Summary
Background
Potomac horse fever (PHF) is a potentially fatal enterocolitis of horses caused by Neorickettsia risticii. The disease was originally recognised almost 40 years ago in the state of ...Maryland in the US. It is now known to occur in many areas of North America, as well as having been described in South America and Europe. Monocomponent PHF vaccines are available, but clinical protection with vaccination has been reported to be inconsistent.
Objectives
This study was designed to assess the immunogenicity of a commercially available Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) vaccine when administered as either a monovalent PHF vaccine simultaneously co‐administered with a separate monovalent Rabies vaccine or as a multivalent PHF/Rabies vaccine in horses.
Study design
Randomised parallel group trial.
Methods
Ninety‐one client or University owned horses participated in this open‐label randomised study, with 45 horses receiving the monovalent vaccines at separate sites and 46 receiving the multivalent vaccine at a single site. Serum PHF IFA titres were determined twice prior to vaccination and at 1, 2 and 3 months after vaccination.
Results
Both vaccination protocols exhibited poor immunogenicity, with only one‐third of all the animals demonstrating seroconversion, defined as an increase in titre of greater than 400 over baseline, at any time point after vaccination. The monovalent PHF vaccine exhibited significantly greater immunogenicity in terms of the number of horses exhibiting seroconversion, as compared to the multivalent vaccine, at one (20 vs. 11, P = 0.03) and two (18 vs. 9, p = 0.02) months post vaccination. The monovalent PHF vaccine also exhibited significantly greater immunogenicity in terms of the median (interquartile range) IFA titres, as compared to the multivalent vaccine, at one (800 200–1600 vs. 400 200–800, P = 0.009) and 2 months (400 200–1600 vs. 400 100–800, P = 0.02) post vaccination. There was no significant difference between groups at 3 months in either seroconversion rate or median IFA titers.
Main limitations
This study did not assess the actual protective effects of PHF vaccination but rather used the serologic response to vaccination as a surrogate biomarker of immunity.
Conclusions
The multivalent PHF/Rabies vaccine exhibited lower immunogenicity as compared to the monovalent PHF vaccine co‐administered with a separate Rabies vaccine.
Female genital tract secretions are commonly sampled by lavage of the ectocervix and vaginal vault or via a sponge inserted into the endocervix for evaluating inflammation status and immune factors ...critical for HIV microbicide and vaccine studies. This study uses a proteomics approach to comprehensively compare the efficacy of these methods, which sample from different compartments of the female genital tract, for the collection of immune factors. Matching sponge and lavage samples were collected from 10 healthy women and were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. Data was analyzed by a combination of differential protein expression analysis, hierarchical clustering and pathway analysis. Of the 385 proteins identified, endocervical sponge samples collected nearly twice as many unique proteins as cervicovaginal lavage (111 vs. 61) with 55% of proteins common to both (213). Each method/site identified 73 unique proteins that have roles in host immunity according to their gene ontology. Sponge samples enriched for specific inflammation pathways including acute phase response proteins (p = 3.3710-24) and LXR/RXR immune activation pathways (p = 8.8210-22) while the role IL-17A in psoriasis pathway (p = 5.9810-4) and the complement system pathway (p = 3.9110-3) were enriched in lavage samples. Many host defense factors were differentially enriched (p<0.05) between sites including known/potential antimicrobial factors (n = 21), S100 proteins (n = 9), and immune regulatory factors such as serpins (n = 7). Immunoglobulins (n = 6) were collected at comparable levels in abundance in each site although 25% of those identified were unique to sponge samples. This study demonstrates significant differences in types and quantities of immune factors and inflammation pathways collected by each sampling technique. Therefore, clinical studies that measure mucosal immune activation or factors assessing HIV transmission should utilize both collection methods to obtain the greatest representation of immune factors secreted into the female genital tract.
An Unexpected Discovery Stancu, Samantha Mc Kenzie; Popescu, Bogdan Aurelian; Beuran, Mircea
Chirurgia (Bucharest, Romania : 1990),
2016 May-Jun, Letnik:
111, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Meckel's Diverticulum is the most common congenital malformation of the gastrointestinal tract with a prevalence of 2 % in the general population, being twice as common and symptomatic in males. Not ...seldom is the diagnosis made incidentally, upon laparotomy for other intra-abdominal conditions, namely acute appendicitis. Simple Diverticulectomy is the surgical treatment of choice. We present the case of S.M., a 38 year-old male who was admitted to the Surgery Department of the Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital for sudden onset of initially periumbilical pain, which later migrated and localized in the right iliac fossa (RIF) accompanied by vomiting after the onset of pain, approximately 24 hours prior to admission. Examination of the abdomen revealed localized peritoneal signs. An Alvarado score of 8 was calculated. A laparotomy for appendectomy was performed, upon which the sigmoid colon was found in the RIF, and an appendix of 10 cm in length was visualized in a subhepatic, ascendant position. At a distance of 90 cm from the ileocecal valve, a Meckel's Diverticulum with dimensions of 7/4 cm was discovered. A retrograde appendectomy was performed first, along with a simple diverticulectomy, with the use of a TA 30 mm stapler. The operative time was 90 minutes without intraoperative complications, and an uneventful postoperative recovery, culminating with discharge of the patient on the fifth postoperative day. Despite its high prevalence, Meckel's Diverticulum still represents a diagnostic challenge, especially in the adult population, notably in asymptomatic patients. Moreover, ectopic gastric or pancreatic tissue, present in 50% of the cases, leads to a vast array of differential diagnoses. Due to its numerous life-threatening complications such as bleeding, intestinal obstruction, volvulus, intussusception, diverticulitis, fistulization and perforation, accurate diagnosis and timely treatment is crucial.
Abstract
Introduction and Aims
Despite the attention given to the broad topic of alcohol and violence, there are few studies of this relationship in the context of sporting events and their impact on ...alcohol‐related hospital emergency department (
ED
) attendances, none of which are Australian.
Methods
De‐identified patient records from
B
arwon
H
ealth's
G
eelong
H
ospital
ED
were analysed from 1
J
uly 2005 to 16
F
ebruary 2010. Information contained in these records included age, gender, suburb of residence, attendance date and time, arrival mode and reason for attendance. The
ED
triage database was searched for attendances relating to alcohol, drugs and assault of which 16 940 cases were returned.
Results
There was a substantial increase in annual alcohol‐related
ED
attendances from 2006 to 2009. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses showed that having a game on a particular day did not contribute to the model, but there were significantly more
ED
attendances for assaults on days when the
G
eelong
C
ats won. There were no significant predictors of
ED
attendance for alcohol‐related harm in the variables studied.
Discussion
The findings of the study suggest that there are significantly more assault‐related attendances at the
ED
in
G
eelong when the local national football team, the
G
eelong
C
ats, won. None of the variables under investigation appears to have impacted on alcohol‐related attendances which were not assaults (i.e. injuries or intoxication).
Conclusions
It appears that increases in
ED
attendances associated with the success of a local sporting team are not significantly associated with alcohol use and are more influenced by other factors.
Climate change in the uplands Orr, H. G.; Wilby, R. L.; Hedger, M. McKenzie ...
Climate research,
09/2008, Letnik:
37, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The UK uplands are highly sensitive and significant cultural landscapes that have been created by woodland clearance for agriculture and are at threat from fire, over-grazing, mineral extraction, ...land drainage, air pollution and recreation. Some of these activities increase upland sensitivity to climate change, contributing to increased flood risk, or soil carbon losses. Many distinct areas of public policy impinge on the uplands, but most have yet to integrate climate change protection within their objectives. Placed within the emerging ecosystems services perspective, policies could be modified to deliver land management services to secure soil carbon stocks, and to protect the goods, services and functions that uplands deliver. There are, therefore, both new opportunities and threats to tackle. The present paper outlines climate sensitivity and change in the uplands; reviews adaptation and mitigation options; and considers available policy, information and management tools. Within an ecosystems framework, emphasis is placed on safeguarding key regulatory services. We offer a research agenda to support adaptation and outline measures that could be developed within existing regulatory frameworks, or signal where policies may need revision. Research priorities include better quantification of carbon fluxes under different soils and land management practices, techniques for up-scaling local interventions to quantify landscape-scale benefits, and the evaluation of adaptive responses in the context of sustainable land use. Potential adaptation strategies include improved spatial planning for land and water, the creation of networked habitats to enable species migration, and practical guidance on appropriate locations for intensification and extensification of land use.
The angle $\gamma$ of the Cabibbo--Kobayashi--Maskawa unitarity triangle is a
benchmark parameter of the Standard Model of particle physics. A method to
determine $\gamma$ from $B^{\pm} \to D ...K^{\pm}$ with subsequent $D \to K_{\rm
S}^0\pi^+\pi^-$ or similar multibody decays has been proven to provide good
sensitivity. We review the first discussions on the use of this technique, and
its impact subsequently. We propose that this approach should be referred to as
the BPGGSZ method.
Three random and three block copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and octadecyl acrylate (ODA) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization. These copolymers were assessed for their ...application as stabilizers in the one-step non-aqueous dispersion (NAD) polymerization of MMA and of acrylonitrile (AN) in a non-polar solvent mixture of hexane and dodecane. In all cases stable spherical micro-particle colloidal dispersions were formed with particle diameters in the range of 62–2725 nm for PMMA. Uniform monodisperse PMMA particles with standard deviations in size distributions of less than 5% were obtained in two cases demonstrating the utility of ODA:MMA copolymers as replacement preformed stabilizers in the one-step synthesis of MMA micro-spheres. Overall the block copolymer PMMA64-block-PODA36 gave greater control over size when varying the solvent:monomer ration than a related gradient PMMA–PODA copolymer. These copolymers were further used as stabilizers in the one-step NAD polymerization of MMA with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) under similar conditions allowing for the preparation of monodisperse cross-linked PMMA particles with diameters ranging from 110 to 1700 nm. The general utility of the copolymers as stabilizers was demonstrated by the NAD polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) in non-polar solvent mixture of hexane and dodecane giving ‘crumpled’ latex dispersions with particle diameters in the range 85–483 nm.
Display omitted
Phys. Rev. D 102, 053003 (2020) Several methods exist to measure $CP$ violation observables related to the
CKM unitarity triangle angle $\gamma$ using $B$ meson decays. These observables
are ...different for every $B$ meson decay considered, although the information
they contain on $\gamma$ is encoded in a similar way for all of them. This
paper describes a strategy for a simultaneous measurement of $\gamma$ using
several $B$ meson decays that takes into account possible correlations between
them. Sensitivity studies demonstrate that the simultaneous analysis of several
$B$ meson decay modes results in smaller uncertainties and improved statistical
behaviour compared to a combination of standalone measurements.
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