Livestock vehicle accidents in Spain: causes, consequences, and effects on animal welfare

Livestock vehicle accidents are rare but involve significant economic, human, and nonhuman farm animal losses. This study obtained information on the characteristics of accidents, the animals involved, and injuries to humans from newspaper reports about livestock vehicle accidents in Spain from January 2000 to December 2008. Most accidents involved pig transport (57%), followed by bovine (30%), poultry (8%), and sheep (5%). Driver mortality was not high (6%), and most accidents (76%) involved only the livestock vehicle, which often was overturned (64%) on a straight road transect (51%). Multivariate analysis of the data suggests 2 types of accidents, depending on the species transported. In the first cluster, 95.3% of the cases involved pig transport with articulated vehicles (60.5%). In the second cluster, 94.4% of the accidents involved small vehicles used for cattle transport (44.4%). The results of this study indicate that the characteristics of livestock vehicle accidents vary according to species. One of the main causes of accidents appears to be driver fatigue, which may be due to several factors such as intense workdays, poorly designed route plans, or high levels of pressure from companies.     

Uncoupling of osteoblast–osteoclast regulation in a chemical murine model of Gaucher disease

Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by mutations in the GBA gene that confer a deficient level of activity of glucocerebrosidase (GCase). This deficiency leads to accumulation of the glycolipid glucocerebroside in the lysosomes of cells of monocyte/macrophage system. Type I GD is the mildest form and is characterized by the absence of neuronopathic affection. Bone compromise in Gaucher disease patients is the most disabling aspect of the disease. However, pathophysiological aspects of skeletal alterations are still poorly understood.     

Cecum location in rats and the implications for intraperitoneal injections

Intraperitoneal injection is a common route for parenteral administration of drugs in rodents. A serious consequence associated with this technique, however, is the puncture of vital organs such as the cecum, which causes pain and occasionally peritonitis. Reports have described the cecum as located on either side of the lower abdominal cavity, contributing to the idea that intraperitoneal injections can be performed in either side. The authors investigated the location of the cecum in adult male and female albino and pigmented rat strains, and evaluated the consequences of intraperitoneal injections in the right and left portion of the lower abdomen. Of the rats they investigated, 71.8% had ceca on the left side of the abdomen. The authors also found that injections on the left side were more likely to result in punctured ceca.     

Circulating miR-215-5p and miR-642a-5p as potential biomarker for diagnosis of osteosarcoma in Mexican population

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone neoplasia affecting individuals in the second decade of life. The survival rate has not been improved during the last 25 years, in part because of the lack of specific markers. The microRNAs have been identified as important regulators of gene expression, experimental evidence suggests these molecules as key players in cancer development and progression. To identify miRNAs differentially expressed in serum from patients with osteosarcoma compared to healthy donors in Mexican population. Fifteen osteosarcoma patients and fifteen age and sex matched healthy individuals were recruited. Two pools of total RNA extracted from serum per study group were prepared and the miRNA expression profiles were analyzed through TaqMan Low Density Arrays. Validation was carried out through RT-qPCR using individual TaqMan assays for those miRNAs differentially expressed. Fifteen miRNAs were differentially expressed in osteosarcoma patients compared to healthy controls. Overexpression of miR-215-5p and miR-642a-5p was confirmed by validation through RT-qPCR. The expression analysis of miRNAs from serum in osteosarcoma patients revealed differential expression of miR-215-5p and miR-642a-5p. Both microRNAs are potential markers for osteosarcoma diagnosis.     

Immunotherapy as a treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis: preliminary studies in Brazil.

A prophylactic vaccine composed of killed promastigotes of five stocks of Leishmania was tested as an immunotherapeutic agent against American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). The agent was administered by deep intramuscular injection daily for 10 days, followed by a 10-day interval. Out of 62 patients so treated, 47 (76%) were considered clinically cured; 41 required 2-10 treatment courses and the other six 11-19 courses. None of the patients treated by immunotherapy displayed adverse side-effects. Immunotherapy proved to be effective in the treatment of single cutaneous lesions, multiple cutaneous lesions and in cases of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. In comparison with chemotherapy (Glucantime), immunotherapy is less efficient and more prolonged but can be safely used when antimonials are contra-indicated or are found to be ineffective. Consideration is given to the treatment of victims of ACL living in rural areas remote from a medical centre.     

Course of patients discharged early after myocardial infarction.

Two hundred and seventy-one (76%) out of 358 survivors of infarction were discharged by the eighth hospital day, and 251 (93%) of them survived to six weeks after discharge. Six of the 20 patients who died between discharge and six weeks did so after readmission and 14 died as outpatients. All these patients who died at home had transmural infarction and four had diabetes. In inpatients successful resuscitation occurred mainly within the first 48 hours, with only three successful long-term results from all the patients who suffered arrest later. This suggests that more prolonged inpatient care would not have reduced the late mortality. These figures justify continuing with an early discharge policy for most patients, but coronary care should probably be more prolonged for patients with diabetes.