Trypanosoma equiperdum in the horse : a neglected threat?

Dourine is a contagious disease caused by Trypanosoma equiperdum that is transmitted directly from animal to animal during coitus. Dourine is known as an important disease in many countries, and it threatens equidae worldwide. It is reported to be widespread in South America, Eastern Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Namibia and Ethiopia. The disease can be carried to various parts of the world through the transportation of infected animals and semen. Since knowledge of the prepatent infectiousness of a recently infected animal is lacking, introduction of the disease is in principle an ever-present threat. Definitive diagnosis depends on the identification of the parasite by means of direct microscopy. This is rarely possible in practice and therefore, diagnosis in the field is based on the observation of typical clinical signs, together with serological tests. This paper is an endeavour to review briefly and compile information on the appearance and importance of Dourine in terms of its epidemiological and clinical features, as well as on its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis

Serological responses and biomarker evaluation in mice and pigs exposed to tsetse fly bites

Background: Tsetse flies are obligate blood-feeding insects that transmit African trypanosomes responsible for human sleeping sickness and nagana in livestock. The tsetse salivary proteome contains a highly immunogenic family of the endonuclease-like Tsal proteins. In this study, a recombinant version of Tsal1 (rTsal1) was evaluated in an indirect ELISA to quantify the contact with total Glossina morsitans morsitans saliva, and thus the tsetse fly bite exposure. Methodology/Principal Findings: Mice and pigs were experimentally exposed to different G. m. morsitans exposure regimens, followed by a long-term follow-up of the specific antibody responses against total tsetse fly saliva and rTsal1. In mice, a single tsetse fly bite was sufficient to induce detectable IgG antibody responses with an estimated half-life of 36-40 days. Specific antibody responses could be detected for more than a year after initial exposure, and a single bite was sufficient to boost anti-saliva immunity. Also, plasmas collected from tsetse-exposed pigs displayed increased anti-rTsal1 and anti-saliva IgG levels that correlated with the exposure intensity. A strong correlation between the detection of anti-rTsal1 and anti-saliva responses was recorded. The ELISA test performance and intra-laboratory repeatability was adequate in the two tested animal models. Cross-reactivity of the mouse IgGs induced by exposure to different Glossina species (G. m. morsitans, G. pallidipes, G. palpalis gambiensis and G. fuscipes) and other hematophagous insects (Stomoxys calcitrans and Tabanus yao) was evaluated. Conclusion: This study illustrates the potential use of rTsal1 from G. m. morsitans as a sensitive biomarker of exposure to a broad range of Glossina species. We propose that the detection of anti-rTsal1 IgGs could be a promising serological indicator of tsetse fly presence that will be a valuable tool to monitor the impact of tsetse control efforts on the African continent

Click chemistry within LDPE

Specialty LDPE copolymers provide some of the highest added value polyolefin applications and, in the quest to differentiate in an increasingly commoditized polyolefin environment, are of considerable interest to LDPE producers and other polyolefin players.1 In 2015, global specialty LDPE copolymers production was estimated around 6900 kT, from those EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) accounts for nearly 90 % of it.1 Other examples are EBA (Ethylene Butyl Acrylate), EVOH (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol), COC (Cyclic Olefin Copolymer), MAH (Maleic AnHydride) grafted PE, … which all have their specific properties and are used in different kind of applications. All above mentioned commercial grades are made either by in reactor functionalization, copolymerization of ethylene and a monomer, or by post-modification, grafting of a monomer onto a PE backbone. A combination of both routes would give the advantage of producing one base grade; therefore, no changes in reactor settings are required and the properties of the polymer can be tuned by post-modification reactions. Please download the file below for full content

Regenerative skin wound healing in mammals : state-of-the-art on growth factor and stem cell based treatments

Mammal skin has a crucial function in several life-preserving processes such as hydration, protection against chemicals and pathogens, initialization of vitamin D synthesis, excretion and heat regulation. Severe damage of the skin may therefore be life-threatening. Skin wound repair is a multiphased, yet well-orchestrated process including the interaction of various cell types, growth factors and cytokines aiming at closure of the skin and preferably resulting in tissue repair. Regardless various therapeutic modalities targeting at enhancing wound healing, the development of novel approaches for this pathology remains a clinical challenge. The time-consuming conservative wound management is mainly restricted to wound repair rather than restitution of the tissue integrity (the so-called “restitutio ad integrum”). Therefore, there is a continued search towards more efficacious wound therapies to reduce health care burden, provide patients with long-term relief and ultimately scarless wound healing. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies on the use of skin wound regenerative therapies provide encouraging results, but more protracted studies will have to determine whether the effect of observed effects are clinically significant and whether regeneration rather than repair can be achieved. For all the aforementioned reasons, this article reviews the emerging field of regenerative skin wound healing in mammals with particular emphasis on growth factor- and stem cell-based therapies

A multi-scale tool for functionalization of polyolefins through radical grafting

Free radical induced grafting of polymers is an important synthesis strategy to improve the properties of the pristine polymer and to ensure compatibility in blends. In this contribution, a multi-scale modeling tool is presented that enables to describe the grafting kinetics with a detailed description at the molecular, micro- and meso-scale combined with a 1D macro-scale reactor model. The potential of the model is illustrated with polyolefins as polymer substrate, including model validation to lab-scale and industrial scale data. It is highlighted that the model is indispensable to achieve the optimal process conditions for improved process intensification and functionality/molecular control

Safety and immunomodulatory properties of equine peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells in healthy cats

Objective: Due to the immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) through stimulation of endogenous immune cells by paracrine signals and cell contact, they have been proposed as alternative treatment option for many inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases in veterinary medicine. However, the long-term cultivation possibilities of feline MSCs are currently compromised due to a restricted proliferation capacity. Therefore, the xenogeneic use of equine peripheral blood-derived MSCs (ePB-MSCs) would present an interesting alternative thanks to their superior cultivation properties. To the authors' knowledge, there are currently no safety reports concerning the xenogeneic use of ePB-MSCs in cats. Therefore, the overall goal of this preliminary study was to investigate if ePB-MSCs can safely be administered in healthy cats and by extension evaluating their immunogenic and immunomodulatory properties. Methods: Ten healthy cats were intravenously (i.v.) injected with 3 x 10(5) ePB-MSCs at three time points (T-0, T-1, T-2). All cats were daily inspected by the caretaker and underwent a physical examination with hematological and biochemical analysis at day 0 (T-0), week 2 (T-1), week 4 (T-2) and week 6 (T-3) by a veterinarian. Furthermore, a modified mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) was performed at T-0 and T-3 for each cat in order to evaluate immunogenic and immunomodulatory properties of the ePB-MSCs Results: No adverse clinical effects could be detected following repeated i.v. administration of ePB-MSCs in all cats. Significant lower protein (T-1: P-value = 0.002; T-2: P-value > 0.001; T-3: P-value = 0.004) and albumin levels (T-1: P-value = 0.003; T-2: P-value = 0.001) were seen after repeated administration of ePB-MSCs, compared to T-0. However, all biochemical and hematological parameters stayed within clinical acceptance level. In addition, the repeated injections did not induce a cellular immune response before and after repeated ePB-MSCs administration. Furthermore, convincing immunomodulatory properties of ePB-MSCs on feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells were confirmed in the MLR-assay Conclusion: This preliminary study demonstrates that ePB-MSCs can safely be administered in healthy cats and provide a promising alternative for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases in cats

An advanced kinetic modeling for reactive polymer processing

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Boron isotope ratio determination in carbonates /via/ LA-MC-ICP-MS using soda-lime glass standards as reference material

A new in situ method using LA-MC-ICP-MS (193 nm excimer laser) for the determination of stable boron isotope ratios (δ11B) in carbonates was developed. Data were acquired via a standard sample standard bracketing procedure typically providing a reproducibility of 0.5‰ (SD) for samples containing 35 ppm of boron. A single ablation interval consumed about 5 µg of sample corresponding to about 0.2 ng of boron. The major finding was the similar instrumental fractionation behaviour of carbonates, soda-lime glass and sea salt with respect to boron isotopes. As no matrix induced offset was detectable between these distinct materials we propose the use of NIST glasses as internal standards for boron isotope ratio measurements via LA-MC-ICP-MS. This finding overcomes the problem of a missing matrix matched carbonate standard for in situ boron isotope studies. As a first application a set of coral samples from a culturing experiment was analysed. δ11B values range from 19.5 to 25‰ depending on the pH of the water used in the particular treatment. This is in good agreement with the results of earlier studies

Chondrogenic priming at reduced cell density enhances cartilage adhesion of equine allogeneic MSCs : a loading sensitive phenomenon in an organ culture study with 180 explants

Background: Clinical results of regenerative treatments for osteoarthritis are becoming increasingly significant. However, several questions remain unanswered concerning mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion and incorporation into cartilage. Methods: To this end, peripheral blood (PB) MSCs were chondrogenically induced and/or stimulated with pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) for a brief period of time just sufficient to prime differentiation. In an organ culture study, PKH26 labelled MSCs were added at two different cell densities (0.5 x10(6) vs 1.0 x10(6)). In total, 180 explants of six horses (30 per horse) were divided into five groups: no lesion (i), lesion alone (ii), lesion with naive MSCs (iii), lesion with chondrogenically-induced MSCs (iv) and lesion with chondrogenically-induced and PEMF-stimulated MSCs (v). Half of the explants were mechanically loaded and compared with the unloaded equivalents. Within each circumstance, six explants were histologically evaluated at different time points (day 1, 5 and 14). Results: COMP expression was selectively increased by chondrogenic induction (p = 0.0488). PEMF stimulation (1mT for 10 minutes) further augmented COL II expression over induced values (p = 0.0405). On the other hand, MSC markers remained constant over time after induction, indicating a largely predifferentiated state. In the unloaded group, MSCs adhered to the surface in 92.6% of the explants and penetrated into 40.7% of the lesions. On the other hand, physiological loading significantly reduced surface adherence (1.9%) and lesion filling (3.7%) in all the different conditions (p < 0.0001). Remarkably, homogenous cell distribution was characteristic for chondrogenic induced MSCs (+/- PEMFs), whereas clump formation occurred in 39% of uninduced MSC treated cartilage explants. Finally, unloaded explants seeded with a moderately low density of MSCs exhibited greater lesion filling (p = 0.0022) and surface adherence (p = 0.0161) than explants seeded with higher densities of MSCs. In all cases, the overall amount of lesion filling decreased from day 5 to 14 (p = 0.0156). Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that primed chondrogenic induction of MSCs at a lower cell density without loading results in significantly enhanced and homogenous MSC adhesion and incorporation into equine cartilage. Copyright (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Base