Occurrence of Hepatitis E virus infection in patients screened for Hepatitis A virus

: Infectious hepatitis can be caused by Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E viruses. Hepatitis E infection is a water-borne disease transmitted by faeco-oral route. It is a cause of major health problems in developing countries. Outbreaks can happen due to improper hygiene and poor sanitation. Hepatitis E infection shows similar mode of transmission and clinical features of Hepatitis A infection. : This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of Hepatitis E virus infection in patients screened for hepatitis A virus.: This prospective surveillance study was conducted between March 2020 to March 2021 on 57 serum samples which is came for the screening of anti-Hepatitis A virus IgM by enhanced Chemiluminescence method. These samples were collected and tested for anti- Hepatitis E virus IgM by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.: Among 57 samples, 11 samples (19.3%) were positive for Hepatitis A Virus IgM, 13 samples (22.8%) were positive for Hepatitis E virus IgM, and 7 samples (12.3%) were positive for both.: Hepatitis E virus infections were more than Hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis E and Hepatitis A virus co- infection was also observed. Screening of both viruses is suggested for infectious hepatitis.

Localized Versus Generalized Granuloma Annulare: A Retrospective Review of 407 Patients

Background Granuloma annulare has been linked to diabetes, dyslipidemia, thyroid disease, collagen vascular disease, malignancies, infectious hepatitis, and systemic infections. However, these associations have not been systematically investigated when categorized by its clinical variants. Objective To evaluate disease associations of localized and generalized granuloma annulare. Methods In total, 407 granuloma annulare patients from 1989 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed, categorized by clinical variant (localized or generalized), age (pediatric or adult), and diagnostic method (clinical or histologic). Descriptive statistical analyses and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Fisher’s exact tests were conducted to produce unbiased probability values. Results Overall, 75.2% of the study sample was female, 47.2% had dyslipidemia, 24.8% were diabetic, and 24.6% had thyroid disease. Dyslipidemia (OR 2.15, CI 1.95-2.35, P < .001), diabetes (OR 1.16, CI 1.01-1.31, P = .041), and histologic diagnosis (OR 2.08, CI 1.21-3.52, P = .007) were associated with increased risk of GGA compared to LGA. When stratified by adult versus pediatric cases, dyslipidemia and diagnostic method remained significant, but diabetes did not. Conclusions Evaluating granuloma annulare by its clinical variants may help to determine disease associations with each variant.

Lifetime diagnosis of carnivore plague

Main problem: Until now the problem of intravital direct diagnosis of canine plague (Kara's disease), aimed at detecting the viral antigen in the secretions and excretions of sick animals, remains urgent. In the case of the disease of carnivorous dogs, the issue of reliable intravital diagnosis is more urgent, since the plague of carnivores in dogs is treated. Lifetime diagnosis of this disease by methods applicable in veterinary clinics is preferable, since in the case of timely and correct diagnosis, therapeutic measures will be more effective. Purpose: To improve the system of antiepizootic measures against canine plague among dogs in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Methods: Analysis of data from private veterinary clinics reporting on the incidence of small domestic animals was used. Various serological methods were used. Differential diagnosis from infectious hepatitis in dogs was carried out by means of CBR, DPR, from parvovirus enteritis - by HIR with cat erythrocytes. To check the specificity of reactions and determine the concentration of the test material, excluding false positive results, samples of pathological material obtained from dogs with various infectious diseases, as well as those obtained from healthy intact animals, were examined. Results and their significance: The use of a complex of various diagnostic methods ensures the diagnosis of plague of carnivores in any form of the disease and at any stage, even in the case of mixed infections, as well as differentiate it from parvovirus enteritis, infectious hepatitis and other carnivorous diseases similar to plague. Valuable in the RAM for the detection of the virus-specific antigen of the plague of carnivorous virus is that it can be used to diagnose the disease in vivo by examining fecal samples and swabs from the oral and nasal cavities.

Chemical Constituents with Inhibitory Activities on Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/kexin Type 9 Expression from the Aerial Parts of Penthorum chinense

Background: Penthorum chinense has been used in East Asia for the treatment of cholecystitis, infectious hepatitis, and jaundice. So far there is no report regarding proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitory constituents from this plant. The aim of the present study was to discover new active constituents with PCSK9 expression inhibitory activities from P. chinenseMethods: All structures were established by interpreting NMR spectroscopic data and MS data. Further experimental and calculated ECD data were used to determine the absolute configuration of the two new neolignans. To monitor the inhibitory activity on proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) mRNA expression and PCSK9-low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) interaction, quantitative real time-PCR, Western blot analysis, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method by a PCSK9-biotinylated-LDLR binding assay were performed.Results: 39 compounds were isolated and identified including two new oxepine-type neolignans, penthorinols A (1) and B (2) and a naturally occurring chalcone, 6'-hydroxy-2'-methoxychalcone-4'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (20). Of all tested compounds, penthorin A (4) and methyl gallate (25) were found to suppress PCSK9 mRNA expression with IC50 values of 15.56 and 11.66 µM, respectively. Furthermore, penthorin A (4) and methyl gallate (25) downregulated PCSK9 protein expression. However, all compounds seemed to be inactive in PCSK9-LDLR interaction.Conclusion: In the present study, two new compounds was discovered from this plant and active constituents with PCSK9 expression inhibitory activities were suggested.

Multiorgan pathoanatomical manifestation of spontaniously ocuring intestinal yersiniosis in dogs

The paper presents materials on pathomorphological changes in the organs of dogs with intestinal yersiniosis, the disease which is still considered to be predominately asymptomatic. The aim of the study was to determine the main pathomorphological changes in dogs with spontaneous intestinal yersiniosis caused by Y. enterocolitica. To achieve this goal, pathological and pathomorphological studies were performed on 12 corpses of dogs aged 8-22 months between 2017-2020. The specimens had a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of intestinal yersiniosis as a monoinfection, and three of the corpses had complications of infectious hepatitis and two corpses with complications of pseudomonosis. The material for the study was extracted during an autopsy of dogs that died due to acute and rarely chronic spontaneous intestinal yersiniosis, as well as when it was complicated by other infectious diseases. Fixation of pathological material (pieces of lungs, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, stomach, small and large intestine, kidneys) and the manufacturing of paraffin sections were performed according to generally accepted methods. The resulting sections were stained with Karatsi hematoxylin and aqueous solution of eosin. The most significant changes were found in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (congestive catarrhal-hemorrhagic processes in the acute course and atrophic and productive in the chronic), liver (protein and fat dystrophies, local areas of necrobiosis and cytolysis of hepatocytes), spleen in the kidneys (signs of granular and hyaline-drop dystrophy of the epithelium of the tubules and dystrophic-atrophic processes in the glomeruli), characteristic of septicemia and toxemia. Based on the analysis of literature sources, the results of the study, it was found that intestinal yersiniosis of dogs is a disease that has multiorgan pathology, but due to the similarity of clinical manifestations and lack of specific diagnostic laboratories it is often disguised as other bacterial and viral diseases. The complex of pathomorphological changes in the organs of the deceased animals, taking into account the results of serological and pathological studies, can be considered a basic protocol for diagnosing intestinal yersiniosis in dogs

Prevalence of Waterborne Diseases in Bade, Nguru and Machina Local Government Areas of Yobe State-Nigeria

Waterborne diseases are mainly caused by consuming food or water tainted with faecal matter or urine of human or animal which contains pathogens. Records have shown that Yobe State is one of the states in Nigeria that have recorded mortalities due to waterborne infections. This study is aimed at identifying common waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, infectious hepatitis, giadiasis, amoebiasis, and dracunculiasis between 2017 and 2019 in three local Government Areas (L.G.As) of Yobe State. Personal interview was employed to generate information from the local people on sources of drinking water in three sampled geo – political wards (Bade, Nguru and Machine L.G.As). Results revealed that most of the dwellers in the study area drink from non – potable water sources such as faucets, hand pump, wash boreholes, wells, rivers, pools and creeks. Results also show that people from the study area do not drink potable water. A total of 1204 cholera cases were reported between 2017 and 2019 in the study areas with Machina L.G.A having the highest number of cases (446) representing 37.04% of the total cases. Mortality due to cholera outbreak in all the surveyed LG.As was 124 with Bade L.G.A having the highest number (43) constituting 34.68% of total mortalities in the study areas. A total of 11,938 persons were infected with typhoid during the study period and Nguru L.G.A recorded the highest number of infections (4,438) representing 37.18% of total infections. Gender based percentage prevalence of typhoid in the study is higher in males (52.83%) than females (47.18%). Recommendations on how to overcome the menace have been highlighted.

Establishment of a Simple and Efficient Reverse Genetics System for Canine Adenoviruses Using Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes

Canine adenoviruses (CAdVs) are divided into pathotypes CAdV1 and CAdV2, which cause infectious hepatitis and laryngotracheitis in canid animals, respectively. They can be the backbones of viral vectors that could be applied in recombinant vaccines or for gene transfer in dogs and in serologically naïve humans. Although conventional plasmid-based reverse genetics systems can be used to construct CAdV vectors, their large genome size creates technical difficulties in gene cloning and manipulation. In this study, we established an improved reverse genetics system for CAdVs using bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), in which genetic modifications can be efficiently and simply made through BAC recombineering. To validate the utility of this system, we used it to generate CAdV2 with the early region 1 gene deleted. This mutant was robustly generated and attenuated in cell culture. The results suggest that our established BAC-based reverse genetics system for CAdVs would be a useful and powerful tool for basic and advanced practical studies with these viruses.