SARS-CoV-2 host diversity: An update of natural infections and experimental evidence

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now a pandemic threat. This virus is supposed to be spread by human to human transmission. Cellular angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor of SARS-CoV-2 which is identical or similar in different species of animals such as pigs, ferrets, cats, orangutans, monkeys, and humans. Moreover, a recent study predicted that dogs might be secondary hosts during the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 from bat to human. Therefore, there is a possibility of spreading SARS-CoV-2 through domestic pets. There are now many reports of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases in dogs, cats, tigers, lion, and minks. Experimental data showed ferrets and cats are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 as infected by virus inoculation and can transmit the virus directly or indirectly by droplets or airborne routes. Based on these natural infection reports and experimental data, whether the pets are responsible for SARS-CoV-2 spread to humans; needs to be deeply investigated. Humans showing clinical symptoms of respiratory infections have been undergoing for the COVID-19 diagnostic test but many infected people and few pets confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 remained asymptomatic. In this review, we summarize the natural cases of SARS-CoV-2 in animals with the latest researches conducted in this field. This review will be helpful to think insights of SARS-CoV-2 transmissions, spread, and demand for seroprevalence studies, especially in companion animals.     

The Relationship between College Graduate’s Dual Self-Consciousness and Job Search Clarity: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between college graduates’ dual self-consciousness, job search clarity and perceived stress, and reveal the mediating role of perceived stress between dual self-consciousness and job search clarity. In this study, 467 college graduates were investigated using the Dual Self-Consciousness Scale, Job Search Clarity Scale, and Perceived Stress Scale. After controlling for gender, age, and region, the results revealed that: (1) private self-consciousness has a significant positive predictive effect on job search clarity; (2) perceived stress has a significant negative predictive effect on job search clarity; (3) perceived stress plays partial mediation effects between private self-consciousness and job search clarity; (4) perceived stress plays complete mediation effects between public self-consciousness and job search clarity; (5) perceived stress has suppressing effects between public self-consciousness and job search clarity.     

Child with a tail

An interesting case of a child with a tail is reported. The child had a tail like structure in the back since birth, increasing with age. It was 20 cm. long, the longest tail so far described in the English literature. There was no functional complain. The result was excellent after excision as the problem was only cosmetic.     

Duodenogastric reflux after choledochoduodenostomy

Duodenogastric reflux (DGR) has been implicated in several disease processes. The present study was carried out to document the incidence and evaluate the clinical significance of DGR after choledochoduodenostomy (CDD). A total of 13 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy with a standard side-to-side CDD for choledocholithiasis or chronic pancreatitis were studied by symptom evaluation, scintigraphy, endoscopy, and gastric mucosal histology at least 6 months after surgery. The scintigraphic findings were then compared with those of 10 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy alone. Only two patients (15%) had mild dyspeptic symptoms. The incidence of DGR after CDD was 69% compared to 20% in the cholecystectomy alone group (P < 0.05). In the majority of patients the DGR was only mild to moderate and the severity correlated well with the degree of endoscopic gastritis, but not with the clinical symptoms or histological findings. These results indicate that while CDD is associated with a high incidence of DGR, its occurrence does not produce significant clinical symptoms.     

Calcium environment in bone mineral determined by EXAFS spectroscopy

Summary Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra were recorded, above the Ca K edge, from powdered mouse femurs. Spectra were interpreted on the basis of a model developed previously to explain the features of the EXAFS spectrum of fully crystalline hydroxyapatite. Eight shells of atoms surrounding Ca out of 0.57 nm were required to explain the appearance of the EXAFS spectrum of bone. Shell radii and Debye-Waller factors were systematically varied to obtain the best fit between observed and theoretical spectra, calculated using exact spherical wave theory. The results were closely similar to those obtained previously from the interpretation of EXAFS spectra from poorly crystalline hydroxyapatite prepared by maturation of amorphous calcium phosphate. However, there appears to be slightly more disorder in bone mineral, perhaps as a result of its accommodating carbonate ions     

Genome sequence based, comparative analysis of the fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphisms (FAFLP) of tubercle bacilli from seals provides molecular evidence for a new species within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Tuberculosis in seals is caused by a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex referred to as the 'seal bacillus'. Fluorescent amplified-fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) analysis was applied to isolates from four Australian and six Argentinean seals and compared with FAFLP pattern for standard strains belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex. The FAFLP profiles derived from EcoRI/MseI restricted fragments of blind coded DNA samples differentiated the seal bacillus from other members of the M. tuberculosis complex. According to the phylogenetic analysis performed using FAFLP data, seal bacilli appear to have diverged significantly from other members of the M. tuberculosis complex. We describe the suitability of a panel of 19 highly polymorphic markers for rapid identification and comparative genomic analyses of the seal bacillus strains. It is likely that these bacilli got separated from the M. tuberculosis lineage as a result of different insertion deletion events occurring on a genome wide scale. Our analysis reveals that the seal bacillus and M. bovis are genetically related and therefore, might have originated from a common ancestor. Our data additionally support the hypothesis that seal bacillus occupies a unique taxonomic position within the M. tuberculosis complex.     

Pharmacology of KB‐R7943: A Na+–Ca2+ exchange inhibitor

The Na⁺–Ca²⁺ exchange (NCX) system plays a pivotal role in regulating intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in cardiomyocytes, neuronal cells, kidney and a variety of other cells. It performs a particularly important function in regulating cardiac contractility and electrical activity. One of the leading NCX inhibitors is KB‐R9743 (KBR) that appears to exhibit selectivity for Ca²⁺‐influx‐mode NCX activity (reverse mode of NCX). In this article we reviewed pharmacology of KBR and provide a brief summary of studies with other NCX inhibitors, such as SEA0400 (SEA) and SN‐6 (SN). Potential clinical usefulness of KBR and other NCX inhibitors is still controversial but the reviewed findings may be helpful in designing more selective and clinically useful NCX inhibitors for the treatment of cardiac, neuronal and kidney diseases.     

Rural Demographics Racial/Ethnic Diversification in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Population Change in the United States: Implications for Health Care Provision in Rural America

The diversification of the rural population of the United States provides substantial challenges to the current and to future health care systems in rural areas. Because of a variety of historical, discriminatory, and other factors, minority populations have had lower levels of access to health care in rural as well as urban areas and higher rates of both mortality and morbidity than nonminority populations. Although minority health issues have often been seen as primarily urban issues, this article demonstrates that minority population growth has become a major component of total population growth in rural areas in the past several decades (accounting for nearly 62% of the net growth in the nonmetropolitan population of the United States in the 1980s and for nearly 42% in the 1990s), that future US population growth is likely to be largely a product of minority population growth (nearly 89% of US net population growth from 2000 to 2100 is projected to be due to minority population growth), and that the incidence of diseases and disorders in the US population will come to increasingly involve minority populations (by 2050 roughly 43% of all disease/disorder incidences would involve minority population members). The growth of younger minority populations with disproportionately impoverished socioeconomic characteristics will pose challenges for rural areas and health care systems, which also are likely to face health issues created by disproportionately older populations.     

Alteration of pulse configuration affects the pain response during diode laser photocoagulation

Background and Objective: The shape of the treatment pulse of the diode laser (810 nm) can be easily altered electronically in contrast to ion laser photocoagulators. We investigated whether changes in laser pulse shape influenced the subjective pain response in patients undergoing retinal photocoagulation when only topical anesthesia was used. Study Design/Materials and Methods: Twenty consecutive patients required peripheral retinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy or extensive retinal breaks. Three diode pulse waveforms including a square wave, shaped-wave, and an envelope of micropulses were compared to one another. Power was adjusted so that each waveform delivered the same total energy. The patients subjectively ranked the intensity of any pain they experienced for each group of lesions. Responses were compared to one another using an analysis of variance. Results: 40% of patients found the standard square wave pulse to be significantly more painful (P < 0.05) than the shaped pulse mode and 30% found the square wave significantly more painful (P < 0.05) than the micropulse mode. Conclusion: Modification of the laser pulse waveform may ameliorate pain induced by diode laser photocoagulation of the retinal periphery. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.