A study of 54 cases of left displacement of the abomasum: February to July 2005

Fifty-four cows with left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) submitted to the hospital facility at Riverview Veterinary Clinic from February to July 2005 were treated by right flank laparotomy and omentopexy. Five cows died (a survival rate 90.7%) and one cow (1.8%) was culled due to recurrence of the LDA post-operatively. Forty-one cows (76%) returned to good production post-operatively. Thirty-nine cows (72%) were pregnant six months after corrective surgery

Can Animal Models of Disease Reliably Inform Human Studies?

H. Bart van der Worp and colleagues discuss the controversies and possibilities of translating the results of animal experiments into human clinical trials

A Novel Role of RASSF9 in Maintaining Epidermal Homeostasis

The physiological role of RASSF9, a member of the Ras-association domain family (RASSF), is currently unclear. Here, we report a mouse line in which an Epstein-Barr virus Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP1) transgene insertion has created a 7.2-kb chromosomal deletion, which abolished RASSF9 gene expression. The RASSF9-null mice exhibited interesting phenotypes that resembled human ageing, including growth retardation, short lifespan, less subcutaneous adipose layer and alopecia. In the wild-type mice, RASSF9 is predominantly expressed in the epidermal keratinocytes of skin, as determined by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization. In contrast, RASSF9−/− mice presented a dramatic change in epithelial organization of skin with increased proliferation and aberrant differentiation as detected by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays and immunofluorescence analyses. Furthermore, characteristic functions of RASSF9−/− versus wild type (WT) mouse primary keratinocytes showed significant proliferation linked to a reduction of p21Cip1 expression under growth or early differentiation conditions. Additionally, in RASSF9−/− keratinocytes there was a drastic down-modulation of terminal differentiation markers, which could be rescued by infection with a recombinant adenovirus, Adv/HA-RASSF9. Our results indicate a novel and significant role of RASSF9 in epidermal homeostasis

Centrioles: active players or passengers during mitosis?

Centrioles are cylinders made of nine microtubule (MT) triplets present in many eukaryotes. Early studies, where centrosomes were seen at the poles of the mitotic spindle led to their coining as “the organ for cell division”. However, a variety of subsequent observational and functional studies showed that centrosomes might not always be essential for mitosis. Here we review the arguments in this debate. We describe the centriole structure and its distribution in the eukaryotic tree of life and clarify its role in the organization of the centrosome and cilia, with an historical perspective. An important aspect of the debate addressed in this review is how centrioles are inherited and the role of the spindle in this process. In particular, germline inheritance of centrosomes, such as their de novo formation in parthenogenetic species, poses many interesting questions. We finish by discussing the most likely functions of centrioles and laying out new research avenues

Circulating cytomegalovirus (CMV) neutralizing activity in bone marrow transplant recipients: comparison of passive immunity in a randomized study of four intravenous IgG products administered to CMV-seronegative patients

Abstract Forty-two cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seronegative bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive one of four commercially available intravenous Ig (IVIgG) products (Gamimmune N, Immune Globulin Intravenous, Gammagard, or Sandoglobulin) at a dose of 500 mg/kg every other week. The four treatment groups were similar in distribution of patient ages, weights, autologous versus allogeneic donor type, and underlying diseases. Every other week administration of IVIgG provided total serum IgG levels within the physiologic range for age. CMV titers by latex agglutination were stable (average geometric mean titer of 18.4 after the second IVIgG dose), with no statistically significant differences among the four product groups. CMV neutralizing activity (CMVNA) and CMV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) titers were determined on a subset of sera from 27 study patients representing the four product groups. Patient serum samples obtained before IVIgG infusions and 2 weeks after the second IVIgG dose (ie, 3 weeks post-BMT) were assayed for CMVNA and CMV ELISA titers. Geometric mean titers of CMVNA and CMV ELISA varied among the product groups. The highest mean 50% CMVNA was 1:43 for product B, whereas the lowest mean 50% CMVNA was 1:14 for product A; two of the IVIgG product groups showed intermediate 50% mean titers of 1:27 (product C) and 1:26 (product D) for an overall P = .02. CMV ELISA titers (expressed as Paul Ehrlich International units [PEI U]) also showed the highest mean of 2.95 PEI U/mL for product B and the lowest mean of 1.34 PEI U/mL for product A. Intermediate mean values of 2.27 PEI U/mL and 2.03 PEI U/mL were obtained with products C and D, respectively (overall P = .003). The CMV ELISA titers show a minimal correlation (r = .566) to the observed CMVNA titers. We conclude that commercially available IVIgG products provide passive CMVNA, and that the level of circulating CMVNA is affected by the IVIgG product used.</jats:p

Circulating cytomegalovirus (CMV) neutralizing activity in bone marrow transplant recipients: comparison of passive immunity in a randomized study of four intravenous IgG products administered to CMV-seronegative patients

Forty-two cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seronegative bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive one of four commercially available intravenous Ig (IVIgG) products (Gamimmune N, Immune Globulin Intravenous, Gammagard, or Sandoglobulin) at a dose of 500 mg/kg every other week. The four treatment groups were similar in distribution of patient ages, weights, autologous versus allogeneic donor type, and underlying diseases. Every other week administration of IVIgG provided total serum IgG levels within the physiologic range for age. CMV titers by latex agglutination were stable (average geometric mean titer of 18.4 after the second IVIgG dose), with no statistically significant differences among the four product groups. CMV neutralizing activity (CMVNA) and CMV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) titers were determined on a subset of sera from 27 study patients representing the four product groups. Patient serum samples obtained before IVIgG infusions and 2 weeks after the second IVIgG dose (ie, 3 weeks post-BMT) were assayed for CMVNA and CMV ELISA titers. Geometric mean titers of CMVNA and CMV ELISA varied among the product groups. The highest mean 50% CMVNA was 1:43 for product B, whereas the lowest mean 50% CMVNA was 1:14 for product A; two of the IVIgG product groups showed intermediate 50% mean titers of 1:27 (product C) and 1:26 (product D) for an overall P = .02. CMV ELISA titers (expressed as Paul Ehrlich International units [PEI U]) also showed the highest mean of 2.95 PEI U/mL for product B and the lowest mean of 1.34 PEI U/mL for product A. Intermediate mean values of 2.27 PEI U/mL and 2.03 PEI U/mL were obtained with products C and D, respectively (overall P = .003). The CMV ELISA titers show a minimal correlation (r = .566) to the observed CMVNA titers. We conclude that commercially available IVIgG products provide passive CMVNA, and that the level of circulating CMVNA is affected by the IVIgG product used.</jats:p