Can microRNA profiles predict corticosteroid responsiveness in childhood nephrotic syndrome? A study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: In last few years, several studies have revealed the remarkable stability of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) circulating in the blood or excreted in the urine and underscored their key importance as biomarkers of certain diseases. Since miRNA in urinary sediment is relatively stable and easily quantified, it has the potential to be developed as a biomarker for disease diagnosis and monitoring. Identification of serum and urinary levels of certain miRNAs may assist in the diagnosis and assessment of disease activity in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS). The global expression profile of miRNAs in childhood NS in Indian population remains unknown. Hence, further research is warranted in this area. This study seeks to prospectively evaluate whether a multipronged multiomics approach concentrating on microRNA expression profiles in children with NS vis-a-vis normal healthy children is discriminant enough to predict steroid responsiveness in childhood NS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In this prospective multicentric cohort study, subjects will be recruited from general paediatric and paediatric nephrology outpatient departments (OPDs) in tertiary care level referral hospitals. Age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals with normal renal function (as assessed by normal serum creatinine and normal ultrasound of kidneys, ureter and bladder) in 1:1 ratio between study and control groups will be recruited from among the healthy siblings of children presenting to the OPDs. Differential microRNA expression profiles in urine and serum samples of children with steroid-sensitive NS (SSNS) and steroid-resistant NS (SRNS) with healthy children will be compared in a two-phased manner: a biomarker discovery phase involving pooled samples across SSNS, SRNS and healthy siblings analysed in triplicate using next-generation sequencing, slide microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) arrays covering human miRNome followed by a validation phase with customised qRT-PCR primers based on the concordance in the discovery phase differential expression profiles and bioinformatics analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study is funded after dueInstitutional Ethics Committee (IEC) clearance, and results will be available as open access.

A bivalent vaccine against goat pox and Peste des Petits ruminants induces protective immune response in goats.

Safety and immunogenicity of an experimental combined vaccine comprising attenuated strains of Peste des Petits ruminants virus (PPRV) and goat poxvirus (GTPV) was evaluated in goats. Goats immunized subcutaneously with 1 ml of vaccine consisting of 10(3) TCID(50) of each of PPRV and GTPV were monitored for clinical and serological responses for a period of 4 weeks postimmunization (pi) and postchallenge (pc). Specific antibodies directed to both GTPV and PPRV could be demonstrated by indirect ELISA and competitive ELISA, respectively following immunization. All the immunized animals resisted challenge with virulent strains of either GTPV or PPRV on day 28 pi, while control animals developed characteristic signs of disease. Specific antigen could be detected in the unvaccinated control animals after challenge but not from any of the immunized goats. Bivalent vaccine was found to be safe and induced protective immune response in goats as evident from sero conversion as well as challenge studies, indicating that component vaccines did not interfere with the immunogenicity of each other.

An outbreak of buffalopox in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) dairy herds in Aurangabad, India.

An outbreak of buffalopox in domestic buffaloes, with high morbidity and significant production loss, was recorded in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra State in India in November 2003. The disease was also associated with several cases of human infection, particularly in milkers working with the affected herds. Pox lesions were observed on the udder and teats of the majority of the affected animals, while a few animals exhibited lesions on the hindquarters, indicating possible generalised infection. A significant reduction in milk yield was recorded following the outbreak. Milkers developed pox-like lesions on the skin of the hands, forearms and forehead accompanied by fever for three days, axillary lymphadenopathy and general malaise. Investigation of the disease outbreak by virus isolation in Vero cell cultures and detection of viral nucleotide sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the aetiology of the disease.