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It has been known that some amino acids, such as leucine, can function as signaling molecules to regulate the skeletal muscle growth of pigs. However, which signaling pathway (s) that may be regulated by dietary lysine is unclear. This study was conducted to identify the genes that may be regulated by dietary lysine and that are responsible for the muscle growth of pigs. Nine crossbred barrows (94.4 ± 6.7 kg BW) were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (3 pigs/treatment). Three corn and soybean-meal based diets were formulated to meet the NRC (2012) requirements for nutrients except for lysine, whose concentrations were 0.43, 0.71, and 0.98% (as-fed basis) for the lysine-deficient, lysine-adequate, and ly sine-excess diets, respectively. The feeding trial lasted 5 wk, during which time the pigs were allowed ad libitum access to diets and water. After the trial, all pigs were harvested and muscle samples were collected from longissimus dorsi (between the 10th and 12th ribs). Total RNA was extracted from 50 mg of each sample using the TRIzol reagent. The Porcine Gene 1.0 ST Array (Affymetrix, Inc.) was used to quantify the expression levels of 19,211 genes. Raw microarray data were normalized with the gcRMA algorithm and analyzed with ANOVA using Partek Genomics Suite (Partek, Inc.). A total of 674 transcripts were differentially expressed (p < 0.05); 60 out of 131 transcripts (atp < 0.01) belong to 58 genes and 71 were unannotated. Canonical pathway analysis of these 58 genes using the IPA software (Qiagen.com) revealed that the protein ubiquitination pathway was significantly affected (P < 0.01) by dietary lysine level, which involved at least 6 genes. Specifically, when compared to the lysine-adequate group, the expression of DNAJA 1, HSP90AB 1, and UBE2B was up-regulated in the lysine-deficient group, while the expression of DNAJA 1, HSP90AA 1, HSPH 1, and UBE2D3 was downregulated in the lysine-excess group. The protein ubiquitination pathway plays a major role in the degradation of short-lived or regulatory proteins by the 26 S proteasome complex, affecting a variety of cellular processes including cell cycle, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and transcription regulation. Taken together, decreasing dietary lysine level may activate, while increasing dietary lysine level may inhibit, the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and regulate protein accretion in skeletal muscle of late-stage finishing pigs. Further studies are needed to elucidate how the proteins coded from these genes influence pig skeletal muscle degradation. This project is supported by USDA Hatch/Multistate Project 233803. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds on carcass characteristics including dressing percentage, ribeye area, backfat thickness, percentage of KPH fat, pH, objective lean color, marbling score, and intramuscular fat content. Twelve Angus steers of the same preconditioning operation entering the stocker phase at Mississippi State University H. H. Leveck Animal Research Center were selected and blocked by BW into 3 groups: light (4 animals, 205.5 ± 7.4 kg), medium (5 animals, 231.3 ± 8.2 kg), and heavy (3 animals, 272.7 ± 8.4 kg). A control (KY32 or E--; 0.9 kg) and a treatment (KY31 or E+; 0.8, 0.9, or 1.0 kg for light, medium, or heavy steers, respectively, to provide 20 μg of ergovaline per kg of BW) were randomly assigned to animals within blocks (n = 6) by using Calan® gates. Seeds were mixed with soybean, corn gluten pellets at 2% of BW in the Calan® gates during two trials of 70 d (Summer 2015) and 56 d (Winter 2016). Upon the completion of the second trial, steers were implanted with one dose of Ralgro® and finished to a slaughter weight of approximately 499 kg. During the entire study, steers had ad libitum access to the same annual and perennial summer grass pasture, alfalfa hay supplementation, minerals, and water. Hot carcass weight and dressing percentage were recorded at slaughter, whereas all other data were collected at 72 h post mortem on the right side of the carcasses. Statistical analysis was performed by the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with significance level of 0.05. There was no difference in carcass characteristics between the E- and E+ treatments (P > 0.199). Carcasses from steers fed KY31 and KY32 seeds had dressing percentage of 48.7 to 49.8%, ribeye area of 62.9 to 64.4 cm², backfat thickness of 0.41 to 0.46 cm, KPH fat of 1.2 to 1.3%, lean pH of 5.6 to 5.7, L* value of 39.35 to 39.75, a* value of 35.43 to 36.04, b* value of 31.75 to 32.74, and a marbling score of 226.7 to 236.7. Ultrasound prediction of steers before slaughter indicated an intramuscular fat content of 4.1 to 4.2%, agreeing with marbling score evaluation. Results suggested that ingestion of endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds followed by a withdrawal period might not have residual effects on carcass characteristics of grass-finished beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds on carcass characteristics including dressing percentage, ribeye area, backfat thickness, percentage of KPH fat, pH, objective lean color, marbling score, and intramuscular fat content. Twelve Angus steers of the same preconditioning operation entering the stocker phase at Mississippi State University H. H. Leveck Animal Research Center were selected and blocked by BW into 3 groups: light (4 animals, 205.5 ± 7.4 kg), medium (5 animals, 231.3 ± 8.2 kg), and heavy (3 animals, 272.7 ± 8.4 kg). A control (KY32 or E-; 0.9 kg) and a treatment (KY31 or E+; 0.8, 0.9, or 1.0 kg for light, medium, or heavy steers, respectively, to provide 20 μg of ergovaline per kg of BW) were randomly assigned to animals within blocks (n = 6) by using Calan® gates. Seeds were mixed with soybean, corn gluten pellets at 2% of BW in the Calan® gates during two trials of 70 d (Summer 2015) and 56 d (Winter 2016). Upon the completion of the second trial, steers were implanted with one dose of Ralgro® and finished to a slaughter weight of approximately 499 kg. During the entire study, steers had ad libitum access to the same annual and perennial summer grass pasture, alfalfa hay supplementation, minerals, and water. Hot carcass weight and dressing percentage were recorded at slaughter, whereas all other data were collected at 72 h post mortem on the right side of the carcasses. Statistical analysis was performed by the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with significance level of 0.05. There was no difference in carcass characteristics between the E- and E+ treatments (P > 0.199). Carcasses from steers fed KY31 and KY32 seeds had dressing percentage of 48.7 to 49.8%, ribeye area of 62.9 to 64.4 cm2, backfat thickness of 0.41 to 0.46 cm, KPH fat of 1.2 to 1.3%, lean pH of 5.6 to 5.7, L* value of 39.35 to 39.75, a* value of 35.43 to 36.04, b* value of 31.75 to 32.74, and a marbling score of 226.7 to 236.7. Ultrasound prediction of steers before slaughter indicated an intramuscular fat content of 4.1 to 4.2%, agreeing with marbling score evaluation. Results suggested that ingestion of endophyte-infected tall fescue seeds followed by a withdrawal period might not have residual effects on carcass characteristics of grass-finished beef cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a report on the epidemiology of imported human rabies in the U.S. in 2008, issues by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 2009 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report." Human rabies are said to be rare in the U.S., but animal rabies is common. On March 17, 2008, a 16-year-old male who entered the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico was confirmed to have rabies contracted from Mexican free-tailed bats. People who have had close contact with the patient received postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). The report noted the difficulties in diagnosing imported human rabies. CDC emphasized the significance of coordinated public health response in addressing imported human rabies.

Abstract Background Oral rabies vaccination programs have been implemented to control the spread of wildlife rabies in the United States. However, current surveillance systems are inadequate for the efficient management and evaluation of these large scale vaccine baiting programs. With this in mind, a GIS-based rabies surveillance database and Internet mapping application was created. This surveillance system, RabID, provides a new resource for the rapid mapping and dissemination of data on animal rabies cases in relation to unaffected, enzootic, and baited areas where current interventions are underway. Results RabID is a centralized database for diagnostic and demographic information collected by local, state, and federal agencies involved in rabies surveillance. The geo-referenced database remits data to an Internet-accessible mapping application that displays rabies surveillance data in relation to environmental and geographic features. Conclusion RabID provides a pioneering example of the power of geographically based Internet-accessible, infectious disease surveillance. This surveillance system was developed from existing technology and is readily adaptable to other infectious diseases and may be particularly useful for zoonoses. The development and application of public health informatics technology may enhance the effectiveness of public health interventions and allow better evaluation of public health interventions.

Abstract Background Residents of rural areas may be at increased risk of mental health problems. If so, public health programs aimed at preventing poor mental health may have to be customized for delivery to rural areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between residing in a rural area and frequent mental distress, which is one indicator of poor mental health. Methods The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey for the state of Texas was the source of information about obesity, demographic characteristics, and frequent mental distress (FMD). FMD was defined as poor self-rated mental health during at least half of the days in the last month. Adjusted odds for FMD were computed for rural and suburban respondents relative to urban respondents. Results FMD was found to be independently associated with lower education, being younger, being non-Hispanic, being unmarried, and being female. FMD also was associated with being obese or underweight and suburban residence (relative to metro-central city). FMD was not more common among rural respondents than in the metro-central city. Conclusion Rural respondents were not at greater risk of frequent mental distress than urban respondents in this sample. Programs seeking to improve community mental health should target persons with less education and extremes in body weight, along with women and single persons, regardless of whether they live in rural or urban areas.

We describe the tidal circulation and salinity regime of a coastal plain estuary that connects to the ocean through a flood tide delta. The delta acts as a sill, and we examine the mechanisms through which the sill affects exchange of estuarine water with the ocean. Given enough buoyancy, the dynamics of tidal intrusion fronts across the silland selective withdrawal (aspiration) in the deeper channel landwardappear to control the exchange of seawater with estuarine water. Comparison of currents on the sill and stratification in the channel reveals aspiration depths smaller than channel depth during neap tide. During neap tide and strong vertical stratification, seawater plunges beneath the less dense estuarine water somewhere on the sill. Turbulence in the intruding bottom layer on the sill promotes entrainment offluid from the surface layer, and the seawater along the sill bottomis diluted with estuarine water. During ebb flow, salt is effectively trapped landward of the sill in a stagnant zone between the aspiration depth and the bottom where it can be advected farther upstream byflood currents. During spring tide, the plunge point moves landward and off the sill, stratification is weakened in the deep channel, andaspiration during ebb extends to the bottom. This prevents the formation of stagnant water near the bottom, and the estuary is flooded with high salinity water far inland. The neapspring cycle of tidal intrusion fronts on flood coupled with aspiration during ebb interacts with the sill to play an important role in the transport and retention of salt within the estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease with a global burden of approximately 59,000 human deaths a year. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is almost invariably fatal; however, with timely and appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consisting of wound washing, vaccine, and in some cases rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), the disease is almost entirely preventable. Access to PEP is limited in many countries, and when available, is often very expensive. We distributed a standardized assessment tool electronically to a convenience sample of 25 low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa to collect information on rabies PEP procurement, forecasting, distribution, monitoring and reporting. Information was collected from national rabies focal points, focal points at the World Health Organization (WHO) country offices, and others involved in procurement, logistics and distribution of PEP. Because RIG was limited in availability or unavailable in many countries, the assessment focused on vaccine. Data were collected between January 2017 and May 2018. We received responses from key informants in 23 countries: 11 countries in Asia and 12 countries in Africa. In 9 of 23 (39%) countries, rabies vaccine was provided for free in the public sector and was consistently available. In 10 (43%) countries, all or some patients were required to pay for the vaccine in the public sector, with the cost of a single dose ranging from US$ 6.60 to US$ 20/dose. The primary reason for the high cost of the vaccine for patients was a lack of funding at the central level to subsidize vaccine costs. In the remaining 4 (17%) countries, vaccine was provided for free but was often unavailable so patients were required to purchase it instead. The majority of countries used the intramuscular route for vaccine administration and only 5 countries exclusively used the dose-sparing intradermal (ID) route. Half (11/22; 50%) of all countries assessed had a standardized distribution system for PEP, separate from the systems used for routine childhood vaccines, and almost half used separate storage facilities at both central and health facility levels. Approximately half (9/22; 41%) of all countries assessed reported having regular weekly, monthly or quarterly reporting on rabies vaccination. While all countries in our assessment had rabies vaccines available in the public sector to some extent, barriers to access include the high cost of the vaccine to the government as well as to patients. Countries should be encouraged to use ID administration as this would provide access to rabies vaccine for many more people with the same number of vaccine vials. In addition, standardized monitoring and reporting of vaccine utilization should be encouraged, in order to improve data on PEP needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current guidelines in the setting of exposures to potentially rabid bats established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) address post-exposure prophylaxis ( PEP) administration in situations where a person may not be aware that a bite or direct contact has occurred and the bat is not available for diagnostic testing. These include instances when a bat is discovered in a room where a person awakens from sleep, is a child without an adult witness, has a mental disability or is intoxicated. The current ACIP guidelines, however, do not address PEP in the setting of multiple persons exposed to a bat or a bat colony, otherwise known as mass bat exposure ( MBE) events. Due to a dearth of recommendations for response to these events, the reported reactions by public health agencies have varied widely. To address this perceived limitation, a survey of 45 state public health agencies was conducted to characterize prior experiences with MBE and practices to mitigate the public health risks. In general, most states (69% of the respondents) felt current ACIP guidelines were unclear in MBE scenarios. Thirty-three of the 45 states reported prior experience with MBE, receiving an average of 16.9 MBE calls per year and an investment of 106.7 person-hours annually on MBE investigations. PEP criteria, investigation methods and the experts recruited in MBE investigations varied between states. These dissimilarities could reflect differences in experience, scenario and resources. The lack of consistency in state responses to potential mass exposures to a highly fatal disease along with the large contingent of states dissatisfied with current ACIP guidance warrants the development of national guidelines in MBE settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsequent to a human rabies death in Sumter County, South Carolina, we assessed the frequency of exposures to bats in homes and citizens' rabies knowledge. A self-administered survey was mailed to 6033 randomly selected Sumter County addresses. The survey inquired about household exposures to bats and respondents' rabies knowledge. Surveys were returned by mail for descriptive analysis. Of 597 respondents, 3.5% (21/597) reported having bats living in (2.8% or 17/597) or entering their homes (2.5% or 15/597) during 2010-2012. Respondents generally understood that mammals transmit rabies virus through bites, but were less aware of the severity of rabies illness and modern post-exposure vaccine administration. Respondents were unsure about how to exclude bats from homes and ranked highly both healthcare and non-healthcare entities as preferred resources for obtaining assistance with bat-related concerns. We found potential for human exposures to bats in Sumter County households and gaps in citizen knowledge of rabies and bat exclusion. Public health officials should engage non-healthcare partners in assistance disseminating rabies educational materials and for providing appropriate referral for persons potentially exposed to bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe the results of experimental infections of captive big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus) with three newly isolated bat lyssaviruses from Eurasia (Aravan, Khujand, and Irkut viruses). Infection of E. fuscus was moderate (total, 55–75%). There was no evidence of transmission to in-contact cage mates. Incubation periods for Irkut virus infection were significantly shorter ( p < 0.05) than for either Aravan or Khujand virus infections. In turn, quantification of viral RNA by TaqMan PCR suggests that the dynamics of Irkut virus infection may differ from those of Aravan/Khujand virus infection. Although infectious virus and viral RNA were detected in the brain of every rabid animal, dissemination to non-neuronal tissues was limited. Levels of viral RNA in brain of Aravan/Khujand virus-infected bats was significantly correlated with the number of other tissues positive by TaqMan PCR ( p < 0.05), whereas no such relationship was observed for Irkut virus infection (where viral RNA was consistently detected in all tissues other than kidney). Infectious virus was isolated sporadically from salivary glands, and both infectious virus and viral RNA were obtained from oral swabs. The detection of viral RNA in oral swabs suggests that viral shedding in saliva occurred <5 days before the onset of clinical disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined conditions under which white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) post-larvae enter an estuarine channel receiving high freshwater discharge and one receiving negligible discharge in the Ossabaw Sound system of Georgia, USA, during 1997 and 1998. We used surface nets to collect plankton over several 14-day periods, during which consecutive tows were made at night against the flooding current at stations in the inlet channels. During these sampling periods, additional intensive periods of around-the-clock surface and near-bottom (using a bottom sled) plankton tows were made. Data on oceanographic conditions were obtained from moored instrument arrays and shipboard sampling. We identified three key factors that influenced the densities of post-larval white shrimp in time and space within the Ossabaw inlet system. The first factor was a critical minimum temperature of coastal waters of 27–28°C. Once the threshold temperature was reached, lunar tidal stage became a key factor when the full duration of the flood tide coincided with darkness during peak ingress. This peak also coincided with an increase in water level within the system by more than 0.2 m, which induced an additional influx of water that reinforces the flood current over the ingress period. Our results suggest that the direction of subtidal currents (into or out of the system) becomes a significant factor in post-larval ingress when influx of water coincides with the time of favorable temperature conditions and nighttime flood tides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of 42-year-old psychiatrist in Virginia who was diagnosed to be infected by rabies. He complained of chills and hot flushes, as well as anxiety and erratic behavior. His lumbar puncture showed elevated cerebrospinal fluid glucose. The psychiatrist died on day 25 of hospitalization. To determine the source of the patient's rabies, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Fairfax County Health Department created a survey tool to assess healthcare contacts and questionnaire to assess household contacts and coworkers.