Detection of porcine circovirus type 1 in commercial porcine vaccines by loop-mediated isothermal amplification

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method with a real-time monitoring system was developed for the detection of porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV1) in commercial swine vaccines. This method was highly specific for PCV1. No cross-reaction to porcine circovirus type 2, porcine parvovirus, pseudorabies virus, classical swine fever virus, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus was observed. The analytical sensitivity of the LAMP for PCV1 DNA was 10 copies/μl in the case of positive recombinant plasmid comparable to that obtained from the nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR). Furthermore, 25 commercial swine vaccines were tested by both the LAMP and the nested PCR, and three of them were tested positive for PCV1 DNA. These results indicate that PCV1 DNA can be real-time detected by the LAMP; the method was highly specific, sensitive, and rapid for the detection of PCV1 DNA, particularly in commercial swine vaccines

Targeted antiangiogenic agents in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy in preclinical and clinical studies in sarcoma

Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal malignancies. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that inhibition of angiogenic pathways or disruption of established vasculature can attenuate the growth of sarcomas. However, when used as monotherapy in the clinical setting, these targeted antiangiogenic agents have only provided modest survival benefits in some sarcoma subtypes, and have not been efficacious in others. Preclinical and early clinical data suggest that the addition of conventional chemotherapy to antiangiogenic agents may lead to more effective therapies for patients with these tumors. In the current review, the authors summarize the available evidence and possible mechanisms supporting this approach

Analytical approximation for tidal dynamics in coastal aquifers

Recently, considerable effort has been devoted to the studies of water-table fluctuations in coastal aquifers. However, most previous investigations have been based on one-dimensional models that describe the processes in the cross-shore direction alone, assuming negligible along shore variability. A recent study proposed a two-dimensional approximation for tide-induced water table fluctuations that took into account coastline variations. In this study, we further develop this approximation in two ways, by extending the approximation to second-order and by taking into account capillary effects. Our results demonstrate that both effects can markedly influence water table fluctuations. In particular, with the first-order approximation, the tide-induced water table fluctuations could be subject to sizable errors

Two-dimensional approximation for tidal dynamics in coastal aquifers: Capillarity correction

Most previous investigations on tide-induced watertable fluctuations in coastal aquifers have been based on one-dimensional models that describe the processes in the cross-shore direction alone, assuming negligible along-shore variability. A recent study proposed a two-dimensional approximation for tide-induced watertable fluctuations that took into account coastline variations. Here, we further develop this approximation in two ways, by extending the approximation to second order and by taking into account capillary effects. Our results demonstrate that both effects can markedly influence watertable fluctuations. In particular, with the first-order approximation, the local damping rate of the tidal signal could be subject to sizable errors

The magnetic order in multiferroic DyMnO3

With flexibility in tuning their electric and magnetic properties, multiferroics can be used in information exchange and storage in ways that are very different from the present electronic materials. Here we use resonant soft X-ray scattering spectroscopy to study the F-type (0,τ,0) and C-type (0, 1–2τ, 0) diffraction peaks from sinusoidal antiferromagnetic spin order in multiferroic DyMnO3. By comparing the temperature dependence of ordering wave vectors τ, peak intensities I, and correlation lengths λ measured at Mn L2-, O K-, and Dy M5-edges, we show that the nearly perfect locking between the ordering wave vectors from Dy 4f states and Mn 3d orbitals manifesting the second harmonic diffraction peak implies the notable orbital involvement in the coupling between Mn and Dy spins. Our DFT calculations further suggest that the lattice response to different antiferromagnetic ground states (A-type versus E-type) is much weaker in TbMnO3, in agreement with previous claim that the symmetric exchange interaction can be an important factor for understanding the ferroelectricity in DyMnO3 than in TbMnO3

Prominent role of oxygen in the multiferroicity of DyMnO3 and TbMnO3: A resonant soft x-ray scattering spectroscopy study

Oxygen is known to play an important role in the multiferroicity of rare earth manganites; however, how this role changes with rare earth elements is still not fully understood. To address this question, we have used resonant soft x-ray scattering spectroscopy to study the F-type (0,τ,0) diffraction peak from the antiferromagnetic order in DyMnO3 and TbMnO3. We focus on the measurements at O K edge of these two manganites, supplemented by the results at Mn L2 and Dy M5 edge of DyMnO3. We show that the electronic states of different elements are coupled more strongly in DyMnO3 than in TbMnO3, presumably due to the stronger lattice distortion and the tendency to develop E-type antiferromagnetism in the ferroelectric state that promote the orbital hybridization. We also show that the anomaly in the correlation length of (0,τ,0) peak in DyMnO3 signifies the exchange interaction between Mn and rare earth spins. Our findings reveal the prominent role of oxygen orbitals in the multiferroicity of rare earth manganites and the distinct energetics between them

In silico prediction of drug therapy in catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Key pointsThe mechanism of therapeutic efficacy of flecainide for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is unclear. Model predictions suggest that Na(+) channel effects are insufficient to explain flecainide efficacy in CPVT. This study represents a first step toward predicting therapeutic mechanisms of drug efficacy in the setting of CPVT and then using these mechanisms to guide modelling and simulation to predict alternative drug therapies. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is an inherited arrhythmia syndrome characterized by fatal ventricular arrhythmias in structurally normal hearts during β-adrenergic stimulation. Current treatment strategies include β-blockade, flecainide and ICD implementation--none of which is fully effective and each comes with associated risk. Recently, flecainide has gained considerable interest in CPVT treatment, but its mechanism of action for therapeutic efficacy is unclear. In this study, we performed in silico mutagenesis to construct a CPVT model and then used a computational modelling and simulation approach to make predictions of drug mechanisms and efficacy in the setting of CPVT. Experiments were carried out to validate model results. Our simulations revealed that Na(+) channel effects are insufficient to explain flecainide efficacy in CPVT. The pure Na(+) channel blocker lidocaine and the antianginal ranolazine were additionally tested and also found to be ineffective. When we tested lower dose combination therapy with flecainide, β-blockade and CaMKII inhibition, our model predicted superior therapeutic efficacy than with flecainide monotherapy. Simulations indicate a polytherapeutic approach may mitigate side-effects and proarrhythmic potential plaguing CPVT pharmacological management today. Importantly, our prediction of a novel polytherapy for CPVT was confirmed experimentally. Our simulations suggest that flecainide therapeutic efficacy in CPVT is unlikely to derive from primary interactions with the Na(+) channel, and benefit may be gained from an alternative multi-drug regimen