Immunohistochemical detection of aetiological agents of proliferative and necrotizing pneumonia in Italian pigs

Proliferative and necrotizing pneumonia (PNP) is a form of interstitial pneumonia that occurs in weaning and post-weaning pigs. PNP is characterized by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes and coagulative necrosis and granular debris within alveolar spaces. Canadian and European studies suggest that the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) are the main causes of the disease, but Aujezsky's disease virus (ADV) and swine influenza virus (SIV) have also been considered as potential aetiological agents. An immunohistochemical study was carried out on the lungs of 28 Italian pigs with PNP in order to evaluate the role of PRRSV, PCV2 and ADV in PNP lesions. PRRSV infection was identified in the lungs of 11 pigs, PCV2 in the lungs of four pigs and coinfection with both viruses in the lungs of eight pigs. Neither virus was detected in the lungs of the remaining five pigs. ADV antigen was not detected in any sample. The principle aetiological agent of PNP in Italy therefore appears to be PRRSV. Coinfection with PRRSV and PCV2 is characterized by more severe microscopical changes in affected lungs

Anticipating control over aversive stimuli is mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex : an fMRI study with healthy adults

The anticipation of control over aversive events in life is relevant for our mental health. Insights on the underlying neural mechanisms remain limited. We developed a new functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task that uses auditory stimuli to explore the neural correlates of (1) the anticipation of control over aversion and (2) the processing of aversion. In a sample of 25 healthy adults, we observed increased neural activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (ventromedial prefrontal cortex and rostral anterior cingulate cortex), other brain areas relevant for reward anticipation (ventral striatum, brainstem [ventral tegmental area], midcingulate cortex), and the posterior cingulate cortex when they anticipated control over aversion compared with anticipating no control (1). The processing of aversive sounds compared to neutral sounds (2) was associated with increased neural activation in the bilateral posterior insula. Our findings provide evidence for the important role of medial prefrontal regions in control anticipation and highlight the relevance of conceiving the neural mechanisms involved within a reward-based framework

Pseudo-miasi causata da Ophyra aenescens (diptera: muscidae) in suini da ingrasso.

Nel marzo 2007 abbiamo analizzato feci di suino provenienti da un allevamento di Imola (BO) contenenti larve di dittero, il fenomeno ha fatto sospettare che potesse trattarsi di una inusuale miasi. Il sopralluogo effettuato nell\u2019allevamento ha confermato l\u2019abbondante presenza di larve nell\u2019unica sala nella quale sia era manifestato il problema e la necroscopia su uno dei maiali ha evidenziato la presenza delle stesse larve anche nell\u2019apparato digerente dello stesso. Tutte le larve campionate sono state identificate in laboratorio confermando che si trattava della medesima specie, Ophyra aenescens.Il fenomeno osservato \ue8 quindi stato spiegato con l\u2019ingestioni delle larve presenti nell\u2019ambiente da parte dei maiali, che le emettevano quindi con le feci senza digerirle, originando una contesto simile a quello causato da una eventuale miasi (pseudo-miasi)