Anti- Anaplasma spp antibodies in a population at occupational risk of a veterinary hospital

El estudio tuvo como objetivo estimar la seroprevalencia de anticuerpos contra Anaplasma spp en estudiantes y personal del Hospital Clínico Veterinario Docente (HCVD) de la Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria de la Universidad Santo Tomás (UST), Talca, Chile. Se analizaron 58 muestras sanguíneas humanas mediante inmunofluorescencia indirecta (IFI) para IgG. Se utilizó el test exacto de Fischer o X2 para evaluar diferencias significativas (p<0.05) y el índice de Kappa para evaluar concordancia entre IFI y signología clínica. Se obtuvo el 25.9% de seropositividad a Anaplasma spp, encontrándose diferencias significativas en uso de medidas de bioseguridad, extracción de garrapatas y hallazgos de ectoparásitos en ropa. El índice Kappa fue de 0.13.The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies against Anaplasma spp in students and staff of the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Hospital (HCVD) of the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University Santo Tomás (UST), Talca, Chile. Blood samples (n=58) were collected and analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) for IgG. The exact Fischer or X2 test was used to evaluate significant differences (p<0.05) and the Kappa index to evaluate concordance between IFI and clinical signology. The results showed 25.9% of  seropositivity among students and staff for Anaplasma spp. Significant differences were found in the use of biosecurity measures, extraction of ticks, and ectoparasite findings in clothing. The Kappa index was 0.13

Brucelosis en personas con riesgo ocupacional en clínicas veterinarias de dos ciudades del centro sur de Chile

The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Brucella spp in people with occupational risk in veterinary clinics in two cities in south central Chile (Talca and Puerto Montt). Human sera (n=98) were analyzed using the Wright-Huddleson agglutination technique (sensitivity 54.9%, specificity 100%) and the exact Fischer test or X2 was used to evaluate significant differences between groups (p<0.05). A 3% seropositivity to Brucella spp was found (1.8% [1/53] for Talca and 4.4% [2/45] for Puerto Montt). According to the functions performed within veterinary clinics, seropositivity was 1.4% (1/71) for veterinary medicine students and 10% (2/19) in veterinary doctors, without significant differences between groups.El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la seroprevalencia de Brucella spp en personas con riesgo ocupacional en clínicas veterinarias de dos ciudades del centro sur de Chile (Talca y Puerto Montt). Se analizaron 98 sueros humanos mediante la técnica de aglutinación Wright-Huddleson (sensibilidad 54.9%, especificidad 100%) y se utilizó el test exacto de Fischer o X2 para evaluar diferencias significativas entre grupos (p<0.05). Se encontró 3% de seropositividad a Brucella spp (1.8% [1/53] para Talca y 4.4% [2/45] para Puerto Montt). Según las funciones realizadas dentro de las clínicas veterinarias, la seropositividad fue de 1.4% (1/71) para alumnos de medicina veterinaria y 10% (2/19) en médicos veterinarios, sin diferencias significativas entre grupos

Comprehensive analysis of epigenetic clocks reveals associations between disproportionate biological ageing and hippocampal volume

The concept of age acceleration, the difference between biological age and chronological age, is of growing interest, particularly with respect to age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Whilst studies have reported associations with AD risk and related phenotypes, there remains a lack of consensus on these associations. Here we aimed to comprehensively investigate the relationship between five recognised measures of age acceleration, based on DNA methylation patterns (DNAm age), and cross-sectional and longitudinal cognition and AD-related neuroimaging phenotypes (volumetric MRI and Amyloid-β PET) in the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Significant associations were observed between age acceleration using the Hannum epigenetic clock and cross-sectional hippocampal volume in AIBL and replicated in ADNI. In AIBL, several other findings were observed cross-sectionally, including a significant association between hippocampal volume and the Hannum and Phenoage epigenetic clocks. Further, significant associations were also observed between hippocampal volume and the Zhang and Phenoage epigenetic clocks within Amyloid-β positive individuals. However, these were not validated within the ADNI cohort. No associations between age acceleration and other Alzheimer’s disease-related phenotypes, including measures of cognition or brain Amyloid-β burden, were observed, and there was no association with longitudinal change in any phenotype. This study presents a link between age acceleration, as determined using DNA methylation, and hippocampal volume that was statistically significant across two highly characterised cohorts. The results presented in this study contribute to a growing literature that supports the role of epigenetic modifications in ageing and AD-related phenotypes

Comprehensive peptidomic and glycomic evaluation reveals that sweet whey permeate from colostrum is a source of milk protein-derived peptides and oligosaccharides

Whey permeate is a co-product obtained when cheese whey is passed through an ultrafiltration membrane to concentrate whey proteins. Whey proteins are retained by the membrane, whereas the low-molecular weight compounds such as lactose, salts, oligosaccharides and peptides pass through the membrane yielding whey permeate. Research shows that bovine milk from healthy cows contains hundreds of naturally occurring peptides – many of which are homologous with known antimicrobial and immunomodulatory peptides – and nearly 50 oligosaccharide compositions (not including structural isomers). As these endogenous peptides and oligosaccharides have low-molecular weight and whey permeate is currently an under-utilized product stream of the dairy industry, we hypothesized that whey permeate may serve as an inexpensive source of naturally occurring functional peptides and oligosaccharides. Laboratory fractionation of endogenous peptides and oligosaccharides from bovine colostrum sweet whey was expanded to pilot-scale. The membrane fractionation methodology used was similar to the methods commonly used industrially to produce whey protein concentrate and whey permeate. Pilot-scale fractionation was compared to laboratory-scale fractionation with regard to the identified peptides and oligosaccharide compositions. Results were interpreted on the basis of whether industrial whey permeate could eventually serve as a source of functional peptides and oligosaccharides. The majority (96%) of peptide sequences and the majority (96%) of oligosaccharide compositions found in the laboratory-scale process were mirrored in the pilot-scale process. Moreover, the pilot-scale process recovered an additional 33 peptides and 1 oligosaccharide not identified from the laboratory-scale extraction. Both laboratory- and pilot-scale processes yielded peptides deriving primarily from the protein ß-casein. The similarity of the laboratory- and pilot-scale's resulting peptide and oligosaccharide profiles demonstrates that whey permeate can serve as an industrial-scale source of bovine milk peptides and oligosaccharides

The effect of self-paced exercise intensity and cardiorespiratory fitness on frontal grey matter volume in cognitively normal older adults: A randomised controlled trial

Objective: Exercise has been found to be important in maintaining neurocognitive health. However, the effect of exercise intensity level remains relatively underexplored. Thus, to test the hypothesis that self-paced high-intensity exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness (peak aerobic capacity; VO2peak) increase grey matter (GM) volume, we examined the effect of a 6-month exercise intervention on frontal lobe GM regions that support the executive functions in older adults. Methods: Ninety-eight cognitively normal participants (age = 69.06 ± 5.2 years; n = 54 female) were randomised into either a self-paced high- or moderate-intensity cycle-based exercise intervention group, or a no-intervention control group. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and fitness assessment pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 12-months post-intervention. Results: The intervention was found to increase fitness in the exercise groups, as compared with the control group (F = 9.88, p = <0.001). Changes in pre-to-post-intervention fitness were associated with increased volume in the right frontal lobe (β = 0.29, p = 0.036, r = 0.27), right supplementary motor area (β = 0.30, p = 0.031, r = 0.29), and both right (β = 0.32, p = 0.034, r = 0.30) and left gyrus rectus (β = 0.30, p = 0.037, r = 0.29) for intervention, but not control participants. No differences in volume were observed across groups. Conclusions: At an aggregate level, six months of self-paced high- or moderate-intensity exercise did not increase frontal GM volume. However, experimentally-induced changes in individual cardiorespiratory fitness was positively associated with frontal GM volume in our sample of older adults. These results provide evidence of individual variability in exercise-induced fitness on brain structure

Fifteen years of the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study: Progress and observations from 2,359 older adults spanning the spectrum from cognitive normality to Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: The Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study commenced in 2006 as a prospective study of 1,112 individuals (768 cognitively normal (CN), 133 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 211 with Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD)) as an ‘Inception cohort’ who underwent detailed ssessments every 18 months. Over the past decade, an additional 1247 subjects have been added as an ‘Enrichment cohort’ (as of 10 April 2019). Objective: Here we provide an overview of these Inception and Enrichment cohorts of more than 8,500 person-years of investigation. Methods: Participants underwent reassessment every 18 months including comprehensive cognitive testing, neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI; positron emission tomography, PET), biofluid biomarkers and lifestyle evaluations. Results: AIBL has made major contributions to the understanding of the natural history of AD, with cognitive and biological definitions of its three major stages: preclinical, prodromal and clinical. Early deployment of Aβ-amyloid and tau molecular PET imaging and the development of more sensitive and specific blood tests have facilitated the assessment of genetic and environmental factors which affect age at onset and rates of progression. Conclusion: This fifteen-year study provides a large database of highly characterized individuals with longitudinal cognitive, imaging and lifestyle data and biofluid collections, to aid in the development of interventions to delay onset, prevent or treat AD. Harmonization with similar large longitudinal cohort studies is underway to further these aims