Immunochromatographic test for simultaneous serodiagnosis of Babesia caballi and B. equi infections in horses

An immunochromatographic test for the simultaneous detection of Babesia caballi- and B. equi-specific antibodies (BceICT) was developed using a recombinant B. caballi 48-kDa rhoptry protein (rBc48) and a recombinant truncated B. equi merozoite antigen 2 (rEMA-2t). An evaluation of the ability of the BceICT to detect antibodies in sera from uninfected horses and experimentally infected horses showed high sensitivities and specificities of 83.3% (10/12 sera) and 92.9% (52/56 sera), respectively, for the anti-B. caballi antibody and 94.1% (16/17 sera) and 88.2% (45/51 sera), respectively, for the anti-B. equi antibody. Results from the detection of antibodies in field-collected sera indicated that the BceICT results corresponded with those of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), showing 91.8% correspondence (67/73 sera) for B. caballi and 95.9% correspondence (70/73 sera) for B. equi, and that the BceICT results also corresponded with the ICT for B. caballi and for B. equi, both of which were 98.2% (55/56 sera). The comparable results of the ICT and ELISA and the simplicity and rapidity of the performance of the ICT suggest that the BceICT would be a feasible test for the simultaneous serodiagnosis of both agents of equine babesiosis in the field.     

Human embryonic stem cells have a unique epigenetic signature

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells originate during an embryonic period of active epigenetic remodeling. DNA methylation patterns are likely to be critical for their self-renewal and pluripotence. We compared the DNA methylation status of 1536 CpG sites (from 371 genes) in 14 independently isolated hES cell lines with five other cell types: 24 cancer cell lines, four adult stem cell populations, four lymphoblastoid cell lines, five normal human tissues, and an embryonal carcinoma cell line. We found that the DNA methylation profile clearly distinguished the hES cells from all of the other cell types. A subset of 49 CpG sites from 40 genes contributed most to the differences among cell types. Another set of 25 sites from 23 genes distinguished hES cells from normal differentiated cells and can be used as biomarkers to monitor differentiation. Our results indicate that hES cells have a unique epigenetic signature that may contribute to their developmental potential.     

Limitations of amorphous content quantification by isothermal calorimetry using saturated salt solutions to control relative humidity: Alternative methods

Despite the high sensitivity of isothermal calorimetry (IC), reported measurements of amorphous content by this technique show significant variability even for the same compound. An investigation into the reasons behind such variability is presented using amorphous lactose and salbutamol sulfate as model compounds. An analysis was carried out on the heat evolved as a result of the exchange of water vapor between the solid sample during crystallization and the saline solution reservoir. The use of saturated salt solutions as means of control of the vapor pressure of water within sealed ampoules bears inherent limitations that lead in turn to the variability associated with the IC technique. We present an alternative IC method, based on an open cell configuration that effectively addresses the limitations encountered with the sealed ampoule system. The proposed approach yields an integral whose value is proportional to the amorphous content in the sample, thus enabling reliable and consistent quantifications. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99: 2080–2089, 2010     

Effects of T-type calcium channel blockers on cocaine-induced hyperlocomotion and thalamocortical GABAergic abnormalities in mice

Rationale  

Repetitive cocaine exposure has been shown to induce GABAergic thalamic alterations. Given the key role of T-type (Ca_V3) calcium channels in thalamocortical physiology, the direct involvement of these calcium channels in cocaine-mediated effects needs to be further explored.     

La colposacropexia laparoscópica en el tratamiento del cistocele

Objective

To study the results of sacrocolpopexy in our hospital for the treatment of cystoceles.

Material and methods

A total of 77 patients were treated by laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. With a minimum mean follow-up of 6 moths, a clinical examination was performed to detect symptoms of prolapse or urinary, sexual and rectal symptoms. Objective cure was defined as < grade 2 prolapse in the Baden-Walker classification.

Results

The mean age was 53.8 + 8.9 years. The mean operating time was 193.6 + 44 minutes. Intra-operative and post-operative complications rates were 11.6% and 19.4%, respectively. The mean length of hospital stay was 2.7 (1-8) days. With a mean follow-up of 15.3 + 12.8 months, the subjective cure rate was 89.6% and the improvement rate was 6.4%. The rate of anatomical recurrence of cystocele was 11.6%. Seventy-five patients reported they were satisfied or moderately satisfied (97.7%)

Conclusion

Laparoscopy sacrocolpopexy appears to be an effective method for the treatment of cystocele.     

TDP-43 is associated with a reduced likelihood of rendering a clinical diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies in autopsy-confirmed cases of transitional/diffuse Lewy body disease

Journal of Neurology - Trans-active response DNA-binding protein of 43&nbsp;kDa (TDP-43) can be detected in up to 63% of autopsy-confirmed Lewy body disease (LBD) cases. It is unclear whether...     

ST-segment elevation mimicking myocardial infarction after hydrochloric acid ingestion: Acute caustic myocarditis

ST-segment elevation after hydrochloric acid ingestion has barely been described in the literature, without identification of its causal mechanism. We hypothesize that acute caustic myocarditis, by direct contact between necrotic upper gastrointestinal tract and pericardium may induce the ECG findings.     

Association between chemosensory impairment with neuropsychiatric morbidity in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: results from a multidisciplinary cohort study

Preliminary methodologically limited studies suggested that taste and smell known as chemosensory impairments and neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated in post-COVID-19. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether chemosensory dysfunction and neuropsychiatric impairments in a well-characterized post-COVID-19 sample. This is a cohort study assessing adult patients hospitalized due to moderate or severe forms of COVID-19 between March and August 2020. Baseline information includes several clinical and hospitalization data. Further evaluations were made using several different reliable instruments designed to assess taste and smell functions, parosmia, and neuropsychiatric disorders (using standardized psychiatric and cognitive measures). Out of 1800 eligible individuals, 701 volunteers were assessed on this study. After multivariate analysis, patients reporting parosmia had a worse perception of memory performance (p < 0.001). Moderate/severe hypogeusia was significantly associated with a worse performance on the word list memory task (p = 0.012); Concomitant moderate/severe olfactory and gustatory loss during the acute phase of COVID-19 was also significantly associated with episodic memory impairment (p = 0.006). We found a positive association between reported chemosensory (taste and olfaction) abnormalities and cognition dysfunction in post-COVID-19 patients. These findings may help us identify potential mechanisms linking these two neurobiological functions, and also support the speculation on a possible route through which SARS-CoV-2 may reach the central nervous system.