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Background: Respirable mineral particles can induce lower airway inflammation, but the role they play in asthma of horses is unknown., Objectives: Respirable mineral particles, particularly respirable silica, are an overlooked determinant of chronic lung inflammation (asthma) in horses., Animals: Twenty-three horses from an equine hospital population: 11 moderately affected (MEA), 7 severely asthmatic (SEA), and 5 control horses free from respiratory clinical signs., Methods: Prospective observational study. The quantity and quality of mineral particles found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were characterized, with particular attention to silica content. Polarized light microscopy performed on cytospin slides identified intracellular birefringent particles as silica. Spectrometry-based analysis performed on whole BALF determined total mineral and silica percentage and concentration. Group-related differences in BALF mineral and silica load were investigated as well as associations with BALF cytology., Results: Intracellular birefringent particles were increased in SEA vs MEA (median [interquartile range, IQR]), 12 [7] vs 4 [5] particles/30 high power fields [hpf], respectively; P = .01) and vs controls (4 [2] particles/30 hpf; P = .02). Total mineral concentration in BALF was similar between the groups studied, whereas silica concentration and percentage were increased in SEA vs MEA (1758 [887] particles/mL and 20 [10]% vs 867 [662] particles/mL and 8 [6]%; P = .009 and P = .001) and control group (355 [330] particles/mL and 6 [3]%; P = .0003 and P = .002). Silica load in BALF was associated with BALF neutrophilia in MEA and SEA., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Respirable silica is associated with neutrophilic lower airway inflammation in horses and might contribute to asthma development., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Background: Worldwide, the detection of Mycobacterium chimaera in LivaNova heater-cooler units (HCUs) has led to their replacement with other HCUs, although non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been reported also for HCUs produced by other manufacturers. In almost all hospitals of our region, LivaNova HCUs have been replaced with Maquet HCU40s, regularly disinfected with chloramine-T., Aim: To report the results of the surveillance over a 63-month operation period of the Maquet devices, and to provide a trend in NTM positivity over time., Methods: Twenty-nine Maquet devices (HCU40 and HU35) were monitored by two culture methods and propidium monoazide polymerase chain reaction (PMA-PCR) method. The trend in NTM positivity rate was evaluated through the Locally Estimated Scatterplot Smoothing regression and then modelled over time through segmented logistic regression., Findings: The data acquired during the study period demonstrate a remarkable increase in the positivity rate, especially after the third year (maximum slope change at 1280 days). Non-tuberculous mycobacteria were isolated in 150 water samples (37.2%); 100% and 62% of HCU40 and HU35 devices, respectively, were colonized with non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The most frequently detected species were Mycobacterium gordonae (73%) followed by Mycobacterium chelonae (41%) and Mycobacterium paragordonae (11%)., Conclusion: Preventive strategies by disinfection with chloramine-T did not effectively reduce non-tuberculous mycobacteria colonization of Maquet devices. Although, to date, no cases of postoperative invasive infections linked to Maquet devices have been reported, our microbiological results emphasize the need for (1) designing changes to increase safety of devices and (2) researching and developing new disinfection protocols including alternative molecules., (Copyright © 2024 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

IBD is an uncontrolled inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, which mainly manifests in two forms: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). The pathogenesis of IBD appears to be associated with an abnormal response of innate and adaptive immune cells. Innate immunity cells, such as macrophages, mast cells, and granulocytes, can produce proinflammatory (e.g., TNF-α) and oxidative stress (ROS) mediators promoting intestinal damage, and their abnormal responses can induce an imbalance in adaptive immunity, leading to the production of inflammatory cytokines that increase innate immune damage, abate intestinal barrier functions, and aggravate inflammation. Considering that Ca 2+ signalling plays a key role in a plethora of cellular functions, this review has the purpose of deepening the potential Ca 2+ involvement in IBD pathogenesis.