Stool screening of Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in Germany, 2013/2014: Identification of Sabin like polioviruses.

Germany is a partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Assurance of polio free status is based on enterovirus surveillance, which focuses on patients with signs of acute flaccid paralysis or aseptic meningitis/encephalitis, representing the key symptoms of poliovirus infection. In response to the wild poliovirus outbreak in Syria 2013 and high number of refugees coming from Syria to Germany, stool samples from 629 Syrian refugees/asylum seekers aged <3 years were screened for wild poliovirus between November 2013 and April 2014.

Human metapneumovirus: insights from a ten-year molecular and epidemiological analysis in Germany.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a cause of respiratory tract illness at all ages. In this study the epidemiological and molecular diversity among patients of different ages was investigated. Between 2000-2001 and 2009-2010, HMPV was detected in 3% (138/4,549) of samples from outpatients with influenza-like illness with a new, sensitive real-time RT-PCR assay.

Generation and characterisation of monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus A, subtype H5N1.

The emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 in 1997 has since resulted in large outbreaks in poultry and in transmission from poultry to humans, mostly in southeast Asia, but also in several European countries. Effective diagnosis and control measures are essential for the management of HPAIV infections. To develop a rapid diagnostic test, a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against influenza virus A subtype H5 was generated.

Reduced germ cell apoptosis during spermatogenesis in the teratospermic domestic cat.

Teratospermia (>60% morphologically abnormal sperm/ejaculate) is associated with increased sperm output in the domestic cat. The objective of this study was to determine whether increased sperm production in teratospermic donors was associated with disturbances in germ cell apoptosis, the usual mechanism for sperm cell elimination. Apoptosis was measured by evaluating DNA fragmentation, expression of Caspase-3, and anti-apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) in the testes of normospermic compared with teratospermic cats.

Decrease of PECAM-1-gene-expression induced by proinflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha is reversed by TGF-beta in sinusoidal endothelial cells and hepatic mononuclear phagocytes.

Background And Aim: The mechanisms of transmigration of inflammatory cells through the sinusoids are still poorly understood. This study aims to identify in vitro conditions (cytokine treatment) which may allow a better understanding of the changes in PECAM (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule)-1-gene-expression observed in vivo.

Methods And Results: In this study we show by immunohistochemistry, that there is an accumulation of ICAM-1 (intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1) and ED1 positive cells in necrotic areas of livers of CCl4-treated rats, whereas there are few PECAM-1 positive cells observable.

The impact and potential etiology of teratospermia in the domestic cat and its wild relatives.

Teratospermia (production of >60% morphologically abnormal sperm/ejaculate) is relatively common among various species in the family Felidae, which is comprised of 37 species. Over two decades of research in this area have produced a significant understanding of the phenotypic expression, its impacts on sperm function and etiology. There is good evidence suggesting that a reduction in genetic diversity contributes to this phenomenon.

Investigations on reproductive physiology in the male Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).

This study characterized (in vivo) morphological and functional parameters of reproductive organs of adult male lynx (n = 3) prior to, during, and after the breeding season (n = 3). Size and morphology of the reproductive tract were monitored by transcutaneous (testes) and transrectal (accessory sex glands) ultrasonography. Semen was collected by electroejaculation.

Hepcidin and hemojuvelin gene expression in rat liver damage: in vivo and in vitro studies.

In this work, we used two rat models, partial hepatectomy (PH) and CCl(4) administration, to study the changes in iron pathways in response to hepatic damage. Liver injury induced changes in the hepatic gene expression of hepcidin, hemojuvelin (Hjv), several other proteins of iron metabolism, and several cytokines such as IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma. Hepcidin gene expression was upregulated between 4 and 8 h with a maximum up to 16 h after surgery.

Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor in felids: intra- and interspecies variation.

Assisted reproductive technologies are increasingly applied to support breeding efforts for many endangered felids. To explain the highly variable responses among felids to exogenous gonadotropins (FSH, eCG), we analyzed a 567bp fragment spanning a hyper-variable region of the FSH receptor in the domestic cat (catFSHR) and nine wild felid species/subspecies (felFSHR). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the newly sequenced felFSHRs, together with the bear FSHR, belong to the carnivore group closely related to the ungulate clade.

Quantity rather than quality in teratospermic males: a histomorphometric and flow cytometric evaluation of spermatogenesis in the domestic cat (Felis catus).

Teratozoospermia (ejaculation of <40% morphologically normal sperm) commonly occurs within the Felidae, including certain domestic cats, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms that give rise to this phenomenon remain unknown. This study quantified spermatogenesis to identify differential dysfunctions in teratospermic versus normospermic (>60% normal sperm/ejaculate) domestic cats. Sperm used were from electroejaculates and cauda epididymides.

IGF-I induces DNA synthesis and apoptosis in rat liver hepatic stellate cells (HSC) but DNA synthesis and proliferation in rat liver myofibroblasts (rMF).

Several lines of evidence suggest a role of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in the regulation of apoptosis. Up to now its impact on many specific cells is unknown. We therefore studied the effect of IGF-I on two similar mesenchymal matrix-producing cell types of the liver, the hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and the myofibroblasts (rMF).

Gelsolin gene expression is upregulated in damaged rat and human livers within non-parenchymal cells and not in hepatocytes.

Gelsolin, a 90-kDa protein, was suggested to be involved in cell motility, to inhibit apoptosis and to have a protective role for tissue. This study intends to analyse the modulation of cytoplasmic gelsolin expression in damaged rat and human livers and to identify its cellular sources. In the normal liver gelsolin-immunoreactive cells could be identified along vessel walls and along the sinusoids.

Antiapoptotic effect of interferon-alpha on hepatic stellate cells (HSC): a novel pathway of IFN-alpha signal transduction via Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and caspase-8.

The hepatic stellate cell (HSC), the pericyte of the liver sinusoids belongs to the mesenchymal cells of the liver. Damaging noxae induce a transformation from the quiescent (vitamin A-storing cell) to the activated (connective tissue-producing cell) state. The balance between proapoptotic and surviving factors decides about the fate of the activated HSC.

Von Willebrand factor in plasma and in liver tissue after partial hepatectomy in the rat.

Background/aims: Von Willebrand factor (vWf) is found in high levels in plasma of patients with acute and chronic liver disease. The role of vWf in liver injury and repair is unknown. We studied the effect of liver mass and remodeling on plasma and tissue vWf after partial hepatectomy.

Rat liver myofibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells differ in CD95-mediated apoptosis and response to TNF-alpha.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC), particularly activated HSC, are thought to be the principle matrix-producing cell of the diseased liver. However, other cell types of the fibroblast lineage, especially the rat liver myofibroblasts (rMF), also have fibrogenic potential. A major difference between the two cell types is the different life span under culture conditions.

Expression of reelin in hepatic stellate cells and during hepatic tissue repair: a novel marker for the differentiation of HSC from other liver myofibroblasts.

Background/aims: Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and rat liver myofibroblasts (rMF), two similar but not identical cell populations, play a major role during hepatic tissue repair.

Methods: To identify marker proteins for the different fibroblastic cell populations, m-RNA-profiling technology was employed using c-DNAs prepared from HSC and rMF.

Results/conclusions: The extracellular matrix protein reelin was identified through its presence in HSC and absence in rMF derived samples.