Evaluation of protection against bovine viral diarrhea virus type 2 after vaccination of the calves with bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 combo inactivated vaccine / Avaliação da proteção contra o vírus da diarreia viral bovina tipo 2 após vacinação de bezerros com vacina combinada inativada do vírus da diarreia viral bovina tipo 1

This study was designed to evaluate the extent of the protection for bovine viral diarrhea virus type 2 (BVDV-2) infection, afforded by vaccination with a combo inactivated vaccine, which contains bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1 (BVDV-1) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV). Five 3-4-month-old calves were intramuscularly vaccinated with a single dose of the combo vaccine and boosted with same dose three weeks after the first vaccination, with five mock immunized calves serving as a control group. Twenty-one days after the second vaccination, all calves were challenged with BVDV-2 SX08 strain by spray into nostril. The unvaccinated animals developed typical clinical signs of high rectal temperature, diarrhoea with erosions and a dramatic drop in leukocyte counts. These signs occured markedly less in all vaccinated animals, the rectal temperature, leukopenia and virarmia of which, were significantly less than the mock immunized calves. It can be concluded that vaccination with the combo inactivated vaccine affords cross-protection against clinical effects of a challenge-infection with BVDV-2 SX08 strain, although it was part protection.(AU)

Este estudo foi desenvolvido para avaliar a extensão da proteção contra a infecção pelo vírus da diarréia viral bovina tipo 2 (BVDV-2) através da vacinação com uma vacina combinada inativada contendo o vírus da diarréia viral bovina tipo 1 (BVDV-1) e vírus da rinotraqueíte de bovinos infecciosos (IBRV). Cinco bezerros com 3 a 4 meses de idade foram vacinados via intramuscular com uma dose única da vacina combinada e reforçados com a mesma dose três semanas após a primeira vacinação, com cinco bezerros imunizados em simulação servindo como grupo controle. Vinte e um dias após a segunda vacinação, todos os bezerros foram desafiados com a cepa BVDV-2 SX08 por spray na narina. Os animais não vacinados desenvolveram sinais clínicos típicos, como alta temperatura retal, diarréia com erosões e queda drástica na contagem de leucócitos. Estes sinais tiveram ocorrência significativamente menor em todos os animais vacinados, cuja temperatura retal, leucopenia e virarmia eram significativamente menores do que os bezerros simulados. É possível concluir que a vacinação com a vacina combinada inativada proporciona proteção cruzada contra os efeitos clínicos de uma infecção provocada pela cepa BVDV-2 SX08, embora tenha sido parcialmente protegida.(AU)

A unique case of eyelid metastasis from chondroid chordoma

A unique case of eyelid metastasis from nasopharyngeal chondroid chordoma in a 63-year-old woman was reported. Chordomas are rare tumors of the bone deriving from remnants of the embryonic notochord. Histologically, the tumor showed lobulated structure and concludes two types of cells: liquid drop cell and small round/cubic cell. Immunohistochemically, AE1/AE3, epithelial membrane antigene (EMA), and S100 showed a uniform and strong positivity. It has a great capacity for recurrence and malignant transformation, despite their slow-growing nature. The most common sites of metastases are liver, lungs, and bones. The eyelid metastasis from chordoma is an extremely rare finding, which may suggest a poor prognosis for the patient. Its significant clinicopathological characteristic could prompt us to take it into consideration when assessing the patient's prognosis.

Effects of lung cancer cell-associated B7-H1 on T-cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo

B7 homolog 1 (B7-H1) is the most potent immunoinhibitory molecule in the B7 family. In this study, we examined the effects of tumor-associated B7-H1 on T-cell proliferation in lung cancer. The expression of B7-H1 in human adenocarcinoma A549 and mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells were examined by flow cytometry. To assess the in vitro effect of tumor-associated B7-H1 on T-cell proliferation, we isolated T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy individuals, labeled them with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester, and co-cultured them with A549 cells in the absence or presence of anti-B7-H1 antibody. For in vivo analysis, LLC cells were subcutaneously injected into mice treated or not with anti-B7-H1 antibody. T-cell proliferation in both in vitro and in vivo assays was analyzed by flow cytometry. In vitro, co-culturing T cells with A549 cells significantly inhibited the proliferation of the former compared with the proliferation of T cells alone (P<0.01), and the addition of B7-H1 blocking antibody dramatically reversed the inhibition of T-cell proliferation by A549 cells. Similarly, in mice bearing LLC-derived xenograft tumors, in vivo administration of anti-B7-H1 antibody significantly increased the total number of spleen and tumor T cells compared to levels in control mice that did not receive anti-B7-H1 antibody. Functionally, in vivo administration of anti-B7-H1 antibody markedly reduced tumor growth. Tumor-associated B7-H1 may facilitate immune evasion by inhibiting T-cell proliferation. Targeting of this mechanism offers a promising therapy for cancer immunotherapy.

Impact of System Factors and Modifiable ICU Interventions on the Outcome of Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation in PICU.

Objectives: To assess the impact of system factors and modifiable interventions on outcome of cardiac arrest in a pediatric intensive care unit. Design: Retrospective medical record review. Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit of a hospital in China. Participants: Children (age<14 yrs) who had cardiac arrest within our PICU over a period of two years. Results: Sixty-one of the 94 cardiac arrest events were successfully resuscitated. There was no significant association between personal and unit factors with immediate outcomes in our unit. The rate of unsuccessful resuscitation in sedated patients and those without sedation was 26% and 50%, respectively. Unsuccessful resuscitation occurred in 19% of patients who were on positive pressure ventilation as compared with 74% for those without positive pressure ventilation. Arrests which had resuscitation attempts that lasted more than 30 min had 135-fold higher odds of unsuccessful outcome. 78% of patients who received base supplement at the time of arrest had unsuccessful resuscitation compared with 21% for those without base supplement. Conclusions: Our data shows no impact of system factors on the outcome of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in our PICU. Prearrest sedation in pediatric critical ill patients might be beneficial to the outcome of cardiac arrests.

Inhibition of STAT3 by RNA interference suppresses angiogenesis in colorectal carcinoma

In order to investigate signal transduction and activation of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling on angiogenesis in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) after inhibiting STAT3 expression, we constructed the HT-29-shSTAT3 cell line by lentivirus-mediated RNAi. Cell growth was assessed with MTT and the cell cycle distribution by flow cytometry. CRC nude mouse models were established and tumor growth was monitored periodically. On day 30, all mice were killed and tumor tissues were removed. Microvessel density (MVD) was determined according to CD34-positive staining. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) was monitored by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Knockdown of STAT3 expression significantly inhibited cell growth in HT-29 cells, with a significantly higher proportion of cells at G0/G1 (P < 0.01). Consistently, in vivo data also demonstrated that tumor growth was significantly inhibited in mice injected with HT-29-shSTAT3 cells. MVD was 9.80 ± 3.02 in the HT-29-shSTAT3 group, significantly less than that of the control group (P < 0.01). mRNA and protein levels of VEGFA and MMP2 in the HT-29-shSTAT3 group were significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed in the mRNA or protein level of FGF2 (P > 0.05). Taken together, these results demonstrate that STAT3 signaling is important to the growth of CRC and promotes angiogenesis by regulating VEGFA and MMP2 expression.

Normal range values for thromboelastography in healthy adult volunteers

Thromboelastography (TEG®) provides a functional evaluation of coagulation. It has characteristics of an ideal coagulation test for trauma, but is not frequently used, partially due to lack of both standardized techniques and normal values. We determined normal values for our population, compared them to those of the manufacturer and evaluated the effect of gender, age, blood type, and ethnicity. The technique was standardized using citrated blood, kaolin and was performed on a Haemoscope 5000 device. Volunteers were interviewed and excluded if pregnant, on anticoagulants or having a bleeding disorder. The TEG® parameters analyzed were R, K, á, MA, LY30, and coagulation index. All volunteers outside the manufacturer’s normal range underwent extensive coagulation investigations. Reference ranges for 95 percent for 118 healthy volunteers were R: 3.8-9.8 min, K: 0.7-3.4 min, á: 47.8-77.7 degrees, MA: 49.7-72.7 mm, LY30: -2.3-5.77 percent, coagulation index: -5.1-3.6. Most values were significantly different from those of the manufacturer, which would have diagnosed coagulopathy in 10 volunteers, for whom additional investigation revealed no disease (81 percent specificity). Healthy women were significantly more hypercoagulable than men. Aging was not associated with hypercoagulability and East Asian ethnicity was not with hypocoagulability. In our population, the manufacturer’s normal values for citrated blood-kaolin had a specificity of 81 percent and would incorrectly identify 8.5 percent of the healthy volunteers as coagulopathic. This study supports the manufacturer’s recommendation that each institution should determine its own normal values before adopting TEG®, a procedure which may be impractical. Consideration should be given to a multi-institutional study to establish wide standard values for TEG®.

Beneficial effect of recombinant human growth hormone on the intestinal mucosa barrier of septic rats

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on the intestinal mucosa barrier of septic rats and explore its possible mechanism. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three groups: control, Escherichia coli-induced sepsis (S) and treatment (T) groups. Groups S and T were subdivided into subgroups 1d and 3d, respectively. Expression of liver insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA, Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels and the intestinal Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and plasma GH and IGF-1 levels were determined. Histological examination of the intestine was performed and bacterial translocation was determined. rhGH significantly attenuated intestinal mucosal injuries and bacterial translocation in septic rats, markedly decreased Bax protein levels, inhibited the decrease of Bcl-2 protein expression and maintained the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in the intestine. rhGH given after sepsis significantly improved levels of plasma GH (T1d: 1.28 ± 0.24; T3d: 2.14 ± 0.48 æg/L vs S1d: 0.74 ± 0.12; S3d: 0.60 ± 0.18 æg/L; P < 0.05) and IGF-1 (T1d: 168.94 ± 65.67; T3d: 201.56 ± 64.98 æg/L vs S1d: 116.72 ± 13.96; S3d: 107.50 ± 23.53 æg/L; P < 0.05) and expression of liver IGF-1 mRNA (T1d: 0.98 ± 0.20; T3d: 1.76 ± 0.17 vs S1d: 0.38 ± 0.09; S3d: 0.46 ± 0.10; P < 0.05). These findings indicate that treatment with rhGH had beneficial effects on the maintenance of the integrity of the intestinal mucosa barrier in septic rats.

Comparaçäo entre nifedipina por via sublingual e clonidina por via venosa no controle de hipertensäo arterial periðoperatória em cirurgias de catarata / Comparison between sublingual nifedipine and intravenous clonidine to control perioperative arterial hypertension in cataract procedures

Justificativa e objetivos - Estudo recente mostra que a clonidina por via venosa apresenta-se eficaz e segura no tratamento de crises hipertensivas durante cirurgia de catarata. Este estudo visa comparar o uso de nifedipina, droga amplamente utilizada por via sublingual, e clonidina por via venosa no controle da hipertensäo arterial em cirurgias de catarata. Método - Setenta e cinco pacientes submetidos à facectomia foram distribuídos de forma aleatória e encoberta em: Grupo A, que recebeu nifedipina e Grupos C2 e C3, que receberam, respectivamente, 2 e 3 µg.kgðû de clonidina por via venosa. Todos os pacientes apresentavam hipertensäo arterial (PAS > 170 mmHg ou PAD > 110 mmHg). As PAS, PAD e freqüência cardíaca (FC) foram medidas e comparadas nos momentos: 0 (antes do tratamento) e de 2 em 2 minutos até o final do procedimento. Os eventos adversos foram anotados. Resultados - Após o tratamento ocorreram diminuições da PAS e PAD nos 3 grupos (p < 0,001). Houve controle da pressäo arterial (< 160 mmHg) em 32 por cento, 64 por cento e 72 por cento dos pacientes nos grupos A, C2 e C3, respectivamente (p < 0,05). No grupo C3 ocorreu maior incidência de efeitos colaterais que nos grupos C2 e A (p < 0,05). Conclusões - A clonidina por via venosa é mais eficaz que a nifedipina, por via sublingual, no controle de crises hipertensivas no peri-operatório de cirurgias de catarata. Contudo, a dose de 3 µg.kgðû pode estar relacionada a efeitos colaterais, devendo-se iniciar o tratamento com 2 µg.kgðû