A distinct bacterial dysbiosis associated skin inflammation in ovine footrot

Ovine footrot is a highly prevalent bacterial disease caused by Dichelobacter nodosus and characterised by the separation of the hoof horn from the underlying skin. The role of innate immune molecules and other bacterial communities in the development of footrot lesions remains unclear. This study shows a significant association between the high expression of IL1β and high D. nodosus load in footrot samples. Investigation of the microbial population identified distinct bacterial populations in the different disease stages and also depending on the level of inflammation. Treponema (34%), Mycoplasma (29%) and Porphyromonas (15%) were the most abundant genera associated with high levels of inflammation in footrot. In contrast, Acinetobacter (25%), Corynebacteria (17%) and Flavobacterium (17%) were the most abundant genera associated with high levels of inflammation in healthy feet. This demonstrates for the first time there is a distinct microbial community associated with footrot and high cytokine expression

Platelet-Rich Plasma Promotes the Proliferation of Human Muscle Derived Progenitor Cells and Maintains Their Stemness

Human muscle-derived progenitor cells (hMDPCs) offer great promise for muscle cell-based regenerative medicine; however, prolonged ex-vivo expansion using animal sera is necessary to acquire sufficient cells for transplantation. Due to the risks associated with the use of animal sera, the development of a strategy for the ex vivo expansion of hMDPCs is required. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the ex-vivo expansion of hMDPCs. Pre-plated MDPCs, myoendothelial cells, and pericytes are three populations of hMDPCs that we isolated by the modified pre-plate technique and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS), respectively. Pooled allogeneic human PRP was obtained from a local blood bank, and the effect that thrombin-activated PRP-releasate supplemented media had on the ex-vivo expansion of the hMDPCs was tested against FBS supplemented media, both in vitro and in vivo. PRP significantly enhanced short and long-term cell proliferation, with or without FBS supplementation. Antibody-neutralization of PDGF significantly blocked the mitogenic/proliferative effects that PRP had on the hMDPCs. A more stable and sustained expression of markers associated with stemness, and a decreased expression of lineage specific markers was observed in the PRP-expanded cells when compared with the FBS-expanded cells. The in vitro osteogenic, chondrogenic, and myogenic differentiation capacities of the hMDPCs were not altered when expanded in media supplemented with PRP. All populations of hMDPCs that were expanded in PRP supplemented media retained their ability to regenerate myofibers in vivo. Our data demonstrated that PRP promoted the proliferation and maintained the multi-differentiation capacities of the hMDPCs during ex-vivo expansion by maintaining the cells in an undifferentiated state. Moreover, PDGF appears to be a key contributing factor to the beneficial effect that PRP has on the proliferation of hMDPCs. © 2013 Li et al

Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters in Liver and Adipose Tissues as Postmortem Markers for Ethanol Intake

AbstractBackground: Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) are nonoxidative metabolites of ethanol. FAEEs are found in liver, pancreas, and adipose tissues up to 24 h after consumption of ethanol, and on that basis, they are potentially useful markers for ethanol intake. In this study with rats, we investigated the efficacy of using FAEEs in liver and in adipose tissue as postmortem markers for premortem ethanol ingestion.Methods: An animal study was conducted in which test rats received injections of ethanol and control rats received injections of normal saline. The rats were killed 2 h after the injections. The bodies of the animals were stored at 4 °C up to 12 h, and samples of liver and adipose tissues were collected at different time intervals and processed for FAEE quantification. In another set of experiments, the rats received injections and were killed as described above, but bodies of animals from both groups were stored at 4, 25, or 37 °C for up to 72 h, and liver samples were collected and processed for FAEE quantification.Results: FAEEs were detected up to 12 h after death in liver and adipose tissue samples from the bodies of ethanol-treated animals stored at 4 °C; negligible amounts were detected in the bodies of animals that received normal saline. Adipose tissues contained higher amounts of FAEEs than liver, as well as more species: eight FAEE species in adipose tissue and five in liver tissue. Higher concentrations of FAEEs were detected in livers of treated animals stored at 25 °C for up to 48 h than in livers of controls stored under the same conditions.Conclusions: For at least 12 h after death, FAEEs in liver and adipose tissues are useful postmortem markers of premortem ethanol ingestion.</jats:p

The Effects of Anti-A and Anti-B On Platelet Function: An in Vitro Model of ABO Non-Identical Transfusion.

Abstract Abstract 2120 Poster Board II-97 Background: Transfusion of ABO non-identical red blood cells (RBCs) can cause immune mediated hemolytic transfusion reactions. Therefore, only ABO identical RBCs are transfused, except in emergencies, when group O RBCs are transfused. Use of exclusively ABO identical plasma and platelet (PLT) transfusions is not uniformly practiced nor always feasible despite reports of hemolytic reactions. Since PLTs and soluble plasma proteins possess A and B antigens, ABO non-identical PLTs could, theoretically, be activated and/or rendered hypofunctional by anti-A and anti-B antibodies (Abs) in transfused or recipient plasma. Recent findings demonstrate that transfusion of ABO non-identical PLTs is associated with increased bleeding in surgical patients and patients with leukemia. Blunt trauma patients who received at least one ABO non-identical blood product transfusion demonstrated a significantly higher RBC usage (12.3 ± 6.9 SD versus 8.4 ± 9.9 SD, p-value 0.0011) compared to those patients who received only ABO identical transfusions (Transfusion. 2007;47:192A). ABO identical PLT transfusions in leukemia patients were a significant predictor of survival (Leukemia. 2008;22:631-5). In a multi center retrospective analysis of more than one million cancer patients over a period of 9 years, Khorana et al. demonstrated an overall venous thromboembolism (VTE) rate of 4.1%. In multivariate risk factor analysis, the association between blood transfusions and VTE had an odds ratio of 1.35 (1.31-1.39, 95% CI) with a p value of &lt; 0.001 (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:2377-81). We hypothesized that PLTs activated by ABO Abs might have altered function. Methods and Materials: PLT function was evaluated by testing aggregation in platelet rich plasma (PRP). Aggregation was performed with PRP from 7 type A and 6 type B normal blood donors following a 10 min incubation period at 37°C with either normal saline, group O or AB plasma. PLTs were activated by 20 mM ADP and aggregation quantitated from the maximum change in OD. Similar experiments were repeated utilizing different titration of the commercial anti-A and anti-B anti-sera. Results: Following incubation with O plasma, PLT aggregation was inhibited by a mean of 38% and 18% for group A and B PLTs, respectively (P ≤ 0.005) (Figure). A trend toward inhibition was observed when type A PLTs were incubated with control AB plasma (average of 14%, P = 0.187), whereas type B PLT showed no inhibition when incubated with AB plasma (P = 0.939) (Table 1). PLT aggregation with the anti-sera showed gradual inhibition correlated with the antibody titer (Table 2). Conclusion: Mediators in group O plasma, most likely anti-A and anti-B Abs, cause impaired PLT aggregation in ABO non-identical PLTs. These in vitro findings may explain, at least in part, clinical observations that patients receiving ABO non-identical PLT transfusions experience more bleeding than recipients of ABO identical PLT transfusions. Table 1: PLT aggregation of A and B PRP with saline, O and AB plasma. Blood Donor Type N Average Percentage of Platelet Aggregation (SD) Normal Saline “O” Plasma P value* “AB” Plasma P value A 7 92 (7.4) 54 (9.9) &lt; 0.005 78 (2.9) 0.187 B 6 85 (6.8) 67 (9.8) 0.005 85.3 (7.9) 0.939 P value &lt; 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Figure: PLT function of type A PRP incubated for 10 min at 37°C with O or AB plasma, or normal saline. Figure:. PLT function of type A PRP incubated for 10 min at 37°C with O or AB plasma, or normal saline. Table 2: PLT aggregation of A and B PRP with different titration of the commercial anti-A and anti-B anti-sera. Anti-sera/Plasma Type A PRP P value Type B PRP P value Baseline 93.7 (3.1) — 83.4 (11) — 1:1024 48.7 (8.5) 0.006 36.3 (7.8) 0.0005 1:512 57.3 (2.5) 0.0001 47.7 (7.5) 0.002 1:256 59.5 (3.5) 0.008 59.5 (0.7) 0.002 1:128 55.5 (3.5) 0.006 67 (2.8) 0.027 AB plasma 87.7 (3.2) 0.08 81.2 (16) 0.88 Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. </jats:sec

An abattoir study of the prevalence of foot lesions and claw measurements in water buffalo in Egypt.

BackgroundLameness has been associated with compromised animal welfare and reduced productivity in dairy cattle herds worldwide. However, little is known about the prevalence of claw lesions in the dairy buffalo population in Egypt. Furthermore, the optimum measurements for claw trimming in buffalo are unknown. A cross-sectional cadaver study was conducted where 135 pair buffalo hind feet were collected from 4 slaughterhouses and examined for the presence of claw lesions. The proportion and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) of each type of lesion were calculated. A separate set of healthy claws (n = 26) underwent ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT). The agreement between US and CT measurements was assessed using Passing-Bablok regression and intraclass correlation coefficient. The CT measurements were used to calculate trimming recommendations.ResultsAt least one lesion was identified in 242 claws (89.6%, 95% CI = 85.4-93.0). In healthy claws, poor to moderate agreement was identified between US and CT measurements which could be due a sample size of the study. The average ± standard deviation (SD) minimum recommended external wall length of the lateral and medial claws in heifers was 7.1 ± 0.36 cm and 7.5 ± 0.35 cm, respectively. The average ± SD minimum recommended external wall length in buffaloes over five years of age was 8.2 ± 0.27 cm and 8.4 ± 0.39 cm for the lateral and medial claws, respectively.ConclusionsThe study found a high prevalence of claw lesions in buffalo in Egypt, the clinical significance of which requires further elucidation. Recommended measurements will help guide claw trimming in buffalo to minimise lesions