Bovine Mastitis: Causes and Phytoremedies

Mastitis is a highly frequent chronic ailment with inflammation in the udder of the milking cows. The causative agents are mostly microbes. It is economically prominent contamination of lactating cows resulting in reduced milk production. The disease is diagnosed by chemical, physical and nutritional changes in the milk and pathological changes in the milk glands. Prevention measures for the disease can be taken by proper and timely sanitation of the cowshed through and time again disinfection of the teat, mechanized milking process, etc. The application of bactericidal drugs generates resistant varieties of microbes that cross the allopathic boundary. In this regard, an attempt is taken to focus the plant-based pharmacopoeia. Medicinal plants are traditionally used to cure various diseases as they are comparatively accessible to administer orally in different forms and can be along with fodder. Keeping the above facts in view, the present review deals with different types of mastitis, causative pathogens, detection and diagnosis, and effective plant-based treatment process available to date

Fibroblastic rheumatism

Fibroblastic rheumatism (FR) is a rare dermoarthopathy reported from different parts of the world since 1980. Although the exact cause is unknown, few reports implicate infection may be a triggering event. Patients usually present with multiple skin nodules and polyarthropathy with progressive skin contractures. Laboratory parameters including acute phase reactants are usually normal. The confirmatory diagnosis is based on histopathologic study of skin nodules, which demonstrate fibroblastic proliferation, thickened collagen fibers, dermal fibrosis, and decreased number of elastic fibers. Immunoreactivity for b-catenin, smooth muscle actin, and the monoclonal antibody HHF35 show myofibroblastic differentiation. Treatments with oral prednisolone and other disease-modifying drugs such as methotrexate, infliximab, and interferon have been tried with variable success. In general, skin lesions respond more aptly than joint symptoms indicating that skin fibroblast is more amenable to treatment than synovial fibroblasts. Awareness regarding this orphan disease among clinicians and pathologists will help in more reporting of such cases and finding out optimal treatment regimen

Depression in systemic sclerosis: Review of the neuro-immunologic link and pharmacological management

Depression is a common neuropsychiatric condition associated with systemic sclerosis. The association of depression and systemic sclerosis is the result of multiple mechanisms such as autoimmune, significant morbidity due to multi-system involvement, distorted self-image due to disfigurement, chronic disability, and iatrogenic. The prevalence of depression in systemic sclerosis is as high as 65% as found in several clinical studies. Early diagnosis and appropriate intervention of depression in systemic sclerosis through integrated multidisciplinary team approach is more likely to improve the global outcome of illness. Hence, multidisciplinary management approach is highly recommended for the management of depression in systemic sclerosis

Serum Interleukin-6, Interleukin-17A, and transforming growth factor beta are raised in systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease

Background: Dysregulation in cytokines like interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF β1) has been pathogenically implicated in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The present study aimed to assess their serum levels in patients with SSc and correlate with clinical manifestations. Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study included 93 patients fulfilling the 2013 revised ACR/EULAR SSc classification criteria and 33 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. Antinuclear antibody (ANA), extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) profile, chest radiograph, pulmonary function tests and electrocardiography were done. HRCT of thorax and echocardiography were done wherever indicated. Modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS) was calculated. Serum IL-6, IL-17A and TGF β1 levels were assayed using ELISA kit and compared among disease subtypes and clinical parameters. Spearman coefficient was used to test correlation between continuous variables. P value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of patients was 37.8+10.3 years (Female:Male: 30:1) with median duration of disease of 3 years. Serum IL-6, IL-17A and TGF β1 levels were significantly higher in patients as compared to controls (IL-6: 19.4±11 vs 6.7±3.9 pg/ml (P < 0.0001); IL-17A: 39.1±14.8 vs 16.4±2.1 pg/ml (P < 0.0001); TGF β1: 862.2±443 vs 377.2±208.8 pg/ml (P < 0.0001). Higher levels of these cytokines were also observed in patients of diffuse cutaneous SSc, those with lung fibrosis and anti-topoisomerase positivity. Conclusion: Serum IL-6, IL-17A and TGF β1 levels were significantly higher in SSc patients and higher levels were associated with ILD and skin fibrosis

Lepra Reaction with Lucio Phenomenon Mimicking Cutaneous Vasculitis

Leprosy is a disease typically found in the tropics. Patients with leprosy can have varying presentation with constitutional symptoms, joint pains, skin nodules, and rarely a vasculitis-like picture with skin ulcers and neuropathy. We present a young lady who presented with the rare manifestation of skin infarcts mimicking cutaneous vasculitis, diagnosed on histopathology to have Lucio phenomenon on a background of lepromatous leprosy. With increasing migration and widespread use of biologic response modifiers, clinicians all over the world need to be aware of various presentations of leprosy as well as needing to keep an open mind while considering the differential diagnoses of vasculitis

Domain architectures of zNOD1 (A) and zNOD2 (B).

<p>The NACHT domain is characterized by five different functional motifs. Multiple sequence alignment of zebrafish, human and mouse NACHT domains is constructed using MAFFT and the conserved functional motifs are highlighted. The highlighted residues represent the potential ATP binding sites and the conserved residues are shown as ‘*’. The ATP-binding residues conserved in all three species are labeled.</p

ATP binding poses in zNOD-NACHT domains in simulated models zNOD1-NACHT-ATP complex (A), zNOD2-NACHT-ATP complex (B) and mNLRC4-NACHT-ATP complex (C).

<p>The protein is shown as cartoon; interacting amino acids are shown as lines and ATP as stick.9D) Multiple sequence alignment of NACHT domains of NOD1 and NOD2 (from human, mouse and zebrafish)with mouse NLRC4 sequences. The key functional motifs are underlined and labeled. The potential ATP binding residues are pointed by different colored triangles.</p

Molecular interaction of ATP with zNOD1 (A), zNOD2 (B) and mNLRC4-NACHT after molecular dynamics simulation.

<p>The critical amino acids involved in ATP binding are highlighted in bold font.</p

Conformational stability of NACHT-ATP complex throughout 50 ns time period.

<p>(A) Backbone-RMSD of zNOD1-NACHT, (B) Backbone-RMSD of zNOD2-NACHT, (C) Backbone-RMSD of mNLRC4-NACHT, (D) RMSD of ATP atoms in zNOD1-NACHT complex, (E) RMSD of ATP atoms in zNOD2-NACHT complex, (F) RMSD of ATP atoms in mNLRC4-NACHT complex (G) Radius of gyration (Rg) of zNOD1-NACHT, (H) Radius of gyration (Rg) of zNOD2-NACHT,and (F) Rg of mNLRC4-NACHT. All graphs are generated using Grace 5.1.23 plotting program.</p