Clinical/Behavioral Monitoring of Rodents and Rabbits Undergoing Scientific Experiments

Background: We currently have international and national guidelines regarding the assessment and monitoring of clinical signs and humane endpoints in animals used in teaching and research, which make the performance of these activities mandatory for any experiment and professional working in this area. Assigning the severity of a research experiment is the result of an analysis of records of observations of the animal’s behavior, and clinical signs. The aim of this study was to describe the importance of carrying out a severity assessment associated with clinical and behavioral monitoring of rodents and rabbits during experimentation to maintain the welfare of these animals undergoing scientific research. Methods: The literature search was carried out using the following terms: “Monitoring”;“Humane endpoints”;“Animal welfare”, “Rodents”;“Rabbits”, and as connectors “and”;“or”, in the following databases: PubMed;LILACS/BIREME and SciELO. Results: A total of 987 articles were identified in the databases, and 20 of these studies were included in this review. Conclusions: Humane endpoint protocols and procedure severity tables are of the utmost importance, both from an ethical point and to refine the results of research conducted on laboratory animals. They should be drawn up jointly by the teams responsible for the project and the maintenance of the animals during the research period, and the data obtained should be published so that the scientific community can have access to it, helping to disseminate these practices, as well as helping to draw up new procedures. Monitoring and evaluating the welfare and clinical condition of animals undergoing scientific research procedures is the responsibility of the professors, researchers, veterinarians, and animal facility coordinators. The Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals must monitor all the activities conducted with the animals, by inspecting the experimental procedures and the physical environment of the laboratory animal facility where the animals are housed.

Leishmania in an Ecotourism Area in Rio de Janeiro: Still a Concern for Public Health?

We evaluated some eco-epidemiological characteristics of the sand fly fauna in an ecotourism area in the Atlantic Forest located in Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. During a period of one year, sandflies were collected in three different locations, where the sampled residences were located, respectively, one inside the forest, the other two, respectively at the edge of the forest and the other in a more urbanized area. These three types of ecotopes were evaluated: home, peridomicile and kennel. Four hundred and fifty-six sandflies were collected and six species belonging to five genera were identified: Migonemyia migonei, Lutzomyia longipalpis, Nyssomyia intermedia, Evandromyia sallesi, Evandromyia edwardsi and Brumptomyia wedge. The two most abundant species collected were M. migonei and L. longipalpis, contributing 70% and 18% respectively, totaling 88% of the individuals collected. The results suggested that modifications of the natural environment due to anthropic action probably resulted in changes in the composition of the sand fly population. At point (3), where spraying occurred irregularly, even representing a degraded environment, only one species was captured, M. migonei. Differently at points (1) and (2), areas located respectively in the interior and on the edge of the Atlantic Forest, a greater number of sand fly species was observed. However, after a few years, anthropic actions ceased, followed by the implementation of reforestation projects and currently the landscape is very different, showing considerable forest recovery. For this reason, ecotourism activities are increasing in the area, creating potentially dangerous conditions caused by the exposure of greater numbers of people and dogs to insect vectors. Therefore, the implementation of environmental education projects is essential. However, we suggest that the use of warning signs to be placed at the entrances to the main traffic routes, alerting tourists to the risk of infection and indicating protective measures, would be very useful.

Countermeasures to reduce the risk of infections at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games—A balancing act

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a global celebration of athletic dedication and achievement,bringing together athletes and spectators from around the world.However,such large gatherings present public health challenges for the Organizing Committees and local governments.As highlighted by the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,these events are associated with an increased risk of transmission of infections,which can significantly impact the health and well-being of athletes and attendees.Prioritizing the health and safety of athletes,officials and spectators is fundamental to ensure the successful hosting of the Games.Therefore,it is essential to design and implement comprehensive countermeasures to mitigate the risk of an infectious disease outbreak among participants but also to the residents of the host city.

Ready,set,go:Medical preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

1.Introduction In August 2024,over 4400 Paralympic athletes will gather in Paris for the Paralympic Summer Games—the pinnacle of every Paralympian’s(Para athletes competing at the Paralympic Games)career to showcase their ability and skills.Their training,preparation,and effort in the years leading up to the Games are unparalleled.To achieve success,Paralympians specifically rely on a medical support team to achieve their goals.So,what is required of the medical support team to prepare Paralympians to get ready,set,and go to Paris 2024?

Increased number of symptoms during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in athletes is associated with prolonged time to return to full sports performance—AWAREⅧ

Purpose The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with prolonged time to return to full performance(RTFP)in athletes with recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection.Methods Prospective cohort study with cross sectional analysis.A total of 84 athletes with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection assessed at a coronavirus disease 2019 recovery clinic gave a history of age,sex,type/level of sport,co-morbidities,pre-infection training hours,and 26 acute SARS-CoV-2 symptoms from 3 categories(“nose and throat”,“chest and neck”,and“whole body”/systemic).Data on days to RTFP were obtained by structured interviews.Factors associated with RTFP were demographics,sport participation,history of co-morbidities,pre-infection training history,and acute symptoms(type,number).Outcomes were:(a)days to RTFP(median,interquartile range(IQR))in asymptomatic(n=7)and symptomatic athletes(n=77),and(b)hazard ratios(HRs;95%confidence interval)for symptomatic athletes with vs.without a factor(univariate,multiple models).HR<1 was predictive of higher percentage chance of prolonged RTFP.Significance was p<0.05.Results Days to RTFP were 30 days(IQR:23–40)for asymptomatic and 64 days(IQR:42–91)for symptomatic participants(p>0.05).Factors associated with prolonged RTFP(univariate models)were:females(HR=0.57;p=0.014),endurance athletes(HR=0.41;p<0.0001),co-morbidity number(HR=0.75;p=0.001),and respiratory disease history(HR=0.54;p=0.026).In symptomatic athletes,prolonged RTFP(multiple models)was significantly associated with increased“chest and neck”(HR=0.85;p=0.017)and“nose and throat”(HR=0.84;p=0.013)symptoms,but the association was more profound between prolonged RFTP and increased total number of“all symptoms”(HR=0.91;p=0.001)and“whole body”/systemic(HR=0.82;p=0.007)symptoms.Conclusion A larger number of total symptoms and specifically“whole body”/systemic symptoms during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in athletes is associated with prolonged RTFP.

Creating Prep to Play PRO for women playing elite Australian football:A how-to guide for developing injury-prevention programs

Background:Developing context-specific,evidence-informed,and implementable injury-prevention programs is challenging.Women playing in the elite Australian Football League for Women are at high risk of serious knee injuries,and no specific injury-prevention program exists.The objective of the study was to describe the collaborative process used to create a context-specific injury-prevention program.Methods:A previously used intervention-development process was modified to incorporate a partnership with the sport’s governing organization and focus on engaging program implementers.The Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation and Maintenance(RE-AIM)Sports Setting Matrix guided program development and implementation strategies.Results:The 7-step process,aligned with the RE-AIM Sports Setting Matrix,was applied to develop the injury-prevention program and was titled Prep to Play PRO.The steps were:(Step 1)gaining organizational support and establishing a project partnership;(Step 2)using research evidence and clinical experience;(Step 3)consulting content and context experts;(Step 4)engaging the organization,experts,program implementers,and end-users to concreate the intervention and develop implementation strategies;(Step 5)testing the intervention acceptability and feasibility;(Step 6)evaluating the intervention and implementation strategies against theory;and(Step 7)obtaining feedback from early implementers and end-users.Conclusion:Engaging critical stakeholders at multiple ecological levels(organization,team,and athlete)throughout program development and implementation planning support real-world use.The processes and activities described can guide future sports injury-prevention program development and implementation.

The Role of Neutrophils in the Interaction with <i>Leishmania</i>: Far beyond a Simple Trojan Horse?

Neutrophils are the most numerous leukocyte in mammals and normally they are the first phagocyte observed in recently damaged or infected tissues. They play a key role in the innate immune responses to Leishmania and several other microorganisms, nonetheless an exacerbated neutrophils activity can generate a harmful response to the host, therefore its turnover rate is very important to maintain the homeostasis and averts the host tissue damage. Both apoptosis followed by phagocytosis by mononuclear phagocytes (eferocytosis) and reverse transmigration have been considered the main processes for the clearance of neutrophils from injured or infected tissues. However, the interaction with Leishmania and other microbes, as well as molecules produced by arthropod vectors such as sandflies saliva can modify the behavior of neutrophils, causing immediate lysis to prolong their life. In fact, as a result of a long course of coevolution, several microorganisms have developed skills to avoid neutrophil effector mechanisms and take advantage of neutrophil clearance pathways to promote their spread in the host’s body. Leishmania, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Yersinia pestis for example use the efferocytic Trojan horse process for their dissemination and immune protection, in a different way vaccinia Ankara virus and Toxoplasma gondii exploit the neutrophil reverse transmigration for the same reason. Here we present an overview of some characteristics of neutrophils and their different destinations after interaction with several microorganisms, with an emphasis on Leishmania species. It was also suggested the probable role of neutrophils reverse transmigration as another possible route for the spreading of Leishmania in the visceral leishmaniasis.

Predictors of multiple injuries in individual distance runners:A retrospective study of 75,401 entrants in 4 annual races-SAFER XX

Background There are limited data on factors that predict an increased risk of multiple injuries among distance runners.The objective of this study was to determine risk factors that are predictive of individual runners with a high annual multiple injury risk(MIR).Methods A retrospective,cross-sectional study at 4 annual(2012-2015)Two Oceans 21.1 km and 56.0 km races in South Africa with 75,401 consenting race entrants.Running-related injury data were collected retrospectively through an online pre-race medical screening questionnaire.The average number of injuries for each runner every year was calculated by taking a runner's race entry history and injury history into account and categorizing entrants into 4 MIR categories(high,intermediate,low,and very low(reference)).Multiple logistic regression modeling(odds ratios)was used to determine whether the following factors were predictive of a high MIR(average>1 injury/year):demographics,training and racing,chronic-disease history(composite chronic disease score(CCDS)),and history of allergies.Results Of all entrants,9.2%reported at least 1 injury,and 0.4%of entrants were in the high MIR category;the incidence rate was 2.5 injuries per 10 runner-years(95%confidence interval(95%CI):2.4-2.7).Significant factors predictive of runners in the high MIR category were:running for>20 years:OR=2.0(95%CI:1.3-3.1;p=0.0010);a higher CCDS:OR=2.2(95%CI:2.0-2.4;p<0.0001);and a history of allergies:OR=2.8(95%CI:2.0-3.8;p<0.0001).Conclusion Runners who have been running recreationally for>20 years and those with multiple chronic diseases or a history of allergies were at higher risk of multiple running-related injuries.This high-risk group can be targeted for further study and possible injury-prevention interventions.

China published ocean forecasting system for the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road on December 10, 2018

1 The unique ocean forecasting system (OFS) based on FIO-COM The OFS is based on the surface wave-tide-circulation coupled ocean model developed by the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO-COM), Ministry of Natural Resources, China. The half-century challenge that ocean circulation models must address is that the forecasting/simulated sea surface temperature overheats while the sub-surface temperature is too cold, especially during the summer. Qiao et al.(2004, 2010, 2016) found that the non-breaking surface wave can generate turbulence through wave-turbulence interaction, and they developed the wave-induced mixing theory, which has been confirmed by observations, laboratory experiments and model numerical simulations. As validated by ocean circulation models from various research groups, including Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in the US (Fan and Griffies, 2014), Uppsala University of Sweden (Wu et al., 2015), Laboratoire d’Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiale (LEGOS) in France (Malek and Babanin, 2014), Budapest University of Technology and Economics in Hungary (Peter and Kramer, 2016) and the Ocean University of China (Lin et al., 2006), the non-breaking surface waveinduced vertical mixing (Bv) can always dramatically improve the simulation capacity of various ocean circulation models. The First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) research group found that tidal-induced mixing plays a key role in the formation of coastal upwelling, in the bottom mixed layer and in areas with sea mounts (Lv et al., 2006, 2008). With the above breakthroughs, the first surface wavetide-circulation coupled model of FIO-COM was developed in 2013. It was adopted to produce a reanalysis dataset for the period of January 2014 to April 2016, and it has been used for the operational OFS since May 2016. A highly efficient parallel scheme was designed to use the full capacity of Taihu Light with 10 649 600 CPU cores (Qiao et al., 2016), which earned a finalist nomination for the international Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Gordon Bell Prize.

Hepatitis B virus lineages in mammalian hosts:Potential for bidirectional cross-species transmission

The hepatitis B virus(HBV)is a cosmopolitan infectious agent currently affecting over 350 million people worldwide,presently accounting for more than two billion infections.In addition to man,other hepatitis virus strains infect species of several mammalian families of the Primates,Rodentia and Chiroptera orders,in addition to birds.The mounting evidence of HBV infection in African,Asian and neotropical primates draws attention to the potential crossspecies,zoonotic transmission of these viruses to man.Moreover,recent evidence also suggests the humans may also function as a source of viral infection to other mammals,particularly to domestic animals like poultry and swine.In this review,we list all evidence of HBV and HBVlike infection of nonhuman mammals and discuss their potential roles as donors or recipients of these viruses to humans and to other closely-related species.

Towards a Comprehensive Search of Putative Chitinases Sequences in Environmental Metagenomic Databases

Chitinases catalyze the hydrolysis of chitin, a linear homopolymer of β-(1,4)-linked N-acetylglucosamine. The broad range of applications of chitinolytic enzymes makes their identification and study very promising. Metagenomic approaches offer access to functional genes in uncultured representatives of the microbiota and hold great potential in the discovery of novel enzymes, but tools to extensively explore these data are still scarce. In this study, we develop a chitinase mining pipeline to facilitate the comprehensive search of these enzymes in environmental metagenomic databases and also to explore phylogenetic relationships among the retrieved sequences. In order to perform the analyses, UniprotKB fungal and bacterial chitinases sequences belonging to the glycoside hydrolases (GH) family-18, 19 and 20 were used to generate 15 reference datasets, which were then used to generate high quality seed alignments with the MAFFT program. Profile Hidden Markov Models (pHMMs) were built from each seed alignment using the hmmbuild program of HMMER v3.0 package. The best-hit sequences returned by hmmsearch against two environmental metagenomic databases (Community Cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis—CAMERA and Integrated Microbial Genomes—IMG/M) were retrieved and further analyzed. The NJ trees generated for each chitinase dataset showed some variability in the catalytic domain region of the metagenomic sequences and revealed common sequence patterns among all the trees. The scanning of the retrieved metagenomic sequences for chitinase conserved domains/signatures using both the InterPro and the RPS-BLAST tools confirmed the efficacy and sensitivity of our pHMM-based approach in detecting putative chitinases sequences. These analyses provide insight into the potential reservoir of novel molecules in metagenomic databases while supporting the chitinase mining pipeline developed in this work. By using our chitinase mining pipeline, a larger number of previously unannotated metagenomic chitinase sequences can be classified, enabling further studies on these enzymes.

The Impact of Climate Change on Ground Water Supplies Affecting Rural Livelihood in Developing Countries

Climate change is becoming a serious issue nowadays.There are profound environmental,economic and political implications of global warming. Ecosystems,from mountains to oceans and from the poles to the tropics,are undergoing rapid change.The cost will be borne by all,but especially by the

Microbe/Bug-Busters Visit the Interactive House: An Itinerant Scenographic Device for Health Education

The term Ecology is derived from οἶκος (Greek “house” or environment), but our habitations usually overlooked in ecology or environmental studies. The expression “at home” usually means safety and comfort, but at home we are under risk of innumerous parasitic/microbial infections and contaminations/ envenomation. During the COVID-19 pandemic we were forced to stay at home, but the virus and other pathogens were also home-delivered. Education for health is highly effective in health promotion, particularly in poor areas. Thus, prophylactic interventions approaching household environment are required. The present activity aims community empowerment and engagement in controlling parasitic diseases and other infections such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, malaria, arboviruses etc. Inspired on the use of a house maket by Dr. Virgínia Schall to demonstrate Aedes mosquitoes breeding sites. We also employ house makets displaying pathogen vectors breeding/hiding sites. Although some makets can be opened, revealing intradomiciliary milieu, we intended to offer the public a literally “insider” view of this largely overlooked scenery. The “Interactive House”, also known as “House with no viruses and other bugs” is an educative, interactive, ludic device elaborated on an inflatable igloo, with furniture and utensils crafted using reused/recycled or low-cost materials. Live mosquito larvae were placed at peridomicile in water-accumulating plant pot saucer, leaves-clogged gutter, used tire, dog water bowl as well as within the domicile, in the shower drain trap. Evidengue®, crafted in cloth to block mosquito oviposition developed is presented. Participants enjoy taking part in the activity, seem amused, play, laugh and smile while enthusiastically take pictures. This educative activity permits health communication in a ludic interactive way, which may contribute to health promotion in areas with public health problems.

国际橄榄理事会的定位和使命及相关标准

国际橄榄理事会(IOC)是国际政府间组织,致力于橄榄油和食用橄榄领域工作,旨在实现橄榄生产的现代化、协调橄榄政策、改善国际贸易监管、保护橄榄行业质量以及促进橄榄油和食用橄榄的消费量。IOC每年会对实验室和品评小组授予认可,这些实验室和品评小组必须满足IOC认可的橄榄油物化检测实验室和初榨橄榄油感官分析实验室的标准。IOC建立了适用于橄榄油和橄榄果渣油的纯度、质量和感官评估的分析方法。IOC制定了详细的管理指南,包括橄榄油和橄榄果渣油的储存条件、初榨橄榄油品尝小组的管理和感官测试实验室的要求。在未来的工作中,IOC的活动将包括建立以检测真伪和保证橄榄油和橄榄果渣油未来趋势质量的分析标准。

Serological Evidence of Human Coinfection by Brazilian Spotted Fever and Bartonellosis

Brazilian spotted fever and bartonellosis are zoonotic, emerging and under diagnosed diseases. Pets may be co-infected by multiple pathogens and become transmissions sources to humans. The study reports the first case of active co-infection by Brazilian spotted fever and bartonellosis based on serological evidence. The authors aim to demonstrate the importance of performing systematic syndromic investigations on nonspecific febrile syndromes, guided by the epidemiological history and considering the possibility of co-infection by zoonosis sharing the same ecological niche.

Introduction of the special issue on the 10th WESTPAC International Scientific Conference

This special issue is the scientific legacy of the 10th WESTPAC International Scientific Conference, which was sponsored by State Oceanic Administration of China and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and organized by the IOC Sub- Commission for the West Pacific (WESTPAC) and the First Institute of Oceanography of China, which was held in Qingdao, China during 17–20 April 2017 with more than 700 participants from 21 countries. During the conference, the international scientific steering committee announced the special issue of Acta Oceanologica Sinica for building a scientific legacy. Forty-five manuscripts were submitted with 20 papers accepted for this special issue.

Insights on Blood Cytokines Production under Different <i>In Vitro</i>Mycobacterial Antigens in Tuberculosis Intestinal Parasites Co Infected Patients

Background: The concomitant presence of intestinal parasite infections (IP) and tuberculosis (TB) has relevance. M. tuberculosis immune response is associated with type 1 T helper cell (Th1) while IP is associated with type Th2 cell. However, there are several contradictory reports on cytokine production under coinfection and this could be in association to the mycobacterial antigens used in the studies. Aim: To get insight into the effects of different M. tuberculosis-specific antigens (ESAT-6/CFP-10 and 38 kDa/CFP-10) in generating of appropriate cytokines on peripheral blood mononuclear cells of IPTB co infected patients. Method: ELISA assessed IFN-γ and other 16 cytokines production and plasm IgE. In 18 months, we documented demographic, economic, clinical characteristics and IP frequency in individuals from Brazil. Results: An overall 10/35 (28.5%) were IPTB co infected and 40/76 (52.6%;p = 0.024) asymptomatic intestinal parasite infected community controls (IPCC). Endo-limax nana (40%) and Entamoeba coli (22%), were the most nonpathogenic protozoan identified and Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia intestinalis, Ascaris lumbricoides and Strongyloides stercoralis were the pathogenic species (40%). IgE was higher in IPCC (p = 0.036). Cytokine profiles were significantly biased toward a Th2 type IL-5 (p = 0.001) and IL-13 (p = 0.033), pro-inflammatory GM-CSF (p = 0.019) and borderline lower IL-1β in IPTB, all associated with ESAT-6/CFP-10, while IL-7 was borderline lower, but 38 kDa/CFP-10 associated;as well as IL-8 higher (p < 0.049) vs CC/IPCC. The TB/IPTB IFN-γ levels were similar to both antigens stimuli (p ≥ 0.208). Conclusion: Therefore, coin-cident IPTB coinfection did not exert a significant inhibitory effect in IFN-γ production in response to either of the two antigens, but the partial discrepancy in Th1/Th2 response, is associated with the antigen priming cells.

Single and double layer centrifugation improve the quality of cryopreserved bovine sperm from poor quality ejaculates

Background： Density gradient centrifugation was reported as a technique of semen preparation in assisted reproductive techniques in humans and animals. This technique was found to be efficient in improving semen quality after harmful techniques such as cryopreservation. Recently a modified technique, single layer centrifugation,was proposed as a technique providing a large amount of high quality spermatozoa, and this treatment was performed before conservation. Single layer centrifugation has been studied prevalently in stallions and in boars,but limited data were available for bulls. Occasionally bulls are known to experience a transient reduction in semen quality, thus techniques that allow improvement in semen quality could be applied in this context. The aim of this study was the evaluation of single layer and double layer centrifugation by the use of iodixanol, compared with conventional centrifugation and non-centrifuged semen, on the sperm characteristics during the cryopreservation process in bulls with normal and poor semen quality.Results： Single layer centrifugation and double layer centrifugation both significantly increased the percentage of normal spermatozoa and decreased the percentage of non-sperm cells in poor quality samples, while both were ineffective in those of normal quality. Sperm characteristics in poor quality samples increased after single layer centrifugation and double layer centrifugation, reaching values similar to those recorded in normal samples, and this trend is maintained after equilibration and after cryopreservation. On the other hand, SLC and DLC resulted in a consistent reduction in the spermatozoa recovered, and this resulted in a reduction of the absolute amount of spermatozoa cryopreserved in the normal samples, without a clear improvement in sperm characteristics in this type of sample.Conclusions： These data suggested that both SLC and DLC could be performed in practice, but their application should be limited to the cases in which the quality of the spermatozoa recovered is more important than the total amount of spermatozoa.

Leishmania in Marsupials—An Overview of Infection Records in the Americas and Australia

Marsupials have been the subjects of studies of both experimental and natural infections with different species of Leishmania in the Americas as well as Australia. Over a century has passed since the first description of a mammal being infected with Leishmania and since then several reviews have been published on the systematics of the parasites as well as their hosts. Consequently, an update of this information is needed in order to assure correct identification of the species involved in each case. A comprehensive review was undertaken and included most of the records of marsupials being infected with Leishmania sp. Emphasis was placed on parasitological, eco epidemiological and taxonomic information of both the parasites and mammalian hosts. The clinical profiles of the infections varied from severe, which principally occurred in experimentally infected animals, to asymptomatic, which was typical of natural infections. Marsupials must be considered one of the most important groups of mammalian hosts of Leishmania sp. Important factors, such as their ancient origin, wide geographical distribution and susceptibility to infections by different species of Leishmania, but with considerable resistance to the disease, could indicate that didelphids play a key role in the evolution of Leishmania in the New World.