Pancreatic cystosis in cystic fibrosis. Sometimes a bike ride can help you decide

Pancreatic cystosis (PC) is an uncommon manifestation of pancreas involvement in cystic fibrosis (CF), characterized by the presence of multiple macrocysts partially or completely replacing pancreas. Only few reports are available from literature and management (surgery vs follow up) is commonly based on the presence of symptoms or complications due to local mass effect, although evidence-based recommendations are still not available. We here report the case of a young adult CF patient with PC, in which cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provided important information to be integrated to the radiological finding of inferior vena cava compression by the multicystic pancreas complex. Through the analysis of oxygen kinetic cardiodynamic phase pattern, CPET may be helpful to safely exclude significant mass effects on blood venous return and to improve the decision-making process on whether to consider surgery or not in patients with PC

Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on rabbit performance, meat quality and oxidative stability of muscles

[EN] The aim of this study was to cast light on the effects of EconomasE™ (EcoE), a patented pre-mixture of nutritional additives consisting mainly of organic selenium (0.15 or 0.30 mg/kg feed; Se) combined with vitamin C (5 and 10 mg/kg feed; VC), compared to DL-α-tocopherol acetate (100 or 200 mg/kg feed; VE) dietary supplementation on rabbit performance and meat quality. In fact, the role of Se supplementation in the rabbit diet has not yet been elucidated in the literature and, more specifically, there are no studies on the possible synergistic action between organic Se compared with VE on lipids, fatty acids (FA) and the oxidative stability of two glycolytic muscles, longissimus lumborum (LL) and biceps femoris (BF). Two hundred and seventy New Zealand White rabbits were divided into five dietary groups of 54 rabbits each: 1) control (basal diet = BD; CTRL); 2) VE100 (BD + VE100 mg/kg); 3) VE200 (BD + VE200 mg/kg); 4) EcoE100 (BD + EcoE100 mg/kg); and 5) EcoE200 (BD + EcoE200 mg/kg). Neither of the antioxidant treatments affected growth performance, carcass traits or meat characteristics. Lipid and fatty acid contents were similar in LL and BF and not influenced by the dietary treatment. Meat oxidative stability was strongly improved by both antioxidants. These findings indicate that both EcoE and VE greatly improved the oxidative stability of LL and BF muscles at the dosage rates which, from an economic point of view, would normally be included in the formulation of feeds for rabbits.This study is part of a multidisciplinary research project funded by the Department of Veterinary Medical Science (University of Bologna, Italy). The authors thank Martini Group Spa (Budrio di Longiano, FC, Italy) who provided animals and feeds, and Alltech (Casalecchio di Reno, BO, Italy) who supplied the EcoE.Minardi, P.; Mordenti, A.; Badiani, A.; Pirini, M.; Trombetti, F.; Albonetti, S. (2020). Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on rabbit performance, meat quality and oxidative stability of muscles. World Rabbit Science. 28(3):145-159. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.12273OJS145159283Abdel-Khalek A.M. 2013. Supplemental antioxidants in rabbit nutrition: A review. Livest. Sci., 158: 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2013.10.019Alasnier C., Gandemer G. 1998. Fatty acid and aldehyde composition of individual phospholipid classes of rabbit skeletal muscles is related to the metabolic type of the fiber. Meat Sci., 48: 225-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(97)00096-XAlbonetti S., Minardi P., Trombetti F., Savigni F., Mordenti A.L., Baranzoni G.M., Trivisano C., Greco F.P., Badiani A. 2017. In vivo and in vitro effects of selected antioxidants on rabbit meat microbiota. Meat Sci., 123: 88-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2016.09.004AMSA 1995. Research guidelines for cookery, sensory evaluation and instrumental tenderness measurements of fresh meat. Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Meat Science Association in cooperation with National Live Stock and Meat Board.AOAC 2000. Official methods of analysis. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC, 17th ed. Gaithersburg, MD, USA.AOAC 2006. Official methods of analysis. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC, 18th ed. Gaithersburg, MD, USA.Blasco A., Ouhayoun J. 1993. Harmonisation of criteria and terminology in rabbit meat research. Revised proposal. World Rabbit Sci., 4: 93-99. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.1996.278Bligh E.G., Dyer W.J. 1959. A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification. Can. J. Biochem. Physiol., 37: 911-917. https://doi.org/10.1139/o59-099Castellini C., Dal Bosco A., Bernardini M. 2001. Improvement of lipid stability of rabbit meat by vitamin E and C administration. J. Sci. Food Agric., 81: 46-53. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0010(20010101)81:13.0.CO;2-4Chauhan S.S., Liu F., Leury B.J., Cottrell J.J., Celi P., Dunshea F.R. 2016. Functionality and genomics of selenium and vitamin E supplementation in ruminants. Anim. Prod. Sci., 56: 1285-1298. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN15263CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage). 1976. Official recommendations on uniform colour spaces, colour differences equations and metric colour terms. Suppl. 2 to CIE, publications 15. Paris, France. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1520-6378.1977.tb00102.xCorino C., Lo Fiego D.P., Macchioni P., Pastorelli G., Di Giancamillo A., Domeneghini C., Rossi R. 2007. Influence of dietary conjugated linoleic acids and vitamin E on meat quality, and adipose tissue in rabbits. Meat Sci., 76: 19-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2006.10.007Cullere M., Dalle Zotte A. 2018. Rabbit meat production and consumption: State of knowledge and future perspectives. Meat Sci., 143: 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2018.04.029Dalle Zotte A., Cullere M., Rémignon H., Alberghini L., Paci G. 2016. Meat physical quality and muscle fiber properties of rabbit meat as affected by the sire breed, season, parity order and gender in an organic production system. World Rabbit Sci., 24: 145-154. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2016.4300Dalle Zotte A., Rémignon H., Ouhayoun J. 2005. Effect of feed rationing during post-weaning growth on meat quality, muscle energy metabolism and fiber properties of Biceps femoris muscle in the rabbit. Meat Sci., 70: 301-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2005.01.016Dalle Zotte A., Szendrő Z. 2011. The role of rabbit meat as functional food. Meat Sci., 88: 319-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2011.02.017Dokoupilová A., Marounek M., Skrivanova V., Brezina P. 2007. Selenium content in tissues and meat quality in rabbits fed selenium yeast. Czech. J. Anim. Sci., 52: 165-169. https://doi.org/10.17221/2319-CJASEbeid T.A., Zeweil H.S., Basyony M.M., Dosoky W.M., Badry H. 2013. Fortification of rabbit diets with vitamin E or selenium affects growth performance, lipid peroxidation, oxidative status and immune response in growing rabbits. Livest. Sci., 155: 323-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2013.05.011EFSA AHAW Panel 2020. Scientific Opinion on the health and welfare of rabbits farmed in different production systems. EFSA Journal, 18: 5944. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.5944Eiben Cs., Végi B., Virág Gy., Gódor-Surmann K., Kustos K., Maró A., Odermatt M., Zsédely E., Tóth T., Schmidt J., Fébel H. 2011. Effect of level and source of vitamin E addition of a diet enriched with sunflower and linseed oils on growth and slaughter traits of rabbits. Livest. Sci., 139: 196-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2011.01.010Erdèlyi M., Virág G., Mézes M. 2000. Effect of supranutritional additive selenium supply on the tissue selenium concentration and the activity of glutathione peroxidase enzyme in rabbit. World Rabbit Sci., 8: 183-191.Erickson M.C. 1992. Variation of lipid and tocopherol composition in three strains of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). J. Sci. Food Agric., 59: 529-536. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.2740590416European Communities: Council Regulation (EC) 2011. 1169/2011 on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers. Available at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32011R1169&from=EN. Accessed April 2017.Giaretta E., Mordenti A., Palmonari A., Brogna N., Canestrari G., Belloni P., Cavallini D., Mammi L., Cabbri R., Formigoni A. 2019. NIRs calibration models for chemical composition and fatty acid families of raw and freeze-dried beef: A comparison. J. Food Compost. Anal., 83: 103257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2019.103257Gondret F., Lebas F., Bonneau M. 2000. Restricted feed intake during fattening reduces intramuscular lipid deposition without modifying muscle fiber characteristics in rabbits. J. Nutr., 130: 228-233. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/130.2.228Honikel K.O. 1998. Reference methods for the assessment of physical characteristics of meat. Meat Sci., 49: 447-457. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1740(98)00034-5Ichihara K., Shibahara A., Yamamoto K., Nakayama T. 1996. An improved method for rapid analysis of the fatty acids of glycerolipids. Lipids, 31: 535-539. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02522648ISO 1998. Animal feeding stuffs, animal products and faeces or urine. Determination of gross calorific value - Bomb calorimetric method (Reference number 9831). Available at: https://www.iso.org/standard/17702.html. Accessed July 2017.Kouba M., Benatmane F., Blochet J.E., Mourot J. 2008. Effect of a linseed diet on lipid oxidation, fatty acid composition of muscle, perirenal fat, and raw and cooked rabbit meat. Meat Sci., 80: 829-834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2008.03.029Lee Y.H., Layman D.K., Bell R.R. 1979. Selenium-dependent and non-selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity in rabbit tissue. Nutr. Rep. Int., 20: 573-578.Lo Fiego D.P., Santoro P., Macchioni P., Mazzoni D., Piattoni F., Tassone F., De Leonibus E. 2004. The effect of dietary supplementation of vitamins C and E on the α-tocopherol content of muscles, liver and kidney, on the stability of lipids, and on certain meat quality parameters of the Longissimus dorsi of rabbits. Meat Sci., 67: 319-327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2003.11.004Lopez-Bote C.J., Rey A.I., Sanz M., Gray J.I., Buckley D.J. 1997. Dietary vegetable oils and α-tocopherol reduce lipid oxidation in rabbit muscle. J. Nutr., 127: 1176-1182. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/127.6.1176Maraschiello C., Sárraga C., García Regueiro J.A. 1999. Glutathione peroxidase activity, TBARS, and α-Tocopherol in meat from chickens fed different diets. J. Agr. Food Chem., 47: 867-872. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf980824oMarounek M., Dokoupilová A., Volek Z., Hoza I. 2009. Quality of meat and selenium content in tissues of rabbits fed diets supplemented with sodium selenite, selenized yeast and selenized algae. World Rabbit Sci., 17: 207-212. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2009.645Martillotti F., Antongiovanni M., Rizzi L., Santi E., Bittante G. 1987. Metodi di analisi per la valutazione degli alimenti d'impiego zootecnico. Quaderni Metodologici, 8, CNR-IPRA, Roma.Mateos G.G., Rebollar P.G., de Blas C. 2010. Minerals, vitamins and additives. In: C. DE BLAS and J. WISEMAN (Eds.) Nutrition of the rabbit. 2nd Edition. CABI Publishing, New York: USA, 119-150. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781845936693.0222Matics Z., Cullere M., Szín M., Gerencsér Zs., Szabó A., Fébel H., Odermatt M., Radnai I., Dalle Zotte A., Szendrő Zs. 2017. Effect of a dietary supplementation with linseed oil and selenium to growing rabbits on their productive performances, carcass traits and fresh and cooked meat quality. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 101: 685-693. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.12589Mattioli S., Cardinali R., Balzano M., Pacetti D., Castellini C., Dal Bosco A., Frega N.G. 2017. Influence of dietary supplementation with prebiotic, oregano extract, and vitamin E on fatty acid profile and oxidative status of rabbit meat. J. Food Qual., Article ID 3015120, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/3015120McLellan M.R., Lind L.R., Kime R.W. 1995. Hue angle determinations and statistical analysis for multiquadrant hunter L,a,b data. J. Food Qual., 18: 235-240. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4557.1995.tb00377.xMézes M., Balogh K. 2009. Mycotoxins in rabbit feed: a review. World Rabbit Sci., 17: 53-62.Midttun Ø., Ueland P.M. 2011. Determination of vitamins A, D and E in a small volume of human plasma by a high-throughput method based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 25: 1942-1948. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.5073Montero-Vicente L., Escribá-Pérez C., Baviera-Puig A., Buitrago-Vera J. 2018. Analysis of the commercial value of rabbit meat based on positioning of the different types of fresh meat. Span. J. Agric. Res., 16: e0110. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2018163-13407Mordenti A.L., Sardi L., Bonaldo A., Pizzamiglio V., Brogna N., Cipollini I., Tassinari M., Zaghini G. 2010. Influence of marine algae (Schizochytrium spp.) dietary supplementation on doe performance and progeny meat quality. Livest. Sci., 128: 179-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2009.12.003Müller A.S., Pallauf J., Most E. 2002. Parameters of dietary selenium and vitamin E deficiency in growing rabbits. J. Trace Elem. Med. Biol., 16: 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0946-672X(02)80008-6Nambapana N.M.N., Samarasinghe K., Vidanarachchi J.K. 2015. The effect of EconomasE® as a vitamin E replacer on performance, meat quality and organ weights of broiler birds. Trop. Agric. Res., 27: 27-38. http://doi.org/10.4038/tar.v27i1.8151Oriani G., Corino C., Pastorelli G., Pantaleo L., Ritieni A., Salvatori G. 2001. Oxidative status of plasma and muscle in rabbits supplemented with dietary vitamin E. J. Nutr. Biochem., 12: 138-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0955-2863(00)00132-7Papadomichelakis G., Zoidis E., Pappas A.C., Mountzouris K.C., Fegeros K. 2017. Effects of increasing dietary organic selenium levels on meat fatty acid composition and oxidative stability in growing rabbits. Meat Sci., 131: 132-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2017.05.006Peiretti P.G., Gasco L., Brugiapaglia A., Gai F. 2011. Effects of perilla (Perilla frutescens L.) seeds supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and fatty acid composition of rabbits. Livest Sci., 138: 118-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2010.12.007Petrescu D.C., Petrescu-Mag R.M. 2018. Consumer behaviour related to rabbit meat as fucntional food. World Rabbit Sci., 26: 321-333. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2018.10435Pirini M., Manuzzi M.P., Pagliarani A., Trombetti F., Borgatti A.R., Ventrella V. 2007. Changes in fatty acid composition of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk) fed on microalgal and wheat germ diets. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part B, 147: 616-626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2007.04.003Ulbricht T., Southgate D. 1991. Coronary heart disease: seven dietary factors. Lancet, 338: 985-992. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(91)91846-MUnited States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) 1986. Test methods for evaluating solid waste, 3rd Edition, Vol. 1A. SW-846. Washington, DC.Van Soest P.J., Robertson J.B., Lewis B.A. 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and non-starch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. J. Dairy Sci., 74: 3583-3597. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2Xiao R., Power R.F., Mallonee D., Crowdus C., Brennan K. M., Ao T., Pierce J.L., Dawson K.A. 2011. A comparative transcriptomic study of vitamin E and an algae-based antioxidant as antioxidative agents: Investigation of replacing vitamin E with the algae-based antioxidant in broiler diets. Poultry Sci., 90: 136-146. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2010-01018Zhang Y., Zhu S., Wang X., Wang C., Li F. 2011. The effect of dietary selenium levels on growth performance, antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GSHPx1) mRNA expression in growing meat rabbits. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech., 169: 259-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.07.00

Exercise respiratory cycle time components in patients with emphysema

Background: We have recently demonstrated that in patients with COPD the severity of emphysema (E) measured by high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) correlated with: ratio VTpeak/FEV1; VE/VCO2 slope and PETCO2 values at peak exercise. The aim of this study was to further investigate if exercise respiratory cycle time components correlated with % of E measured by HRCT. Method: Twelve patients (age = 65±8 yrs; FEV1 = 55±17%pred) with moderate to severe E (quantified by lung HRCT as % voxels < −910 HU) were evaluated with incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Mean inspiratory time (TiM), mean total respiratory cycle time (TtotM), mean expiratory time during exercise (TeM) and mean expiratory time during the last third of exercise (TeM-end), has been calculated. Results: Both TeM and TeM-end had a good linear correlation with % of E (r = 0,61; p = 0,004 and r = 0,63; p = 0,003). Moreover, by dividing the patients in two groups based on the % of E (>50% and <50%), we observed that patients with higher % of E had longer TeM (TeM: 1,72±0,26sec vs 1,34±0,27sec, p = 0,005) and TeM-end. A good linear correlation has been observed also between TeM and PETCO2 and VE/VCO2 (r = 0,64; p = 0,002 and r = 0,7; p = 0,0005). TeM did not correlated with resting lung function values or inspiratory capacity (IC). Conclusion: The data confirm that distinct physiologic response pattern can be detected at CPET in these patients

The Rizzoli Multiple Osteochondromas Classification revised: describing the phenotype to improve clinical practice

Multiple osteochondromas (MO) is a rare disorder, characterized by benign osteocartilaginous tumors (osteochondromas), arising from the perichondrium of bones. The osteochondromas increase during growth, frequently causing deformities and limitations. Our study aims to analyze the data captured by the Registry of Multiple Osteochondromas, to refine Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli (IOR) Classification, providing a representative picture of the phenotypic manifestations throughout the lifespan. We conducted a single-institution cross-sectional study. Patients were categorized according to IOR Classification, which identifies three patients' classes on the presence/absence of deformities and/or limitations. The present dataset was compared with our previously published data, to refine the classification. Nine hundred sixty-eight patients were included: 243 children (&lt;10 years), 136 adolescents (10–15 years), and 589 adults. Of the entire population, half patients presented at least one deformity, and one quarter reported at least one limitation. Compared with our previous study, the amount of children was more than doubled and the percentage of mild/moderate cases was notably increased, giving a better disease overview throughout the lifespan and suggesting a different cut-off for dividing Class II in subclasses. We confirmed that MO is characterized by phenotypic heterogeneity, suggesting that an early classification of the disease may offer a useful tool to follow disease pattern and evolution, to support clinical practice, and to propose timely interventions

Secondary peripheral chondrosarcoma arising in solitary osteochondroma: variables influencing prognosis and survival

Background: Secondary peripheral chondrosarcomas arising in solitary osteochondromas is an unusual complication, reported in small series. In this study, we aimed to present our experience with this rare variant of chondrosarcoma and compare results with already published data in order to determine prognostic factors for overall and disease-free survival. Methods: The case study includes retrospective data from patients diagnosed at a single institution from 1943 to 2019. Clinical data were collected reviewing all available medical records from first to last follow-up visits. To exclude the presence of the Multiple Osteochondroma Hereditary Syndrome, few patients, with a suspect of a familial form of the disease, were evaluated for the presence of germline heterozygous variants in EXT1 and EXT2 genes. Results were summarized using descriptive statistics and statistical analysis were performed to reveal associations between variables. Results: Two hundred and fourteen secondary peripheral chondrosarcomas that arose exclusively from solitary osteochondromas diagnosed in a multidisciplinary setting at the IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli were retrospectively identified, 66.4% males and 33.6% females with a median age at diagnosis of 38&nbsp;years. The local recurrence rate was 17.3%, while the metastases one was 5.1%. Besides age, a high histologic grade is the only factor associated with worse 5-year and 10-year overall survival (log-rank p = 0.0005, HR = 3.74; 95% CI 1.69–8.26). Moreover, high histological grade (HR = 3.75; 95% CI = 1.69–8.34; p = 0.001) and surgical debulking (HR = 3.71; 95% CI = 1.57–8.79; p = 0.003) were associated with a significantly worse disease-free survival. Conclusions: Our study confirm the low-grade behavior of secondary peripheral chondrosarcomas and demonstrate that the best choice of treatment for those arising in solitary osteochondromas is the wide surgical excision, when possible. Location per se is not a factor that affects prognosis, while the accurate histological grade assessment is correlated with the tumor aggressiveness and a long term follow up is necessary for this rare variant of chondrosarcoma

Plasma sexual steroids and fatty acid analysis of adult Adriatic sturgeon during reproductive season

The reproductive physiology of sturgeons is a topic of constant relevance, due to some peculiarities that characterize the reproductive cycle of these fish and the need to better understand reproduction to improve methods used in aquaculture programs. Female sturgeons need more than a year to complete their roe maturation and their reproduction occurs every 2-5 years according to species and other variables, while captive males could reproduce every years. The aim of the present study was to investigate the concentrations of estradiol 17\u3b2 (E2), testosterone and fatty acids extracted from Adriatic sturgeon plasma collected during the spawning season, in order to evaluate if plasma analysis could provide useful information to sturgeon farmers in broodstock selection. Fifty-six adult captive Adriatic sturgeon from the breeding stock of Parco del Ticino were included in the trial. Blood samples were collected in mid-June from the caudal vasculature and a gonadal biopsy was collected to determine the sex. The stage of maturity of the female ovarian follicles was evaluated by visual inspection of oocyte/ovarian follicle. Stage of maturity in males was not assessed. Plasma was obtained after centrifugation at 3000g for 15 min of heparinized blood. Sex steroids were measured by RIA analysis, and fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography after direct plasma methylation. The E2 concentration ranged from 0.01 to 19.24 ng/ml, while testosterone ranged from 3.84 to 132.60 ng/ml. Testosterone and E2 concentrations were not different between males and non reproductive females , while their concentration was elevated (109 .1 \ub115.3 and 9.7 \ub15.3 ng/ml respectively) only in females that would spawn during the year of sampling. Female sturgeon with immature oocytes had E2 concentrations that were not statistically different from males (0.42\ub10.54 versus 0.07\ub10.08 ng/ml). Plasma fatty acid analysis was not different between sexes. The most representative fatty acid found was oleic acid (18:1 n-9) followed by palmitic acid (16:0) and DHA (22:6 n-3). Finally, the total amount of plasma fatty acid did not differ between sexes or among females with different stages of gonadal maturation. Our study suggest that E2 plasma concentration could be used as marker to identify which females of Adriatic sturgeon are ready to be used as reproducers

Multifactorial causes of chronic mortality in juvenile sturgeon (Huso huso)

This investigation focused on an episode of chronic mortality observed in juvenile Huso huso sturgeons. The examined subjects underwent pathological, microbiological, molecular, and chemical investigations. Grossly severe body shape deformities, epaxial muscle softening, and multifocal ulcerative dermatitis were the main observed findings. The more constant histopathologic findings were moderate to severe rarefaction and disorganization of the lymphohematopoietic lymphoid tissues, myofiber degeneration, atrophy and interstitial edema of skeletal epaxial muscles, and degeneration and atrophy of the gangliar neurons close to the myofibers. Chemical investigations showed a lower selenium concentration in affected animals, suggesting nutritional myopathy. Other manifestations were nephrocalcinosis and splenic vessel wall hyalinosis. Septicemia due to bacteria such as Aeromonas veronii, Shewanella putrefaciens, Citrobacter freundii, Chryseobacterium sp., and pigmented hyphae were found. No major sturgeon viral pathogens were detected by classical methods. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis confirmed the absence of viral pathogens, with the exception of herpesvirus, at the order level; also, the presence of Aeromonas veronii and Shewanella putrefaciens was confirmed at the family level by the metagenomic classification of NGS data. In the absence of a primary yet undetected biological cause, it is supposed that environmental stressors, including nutritional imbalances, may have led to immune system impairment, facilitating the entry of opportunistic bacteria and mycotic hyphae

Validation of the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model with four classes of licensed antiretrovirals.

BackgroundThe SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse model of HIV-1 infection is a useful platform for the preclinical evaluation of antiviral efficacy in vivo. We performed this study to validate the model with representatives of all four classes of licensed antiretrovirals.Methodology/principal findingsEndpoint analyses for quantification of Thy/Liv implant viral load included ELISA for cell-associated p24, branched DNA assay for HIV-1 RNA, and detection of infected thymocytes by intracellular staining for Gag-p24. Antiviral protection from HIV-1-mediated thymocyte depletion was assessed by multicolor flow cytometric analysis of thymocyte subpopulations based on surface expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8. These mice can be productively infected with molecular clones of HIV-1 (e.g., the X4 clone NL4-3) as well as with primary R5 and R5X4 isolates. To determine whether results in this model are concordant with those found in humans, we performed direct comparisons of two drugs in the same class, each of which has known potency and dosing levels in humans. Here we show that second-generation antiretrovirals were, as expected, more potent than their first-generation predecessors: emtricitabine was more potent than lamivudine, efavirenz was more potent than nevirapine, and atazanavir was more potent than indinavir. After interspecies pharmacodynamic scaling, the dose ranges found to inhibit viral replication in the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse were similar to those used in humans. Moreover, HIV-1 replication in these mice was genetically stable; treatment of the mice with lamivudine did not result in the M184V substitution in reverse transcriptase, and the multidrug-resistant NY index case HIV-1 retained its drug-resistance substitutions.ConclusionGiven the fidelity of such comparisons, we conclude that this highly reproducible mouse model is likely to predict clinical antiviral efficacy in humans

Gyrodactylus salinae n. sp. (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea) infecting the south European toothcarp Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes) (Teleostei, Cyprinodontidae) from a hypersaline environment in Italy

Background: Historically, non-native species of Gambusia (Poeciliidae) have been used to control larval stages of the Asian tiger mosquito, Stegomyia albopicta Reinert, Harbach et Kitching, 2004 throughout Italy. The potential utility of indigenous populations of Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes) (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae) as an appropriate alternative biological control is currently being explored. A sub-sample of ten fish collected from Cervia Saline, Italy (salinity 65 ppt; 30&deg;C) to assess their reproductive capability in captivity, harboured a moderate infection of Gyrodactylus von Nordmann, 1832 (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea). A subsequent morphological and molecular study identified this as being a new species. Results: Gyrodactylus salinae n. sp. is described from the skin, fins and gills of A. fasciatus. Light and scanning electron microscopical (SEM) examination of the opisthaptoral armature and their comparison with all other recorded species suggested morphological similarities to Gyrodactylus rugiensoides Huyse et Volckaert, 2002 from Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas). Features of the ventral bar, however, permit its discrimination from G. rugiensoides. Sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 and the 5.8S rRNA gene and a comparison with all species listed in GenBank confirmed they are unique and represent a new species (most similar to Gyrodactylus anguillae Ergens, 1960, 8.3% pair-wise distance based on 5.8S+ITS2). This represents the first species of Gyrodactylus to be described from Aphanius and, to date, has the longest ITS1 (774 bp) sequenced from any Gyrodactylus. Additional sampling of Cervia Saline throughout the year, found G. salinae n. sp. to persist in conditions ranging from 35 ppt and 5&deg;C in December to 65 ppt and 30&deg;C in July, while in captivity a low level of infection was present, even in freshwater conditions (0 ppt). Conclusions: The ability of G. salinae n. sp. to tolerate a wide range of salinities and temperatures shows its potential to readily adapt to several environmental conditions. These findings, together with the fact that A. fasciatus is a protected species and is considered as a biological control organism, necessitate further studies on the ecology and virulence of G. salinae n. sp