Case report: a missed case of chronic Q fever infective endocarditis demonstrating the ongoing diagnostic challenges.

Diagnosis of chronic Q fever is often difficult for clinicians, particularly in the presence of a second pathology. In addition to the chronic constitutional symptoms, the most common manifestations of chronic Q fever include infective endocarditis and endovascular infection. We describe a case of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis caused by both and on a background of a previous aortic graft and bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement 2 years earlier.

Ractopamine and age alter oxygen use and nitrogen metabolism in tissues of beef steers.

The objective was to quantify the effects of age and ractopamine (RAC) on whole body oxygen consumption and Leu flux, and oxygen flux and metabolism of nitrogenous compounds by the portal-drained viscera (PDV), liver, and hindquarters (HQ) of steers. Multicatheterized steers were fed a high energy diet every 2 h in 12 equal portions. Five younger steers (body weight, [BW] = 223 ± 10.

infection presenting as pyelonephritis and perinephric abscess in an immunocompromised patient.

We report a case of an immunosuppressed 67-year-old woman who presented with fever of unknown origin. Further investigation revealed multiple left renal and perinephric abscesses. These were managed with percutaneous drainage and broad-spectrum antibiotics; however, no clinical improvement resulted.

Physiological response, function of sweat glands, and hair follicle cycling in cattle in response to fescue toxicosis and hair genotype.

Fescue toxicosis is a syndrome that results when cattle consume toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue. The objective of this study was to compare the response in physiological variables, sweat gland function, hair follicle cycling, and gene expression to feeding a total mixed ration that included tall fescue haylage and tall fescue seed containing a toxic endophyte (EI) or tall fescue haylage containing a nontoxic novel endophyte (EN) in beef heifers (Angus × Senepol heifers, n = 31) with 2 different hair genotypes. Numbers in each subgroup were as follows: novel endophyte, heterozygous slick (EN-S; n = 8), novel endophyte, homozygous hairy (wild type, EN-W; n = 7), endophyte-infected, heterozygous slick (EI-S; n = 10), and endophyte-infected, homozygous hairy (wild type, EI-W; n = 6).

Locally Fixed Alleles: A method to localize gene drive to island populations.

Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity on islands. While successes have been achieved using traditional removal methods, such as toxicants aimed at rodents, these approaches have limitations and various off-target effects on island ecosystems. Gene drive technologies designed to eliminate a population provide an alternative approach, but the potential for drive-bearing individuals to escape from the target release area and impact populations elsewhere is a major concern.

Impact of slick hair trait on physiological and reproductive performance in beef heifers consuming ergot alkaloids from endophyte-infected tall fescue1.

Fescue toxicosis is a multifaceted syndrome common in cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the slick hair trait on physiological and reproductive parameters in heifers experiencing fescue toxicosis. Angus × Senepol heifers (n = 31) were blocked by weight (393.

Physiological responses to known intake of ergot alkaloids by steers at environmental temperatures within or greater than their thermoneutral zone.

Two studies separated effects of dietary ergot alkaloids from effects of feed intake or ambient temperature on respiration rate (RR), heart rate (HR), surface temperature (ST), rectal temperature (RT), blood pressure (BP), serum hormone, and plasma metabolite concentrations in beef steers. The balanced, single reversal design for each experiment used 8 beef steers fed tall fescue seed [2.5 g/kg body weight (BW)] with (E+) or without (E-) ergot alkaloids as part of a 60:40 switchgrass hay: supplement diet.

State-level approaches to managing the use of contraceptives in wildlife in the United States.

Several fertility control agents have recently been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for management of wildlife or other free-ranging animals.

Longevity of rodenticide bait pellets in a tropical environment following a rat eradication program.

Invasive rodents (primarily Rattus spp.) are responsible for loss of biodiversity in island ecosystems worldwide. Large-scale rodenticide applications are typically used to eradicate rats and restore ecological communities.

MELISSE, a large multicentric observational study to determine risk factors of venous thromboembolism in patients with multiple myeloma treated with immunomodulatory drugs.

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. We designed MELISSE, a multicentre prospective observational study, to evaluate VTE incidence and identify risk factors in IMiDs-treated MM. Our objective was to determine the real-life practice of VTE prophylaxis strategy.

The effect of different feed delivery methods on time to consume feed and the resulting changes in postprandial metabolite concentrations in horses.

Management techniques that reduce the insulin response to feeding in horses have application in preventing insulin resistance (IR) and potential associations (e.g., laminitis).

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids increase insulin sensitivity in growing steers.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary n-3 long chain PUFA on insulin sensitivity in growing steers. Steers (n = 12, initial BW = 336.3 kg, SEM = 7.

Assessing spatial variation and overall density of aerially broadcast toxic bait during a rat eradication on Palmyra Atoll.

Baits containing brodifacoum rodenticide were aerially applied to eradicate invasive black rats from Palmyra Atoll, an important biodiversity center. Bait application must be sufficient to be effective, while minimizing environmental hazards by not exceeding designated label rates, prompting our bait density assessments for two aerial drops. With few physical or human resources on this remote, uninhabited atoll, assessments were particularly challenging, requiring observations within 30 min of aerial application to avoid bait loss to rats, crabs, or elements.

Assessment of toxicity and potential risk of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone using Eastern screech-owls (Megascops asio).

In the United States, new regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides. This action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds (e.g.

Acute toxicity, histopathology, and coagulopathy in American kestrels (Falco sparverius) following administration of the rodenticide diphacinone.

The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be over 20 times greater in American kestrels (Falco sparverius; median lethal dose 96.8 mg/kg body weight) compared with Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Modest evidence of internal bleeding was observed at necropsy, although histological examination of heart, liver, kidney, lung, intestine, and skeletal muscle revealed hemorrhage over a wide range of doses (35.

Simulated visual impairment leads to cognitive slowing in older adults.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of different levels of simulated visual impairment on the cognitive test performance of older adults and to compare this with previous findings in younger adults.

Methods: Cognitive performance was assessed in 30 visually normal, community-dwelling older adults (mean = 70.2 ± 3.

Assessing potential risk to alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, from nutria control with zinc phosphide rodenticide baits.

Nutria, Myocastor coypus, populations must be reduced when they cause substantial wetland damage. Control can include the rodenticide zinc phosphide, but the potential impacts to American alligators, Alligator mississippiensis, must be assessed. The mean amount of zinc phosphide per nutria found in nutria carcasses was 50 mg.

MEK5 and ERK5 are mediators of the pro-myogenic actions of IGF-2.

During the differentiation of muscle satellite cells, committed myoblasts respond to specific signalling cues by exiting the cell cycle, migrating, aligning, expressing muscle-specific genes and finally fusing to form multinucleated myotubes. The predominant foetal growth factor, IGF-2, initiates important signals in myogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ERK5 and its upstream MKK activator, MEK5, were important in the pro-myogenic actions of IGF-2.

Herpes simplex virus type I infection of mature dendritic cells leads to reduced LMP7-mRNA-expression levels.

Mature dendritic cells (mDCs) are the most potent antigen presenting cells within the human immune system known today. However, several viruses, including herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) have developed numerous immune escape mechanisms, such as the avoidance of peptide presentation through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I to CD8(+) cytotoxic T-cells. Within the MHC class I pathway, the majority of antigenic peptides are generated by the proteasome, a multicatalytic protease complex.

Infection of mature dendritic cells with herpes simplex virus type 1 interferes with the interferon signaling pathway.

It has been shown that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) blocks specific immune responses by various mechanisms. Cell lines infected with HSV-1 for instance show a severe impairment of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway. Thus, we examined the influence of HSV-1 infection on IFN-gamma signal transduction in mature dendritic cells (mDCs).

Analysis of the interaction of Ebola virus glycoprotein with DC-SIGN (dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin) and its homologue DC-SIGNR.

Background: The lectin DC-SIGN (dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin) augments Ebola virus (EBOV) infection. However, it its unclear whether DC-SIGN promotes only EBOV attachment (attachment factor function, nonessential) or actively facilitates EBOV entry (receptor function, essential).

Methods: We investigated whether DC-SIGN on B cell lines and dendritic cells acts as an EBOV attachment factor or receptor.

Response of pigs to dietary inclusion of formic acid and ammonium formate.

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal inclusion rate of dietary formic acid-ammonium formate (composition by weight was 62% formic acid and 37% ammonium formate) in nursery and grower-finisher diets or grower-finisher diets only. At weaning (d 21 +/- 2), 224 pigs (equal numbers of gilts and barrows) were blocked by BW within sex (28 pigs per BW block, 4 pigs per pen) and assigned randomly to 1 of 7 dietary treatments within each block. Dietary treatments (TRT), listed as percentage of dietary formic acid-ammonium formate in the nursery (NR) and the grower-finisher (GRF) diets, were as follows (NR and GRF): TRT 1: 0.

DC-SIGN and CLEC-2 mediate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 capture by platelets.

Platelets can engulf human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and a significant amount of HIV-1 in the blood of infected individuals is associated with these cells. However, it is unclear how platelets capture HIV-1 and whether platelet-associated virus remains infectious. DC-SIGN and other lectins contribute to capture of HIV-1 by dendritic cells (DCs) and facilitate HIV-1 spread in DC/T-cell cocultures.

Large interface particles from LASIK surgery.

The presence of interface debris is commonly reported in patients having undergone LASIK refractive surgery. The patient described here had numerous large particles believed to be plastic and metal artefacts from the surgery at the level of the stroma/flap interface, along with a corneal scar consistent with a foreign body injury. The aetiology and possible sequelae of the particles and scar are discussed.

Probabilistic risk assessment for snails, slugs, and endangered honeycreepers in diphacinone rodenticide baited areas on Hawaii, USA.

Three probabilistic models were developed for characterizing the risk of mortality and subacute coagulopathy to Poouli, an endangered nontarget avian species, in broadcast diphacinone-baited areas on Hawaii, USA. For single-day exposure, the risk of Poouli mortality approaches 0. For 5-d exposure, the mean probability of mortality increased to 3% for adult and 8% for juvenile Poouli populations.