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The rotavirus-induced diarrhea of human and animal neonates is a major public health concern worldwide. Until recently, no effective therapy is available to specifically inactivate the rotavirion particles within the gut. Passive immunotherapy by oral administration of chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) has emerged of late as a fresh alternative strategy to control infectious diseases of the alimentary tract and has been applied in the treatment of diarrhea due to rotavirus infection. The purpose of this concise review is to evaluate evidence on the properties and performance of anti-rotavirus immunoglobulin Y (IgY) for prevention and treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in human and animal neonates. A survey of relevant anti-rotavirus IgY basic studies and clinical trials among neonatal animals (since 1994-2015) and humans (since 1982-2015) have been reviewed and briefly summarized. Our analysis of a number of rotavirus investigations involving animal and human clinical trials revealed that anti-rotavirus IgY significantly reduced the severity of clinical manifestation of diarrhea among IgY-treated subjects relative to a corresponding control or placebo group. The accumulated information as a whole depicts oral IgY to be a safe and efficacious option for treatment of rotavirus diarrhea in neonates. There is however a clear need for more randomized, placebo controlled and double-blind trials with bigger sample size to further solidify and confirm claims of efficacy and safety in controlling diarrhea caused by rotavirus infection especially among human infants with health issues such as low birth weights or compromised immunity in whom it is most needed.

Colonization by Helicobacter pylori partly depends on acid-dependent adherence by urease to gastric mucin. To further verify the relevance of urease adherence to colonization, the influence of acidity on the binding sites of H. pylori urease was investigated. When enzyme-based in vitro ligand capture assays were used, the effect of acidity on the binding site of H. pylori urease was determined against a backdrop medium consisting of acidic buffers simulating the luminal side of gastric mucus. A high degree of stability was exhibited by adherent urease, suggesting a pivotal role by the denatured enzyme in the persistence of the bacterium within the acidified compartment of gastric mucus.

The hairless mouse strain NS:Hr/ICR was examined as a potential small animal model of Helicobacter pylori colonization, adherence to gastric epithelial cells in vivo, and gastritis. Among several small animals tested, NS:Hr/ICR mice proved to be the most highly susceptible to H. pylori infection. Challenge with clinical isolates of H. pylori consisting of either phenotype I or II (VacA and CagA positive and negative, respectively) resulted in colonization by mucus-resident and epithelial cell-adherent bacterial populations. Cell-adherent bacteria resisted 80 cycles of top-speed vortex washing and were recovered only by homogenization of serially washed glandular stomach tissue, indicating intimate association with the mucosal surface. Immunoperoxidase staining of paraffin sections of gastric tissue from infected mice revealed H. pylori antigens localized in the glandular region of the mucosa, with some colonized areas seen in the vicinity of submucosal mononuclear cell infiltration. The latter inflammatory reaction was observed as a function of the H. pylori phenotype (only type I induced inflammation) and the challenge dose (only those mice challenged with 10 8 CFU or higher showed the reaction). The NS:Hr/ICR strain of mice is a suitable miniature model of H. pylori infection and may prove useful in the quest for an efficacious mode of treatment for this common infection in humans.

A simple, reproducible and high yield method ofHelicobacter pylori urease enzyme purification was developed using a heparinoid (Cellufine sulfate) affinity gel. The purification method involved two sequential steps using the same gel that takes advantage of the differential affinity of urease to the heparinoid at two levels of hydrogen ion concentration. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of affinity-purified urease revealed two major protein bands with about 62- and 30-kDa molecular mass. When whole cell lysates of clinical and laboratory strains of H. pylori were probed by Western blot, anti-urease hyperimmune serum produced by affinity-purified urease in rabbit recognized only the two bands corresponding to the urease A and B subunits. To probe the molecular relevance of affinity gel adherence to mucin adherence, the purified urease was derivatized withN-hydroxysuccinimidobiotin and used in adherence assays. Competitive inhibition tests revealed commonality of urease receptors among gastric mucin, heparin, and heparinoid. Composite data on adherence kinetics modulated by pH, salt, incubation time, and concentration of urease or mucin were indicative of conformation-dependent ligand-receptor interaction.

A castanha-do-brasil (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) é um produto florestal não madeireiro de destaque, por consolidar aspectos econômicos, sociais e ecológicos. No entanto, práticas de manejo ainda precisam ser estabelecidas para que a extração desse produto seja realizada de forma segura, a fim de que o extrativista tenha um produto de qualidade e que seja sustentável para a espécie. Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a dinâmica da dispersão primária de frutos de Bertholletia excelsa em um castanhal nativo no estado do Acre, buscando obter informações que subsidiem uma definição segura sobre a melhor época e o intervalo de coleta dos frutos. Durante o período de dispersão, 20 árvores foram monitoradas, sendo seus frutos contados e marcados de acordo com o tempo de queda. A queda dos frutos ocorreu em picos, sendo que, após 50 dias do início da dispersão, praticamente todos os frutos já haviam caído. Os resultados deste estudo indicam que a coleta deve começar a partir da oitava semana após o início da dispersão, e apenas um retorno às árvores deve ser realizado para a coleta dos frutos remanescentes, proporcionando ganhos em termos de qualidade e maior eficiência na produtividade.

Pesquisas estão sendo desenvolvidas para a utilização de matérias-primas resistentes como alternativa para os diversos usos de madeira ou para serem combinadas com resíduos madeireiros, na confecção de lâminas e aglomerados. Este trabalho objetivou caracterizar mecanicamente o fruto de Bertholletia excelsa e gerar informações que possam ser usadas na busca de materiais alternativos oriundos da biodiversidade. Ensaios de dureza Janka e de compressão foram realizados, respectivamente, para a obtenção de informações a respeito da resistência máxima do pericarpo do fruto perante a penetração de um corpo estranho e valores da força máxima sustentada pelo fruto intacto. Os procedimentos adotados foram similares aos utilizados para calcular a resistência mecânica da madeira. A dureza Janka média obtida foi de 3.454,52 N e a resistência à compressão foi de 185,90 MPa. O aproveitamento dos frutos da castanheira como compósito seria uma alternativa de uso do material, já que os ensaios indicaram que a matéria-prima possui boas propriedades mecânicas, apontando favoravelmente para o aprofundamento de estudos para seu uso.

The protective effect of egg yolk and colostrum powders prepared from hens and cows vaccinated with inactivated bovine coronavirus (BCV) antigen was evaluated in a challenge model with a virulent BCV strain. Twenty three calves from BCV-free herds were randomly divided into control and several treatment groups. All calves were orally challenged with 1 × 109 TCID50 of the virulent Kakegawa strain of BCV at 24 to 36 h after birth. Calves in treatment groups received either egg yolk powder or cow colostrum containing BCV specific antibodies. Daily treatment with these antibody preparations started 6 h until 7 days post-challenge. Control calves which received no antibody had severe diarrhea and all died within 6 days after infection. In contrast, calves fed milk containing egg yolk or colostrum with neutralization titers of 1:2560 or 1:10 240 respectively all survived and had positive weight gain unlike the other treatment groups. These results indicate that the orally administered egg yolk and colostrum powders protected against BCV-induced diarrhea in neonatal calves and that the egg yolk used provided a higher degree of protection compared to colostrum powder on a titer basis. Treatment with whole egg yolk from immunized hens therefore provides a more efficacious alternative to the existing methods of specific passive protection against BCV.

This commentary summarizes the laboratory investigations and clinical trials published recently involving per-oral application of IgY supplemented food for specific orogastrointestinal disease prevention and control purposes. The prolonged use and misuse of conventional antibacterial drugs has spawned antibiotic resistant microbes prompting scientists to search for other germ-killing options. In particular, the use of IgY as a novel mode of immunotherapy using oral chicken immunoglobulin (IgY) to confer passive immunity has gained much interest as an inexpensive non-antibiotic alternative for the prophylaxis and treatment of a wide variety of infectious diseases. The stability of IgY in the orogastrointestinal tract and its safety profile has been well-documented. IgY has been used in the treatment or prevention of dental caries, periodontitis and gingivitis, gastritis and gastric ulcer, oral thrush and infant rotavirus diarrhea. The recent clinical trials on IgY with encouraging results has catapulted into the market novel nutraceutical or health supplements for therapeutic or prophylactic intervention based on the consumption of mono-specific or mixed IgY formulations. With recent trends in consumer preference for natural materials to alleviate health concerns, the increasing healthcare costs and the recent advances in drug delivery systems, IgY is likely to shift from its mainly functional food status toward pharmaceuticalization in the foreseeable future.

We present an unusual radiographic manifestation of subclavian steal seen in six patients. These cases differ from the classic form of subclavian steal in that antegrade and bidirectional blood flow in the vertebral-subclavian artery system is seen, resulting in the steal phenomenon.

Objectives Objectives were 1) to determine whether a correlation exists between facial pain or headache and sinus disease severity by computed tomography (CT) scan in patients with rhinosinusitis and 2) to compare disease severity and pain perception in two geographically diverse North American patient populations. Study Design Prospective patient questionnaire before CT scan of the paranasal sinuses. Methods Patients with refractory rhinosinusitis were recruited at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX) and the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada). Before CT scanning, patients completed a pain questionnaire. All scans were interpreted by one neuroradiologist and were scored using the Lund-McKay, Harvard, and Kennedy staging systems for rhinosinusitis. Results Fifty-one patients completed questionnaires (27 were Canadian). There was no correlation between pain severity and disease severity reflected by any of the three staging systems used (P >.05). The mean pain score for the U.S. patients was 7.3, and for Canadian patients, 5.2. The mean CT scores for U.S. versus Canadian patients were as follows: Lund-McKay, 2.6 versus 6.6; Harvard, 0.7 versus 1.0; and Kennedy, 1.4 versus 2.2. The Canadian patients had more severe disease on CT scan (Lund-McKay, P ≤.001; Harvard, P ≤.005; and Kennedy, P ≤.007) while reporting less severe pain (P ≤.004). Conclusions There was no correlation between pain severity and disease severity by sinus CT scan as graded by the Lund-McKay, Harvard, or Kennedy staging system. Facial pain and headache, although frequent complaints of patients with rhinosinusitis, are not useful predictors of sinus disease severity. There appears to be a difference in pain perception between the two North American populations.

We report the case of a 39‐year‐old woman with a massive congenital left hemisphere lesion whose neuropsychological performance conforms inconsistently to expectations based on the crowding hypothesis. Indeed, rather than indicating an exclusive crowding of functions normally associated with the right hemisphere, her pattern of deficit is suggestive of subtle left hemisphere dysfunction (the site of the structural lesion) in the context of preserved language function, along with subtle right hemisphere dysfunction. However, the most striking aspect of this case is the overall preservation of function. The relative deficits are so subtle (with the exception of the fused dichotic listening performance) that, in the absence of prior knowledge regarding the lesion, many would have described said deficits as simply manifestations of individual variation.

Summary A review of both functional and structural imaging of the brain through the course of HIV infection leads to a fairly consistent pattern of involvement. Brain involvement in asymptomatic HIV positive individuals remains controversial. However, in symptomatic subjects, less controversy exists. Subcortical structures appear to be vulnerable early, followed by cortical and eventual diffuse involvement. Specific abnormal findings include symmetrical atrophy, hyperintense white matter lesions, both subcortical and cortical ventricular enlargement and focal metabolic abnormalities. It has' not been possible to correlate the specific underlying pathological mechanisms responsible for each of -these lesions and the pathophysiology probably involves multiple mechanisms, both direct and indirect. Some of these lesions are reversible with treatment, but the full implications of this reversibility with regard to pathogenesis and prognosis remain speculative. New evidence presented here suggests that both gray and white matter are involved in the atrophy.