Determining the decreasing trend of maternal immunity against small ruminant morbillivirus in goat kids.

BACKGROUND: Small ruminant morbillivirus (SRMV) is the etiological agent of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease. PPR is one of the most important viral diseases of small ruminant husbandry. In the endemic countries, vaccination is the main way to control this disease. Administering the first PPR vaccine in goat kids requires decreased maternal immunity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the decreasing trend of maternal immunity against SRMV in goat kids born from vaccinated goats. METHODS: Twenty Saanen goat kids were studied in two groups including control (n = 5, receiving colostrum from unvaccinated goats) and treatment (n = 15, receiving colostrum from vaccinated goats). Virus neutralisation (VN) test was used to evaluate serum specific antibodies against SRMV in goat kids from birth to 100 days of age. RESULTS: The first goat kid (n = 1) in the treatment group was seronegative at the age of 28 days. All the goat kids were seronegative at the age of 100 days. The average serum titre of the goat kids at the age of 70-100 days became negative. CONCLUSIONS: Some goat kids became seronegative before reaching the age of receiving the first PPR vaccine. The age of 70-100 days could be a good age range to give the first dose of PPR vaccine to the goat kids, but more studies were needed on the effectiveness of this vaccine at this age range.

A Cross-Sectional Study for Evaluation of KRAS and BRAF Mutations by Reverse Dot Blot, PCR-RFLP, and Allele-Specific PCR Methods Among Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: KRAS and BRAF genes are the biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) which play prognostic and predictive roles in CRC treatment. Nowadays, the selection of rapid and available methods for studying KRAS and BRAF mutations in anti-EGFR therapy of patients suffering from CRC plays a significant role. In this study, the mutations of these two oncogenes were evaluated by different methods. METHODS: This study was performed on 50 Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. After DNA extraction, KRAS and BRAF gene mutations were evaluated using reverse dot blot, and results were compared with PCR-RFLP and allele-specific PCR for KRAS and BRAF mutations, respectively. RESULTS: KRAS gene mutations were detected in 42% of patients, of which 30% were in codon 12 region, and 12% in codon 13. The most frequent mutations of KRAS were related to G12D and 10% of patients had BRAF mutated genes. The type of KRAS gene mutations could be evaluated by reverse dot blot method. In general, the results of PCR-RFLP and allele-specific PCR were similar to the findings by reverse dot blot method. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that PCR-RFLP and allele-specific PCR methods are suitable for screening the presence of the mutations in KRAS and BRAF oncogenes. In fact, another method with more sensitivity is needed for a more accurate assessment to determine the type of mutations. Due to higher speed of detection, reduced Turnaround Time (TAT), and possible role of some KRAS point mutations in overall survival, reverse dot blot analysis seems to be an optimal method.