Involvement of Inflammatory Cytokines, Renal NaPi-IIa Cotransporter, and TRAIL Induced-Apoptosis in Experimental Malaria-Associated Acute Kidney Injury.

The murine model of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) induced by Plasmodium berghei ANKA was used to investigate the relationship among pro-inflammatory cytokines, alterations in renal function biomarkers, and the induction of the TRAIL apoptosis pathway during malaria-associated acute kidney injury (AKI). Renal function was evaluated through the measurement of plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The mRNA expression of several cytokines and NaPi-IIa was quantified. Kidney sections were examined and cytokine levels were assessed using cytometric bead array (CBA) assays. The presence of glomerular IgG deposits and apoptosis-related proteins were investigated using in situ immunofluorescence assays and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. NaPi-IIa downregulation in the kidneys provided novel insights into the pathogenesis of hypophosphatemia during CM. Histopathological analysis revealed characteristic features of severe malaria-associated nephritis, including glomerular collapse and tubular alterations. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6, were upregulated. The TRAIL apoptosis pathway was significantly activated, implicating its role in renal apoptosis. The observed alterations in renal biomarkers and the downregulation of NaPi-IIa shed light on potential mechanisms contributing to renal dysfunction in ECM. The intricate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, along with the activation of the TRAIL apoptosis pathway, highlights the complexity of malaria-associated AKI and provides new therapeutic targets.

Perspectives of FTIR as Promising Tool for Pathogen Diagnosis, Sanitary and Welfare Monitoring in Animal Experimentation Models: A Review Based on Pertinent Literature.

Currently, there is a wide application in the literature of the use of the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technique. This basic tool has also proven to be efficient for detecting molecules associated with hosts and pathogens in infections, as well as other molecules present in humans and animals' biological samples. However, there is a crisis in science data reproducibility. This crisis can also be observed in data from experimental animal models (EAMs). When it comes to rodents, a major challenge is to carry out sanitary monitoring, which is currently expensive and requires a large volume of biological samples, generating ethical, legal, and psychological conflicts for professionals and researchers. We carried out a survey of data from the relevant literature on the use of this technique in different diagnostic protocols and combined the data with the aim of presenting the technique as a promising tool for use in EAM. Since FTIR can detect molecules associated with different diseases and has advantages such as the low volume of samples required, low cost, sustainability, and provides diagnostic tests with high specificity and sensitivity, we believe that the technique is highly promising for the sanitary and stress and the detection of molecules of interest of infectious or non-infectious origin.

Calomys callosus: An Experimental Animal Model Applied to Parasitic Diseases Investigations of Public Health Concern.

The appearance and spread of parasitic diseases around the world aroused the interest of the scientific community to discover new animal models for improving the quality and specificity of surveys. Calomys callosus is a rodent native to South America, an easy handling model, with satisfactory longevity and reproducibility. C. callosus is susceptible to toxoplasmosis and can be used as experimental model for the study the pathogenesis, treatment, vertical transmission, and ocular toxoplasmosis. C. callosus can also be used to study cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, as the animals present cutaneous lesions, as well as parasites in the organs. C. callosus has epidemiological importance in Chagas disease, and since it is a Trypanosoma cruzi natural host in which rodents show high parasitemia and lethality, they are also effective as a model of congenital transmission. In the study of schistosomiasis, Schistosoma mansoni was proven to be a C. callosus natural host; thus, this rodent is a great model for fibrosis, hepatic granulomatous reaction, and celloma associated with lymphomyeloid tissue (CALT) during S. mansoni infection. In this review, we summarize the leading studies of parasitic diseases that used C. callosus as a rodent experimental model, describing the main uses and characteristics that led them to be considered an effective model.

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Neospora caninum in crossbred dairy cows in Uberlândia / Soroprevalência e fatores de risco associados ao Neospora caninum em vacas leiteiras mestiças em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Neospora caninum causes reproductive disorders in dairy cattle such as repeat breeding, abortion, and anestrus, which are risk factors associated with the seroprevalence of N. caninum in Brazil and worldwide. This study aimed to verify the risk factors related to the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in crossbred dairy cows in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. During, January to July 2013, 740 blood samples were collected from 57 herds with a history of reproductive disorders and determinations of antibody titers against N. caninum were obtained by ELISA assay. The seroprevalence of N. caninum was 18.4% (136/740). Risk factors for N. caninum were cows greater than 2 years of age (P = 0.034), mechanical milking (P = 0.012), and frequent purchase of animals (P = 0.004), in addition to individual history of abortion (P = 0.007) and repeat breeding (P = 0.030). The highest probability of occurrence of associated risk factors was associated with individual history of abortion and repeated breeding and the frequent purchase of animals, with odds of 12.8, 5.9, and 3.8 times, respectively. In conclusion, the risk factors associated with N. caninum: members of the female sex and cows with more than 2 years-of-age, mechanical milking, and the frequent purchase of animals, in addition to individual history of abortion and repeated breeding.(AU)

Neospora caninum causa distúrbios reprodutivos na bovinocultura de leite como repetição de cio, abortamento e anestro, que são fatores de risco associados à soroprevalência do Neospora caninum no Brasil e no mundo. Objetivou-se verificar os fatores de risco relacionados à soroprevalência do Neospora caninum no município de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais em vacas leiteiras mestiças. No período de janeiro a julho de 2013 foram colhidas 740 amostras de sangue de vacas, em 57 propriedades com histórico de problemas reprodutivos e as determinações dos anticorpos contra o N. caninum foram obtidos pela técnica de ELISA. A soroprevalência foi de 18,4% (136/740) de positivos para o N. caninum. Os fatores de risco associados para o N. caninum foram fêmeas maiores de dois anos (P=0,034), ordenha mecânica (P=0,012), compra frequente de animais (P=0,004), além do histórico individual de abortamento (P=0,007) e repetição de cio (P=0,030). A maior probabilidade de ocorrência de fatores de risco associados foram: histórico de abortamento e repetição de cio individual e a compra frequente de animais, respectivamente, com chances de 12,8; 5,9 e 3,8 vezes. Concluiu-se que existem fatores de risco associados para o N. caninum: fêmeas maiores de dois anos, ordenha mecânica, compra frequente de animais, além do histórico individual de abortamento e repetição de cio.(AU)

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Neospora caninum in crossbred dairy cows in Uberlândia / Soroprevalência e fatores de risco associados ao Neospora caninum em vacas leiteiras mestiças em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Neospora caninum causes reproductive disorders in dairy cattle such as repeat breeding, abortion, and anestrus, which are risk factors associated with the seroprevalence of N. caninum in Brazil and worldwide. This study aimed to verify the risk factors related to the seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in crossbred dairy cows in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. During, January to July 2013, 740 blood samples were collected from 57 herds with a history of reproductive disorders and determinations of antibody titers against N. caninum were obtained by ELISA assay. The seroprevalence of N. caninum was 18.4% (136/740). Risk factors for N. caninum were cows greater than 2 years of age (P = 0.034), mechanical milking (P = 0.012), and frequent purchase of animals (P = 0.004), in addition to individual history of abortion (P = 0.007) and repeat breeding (P = 0.030). The highest probability of occurrence of associated risk factors was associated with individual history of abortion and repeated breeding and the frequent purchase of animals, with odds of 12.8, 5.9, and 3.8 times, respectively. In conclusion, the risk factors associated with N. caninum: members of the female sex and cows with more than 2 years-of-age, mechanical milking, and the frequent purchase of animals, in addition to individual history of abortion and repeated breeding.

Neospora caninum causa distúrbios reprodutivos na bovinocultura de leite como repetição de cio, abortamento e anestro, que são fatores de risco associados à soroprevalência do Neospora caninum no Brasil e no mundo. Objetivou-se verificar os fatores de risco relacionados à soroprevalência do Neospora caninum no município de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais em vacas leiteiras mestiças. No período de janeiro a julho de 2013 foram colhidas 740 amostras de sangue de vacas, em 57 propriedades com histórico de problemas reprodutivos e as determinações dos anticorpos contra o N. caninum foram obtidos pela técnica de ELISA. A soroprevalência foi de 18,4% (136/740) de positivos para o N. caninum. Os fatores de risco associados para o N. caninum foram fêmeas maiores de dois anos (P=0,034), ordenha mecânica (P=0,012), compra frequente de animais (P=0,004), além do histórico individual de abortamento (P=0,007) e repetição de cio (P=0,030). A maior probabilidade de ocorrência de fatores de risco associados foram: histórico de abortamento e repetição de cio individual e a compra frequente de animais, respectivamente, com chances de 12,8; 5,9 e 3,8 vezes. Concluiu-se que existem fatores de risco associados para o N. caninum: fêmeas maiores de dois anos, ordenha mecânica, compra frequente de animais, além do histórico individual de abortamento e repetição de cio.