Preliminary Study on the Efficacy of a Recombinant, Subunit SARS-CoV-2 Animal Vaccine against Virulent SARS-CoV-2 Challenge in Cats.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a recombinant, subunit SARS-CoV-2 animal vaccine in cats against virulent SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Two groups of cats were immunized with two doses of either a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 spike protein vaccine or a placebo, administered three weeks apart. Seven weeks after the second vaccination, both groups of cats were challenged with SARS-CoV-2 via the intranasal and oral routes simultaneously.

Transplanting FVIII/ET3-secreting cells in fetal sheep increases FVIII levels long-term without inducing immunity or toxicity.

Hemophilia A is the most common X-linked bleeding disorder affecting more than half-a-million individuals worldwide. Persons with severe hemophilia A have coagulation FVIII levels <1% and experience spontaneous debilitating and life-threatening bleeds. Advances in hemophilia A therapeutics have significantly improved health outcomes, but development of FVIII inhibitory antibodies and breakthrough bleeds during therapy significantly increase patient morbidity and mortality.

VANGUARD®crLyme: A next generation Lyme disease vaccine that prevents infection in dogs.

Lyme disease, a public health threat of significance to both veterinary and human medicine, is caused by the tick () transmitted spirochete, . Here we report on the immunogenicity and efficacy of VANGUARD®crLyme (Zoetis), the most recent canine Lyme disease vaccine to be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. VANGUARD®crLyme is a subunit vaccine consisting of outer surface protein A (OspA) and a recombinant outer surface protein C (OspC) based-chimeric epitope protein (chimeritope) that consists of at least 14 different linear epitopes derived from diverse OspC proteins.

Sex effects of dietary protein source and acid load on renal and bone status in the Pah mouse model of phenylketonuria.

The low-phenylalanine (Phe) diet with amino acid (AA) medical foods is associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) and renal dysfunction in human phenylketonuria (PKU). Our objective was to determine if diets differing in dietary protein source and acid load alter bone and renal outcomes in Pah and wild-type (WT) mice. Female and male Pah (Pah ) and WT littermates (C57BL/6 background) were fed high-acid AA, buffered AA (BAA), glycomacropeptide (GMP), or high-Phe casein diets from 3 to 24 weeks of age.

Megaesophagus Is a Major Pathological Condition in Rats With a Large Deletion in the Gene.

A spontaneously arising, loss-of-function mutation in the RNA binding motif protein 20 () gene, which encodes a nuclear splicing protein, was previously identified as the underlying reason for expression of an abnormally large TITIN (TTN) protein in a rat model of cardiomyopathy. An outbreak of led to submission of rats with dyspnea, sneezing, lethargy, nasal discharge, and/or unexpected death for diagnostic evaluation. Necropsy revealed underlying megaesophagus in rats.

Genetic Dissection of Hybrid Male Sterility Across Stages of Spermatogenesis.

Hybrid sterility is a common form of reproductive isolation between nascent species. Although hybrid sterility is routinely documented and genetically dissected in speciation studies, its developmental basis is rarely examined, especially in generations beyond the F generation. To identify phenotypic and genetic determinants of hybrid male sterility from a developmental perspective, we characterized testis histology in 312 F hybrids generated by intercrossing inbred strains of and , two subspecies of house mice.

Studies using a porcine model: what insights into human calcium oxalate stone formation mechanisms has this model facilitated?

Animal models are useful in the study of many human diseases. Our current understanding of the biological, physiological, and biochemical aspects of hyperoxaluria and calcium oxalate urolithiasis has been greatly informed by studies using animals. Recently, limitations in the extrapolation to humans of research results derived from laboratory rodents have been identified.

Pulmonary Microwave Ablation Near the Heart: Antenna Positioning Can Mitigate Cardiac Complications in a Porcine Model.

Purpose To determine how close to the heart pulmonary microwave ablation can be performed without causing cardiac tissue injury or significant arrhythmia. Materials and Methods The study was performed with approval from the institutional animal care and use committee. Computed tomographic fluoroscopically guided microwave ablation of the lung was performed in 12 swine.

Lack of Chronic Histologic Lesions Supportive of Sublethal Spontaneous Seizures in FVB/N Mice.

FVB/N mice with 'space cadet' syndrome are prone to audiogenic seizures and are considered excitotoxic 'sensitive' mice due to the neuronal damage that accompanies seizures. FVB/N mice found dead demonstrate acute neuronal cell death--attributed to a massive seizure episode--within the hippocampus and cerebrocortical laminae. However, the behavioral features of FVB/N mice and numerous studies using excitotoxins to induce seizure activity indicate that this strain experiences multiple sublethal seizures.

Cardiopulmonary and histological characterization of an acute rat lung injury model demonstrating safety of mesenchymal stromal cell infusion.

Background Aims: In the field of cellular therapy, potential cell entrapment in the lungs following intravenous administration in a compromised or injured pulmonary system is an important concern that requires further investigation. We developed a rat model of inflammatory and fibrotic lung disease to mimic the human clinical condition of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) and evaluate the safety of intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). This model was used to obtain appropriate safety information and functional characterization to support the translation of an ex vivo-generated cellular product into human clinical trials.

Mesenchymoangioblast-derived mesenchymal stromal cells inhibit cell damage, tissue damage and improve peripheral blood flow following hindlimb ischemic injury in mice.

Background Aims: Existing treatments have limited success in modifying the course of peripheral artery disease, which may eventually lead to limb-threatening ulcers and amputation. Cellular therapies have the potential to provide a new treatment option for this condition, but isolation of cells by conventional means has limitations with respect to reproducibility and scalability.

Methods: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were differentiated into precursor cells known as mesenchymoangioblasts (MCAs) and subsequently into mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs).

Intravenous Followed by X-ray Fused with MRI-Guided Transendocardial Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection Improves Contractility Reserve in a Swine Model of Myocardial Infarction.

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of early intravenous (IV) infusion later followed by transendocardial (TE) injection of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) following myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-four swine underwent balloon occlusion reperfusion MI and were randomized into 4 groups: IV MSC (or placebo) infusion (post-MI day 2) and TE MSC (or placebo) injection targeting the infarct border with 2D X-ray fluoroscopy fused to 3D magnetic resonance (XFM) co-registration (post-MI day 14). Continuous ECG recording, MRI, and invasive pressure-volume analyses were performed.

Top-down proteomics reveals concerted reductions in myofilament and Z-disc protein phosphorylation after acute myocardial infarction.

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is most often precipitated by myocardial infarction. However, the molecular changes driving cardiac dysfunction immediately after myocardial infarction remain poorly understood. Myofilament proteins, responsible for cardiac contraction and relaxation, play critical roles in signal reception and transduction in HF.

TiO2 nanoparticle exposure and illumination during zebrafish development: mortality at parts per billion concentrations.

Photoactivation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). Over time, this has the potential to produce cumulative cellular damage. To test this, we exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio) to two commercial TiO2NP preparations at concentrations ranging from 0.

Reduced male fertility is common but highly variable in form and severity in a natural house mouse hybrid zone.

Barriers to gene flow between naturally hybridizing taxa reveal the initial stages of speciation. Reduced hybrid fertility is a common feature of reproductive barriers separating recently diverged species. In house mice (Mus musculus), hybrid male sterility has been studied extensively using experimental crosses between subspecies.

Pituitary cystadenoma, enterolipidosis, and cutaneous mycosis in an Everglades ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta rossalleni).

An 11-yr-old captive-born male Everglades ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta rosalleni) presented with dysecdysis, hyperkeratosis, and inappetance. Two skin biopsies demonstrated a diffuse hyperkeratosis with both a bacterial and fungal epidermitis. Fusarium oxysporum was cultured from both biopsies and considered an opportunistic infection rather than a primary pathogen.

Dynamic regulation of the human dopachrome tautomerase promoter by MITF, ER-alpha and chromatin remodelers during proliferation and senescence of human melanocytes.

Senescent cells are known to display altered gene expression of differentiation-associated genes. We have previously demonstrated that the melanocyte transcriptional regulator microphthalmia-associated protein (MITF) is down-regulated in senescent melanocytes. Since virtually nothing is known regarding the differentiated function of senescent melanocytes, we analyzed the transcriptional regulation of Dopachrome tautomerase (DCT), a member of the tyrosinase gene family, in proliferating and in senescent human melanocytes.