Evaluation of Mare’s Milk Composition and Quality during Lactation

Our objective was to evaluate changes in the composition and quality of mare’s milk throughout lactation. Milk samples were obtained from fifteen mares immediately after foaling, and then once weekly from the first week of lactation up until the second through eighth week depending on the foaling date of each mare. Samples averaging 3 mL for colostrum samples, 3 mL for weekly sampling thereafter, and 2 oz. for DHI milk composition analysis, were collected after each teat was disinfected with a cotton ball that was moistened with 70% ethanol. Each 3 mL sample was examined for microbial growth via the application of approximately 0.1 mL milk sample on ¼ of a blood agar culture plate which was then incubated for 24 to 48 hours before being analyzed. Each 2 oz. sample was analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, milk urea nitrogen, and somatic cell count. The concentrations of fat, protein, and somatic cell counts decreased as a whole throughout lactation, while lactose and milk urea nitrogen concentrations increased. The averages for fat, protein, lactose, milk urea nitrogen, and somatic cell count were 1.73%, 2.08%, 6.62%, 25.77mg/dl, and 79,000 cells/ml (39,000 cells/ml without 1 outlier sample), respectively for the collection period. No bacterial infections were found on the culture plates. A California Mastitis Test (CMT) was also conducted, of which no inflammatory results were found. All mares maintained good condition throughout lactation, and foals grew well. Overall, composition was similar to other studies with horses showing excellent mammary health and milk quality

Developing an IF panel to examine Cyclin and CDK interactions in a Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Patient Derived Xenograph.

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp22/1084/thumbnail.jp

Temperate fish community variation over seasons in relation to large-scale geographic seascape variables

In shallow-water marine environments, ecosystem functioning is a complex interworking of fine-scale characteristics and region-wide factors, and the importance of these variables can vary on multiple temporal and spatial scales. This underwater video study targeted seasonal changes in the fish community of seagrass habitats along the Swedish west coast and the influence of offshore seascape variables (latitudinal position, wave exposure, open ocean, and deep water). Results showed that fish assemblage structure exhibited seasonal changes between summer and autumn and strong spatiotemporal variations in the importance of offshore factors affecting shallow-water fish communities. In summer, abundance from the Gobiidae family responded to wave exposure, whereas the Gadidae family and juvenile migrant habitat preference guild responded to latitudinal position and proximity to deep water. In autumn, deep water was related to abundance of Gadidae and juvenile migrants, whereas latitudinal position influenced Gasterosteidae. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the influence of offshore factors on facets of coastal fish assemblages to address large-scale geographic connectivity along nearshore– offshore gradients

Report of the Topical Group on Dark Energy and Cosmic Acceleration: Complementarity of Probes and New Facilities for Snowmass 2021

The mechanism(s) driving the early- and late-time accelerated expansion of the Universe represent one of the most compelling mysteries in fundamental physics today. The path to understanding the causes of early- and late-time acceleration depends on fully leveraging ongoing surveys, developing and demonstrating new technologies, and constructing and operating new instruments. This report presents a multi-faceted vision for the cosmic survey program in the 2030s and beyond that derives from these considerations. Cosmic surveys address a wide range of fundamental physics questions, and are thus a unique and powerful component of the HEP experimental portfolio.Comment: Submitted to the Proceedings of the US Community Study on the Future of Particle Physics (Snowmass 2021); Topical Group Report for CF06 (Cosmic Frontier Topical Group on Dark Energy and Cosmic Acceleration: Complementarity of Probes and New Facilitie

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

DOG-VECTOR-PARASITE INTERACTIONS IN THE CHAGAS DISEASE SYSTEM: CARDIAC CLINIC STATUS OF NATURALLY-INFECTED DOGS ACROSS THE US

In the southern U.S., triatomine vectors maintain Trypanosoma cruzi- the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans and animals- in sylvatic cycles. Infection with T. cruzi may be asymptomatic or lead to heart disease and death. Using dogs as a model host system, our objectives were to improve the ecological and clinical understanding of Chagas disease in the U.S. We collected 461 triatomines from Big Bend National Park from 2015- 2017 and found an overall infection prevalence of 23.1%. Blood meal analysis on 42 triatomines showed DNA evidence of humans, domestic animals, wild birds and mammalian wildlife. In 2015-17, we sampled 1,660 working dogs from 43 states using three independent serology assays to detect a seroprevalence of 7.3% (CI: 6.1-8.6%). To better characterize the cardiac outcomes in T. cruzi-infected dogs we applied a 24-hour Holter monitor to 17 T. cruzi-infected, 18 uninfected dogs and 4 dogs with discordant serology results. The presence of ECG abnormalities varied by T. cruzi infection status (p<0.001) and positive dogs had higher serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a biomarker for cardiac injury, than both negative dogs (p=0.044) and discordant dogs (p=0.06). Finally, we performed a retrospective study looking at 375 dogs presented to a teaching hospital in Texas. T. cruzi-infected dogs (N=63, 16.8%) were significantly younger than negative dogs (N=312) (mean 5.9 vs. 7.4 yr old respectively; p=0.0069) with no difference in infections by sex or breed. Infected dogs were more likely to have ventricular arrhythmias (28.6%), combinations of ECG abnormalities, and cTnI greater than 0.129 ng/mL (ADVIA assay). Combining ecological and clinical approaches to enhance our understanding of Chagas disease should provide insight for vector control and measures to protect veterinary and public health

DOG-VECTOR-PARASITE INTERACTIONS IN THE CHAGAS DISEASE SYSTEM: CARDIAC CLINIC STATUS OF NATURALLY-INFECTED DOGS ACROSS THE US

In the southern U.S., triatomine vectors maintain Trypanosoma cruzi- the protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans and animals- in sylvatic cycles. Infection with T. cruzi may be asymptomatic or lead to heart disease and death. Using dogs as a model host system, our objectives were to improve the ecological and clinical understanding of Chagas disease in the U.S. We collected 461 triatomines from Big Bend National Park from 2015- 2017 and found an overall infection prevalence of 23.1%. Blood meal analysis on 42 triatomines showed DNA evidence of humans, domestic animals, wild birds and mammalian wildlife. In 2015-17, we sampled 1,660 working dogs from 43 states using three independent serology assays to detect a seroprevalence of 7.3% (CI: 6.1-8.6%). To better characterize the cardiac outcomes in T. cruzi-infected dogs we applied a 24-hour Holter monitor to 17 T. cruzi-infected, 18 uninfected dogs and 4 dogs with discordant serology results. The presence of ECG abnormalities varied by T. cruzi infection status (p<0.001) and positive dogs had higher serum concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a biomarker for cardiac injury, than both negative dogs (p=0.044) and discordant dogs (p=0.06). Finally, we performed a retrospective study looking at 375 dogs presented to a teaching hospital in Texas. T. cruzi-infected dogs (N=63, 16.8%) were significantly younger than negative dogs (N=312) (mean 5.9 vs. 7.4 yr old respectively; p=0.0069) with no difference in infections by sex or breed. Infected dogs were more likely to have ventricular arrhythmias (28.6%), combinations of ECG abnormalities, and cTnI greater than 0.129 ng/mL (ADVIA assay). Combining ecological and clinical approaches to enhance our understanding of Chagas disease should provide insight for vector control and measures to protect veterinary and public health

Volvulus of the ileal pouch-anal anastomosis: A meta-narrative systematic review of frequency, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes

Background: Proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the surgical procedure of choice for medically refractory ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. While rare, a pouch volvulus can occur. We aimed to determine the frequency, presentation, and management approach of pouch volvulus in patients with IPAA. Methods: A systematic search of published literature was performed by a medical reference librarian on 10 August 2018 and two independent reviewers identified relevant publications, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality based on a validated tool. A retrospective review of the Mayo Clinic electronic medical records identified one case of pouch volvulus between January 2008 and August 2018. Results: The frequency of pouch volvulus from one large published study reporting long-term outcomes of IPAA was 0.18% (3/1,700). A total of 22 patients (18 ulcerative colitis) were included (median age 32 years, 73% females). Median time to volvulus after IPAA was 36 months while median interval to volvulus diagnosis from symptom onset was 24 hours. Abdominal pain was the most commonly reported symptom (76%). The diagnosis was made primarily by abdominal computed tomography (13/17 patients, 76%). Endoscopic treatment was successful in 1 of 11 patients (9%). Surgery was performed in 20 patients and pouch-pexy and pouch excision were the most frequent surgical operations. A redo IPAA was performed in five patients (25%). Conclusion: Pouch volvulus is a rare but serious complication of IPAA and should be suspected even in the absence of obstruction symptoms. Endoscopic treatment often fails and surgery is effective when performed early

Widespread Trypanosoma cruzi infection in government working dogs along the Texas-Mexico border: Discordant serology, parasite genotyping and associated vectors.

Chagas disease, caused by the vector-borne protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is increasingly recognized in the southern U.S. Government-owned working dogs along the Texas-Mexico border could be at heightened risk due to prolonged exposure outdoors in habitats with high densities of vectors. We quantified working dog exposure to T. cruzi, characterized parasite strains, and analyzed associated triatomine vectors along the Texas-Mexico border.In 2015-2016, we sampled government working dogs in five management areas plus a training center in Texas and collected triatomine vectors from canine environments. Canine serum was tested for anti-T. cruzi antibodies with up to three serological tests including two immunochromatographic assays (Stat-Pak and Trypanosoma Detect) and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. The buffy coat fraction of blood and vector hindguts were tested for T. cruzi DNA and parasite discrete typing unit was determined. Overall seroprevalence was 7.4 and 18.9% (n = 528) in a conservative versus inclusive analysis, respectively, based on classifying weakly reactive samples as negative versus positive. Canines in two western management areas had 2.6-2.8 (95% CI: 1.0-6.8 p = 0.02-0.04) times greater odds of seropositivity compared to the training center. Parasite DNA was detected in three dogs (0.6%), including TcI and TcI/TcIV mix. Nine of 20 (45%) T. gerstaeckeri and T. rubida were infected with TcI and TcIV; insects analyzed for bloodmeals (n = 11) fed primarily on canine (54.5%).Government working dogs have widespread exposure to T. cruzi across the Texas-Mexico border. Interpretation of sample serostatus was challenged by discordant results across testing platforms and very faint serological bands. In the absence of gold standard methodologies, epidemiological studies will benefit from presenting a range of results based on different tests/interpretation criteria to encompass uncertainty. Working dogs are highly trained in security functions and potential loss of duty from the clinical outcomes of infection could affect the work force and have broad consequences

Evaluation of Mare’s Milk Composition and Quality during Lactation

Our objective was to evaluate changes in the composition and quality of mare’s milk throughout lactation. Milk samples were obtained from fifteen mares immediately after foaling, and then once weekly from the first week of lactation up until the second through eighth week depending on the foaling date of each mare. Samples averaging 3 mL for colostrum samples, 3 mL for weekly sampling thereafter, and 2 oz. for DHI milk composition analysis, were collected after each teat was disinfected with a cotton ball that was moistened with 70% ethanol. Each 3 mL sample was examined for microbial growth via the application of approximately 0.1 mL milk sample on ¼ of a blood agar culture plate which was then incubated for 24 to 48 hours before being analyzed. Each 2 oz. sample was analyzed for fat, protein, lactose, milk urea nitrogen, and somatic cell count. The concentrations of fat, protein, and somatic cell counts decreased as a whole throughout lactation, while lactose and milk urea nitrogen concentrations increased. The averages for fat, protein, lactose, milk urea nitrogen, and somatic cell count were 1.73%, 2.08%, 6.62%, 25.77mg/dl, and 79,000 cells/ml (39,000 cells/ml without 1 outlier sample), respectively for the collection period. No bacterial infections were found on the culture plates. A California Mastitis Test (CMT) was also conducted, of which no inflammatory results were found. All mares maintained good condition throughout lactation, and foals grew well. Overall, composition was similar to other studies with horses showing excellent mammary health and milk quality.</p