West Nile Virus Seroprevalence Among Blood Donors in Hungary

Background and Objectives: West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most important viral zoonotic infections in Hungary; however, no transfusion-transmitted WNV infections have been confirmed so far. In 2016, the number of clinical cases of WNV reported was 44, but the seasonal WNV screening of whole-blood donors has not yet been implemented. Our aims were to assess the WNV RNA reactivity and the prevalence of WNV-specific antibodies in the samples of blood donors collected in 2016. Materials and Methods: WNV RNA with Cobas TaqScreen and anti-WNV antibody determination from plasma samples of 2112 donors was performed. Cross-reactivity to tick-borne encephalitis virus was excluded. WNV neutralization test was used for the confirmation of anti-WNV IgG reactive results, and the presence of anti-WNV IgM antibodies was also determined. Results: None of the samples showed WNV RNA reactivity. The total weighted anti-WNV IgG prevalence was 2.34% (95% confidence interval 1.65-3.03), and in addition, three donors were found to be IgM positive. There was a comparable tendency between the data of WNV seroprevalence and cumulative incidence in six out of seven statistical regions in Hungary. Conclusion: Our results show a comparable data with publications that estimated the WNV seroprevalence in some other European endemic areas. As protective measures, both the 30-day deferral of blood donors who spent at least 24 h in WNV-exposed areas and the exclusion of affected Hungarian territories from blood donation are enforced by the Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service. Our study is the first comprehensive serological survey to obtain actual data about WNV seroprevalence in the Hungarian human population.

A multimodal pathway including the basal ganglia in the feline brain

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of our present knowledge about the feline tecto-thalamo-basal ganglia cortical sensory pathway. We reviewed morphological and electrophysiological studies of the cortical areas, located in ventral bank of the anterior ectosylvian sulcus as well as the region of the insular cortex, the suprageniculate nucleus of the thalamus, caudate nucleus, and the substantia nigra. Microelectrode studies revealed common receptive field properties in all these structures. The receptive fields were extremely large and multisensory, with pronounced sensitivity to motion of visual stimuli. They often demonstrated directional and velocity selectivity. Preference for small visual stimuli was also a frequent finding. However, orientation sensitivity was absent. It became obvious that the structures of the investigated sensory loop exhibit a unique kind of information processing, not found anywhere else in the feline visual system.

Skin wound regeneration with bioactive glass-gold nanoparticles ointment

The bioactive glasses can lead to the promotion of growth of granulation tissue, while the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can induce the acceleration of wound healing including tissue regeneration, connective tissue formation, and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of using the bioactive glass (BG) and BG-AuNPs composites on skin wound healing in experimental rat models for 14 days. Sol-gel derived BGs and BG-AuNPs composites mixed with Vaseline at 6, 12 and 18 wt% were used to evaluate the repair response of the skin. During the process of healing, granulomatous reaction was observed in the wound treated with 12 and 18 wt% BG-Vaseline ointments. Furthermore, a strong vascular proliferation and complete wound regeneration were found in 18%BG-AuNPs-Vaseline treated groups. The results derived from the performed investigations revealed that the 18% BG-AuNPs-Vaseline ointment is a promising candidate for wound healing applications.

Chemical interactions between Saturn’s atmosphere and its rings

The Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft made close-up measurements of Saturn’s ionosphere and upper atmosphere in the 1970s and 1980s that suggested a chemical interaction between the rings and atmosphere. Exploring this interaction provides information on ring composition and the influence on Saturn’s atmosphere from infalling material. The Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer sampled in situ the region between the D ring and Saturn during the spacecraft’s Grand Finale phase. We used these measurements to characterize the atmospheric structure and material influx from the rings. The atmospheric He/H2 ratio is 10 to 16%. Volatile compounds from the rings (methane; carbon monoxide and/or molecular nitrogen), as well as larger organic-bearing grains, are flowing inward at a rate of 4800 to 45,000 kilograms per second.

A multi-species powder dropper for magnetic fusion applications

We present a device for controlled injection of a variety of materials in powder form. The system implements four independent feeder units, arranged to share a single vertical drop tube. Each unit consists of a 80 ml reservoir, coupled to a horizontal linear trough, where a layer of powder is advanced by piezo-electric agitation at a speed proportional to the applied voltage, until it falls into a drop tube. The dropper has been tested with a number of impurities of low (B, BN, C), intermediate (Si, SiC), and high Z (Sn) and a variety of microscopic structures (flakes, spheres, rocks) and sizes (5-200 μm). For low Z materials, drop rates ∼2-200 mg/s have been obtained showing good repeatability and uniformity. A calibrated light-emitting diode (LED)-based flowmeter allows measuring and monitoring the drop rate during operation. The fast time-response of the four feeders allows combination of steady and pulsed injections, providing a flexible tool for controlled-dose, real-time impurity injection in fusion plasmas.

Variation in the TEK gene is not associated with asthma but with allergic conjunctivitis

The Tie2 receptor is an important player in angiogenesis. The Tie2 mRNA and protein are abundantly expressed in the lungs and the associated pathway also has an important role in the development and function of the eye. Tie2 is encoded by the TEK gene in humans. Recently, variations in the TEK gene have been found associated with asthma. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether variations in the TEK gene influenced the susceptibility to pediatric asthma and/or associated phenotypes like GINA status, viral- or exercise-induced asthma, allergic asthma, indoor, outdoor, inhalative allergies, IgE and eosonophil levels, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs3780315, rs581724 and rs7876024) in the TEK gene were genotyped in 1189 unrelated individuals, out of which 435 were asthmatic children and 754 healthy controls. Different types of asthma, allergies and co-morbidities were defined in 320 patients. Among the fully phenotyped 320 asthmatic patients 178 (55.6%) also had allergic rhinitis and 100 (31.3%) had conjunctivitis. Among the rhinitis patients 98 (55.1%) also had conjunctivitis. Two patients had conjunctivitis without rhinitis. The genotyped SNPs showed no association with asthma. However, SNP rs581724 was significantly associated with allergic conjunctivitis in a recessive way (p=0.007; OR=2.3 (1.3-4.4)) within the asthmatic population. The risk remained significant when the whole population (asthmatics and healthy controls) was included in the calculation (p = 0.003; OR = 2.1 (1.3-3.6)). The minor allele of the rs581724 SNP which is associated with the increased risk to conjunctivitis is also associated with reduced Tie2 expression. There was a significant association between SNP rs581724 and the occurrence of allergic conjunctivitis in asthmatic children. If additional studies can confirm the role of the Tie2 pathway in allergic conjunctivitis, it can be a potential novel therapeutic target in the disease.

[Detection of West Nile virus in human samples: follow-up studies during the 2015 seasonal period]

INTRODUCTION

West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis is responsible for human infections in Hungary. Laboratory diagnosis is based on serological tests, however the application of molecular methods has been appreciated.

AIM

The aim of the study was to investigate blood, cerebrospinal-fluid and urine samples of acutely ill patients and to follow-up PCR positive cases to ascertain the length of virus excretion.

METHOD

Clinical specimens were examined by indirect-immunofluorescent, haemagglutination-inhibition, two PCR tests and Sanger-sequencing. Virus isolation in case of two patients was successful.

RESULTS

A follow-up study could be carried out in case of 5 patients. Viral nucleic acid was detectable in urine even for several weeks after symptom onset and viral RNA was present at higher concentration compared with other samples.

CONCLUSIONS

PCR analysis of urine could provide useful epidemiological and diagnostic information. Therefore, it is recommended to collect urine samples in order to supplement the serological diagnosis. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(20): 791-796.

Genome Wide Conditional Mouse Knockout Resources

The International Knockout Mouse Consortium (IKMC) developed high throughput gene trapping and gene targeting pipelines that produced mostly conditional mutations of more than 18,500 genes in C57BL/6N mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells which have been archived and are freely available to the research community as a frozen resource. From this unprecedented resource more than 6,000 mutant mouse strains have been produced by the IKMC and mostly the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC). In addition, a cre-driver resource was established including 250 inducible cre-driver mouse strains in a C57BL/6 background. Complementing the cre-driver resource, a collection of comprising 27 cre-driver rAAVs has also been produced. The resources can be easily accessed at the IKMC/IMPC web portal (www.mousephenotype.org). The IKMC/IMPC resource is a standardized reference library of mouse models with defined genetic backgrounds that enables the analysis of gene-disease associations in mice of different genetic makeup and should therefore have a major impact on biomedical research.