Short Takes

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2016
Source:Pediatric Neurology
Author(s): Steven G. Pavlakis




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Uncovering potential key genes associated with the pathogenesis of asthma: A microarray analysis of asthma-relevant tissues

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Allergologia et Immunopathologia
Author(s): Y. Guan, X. Jin, X. Liu, Y. Huang, M. Wang, X. Li
BackgroundThe present study aimed to discover more potential genes associated with the pathogenesis of asthma.MethodsThe microarray data of GSE67940 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in bronchial alveolar lavage cells from patients with mild-moderate asthma (notSA) and severe asthma (SA) compared with normal controls (NC), respectively. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed upon the identified up- and down-regulated DEGs. Besides, the gene association network based on the common up-regulated and down-regulated genes was generated and transcriptional regulatory pairs of overlapping DEGs in the PPI network were identified.ResultsA total of 104 DEGs (30 up- and 74 down-regulated genes) were identified in notSA vs. NC. Additionally, 2796 DEGs were screened out in SA vs. NC group, including 320 up-regulated DEGs, and 135 down-regulated DEGs. Specially, 41 overlapping DEGs were screened out in notSA vs. NC and SA vs. NC, including 16 common up-regulated genes and 25 common down-regulated genes. No pathways were enriched by the DEGs in notSA vs. NC. DEGs in SA vs. NC were associated with cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction. VEGFA was a hub protein in both the PPI networks of DEGs in notSA vs. NC and SA vs. NC. Gene association network showed that signalling pathways and cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction were involved in. The overlapping VEGFA, and IFRD1, and ZNF331 were regulated by more TFs.ConclusionGenes such as VEGFA, and IFRD1, and ZNF331 may be associated with pathogenesis of asthma.



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A Comprehensive Review of In Situ Fenestration of Aortic Endografts

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Author(s): M. Glorion, R. Coscas, R.G. McWilliams, I. Javerliat, O. Goëau-Brissonniere, M. Coggia
ObjectiveDespite technical advances of fenestrated and branched endografts, endovascular exclusion of aneurysms involving renal, visceral, and/or supra-aortic branches remains a challenge. In situ fenestration (ISF) of standard endografts represents another endovascular means to maintain perfusion to such branches. This study aimed to review current indications, technical descriptions, and results of ISF.MethodA review of the English language literature was performed in Medline databases, Cochrane Database, Web of Science, and Scopus using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Sixty-seven relevant papers were selected. Thirty-three papers were excluded, leaving 34 articles as the basis of the present review.ResultsMost experimental papers evaluated ISF feasibility and assessed the consequences of ISF on graft fabric. Regarding clinical papers, 73 ISF procedures have been attempted in 58 patients, including 26 (45%) emergent and three (5%) bailout cases. Sixty-five (89%) ISF were located at the level of the arch, and eight (11%) in the abdominal aorta. Graft perforation was performed by physical, mechanical, or unspecified means in 33 (45%), 38 (52%), and two vessels (3%), respectively. ISF was technically successful in 68/73 (93%) arteries. At 30 days, two (3.4%) patients died in the setting of an aorto-bronchial fistula and an aorto-oesophageal fistula, respectively. No post-operative death, major complication, or endoleak was described as secondary to the ISF procedure. With follow-up between 0 and 72 months, four (6.9%) late deaths were noted, unrelated to the aorta. One (1.7%) LSA stent was stenosed without symptoms.ConclusionsAlthough there may be publication bias, multiple techniques were described to perform ISF with satisfactory short-term results. Long-term data remain scarce. Aortic endograft ISF is an off-label procedure that should not be used outside emergent bailout techniques or investigational studies. A comparison with alternative techniques of preserving aortic side branches is needed.

Graphical abstract

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Analysis of debrided and non-debrided invasive squamous cell carcinoma skin lesions by in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy before and after therapy

Abstract

Hyperkeratosis hinders the application of reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) to image squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Not all lesions with SCC show hyperkeratosis, and these lesions can be directly imaged. However, lesions with hyperkeratosis can be treated by debriding the hyperkeratotic surface for further imaging. RCM was used to investigate patients with suspected SCC. Lesions without obvious keratosis underwent direct RCM examinations. Lesions with obvious keratosis were treated by debriding the hyperkeratotic surface. The following main RCM criteria were used to diagnose invasive SCC: atypical keratinocytes arranged in nests, islands, and disarrangement patterns; an atypical honeycomb pattern; the absence of a cobblestone pattern; and non-edged dermal papillae. Other characteristics of invasive SCC observed by confocal microscopy included keratin pearl structures, hyperkeratosis, and inflammatory cell infiltration. During the follow-up period after treatment, both the cobblestone pattern and edged dermal papillae were as important as the typical honeycomb pattern in suggesting a normal skin structure. Our findings indicate RCM is a valuable tool to noninvasively examine the histology of invasive SCC before and after therapy.

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The effect of modified surgical flap design for removal of lower third molars on lingual nerve injury

Abstract

Aim

The objective of this study was to evaluate a modified flap design for removal of lower third molars with avoidance of lingual flap elevation and its effect on postsurgical lingual nerve sensory impairment.

Materials and methods

The patients included in this prospective study were those referred for removal of symptomatic lower third molars at two Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery clinics. Different patterns of impaction were included regarding the angulation and depth of the lower third molar. Patients were reviewed 1 day after surgery, then after 1 week. Each patient was examined at each recall visit for any sensory alterations of the lingual nerve. The data collected was correlated to several variables including the age, gender, side of operation, state of eruption, angulation, depth of impaction, and tooth division.

Results

A number of 53 patients (23 males and 30 females), at ages ranging from 16 to 43 years, underwent surgical removal of 66 fully or partially impacted lower third molars under local anesthesia using a modified flap design. The modified flap design provided adequate exposure for removal of the lower third molar for all patterns of impactions included, regarding the state of eruption, angulation, and depth of the tooth.

Conclusion

This study showed that the investigated flap design can be safely used to remove lower third molars for different patterns of impaction without jeopardizing the lingual tissues thus providing optimum protection for the lingual nerve since it provided adequate exposure to remove the tooth without the reflection of a lingual flap.

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Molecular detection of bacteria associated to caries activity in dentinal lesions

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed at identifying and quantifying Actinomyces naeslundii, Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus mitis group, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei group, Streptococcus gordonii, and Streptococcus mutans in active and inactive carious dentine lesions of children with early childhood caries by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Material and methods

Fifty-six dentin lesion samples, classified as active (n = 39) or inactive (n = 17), were collected from children aged from 2 to 5 years old. Dentinal-cavitated lesions were evaluated by Nyvad criteria for the assessment of caries lesion activity.

Results

Relative quantification revealed that Bifidobacterium spp. and the L. casei group were significantly more abundant in active dentin lesions (p < 0.05). Concentrations of A. naeslundii, S. mitis group, and S. gordonii were not significantly different when comparing dentin lesion activity. The relative proportion of S. mutans was significantly greater in inactive than in active lesions (p < 0.05). Bifidobacterium spp. and L. casei group demonstrated a positive correlation (p = 0.001) in active lesions. The positive detection of L. acidophilus (odds ratio = 15.1) and S. gordonii (odds ratio = 7.7) was significantly associated to the active lesions.

Conclusions

The data indicate that higher detection levels of Bifidobacterium spp. and the L. casei group may be linked to dentin lesion activity. Additionally, the presence of L. acidophilus and S. gordonii was associated with lesion activity.

Clinical relevance

Considering that information about the oral microbiota related to dentin caries activity status is relevant, this study provides insights to better understand the differences in the microbiotas between active and arrested dentin cavities.

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Efficacy and toxicity of rechallenge with combination immune checkpoint blockade in metastatic melanoma: a case series

Abstract

Background

The efficacy and potential toxicity of rechallenge with combination ipilimumab and nivolumab has not been described. Retreatment of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the setting of prior significant toxicity lacks evidence-based guidance.

Methods

We present the first three, consecutive patients who received re-treatment with combination ipilimumab and nivolumab for metastatic melanoma managed at our institution.

Results

Rechallenge with combination ipilimumab and nivolumab in the setting of prior grade 3 toxicity with initial combination therapy is feasible, and responses are seen. We highlight the fact that grade 3 toxicity is likely to recur, but if so, can be manageable.

Conclusions

Retreatment with ipi + nivo may be considered an option in carefully selected, well-informed patients. More research is required to delineate the benefits and risks with this approach.

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Allergies – A T cells perspective in the era beyond the TH1/TH2 paradigm

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2016
Source:Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Moritz Berker, Larissa Johanna Frank, Anja Lidwina Geßner, Niklas Grassl, Anne Verena Holtermann, Stefanie Höppner, Christian Kraef, Martin Dominik Leclaire, Pia Maier, David Alexander Christian Messerer, Lino Möhrmann, Jan Philipp Nieke, Diana Schoch, Dominik Soll, Christina Marianne Paulina Woopen
Allergic diseases have emerged as a major health care burden, especially in the western hemisphere. They are defined by overshooting reactions of an aberrant immune system to harmless exogenous stimuli. The TH1/TH2 paradigm assumes that a dominance of TH2 cell activation and an inadequate TH1 cell response are responsible for the development of allergies. However, the characterization of additional T helper cell subpopulations such as TH9, TH17, TH22, THGM-CSF and their interplay with regulatory T cells suggest further layers of complexity. This review summarizes state-of-the-art knowledge on T cell diversity and their induction, while revisiting the TH1/TH2 paradigm. With respect to these numerous contributors, it offers a new perspective on the pathogenesis of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic dermatitis (AD) incorporating recent discoveries in the field of T cell plasticity.



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ADSA Member News ...

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12





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Invited review: Experimental design, data reporting, and sharing in support of animal systems modeling research1

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): J.P. McNamara, M.D. Hanigan, R.R. White
The National Animal Nutrition Program "National Research Support Project 9" supports efforts in livestock nutrition, including the National Research Council's committees on the nutrient requirements of animals. Our objective was to review the status of experimentation and data reporting in animal nutrition literature and to provide suggestions for the advancement of animal nutrition research and the ongoing improvement of field-applied nutrient requirement models. Improved data reporting consistency and completeness represent a substantial opportunity to improve nutrition-related mathematical models. We reviewed a body of nutrition research; recorded common phrases used to describe diets, animals, housing, and environmental conditions; and proposed equivalent numerical data that could be reported. With the increasing availability of online supplementary material sections in journals, we developed a comprehensive checklist of data that should be included in publications. To continue to improve our research effectiveness, studies utilizing multiple research methodologies to address complex systems and measure multiple variables will be necessary. From the current body of animal nutrition literature, we identified a series of opportunities to integrate research focuses (nutrition, reproduction and genetics) to advance the development of nutrient requirement models. From our survey of current experimentation and data reporting in animal nutrition, we identified 4 key opportunities to advance animal nutrition knowledge: (1) coordinated experiments should be designed to employ multiple research methodologies; (2) systems-oriented research approaches should be encouraged and supported; (3) publication guidelines should be updated to encourage and support sharing of more complete data sets; and (4) new experiments should be more rapidly integrated into our knowledge bases, research programs and practical applications.



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Choline absorption and evaluation of bioavailability markers when supplementing choline to lactating dairy cows

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): M.J. de Veth, V.M. Artegoitia, S.R. Campagna, H. Lapierre, F. Harte, C.L. Girard
The metabolites of choline have a central role in many mammalian biological processes, and choline supplementation to the periparturient dairy cow improves hepatic lipid metabolism. However, variability in responses to choline supplementation has highlighted a lack of understanding of choline absorption in the lactating dairy cow. Our objective was to determine net choline absorption by measuring net portal fluxes of choline and choline metabolites in cows receiving either dietary supplements of rumen-protected choline (RPC) or abomasal delivery of choline (ADC). We also evaluated markers for choline bioavailability by examining relationships between net portal absorption of choline and choline metabolites in plasma and milk. Five late-lactation Holstein cows were used in a 5×5 Latin square design, with 5-d treatment periods and a 2-d interval between periods. Treatments were (1) control (0g/d of choline), (2) 12.5g/d of choline fed as RPC, (3) 25g/d of choline fed as RPC, (4) 12.5g/d of choline provided as ADC, and (5) 25g/d of choline provided as ADC. At the end of each 5-d period, milk was sampled and 9 blood samples were collected simultaneously from an artery and portal vein at 30-min intervals. Plasma, milk, and feed ingredient concentrations of acetylcholine, betaine, free choline, glycerophosphocholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphocholine, and sphingomyelin were quantified by hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. With an increasing dose of ADC, the net portal flux of free choline increased and regression analysis indicated 61% net absorption of the infused dose. Among the choline metabolites, only concentrations of betaine, free choline, and phosphocholine increased in both arterial plasma (3.9, 1.9, and 0.4 times, respectively) and milk (2.5, 1.4, and 1.0 times, respectively) with 25g/d of ADC relative to the control. For RPC, the net portal flux of free choline was low relative to ADC (13%), which was similar to the relative difference observed in the concentrations and yields of milk free choline and betaine (averaged 21%). When evaluating markers for choline bioavailability, betaine was the leading candidate. Betaine in plasma and milk (alone or in combination with phosphocholine) was strongly associated with net free choline portal flux (coefficient of determination ranging from 0.64 to 0.79). In summary, free choline supply to the lactating dairy cow increases only specific choline metabolites in plasma and milk, which can be potential markers for choline bioavailability.



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Goat whey ameliorates intestinal inflammation on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Daline Fernandes de Souza Araújo, Gerlane Coelho Bernardo Guerra, Raimundo Fernandes de Araújo Júnior, Aurigena Antunes de Araújo, Paloma Oliveira Antonino de Assis, Ariosvaldo Nunes de Medeiros, Yasmim Regis Formiga de Sousa, Maria Manuela Estevez Pintado, Julio Gálvez, Rita de Cássia Ramos do Egypto Queiroga
Complementary or alternative medicine is of great interest for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, with the aim of ameliorating the side effects of the drugs commonly used or improving their efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the ability of goat whey to prevent intestinal inflammation in the experimental model of acetic acid-induced rats and compared it to sulfasalazine. Pretreatment with goat whey (1, 2, and 4g/kg) and sulfasalazine (250mg/kg) on colitic rats improved colonic inflammatory markers, including myeloperoxidase activity, leukotriene B4 levels, as well as the production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α. Furthermore, the administration of goat whey significantly reduced the colonic oxidative stress by reducing malondialdehyde levels and increased total glutathione content, a potent antioxidant peptide. The histological evaluation of the colonic specimens from colitic rats confirmed these beneficial effects, as goat whey preserved the colonic tissue, especially in those rats treated with the highest dose of goat whey or with sulfasalazine. The immunohistochemistry analysis of the colonic tissue evaluation also revealed a reduction in the expression of cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, together with an increased expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1. These results suggest that goat whey exerted a preventive effect against the intestinal damage induced by acetic acid, showing a similar efficacy to that shown by sulfasalazine, therefore making it a potential treatment for human inflammatory bowel disease.



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Multivariate factor analysis of detailed milk fatty acid profile: Effects of dairy system, feeding, herd, parity, and stage of lactation

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): M. Mele, N.P.P. Macciotta, A. Cecchinato, G. Conte, S. Schiavon, G. Bittante
We investigated the potential of using multivariate factor analysis to extract metabolic information from data on the quantity and quality of milk produced under different management systems. We collected data from individual milk samples taken from 1,158 Brown Swiss cows farmed in 85 traditional or modern herds in Trento Province (Italy). Factor analysis was carried out on 47 individual fatty acids, milk yield, and 5 compositional milk traits (fat, protein, casein, and lactose contents, somatic cell score). According to a previous study on multivariate factor analysis, a variable was considered to be associated with a specific factor if the absolute value of its correlation with the factor was ≥0.60. The extracted factors were representative of the following 12 groups of fatty acids or functions: de novo fatty acids, branched fatty acid-milk yield, biohydrogenation, long-chain fatty acids, desaturation, short-chain fatty acids, milk protein and fat contents, odd fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids, linoleic acid, udder health, and vaccelenic acid. Only 5 fatty acids showed small correlations with these groups. Factor analysis suggested the existence of differences in the metabolic pathways for de novo short- and medium-chain fatty acids and Δ⁹-desaturase products. An ANOVA of factor scores highlighted significant effects of the dairy farming system (traditional or modern), season, herd/date, parity, and days in milk. Factor behavior across levels of fixed factors was consistent with current knowledge. For example, compared with cows farmed in modern herds, those in traditional herds had higher scores for branched fatty acids, which were inversely associated with milk yield; primiparous cows had lower scores than older cows for de novo fatty acids, probably due to a larger contribution of lipids mobilized from body depots on milk fat yield. The statistical approach allowed us to reduce a large number of variables to a few latent factors with biological meaning and able to represent groups of fatty acids with a common origin and function. Multivariate factor analysis would therefore be a valuable tool for studying the influence of different production environments and individual animal factors on milk fatty acid composition, and for developing nutritional strategies able to manipulate the milk fatty acid profile according to consumer demand.



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Immune-modulating properties of horse milk administered to mice sensitized to cow milk

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): J. Fotschki, A.M. Szyc, J.M. Laparra, L.H. Markiewicz, B. Wróblewska
The aim of this study was to examine immune adaptive changes, the expression of innate biomarkers and variations in intestinal microbiota composition after horse-milk administration in BALB/c mice, which were sensitized intraperitoneally using cow β-lactoglobulin and α-casein with aluminum adjuvant. We measured serum antibody IgE levels and the expression of MCP-1, IL-4, and TNF-α in duodenal samples. Changes in immune cell populations in peripheral blood were quantified using flow cytometry, and intestinal microbiota composition was assessed using real-time PCR. We found that horse-milk administration decreased serum IgE levels in sensitized mice. The groups that received horse milk showed an increased population of regulatory T cells (CD4⁺Foxp3⁺). Horse-milk administration decreased the mRNA levels of IL-4 and resulted in higher transcripts of TLR-4 in all treatment groups; however, the levels of MCP-1, TNF-α, and TLR-2 were unaltered. After horse-milk treatment, we observed a positive effect, with increased numbers of intestinal Bifidobacterium spp. We observed immune-modulating properties of horse milk, but future studies should focus on testing horse-milk processing, such as fermentation and destroying most allergenic epitopes to continue research under clinical conditions.



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Interpretive Summaries, December 2016

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12





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Availability of zinc from infant formula by in vitro methods (solubility and dialyzability) and size-exclusion chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Beatriz Gomez Gomez, M.Teresa Perez-Corona, Yolanda Madrid
Zinc bioaccessibility from infant formula was estimated by in vitro methods (solubility and dialyzability) and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Infant formula samples were first characterized in terms of Zn bound to lipids and proteins and Zn distribution in the aqueous soluble protein fraction. We found that Zn is not incorporated into the lipid fraction of the samples, being mainly associated with the protein fraction (around 100%). Fractionation of Zn-containing proteins in the soluble protein fraction was achieved by SEC-ICP-MS after performing protein extraction with a solution of 100mM (pH 6.8) Tris-HCl. The percentages of zinc in the soluble protein fraction in the soy-based and lactose-free infant formula were very low, around 7 and 24%, respectively, whereas the content of Zn in the soluble protein fraction of milk-based formula was around 90%. By SEC-ICP-MS, we found that Zn is associated with low-molecular weight compounds (around 10kDa) in all the infant formulas tested. The percentages of Zn estimated in the in vitro gastrointestinal digests of the infant formula ranged from 30 to 70% and from 1 to 10% for solubility and dialyzability assays, respectively. The dialyzability test resulted in lower than expected scores, as SEC-ICP-MS analysis of the gastrointestinal extracts revealed that Zn is bound to biomolecules with a molecular weight ranging from 1 to 7kDa, which suggests that dialysis data should be interpreted with caution. Speciation studies are a valuable tool for establishing availability of nutrients and for validating data from dialyzable in vitro methods.



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Short communication: Hypolipidemic and antiinflammatory effects of fermented Maillard reaction products by Lactobacillus fermentum H9 in an animal model

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Nam Su Oh, Ji Hoon Koh, Mi Ri Park, Younghoon Kim, Sae Hun Kim
This study examined the effects of Maillard reaction products reacted by casein and lactose (cMRP) and of cMRP fermented by Lactobacillus fermentum H9 (F-cMRP) on hypolipidemic and antiinflammatory effects in rats fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (HD). The HD-fed rats had significantly increased hepatic triglyceride concentrations compared with the rats fed a normal diet. It was shown that treatment with simvastatin, L. fermentum H9 (H9), cMRP, and F-cMRP decreased total triglycerides in the liver compared with the HD group. On histological analysis, a reduction of lipid accumulation in the liver and aortic tissues was observed in the cMRP, F-cMRP, and H9-fed rats. Also, F-cMRP and cMRP reduced intima-media thickness in the HD group. In addition, the H9, cMRP, and F-cMRP treatments significantly reduced the expression levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, but not of MCP-1. In particular, the expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were significantly decreased in the F-cMRP group compared with the HD group. These results of the present study suggest that cMRP and F-cMRP in dairy foods could potentially be used to prevent or treat cardiovascular diseases, especially atherosclerosis.



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Effects of maturity at ensiling of bermudagrass and fibrolytic enzyme application on the performance of early-lactation dairy cows

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): J.L.P. Daniel, O.C.M. Queiroz, K.G. Arriola, C.R. Staples, J.J. Romero, J.H. Shin, J.R. Paschoaloto, L.G. Nussio, A.T. Adesogan
The objective of this study was to examine effects of adding fibrolytic enzymes to diets containing bermudagrass ensiled after 4 or 7wk of regrowth on the diet digestibility, ruminal fermentation and performance of lactating cows, and the interaction of the treatments. In experiment 1, 64 Holstein cows (22±4d in milk) were assigned to an experiment with a 2×2 factorial treatment arrangement and a 56-d duration. Treatments were diets containing 4 or 7wk regrowth bermudagrass silage without or with an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme cocktail. The cellulase-xylanase enzyme was applied at 2.33g/kg of total mixed ration dry matter (DM) during mixing immediately before feeding. Experiment 2 was aimed at examining treatment effects on the ruminal fermentation profile. Four ruminally cannulated cows were assigned to the 4 treatments using a 4×4 Latin square design with 14-d periods. No enzyme by maturity interaction was detected for any measurement. Regardless of forage maturity, applying the fibrolytic enzyme did not affect DM intake, milk yield, apparent digestibility, feed efficiency, energy balance, and ruminal fermentation though it tended to increase milk lactose concentration (4.88 vs. 4.81%). Feeding the 4-wk diet instead of the 7-wk diet increased DM intake (22.4 vs. 21.3kg/d), digestibility of DM, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber, and tended to increase 3.5%-fat corrected milk yield (47.2 vs. 44.3kg/d) and milk fat yield (1.88 vs. 1.73kg/d). Therefore, daily intake of net energy and secretion of milk energy were greater for the 4-wk diet. In addition, the 4-wk diet increased the ruminal concentrations of acetate, propionate, valerate, lactate, and total volatile fatty acids, and decreased ruminal pH, without affecting the acetate:propionate ratio. Feeding fibrolytic enzymes did not improve the performance of early-lactation dairy cows, but harvesting the forage earlier tended to improve milk production.



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Quality characteristics, chemical composition, and sensory properties of butter from cows on pasture versus indoor feeding systems

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Tom F. O'Callaghan, Hope Faulkner, Stephen McAuliffe, Maurice G. O'Sullivan, Deirdre Hennessy, Pat Dillon, Kieran N. Kilcawley, Catherine Stanton, R.Paul Ross
This study evaluated the effects of 3 widely practiced cow feeding systems in the United States, Europe, and Southern Hemisphere regions on the characteristics, quality, and consumer perception of sweet cream butter. Fifty-four multiparous and primiparous Friesian cows were divided into 3 groups (n=18) for an entire lactation. Group 1 was housed indoors and fed a total mixed ration diet (TMR) of grass silage, maize silage, and concentrates; group 2 was maintained outdoors on perennial ryegrass-only pasture (GRS); and group 3 was maintained outdoors on a perennial ryegrass/white clover pasture (CLV). Mid-lactation butter was manufactured in triplicate with milk from each group in June 2015 (137±7d in milk) and was analyzed over a 6-mo storage period at 5°C for textural and thermal properties, fatty acid composition, sensory properties, and volatile compounds. The nutritional value of butters was improved by pasture feeding, and butter from pasture-fed cows had significantly lower thrombogenicity index scores compared with butters from TMR-fed cows. In line with these results, pasture-derived milks (GRS and CLV) produced butter with significantly higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9,trans-11) and trans-β-carotene than TMR butter. Alterations in the fatty acid composition of butter contributed to significant differences in textural and thermal properties of the butters. Total mixed ration–derived butters had significantly higher hardness scores at room temperature than those of GRS and CLV. Onset of crystallization for TMR butters also occurred at significantly higher temperatures compared with pasture butters. Volatile analysis of butter by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified 25 compounds present in each of the butters, 5 of which differed significantly based on feeding system, including acetone, 2-butanone, 1-pentenol, toluene, and β-pinene. Toluene was very significantly correlated with pasture-derived butter. Sensory analysis revealed significantly higher scores for GRS-derived butter in several attributes including "liking" of appearance, flavor, and color over those of TMR butter. Partial least square regression plots of fatty acid profiles showed clear separation of butter derived from grazed pasture-based perennial ryegrass or perennial rye/white clover diets from that of a TMR system, offering further insight into the ability of fatty acid profiling to verify such pasture-derived dairy products.



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Sustainable breeding objectives and possible selection response: Finding the balance between economics and breeders’ preferences

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Birgit Fuerst-Waltl, Christian Fuerst, Walter Obritzhauser, Christa Egger-Danner
To optimize breeding objectives of Fleckvieh and Brown Swiss cattle, economic values were re-estimated using updated prices, costs, and population parameters. Subsequently, the expected selection responses for the total merit index (TMI) were calculated using previous and newly derived economic values. The responses were compared for alternative scenarios that consider breeders' preferences. A dairy herd with milk production, bull fattening, and rearing of replacement stock was modeled. The economic value of a trait was derived by calculating the difference in herd profit before and after genetic improvement. Economic values for each trait were derived while keeping all other traits constant. The traits considered were dairy, beef, and fitness traits, the latter including direct health traits. The calculation of the TMI and the expected selection responses was done using selection index methodology with estimated breeding values instead of phenotypic deviations. For the scenario representing the situation up to 2016, all traits included in the TMI were considered with their respective economic values before the update. Selection response was also calculated for newly derived economic values and some alternative scenarios, including the new trait vitality index (subindex comprising stillbirth and rearing losses). For Fleckvieh, the relative economic value for the trait groups milk, beef, and fitness were 38, 16, and 46%, respectively, up to 2016, and 39, 13, and 48%, respectively, for the newly derived economic values. Approximately the same selection response may be expected for the milk trait group, whereas the new weightings resulted in a substantially decreased response in beef traits. Within the fitness block, all traits, with the exception of fertility, showed a positive selection response. For Brown Swiss, the relative economic values for the main trait groups milk, beef, and fitness were 48, 5, and 47% before 2016, respectively, whereas for the newly derived scenario they were 40, 14, and 39%. For both Brown Swiss and Fleckvieh, the fertility complex was expected to further deteriorate, whereas all other expected selection responses for fitness traits were positive. Several additional and alternative scenarios were calculated as a basis for discussion with breeders. A decision was made to implement TMI with relative economic values for milk, beef, and fitness with 38, 18, and 44% for Fleckvieh and 50, 5, and 45% for Brown Swiss, respectively. In both breeds, no positive expected selection response was predicted for fertility, although this trait complex received a markedly higher weight than that derived economically. An even higher weight for fertility could not be agreed on due to the effect on selection response of other traits. Hence, breeders decided to direct more attention toward the preselection of bulls with regard to fertility.



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Organic dairy farmers put more emphasis on production traits than conventional farmers

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): M. Slagboom, M. Kargo, D. Edwards, A.C. Sørensen, J.R. Thomasen, L. Hjortø
The overall aim of this research was to characterize the preferences of Danish dairy farmers for improvements in breeding goal traits. The specific aims were (1) to investigate the presence of heterogeneity in farmers' preferences by means of cluster analysis, and (2) to associate these clusters with herd characteristics and production systems (organic or conventional). We established a web-based survey to characterize the preferences of farmers for improvements in 10 traits, by means of pairwise rankings. We also collected a considerable number of herd characteristics. Overall, 106 organic farmers and 290 conventional farmers answered the survey, all with Holstein cows. The most preferred trait improvement was cow fertility, and the least preferred was calving difficulty. By means of cluster analysis, we identified 4 distinct clusters of farmers and named them according to the trait improvements that were most preferred: Health and Fertility, Production and Udder Health, Survival, and Fertility and Production. Some herd characteristics differed between clusters; for example, farmers in the Survival cluster had twice the percentage of dead cows in their herds compared with the other clusters, and farmers that gave the highest ranking to cow and heifer fertility had the lowest conception rate in their herds. This finding suggests that farmers prefer to improve traits that are more problematic in their herd. The proportion of organic and conventional farmers also differed between clusters; we found a higher proportion of organic farmers in the production-based clusters. When we analyzed organic and conventional data separately, we found that organic farmers ranked production traits higher than conventional farmers. The herds of organic farmers had lower milk yields and lower disease incidences, which might explain the high ranking of milk production and the low ranking of disease traits. This study shows that heterogeneity exists in farmers' preferences for improvements in breeding goal traits, that organic and conventional farmers differ in their preferences, and that herd characteristics can be linked to different farmer clusters. The results of this study could be used for the future development of breeding goals in Danish Holstein cows and for the development of customized total merit indices based on farmer preferences.



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Comparative risk assessment for new cow-level Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis infections between 3 dairy production types: Organic, conventional, and conventional-grazing systems

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): A. Beaver, P.L. Ruegg, Y.T. Gröhn, Y.H. Schukken
Johne's disease, a granulomatous enteritis of ruminant animals, is a hidden threat on dairy farms, adversely affecting animal welfare as well as herd productivity. Control programs in the United States advocate for specific management practices to temper the spread of the causal organism (Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis, MAP), such as improving calving area hygiene and limiting introduction of replacement stock with unknown infection status. A need remains for direct exploration of Johne's disease prevention strategies in the United States with respect to production type. Alongside the growing demand for organic products, the safety of organic dairy practices with respect to MAP control is warranted. Further, conventional herds for which organic practices such as pasture grazing are used should be situated within the risk spectrum. We developed a risk assessment model using the US Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program as a framework, with the goal of evaluating the risk of new cow-level MAP infections. A total of 292 organic and conventional farms in 3 states were surveyed on management practices, and an overall analysis was conducted in which each farm was first scored on individual practices using a range of "no risk" to "high risk," according to the literature. The sum of all risk factors was then analyzed to quantify and compare the risk burden for each production type. Organic herds received higher overall risk scores compared with both conventional grazing and nongrazing subtypes. To identify which factors contributed to the overall increased risk for organic herds, the management practices were categorized and evaluated by logistic regression. We determined that the increased risk incurred by organic herds was predominantly due to decisions made in the calving area and preweaned calf group. However, although certain individual risk factors related to calf management are commonly involved in prevention strategies (e.g., cow/calf separation) and were thus included in the overall risk assessment, empirical evidence linking them to the spread of MAP is lacking. Instead, these factors are problematic when executed with other management decisions, leading to a hypothesized synergism of transmission risk. To this end, we developed a set of compound risk factors, which were also evaluated as outcomes in logistic regression models, with production type serving as the predictor of interest. Organic farms in our study were more susceptible to risks associated with the synergism of study variables. Notably, organic producers were most likely to allow calves to spend extended time with the dam, while also lacking a dedicated calving area. Additionally, calves in organic herds were more often permitted to nurse even with poor udder hygiene on farm. A heightened vigilance toward calving area hygiene is therefore indicated for these herds.



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Proteomics method to quantify the percentage of cow, goat, and sheep milks in raw materials for dairy products

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Q. Chen, X. Ke, J.S. Zhang, S.Y. Lai, F. Fang, W.M. Mo, Y.P. Ren
Fraud in milk and dairy products occurs when cow milk is added to sheep and goat milk for economic reasons. No reliable, selective, and sensitive method exists for quantifying the milk percentage of different species. This work reports the development and validation of a proteomics-based method for the qualitative detection and quantitative determination of cow, sheep, and goat milks in the raw materials used for dairy products. β-Lactoglobulin was selected as the protein marker because it is a major protein in milk and whey powder. The tryptic peptides LSFNPTQLEEQCHI and LAFNPTQLEGQCHV were used as signature peptides for cow milk and for sheep and goat milks, respectively. The winged peptides LKALPMHIRLSFNPTQL*EEQCHI* and LKALPMHIRLAFNPTQL*EGQCHV* were designed and synthesized as internal standards. Validation of the method showed that it has good sensitivity, specificity, reproducibility, precision, and accuracy. This method is easily applicable in routine laboratory analysis without intensive proteomics background.



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Cheesemaking in highland pastures: Milk technological properties, cream, cheese and ricotta yields, milk nutrients recovery, and products composition

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): M. Bergamaschi, C. Cipolat-Gotet, G. Stocco, C. Valorz, I. Bazzoli, E. Sturaro, M. Ramanzin, G. Bittante
Summer transhumance of dairy cows to high Alpine pastures is still practiced in many mountainous areas. It is important for many permanent dairy farms because the use of highland pastures increases milk production and high-priced typical local dairy products often boost farm income. As traditional cheese- and ricotta-making procedures in Alpine pastures are central to this dairy system, the objective of this study was to characterize the quality and efficiency of products and their relationships with the quality and availability of grass during the grazing season. The milk from 148 cows from 12 permanent farms reared on a temporary farm located in Alpine pastures was processed every 2wk during the summer (7 cheesemakings from late June to early September). During each processing, 11 dairy products (4 types of milk, 2 by-products, 3 fresh products, and 2 ripened cheeses) were sampled and analyzed. In addition, 8 samples of fresh forage from the pasture used by the cows were collected and analyzed. At the beginning of the pasture season the cows were at 233±90d in milk, 2.4±1.7 parities, and produced 23.6±5.7kg/d of milk. The milk yield decreased with the move from permanent to temporary farms and during the entire summer transhumance, but partly recovered after the cows returned to the permanent farms. Similar trends were observed for the daily yields of fat, protein, casein, lactose, and energy, as we found no large variations in the quality of the milk, with the exception of the first period of Alpine pasture. The somatic cell counts of milk increased during transhumance, but this resulted from a concentration of cells in a lower quantity of milk rather than an increase in the total number of cells ejected daily from the udder. We noted a quadratic trend in availability of forage (fresh and dry matter weight per hectare), with a maximum in late July. The quality of forage also varied during the summer with a worsening of chemical composition. The evening milk (before and after natural creaming), the whole morning milk, and the mixed vat milk had different chemical compositions, traditional coagulation properties, and curd-firming modeling parameters. These variations over the pasture season were similar to the residual variations with respect to chemical composition, and much lower with respect to coagulation and curd-firming traits. Much larger variations were noted in cream, cheese, and ricotta yields, as well as in nutrient recoveries in curd during the pasture season. The protein content of forage was correlated with some of the coagulation and curd-firming traits, the ether extract of forage was positively correlated with milk fat content and cheese yields, and fiber fractions of forage were unfavorably correlated with some of the chemical and technological traits. Traditional cheese- and ricotta-making procedures showed average cream, cheese, and ricotta yields of 6.3, 14.2, and 4.9%, respectively, and an overall recovery of almost 100% of milk fat, 88% of milk protein, and 60% of total milk solids.



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Establishment and application of milk fingerprint by gel filtration chromatography

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): P. Gao, J. Li, Z. Li, J. Hao, L. Zan
Raw milk adulteration frequently occurs in undeveloped countries. It not only reduces the nutritional value of milk, but it is also harmful to consumers. In this paper, we focused on investigating an efficient method for the quality control of raw milk protein. A gel filtration chromatography (GFC) fingerprint method combined with chemometrics was developed for fingerprint analysis of raw milk. To optimize the GFC conditions, milk fat was removed by centrifugation, and GFC analysis was performed on a Superdex 75 10/300GL column (Just Scientific, Shanghai, China) with 0.2 M NaH2PO4-Na2HPO4 buffer (pH 7.0) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 0.5mL/min, and the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. Ten batches of 120 raw milk samples were analyzed to establish the GFC fingerprint under optimal conditions. Six major peaks common to the chromatogram of each raw milk sample were selected for fingerprint analysis, and the characteristic peaks were used to establish a standard chromatographic fingerprint. Principal component analysis was then applied to classify GFC information of adulterated milk and raw milk, allowing adulterated samples to be effectively screened out from the raw milk in principal component analysis scores plot. The fingerprint method demonstrates promising features in detecting milk protein adulteration.



http://ift.tt/2g5tlcV

Evaluation of modified stainless steel surfaces targeted to reduce biofilm formation by common milk sporeformers

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Shivali Jindal, Sanjeev Anand, Kang Huang, Julie Goddard, Lloyd Metzger, Jayendra Amamcharla
The development of bacterial biofilms on stainless steel (SS) surfaces poses a great threat to the quality of milk and other dairy products as the biofilm-embedded bacteria can survive thermal processing. Established biofilms offer cleaning challenges because they are resistant to most of the regular cleaning protocols. Sporeforming thermoduric organisms entrapped within biofilm matrix can also form heat-resistant spores, and may result in a long-term persistent contamination. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different nonfouling coatings [AMC 18 (Advanced Materials Components Express, Lemont, PA), Dursan (SilcoTek Corporation, Bellefonte, PA), Ni-P-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Avtec Finishing Systems, New Hope, MN), and Lectrofluor 641 (General Magnaplate Corporation, Linden, NJ)] on SS plate heat exchanger surfaces, to resist the formation of bacterial biofilms. It was hypothesized that modified SS surfaces would promote a lesser amount of deposit buildup and bacterial adhesion as compared with the native SS surface. Vegetative cells of aerobic sporeformers, Geobacillus stearothermophilus (ATCC 15952), Bacillus licheniformis (ATCC 6634), and Bacillus sporothermodurans (DSM 10599), were used to study biofilm development on the modified and native SS surfaces. The adherence of these organisms, though influenced by surface energy and hydrophobicity, exhibited no apparent relation with surface roughness. The Ni-P-PTFE coating exhibited the least bacterial attachment and milk solid deposition, and hence, was the most resistant to biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy, which was used to visualize the extent of biofilm formation on modified and native SS surfaces, also revealed lower bacterial attachment on the Ni-P-PTFE as compared with the native SS surface. This study thus provides evidence of reduced biofilm formation on the modified SS surfaces.



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Characterization and comparison of the temporal dynamics of ruminal bacterial microbiota colonizing rice straw and alfalfa hay within ruminants

Publication date: December 2016
Source:Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 99, Issue 12
Author(s): Junhua Liu, Mengling Zhang, Chunxu Xue, Weiyun Zhu, Shengyong Mao
Three ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were used to characterize the dynamics of bacterial colonization of rice straw and alfalfa hay and to assess the differences in the composition and inferred gene function of the colonized microbiota between these 2 forages. Nonincubated (0h) rice straw and alfalfa hay samples and residues in nylon bags incubated for 0.5, 2, 6, 16, and 48h were analyzed for dry matter and were used for DNA extraction and MiSeq (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The microbial communities that colonized the air-dried and nonincubated (0h) rice straw and alfalfa hay were both dominated by members of the Proteobacteria (contributing toward 70.47% of the 16S RNA reads generated). In situ incubation of the 2 forages revealed major shifts in the community composition: Proteobacteria were replaced within 30min by members belonging to the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, contributing toward 51.9 and 36.6% of the 16S rRNA reads generated, respectively. A second significant shift was observed after 6h of rumen incubation, when members of the Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteria phyla became abundant in the forage-adherent community. During the first 30min of rumen incubation, ~20.7 and 36.1% of the rice straw and alfalfa hay, respectively, were degraded, whereas little biomass degradation occurred between 30min and 2h after the rice straw or alfalfa hay was placed in the rumen. Significant differences were noted in attached bacterial community structure between the 2 forage groups, and the abundances of dominant genera Anaeroplasma, Butyrivibrio, Fibrobacter, and Prevotella were affected by the forage types. Real-time PCR results showed that the 16S rRNA copies of total bacteria attached to these 2 forages were affected by the forage types and incubation time, and higher numbers of attached bacterial 16S rRNA were observed in the alfalfa hay samples than in the rice straw from 0.5 to 16h of incubation. The metagenomes predicted by phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) revealed that the forage types significantly affected 21 metabolic pathways identified in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and 33 were significantly changed over time. Collectively, our results reveal a difference in the dynamics of bacterial colonization and the inferred gene function of microbiota associated with rice straw and alfalfa hay within the rumen. These findings are of great importance for the targeted improvement of forage nutrient use efficiency in ruminants.



http://ift.tt/2g5wSI4

Allergies – A T cells perspective in the era beyond the TH1/TH2 paradigm

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2016
Source:Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Moritz Berker, Larissa Johanna Frank, Anja Lidwina Geßner, Niklas Grassl, Anne Verena Holtermann, Stefanie Höppner, Christian Kraef, Martin Dominik Leclaire, Pia Maier, David Alexander Christian Messerer, Lino Möhrmann, Jan Philipp Nieke, Diana Schoch, Dominik Soll, Christina Marianne Paulina Woopen
Allergic diseases have emerged as a major health care burden, especially in the western hemisphere. They are defined by overshooting reactions of an aberrant immune system to harmless exogenous stimuli. The TH1/TH2 paradigm assumes that a dominance of TH2 cell activation and an inadequate TH1 cell response are responsible for the development of allergies. However, the characterization of additional T helper cell subpopulations such as TH9, TH17, TH22, THGM-CSF and their interplay with regulatory T cells suggest further layers of complexity. This review summarizes state-of-the-art knowledge on T cell diversity and their induction, while revisiting the TH1/TH2 paradigm. With respect to these numerous contributors, it offers a new perspective on the pathogenesis of asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic dermatitis (AD) incorporating recent discoveries in the field of T cell plasticity.



http://ift.tt/2g0jtC1

Correlation of Tc17 cells at early stages after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with acute graft-versus-host disease

Publication date: December 2016
Source:International Immunopharmacology, Volume 41
Author(s): Ling Wang, Peng Zhao, Lingling Song, Fahong Yan, Chunlei Shi, Ying Li, Mingzhe Han, Ketao Lan
Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is associated with an immune dysregulation usually mediated by T lymphocytes. Recently, IL-17-producing T cells including Th17 and Tc17 cells have been implicated in immune-related diseases. However, their roles in aGVHD remain uncertain. In the study, we analyzed IL-17-producing cell recovery and association with the occurrence of aGVHD. While Th17 cells steadily recovered, Tc17 cell numbers remained unaltered during the first 3months after transplantation. Occurrence of aGVHD was correlated with increased level of Tc17 cells at the second months after allo-SCT. Interestingly, Tc17 cells were negatively associated with CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T (Treg) cells, which was an important prognostic predictor in patients with aGVHD. In addition, we found that Tc17 numbers increased as the increased concentrations of TGF-β and IL-6, which are known to drive Th17 polarization. These finding supported that Tc17 subset is involved in the immunopathology of aGVHD. Blocking the abnormally increased number of Tc17 may be a reasonable therapeutic strategy for aGVHD.



http://ift.tt/2g08atG

Zanthoxylum bungeanum pericarp extract prevents dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis in mice via the regulation of TLR4 and TLR4-related signaling pathways

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:International Immunopharmacology
Author(s): Zecai Zhang, Jiuxi Liu, Peng Shen, Yongguo Cao, Xiaojie Lu, Xuejiao Gao, Yunhe Fu, Bo Liu, Naisheng Zhang
Zanthoxylum bungeanum, which belongs to the Zanthoxylum genus of the Rutaceae family, is now wildly distributed in most parts of China and some Southeast Asian countries. The pericarp of Zanthoxylum bungeanum has been known to exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and other important therapeutic activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Zanthoxylum bungeanum pericarp extract (ZBE) on DSS-induced experimental colitis in mice. The results demonstrated that the major flavonoid composition of ZBE includes rutin (32.36%), quercetin (13.61%) and isoquercitrin (24.89%). ZBE alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon length shortening and colonic pathological damage. Furthermore, ZBE inhibited the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-12 via the regulation of TLR4 and TLR4-related pathways in DSS-induced experimental colitis in mice and LPS-triggered inflammation in J774.1 cells. Our findings suggest that ZBE is effective in ameliorating experimental colitis, and further investigation is necessary on the use of ZBE as a new dietary strategy to lower the risk of ulcerative colitis (UC).

Graphical abstract

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Evaluation of Swallowing Functions in Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome

Abstract

Patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) manifest symptoms such as dry eyes, dry mouth, and dysphagia. This study aims to evaluate the swallowing functions of the patients with SS. 69 patients with SS (65 females, 4 males) and 40 healthy individuals (33 females, 7 males) were included as study and control groups, respectively. Mean ages were 52.86 and 48.25 years for study and control groups, respectively. Swallowing functions were evaluated by fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). All the patients underwent FEES and were given 3, 5, and 10 ml water, yogurt, and fish-shaped crackers twice, respectively. The presence of bolus control, residue, penetration, and aspiration were evaluated. Additionally, certain types of foods triggering the dysphagia, any difficulties in bolus control, need to clean the throat, sensation of having a lump in the throat, sensation of choking, and xerostomia were included in the questionnaire. The MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to patients. Considering the presence of residue with yogurt and fish cracker, there was a significant difference between groups (P < 0.05). Penetration was present in two patients in the study group; however, the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Regarding the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory, the average scores were 48.18 ± 13.21 and 87.6 ± 10.67 for study and control groups, respectively, and a statistically significant difference was detected (P < 0.05). Regarding the Beck Depression Inventory, the average scores were 11.83 ± 9.37 and 8.03 ± 6.84 for study and control groups, respectively (P < 0.05). SS affected the swallowing functions significantly. The presence of residue with yogurt and cracker was the most obvious finding, whereas penetration/aspiration was not clinically significant. Swallowing dysfunction reduced the quality of life in patients with SS.

http://ift.tt/2fLyS7U

Characteristics and outcome of surgically treated pituitary tumours in South Africa: a single-centre experience

Abstract

Aims

To describe the clinical, biochemical, radiological and histological features and to determine the outcome of all patients with pituitary tumours treated surgically at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban over a 5 year period.

Research design

Retrospective chart review from 2008 to 2012. Clinical, biochemical and radiologic data were collected before and one year after surgery. Histopathology findings and peri-operative complications were recorded.

Results

Seventy patients were included (age 44.8 ± 14.9 years, 55.7% female). Headache (84.1%) and visual disturbances (78.3%) were the predominant presenting symptoms (84.1% and 78.3%). Most tumours were macroadenomas (97.1%). Trans-sphenoidal surgery was employed in the majority (90%). A single procedure was required in 55.7% patients, two procedures in 30% and up to six in others. Complete resection was achieved in only 9 patients (12.8%), residual tumour post-surgery was found in 48 (68.6%) and no change in tumour size was found in 13 (18.6%) patients. Additional medical therapy was used in 22 (31.4%) and radiotherapy in 13 (18.6%). On biopsy, the most common pathology was non-functional adenoma in 33 (47.1%); 29 (41.4%) were secretory tumours and 8 (11.4%) were craniopharyngiomas. Overall mortality was 4.3%. The commonest surgical complication was cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak (10%; n=7). New post-surgical pituitary hypofunction occurred in 50 (71.4%) patients. The outcome at one year was similar to that on discharge.

Conclusions

Patients presenting to IALCH had large tumours, and complete resection was achieved in a minority. There was a low overall mortality but high rate of post-surgical pituitary hypofunction.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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Improving airway segmentation in computed tomography using leak detection with convolutional networks

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Medical Image Analysis, Volume 36
Author(s): Jean-Paul Charbonnier, Eva M. van Rikxoort, Arnaud A.A. Setio, Cornelia M. Schaefer-Prokop, Bram van Ginneken, Francesco Ciompi
We propose a novel method to improve airway segmentation in thoracic computed tomography (CT) by detecting and removing leaks. Leak detection is formulated as a classification problem, in which a convolutional network (ConvNet) is trained in a supervised fashion to perform the classification task. In order to increase the segmented airway tree length, we take advantage of the fact that multiple segmentations can be extracted from a given airway segmentation algorithm by varying the parameters that influence the tree length and the amount of leaks. We propose a strategy in which the combination of these segmentations after removing leaks can increase the airway tree length while limiting the amount of leaks. This strategy therefore largely circumvents the need for parameter fine-tuning of a given airway segmentation algorithm.The ConvNet was trained and evaluated using a subset of inspiratory thoracic CT scans taken from the COPDGene study. Our method was validated on a separate independent set of the EXACT'09 challenge. We show that our method significantly improves the quality of a given leaky airway segmentation, achieving a higher sensitivity at a low false-positive rate compared to all the state-of-the-art methods that entered in EXACT09, and approaching the performance of the combination of all of them.

Graphical abstract

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Organic acid anions: An effective defensive weapon for plants against aluminum toxicity and phosphorus deficiency in acidic soils

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Journal of Genetics and Genomics
Author(s): Zhi Chang Chen, Hong Liao
Aluminum (Al) toxicity and phosphorous (P) deficiency are two major limiting factors for plant growth on acidic soils. Thus, the physiological mechanisms for Al tolerance and P acquisition have been intensively studied. A commonly observed trait is that plants have developed the ability to utilize organic acid anions (OAs; mainly malate, citrate and oxalate) to combat Al toxicity and P deficiency. OAs secreted by roots into the rhizosphere can externally chelate Al³⁺ and mobilize phosphate (Pi), while OAs synthesized in the cell can internally sequester Al³⁺ into the vacuole and release free Pi for metabolism. Molecular mechanisms involved in OA synthesis and transport have been described in detail. Ensuing genetic improvement for Al tolerance and P efficiency through increased OA exudation and/or synthesis in crops has been achieved by transgenic and marker-assisted breeding. This review mainly elucidates the crucial roles of OAs in plant Al tolerance and P efficiency through summarizing associated physiological mechanisms, molecular traits and genetic manipulation of crops.



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A magnetic resonance imaging finding in children with cerebral palsy: Symmetrical central tegmental tract hyperintensity

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Brain and Development
Author(s): Betul Emine Derinkuyu, Evrim Ozmen, Havva Akmaz-Unlu, Namik Kemal Altinbas, Esra Gurkas, Oznur Boyunaga
BackgroundCentral tegmental tract is an extrapyramidal tract between red nucleus and inferior olivary nucleus which is located in the tegmentum pontis bilaterally and symmetrically. The etiology of the presence of central tegmental tract hyperintensity on MRI is unclear.PurposeIn this study our aim is to evaluate the frequency of central tegmental tract lesions in patients with cerebral palsy and control group, as well as to determine whether there is an association between central tegmental tract lesions and cerebral palsy types.Materials and methodsClinical and MRI data of 200 patients with cerebral palsy in study group (87 female, 113 male; mean age, 5.81years; range, 0–16years) and 258 patients in control group (114 female, 144 male; mean age, 6.28years; range, 0–16years) were independently evaluated by two reader for presence of central tegmental tract hyperintensity and other associated abnormalities.ResultsCentral tegmental tract hyperintensities on T2WI were detected in 19% of the study group (38/200) and 3.5% of the control group (9/258) (p<0.0001). Among the total of 38 central tegmental tract lesions in study group, the frequency of central tegmental tract hyperintensity was 16% (24/150) in spastic cerebral palsy and 35% (14/40) in dyskinetic cerebral palsy (p=0.0131).ConclusionThe prevalence of central tegmental tract hyperintensity is higher in patients with cerebral palsy particularly in dyskinetic type. We suggest that there is an increased association of the tegmental lesions with dyskinetic CP. Patients with cerebral palsy and ischemic changes were more likely to have central tegmental tract lesions. According to our results we advocate that an ischemic process may have a role in the etiopathogenesis.



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Hyperekplexia: Report on phenotype and genotype of 16 Jordanian patients

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Brain and Development
Author(s): Amira Masri, Seo-Kyung Chung, Mark I. Rees
BackgroundHyperekplexia, is a rare disorder characterized by excessive startle response to acoustic, visual, or other stimuli. It is inherited in autosomal recessive and dominant pattern.ObjectiveTo describe the clinical and genetic features of hyperekplexia in Jordanian patients.MethodsThis retrospective study includes all patients with proved genetic diagnosis of hyperekplexia who presented to our clinic at the Jordan University Hospital from January 2001 through July 2015.ResultsA total of 16 children from 12 families were included. The total follow up period ranged from one to eleven years. The majority of the patients (13/16=81.3%) were initially misdiagnosed as epilepsy.All patients had excessive startle response since birth. Tonic–apneic spells occurred in 15/16=93.8% patients. Fourteen patients (45/16=87.5%) received clonazepam. Stopping clonazepam by three years of age failed in 11/14 (78.6%) due to reappearance of tonic–apneic spells (8/14=57.1%), recurrent falling (10/14=71.4%) or due to both reasons (5/14=35.7%).Delayed motor development occurred in 7/16 (43.8%), speech delay in 4/16 (25.0%), global developmental delay in 1/16 (6.3%), and autism spectrum disorder in 1/16 (6.3%) patient. The mode of inheritance is autosomal recessive in all 12/12 (100%) families.Mutations in GLRA1 gene was present in 9/16 (56.3%); the most common mutation was in p.G254D (4/9; 44.5%). Mutations in the GLRB gene was present in 4/16 (25.0%) patients and the SLC6A5 gene in 3/16 (18.8%) patients.ConclusionThe clinical presentation of hyperekplexia in Jordanian patients is manifested by tonic–apneic spells in all homozygous patients. The persistence of apneic spells and recurrent falls throughout childhood necessitate continuous treatment and surveillance.



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An infant case of severe hypereosinophilia and systemic symptoms with multiple drug hypersensitivity and reactivation of cytomegalovirus and BK virus

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2016
Source:Allergology International
Author(s): Ayumi Kobayashi, Reiko Takasawa, Kei Takasawa, Masato Nishioka, Masahide Kaneko, Hiroshi Ono, Takanobu Maekawa, Tomohiro Morio, Masayuki Shimohira




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Fish scale is a suitable model for analyzing determinants of skeletal fragility in type 2 diabetes

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Glucagon-like peptide-2 treatment improves glucose dysmetabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet

Abstract

Previous studies suggested that endogenous glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) is dispensable for the regulation of glucose homeostasis under normal conditions, while it can play a beneficial role in obesity conditions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether chronic treatment with Gly²-GLP-2, a stable analogue of GLP-2, can have an impact on glycaemic and lipid control in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD), an animal model of human obesity and insulin resistance. HFD mice were treated once a day with Gly²-GLP-2 for 4 weeks. Body weight, food intake, fasting glucose, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance, insulin-induced glucose clearance, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, β-cell mass, plasma lipid metabolic profile, and lipid deposition in the liver were examined. In untreated HFD mice, fasting glucose levels, glucose tolerance, glucose-stimulated plasma insulin and sensibility to exogenous insulin were deteriorating with time and β-cell mass increased. In Gly²-GLP-2-treated mice, we found significant increase in glucose tolerance and exogenous insulin sensitivity, reduction in glucose-stimulated plasma insulin and in the increase in β-cell mass in comparison with pair-aged HFD untreated animals. The chronic treatment with the peptide was not associated with remarkable improvements of dyslipidemia and it did not prevent liver fat accumulation and the presence of microvesicular steatosis. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest, for the first time, that Gly²-GLP-2 may produce glucose metabolic benefits in mice with diet-induced obesity. The mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of GLP-2 on glucose metabolism remain to be established.

http://ift.tt/2fLdRu3

Adrenal cryptococcosis in an immunosuppressed patient showing intensely increased metabolic activity on 18 F-FDG PET/CT

Abstract

Disseminated cryptococcosis most commonly occurs in immunosuppressed patients and can rarely affect the adrenal glands. We report on a patient with biopsy proven bilateral adrenal cryptococcosis resulting in primary adrenal insufficiency, which was evaluated with whole-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan using ¹⁸F-FDG. Both enlarged adrenal glands presented intensely increased ¹⁸F-FDG activity in the periphery, while central necrotic regions were photopenic. Although diagnosis was established by adrenal gland biopsy, ¹⁸F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan can significantly contribute to the assessment of disease activity and monitoring of treatment response. Furthermore, fungal infections should always be considered when encountering hypermetabolic adrenal masses, especially in the setting of immunodeficient patients.

http://ift.tt/2ftv5ZT

Atypical presentation of livedo racemosa in a factor V Leiden heterozygous positive patient with Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis

Abstract

Impairment of the protein C pathway, detectable by reduced plasma levels of activated protein C (APC), are risk factors for venous thrombosis. Activated protein C maintains clotting homeostasis by regulation of pro-coagulant factors Va and VIIIa. Both infection and the factor V Leiden mutation reduce the formation of APC from protein C in the blood. With low levels of APC, excess factors Va and VIIIa exist, increasing the risk of thrombus formation. Livedo racemosa is characterised by a striking, violaceous branch-like pattering of the skin. It is similar to livedo reticularis, but with a different morphology and histopathology. In this case report we present the first case of livedo racemosa, in an 89-year-old factor V Leiden-positive patient with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infection. The cutaneous biopsies demonstrated vasculopathy with intraluminal thrombi in subcutaneous vessels with no evidence of inflammatory vasculitis.

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Atypical presentation of livedo racemosa in a factor V Leiden heterozygous positive patient with Pseudomonas aeruginosa urosepsis

Abstract

Impairment of the protein C pathway, detectable by reduced plasma levels of activated protein C (APC), are risk factors for venous thrombosis. Activated protein C maintains clotting homeostasis by regulation of pro-coagulant factors Va and VIIIa. Both infection and the factor V Leiden mutation reduce the formation of APC from protein C in the blood. With low levels of APC, excess factors Va and VIIIa exist, increasing the risk of thrombus formation. Livedo racemosa is characterised by a striking, violaceous branch-like pattering of the skin. It is similar to livedo reticularis, but with a different morphology and histopathology. In this case report we present the first case of livedo racemosa, in an 89-year-old factor V Leiden-positive patient with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infection. The cutaneous biopsies demonstrated vasculopathy with intraluminal thrombi in subcutaneous vessels with no evidence of inflammatory vasculitis.

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Chapter 7 Ceramic Coatings in Load-Bearing Articulating Joint Implants

Publication date: 2017
Source:Materials for Bone Disorders
Author(s): V. Thomas, S.A. Catledge, P. Baker, G.P. Siegal, Y.K. Vohra
The number of knee replacement surgeries is expected to reach 3.48 million annually by 2030 and revision surgeries due to aseptic loosening, release of potentially toxic metallic ions, inflammatory wear debris, and surgical site infection continue to be a cause of significant clinical concern. With increasing numbers of articulating-joint devices being implanted in both orthopedic medicine and dentistry, more and more emphasis is being placed on developing ceramic coating technology that can reduce the friction and wear in mating joint components, in hopes of significantly increasing device life-span and improving the quality of life of patients. In this review, we consider ultrasmooth nanodiamond (NSD)-based hard ceramic coatings as alternative bearing surfaces for metallic components. Such coatings have great potential for use in articulating joints due to their extreme hardness, wear resistance, low friction, and biocompatibility characteristics. These ultrahard ceramic coatings can be deposited by several different techniques resulting in a wide variety of structures and properties. The NSD coatings deposited using chemical vapor deposition are considered to be comprised of nano-size diamond grains embedded in an amorphous carbon matrix. This chapter focuses on recent studies on diamond ceramic surfaces, particularly, for the articulating joints based on an industry standard knee simulator results and macrophage cell response to the nanodiamond wear-debris that could potentially be generated. The chapter concludes with a summary and future perspective on the combination of additive manufacturing method, known as direct metal laser sintering and NSD coating for enhanced wear resistance of articulating surface combined with osteo-integration/infection-resistant coating on nonload-bearing surfaces to produce the next-generation bio-durable joint implants for orthopedic and dental medicine.



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Comparison of the patterns of antibody recall responses to HIV-1 gp120 and hepatitis B surface antigen in immunized mice

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Hao-Tong Yu, Jia-Ye Wang, Dan Tian, Ming-Xia Wang, Yan Li, Li Yuan, Wen-Jiang Chen, Di Li, Min Zhuang, Hong Ling
To date, we still lack an ideal strategy for designing envelope glycoprotein (Env) vaccines to elicit potent protective antibodies against HIV-1 infection. Since the human hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) is representative of effective vaccines that can induce ideal humoral immune responses, knowledge of how it elicits antibody responses and T helper cells would be an useful reference for HIV vaccine development. We compared the characteristics of the HIV-1 Env gp120 trimer and HBsAg in antibody elicitation and induction of T follicular helper (Tfh) and memory B cells in immunized Balb/c mice. Using the strategy of protein prime-protein boost, we found that HIV-1 gp120 induced slower recall antibody responses but redundant non-specific IgG responses at early time after boosting compared to HBsAg. The higher frequency of PD-1^hiCD4⁺ T cells and Tfh cells that appeared at the early time point after gp120 boosting is likely to limit the development of memory B cells, memory T cells, and specific antibody recall responses. These findings regarding the different features of HIV envelope and HBsAg in T helper cell responses may provide a direction to improve HIV envelope immunogenicity.



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Evaluation of a multinational, multilingual vaccine debate on Twitter

Publication date: Available online 10 November 2016
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Benedikt F.H. Becker, Heidi J. Larson, Jan Bonhoeffer, Erik M. van Mulligen, Jan A. Kors, Miriam C.J.M. Sturkenboom
BackgroundPublic confidence in an immunization programme is a pivotal determinant of the programme's success. The mining of social media is increasingly employed to provide insight into the public's sentiment. This research further explores the value of monitoring social media to understand public sentiment about an international vaccination programme.ObjectiveTo gain insight into international public discussion on the paediatric pentavalent vaccine (DTP-HepB-Hib) programme by analysing Twitter messages.MethodsUsing a multilingual search, we retrospectively collected all public Twitter messages mentioning the DTP-HepB-Hib vaccine from July 2006 until May 2015. We analysed message characteristics by frequency of referencing other websites, type of websites, and geographic focus of the discussion. In addition, a sample of messages was manually annotated for positive or negative message tone.ResultsWe retrieved 5771 messages. Only 3.1% of the messages were reactions to other messages, and 86.6% referred to websites, mostly news sites (70.7%), other social media (9.8%), and health-information sites (9.5%). Country mentions were identified in 70.4% of the messages, of which India (35.4%), Indonesia (18.3%), and Vietnam (13.9%) were the most prevalent. In the annotated sample, 63% of the messages showed a positive or neutral sentiment about DTP-HepB-Hib. Peaks in negative and positive messages could be related to country-specific programme events.ConclusionsPublic messages about DTP-HepB-Hib were characterized by little interaction between tweeters, and by frequent referencing of websites and other information links. Twitter messages can indirectly reflect the public's opinion about major events in the debates about the DTP-HepB-Hib vaccine.



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Immunization with LytB protein of Streptococcus pneumoniae activates complement-mediated phagocytosis and induces protection against pneumonia and sepsis

Publication date: Available online 10 November 2016
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Bruno Corsini, Leire Aguinagalde, Susana Ruiz, Mirian Domenech, María Luisa Antequera, Asunción Fenoll, Pedro García, Ernesto García, Jose Yuste
The cell wall glucosaminidase LytB of Streptococcus pneumoniae is a surface exposed protein involved in daughter cell separation, biofilm formation and contributes to different aspects of the pathogenesis process. In this study we have characterized the antibody responses after immunization of mice with LytB in the presence of alhydrogel as an adjuvant. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays measuring different subclasses of immunoglobulin G, demonstrated that the antibody responses to LytB were predominantly IgG1 and IgG2b, followed by IgG3 and IgG2a subclasses. Complement-mediated immunity against two different pneumococcal serotypes was investigated using sera from immunized mice. Immunization with LytB increased the recognition of S. pneumoniae by complement components C1q and C3b demonstrating that anti-LytB antibodies trigger activation of the classical pathway. Phagocytosis assays showed that serum containing antibodies to LytB stimulates neutrophil-mediated phagocytosis against S. pneumoniae. Animal models of infection including invasive pneumonia and sepsis were performed with two different clinical isolates. Vaccination with LytB increased bacterial clearance and induced protection demonstrating that LytB might be a good candidate to be considered in a future protein-based vaccine against S. pneumoniae.



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Instructions to Contributors

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Reviewers 2016

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Volume content for 2016

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Right atrial metastasis of GIST detected by 18F-FDG PET/CT

Publication date: Available online 12 November 2016
Source:Revista Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular
Author(s): D. Albano, M. Bonacina, E. Cossalter, F. Bertagna




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