A Pilot Detection and Associate Study of Gene Presence-Absence Variation in Holstein Cattle.

Presence-absence variations (PAVs) are important structural variations, wherein a genomic segment containing one or more genes is present in some individuals but absent in others. While PAVs have been extensively studied in plants, research in cattle remains limited. This study identified PAVs in 173 Holstein bulls using whole-genome sequencing data and assessed their associations with 46 economically important traits.

Specific reference interval for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I among healthy children in Wuhan, China.

Background: Troponin (Tn) is of an important biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of myocardial injury and for evaluating the severity of cardiac involvement due to other systemic diseases in children. Unfortunately, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) specific reference intervals (RIs) are extremely limited. This study aimed to establish a preliminary pediatric hs-cTnI RI for newborns, children, and adolescents in Wuhan, China.

Differentiation and Regulation of Bovine Th2 Cells In Vitro.

Bovine Th2 cells have usually been characterized by IL4 mRNA expression, but it is unclear whether their IL4 protein expression corresponds to transcription. We found that grass-fed healthy beef cattle, which had been regularly exposed to parasites on the grass, had a low frequency of IL4+ Th2 cells during flow cytometry, similar to animals grown in feedlots. To assess the distribution of IL4+ CD4+ T cells across tissues, samples from the blood, spleen, abomasal (draining), and inguinal lymph nodes were examined, which revealed limited IL4 protein detection in the CD4+ T cells across the examined tissues.

Epidemiological and clinical profile of pediatric hepatitis B virus infections in Wuhan: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a substantial public health safety concern drawing considerable attention in China and globally. The detection of HBV serological markers can enable the assessment of HBV infection and replication status in vivo and evaluate the body's protection against HBV. Therefore, this study aims to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HBV infection in children to prevent and control HBV infection in Wuhan areas.

An FcRn-targeted mucosal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission.

SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted through droplets and airborne aerosols, and in order to prevent infection and reduce viral spread vaccines should elicit protective immunity in the airways. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) transfers IgG across epithelial barriers and can enhance mucosal delivery of antigens. Here we explore FcRn-mediated respiratory delivery of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S).

Serum level of S100A8/A9 as a biomarker for establishing the diagnosis and severity of community-acquired pneumonia in children.

Background: S100A8/A9, which is a member of S100 proteins, may be involved in the pathophysiology of Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) that seriously threatens children's health. However, circulating markers to assess the severity of pneumonia in children are yet to be explored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of serum S100A8/A9 level in determining the severity of CAP in children.

Application value of antibody titres and RNA detection in the early prediction of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children: a retrospective study.

Background: Children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) are prone to a missed diagnosis at the early stages of the disease, which greatly affects the prognosis of children. In this study, the application value of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) antibody titres and RNA detection for diagnosing MP infection in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) was evaluated. The present study aimed to seek appropriate detection methods and strategies for early rapid diagnosis in children with MPP.

An FcRn-targeted mucosal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission.

SARS-CoV-2 and its variants cause COVID-19, which is primarily transmitted through droplets and airborne aerosols. To prevent viral infection and reduce viral spread, vaccine strategies must elicit protective immunity in the airways. FcRn transfers IgG across epithelial barriers; we explore FcRn-mediated respiratory delivery of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S).

Single-cell transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility analyses of dairy cattle peripheral blood mononuclear cells and their responses to lipopolysaccharide.

Background: Gram-negative bacteria are important pathogens in cattle, causing severe infectious diseases, including mastitis. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are components of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and crucial mediators of chronic inflammation in cattle. LPS modulations of bovine immune responses have been studied before.

Immunoproteomic analysis of the sporozoite antigens of Eimeria necatrix.

Eimeria necatrix, an apicomplexan protozoa of the genus Eimeria, causes intestinal coccidiosis that can reduce growth performance of poultry and result in high mortality in older chickens. In this report, the whole sporozoite proteins of E.necatrix were studied by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and Western blotting using hyper-immune chicken serum containing E.

Immune reactivity and host modulatory roles of two novel Haemonchus contortus cathepsin B-like proteases.

Background: Haemonchus contortus is a blood-feeding, gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) that causes significant economic losses to the small ruminant industry worldwide. Despite extensive efforts, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms used by GIN to evade host immune responses is limited. Cathepsin B-like proteins (CBPs) are members of the cysteine protease family and are involved in parasite invasion and thus provide viable vaccine candidates.

FcRn-Targeted Mucosal Vaccination against Influenza Virus Infection.

The respiratory tract is constantly exposed to various airborne pathogens. Most vaccines against respiratory infections are designed for the parenteral routes of administration; consequently, they provide relatively minimal protection in the respiratory tract. A vaccination strategy that aims to induce the protective mucosal immune responses in the airway is urgently needed.

Repeated, drug-truncated infections with Ostertagia ostertagi elicit strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses and confer partial protection in cattle.

Bovine ostertagiasis causes significant production losses to the cattle industry. Protective immunity induced by natural infection is slow to develop and anthelmintic resistance is rapidly developing. There is a need to advance alternatives for control of gastrointestinal nematode parasites.

Vaccination with Neospora caninum-cyclophilin and -profilin confers partial protection against experimental neosporosis-induced abortion in sheep.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective efficacy of a vaccine consisting of recombinant Neospora caninum-cyclophilin (NcCyP) and -profilin (NcPro) in sheep. At 42 d and 21 d prior to mating, adult Dorset ewes were immunized with the rNcCyP-rNcPro vaccine (Group 1) or co-purifying non-recombinant (NR) control vaccine (Group 2). At 90 days post-mating, all immunized ewes and were challenged by intravenous injection with 10Nesopora caninum Illinois tachyzoites (NcTZ).

Mediates Early Host Immune Responses via Macrophage and Toll-Like Receptor Pathways.

is an abomasal parasite with significant economic impact on the cattle industry. Early host immune responses are poorly understood. Here, we examined time course expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) during infection where PBMC macrophages (Mϕ) generated both pro- and anti-inflammatory responses when incubated with excretory/secretory products (ESP) from fourth-stage larvae (OoESP-L4) or adult worms (OoESP-Ad).

Immunoproteomic and mass spectrometric analysis of Eimeria acervulina antigens recognized by antisera from chickens infected with E. acervulina, E. tenella or E. necatrix.

Background: Coccidiosis is caused by Eimeria spp. and can result in severe economic losses to the global poultry industry. Due to anticoccidial drug resistance rapidly developing in the parasites and drug residues in poultry products, efficacious and safe alternative coccidia control measures are needed.

Characterization of IL-10-producing neutrophils in cattle infected with Ostertagia ostertagi.

IL-10 is a master regulator of immune responses, but its cellular source and function in cattle during the initial phase of immune priming have not been well established. Despite a massive B cell response in the abomasal draining lymph nodes in Ostertagia ostertagi (OO)-infected cattle, protective immunity is slow to develop, and partial protection requires years of repeated exposure. In addressing this problem, our initial hypothesis was that B cells produce IL-10 that downregulates the host protective immune response.

TRPV4 is dispensable for the development of airway allergic asthma.

Allergic asthma is one of the most common immune-mediated disorders affecting the lungs. It is characterized clinically by airway hyperresponsiveness, eosinophilia, enhanced IL-4 and IL-13, peribronchial inflammation with mononuclear cell infiltration, and goblet cell hyperplasia associated with increased mucus production. However, chronic asthma with repeated exposures to inhaled allergens can result in subepithelial pulmonary fibrosis.

cytoplasmic dynein LC8 light chain 2 (NcDYNLL2) is differentially produced by pathogenically distinct isolates and regulates the host immune response.

Neospora caninum is the causative agent of bovine neosporosis. A N. caninum cytoplasmic dynein LC8 light chain (NcDYNLL) protein was characterized in this study.

Bovine neutrophils form extracellular traps in response to the gastrointestinal parasite Ostertagia ostertagi.

Ostertagia ostertagi (OO) is a widespread parasite that causes chronic infection in cattle and leads to annual losses of billions of dollars in the cattle industry. It remains unclear why cattle are unable to mount an effective immune response despite a large influx of immune cells to the infected abomasal mucosa and draining lymph nodes. Neutrophils, the immune system's first responders, have the capacity to release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to contain various pathogens, including some parasites.

Characterization of Ostertagia ostertagi annexin-like proteins at different developmental stages.

Ostertagiosis remains an economically important parasitic disease in cattle in the temperate regions of the world. Repeated exposures to Ostertagia ostertagi in calves cause significant pathology in the abomasum but elicit little protective immunity. The larvae use the host's gastric glands as a niche for development, where the parasite completes its parasitic stages, while in the gastric glands, the larvae must down-regulate the host inflammatory immune responses.

Abomasal mucosal immune responses of cattle with limited or continuous exposure to pasture-borne gastrointestinal nematode parasite infection.

It has been well documented that cattle raised on pasture are slow in weight gain when compared to those fed with grain. Inflammation in the digestive system commonly caused by pasture-transmitted gastrointestinal (GI) nematode parasites that could negatively impact feed conversion has never been compared in cattle raised with no pasture exposure (NPE, uninfected), limited pasture exposure (LPE, exposure until weaning), or continuous pasture exposure (CPE, life time exposure). In the present study, the abomasal mucosal immune responses and inflammation of LPE and CPE cattle were investigated.

Ostertagia ostertagi macrophage migration inhibitory factor is present in all developmental stages and may cross-regulate host functions through interaction with the host receptor.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) of Ostertagia ostertagi, an abomasal parasite of cattle, was characterised in the present study. Phylogenetic analysis identified at least three O. ostertagi MIFs (Oos-MIFs), each encoded by a distinct transcript: Oos-MIF-1.