Effect of a dairy farmworker stewardship training program on antimicrobial drug usage in dairy cows

Antimicrobial use (AMU) is critical to preserving animal health and welfare. However, the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a public health threat. Although most antimicrobials used on the farm require a veterinarian prescription, farmworkers make daily on-farm treatment decisions. Therefore, farmworker training is vital to promote responsible AMU. This research project aimed to evaluate the effect of farmworker antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) training on the quantity of AMU on dairy farms in Ohio and California. We hypothesized that farms receiving AMS training would have reduced AMU in dairy cattle compared with farms where training wasn't administered. We designed a quasiexperimental study with 18 conventional dairy farms enrolled in Ohio and California. Twelve farms received AMS training, and 6 farms did not. The AMS program included a 12-wk training focused on accurate identification of cows requiring antimicrobial treatment. We quantified AMU by collecting used drug containers, manually counted by researchers during farm visits. Treatment incidence (TI) was calculated using animal daily doses (ADD), and Poisson regression models were used to analyze the TI data. Disease incidence rate (DIR) in lactating cows was 2.2, 1.5, 1.0, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.03/1,000 cow-days for mastitis, lameness, metritis, pneumonia, retained placenta, diarrheas, and other diseases (e.g., conjunctivitis, injuries), respectively. The highest TI by antimicrobial class (provided in ADD/1,000 cow-days) was cephalosporin (5.9), penicillin (5.2), tetracyclines (0.4), lincosamides (0.2), and sulfonamides (0.1). Among the trained farms using a within-treatment group analysis, no significant differences were observed in TI pre-intervention (10.9 ADD/1,000 cow-days) compared with TI postintervention (10.3 ADD/1,000 cow-days). Treatment incidence from the training group was 10.8 ADD/1,000 cow-days and although numerically lower, it was not significantly different compared with TI in the control groups at 13.9 ADD/1,000 cow-days (rate ratio = 0.77, CI = 0.25-2.38). Future research on AMS should incorporate farmworker training with social science approaches to overcome barriers and promote on-farm responsible use.

Cystic ovarian disease in dairy cattle: Diagnostic accuracy when using B-mode and color Doppler ultrasound

The most frequently reported definition of cystic ovarian disease in cattle is an abnormally persistent follicle (>7 to 10 d) with a diameter >25 mm. Discrimination between luteal and follicular ovarian cystic structures has traditionally been conducted by measuring the rim width of luteal tissue. The most common practice used in the field for diagnosis of cystic ovarian disease is examination by rectal palpation with or without the use of a B-mode ultrasound. Color Doppler ultrasound technology allows assessment of blood flow area measurements in the ovary, which has been proposed as a potential indirect measure for plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations. The objective of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of differentiating luteal structures from follicular ovarian cysts using measures collected with B-mode and color Doppler transrectal ultrasonography. The definition of an ovarian cyst was a follicle greater than 20 mm in diameter in the absence of a corpus luteum that persisted for at least 10 d. A 3-mm luteal rim width was used to differentiate follicular and luteal cysts. A total of 36 cows were enrolled in the study during routine herd reproductive examination visits, with 26 and 10 having follicular and luteal cysts, respectively. Cows enrolled in the study were examined using a Mini-ExaPad mini ultrasound with color Doppler capabilities (IMV Imaging Ltd.). Blood samples were collected from each cow to measure P4 serum concentrations. History and signalment of each cow, including days in milk, lactation, times bred, days since last heat, milk composition, and somatic cell counts, were retrieved from an online database (DairyComp 305, Valley Agricultural Software). The accuracy of diagnosing follicular from luteal cysts based on luteal rim thickness was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve using P4 as the gold standard, where P4 concentrations exceeding 1 ng/mL was defined as luteal, and all other structures with less P4 were considered follicular. Luteal rim and blood flow area were selected for further analysis because they presented the best ROC curves for differentiating cystic ovarian structures, with areas under the curve of 0.80 and 0.76, respectively. Luteal rim width of 3 mm was used as the cutoff standard in the study, resulting in sensitivity and specificity of 50% and 86%, respectively. Blood flow area of 0.19 cm² was used as the cutoff standard in the study, resulting in sensitivity and specificity of 79% and 86%, respectively. When combining the use of luteal rim width and blood flow area to differentiate cystic ovarian structures, a parallel approach resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 73% and 93%, respectively, whereas an in-series approach resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 35% and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, the use of color Doppler ultrasonography when discriminating between luteal and follicular ovarian cysts in dairy cattle resulted in higher diagnostic accuracy compared with using B-mode ultrasonography alone.

Non-antimicrobial approaches for the prevention or treatment of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis in cattle applicable to cow-calf operations: A scoping review

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) is a common ocular disease in cattle that causes economic losses to producers and negatively impacts animal welfare. In a 2016 survey of cow-calf producers in California, IBK was identified as the disease for which antimicrobials are most frequently used. The presented scoping review examined the available literature for methods to prevent IBK and for alternatives to antimicrobials to treat the disease that can be applied in cow-calf operations. Online databases were searched for publications about IBK in cattle populations that were reported from 1950 to 2020. Citations were systematically evaluated in a multi-stage approach using commercial software and summarized in a scoping review format. For the studies included in the review, most research (n = 50) has focused on the development of vaccines for the prevention of IBK. Although the quality of publications has improved over time, there is a lack of consistent evidence for vaccine efficacy against IBK in post-2000 experimental and conventional vaccine trials. A systematic analysis of vaccine studies is warranted. A limited number (n = 6) of studies evaluated the prevention of IBK through fly control, where most have found efficacy of this control measure. Several treatment options (n = 5) that do not include the use of antimicrobials have been investigated but remain at the preliminary stage of testing. Differences in breed susceptibility has been demonstrated with breeds belonging to the Bos indicus subspecies less frequently affected compared to those belonging to the Bos taurus subspecies. Hereford cattle and those lacking pigmentation around the eyelid margin are more frequently affected than other breeds. At present, there are few evidence-based measures that producers can utilize to reduce the burden of IBK in their herds and more research into the efficacy of fly control measures, non-antimicrobial treatment options, the continued search for a viable vaccine, as well as identifying genetic markers associated with traits that confer resistance to the disease are needed.

The genome sequence of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

We have sequenced and annotated the genome of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), which contains the smallest number of protein-coding genes yet recorded for a eukaryote: 4,824. The centromeres are between 35 and 110 kilobases (kb) and contain related repeats including a highly conserved 1.8-kb element. Regions upstream of genes are longer than in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), possibly reflecting more-extended control regions. Some 43% of the genes contain introns, of which there are 4,730. Fifty genes have significant similarity with human disease genes; half of these are cancer related. We identify highly conserved genes important for eukaryotic cell organization including those required for the cytoskeleton, compartmentation, cell-cycle control, proteolysis, protein phosphorylation and RNA splicing. These genes may have originated with the appearance of eukaryotic life. Few similarly conserved genes that are important for multicellular organization were identified, suggesting that the transition from prokaryotes to eukaryotes required more new genes than did the transition from unicellular to multicellular organization.

Müllerian adenosarcoma of the cervix with heterologous elements: report of a case and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Müllerian adenosarcoma (MA) is a rare neoplasm composed of benign epithelial and malignant stromal components. Its location in the cervix and the presence of heterologous elements are extremely infrequent (to our knowledge, only 14 more cases have been reported in the English literature). We describe another case of MA of the uterine cervix with heterologous elements and review the clinical and pathological features of these tumors.

CASE REPORT

A nulliparous 25-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of metrorrhagia and recurrent masses, dependent on the cervix, initially considered endocervical polyps. Microscopically, the last curettage performed revealed a tumor composed of two elements, epithelial and mesenchymal. The epithelial elements were benign endocervical type glands, and the mesenchymal were sarcomatous, containing minor foci of cartilage. A diagnosis of endocervical heterologous adenosarcoma was reached, and a total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. The patient is alive 2 years after the surgical procedure. Neither chemotherapy nor other adjuvant therapies have been administered, and she is clinically free of disease at the moment.

CONCLUSION

Because MA with heterologous elements seems to appear at the earliest stages of the reproductive lifespan in women, commonly with a history of recurrent polyps, and because its malignant potential is uncertain, gynecologists and pathologists should be aware and think about the possibility of this tumor. Long-term follow-up is essential and so is the accumulation of individual cases to provide further experience with these unusual neoplasms.

Ligands for kappa-opioid and ORL1 receptors identified from a conformationally constrained peptide combinatorial library

We have screened a synthetic peptide combinatorial library composed of 2 x 10(7) beta-turn-constrained peptides in binding assays on four structurally related receptors, the human opioid receptors mu, delta, and kappa and the opioid receptor-like ORL1. Sixty-six individual peptides were synthesized from the primary screening and tested in the four receptor binding assays. Three peptides composed essentially of unnatural amino acids were found to show high affinity for human kappa-opioid receptor. Investigation of their activity in agonist-promoted stimulation of [(35)S]guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate binding assay revealed that we have identified the first inverse agonist as well as peptidic antagonists for kappa-receptors. To fine-tune the potency and selectivity of these kappa-peptides we replaced their turn-forming template by other turn mimetic molecules. This "turn-scan" process allowed the discovery of compounds with modified selectivity and activity profiles. One peptide displayed comparable affinity and partial agonist activity toward all four receptors. Interestingly, another peptide showed selectivity for the ORL1 receptor and displayed antagonist activity at ORL1 and agonist activity at opioid receptors. In conclusion, we have identified peptides that represent an entirely new class of ligands for opioid and ORL1 receptors and exhibit novel pharmacological activity. This study demonstrates that conformationally constrained peptide combinatorial libraries are a rich source of ligands that are more suitable for the design of nonpeptidal drugs.

Radiosurgical treatment of meningiomas

From January 1992 to November 1996, 17 patients with the diagnosis of intracranial meningioma underwent radiosurgical treatment. Of these, 7 patients were treated using a Linac-based system (group 1), and 10 using the Leksell Gamma Knife unit (group 2). The follow-up ranged between 12 and 48 (median 33) months for group 1 and between 1 and 11 (median 5) months for group 2, consisting of clinical and MRI assessments every 3 months during the first year, and every 6 months thereafter. There were 14 women and 3 men. The mean age was 42 years. Prior to radiosurgery, 15 patients underwent surgical procedures. Histological diagnosis was consistent with benign meningioma, except in 2 patients (malignant meningioma). In 15 patients with benign meningiomas there was no evidence of tumor growth as demonstrated by clinical and radiological evaluation, in 2 patients with a malignant histological type there was tumor progression.

Heterocyclic modulators of the NMDA receptor

The design of new heterocyclic derivatives as modulatory agents at EAA receptors is described. In particular, the potent and selective activity at the NMDA receptor of trans-4-hydroxypipecolic acid-4-sulfate, as well as the neuroprotective properties of substituted thiokynurenates, a new class of competitive antagonists at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor complex, are reported.

Sclerosing hemangioma of the lung: an ultrastructural study

A well-circumscribed nodular mass was excised from the lingula of the left lung of a 40-year-old-female. The lesion was discovered on routine chest x-ray examination and corresponded to a typical "sclerosing hemangioma" described by Liebow and Hubbell. Electron microscopic study revealed unequivocal epithelial cells in both the irregular spaces and the solid areas of the tumor; some of these cells were identical to granular pneumonocytes. The true vascular component was sparsely distributed. We concluded that "sclerosing hemangioma" was a misnomer because we were dealing with an essentially epithelial lesion.