Facile modular synthesis of jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine analogs possessing a pyrazolidin-3-one core.

A short and flexible route to pyrazolidin-3-one analogs of the phytohormone (+)-7-iso-jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine is presented. The compounds were assembled from four basic building blocks, namely a pyrazolidin-3-one core, alkyl chain, linker and amino ester or acid. The efficacy of this approach was demonstrated in the synthesis of 11 analogs with variations in all parts of the molecule.

Population assessment and habitat associations of the Visayan Hornbill (Penelopides panini) in Northwest Panay, Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Seven out of ten hornbill species in the Philippines are threatened with extinction. Among these is the endangered Visayan Hornbill (Penelopides panini), found on the islands of Panay and Negros. Threatened by habitat loss and hunting, its population size is thought to have declined from 1800 individuals 20 years ago to less than 1000. However, a recent study on Negros estimated 3564 individuals across three core forest blocks. This study aims to quantify the Visayan Hornbill population size in and around the Northwest Panay Peninsula Natural Park (NWPPNP) on Panay, the largest contiguous low-elevation forest landscape remaining across its range, and its broad habitat associations across a gradient of environmental degradation. METHODS: Hornbills were surveyed using 10-min distance sampling point counts (n = 367) along transects (average length 1.1 km). Environmental variables were recorded along transects, while habitat was classified into primary forest, secondary forest, plantation, or open habitat. Distance software was used to estimate population densities stratified by habitat, with the overall population estimate taken as a mean of habitat density estimates weighted by habitat area. Using generalized linear mixed models, hornbill occurrence was modelled using combinations of nine environmental variables as main and two-way fixed effects. RESULTS: Surveys covered 204.4 km2 of the 374.8 km2 Northwest Panay Peninsula. Hornbills were not recorded in plantations or open habitats. Hornbill density was significantly higher in primary forest (17.8 individuals/km2 ± 26.9% CV) than in secondary forest (3.7 individuals/km2 ± 33.2% CV; z = 15.212, P < 0.001). The overall population estimate for the NWPPNP and environs is 2109 individuals, and 2673 individuals for the entire Northwest Panay Peninsula. Hornbill presence was best explained by a model including distance from the Park boundary alongside five interaction effects and transect as a random effect. Distance, and the interaction between distance and medium-sized trees were significant predictors of hornbill presence. CONCLUSIONS: Our study evidences the habitat preference of the Visayan Hornbill, highlights the importance of the NWPPNP for the species' conservation, and provides strong evidence for re-assessing the global population size. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40657-021-00303-3.

Inhibitory properties of crude microalgal extracts on the in vitro replication of cyprinid herpesvirus 3.

Microalgae are possible sources of antiviral substances, e.g. against cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3). Although this virus leads to high mortalities in aquacultures, there is no treatment available yet. Hence, ethanolic extracts produced with accelerated solvent extraction from six microalgal species (Arthrospira platensis, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella kessleri, Haematococcus pluvialis, Nostoc punctiforme and Scenedesmus obliquus) were examined in this study. An inhibition of the in vitro replication of CyHV-3 could be confirmed for all six species, with the greatest effect for the C. reinhardtii and H. pluvialis crude extracts. At still non-cytotoxic concentrations, viral DNA replication was reduced by over 3 orders of magnitude each compared to the untreated replication controls, while the virus titers were even below the limit of detection (reduction of 4 orders of magnitude). When pre-incubating both cells and virus with C. reinhardtii and H. pluvialis extracts before inoculation, the reduction of viral DNA was even stronger (> 4 orders of magnitude) and no infectious viral particles were detected. Thus, the results of this study indicate that microalgae and cyanobacteria are a promising source of natural bioactive substances against CyHV-3. However, further studies regarding the isolation and identification of the active components of the extracts are needed.

Exposure of wild boar to Influenza A viruses in Bavaria: Analysis of seroprevalences and antibody subtype specificity before and after the panzootic of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses A (H5N8).

Swine influenza A viruses (S-IAV) circulate in wild boar populations worldwide. Subtypes primarily reflect those actually present within the respective pig industry. Accordingly, infections with swine H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 have been reported for several regions of Germany. As pigs are susceptible not only to S-IAV but also to avian and human influenza A viruses, it is necessary to consider the possibility that new reassortant viruses with pandemic potential may arise in these new hosts. Therefore, in this study the impact of recent IAV epidemics on antibody prevalences in Bavarian wild boar was assessed. Important events considered were the H1N1pdm09 pandemic, which affected humans and swine, and the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 panzootic in 2016 and 2017, affecting wild and domestic birds. IAV seroprevalences were determined analysing 1,396 samples from before and after the H5N8 panzootic, from various regions in Bavaria, a large administrative region in the South of Germany. Taken together, seroprevalences varied markedly from 1.44% to 12.59%, relative to region and time. However, no discrete correlation was found to population density either in wild boar or in pigs. Antibodies against H1N1 were the most prevalent. In addition, antibodies were detected reacting against H1N2 and against H1pdmNx reassortant viruses, already known to circulate in domestic pigs in Bavaria and notably also against the avian influenza A virus H5N8; the latter in samples taken in 2017. These results confirm the exposure of wild boar to IAV of diverse origin and the increasing variability of S-IAV present in the field. The necessity for continuous IAV surveillance not only of domestic swine but also of wildlife is emphasized.

Stability of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and cyprinid herpesvirus 3 in various water samples.

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) are the two most common species in traditional fish farming in Germany. Their aquaculture is threatened upon others by viruses that can cause a high mortality. Therefore, this work focuses on three viruses-viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3)-that endanger these species. To prevent their spread and contain further outbreaks, it is essential to know how long they can outlast in environmental waters and what affects their infectivity outside the host. Hence, the stability of the target viruses in various water matrices was examined and compared in this work. In general, all three viruses were quite stable within sterile water samples (showing mostly ≤1 log reduction after 96 hr) but were inactivated faster and to a higher extent (up to five log steps within 96 hr) in unsterile environmental water samples. The inactivation of the viruses correlated well with the increasing bacterial load of the samples, suggesting that bacteria had the greatest effect on their stability in the examined samples. In comparison, CyHV-3 seemed to be the most sensitive and maintained its infectivity for the shortest period.

Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 2 infections in Bavaria: an analysis of the current situation - several years after eradicating Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 1.

BACKGROUND: Bavaria, a large federal state in Germany, has been declared free from infections with Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) in 2011. To maintain this status the cattle population is monitored for antibodies against BoHV-1 regularly. Several years ago, infrequent but recurrent problems in this sero-surveillance were statistically put into correlation with the presence of antibodies against Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2). In Europe, BoHV-2 is primarily known as the agent causing bovine herpes mammillitis. However, very little information about BoHV-2 infections in Bavaria is available so far. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine BoHV-2 seroprevalences and to detect virus genomes in potential clinical samples. RESULTS: 6801 blood sera of healthy cattle from all over Bavaria were tested for antibodies against BoHV-2, revealing an overall seroprevalence of 5.51%. Interestingly, seroprevalences markedly varied between the North and the South of Bavaria, namely from 0.42 to 11.17%. Concurrently, the previously reported relation between the epidemiologically inexplicable sero-reactivities in BoHV-1 ELISAs and the presence of BoHV-2 infections were statistically corroborated in this study. To detect BoHV-2 genomes a fast and sensitive real time PCR was established. Using a multiple PCR strategy, tissue samples from skin lesions at relevant localizations, corresponding lymph nodes, and trigeminal ganglia from 111 animals, as well as nasal swabs from 918 bovines with respiratory symptoms were tested. However, BoHV-2 genomes were not detected in any of these samples. CONCLUSIONS: BoHV-2 antibodies were found in samples from bovines all over Bavaria, albeit with an explicit South-North-divide. BoHV-2 genomes, however, could not be detected in any of the analyzed samples, indicating that acute clinical cases as well as obvious virus reactivation are relatively rare. Consequently, the future spread of BoHV-2 infections throughout Bavaria, particularly, after eradicating BoHV-1, has to be further monitored.

Virucidal effects of various agents-including protease-against koi herpesvirus and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus.

In a search for alternative, environmentally friendly and effective disinfecting agents, a commercially available protease-Neutrase® -was tested in this work for inactivation of koi herpesvirus (KHV) and of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV). For comparison, the stability of these viral pathogens in similar configurations at various pH values and concentrations of peracetic acid or quicklime, typically used for disinfection, was tested. Therefore, virus suspensions were incubated with various concentrations of different agents for 24 hr and the titre of the remaining infectious particles was determined by virus titration. Furthermore, the treatment of both viruses, with the agents at concentrations that were previously appointed as effective, was also examined in the presence of solid material (quartz sand). All procedures investigated in this study, including the protease treatment, were able to reduce the titre of KHV and VHSV below the detection limit of the titration. Although further studies are necessary, this is the first report of the application of a protease for the inactivation of the selected fish pathogens, demonstrating the great potential of the latter for disinfection.

Reduced k-space acquisition to accelerate MR imaging of moving interventional instruments: a phantom study.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of reduced k-space sampling rates on the visualization of a moving MR-compatible puncture needle and to demonstrate the feasibility of keyhole imaging in interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All experiments were performed in an open 1.0 Tesla MRI. MR images of a moving puncture needle were taken with different keyhole sampling rates from 15-100%, in 10% increments. The needle was submerged in a water-filled basin and was imaged in motion with a T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence with an initial acquisition rate of 1.4 s per image. An apparatus operated by a compressor unit enabled needle rotation and ensured reproducible needle movements. The median forward velocity of the needle tip was 2 cm/s. To evaluate the depiction of the needle, artifact diameter of the needle, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and needle tip profiles (delineation) were measured. RESULTS: The needle position was determined with an longitudinal error of 3 mm and a transverse error of 0.8 mm with respect to the needle's orientation and the theoretically calculated trajectory. No significant correlation was found between the CNR and velocity. A reduction of k-space update rates caused neither a significant reduction of CNR nor a significant increase in artifact diameter or blurring of the needle profile. CONCLUSION: The application of keyhole imaging with update rates of greater than 15% is sufficient for the MR guidance of interventions with an signal-to-noise ratio >9 of the surrounding tissue and a target accuracy of >1 mm. Keyhole imaging can increase temporal resolution while ensuring unimpaired spatial resolution and image quality of the depicted instrument.