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Rabies, one of the earliest known diseases reported in the history of mankind, is a fatal acute viral disease of the central nervous system. Despite numerous studies on etiology of rabies, its exact mechanism of neuropathogenesis remains unidentified. Glutamate ammonia ligase (GLUL) is a protein present in brain which play an important role in the pathogenesis of many neurological conditions. GLUL was identified to be over expressed in brain of human rabies. Cerebral cortex is the part of brain primarily responsible for coordination of movements and behaviour in animals and humans. Hence the work was designed to study the immunohistochemical localisation of GLUL in cerebrum in rabid carcasses in order to elucidate its role in the pathology of this deadly viral infection. The carcasses of 219 rabies suspected dogs that were brought to the Department of Veterinary Pathology, CVAS, Mannuthy, for necropsy between January 2021 and August 2022 formed the materials for the study. One hundred and thirty-three cases were found positive for rabies using the gold standard test for rabies - Direct Fluorescent Antibody Test (dFAT) which was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction targeting N gene with amplicon size 533 bp. Among these 133 confirmed cases, 30 selected samples (frontal, occipital, temporal, parietal lobes of cerebrum) were further processed for histopathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies. The IHC signals of GLUL obtained were compared with the clinical form of rabies. Immunohistochemical staining revealed localisation of GLUL in glial cells with different staining intensity in encephalitic and paralytic form of rabies. The study concluded that the IHC signals for GLUL were stronger for furious form of rabies and weak for dumb form of the disease.

The rumen microbial community plays a critical role in methane emission from ruminants. However, there is a lack of data comparing the composition of the rumen methanogenic community of cattle breeds of Kerala. Present study was undertaken with the objective of assessing rumen methanogen composition and methane emission levels of crossbred and Vechur cattle. All the animals were fed with ration of 50:50 (forage: concentrate) diet on dry matter basis for a period of three weeks. Rumen liquor and rumen gas samples were collected. DNA isolated from rumen liquor using standard procedure were pooled genetic group wise and subjected to whole metagenome sequencing and further bioinformatics analysis. The concentrations of methane (percentage) in gas samples were determined using a methane analyser. Research findings revealed that bacteria was the most dominant and archaea was the second prominent domain found in rumen of both genetic groups. Phylum Euryarchaeota of the domain Archaea constitute methanogens. At family level, Methanomassiliicoccaceae, Methanomicrobiaceae, Methanobacteriaceae were the predominant methanogens in crossbred and Vechur rumen. Population of specific methanogens were found to be significantly different between genetic groups. Biodiversity indices displayed higher richness, evenness and diversity for rumen methanogens in Vechur cows compared to crossbred. Comparative analysis of methane emission levels in crossbred and Vechur confirmed the effect of genetic group on methane emission from rumen.

Present study was conducted to find out the relationship between serum biochemical profile and postpartum metritis. Mainly serum glucose, total protein, albumin, albumin globulin ratio, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and calcium were studied. Colorimetric method was used for quantitative estimation of biochemical profile. Twenty-seven animals with recent history of calving and subsequent metritis were included in the study. On analysis, serum glucose was found to be 22.3 ± 2.18 mg/dl, total protein 6.1 ± 0.51 g/dl, albumin 2.8 ± 0.29 g/dl, BUN 27 ± 0.19 mg/dl, creatinine 1.8 ± 0.13 mg/dl and calcium was 7.0 ± 0.43 mg/dl. On comparison of this result with normal values it was found that glucose and calcium was below the normal level and albumin fraction was less than the globulin. It was concluded that in postpartum metritis, cattle exhibit hypocalcaemia, hypoglycaemia and reduced globulin fraction, whereas total protein, albumin, BUN and creatinine did not exhibit much variation. Ketone bodies were present in urine of 90% of tested animals. [Vet. World 2009; 2(1.000): 27-28]

We analyzed the effect of a single nucleotide polymorphism, g. C3141T in the 3′ UTR of Signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 gene (STAT1) on milk production traits in the Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle of Kerala (n = 144) by association analysis and expression study. The population was genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism using Pag1. Association study using the General Linear Model-Analysis of Variance revealed that none of the yield or composition traits analyzed were significantly differed. The expression profile of STAT1 gene in leucocytes of animals bearing homozygous genotypes was compared by quantitative real time PCR using SYBR green chemistry with and relative expression was not found to be significantly differed. The second stage of the study, the STAT1 mRNA spanning 3213 bp was amplified from leucocytes and sequenced (GenBank: MT459802.1). Two novel SNPs were identified; one synonymous mutation in the coding region (g.A1212G) and the other in the 3'UTR (g.T3042C). The novel SNPs might contribute to STAT1 gene regulation mediated by alternate spicing or binding sites for regulatory molecules. The results reiterate the importance of extensive studies of STAT1 gene variants to substantiate the presence of a quantitative trait loci for dairy traits in the vicinity of STAT1 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pig rearing is the fastest growing component of animal husbandry, which provides livelihood and nutritional security to the rural sector in Kerala. But, the lack of availability of superior quality germplasm remains as one of the challenges in this sector. Artificial insemination (AI) is the most established scientific procedure to disseminate superior germplasm. The present study was conducted in Large White Yorkshire (LWY) pigs maintained at the Centre for Pig Production and Research, Mannuthy for a period from March 2015 to August 2016 to evaluate the success rate of AI. During this period, 90 weaned sows and five LWY boars were identified for the experiment. The breeding boars were trained lor semen collection using females in heat and semen was collected twice in a week, regularly by gloved hand technique into conical flask with Buchner's funnel. A total of 108 ejaculates were obtained from each boar. After preliminary examination, the neat semen was diluted (1:15) with commercial extender (NBSE, NRC on pigs, ICAR, Goa) and stored at 17°C. The sows with standing heat were inseminated (100 ml) using pig catheter consecutively for three days. The non-cycling pigs were diagnosed for pregnancy after 35-45 days by Doppler method. The study recorded 92.22 per cent conception rate for AI 91.35 per cent for natural service. The conception rate, litter size at birth, litter weight at birth and litter size at weaning were also recorded and the parameters did not differ significantly between AI and natural service. The results reiterate the importance of AI technique and it can be extended to the field levels which in turn contribute to the economic benefit of fanners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study on the impact of polymorphism (SNP) at 305 position of leptin gene on the milk yield of crossbred cattle in India in 2013. Cattle bearing T allele were observed to have significantly higher 305 day milk yield and daily milk yield than animals without T allele. Cattle milk yield can thus be improved by selecting animals heterozygous for C and T alleles for LEP/BspE1 polymorphism.

The article presents a case study of a chemotherapy using vincristine sulphate in canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT). A female German shepherd dog was presented with vulval oedema and serosanguinous discharges and cytological examination disease was confirmed as CTVT. The animal was treated with intravenous Vincristin sulphate which resulted to a considerable regression of the tumor mass.

The article focuses on a case of trichomonosis in a 25-day-old pigeon in India that was caused by Trichomonas gallinae. Pigeon lice or Pseudolynchia were found on the squab and the bird had difficulty in swallowing grain particles. A yellowish cheesy material was found in the pharyngeal region. Stunted growth was also observed. The whole loft of household reared pigeons were treated with Metrogyl suspension for 12 days.

Control of cell-surface interaction is necessary for biomaterial applications such as cell sheets, intelligent cell culture surfaces, or functional coatings. In this paper, we propose the emergent property of cell morphology as a design parameter in the bioengineering of cell-biomaterial surface interactions. Cell morphology measured through various parameters can indicate ideal candidates for these various applications thus reducing the time taken for the screening and development process. The hypothesis of this study is that there is an optimal cell morphology range for enhanced cell proliferation and migration on the surface of biomaterials. To test the hypothesis, primary porcine dermal fibroblasts (PDF, 3 biological replicates) were cultured on ten different surfaces comprising components of the natural extracellular matrix of tissues. Results suggested an optimal morphology with a cell aspect ratio (CAR) between 0.2 and 0.4 for both increased cell proliferation and migration. If the CAR was below 0.2 (very elongated cell), cell proliferation was increased whilst migration was reduced. A CAR of 0.4+ (rounded cell) favoured cell migration over proliferation. The screening process, when it comes to biomaterials is a long, repetitive, arduous but necessary event. This study highlights the beneficial use of testing the cell morphology on prospective prototypes, eliminating those that do not support an optimal cell shape. We believe that the research presented in this paper is important as we can help address this screening inefficiency through the use of the emergent property of cell morphology. Future work involves automating CAR quantification for high throughput screening of prototypes.

Current gold standard to treat soft tissue injuries caused by trauma and pathological condition are autografts and off the shelf fillers, but they have inherent weaknesses like donor site morbidity, immuno-compatibility and graft failure. To overcome these limitations, tissue-engineered polymers are seeded with stem cells to improve the potential to restore tissue function. However, their interaction with native tissue is poorly understood so far. To study these interactions and improve outcomes, we have fabricated scaffolds from natural polymers (collagen, fibrin and elastin) by custom-designed processes and their material properties such as surface morphology, swelling, wettability and chemical cross-linking ability were characterised. By using 3D scaffolds, we comprehensive assessed survival, proliferation and phenotype of adipose-derived stem cells in vitro. In vivo, scaffolds were seeded with adipose-derived stem cells and implanted in a rodent model, with X-ray microtomography, histology and immunohistochemistry as read-outs. Collagen-based materials showed higher cell adhesion and proliferation in vitro as well as higher adipogenic properties in vivo. In contrast, fibrin demonstrated poor cellular and adipogenesis properties but higher angiogenesis. Elastin formed the most porous scaffold, with cells displaying a non-aggregated morphology in vitro while in vivo elastin was the most degraded scaffold. These findings of how polymers present in the natural polymers mimicking ECM and seeded with stem cells affect adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo can open avenues to design 3D grafts for soft tissue repair., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) are full thickness wounds that usually occur between the ankle and knee, fail to heal after 3 months of standard treatment, or are not entirely healed at 12 months. CLUs present a considerable burden on patients, subjecting them to severe pain and distress, while healthcare systems suffer immense costs and loss of resources. The poor healing outcome of the standard treatment of CLUs generates an urgent clinical need to find effective solutions for these wounds. Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Science offer exciting prospects for the treatment of CLUs, using a broad range of skin substitutes or scaffolds, and dressings. In this review, we summarize and discuss the various types of scaffolds used clinically in the treatment of CLUs. Their structure and therapeutic effects are described, and for each scaffold type representative examples are discussed, supported by clinical trials. Silver dressings are also reviewed due to their reported benefits in the healing of leg ulcers, as well as recent studies on new dermal scaffolds, reporting on clinical results where available. We conclude by arguing there is a further need for tissue-engineered products specifically designed and bioengineered to treat these wounds and we propose a series of properties that a biomaterial for CLUs should possess, with the intention of focusing efforts on finding an effective treatment.

The use of decellularised matrices as scaffolds offers the advantage of great similarity with the tissue to be replaced. Moreover, decellularised tissues and organs can be repopulated with the patient's own cells to produce bespoke therapies. Great progress has been made in research and development of decellularised scaffolds, and more recently, these materials are being used in exciting new areas like hydrogels and bioinks. However, much effort is still needed towards preserving the original extracellular matrix composition, especially its minor components, assessing its functionality and scaling up for large tissues and organs. Emphasis should also be placed on developing new decellularisation methods and establishing minimal criteria for assessing the success of the decellularisation process. The aim of this review is to critically review the existing literature on decellularised scaffolds, especially on the preparation of these matrices, and point out areas for improvement, finishing with alternative uses of decellularised scaffolds other than tissue and organ reconstruction. Such uses include three-dimensional ex vivo platforms for idiopathic diseases and cancer modelling., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Some types of metal-on-metal (MOM) hip replacements have unacceptably high rates of failure, such as the Ultima TPS MOM hip, with 13.8% failure at 5 years. This has been attributed to an inflammatory reaction following the release of cobalt (Co) and chromium (Cr) from the bearing surfaces and modular junctions. There is in vitro evidence that Co is more important than Cr in the inflammatory process, but there are no reported human tissue studies of the analysis of implant-derived metals., (Copyright © 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

TNF is a key factor in a variety of inflammatory diseases. Here we report that TNF induced pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis of IL-6 and IL-8 is mediated by the Rho GTPase Rac. TNF induces p42/p44, p54 and p38 MAPK kinase; these kinases have been implicated in control of cytokine synthesis. However, over-expression of a dominant negative form of Rac strongly inhibited TNF-induced p42/44 MAPK kinase activation, but had little effect upon JNK and no effect upon p38 MAPK activity. Another key signalling pathway controlling cytokine expression is NF-kappaB. When analyzing TNF-induced NF-kappaB activity via luciferase-reporter assays or via EMSA, we were able to show that the dominant negative version of Rac could completely abrogate TNF-induced NF-kappaB activity. In addition, we also observed that inhibition of the ERK pathway led to a reduction in TNF-induced NF-kappaB transcriptional activity; this was accompanied by an ablation of TNF-induced p65 phosphorylation at serine 276. This would suggest that TNF-induced activation of Rac, lies upstream of NF-kappaB activation, and that the inhibition of this pathway results in inhibition of cytokine production.

We have previously shown that interleukin (IL-)10-induced proliferation of the murine mast cell line D36, was dependent upon the activation of PI 3-kinase and p70 S6 kinase. Conversely, we were able to show that this pathway was not involved in the signal transduction pathway mediating IL-10 inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine release from monocytes. We have extended these studies to investigate the induction of p75 tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R) shedding, another anti-inflammatory property of IL-10. Using the inhibitors of PI 3-kinase (LY294002 and wortmannin) and an inhibitor of p70 S6 kinase activation (rapamycin), we were able to show that this anti-inflammatory effect of IL-10 was not mediated by the PI 3-kinase/p70 S6 kinase pathway, indicating that another signalling cascade(s) was involved. Further studies also investigated the role of tyrosine kinases in the response to IL-10. Two distinct tyrosine kinase inhibitors, herbimycin and genistein affected the expression of TNF-R in response to IL-10 but, surprisingly, with opposite effects. However, both compounds inhibited the activation of both PI 3-kinase and p70 S6 kinase, with a concomitant inhibition of IL-10-induced proliferation. We observed that whilst tyrosine kinase activity was involved in the regulation of TNF-R expression, IL-10-induced activation of JAK kinases was not sensitive to inhibition by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors. These data suggest that multiple unknown tyrosine kinases are mediating the IL-10-induced signal transduction pathways leading to the regulation of TNF-R expression and IL-10-induced proliferation., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

We have investigated signaling events associated with the cloned 90-kDa (p90) interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) to determine whether changes in the signaling pathways initiated by this molecule can explain the ability of T cells to proliferate to IL-7 following activation. Using in vitro kinase assays we find that the p90 IL-7R in both unstimulated and activated human T cells is physically associated with two molecules with intrinsic kinase activity. Western blotting analysis reveals these proteins to be the src kinase enzymes, p59fyn and p56lck. Binding of human recombinant IL-7 to the p90 IL-7R results in increased activity of both receptor-associated kinases in both resting and activated mature T cells. Thus, the signaling pathways initiated via the p90 IL-7R-associated src kinases are unlikely to be solely responsible for the proliferation of only activated T cells in response to IL-7. Additional signals, which may derive from other IL-7R-associated molecules such as the gamma c, are clearly required for IL-7-driven proliferation of activated primary T cells.