Levels of milk glycosaminoglycans in Holstein cows with clinical and subclinical mastitis

Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland whose diagnosis is based on clinical criteria and the determination of inflammatory markers. The disease is mainly caused by bacteria causing intra-mammary infections. The etiological agent/s are detected by milk culture or by molecular biology approaches. However, these methodologies are unpractical for on-farm diagnosis, where rapid decisions must be made when infected animals are detected. For this reason, the levels of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in milk were evaluated as a tool for the diagnosis of mastitis. GAGs levels were determined by the dimethylmethylene blue assay (DMMB) method in milk from healthy animals and in milk from animals with mastitis caused by different etiological agents. Low levels of GAGs (1.93 ± 0.40 mg) were found in milk samples obtained from healthy animals (H), while intermediate (2.4 ± 0.61 mg) and high levels (2.87 ± 0.7 mg) were found in milk obtained from cows with subclinical (SM) and clinical mastitis (CM), respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between the SM and H groups (p < 0.001) and between CM and the other groups (p < 0.0001). The highest levels of GAGs were detected in the CM group, in which coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CNS) and Streptococcus spp. were isolated. Animals infected by S. aureus had the highest levels of GAGs in the SM group. The sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) for the assessment of GAGs levels for CM diagnosis were 89.7 % and 81.6 %, respectively. For the diagnosis of SM, Se and Sp were 73.2 % and 95 %, respectively. The area under the curve for the diagnosis of CM was 0.902 (p < 0.0001), while that for SM was 0.833 (p < 0.0001). Results suggest that the measurement of GAGs levels in milk can be used as an indicator of udder health in dairy cattle, since increased levels of GAGs were associated with mastitis.Fil: Caggiano, Nicolás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Fisiología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Crespi, Elisa Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fiorini, Gonzalo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Fisiología Animal; ArgentinaFil: de Simone, Emilio Adrian. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Fisiología Animal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Characterization of IgM, total IgG, igG1 and hcabs in colostra of llamas (Lama glama) by Elisa

Objetivos: determinar los niveles de IgM, IgG total y Anticuerpos de Cadena Pesada (HCAbs; por su sigla en inglés Heavy Chain Antibodies) (IgG2 e IgG3) en calostro de llamas y evaluar la concentración de HCAbs en relación a la IgG total y al isotipo convencional IgG1. Métodos: en este estudio se utilizaron 15 llamas preñadas, que fueron ordeñadas dentro de las primeras 24 horas post-parto. Se diseñaron ELISAs Sandwich para la cuantificación de IgM total, IgG total e IgG1. La concentración de HCAbs fue calculada mediante la diferencia entre IgG total e IgG1. (HCAbs =IgG total-IgG1). Resultados: los niveles encontrados fueron: IgM=17.02 mg/ml (DS=9.85) IgG total= 42.54 mg/ml (DS=27.79), IgG1=24.34 mg/ml (DS=13.96) y HCAbs (IgG total-IgG1)= 18.19 mg/ml (DS=15.49). Los resultados de IgG fueron consistentes en relación a lo descripto en otras especies con similar tipo de placentación. Los HCAbs representan el 43% de IgG calostral y la concentración de IgM presentó valores muy altos (dos y tres veces más elevados) que los descriptos en las especies con similar tipo de placentación.Fil: Caggiano, Nicolás. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Saccodossi, Natalia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: Gentile, Maria Teresa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: Chiappe Barbará, María Angelina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Leoni, Juliana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; ArgentinaFil: de Simone, Emilio Adrian. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral "Profesor R. A. Margni"; Argentin

Prolactin and its receptor as therapeutic targets in glioblastoma multiforme

Although prolactin (PRL) and its receptor (PRLR) have been detected in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), their role in its pathogenesis remains unclear. Our aim was to explore their contribution in GBM pathogenesis. We detected PRL and PRLR in all GBM cell lines tested. PRLR activation or overexpression using plasmid transfection increased proliferation, viability, clonogenicity, chemoresistance and matrix metalloproteinase activity in GBM cells, while PRLR antagonist ∆1–9-G129R-hPRL reduced their proliferation, viability, chemoresistance and migration. Meta-analysis of transcriptomic data indicated that PRLR was expressed in all grade II-III glioma (GII-III) and GBM samples. PRL was upregulated in GBM biopsies when compared to GII-III. While in the general population tumour PRL/PRLR expression did not correlate with patient survival, biological sex-stratified analyses revealed that male patients with PRL+/PRLRHIGH GBM performed worse than PRL+/PRLRLOW GBM. In contrast, all male PRL+/PRLRHIGH GII-III patients were alive whereas only 30% of PRL+/PRLRLOW GII-III patients survived after 100 months. Our study suggests that PRLR may be involved in GBM pathogenesis and could constitute a therapeutic target for its treatment. Our findings also support the notion that sexual dimorphism should be taken into account to improve the care of GBM patients.Fil: Asad, Antonela Sofía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Nicola Candia, Alejandro Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: González, Nazareno. Laboratorio Max Planck de Biología Estructural, Química y Biofísica Molecular de Rosario; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Zuccato, Camila Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Abt, Araceli. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Orrillo, Santiago Jordi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Yael, Lastra. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Fisiología Animal; ArgentinaFil: de Simone, Emilio Adrian. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Cátedra de Fisiología Animal; ArgentinaFil: Boutillon, Florence. Inserm; FranciaFil: Goffin, Vincent. Inserm; FranciaFil: Seilicovich, Adriana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Pisera, Daniel Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferraris, Maria Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Candolfi, Marianela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentin

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery : defining a model for antimicrobial stewardship-results from an international cross-sectional survey

Background: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have been promoted to optimize antimicrobial usage and patient outcomes, and to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. However, the best strategies for an ASP are not definitively established and are likely to vary based on local culture, policy, and routine clinical practice, and probably limited resources in middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate structures and resources of antimicrobial stewardship teams (ASTs) in surgical departments from different regions of the world. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in 2016 on 173 physicians who participated in the AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections) project and on 658 international experts in the fields of ASPs, infection control, and infections in surgery. Results: The response rate was 19.4%. One hundred fifty-six (98.7%) participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary AST. The median number of physicians working inside the team was five [interquartile range 4-6]. An infectious disease specialist, a microbiologist and an infection control specialist were, respectively, present in 80.1, 76.3, and 67.9% of the ASTs. A surgeon was a component in 59.0% of cases and was significantly more likely to be present in university hospitals (89.5%, p <0.05) compared to community teaching (83.3%) and community hospitals (66.7%). Protocols for pre-operative prophylaxis and for antimicrobial treatment of surgical infections were respectively implemented in 96.2 and 82.3% of the hospitals. The majority of the surgical departments implemented both persuasive and restrictive interventions (72.8%). The most common types of interventions in surgical departments were dissemination of educational materials (62.5%), expert approval (61.0%), audit and feedback (55.1%), educational outreach (53.7%), and compulsory order forms (51.5%). Conclusion: The survey showed a heterogeneous organization of ASPs worldwide, demonstrating the necessity of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in the battle against antimicrobial resistance in surgical infections, and the importance of educational efforts towards this goal.Peer reviewe

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Recommendations, guidelines, and best practice for the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells for neuropharmacological studies of neuropsychiatric disorders

The number of individuals suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) has increased worldwide, with 3 million disability-adjusted life-years calculated in 2019. Though research using various approaches including genetics, imaging, clinical and animal models has advanced our knowledge regarding NPDs, we still lack basic knowledge regarding the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Moreover, there is an urgent need for highly effective therapeutics for NPDs i. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generated from somatic cells enabled scientists to create brain cells in a patient-specific manner. However, there are challenges to the use of hiPSCs that need to be addressed. In the current paper, consideration of best practices for neuropharmacological and neuropsychiatric research using hiPSCs will be discussed. Specifically, we provide recommendations for best practice in patient recruitment, including collecting demographic, clinical, medical (before and after treatment and response), diagnostic (incl. scales) and genetic data from the donors. We highlight considerations regarding donor genetics and sex, in addition to discussing biological and technical replicates. Furthermore, we present our views on selecting control groups/lines, experimental designs, and considerations for conducting neuropharmacological studies using hiPSC-based models in the context of NPDs. In doing so, we explore key issues in the field concerning reproducibility, statistical analysis, and how to translate in vitro studies into clinically relevant observations. The aim of this article is to provide a key resource for hiPSC researchers to perform robust and reproducible neuropharmacological studies, with the ultimate aim of improving identification and clinical translation of novel therapeutic drugs for NPDs

Study of the B−→Λc+Λˉc−K−B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-} decay

The decay $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. In the $\Lambda_{c}^+ K^{-}$ system, the $\Xi_{c}(2930)^{0}$ state observed at the BaBar and Belle experiments is resolved into two narrower states, $\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}$ and $\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}$, whose masses and widths are measured to be $$m(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = 2924.5 \pm 0.4 \pm 1.1 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ m(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = 2938.5 \pm 0.9 \pm 2.3 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = \phantom{000}4.8 \pm 0.9 \pm 1.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},\\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = \phantom{00}11.0 \pm 1.9 \pm 7.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},$$ where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The results are consistent with a previous LHCb measurement using a prompt $\Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ sample. Evidence of a new $\Xi_{c}(2880)^{0}$ state is found with a local significance of $3.8\,\sigma$, whose mass and width are measured to be $2881.8 \pm 3.1 \pm 8.5\,\mathrm{MeV}$ and $12.4 \pm 5.3 \pm 5.8 \,\mathrm{MeV}$, respectively. In addition, evidence of a new decay mode $\Xi_{c}(2790)^{0} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ is found with a significance of $3.7\,\sigma$. The relative branching fraction of $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ with respect to the $B^{-} \to D^{+} D^{-} K^{-}$ decay is measured to be $2.36 \pm 0.11 \pm 0.22 \pm 0.25$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third originates from the branching fractions of charm hadron decays.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-028.html (LHCb public pages

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Measurement of the ratios of branching fractions R(D∗)\mathcal{R}(D^{*}) and R(D0)\mathcal{R}(D^{0})

The ratios of branching fractions $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})\equiv\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})\equiv\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb${ }^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode $\tau^{-}\to\mu^{-}\nu_{\tau}\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$. The measured values are $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})=0.281\pm0.018\pm0.024$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})=0.441\pm0.060\pm0.066$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is $\rho=-0.43$. Results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-039.html (LHCb public pages