syphilitic chancres of the mouth three cases

n/

New Avoparcin-like Molecules from the Avoparcin Producer Amycolatopsis coloradensis ATCC 53629

Amycolatopsis coloradensis ATCC 53629 is the producer of the glycopeptide antibiotic avoparcin. While setting up the production of the avoparcin complex, in view of its use as analytical standard, we uncovered the production of a to-date not described ristosamynil-avoparcin. Ristosamynil-avoparcin is produced together with α-and β-avoparcin (overall indicated as the avoparcin complex). Selection of one high producer morphological variant within the A. coloradensis population, together with the use of a new fermentation medium, allowed to increase productivity of the avoparcin complex up to 9 g/L in flask fermentations. The selected high producer displayed a non-spore forming phenotype. All the selected phenotypes, as well as the original unselected population, displayed invariably the ability to produce a complex rich in ristosamynil-avoparcin. This suggested that the original strain deposited was not conforming to the description or that long term storage of the lyovials has selected mutants from the original population

Context-Specific Ontology Integration: A Bayesian Approach

We introduce a principled computational framework and methodology for automated discovery of context-specific functional links between ontologies. Our model leverages over disparate free-text literature resources to score the model of dependency linking two terms under a context against their model of independence. We identify linked terms as those having a significant bayes factor (p < 0.01). To scale our algorithm over massive ontologies, we propose a heuristic pruning technique as an efficient algorithm for inferring such links. We have applied this method to translationalize Gene Ontology to all other ontologies available at National Center of Biomedical Ontology (NCBO) BioPortal under the context of Human Disease ontology. Our results show that in addition to broadening the scope of hypothesis for researchers, our work can potentially be used to explore continuum of relationships among ontologies to guide various biological experiments

SAT0280 IMPACT OF PLACENTAL FACTORS ON PREGNANCY AND FETAL OUTCOME IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

Background:Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is one of the rheumatic diseases burdened with obstetrical complications. An Italian multicenter study showed that women with SSc have a higher-than-normal risk of intrauterine growth restriction, preterm delivery, very-low birth weight babies and pregnancy should be discouraged in patients with severe organ damage. However, with a multidisciplinary management, patients with SSc can have successful outcomes1. Little is known about the pathogenesis of obstetrical complications, as studies on placenta are case reports or description of a few cases2,3.Objectives:The aim of this study was to analyze the placental alterations with a focus on the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of obstetrical complications in SSc, including the study of the atypical chemokine receptor 2 (ACKR2), involved in immune modulation and known to be highly expressed in circulating leucocytes in SSc patients4-6.Methods:Eight SSc pregnant patients were compared with 16 patients with other rheumatic diseases (ORD) and 16 healthy controls (HC), matched for gestational age. Clinical data were collected. Placentas biopsies were obtained for histopathological analysis and immunohistochemistry for CD3, CD20, CD11c, CD68 and ACKR2. Frozen placenta samples from 4 SSc, 8 ORD and 8 HC were analyzed by qPCR for ACKR2 gene expression and proteins were extracted for multiplex assay for cytokines, chemokines and growth factors involved in angiogenesis and inflammation. Statistical analysis was performed with parametric or non-parametric tests depending on samples distribution.Results:The number of placental CD3 (p<0.05), CD68 (p<0.001) and CD11c+ (p<0.001) cells was significantly higher considering the group of patients affected by rheumatic diseases (SSc+ORD) compared to HC. The SSc group alone did not show significance due to the lower sample size. No differences were observed between groups in terms of vascular alterations or fibrosis. The percentage of stained area for ACKR2 and the ACKR2 transcripts levels were comparable between groups. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), involved in angiogenesis, was significantly increased in the group of rheumatic diseases patients (SSc+ORD) compared to HC (p<0.05), while the chemokine CCL5 was significantly higher in SSc patients compared to patients affected by ORD (p<0.05) and to HC (p<0.01). CCL5 levels directly correlated with the number of all inflammatory cells considered and higher levels were associated to histological villitis (p<0.01).Conclusion:The higher number of placental inflammatory cells and the alterations in the levels of HGF and especially CCL5 could play a role in the pathogenesis of the obstetrical complications in SSc. ACKR2 does not seem involved in the obstetrical complications of SSc.References:[1]Taraborelli M, et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2012[2]Ibba-Manneschi L, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2010[3]Doss BJ, et al. Hum Pathol. 1998[4]Graham GJ. Eur J Immunol. 2009[5]Martinez de la Torre Y, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007[6]Codullo V, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011Disclosure of Interests:None declare

Repostas na frequência cardíaca provocada por um agonista muscarínico em ratos com miocardite chagásica aguda e subaguda

Administramos arecoline a ratos com miocadite chagásica induzida experimentalmente, a fim de pesquisar a sensibilidade do nodo sinusal frente a um agonista muscarínico. Ratos de 16 meses de idade foram inoculados com 200.000 parasitas de T. cruzi (variedade Y). Entre os dias 18 e 21 (estádio agudo), 8 ratos infestados e 8 ratos controle receberam arecoline por via intravenosa nas doses seguintes: 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 40.0 e 80.0 mig/kg. A frequência cardíaca foi registrada durante e após cada dose de arecoline. Os 8 ratos infestados restantes e mais outros 8 controles, foram submetidos a uma pesquisa similar, embora em um período de estádio subagudo da doença nos dias 60 e 70 pós inoculação. A frequência cardíaca de base dos animais estudados durante o estádio agudo (349 ± 68 bpm. Média ± SD), foi maior que a frequência dos ratos controles (250 ± 50 bpm, pWe administered arecoline to rats, with experimentally induced chagasic myocarditis, in order to study the sinus node sensitivity to a muscarinic agonist. Sixteen month old rats were inoculated with 200,000 T. cruzi parasites ("Y" strain). Between days 18 and 21 (acute stage), 8 infected rats and 8 age-matched controls received intravenous arecoline as a bolus injection at the following doses: 5.0, 10.0, 20.0, 40.0, and 80.0 mug/kg. Heart rate was recorded before, during and after each dose of arecoline. The remaining 8 infected animals and 8 controls were subjected to the same experimental procedure during the subacute stage, i.e., days 60 to 70 after inoculation. The baseline heart rate, of the animals studied during the acute stage (349 ± 68 bpm, mean ± SD), was higher than that of the controls (250 ± 50 bpm, p < 0.005). The heart rate changes were expressed as percentage changes over baseline values. A dose-response curve was constructed for each group of animals. Log scales were used to plot the systematically doubled doses of arecoline and the induced-heart rate changes. The slope of the regression line for the acutely infected animals (r = - 0.99, b =1.78) was not different from that for the control animals (r = - 0.97, b = 1.61). The infected animals studied during the subacute stage (r = - 0.99, b = 1.81) were also not different from the age-matched controls (r = - 0.99, b = 1.26, NS). Consequently, our results show no pharmacological evidence of postjunctional hypersensitivity to the muscarinic agonist arecoline. Therefore, these results indirectly suggest that the postganglionic parasympathetic innervation, of the sinus node of rats with autopsy proved chagasic myocarditis, is not irreversibly damaged by Trypanosoma cruzi

Platelet-Rich Plasma combined with a sterile 3D polylactic acid scaffold for postoperative management of complete hoof wall resection for keratoma in four horses.

Keratoma is a non-malignant horse tumour that grows in the space between the horn of the hoof and the distal phalanx. Keratoma causes lameness in the horse, and surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Four horses underwent removal of a keratoma by complete hoof wall resection. The remaining wound was treated with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) combined with a sterile 3D polylactic acid scaffold. The PRP was applied at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days postoperatively. The surgical site was cleaned with gauzes and swabs soaked in Ringer’s lactate solution before applying PRP and the foot bandage. Healthy granulation tissue developed at 6-21 days postoperatively. The hoof wall defect was completely filled with new hoof wall within 6-8 months after surgery. All horses returned to their previous exercise level and no recurrence of lameness was reported by the owner