, média e grandes), com sistema de criação manual e automático, com rebanhos que variavam de 100 a 20.000 aves. À necropsia, todas as aves exibiam condição corporal ruim a caquética, além de pericárdio e cápsula de Glisson de todas aves (100%; n=49) com diferentes graus de aderência e deposição de fibrina de forma difusa acentuada. Os sacos aéreos torácicos e abdominais estavam espessados e aderidos à parede costal. Foi observado ainda hepatomegalia discreta, moderada a severa frequentemente associada com áreas multifocais puntiformes brancacentas (100%; 49/49), e esplenomegalia discreta a moderada, associado a áreas multifocais moteadas (75,5%; 37/49). Os pulmões e rins estavam aumentados e com coloração avermelhada. Histologicamente, observou-se majoritariamente serosite fibrinoheterofílica em 75,5% dos casos (37/49), caracterizadas por infiltrado inflamatório composto por heterófilos degenerados, macrófagos, linfócitos e plasmócitos, com deposição de fibrina entremeada por uma miríade de estruturas bacterianas cocobacilares. Esta lesão foi observada principalmente em pericárdio (28,6%; 14/49), pleura (18,4%; 9/49), cápsula de Glisson (10,2%; 5/49), ventrículo (10,2; 5/33) e em proventrículo (8,2%; 4/49). Áreas multifocais a coalescentes de necrose de coagulação associada a infiltrado inflamatório semelhante ao descrito foi observado principalmente no baço (28,6%; 14/49), fígado (24.5%; 12/49), e intestinos (8,2%; 4/49). Um infiltrado inflamatório semelhante também foi visualizado em pulmões (16,3%; 8/49), rins (16,3%; 8/49) e miocárdio (14,3%; 7/49), Colônias puras de E. coli foram identificadas e isoladas em 12 casos. Alguns órgãos (2 de cada granja) foram submetidos ao exame imuno-histoquímico anti-E. coli e marcação positiva foi visualizada em todos casos testados, como em fígado (3/3), coração (4/4), baço (1/1), pulmão (4/4), intestinos (4/4), bursa de Fabricius (1/1), rim (1/1), ventrículo (1/1) e proventrículo (1/1). Estes resultados demonstram que E. coli foi a causa de morte destas aves. Sendo assim, a adoção de boas medidas de biosseguridade e de manejo são indispensáveis para a prevenção e controle da ocorrência da doença nas granjas de frango de corte de Moçambique

Tuning the antiferromagnetic easy axis direction in exchange bias bilayers

Abstract The exchange bias effect is measured for a Co/NiO bilayer before and after it has been cooled down from 580 K in 1.5 kOe magnetic field applied at 45 to the initial exchange-bias direction. The angular variation of the hysteresis loop shift for the treated sample showed three distinct minima and maxima, in contrast to that of the as-made sample, which is characteristic for a system with aligned ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic easy axes. This behavior is qualitatively well explained in the framework of the domain-wall formation model applied for the off-aligned case. The continued interest in the exchange-bias effect, which results from the interfacial coupling between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AF) materials, is motivated by fundamental and technological interests. In almost all of the model works, the direction of the easy axis of the AF layer is aligned with the FM one; some numerical calculations using a simple StonerWohlfarth model for the case of ''off-aligned'' coupling have been done by Xi and White In the present work, a FM/AF bilayer was deposited by magnetron sputtering onto Si(1 0 0) substrate at room temperature (RT) in 2.0 mTorr Ar atmosphere with base pressure before depositing better than 5 Â 10 À8 Torr. The film consists of 30 nm Co deposited on 50 nm NiO and capped with 5 nm Cu in order to prevent oxidation in air. Magnetic field of 0.5 kOe has been applied during the deposition. The structural characterization, made via conventional X-ray diffractometry performed on a Philips X'Pert MRD machine employing Cu Ka radiation, showed that the Co layer is strongly (2 2 0) textured, whereas the NiO contribution is a combination of evenly divided (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) NiO textures. In-plane RT hysteresis loops were obtained by using an alternating gradient force magnetometer. No training effect, i.e., dependence of the hysteresis loop field shift, H eb ; on repeated magnetization reversal, has been observed. The sample was heated to 580 K, which is higher than the NiO N! eel temperature of 520 K but rather lower than the Curie temperature of Co, and then cooled down to RT in the presence of a magnetic field of 1.5 kOe applied at 45 (75) to the initial exchange-bias direction. Once again, effects of training have not been detected

Hipomielinogênese associada à intoxicação transplacentária por Sida carpinifolia (Malvaceae) em fetos e neonatos bovinos

Sida carpinifolia is a plant responsible for poisoning several species of animals. This paper describes Hypomyelinogenesis in fetuses and neonates of cattle that consumed S. carpinifolia. Neonates manifested ataxia and muscle tremors. Two bovine newborns and four fetuses were necropsied and showed no significant gross changes. Histopathologic findings included vacuolation of pancreatic acinar cells, thyroid follicular cells, hepatocytes, cells of renal tubules and neurons of the fetus and the white matter of the telencephalic frontal lobe of the neonates and also revealed axonal spheroids in the brain of the fetuses and neonates. The lectin-histochemical evaluation shoved staining for the lectins Con-A, WGA and s-WGA. The Luxol Fast Blue staining revealed a marked decrease of myelin in the brain of all the fetuses and a moderate decrease in the neonates. Histologic and lectin-histochemic findings indicate that the consumption of S. carpinifolia by pregnant bovine females can cause hypomyelinogenesis in fetuses and neonates.Sida carpinifolia é uma planta responsável por intoxicar várias espécies animais. Este artigo descreve hipomielinogênese em fetos e neonatos de bovinos que consumiram S. carpinifolia. Os neonatos manifestaram ataxia e tremores musculares. Dois neonatos e quatro fetos bovinos foram necropsiados e não havia alterações macroscópicas significativas. Os achados histopatológicos incluíram vacuolização de células acinares do pâncreas, células foliculares da tireoide, hepatócitos, células renais tubulares e neurônios nos fetos. Nos neonatos havia vacuolização na substância branca do lobo frontal telencefálico, além de esferoides axonais no encéfalo dos fetos e dos recém-nascidos. A avaliação lectino-histoquímica demonstrou marcação para as lectinas Con-A, WGA e s-WGA. A coloração de Luxol Fast Blue revelou diminuição acentuada da mielina no telencéfalo de todos os fetos e diminuição moderada nos neonatos. Os achados histológicos e lectina-histoquímicos indicam que o consumo de S. carpinifolia por fêmeas bovinas gestantes pode causar hipomielinogênese em fetos e neonatos