Rehabilitation after musculoskeletal injury: Israeli and South African perspectives.

Rehabilitation for patients sustaining isolated and multiple musculoskeletal injuries due to trauma remains a mainstay of recovery. There are a wide variety of systems in place to manage the rehabilitation process. This article describes the post-traumatic rehabilitation procedures from 2 member countries of the International Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Israel and South Africa.

Identification of optimal conditions for human placental explant culture and extracellular vesicle release.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can mediate intercellular communication, including signaling between the placenta and maternal tissues. Human placental explant culture is a versatile model system to investigate placental function. We performed systematic studies in different tissue culture media types and oxygen tensions to identify a defined serum-free culture condition that supports high trophoblast viability and metabolism, as well as the release of similar populations of EVs, compared to traditional undefined conditions that contain media additives potentially contaminated with exogenous EVs.

Mitigating disease risk in an endangered pinniped: early hookworm elimination optimizes the growth and health of Australian sea lion pups.

The Australian sea lion () experiences high pup mortality of seasonally alternating severity, partly attributed to endemic hookworm () infection. To further explore health outcomes of early hookworm elimination, a treatment trial was conducted at Seal Bay Conservation Park, South Australia, over consecutive lower and higher mortality breeding seasons (2019, 19.2%; 2020-1; 28.

Obesity caused by an OVOL2 mutation reveals dual roles of OVOL2 in promoting thermogenesis and limiting white adipogenesis.

Using random germline mutagenesis in mice, we identified a viable hypomorphic allele (boh) of the transcription-factor-encoding gene Ovol2 that resulted in obesity, which initially developed with normal food intake and physical activity but decreased energy expenditure. Fat weight was dramatically increased, while lean weight was reduced in 12-week-old boh homozygous mice, culminating by 24 weeks in massive obesity, hepatosteatosis, insulin resistance, and diabetes. The Ovol2 genotype augmented obesity in Lep mice, and pair-feeding failed to normalize obesity in Ovol2 mice.

Modulation of autoimmune diabetes by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea- induced mutations in non-obese diabetic mice.

Genetic association studies of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in humans, and in congenic non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice harboring DNA segments from T1D-resistant mice, face the challenge of assigning causation to specific gene variants among many within loci that affect disease risk. Here, we created random germline mutations in NOD/NckH mice and used automated meiotic mapping to identify mutations modifying T1D incidence and age of onset. In contrast with association studies in humans or congenic NOD mice, we analyzed a relatively small number of genetic changes in each pedigree, permitting implication of specific mutations as causative.

Topical ivermectin is a highly effective seal 'spot-on': A randomised trial of hookworm and lice treatment in the endangered Australian sea lion ( ).

The Australian sea lion () is an endangered and declining otariid species, with a high rate of pup mortality associated with endemic hookworm () infection a suspected contributor to this decline. Injected ivermectin is an effective treatment for sp. in otariids, with optimal outcomes achieved by the early treatment of pups prior to disease development.

De novo germline mutation in the dual specificity phosphatase 10 gene accelerates autoimmune diabetes.

Insulin-dependent or type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a polygenic autoimmune disease. In humans, more than 60 loci carrying common variants that confer disease susceptibility have been identified by genome-wide association studies, with a low individual risk contribution for most variants excepting those of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region (40 to 50% of risk); hence the importance of missing heritability due in part to rare variants. Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice recapitulate major features of the human disease including genetic aspects with a key role for the MHC haplotype and a series of loci.

Renal Crest Proliferative Lesions in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.

In a histopathological study of the renal crest (RC) of kidneys of cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), 58/90 (64%) had epithelial proliferation. Of these, 33 cats had hyperplasia of the collecting duct (CD) epithelium (CDH) alone, eight had hyperplasia of the urothelium covering the RC (RCUH), of which one had concurrent abaxial renal pelvic urothelial hyperplasia (UH), and eight had both CDH and RCUH. CDH or RCUH were present in five cats with marked dysplasia of the CD epithelium (CDD) and four cats with invasive carcinomas, which also had epithelial dysplasia.

Thousands of induced germline mutations affecting immune cells identified by automated meiotic mapping coupled with machine learning.

Forward genetic studies use meiotic mapping to adduce evidence that a particular mutation, normally induced by a germline mutagen, is causative of a particular phenotype. Particularly in small pedigrees, cosegregation of multiple mutations, occasional unawareness of mutations, and paucity of homozygotes may lead to erroneous declarations of cause and effect. We sought to improve the identification of mutations causing immune phenotypes in mice by creating Candidate Explorer (CE), a machine-learning software program that integrates 67 features of genetic mapping data into a single numeric score, mathematically convertible to the probability of verification of any putative mutation-phenotype association.

Cutaneous Chromatophoromas in Four Species of Australian Elapid Snake.

This report documents the clinicopathological features of cutaneous chromatophoromas in four wild-caught, captive Australian elapid snakes: a strap-snouted brown snake (Pseudonaja aspidoryncha), a tiger snake (Notechis scutatus), an Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) and a Mengden's brown snake (Pseudonaja mengdeni). All tumours were subclassified as melanophoromas, with three assessed as malignant on the basis of invasive growth or presence of intracoelomic metastases. The chromatophoromas were single or multiple, black or orange pigmented, cutaneous, sometimes ulcerated, plaques or nodules.

Water quality measurements in Buzzards Bay by the Buzzards Bay Coalition Baywatchers Program from 1992 to 2018.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition's Baywatchers Monitoring Program (Baywatchers) collected summertime water quality information at more than 150 stations around Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts from 1992 to 2018. Baywatchers documents nutrient-related water quality and the effects of nitrogen pollution. The large majority of stations are located in sub-estuaries of the main Bay, although stations in central Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound were added beginning in 2007.

A Novel Presentation of Tuberculosis with Intestinal Perforation in a Free-Ranging Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea).

We detail a novel presentation of tuberculosis associated with intestinal perforation in an endangered Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) from South Australian waters and confirm the presence of this disease in the region of highest pup production. In February 2017, a 3-yr-old juvenile male died shortly after hauling out at the Kingscote beach on Kangaroo Island. On postmortem examination, we found a mid-jejunal intestinal perforation and partial obstruction (from a strangulating fibrous and granulomatous mesenteric mass), a marked multicentric abdominal fibrosing granulomatous lymphadenitis, and a large volume serosanguinous peritoneal effusion.

Application of Adaptive Image Receive Coil Technology for Whole-Brain Imaging.

The Adaptive Image Receive (AIR) radiofrequency coil is an emergent technology that is lightweight and flexible and exhibits electrical characteristics that overcome many of the limitations of traditional rigid coil designs. The purpose of this study was to apply the AIR coil for whole-brain imaging and compare the performance of a prototype AIR coil array with the performance of conventional head coils. A phantom and 15 healthy adult participants were imaged.

Dominant atopy risk mutations identified by mouse forward genetic analysis.

Background: Atopy, the overall tendency to become sensitized to an allergen, is heritable but seldom ascribed to mutations within specific genes. Atopic individuals develop abnormally elevated IgE responses to immunization with potential allergens. To gain insight into the genetic causes of atopy, we carried out a forward genetic screen for atopy in mice.

Gesture Production in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate delayed and atypical communication development. These deficits constitute a core criterion for the diagnosis of ASD, though information regarding gestural communication in toddlers with ASD remains limited. The present investigation implemented a robust gesture classification system in order to obtain quantitative measures of gesture production in a cohort of toddlers with ASD (n = 40) and controls (n = 40) during 10-min, play-based interactions with caregivers.

The Daisho Peptides Mediate Defense Against a Subset of Filamentous Fungi.

Fungal infections, widespread throughout the world, affect a broad range of life forms, including agriculturally relevant plants, humans, and insects. In defending against fungal infections, the fruit fly employs the Toll pathway to induce a large number of immune peptides. Some have been investigated, such as the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and Bomanins (Boms); many, however, remain uncharacterized.

Short-Form Bomanins Mediate Humoral Immunity in Drosophila.

The Bomanins (Boms) are a family of a dozen secreted peptides that mediate the innate immune response governed by the Drosophila Toll receptor. We recently showed that deleting a cluster of 10 Bom genes blocks Toll-mediated defenses against a range of fungi and gram-positive bacteria. Here, we characterize the activity of individual Bom family members.

A Novel Hepadnavirus Identified in an Immunocompromised Domestic Cat in Australia.

High-throughput transcriptome sequencing allows for the unbiased detection of viruses in host tissues. The application of this technique to immunosuppressed animals facilitates the detection of viruses that might otherwise be excluded or contained in immunocompetent individuals. To identify potential viral pathogens infecting domestic cats we performed high-throughput transcriptome sequencing of tissues from cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

Molecular Diagnosis of Felis catus Gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) Infection in Cats of Known Retrovirus Status with and without Lymphoma.

The pathogenicity of gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1), a common infection of domestic cats, is unknown. To explore an association between FcaGHV1 detection and feline lymphoma, a retrospective, cross-sectional, disease-association study was conducted. The infection status of all cats for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukaemia virus was determined.

Probability of phenotypically detectable protein damage by ENU-induced mutations in the Mutagenetix database.

Computational inference of mutation effects is necessary for genetic studies in which many mutations must be considered as etiologic candidates. Programs such as PolyPhen-2 predict the relative severity of damage caused by missense mutations, but not the actual probability that a mutation will reduce/eliminate protein function. Based on genotype and phenotype data for 116,330 ENU-induced mutations in the Mutagenetix database, we calculate that putative null mutations, and PolyPhen-2-classified "probably damaging", "possibly damaging", or "probably benign" mutations have, respectively, 61%, 17%, 9.

HCFC2 is needed for IRF1- and IRF2-dependent transcription and for survival during viral infections.

Transcriptional regulation of numerous interferon-regulated genes, including (), which encodes an innate immune sensor of viral double-stranded RNA, depends on the interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) and IRF2 transcription factors. We detected specific abrogation of macrophage responses to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) resulting from three independent -ethyl--nitrosourea-induced mutations in (). mutations compromised survival during influenza virus and herpes simplex virus 1 infections.

Comparative study of the discrete velocity and lattice Boltzmann methods for rarefied gas flows through irregular channels.

Rooted from the gas kinetics, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a powerful tool in modeling hydrodynamics. In the past decade, it has been extended to simulate rarefied gas flows beyond the Navier-Stokes level, either by using the high-order Gauss-Hermite quadrature, or by introducing the relaxation time that is a function of the gas-wall distance. While the former method, with a limited number of discrete velocities (e.

Caecocolic intussusception associated with a caecal polyp and concurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in a cat.

Case Summary: A 17-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat presented for several days of reduced faecal volume and a rectal prolapse. Physical examination revealed a 2 cm rectal prolapse, hepatomegaly and a low body condition score of 3/9. Haematology and biochemistry revealed a mild non-regenerative anaemia (haematocrit 24.