Descripción de un brote de enfisema y edema pulmonar bovino agudo en el suroeste de córdoba, argentina

An acute bovine pulmonary edema and emphysema (ABPEE) outbreak observed in the southwest region of Cordoba province, Argentina is described. The outbreak occurred in spring 2004, in a cattle ranch located in Coronel Moldes, Departamento Rí­o Cuarto, Argentina, under natural grazing conditions, involving Aberdeen Angus x Hereford crossed cows, ~3-5 years of age. The outbreak started after moving the animals from a range lot with scarce pasture, to different grassland with higher availability of the same forage, after a rainfall event. Mortality and lethality rates were 6.6 % and 55.5 %, respectively. Three days after arrival in the new grassland, one dead animal was found. On the next day, several animals suddenly showed respiratory distress with remarkable expiratory dyspnea. Major lesions at necropsy included distended (not collapsed) lungs, emphysema, and intense interstitial edema. These lesions were confirmed by histopathology, including type II hyperplasia and hyaline membranes. Successful, symptomatic treatment was given at condition onset to those cows with severe respiratory distress. It was concluded that the natural pasture on which cattle were grazing at outbreak start -mostly Cynodon dactylon and Cynodon hirsutus- could have caused this pathology.Se describe un brote de enfisema y edema pulmonar agudo en bovinos de la zona Sur-Oeste de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina. El brote se presentó en la primavera de 2004 en un establecimiento de cría bovina de la localidad de Coronel Moldes, Departamento Río Cuarto, bajo condiciones naturales de pastoreo. Los animales afectados fueron vacas mestizas cruza Aberdeen Angus x Hereford de aproximadamente entre 3 y 5 años de edad. El brote se desencadenó después de un cambio de una pradera de baja disponibilidad a otra con la misma base forrajera, pero con mayor oferta, después de una lluvia. La mortalidad por esta causa fue de 6.6 % y la letalidad de un 55.5 %. La afección se presenta al tercer día de haber ingresado al nuevo lote, con un animal muerto. Al día siguiente aparecen bruscamente varios animales con signos de severa dificultad respiratoria. Los bovinos afectados presentaban un severo estrés respiratorio con marcada disnea espiratoria. Las principales lesiones encontradas en la necropsia fueron pulmones distendidos (sin colapsar), enfisema y edema intersticial intenso en el tejido pulmonar, lo cual fue corroborado, histopatológicamente, encontrándose hiperplasia de neumocitos tipo II y membranas hialinas. Se practicó tratamiento sintomático al inicio del cuadro, en aquellas vacas que presentaban un severo estrés respiratorio, el cual resultó ser efectivo. Se concluyó que la pastura natural que estaban pastoreando al iniciarse el brote, conformada en su mayor proporción por Cynodon dactylon y Cynodon hirsutus podría ser la causante de esta patología

Wound healing protects against chemotherapy-induced alopecia in young rats via up-regulating interleukin-1β-mediated signaling

YesWound healing is a complex process regulated by various cell types and a plethora of mediators. While interactions between wounded skin and the hair follicles (HFs) could induce HF neogenesis or promote wound healing, it remains unknown whether the wound healing-associated signaling milieu can be manipulated to protect against alopecia, such as chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). Utilizing a well-established neonatal rat model of CIA, we show here that skin wounding protects from alopecia caused by several clinically relevant chemotherapeutic regimens, and that protection is dependent on the time of wounding and hair cycle stage. Gene expression profiling unveiled a significant increase in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) mediated signaling by skin wounding. Subsequently, we showed that IL-1β is sufficient and indispensable for mediating the CIA-protective effect. Administration of IL-1β alone to unwounded rats exhibited local CIA protection while IL-1β neutralization abrogated CIA protection by wounding. Mechanistically, IL-1β retarded postnatal HF morphogenesis, making HFs at the wound sites or IL-1β treated areas damage-resistant while the rats developed total alopecia elsewhere. We conclude that wound healing switches the cutaneous cytokine milieu to an IL-1β-dominated state thus retarding HF growth progression and rendering the HFs resistant to chemotherapy agents. In the future, manipulation of HF progression through interfering with the IL-1β signaling milieu may provide therapeutic benefits to a variety of conditions, from prevention of CIA to inhibition of hair growth and treatment of hirsutism

Relative contributions of adipose-resident CD146 pericytes and CD34 adventitial progenitor cells in bone tissue engineering

Bone repair: synergistic healing from two types of fat cells Different kinds of cells found surrounding blood vessels in fat play a complementary and synergistic role in bone healing. Aaron James from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA, and colleagues derived two subsets of cells from human fat tissue: contractile cells known as pericytes that wrap around cellular lining of capillaries and tiny veins; and connective tissue cells known as adventitial cells that surrounds larger vessels. Under isolated culture conditions, pericytes stimulated the development of primitive blood vessels, whereas adventitial cells promoted early bone formation. The researchers applied the cells to the sites of bone defects in mice and saw that combined treatment with both pericytes and adventitial cells led to greater bone repair than treatment with either cell type alone

Apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Objective: To evaluate different aspects of apoptosis in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: The frequency of TUNEL positive peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytes (apoptotic index (AI)), as well as serum CD95 (APO1/Fas) antigen expression and serum levels of sFas and interleukin 15 (IL15), were examined in 44 cases of JIA. Results were correlated with type of onset, activity of JIA, and acute phase indicators. Results: The AI of lymphocytes was significantly higher in patients with JIA than in controls (p=0.020). The mean AI of lymphocytes was increased in JIA with systemic type of onset and high activity (p=0.001). Moreover, IL15 levels in systemic disease were higher than in controls (p=0.012). An increased AI correlated with raised IL15 (p=0.046), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p=0.005) and C reactive protein (CRP; p=0.017). Additionally, correlation was found between IL15 and CRP levels (p=0.039). CD95 and sFas levels were unchanged compared with controls. Conclusion: PB lymphocytes of children with JIA have an increased tendency to undergo apoptosis. The degree of apoptosis depends on the type of onset and activity of JIA and correlates with serum levels of IL15. Further studies are needed to explain whether this is an epiphenomenon of the disease activity or is related to the pathogenesis of JIA

Cellularizing hydrogel-based scaffolds to repair bone tissue: How to create a physiologically relevant micro-environment?

Tissue engineering is a promising alternative to autografts or allografts for the regeneration of large bone defects. Cell-free biomaterials with different degrees of sophistication can be used for several therapeutic indications, to stimulate bone repair by the host tissue. However, when osteoprogenitors are not available in the damaged tissue, exogenous cells with an osteoblast differentiation potential must be provided. These cells should have the capacity to colonize the defect and to participate in the building of new bone tissue. To achieve this goal, cells must survive, remain in the defect site, eventually proliferate, and differentiate into mature osteoblasts. A critical issue for these engrafted cells is to be fed by oxygen and nutrients: the transient absence of a vascular network upon implantation is a major challenge for cells to survive in the site of implantation, and different strategies can be followed to promote cell survival under poor oxygen and nutrient supply and to promote rapid vascularization of the defect area. These strategies involve the use of scaffolds designed to create the appropriate micro-environment for cells to survive, proliferate, and differentiate in vitro and in vivo. Hydrogels are an eclectic class of materials that can be easily cellularized and provide effective, minimally invasive approaches to fill bone defects and favor bone tissue regeneration. Furthermore, by playing on their composition and processing, it is possible to obtain biocompatible systems with adequate chemical, biological, and mechanical properties. However, only a good combination of scaffold and cells, possibly with the aid of incorporated growth factors, can lead to successful results in bone regeneration. This review presents the strategies used to design cellularized hydrogel-based systems for bone regeneration, identifying the key parameters of the many different micro-environments created within hydrogels

Descripción de un brote de enfisema y edema pulmonar bovino agudo en el suroeste de córdoba, argentina

Se describe un brote de enfisema y edema pulmonar agudo en bovinos de la zona Sur-Oeste de la provincia de Córdoba, Argentina. El brote se presentó en la primavera de 2004 en un establecimiento de cría bovina de la localidad de Coronel Moldes, Departamento Río Cuarto, bajo condiciones naturales de pastoreo. Los animales afectados fueron vacas mestizas cruza Aberdeen Angus x Hereford de aproximadamente entre 3 y 5 años de edad. El brote se desencadenó después de un cambio de una pradera de baja disponibilidad a otra con la misma base forrajera, pero con mayor oferta, después de una lluvia. La mortalidad por esta causa fue de 6.6 % y la letalidad de un 55.5 %. La afección se presenta al tercer día de haber ingresado al nuevo lote, con un animal muerto. Al día siguiente aparecen bruscamente varios animales con signos de severa dificultad respiratoria. Los bovinos afectados presentaban un severo estrés respiratorio con marcada disnea espiratoria. Las principales lesiones encontradas en la necropsia fueron pulmones distendidos (sin colapsar), enfisema y edema intersticial intenso en el tejido pulmonar, lo cual fue corroborado, histopatológicamente, encontrándose hiperplasia de neumocitos tipo II y membranas hialinas. Se practicó tratamiento sintomático al inicio del cuadro, en aquellas vacas que presentaban un severo estrés respiratorio, el cual resultó ser efectivo. Se concluyó que la pastura natural que estaban pastoreando al iniciarse el brote, conformada en su mayor proporción por Cynodon dactylon y Cynodon hirsutus podría ser la causante de esta patología