MILK PRODUCTION IN COMMERCIAL CATTLE DAIRY FARMS IN KOSOVA

A study research was carried out in comercial dairy farms in Kosovo with the aim to contribute to the understanding of the situation of milk production and factors affecting milk productivity. Seventeen dairy cattle farms were selected for the study. The fresh milk samples were collected and record analyses were done according to the International Committee for Animal Recording using the A4 standard method, and were carried out from August 2007 till September 2008. Meanwhile, 4694 milk samples from 461 individual cows were collected. Depending on the cow breed, daily milk yield was very different (P < 0.0001) ranging from 18.92 0.22 to 12.34 0.53. Effect of the farm and lactation number was also very significant (P < 0.0001), showing that there are huge managment variation from farm to farm (for about 14.87 kg/day) and during different lactations (16.910.26 to 18.430.24 kg/day). According to this study, although in generaly milk yield was very much constant, in some months of year cows in Kosovo tend to produce more milk. Huge differences (about 29.06%) were noticed also within the same breed comparing the current production in Kosovo and from cow breed origine in Austria. It was concluded that low milk yield was achieved for all breeds compared to their genetic potential. Furthermore, according to current dairy farm management condition in Kosovo, more favorable breeds tend to be dual purpose breeds compare to more milk specialized ones

Dectin-1/CARD9 induction of the TFEB and TFE3 gene network is dispensable for phagocyte anti-Aspergillus activity in the lung

: Myeloid phagocytes of the respiratory immune system, such as neutrophils, monocytes, and alveolar macrophages, are essential for immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus, the most common etiologic agent of mold pneumonia worldwide. Following the engulfment of A. fumigatus conidia, fusion of the phagosome with the lysosome is a critical process for killing conidia. TFEB and TFE3 are transcription factors that regulate lysosomal biogenesis under stress and are activated by inflammatory stimuli in macrophages, but it is unknown whether TFEB and TFE3 contribute to anti-Aspergillus immunity during infection. We found that lung neutrophils express TFEB and TFE3, and their target genes were upregulated during A. fumigatus lung infection. In addition, A. fumigatus infection induced nuclear accumulation of TFEB and TFE3 in macrophages in a process regulated by Dectin-1 and CARD9. Genetic deletion of Tfeb and Tfe3 impaired macrophage killing of A. fumigatus conidia. However, in a murine immune-competent Aspergillus infection model with genetic deficiency of Tfeb and Tfe3 in hematopoietic cells, we surprisingly found that lung myeloid phagocytes had no defects in conidial phagocytosis or killing. Loss of TFEB and TFE3 did not impact murine survival or clearance of A. fumigatus from the lungs. Our findings indicate that myeloid phagocytes activate TFEB and TFE3 in response to A. fumigatus, and while this pathway promotes macrophage fungicidal activity in vitro, genetic loss can be functionally compensated in the lung, resulting in no measurable defect in fungal control and host survival

Promoting high standards of care for women living with HIV: position statement from the Women Against Viruses in Europe Working Group

Objectives: Gender-related factors can influence management decisions, treatment outcomes and the overall long-term wellbeing of people living with HIV (PLWH). The Women Against Viruses in Europe (WAVE) Working Group was established to promote the health and wellbeing of women living with HIV (WLWH). WAVE is part of the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) and organizes annual workshops to discuss different issues in the management of WLWH. Methods: In 2016, 34 WAVE members including community representatives, HIV clinicians and researchers met to discuss standards of care for WLWH and to review current guidelines. Participants focused on three different themes: (1) access to and engagement and retention in care; (2) monitoring of women on antiretroviral therapy and management of comorbidities; and (3) review of EACS treatment guidelines. Results: Five priority areas for optimizing the care of WLWH were identified: (1) psychosocial aspects of HIV diagnosis and care; (2) mental health and wellbeing; (3) pharmacokinetics, toxicity and tolerability of antiretroviral therapy; (4) coinfections and comorbidities; and (5) sexual and reproductive health. WAVE recommendations are provided for each of these areas, and gaps in knowledge and needs for changes in currently existing standards are discussed. Conclusions: This position statement provides an overview of the key recommendations to optimize the care of WLWH that emerged during the 2016 WAVE workshop