Epidemiology of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Circulating in Wild Boars of Portugal during the 2018–2020 Hunting Seasons Suggests the Emergence of Genotype 2d

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) is associated with several syndromes affecting swine, also known as porcine-circovirus-associated diseases, of which post-weaning multi-systemic wasting syndrome stands out due to its high economic impact on swine production. Recent data suggest the increasing circulation of the PCV-2d genotype in several countries worldwide. To provide updated data on PCV-2 genotypes currently circulating in swine in Portugal, we screened wild boar stools collected from several districts across Portugal, during the 2018–2020 hunting seasons, for PCV-2 and genetically characterized detected strains. From a total of 76 stool samples of wild boar tested by PCR for the partial PCV-2 ORF2 gene, two sequences were obtained (2/76; 2.6%, 95% confidence interval: 0.032–9.18). Bidirectional sequencing showed that the sequences were 100% identical and both of the PCV-2d genotype, showing for the first time the presence of this genotype in Portugal. Monitoring wild PCV-2 reservoirs is important for both veterinary public health and economic reasons, since PCV-2 infection has a strong economic impact on the swine industry. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Funding text 1: Funding: Sérgio Santos-Silva thanks Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support of his PhD work under the 2021 scholarship. 09461.BD contract through the Maria de Sousa-2021 program. Part of this research was funded by the project EcoARUn: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030310 funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE) and through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds (FCT). This work is financed by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020.; Funding text 2: S?rgio Santos-Silva thanks Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the financial support of his PhD work under the 2021 scholarship. 09461.BD contract through the Maria de Sousa-2021 program. Part of this research was funded by the project EcoARUn: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030310 funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020-Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionaliza??o (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia/Minist?rio da Ci?ncia e Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. R. T. Torres is funded by national funds (OE) and through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds (FCT). This work is financed by national funds through FCT?Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020

Frailty-Independent Undertreatment Negative Impact on Survival in Older Patients With Breast Cancer

Purpose: The management of older adults with breast cancer (BC) remains controversial. The challenging assessment of aging idiosyncrasies and the scarce evidence of therapeutic guidelines can lead to undertreatment. Our goal was to measure undertreatment and assess its impact on survival. Methods: Consecutive patients with BC aged 70 years or older were prospectively enrolled in 2014. Three frailty screening tools (G8, fTRST, and GFI) and two functional status scales (Karnofsky performance score and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status) were applied. Disease characteristics, treatment options, and causes of mortality were recorded during a 5-year follow-up. In addition, we defined undertreatment and correlated its survival impact with frailty. Results: A total of 92 patients were included in the study. The median age was 77 (range 70-94) years. The prevalence of frailty was discordant (G8, 41.9%; fTRST, 74.2%; GFI, 32.3%). Only 47.8% of the patients had a local disease, probably due to a late diagnosis (73.9% based on self-examination). Thirty-three patients (35.6%) died, of which 15 were from BC. We found a considerably high proportion (53.3%) of undertreatment, which had a frailty-independent negative impact on the 5-year survival (hazard ratio [HR], 5.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-12.5). Additionally, omission of surgery had a frailty-independent negative impact on overall survival (HR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.9-7.9). Conclusion: BC treatment in older adults should be individualized. More importantly, assessing frailty (not to treat) is essential to be aware of the risk-benefit profile and the patient's well-informed willingness to be treated. Undertreatment in daily practice is frequent and might have a negative impact on survival, as we report.This article publication was supported by National Funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within CINTESIS, R&D Unit (reference UIDB/4255/2020)

Dirofilaria immitis antigenemia and microfilaremia in Iberian wolves and red foxes from Portugal

Background: Dirofilaria immitis is a parasitic nematode endemic in the Mediterranean countries, which causes cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in wild and domestic animals. Despite being recognized hosts of D. immitis, wild carnivores such as wolves and foxes are frequently disregarded when considering a potential role in the transmission of these zoonotic nematodes. In Portugal, studies available regarding D. immitis circulation are scarce, likely underestimating its relevance. To add knowledge on this, we sought to assess Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from northern Portugal for D. immitis antigenemia and microfilaremia. Methods: Blood samples from 42 Iberian wolves and 19 red foxes were collected, during 2010–2012, in Peneda-Gerês National Park. Antigenemia was searched for by rapid antigen detection test kits (Uranotest Dirofilaria ®). Microfilaremia was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nucleic acids were extracted from blood using QIAamp® DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen), and DNA was screened for the presence of microfilaria using a conventional PCR targeting the 5.8S-internal transcribed spacer 2–28S regions, followed by bidirectional sequencing, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis and phylogenetic analysis. Results: Three red foxes had antigenemia, with an occurrence of 15.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.4–39.6), while showing no evidence for the presence of microfilaremia. No wolf samples presented evidence for D. immitis antigenemia. Nevertheless, two wolves were positive for D. immitis microfilaremia (4.8%; 95% CI 0.6–16.2%) as revealed by PCR and confirmed by bidirectional sequencing. Conclusions: Although Dirofilaria microfilaremia in wolves does not necessarily correlate to an endangerment of the infected animal's health, positive individuals can act as a reservoir for further infection if the intermediate mosquito hosts are present. To the best of our knowledge, one single study had reported that wolves were suitable Dirofilaria hosts, but microfilaremia have never been reported. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2022, The Author(s).Funding text 1: Publication of this paper has been sponsored by Elanco Animal Health in the framework of the 17th CVBD®World Forum Symposium.; Funding text 2: This work was supported by national funds, through Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), under projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020; and projects UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020, also funded by FCT

Tempo entre consultas de nutrição condiciona a adesão à intervenção

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SYBR Green-based Real-Time PCR targeting kinetoplast DNA can be used to discriminate between the main etiologic agents of Brazilian cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Leishmaniases control has been hampered by the unavailability of rapid detection methods and the lack of suitable therapeutic and prophylactic measures. Accurate diagnosis, which can distinguish between <it>Leishmania </it>isolates, is essential for conducting appropriate prognosis, therapy and epidemiology. Molecular methods are currently being employed to detect <it>Leishmania </it>infection and categorize the parasites up to genus, complex or species level. Real-time PCR offers several advantages over traditional PCR, including faster processing time, higher sensitivity and decreased contamination risk.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A SYBR Green real-time PCR targeting the conserved region of kinetoplast DNA minicircles was able to differentiate between <it>Leishmania </it>subgenera. A panel of reference strains representing subgenera <it>Leishmania </it>and <it>Viannia </it>was evaluated by the derivative dissociation curve analyses of the amplified fragment. Distinct values for the average melting temperature were observed, being 78.95°C ± 0.01 and 77.36°C ± 0.02 for <it>Leishmania </it>and <it>Viannia</it>, respectively (p < 0.05). Using the Neighbor-Joining method and Kimura 2-parameters, the alignment of 12 sequences from the amplified conserved minicircles segment grouped together <it>L</it>. (<it>V</it>.) <it>braziliensis </it>and <it>L</it>. (<it>V</it>.) <it>shawii </it>with a bootstrap value of 100%; while for <it>L</it>. (<it>L</it>.) <it>infantum </it>and <it>L</it>. (<it>L</it>.) <it>amazonensis</it>, two groups were formed with bootstrap values of 100% and 62%, respectively. The lower dissociation temperature observed for the subgenus <it>Viannia </it>amplicons could be due to a lower proportion of guanine/cytosine sites (43.6%) when compared to species from subgenus <it>Leishmania </it>(average of 48.4%). The method was validated with 30 clinical specimens from visceral or cutaneous leishmaniases patients living in Brazil and also with DNA samples from naturally infected <it>Lutzomyia </it>spp. captured in two Brazilian localities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For all tested samples, a characteristic amplicon melting profile was evidenced for each <it>Leishmania </it>subgenus, corroborating the data from reference strains. Therefore, the analysis of thermal dissociation curves targeting the conserved kinetoplast DNA minicircles region is able to provide a rapid and reliable method to identify the main etiologic agents of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases in endemic regions of Brazil.</p

In vitro and in vivo performance of methacrylated gellan gum hydrogel formulations for cartilage repair

Methacrylated gellan gum (GGMA) formulation is proposed as a second‐generation hydrogel for controlled delivery of cartilage‐forming cells into focal chondral lesions, allowing immediate in situ retention of cells and 3D filling of lesion volume, such approach deemed compatible with an arthroscopic procedure. Formulation optimization was carried out in vitro using chondrocytes and adipose mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (ASCs). A proof‐of‐concept in vivo study was conducted using a rabbit model with induced chondral lesions. Outcomes were compared with microfracture or non‐treated control. Three grading scores were used to evaluate tissue repair after 8 weeks by macroscopic, histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Intense collagen type II and low collagen type I gene and protein expression were achieved in vitro by the ASC + GGMA formulation, in light with development of healthy chondral tissue. In vivo, this formulation promoted significantly superior de novo cartilage formation compared with the non‐treated group. Maintenance of chondral height and integration with native tissue was further accomplished. The physicochemical properties of the proposed GGMA hydrogel exhibited highly favorable characteristics and biological performance both in vitro and in vivo, positioning itself as an attractive xeno‐free biomaterial to be used with chondrogenic cells for a cost‐effective treatment of focal chondral lesions

A comprehensive characterization of chronic norovirus infection in immunodeficient hosts.

Letter to the edito

EVALUATION OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ALLELOPATHIC POTENTIAL OF ESSENTIAL OILS FROM THREE SPECIES OF ASTERECEAE AGAINST SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING VIGOR OF LETTUCE

The allelopathic properties of the essential oils have been exploited because they are biodegradable natural compounds that can be used in combination or as prototypes for new bioherbicides. The objectives of this study were to chemically characterize the essential oils from B. dracunculifolia, C. bonariesis and T. diversifolia and to evaluate their allelopathic potential. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and their chemical compositions were determined by GC-MS. Allelopathic activities were determined by methods that evaluate the effects of volatile compounds and direct contact of those compounds on the seed germination and seedling vigor of lettuce. The principal constituents of the essential oil from B. dracunculifolia were limonene, trans-nerolidol and β-pinene; those in the oil from C. bonariesis were limonene, trans-β-ocimene and cis-verbenol (4.4%); and those in the oil from T. diversifolia were β-pinene, α-pinene and limonene. Minor differences in the germination and vigor of lettuce seedlings were observed when they were exposed to the volatile essential oils from the leaves of the three species of the Asteraceae family. However, upon direct contact with these oils, those of C. bonariesis presented the greatest allelopathic potential, which was attributed to its higher content of oxygenated monoterpenes

Violência autoinfligida por intoxicação exógena em um serviço de urgência e emergência

RESUMO Objetivo Analisar as violências autoinfligidas por intoxicação exógena notificadas em um serviço de saúde. Métodos Estudo epidemiológico, retrospectivo e analítico realizado em um serviço de urgência e emergência do município de Teresina, Piauí. Procedeu-se nos meses de janeiro e fevereiro de 2015, mediante análise de todos os casos de violência autoinfligida por intoxicação exógena notificados no Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação, no período de 2009 a 2014. O teste qui-quadrado de Pearson foi utilizado na análise. Resultados Foram notificadas 277 vítimas de violência autoinfligida por intoxicação exógena, sendo que 10,5% morreram por suicídio. Houve associação entre o óbito e as variáveis idade, escolaridade, zona de ocorrência e tipo de exposição, assim como entre o tipo de exposição e a quantidade de agentes utilizados. Conclusão Os resultados fornecem subsídios para a definição de estratégias de prevenção considerando os grupos vulneráveis e a complexidade dos fatores associados à violência autoinfligida