A novel bocavirus in canine liver

Background: Bocaviruses are classified as a genus within the Parvoviridae family of single-stranded DNA viruses and are pathogenic in some mammalian species. Two species have been previously reported in dogs, minute virus of canines (MVC), associated with neonatal diseases and fertility disorders; and Canine bocavirus (CBoV), associated with respiratory disease. Findings: In this study using deep sequencing of enriched viral particles from the liver of a dog with severe hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, necrotizing vasculitis, granulomatous lymphadenitis and anuric renal failure, we identified and characterized a novel bocavirus we named Canine bocavirus 3 (CnBoV3). The three major ORFs of CnBoV3 (NS1, NP1 and VP1) shared less than 60% aa identity with those of other bocaviruses qualifying it as a novel species based on ICTV criteria. Inverse PCR showed the presence of concatemerized or circular forms of the genome in liver. Conclusions: We genetically characterized a bocavirus in a dog liver that is highly distinct from prior canine bocaviruses found in respiratory and fecal samples. Its role in this animal’s complex disease remains to be determined. Keywords: Canine bocavirus 3; Episome; Coinfectio

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Formal consensus method to evaluate the conformity of prescription of a recently approved chemotherapy treatment in an observatory study.

Cabazitaxel is a second line chemotherapy drug recently approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. A first panel of French experts and a second independent panel of European experts were convened to assess the conformity of prescription of cabazitaxel with a Delphi consensus method. A two-round modified Delphi consensus process was conducted. This methodology is based on experts' opinion obtained in a systematic manner. The process was divided into five steps: (i) elaboration of the questionnaire, (ii) rating, (iii) analysis, (iv) discussion of the points with absence of consensus following rating of the questionnaire, and (v) final reporting. Consensus was defined according to RAND method and all analyses were conducted according to the same methodology. At the end of the two rounds of rating and a synthesis meeting, of the 26 items included in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC), 11 items were judged appropriate with strong consensus by the two independent panels of experts. These items can therefore be considered of prime importance to evaluate conformity of cabazitaxel prescription in the context of observatory studies as well as in further clinical trials using this new taxane. Our findings further provide important evidence about the value of the Delphi consensus and highlight a requirement for "conformity" standards to assist practitioners in a safe chemotherapy drug prescription

Patient eligibility criteria for a surgical treatment that enhances tissue sealing by use of a medicated sponge: observational study ELITE

RATIONALE: The application of a haemostatic agent in general surgery, in addition to its effect on bleeding, also provides tissue sealing and adhesion. A sponge drug is used with some actions of resection and wide dissection, without knowledge of the eligibility of patients. In this study, we sought to identify clusters of patients for which the medicated sponge enhances tissue sealing. METHODS: Observational study (ELITE), from a panel of selected surgeons from hospitals in France in several surgical areas: abdominal, gynaecology, urology and thoracic. The survey identified the criteria for using the sponge TachoSil® in their surgical practices involving n = 683 patients. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) followed by an ascending hierarchical classification (AHC) was used in order to identify the eligibility criteria for the application of the sponge for tissue sealing in addition to hemostasis. RESULTS: The most relevant classification was based on 9 groups of patients for which the sponge was used. 6 of them are mainly linked with the kind of lesion, 2 with the site of application and the latest one with the type of operation. CONCLUSIONS: The ELITE study revealed that the TachoSil® sponge was used mainly during surgery, requiring a reinforcement of the resection tissue sealing. The expected objective was successfully reached in 97% of the cases. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-2-613) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

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Chapparvovirus DNA Found in 4% of Dogs with Diarrhea

Feces from dogs in an unexplained outbreak of diarrhea were analyzed by viral metagenomics revealing the genome of a novel parvovirus. The parvovirus was named cachavirus and was classified within the proposed Chapparvovirus genus. Using PCR, cachavirus DNA was detected in two of nine tested dogs from that outbreak. In order to begin to elucidate the clinical impact of this virus, 2,053 canine fecal samples were screened using real-time PCR. Stool samples from 203 healthy dogs were positive for cachavirus DNA at a rate of 1.47%, while 802 diarrhea samples collected in 2017 and 964 samples collected in 2018 were positive at rates of 4.0% and 4.66% frequencies, respectively (healthy versus 2017-2018 combined diarrhea p-value of 0.05). None of 83 bloody diarrhea samples tested positive. Viral loads were generally low with average real-time PCR Ct values of 36 in all three positive groups. The species tropism and pathogenicity of cachavirus, the first chapparvovirus reported in feces of a placental carnivore, remains to be fully determined

Genome Sequence of Canine Polyomavirus in Respiratory Secretions of Dogs with Pneumonia of Unknown Etiology

We report here the first canine polyomavirus genome, identified by metagenomics in respiratory secretions of two dogs with severe pneumonia, which tested negative for all canine respiratory pathogens except Mycoplasma cynos The isolate, Canis familiaris polyomavirus 1 (DogPyV-1), is a beta polyomavirus whose closest known LT antigen relatives are primate polyomaviruses