Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) causes apoptosis in experimentally inoculated BALB/c mice

BACKGROUND: We have previously described microscopic and electron microscopic alterations in lymphoid organs of PCV2 inoculated mice as apoptosis. In this study we wanted to investigate the molecular pathogenetic mechanism of PCV2-induced apoptosis. Eight-week old BALB/c mice were either sham inoculated (control mice) or inoculated intraperitoneally (ip) and intranasally (in) with a single (sPCV mice) or multiple (mPCV mice) doses of PCV2. Four control mice and 4 sPCV mice were sacrificed 7, 14, 28 and 42 days post inoculation (PI). All 4 mPCV mice were sacrificed 42 days PI. Following necropsy, immunohistochemistry for caspase 3 and in-situ TUNEL assay were performed on sections of spleen, lymph nodes, thymus and ileum from control, sPCV and mPCV mice. In addition, total RNA was extracted from spleens of control, sPCV and mPCV mice for simultaneous detection and semiquantitation of bcl-2 homologues and various caspase mRNAs using a multiprobe RNase protection assay system. RESULTS: PCV2 replicated and was associated with apoptosis in spleens, lymph nodes and Peyer's patches of infected BALB/c mice. Upregulation of caspase 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12 and upregulation for the transcripts of apoptosis inhibitors bcl-2, bcl-w and bcl-X and apoptosis promoters' bax, bak and bad was detected in spleens of sPCV and mPCV mice, but not control mice. Apoptosis was further confirmed by light and electron microscopic morphology as well as by positive TUNEL assay and detection of activated caspase 3. PCV2 nucleic acid was detected by in-situ hybridization in the nuclei and cytoplasm of such apoptotic cells. CONCLUSION: The data presented here support the hypothesis that PCV2 induces apoptosis mediated through the activation of caspases 8 and 3 in the spleens of infected mice

Effect of an Education Programme for South Asians with Asthma and Their Clinicians: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (OEDIPUS).

BACKGROUND: People with asthma from ethnic minority groups experience significant morbidity. Culturally-specific interventions to reduce asthma morbidity are rare. We tested the hypothesis that a culturally-specific education programme, adapted from promising theory-based interventions developed in the USA, would reduce unscheduled care for South Asians with asthma in the UK. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial, set in two east London boroughs. 105 of 107 eligible general practices were randomised to usual care or the education programme. Participants were south Asians with asthma aged 3 years and older with recent unscheduled care. The programme had two components: the Physician Asthma Care Education (PACE) programme and the Chronic Disease Self Management Programme (CDSMP), targeted at clinicians and patients with asthma respectively. Both were culturally adapted for south Asians with asthma. Specialist nurses, and primary care teams from intervention practices were trained using the PACE programme. South Asian participants attended an outpatient appointment; those registered with intervention practices received self-management training from PACE-trained specialist nurses, a follow-up appointment with PACE-trained primary care practices, and an invitation to attend the CDSMP. Patients from control practices received usual care. Primary outcome was unscheduled care. FINDINGS: 375 south Asians with asthma from 84 general practices took part, 183 registered with intervention practices and 192 with control practices. Primary outcome data were available for 358/375 (95.5%) of participants. The intervention had no effect on time to first unscheduled attendance for asthma (Adjusted Hazard Ratio AHR = 1.19 95% CI 0.92 to 1.53). Time to first review in primary care was reduced (AHR = 2.22, (1.67 to 2.95). Asthma-related quality of life and self-efficacy were improved at 3 months (adjusted mean difference -2.56, (-3.89 to -1.24); 0.44, (0.05 to 0.82) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A multi-component education programme adapted for south Asians with asthma did not reduce unscheduled care but did improve follow-up in primary care, self-efficacy and quality of life. More effective interventions are needed for south Asians with asthma

The Effect of Bovine Leukosis Virus Infection on the Proportion Among Bovine Leukocyte Populations in the Hemogram of Cows

The effects of Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV) infection on the proportion among bovine leukocyte populations in blood (WBC) was investigated using differential staining and a CBC profile. Previous research has indicated that total WBC count and total lymphocyte are impacted by BLV infection. However, few studies have included neutrophils, basophils, and monocytes. Eighty Angus cows (51 positive and 29 negative) were bled by jugular venipuncture into 7 ml EDTA treated vaccutainer tubes on October 2, 2007. Cows had previously tested positive for the presence of BLV and were retested by ELISA on the day blood samples were taken. The analysis of variance was generated using PROC GLM (SAS Inst., Inc. Cary, NC), the model included presence or absence of BLV infection and sex. Least-squares means were calculated and separated using pair-wise ttests (PDIFF option). There was no impact of sex on any of the parameters used in this study and thus the bulls were eliminated from the data set. Total white blood cell count and total eosinophils were greater (P \u3c 0.09 and 0.005) in the cows that tested positive for BLV. Proportions of lymphocytes were greater (P = 0.11) for uninfected cows compared to infected cows. However, there were no differences in total counts or proportions of neutrophils, basophils, or monocytes and there was no difference detected for the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio. This study supported previous research in its findings that BLV infection has an impact on total white blood cell counts and lymphocytes

Finding Them before They Find Us: Informatics, Parasites, and Environments in Accelerating Climate Change

Parasites are agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops, and wildlife and are powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing a nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, we gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 to formulate a cooperative and broad platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology, and epidemiology of parasites across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. A general protocol, documentation–assessment–monitoring–action (DAMA), suggests an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond to the outcomes of accelerating environmental change. We seek to catalyze discussion and mobilize action within the parasitological community and, more widely, among zoologists and disease ecologists at a time of expanding environmental perturbation