Transmission routes of African swine fever virus to domestic pigs: current knowledge and future research directions

African swine fever (ASF) is a major threat to the pig industry in Europe. Since 2007, ASF outbreaks have been ongoing in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, causing severe economic losses for many pig farmers and pork producers. In addition, the number of ASF cases in wild boar populations has dramatically increased over the past few years. Evidence supports direct contact with infectious domestic pigs and wild boars, and consumption of contaminated feed, as the main transmission routes of ASF virus (ASFV) to domestic pigs. However, significant knowledge gaps highlight the urgent need for research to investigate the dynamics of indirect transmission via the environment, the minimal infective doses for contaminated feed ingestion, the probability of effective contacts between infectious wild boars and domestic pigs, the potential for recovered animals to become carriers and a reservoir for transmission, the potential virus persistence within wild boar populations and the influence of human behaviour for the spread of ASFV. This will provide an improved scientific basis to optimise current interventions and develop new tools and strategies to reduce the risk of ASFV transmission to domestic pigs.ISSN:0042-490

From 3D landscape visualization to environmental simulation: The contribution of sound to the perception of virtual environments

This research investigated the perceptual interaction of combining sound with 3D landscape visualizations. Images sourced from Google Earth at St. James’s Park, London, UK, showing terrain only,terrain with built form or terrain with primarily vegetation were paired with four sound conditions using recordings from the park (i.e. ‘no sound’, anthropogenic, mechanical and natural). Perceived realism and preference were evaluated using a survey delivered via the Internet and in a controlled laboratory environment (N = 199 total). Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA indicated the interaction of sound and 3D visualizations significantly alters environmental perception both positively and negatively. Sounds and visuals that are congruent receive higher realism and preference ratings while the more incongruent the combination is, the lower the corresponding ratings. The lowest realism and preference ratings are given to visualizations showing terrain only combined with speech. The highest realism ratings overall correspond to visualization with built form combined with speech, and visualizations showing primarily vegetation paired with a birdcall. The absolute highest realism rating was for the visualization with primarily vegetation and some built form paired with speech, while the highest preference ratings correspond to visualizations showing vegetation paired with birdcall or no sound. Aural-visual data collected via the web-based survey was comparable to data collected in the laboratory and overall realism ratings for the Google Earth visualizations were low (e.g. below 3 on a 1–5 likert type scale). The results suggest there is an opportunity to increase experiential authenticity of 3D landscape visualizations with sound

Alteration in P-glycoprotein Functionality Affects Intrabrain Distribution of Quinidine More Than Brain Entry—A Study in Rats Subjected to Status Epilepticus by Kainate

This study aimed to investigate the use of quinidine microdialysis to study potential changes in brain P-glycoprotein functionality after induction of status epilepticus (SE) by kainate. Rats were infused with 10 or 20 mg/kg quinidine over 30 min or 4 h. Plasma, brain extracellular fluid (brain ECF), and end-of-experiment total brain concentrations of quinidine were determined during 7 h after the start of the infusion. Effect of pretreatment with tariquidar (15 mg/kg, administered 30 min before the start of the quinidine infusion) on the brain distribution of quinidine was assessed. This approach was repeated in kainate-treated rats. Quinidine kinetics were analyzed with population modeling (NONMEM). The quinidine microdialysis assay clearly revealed differences in brain distribution upon changes in P-glycoprotein functionality by pre-administration of tariquidar, which resulted in a 7.2-fold increase in brain ECF and a 40-fold increase in total brain quinidine concentration. After kainate treatment alone, however, no difference in quinidine transport across the blood–brain barrier was found, but kainate-treated rats tended to have a lower total brain concentration but a higher brain ECF concentration of quinidine than saline-treated rats. This study did not provide evidence for the hypothesis that P-glycoprotein function at the blood–brain barrier is altered at 1 week after SE induction, but rather suggests that P-glycoprotein function might be altered at the brain parenchymal level

Absent cervical spine pedicle and associated congenital spinal abnormalities - a diagnostic trap in a setting of acute trauma: case report

BACKGROUND: Congenital spinal abnormalities can easily be misdiagnosed on plain radiographs. Additional imaging is warranted in doubtful cases, especially in a setting of acute trauma. Case Presentation This patient presented at the emergency unit of our university hospital after a motor vehicle accident and was sent to our radiology department for imaging of the cervical spine. Initial clinical examination and plain radiographs of the cervical spine were performed but not conclusive. Additional CT of the neck helped establish the right diagnosis. CONCLUSION: CT as a three-dimensional imaging modality with the possibility of multiplanar reconstructions allows for the exact diagnosis and exclusion of acute traumatic lesions of the cervical spine, especially in cases of doubtful plain radiographs and when congenital spinal abnormalities like absent cervical spine pedicle with associated spina bifida may insinuate severe trauma

Local Difference Measures between Complex Networks for Dynamical System Model Evaluation

Acknowledgments We thank Reik V. Donner for inspiring suggestions that initialized the work presented herein. Jan H. Feldhoff is credited for providing us with the STARS simulation data and for his contributions to fruitful discussions. Comments by the anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged as they led to substantial improvements of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Cigarette smoke exposure facilitates allergic sensitization in mice

BACKGROUND: Active and passive smoking are considered as risk factors for asthma development. The mechanisms involved are currently unexplained. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if cigarette smoke exposure could facilitate primary allergic sensitization. METHODS: BALB/c mice were exposed to aerosolized ovalbumin (OVA) combined with air or tobacco smoke (4 exposures/day) daily for three weeks. Serology, lung cytopathology, cytokine profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and on mediastinal lymph node cultures as well as lung function tests were performed after the last exposure. The natural history and the immune memory of allergic sensitization were studied with in vivo recall experiments. RESULTS: Exposure to OVA induced a small increase in OVA-specific serum IgE as compared with exposure to PBS (P < 0.05), while no inflammatory reaction was observed in the airways. Exposure to cigarette smoke did not induce IgE, but was characterized by a small but significant neutrophilic inflammatory reaction. Combining OVA with cigarette smoke not only induced a significant increase in OVA-specific IgE but also a distinct eosinophil and goblet cell enriched airway inflammation albeit that airway hyperresponsiveness was not evidenced. FACS analysis showed in these mice increases in dendritic cells (DC) and CD4(+ )T-lymphocytes along with a marked increase in IL-5 measured in the supernatant of lymph node cell cultures. Immune memory experiments evidenced the transient nature of these phenomena. CONCLUSION: In this study we show that mainstream cigarette smoke temporary disrupts the normal lung homeostatic tolerance to innocuous inhaled allergens, thereby inducing primary allergic sensitization. This is characterized not only by the development of persistent IgE, but also by the emergence of an eosinophil rich pulmonary inflammatory reaction

A New Minimal-Stress Freely-Moving Rat Model for Preclinical Studies on Intranasal Administration of CNS Drugs

Purpose. To develop a new minimal-stress model for intranasal administration in freely moving rats and to evaluate in this model the brain distribution of acetaminophen following intranasal versus intravenous administration. Methods. Male Wistar rats received one intranasal cannula, an intra-cerebral microdialysis probe, and two blood cannulas for drug administration and serial blood sampling respectively. To evaluate this novel model, the following experiments were conducted. 1) Evans Blue was administered to verify the selectivity of intranasal exposure. 2) During a 1 min infusion 10, 20, or 40 μl saline was administered intranasally or 250 µl intravenously. Corticosterone plasma concentrations over time were compared as biomarkers for stress. 3) 200 µg of the model drug acetaminophen was given in identical setup and plasma, and brain pharmacokinetics were determined. Results. In 96 % of the rats, only the targeted nasal cavity was deeply colored. Corticosterone plasma concentrations were not influenced, neither by route nor volume of administration. Pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen were identical after intravenous and intranasal administration, although the Cmax in microdialysates was reached a little earlier following intravenous administration. Conclusion. A new minimal-stress model for intranasal administration in freely moving rats has been successfully developed and allows direct comparison with intravenous administration. KEY WORDS: acetaminophen; brain; intranasal infusion; microdialysis; pharmacokinetics

Revealing the last 13,500 years of environmental history from the multiproxy record of a mountain lake (Lago Enol, northern Iberian Peninsula)

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9387-7.We present the Holocene sequence from Lago Enol (43°16′N, 4°59′W, 1,070 m a.s.l.), Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. A multiproxy analysis provided comprehensive information about regional humidity and temperature changes. The analysis included sedimentological descriptions, physical properties, organic carbon and carbonate content, mineralogy and geochemical composition together with biological proxies including diatom and ostracod assemblages. A detailed pollen study enabled reconstruction of variations in vegetation cover, which were interpreted in the context of climate changes and human impact. Four distinct stages were recognized for the last 13,500 years: (1) a cold and dry episode that includes the Younger Dryas event (13,500–11,600 cal. year BP); (2) a humid and warmer period characterizing the onset of the Holocene (11,600–8,700 cal. year BP); (3) a tendency toward a drier climate during the middle Holocene (8,700–4,650 cal. year BP); and (4) a return to humid conditions following landscape modification by human activity (pastoral activities, deforestation) in the late Holocene (4,650–2,200 cal. year BP). Superimposed on relatively stable landscape conditions (e.g. maintenance of well established forests), the typical environmental variability of the southern European region is observed at this site.The Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT), the Spanish National Parks agency, the European Commission, the Spanish Ministry of Science, and the European Social Fund

Revealing the last 13,500 years of environmental history from the multiproxy record of a mountain lake (Lago Enol, northern Iberian Peninsula)

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9387-7.We present the Holocene sequence from Lago Enol (43°16′N, 4°59′W, 1,070 m a.s.l.), Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. A multiproxy analysis provided comprehensive information about regional humidity and temperature changes. The analysis included sedimentological descriptions, physical properties, organic carbon and carbonate content, mineralogy and geochemical composition together with biological proxies including diatom and ostracod assemblages. A detailed pollen study enabled reconstruction of variations in vegetation cover, which were interpreted in the context of climate changes and human impact. Four distinct stages were recognized for the last 13,500 years: (1) a cold and dry episode that includes the Younger Dryas event (13,500–11,600 cal. year BP); (2) a humid and warmer period characterizing the onset of the Holocene (11,600–8,700 cal. year BP); (3) a tendency toward a drier climate during the middle Holocene (8,700–4,650 cal. year BP); and (4) a return to humid conditions following landscape modification by human activity (pastoral activities, deforestation) in the late Holocene (4,650–2,200 cal. year BP). Superimposed on relatively stable landscape conditions (e.g. maintenance of well established forests), the typical environmental variability of the southern European region is observed at this site.The Spanish Inter-Ministry Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT), the Spanish National Parks agency, the European Commission, the Spanish Ministry of Science, and the European Social Fund