Rabies virus is endemic to Russia, among other countries. It is therefore critical to develop a high-quality and high-precision diagnostic procedure for the control and prevention of infection.
The ...main objective of the research presented here was to develop a reliable RT-qPCR assay for rabies diagnostics.
For this purpose, a RABV strains from various biological and geographical origins were used. In addition, rabies-positive and rabies-negative samples, as well as nucleic acids from other viruses and DNA extracted from the brain tissues of mice, dogs, cats, bats and humans, were studied using the developed assay.
The analytical sensitivity of the assay, as assessed using armored recombinant positive control dilutions, was 103 copies/ml, and the sensitivity measured using characterized strains was between 0.1 LD50/ml and 1.0 LD50/ml. A broad range of RNA from RABV strains circulating in different regions of Russia, as well as RNA from RABV-positive primary brain samples from 81 animals and two humans, was detected using the developed assay. No false-positive or false-negative results were obtained.
Given that high analytical and diagnostic sensitivities and a high specificity were verified for this assay, it has high potential as a screening test that may be suitable for the epizootiological monitoring of animals and for the fast postmortem diagnosis of rabies.
•Reliable qRT-PCR assay for RABV detection was developed and evaluated•Analytical sensitivity of the assay was 103 copies/ml, and the sensitivity measured using characterized strains was between 0.1 LD50/1ml and 1.0 LD50/1ml.•Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were both 100%
Conditions for the realization in rats of moderate physiological stress (PHS) (30–120min) were selected, which preferentially increase adaptive restorative processes without adverse responses typical ...of harmful stress (HST). The succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KDH) activity and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria were measured in lymphocytes by the cytobiochemical method, which detects the regulation of mitochondria in the organism with high sensitivity.
These mitochondrial markers undergo an initial 10–20-fold burst of activity followed by a decrease to a level exceeding the quiescent state 2–3-fold by 120min of PHS. By 30–60min, the rise in SDH activity was greater than in KDH activity, while the activity of KDH prevailed over that of SDH by 120min. The attenuation of SDH hyperactivity during PHS occurs by a mechanism other than oxaloacetate inhibition developed under HST.
The dynamics of SDH and KDH activity corresponds to the known physiological replacement of adrenergic regulation by cholinergic during PHS, which is confirmed here by mitochondrial markers because their activity reflects these two types of nerve regulation, respectively. The domination of cholinergic regulation provides the overrestoration of expenditures for activity. In essence, this phenomenon corresponds to the training of the organism. It was first revealed in mitochondria after a single short-time stress episode.
The burst of ROS formation was congruous with changes in SDH and KDH activity, as well as in ucp2 and cox3 expression, while the activity of SDH was inversely dependent on the expression of the gene of its catalytic subunit in the spleen. As the SDH activity enhanced, the expression of the succinate receptor decreased with subsequent dramatic rise when the activity was becoming lower.
This article is part of a Directed Issue entitled: Bioenergetic dysfunction, adaption and therapy.
The latest research proposed a new point of view about the material composition of so-called 'humic substances,' isolated from natural objects (soils, peats, sapropels, and composts) by alkaline ...solutions, and presented the conceptual model of direct influence of 'humic substances' on biochemical and biophysical processes into plants. 'Humic substances' are essentially black liquor, i.e., a product artificially obtained because of the alkaline hydrolysis of organic material from natural objects. Black liquor consists of a complex mixture of a variety of organic compounds. According to the proposed model, the biological activity of black liquor connects with accelerating the circulation of nutrients within plants, increasing the permeability of cell membranes, exhibiting de-toxicological properties, optimizing the ratio of organic and mineral anions in plants, and using some HS components as organic nutrients, inducing gene expression. Therefore, humic substances solutions have multifaceted effects on green vascular plants due to their direct influence on biochemical and biophysical processes.
This article presents the results of a comprehensive survey of the burden of tick-borne infectious diseases (TBIDs) in the Altai region of Russia. Official data for TBID incidence were analyzed and ...201 samples from patients with suspected TBID were studied. Furthermore, questing ticks and ticks recovered from humans were examined to estimate prevalence of TBID-causative agents. The Altai region was determined to have a heightened risk for TBIDs in Russia. The most epidemiologically significant tick-borne illness in this area is spotted fever group rickettsiosis, while nationally in Russia, the leading TBID is Lyme borreliosis. The prevalence of mixed infection was 12.4% among the studied cases. Additionally, the prevalence of poorly studied pathogens - Kemerovo virus (KEMV) and Rickettsia tarasevichiae - in ticks from the Altai region was determined.
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