147 research outputs found

    Length of efficacy and effect of implant location in adult tom cats treated with a 9.4 mg deslorelin subcutaneous implant

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    Objectives The objective of this study was to assess duration of efficacy, side effects and return to fertility following use of the 9.4 mg deslorelin implant (Suprelorin 12; Virbac) in cats, and test whether efficacy and duration of action are influenced by implantation site (interscapular vs periumbilical). Methods Sixteen healthy adult tom cats were checked with (1) reproductive examination, (2) gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test and (3) semen collection until achievement of sterility, then with (1) and (2) only at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months, and every 6 months thereafter until treatment effect disappeared. Results Serum testosterone reached basal levels by 7 days post-treatment. Semen quality improved initially then started to worsen by 1 month post-treatment and after 70 days post-treatment all cats were sterile. Early in the third month post-treatment there was a significant decrease in testicular volume and penile spikes. Testicular histology was normal upon neutering performed after resumption of fertility. No injection site lesions or treatment-related side effects were observed. There was no difference between periumbilical and interscapular placement for all criteria, but there was a trend for the decrease in testicular volume to last longer and for the regression of penile spikes to start sooner after interscapular administration. One of 16 cats did not respond to treatment. Six cats were lost at variable times during the study while fully responding to treatment. In the cats that completed the study, normal fertility was regained after 805 days, on average, but with a variable duration of effect from 750-850 days. Conclusions and relevance Treatment with a 9.4 mg deslorelin implant in male cats was effective for a period of 750-850 days, 1.5-2 times longer than the effect of the 4.7 mg deslorelin implant. Fertility (based on serum testosterone production and presence of penile spikes) was regained at the end of the study. Placing implants in the intrascapular vs periumbilical location did not affect duration of suppression of testosterone production. The interscapular location may be characterised by a better efficacy, although further studies are needed to clarify this issue

    NRAS Mutation Is the Sole Recurrent Somatic Mutation in Large Congenital Melanocytic Nevi

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    Congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) is a particular melanocytic in utero proliferation characterized by an increased risk of melanoma transformation during infancy or adulthood. NRAS and BRAF mutations have consistently been reported in CMN samples, but until recently results have been contradictory. We therefore studied a series of large and giant CMNs and compared them with small and medium CMNs using Sanger sequencing, pyrosequencing, high-resolution melting analysis, and mutation enrichment by an enhanced version of ice-COLD-PCR. Large–giant CMNs displayed NRAS mutations in 94.7% of cases (18/19). At that point, the role of additional mutations in CMN pathogenesis had to be investigated. We therefore performed exome sequencing on five specimens of large–giant nevi. The results showed that NRAS mutation was the sole recurrent somatic event found in such melanocytic proliferations. The genetic profile of small–medium CMNs was significantly different, with 70% of cases bearing NRAS mutations and 30% showing BRAF mutations. These findings strongly suggest that NRAS mutations are sufficient to drive melanocytic benign proliferations in utero

    Clone-Dependent Expression of Esca Disease Revealed by Leaf Metabolite Analysis

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    Grapevine trutk diseases, especially Esca, are of major concern since they gradually alter vineyards worldwide and cause heavy economic losses. The expression of Esca disease symptoms depends on several factors, including the grapevine cultivar. In this context, a possible clone-dependent expression of the Esca disease was studied. Two clones of ‘Chardonnay’ grown in the same plot were compared according to their developmental and physiological traits, metabolome, and foliar symptom expression. Analysis of their leaf metabolome highlighted differences related to symptom expression. Interestingly, the content of a few specific metabolites exhibited opposite variations in leaves of symptomatic shoots of clones 76 and 95. Altogether this study showed a clone-dependent expression of Esca disease in ‘Chardonnay’ and the relevance of GC-MS and 3D fluorescence methods to analyze the impact of the disease on the leaf metabolome

    Spleen-Resident CD4+ and CD4− CD8α− Dendritic Cell Subsets Differ in Their Ability to Prime Invariant Natural Killer T Lymphocytes

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    One important function of conventional dendritic cells (cDC) is their high capacity to capture, process and present Ag to T lymphocytes. Mouse splenic cDC subtypes, including CD8α+ and CD8α− cDC, are not identical in their Ag presenting and T cell priming functions. Surprisingly, few studies have reported functional differences between CD4− and CD4+ CD8α− cDC subsets. We show that, when loaded in vitro with OVA peptide or whole protein, and in steady-state conditions, splenic CD4− and CD4+ cDC are equivalent in their capacity to prime and direct CD4+ and CD8+ T cell differentiation. In contrast, in response to α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), CD4− and CD4+ cDC differentially activate invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells, a population of lipid-reactive non-conventional T lymphocytes. Both cDC subsets equally take up α-GalCer in vitro and in vivo to stimulate the iNKT hybridoma DN32.D3, the activation of which depends solely on TCR triggering. On the other hand, and relative to their CD4+ counterparts, CD4− cDC more efficiently stimulate primary iNKT cells, a phenomenon likely due to differential production of co-factors (including IL-12) by cDC. Our data reveal a novel functional difference between splenic CD4+ and CD4− cDC subsets that may be important in immune responses

    Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

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    RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

    The way forward

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    11 páginas, 1 figuraPeer reviewe

    Alimentation de la tortue verte (Chelonia mydas) et de la tortue imbriquée (Eretmochelys imbricata) en captivité

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    Les tortues vertes (Chelonia mydas) et imbriquées (Eretmochelys imbricata) sont des tortues marines, espèces animales en danger d extinction inscrites sur la liste I de la Convention de Washington. Certaines d entres elles sont maintenues en captivité pour des soins, des programmes scientifiques et éducatifs sur Kélonia, l Observatoire des Tortues Marines de la Réunion. Cependant, peu de données sont disponibles afin de leur offrir une alimentation adaptée à leurs besoins. Le travail entrepris propose, en associant les données disponibles sur l alimentation des tortues en milieu sauvage, l étude du comportement trophique des tortues vertes adultes présentes sur Kélonia et l analyse de divers aliments, d établir des bases pour le rationnement des tortues vertes et imbriquées en captivité. Ainsi, il a été établi que les tortues vertes, adultes, à l entretien, hébergées en captivité sur Kélonia, s alimentent quotidiennement, en moyenne trois fois par jour, de préférence à 9 h et à 15 h. D une masse corporelle moyenne de 146,1 +- 7,2 Kg, elles ont un état corporel semblable à celui des tortues sauvages de l île de l Ascension. Leur besoin énergétique quotidien est évalué à 364 KcalEM. Le volume quotidien moyen de leur bol alimentaire, avec une ration constituée de granulés et de feuilles de Tournefortia argentea, représente 0,34 +- 0,01 % du PV des tortues, soit 118,7 +- 2,4 g de MS. L alimentation des tortues vertes adultes en captivité, à l entretien ou en reproduction, pourrait être réalisée en utilisant des végétaux, Tournefortia argentea et Ulva lactuca, et une complémentation vitaminique mensuelle. Pour les tortues vertes juvéniles et les tortues imbriquées, la fabrication de granulés extrudés artisanaux ou à défaut industriels composés d aliments d origines animale et végétale peut être envisagée.MAISONS-ALFORT-Ecole Vétérin (940462302) / SudocSudocFranceF
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