Relative Thrombus Burden Ratio Reveals Overproportioned Intraluminal Thrombus Growth-Potential Implications for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

An intraluminal, non-occlusive thrombus (ILT) is a common feature in an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). This study investigated the relative progression of ILT vs. AAA volume using a novel parameter, the so-called thrombus burden ratio (TBR), in non-treated AAAs.

Diagnosis and management of intraparenchymal rhabdomyosarcoma.

Background: Intracranial rhabdomyosarcomas represent a rare condition, posing a diagnostic challenge to physicians. Brain intraparenchymal rhabdomyosarcomas are exceptionally rare with poorly understood pathogenesis.

Methods: Here we report the first adult case of intraparenchymal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with brainstem and cranial nerve involvement.

[Hind limb paralysis in fattening pigs due to a new strain of porcine Teschovirus A11].

In a fattening farm in southern Germany, paralysis of the hind limbs was observed in 2 age groups (50 kg as well as 60 kg) during a 4 week period. Despite a low morbidity of 3.3 % the majority of the affected animals needed to be euthanized in consequence to the progression of their hind limb paralysis.

African Swine Fever in Wild Boar in Europe-A Review.

The introduction of genotype II African swine fever (ASF) virus, presumably from Africa into Georgia in 2007, and its continuous spread through Europe and Asia as a panzootic disease of suids, continues to have a huge socio-economic impact. ASF is characterized by hemorrhagic fever leading to a high case/fatality ratio in pigs. In Europe, wild boar are especially affected.

Light Sheet Microscopy-Assisted 3D Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Respiratory Tract of the Ferret Model.

The visualization of viral pathogens in infected tissues is an invaluable tool to understand spatial virus distribution, localization, and cell tropism in vivo. Commonly, virus-infected tissues are analyzed using conventional immunohistochemistry in paraffin-embedded thin sections. Here, we demonstrate the utility of volumetric three-dimensional (3D) immunofluorescence imaging using tissue optical clearing and light sheet microscopy to investigate host-pathogen interactions of pandemic SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets at a mesoscopic scale.

T-cell responses in domestic pigs and wild boar upon infection with the moderately virulent African swine fever virus strain 'Estonia2014'.

Infection with African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a highly lethal haemorrhagic disease in domestic and Eurasian wild pigs. Thus, it is a major threat to pig populations worldwide and a cause of substantial economic losses. Recently, less virulent ASFV strains emerged naturally, which showed higher experimental virulence in wild boar than in domestic pigs.

SARS-CoV-2 in fruit bats, ferrets, pigs, and chickens: an experimental transmission study.

Background: In December, 2019, a novel zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus emerged in China. The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) became pandemic within weeks and the number of human infections and severe cases is increasing. We aimed to investigate the susceptibilty of potential animal hosts and the risk of anthropozoonotic spill-over infections.

Comparative Pathology of Domestic Pigs and Wild Boar Infected with the Moderately Virulent African Swine Fever Virus Strain "Estonia 2014".

Endemically infected European wild boar are considered a major reservoir of African swine fever virus in Europe. While high lethality was observed in the majority of field cases, strains of moderate virulence occurred in the Baltic States. One of these, "Estonia 2014", led to a higher number of clinically healthy, antibody-positive animals in the hunting bag of North-Eastern Estonia.

Comparative Pathology of Pseudorabies in Different Naturally and Experimentally Infected Species-A Review.

The pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an alphaherpesvirus and the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease (AD). PRV infects a wide range of animal species including swine as the natural host as well as ruminants, carnivores, rodents and lagomorphs. In these species, except for the pig, PRV infection causes acute, severe disease, characterized by insatiable itching, and is always lethal.

Impaired T-cell responses in domestic pigs and wild boar upon infection with a highly virulent African swine fever virus strain.

Since African swine fever (ASF) first appeared in the Caucasus region in 2007, it has spread rapidly and is now present in numerous European and Asian countries. In Europe, mainly wild boar populations are affected and pose a risk for domestic pigs. In Asia, domestic pigs are almost exclusively affected.

An improved animal model for herpesvirus encephalitis in humans.

Herpesviral encephalitis caused by Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) is one of the most devastating diseases in humans. Patients present with fever, mental status changes or seizures and when untreated, sequelae can be fatal. Herpes Simplex Encephalitis (HSE) is characterized by mainly unilateral necrotizing inflammation effacing the frontal and mesiotemporal lobes with rare involvement of the brainstem.

The African swine fever virus isolate Belgium 2018/1 shows high virulence in European wild boar.

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most important and complex viral diseases in domestic pigs and wild boar. Over the last decade, the disease has spread to several European and Asian countries and is now one of the major threats to profitable pig production worldwide. One of the more recently affected western countries is Belgium.

Roles of the Different Isoforms of the Pseudorabies Virus Protein Kinase pUS3 in Nuclear Egress.

Protein kinases homologous to the US3 gene product (pUS3) of herpes simplex virus (HSV) are conserved throughout the alphaherpesviruses but are absent from betaherpesviruses and gammaherpesviruses. pUS3 homologs are multifunctional and are involved in many processes, including modification of the cytoskeleton, inhibition of apoptosis, and immune evasion. pUS3 also plays a role in efficient nuclear egress of alphaherpesvirus nucleocapsids.

Experimental H1N1pdm09 infection in pigs mimics human seasonal influenza infections.

Pigs are anatomically, genetically and physiologically comparable to humans and represent a natural host for influenza A virus (IAV) infections. Thus, pigs may represent a relevant biomedical model for human IAV infections. We set out to investigate the systemic as well as the local immune response in pigs upon two subsequent intranasal infections with IAV H1N1pdm09.

The Occurrence of a Commercial N and E Double Mutant BVDV-1 Live-Vaccine Strain in Newborn Calves.

The major source for the spread of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) are in-utero infected, immunotolerant, persistently infected (PI) animals since they shed enormous amounts of viruses throughout their lives. During the sequence-based virus typing of diagnostic ear notch samples performed in the context of the obligatory German BVDV eradication program, the commercial N and E double mutant BVDV-1 live-vaccine strain KE-9 was detected in seven newborn calves; their mothers were immunized in the first trimester of gestation. Six calves either succumbed or were culled immediately, but the one remaining animal was closely monitored for six months.

Subcellular Interactions during Vascular Morphogenesis in 3D Cocultures between Endothelial Cells and Fibroblasts.

Background: Increasing the complexity of in vitro systems to mimic three-dimensional tissues and the cellular interactions within them will increase the reliability of data that were previously collected with in vitro systems. In vivo vascularization is based on complex and clearly defined cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, where the extracellular matrix (ECM) seems to play a very important role. The aim of this study was to monitor and visualize the subcellular and molecular interactions between endothelial cells (ECs), fibroblasts, and their surrounding microenvironment during vascular morphogenesis in a three-dimensional coculture model.

Adherence to COPD management guidelines in general practice? A review of the literature.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive illness that is mostly managed in the general practice setting. The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines are the international gold standard, and it is important to understand how these are being applied in general practice.

Aims: This review aimed to assess the current level of adherence to international best practice guidelines among general practitioners in relation to COPD.

Organotypic soft-tissue co-cultures: Morphological changes in microvascular endothelial tubes after incubation with iodinated contrast media.

Introduction: Clinical complications like thrombosis or anaphylaxis have been described to go along with the intra-venous or intra-arterial injection of iodinated contrast media (CM). It has been suggested that the administration of CM affects rheological parameters and thereby causes reduced blood velocity in microvessels. In vitro studies revealed significant buckling of endothelial cells after exposure to CM reducing the lumen of vessels.