Prevalence of feline calicivirus in cats with odontoclastic resorptive lesions and chronic gingivostomatitis

Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) and feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) are two of the most common diseases of the feline oral cavity. While evidence is emerging that FCGS is caused by gingival inflammation initiated and perpetuated by the oral microbiota, little is known in this regard for FORL. Feline calicivirus (FCV) has been associated with the presence of FCGS and is thought to play a role in the initiation of this disease. In this study, the incidence of FCV was investigated in cats with FORL and FCGS, and compared to unaffected controls. FCV was detected by viral culture. The incidence of FCV was as follows: 6 (24.0%) of 24 control cats, 9 (22.5%) of 40 cats with FORL and 15 (60.0%) of 25 cats with FCGS were positive for FCV. There was a significant difference in FCV incidence between all the groups (p = 0.003) but none between the control group and the FORL group. However, significant differences were observed in the incidence of FCV between control and FCGS (p = 0.010) and between FORL and FCGS (p = 0.006). It is concluded that although FCV may be associated with FCGS, it appears unlikely to play a role in FORL

Microbiome analysis of feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) and feline oral health

Introduction. Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesion (FORL) is one of the most common and painful oral diseases of the cat. It is characterised by tooth resorption due to destructive activity of odontoclasts. FORL can result in tooth loss. While the aetiology of FORL is not clearly understood, it is thought to be multifactorial and bacteria are likely to play a major role. Hypothesis. Dysbiosis of the normal feline oral microbiota leads to an alteration in commensal bacteria populations, which results in the development of FORL. Aim. The purpose of the current study was to determine the composition of the microbiomes associated with feline oral health and FORL. Methodology. Supragingival plaque was collected from 25 cats with a healthy oral cavity and 40 cats with FORL. DNA was extracted from each sample, the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene amplified by polymerase chain reaction and amplicons sequenced. Diversity and species richness analyses were performed, principal component analysis was used to explore differences between the oral microbiomes of healthy cats and those with FORL, and linear discriminant analysis effect size was used to assess differences between the groups. Results. The six most abundant bacterial genera identified were Bergeyella , Capnocytophaga, Lampropedia, Morexella, Porphyromonas and Treponema . Two-step cluster analysis of the data identified two FORL sub-groups (FORL-1, FORL-2). The FORL-2 sub-group was very similar to the healthy group, whilst the FORL-1 sub-group was clearly different from both the FORL-2 sub-group and the healthy groups. In this analysis, Capnocytophaga (P <0.001) and Lampropedia (P <0.01) were found at significantly lower levels and Porphyromonas at a slightly higher level in the FORL-1 sub-group compared to the healthy and FORL-2 sub-groups. Microbial diversity was found to be less in the FORL-1 sub-group than in the healthy group. Lampropedia sp., a phosphate-accumulating oral commensal species, was significantly lower in the FORL-1 sub-group. Conclusion. The oral microbiota associated with the FORL-1 sub-group is distinct from that found in the healthy group and FORL-2 sub-group. Lampropedia species may influence the local calcium-phosphate ratio, which could be a factor in tooth and bone resorption observed in FORL

Pest population dynamics are related to a continental overwintering gradient

Overwintering success is an important determinant of arthropod populations that must be considered as climate change continues to influence the spatiotemporal population dynamics of agricultural pests. Using a long-term monitoring database and biologically relevant overwintering zones, we modeled the annual and seasonal population dynamics of a common pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), based on three overwintering suitability zones throughout North America using four decades of soil temperatures: the southern range (able to persist through winter), transitional zone (uncertain overwintering survivorship), and northern limits (unable to survive winter). Our model indicates H. zea population dynamics are hierarchically structured with continental-level effects that are partitioned into three geographic zones. Seasonal populations were initially detected in the southern range, where they experienced multiple large population peaks. All three zones experienced a final peak between late July (southern range) and mid-August to mid-September (transitional zone and northern limits). The southern range expanded by 3% since 1981 and is projected to increase by twofold by 2099 but the areas of other zones are expected to decrease in the future. These changes suggest larger populations may persist at higher latitudes in the future due to reduced low-temperature lethal events during winter. Because H. zea is a highly migratory pest, predicting when populations accumulate in one region can inform synchronous or lagged population development in other regions. We show the value of combining long-term datasets, remotely sensed data, and laboratory findings to inform forecasting of insect pests

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

The Influence of Selected Novel Glucose -Based Polymers on Nutrient Digestion, Glycemic and Insulinemic Responses, Colonic Fermentation Characteristics, and Ileal and Colonic Microflora Concentrations in the Adult Canine and (Or) Human

153 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005.The main objective of this research was to characterize the nutritional effects of including pullulans and 7-cyclodextrin in the diet of healthy adult canines and humans. Pullulan is a linear homopolysaccharide of glucose that is an alpha-1,6 linked polymer of maltotriose subunits. Pullulan is synthesized intracellularly and secreted by the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans . Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides composed of alpha-1,4-glycosidic-linked glucose residues. There are three major types of cyclodextrins categorized by number of glucose molecules: alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrins are composed of six, seven, and eight glucose units, respectively. Cyclodextrins are produced from hydrolyzed starch syrups via enzymatic conversion using cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases. Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases are amylolytic enzymes produced naturally by various strains of Bacillus (e.g., B. macerans, B. circulans, and B. firmus). Both the digestible and fermentable portions of pullulans and gamma-cyclodextrin were evaluated. To accomplish this objective, Study 1 was designed to determine the effects of pullulans and gamma-cyclodextrin as components of a complete enteral diet on apparent ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics, and to determine the postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses of pullulans in healthy, adult, nondiabetic dogs. Study 2 was designed to determine the postprandial glycemic and insulinemic response, carbohydrate malabsorption, and gastrointestinal tolerance of low molecular weight pullulan in nondiabetic, healthy, adult humans. Similar data exist on high molecular weight pullulan. Study 3 determined the effects of low doses of supplemental pullulan and gamma-cyclodextrin on food intake, apparent ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities, microbial populations, and fecal characteristics of dogs. Study 4 was designed to evaluate the fermentation characteristics (gas and short-chain fatty acid production, pH change) of select glucose-based polymers by fecal microflora from healthy adult dogs and humans. Novel incompletely digestible, glucose-based nonstructural carbohydrates varied in their ability to affect nutrient digestion, fecal characteristics, glycemic index, colonic microflora, and fermentation characteristics. The variation in response was due to differences in chemical structure, molecular weight, degree of polymerization, bonding pattern, and stereochemistry. Functional ingredients will no doubt be a topic of increased importance as the links between nutrition and health of humans and companion animals are established and clarified.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Worlds Collide! facebook, family & George Costanza

If facebook and social media have wrecked our ability to sustain lengthy treatises on topics, well then, by George, we\u27ll make the blurb our convention and still tell you what we think. Link to video: Independent George - Worlds collid