All Posts Tagged With: "pathology"

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20868280&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

Emerging and resurging vector-borne diseases cause significant
morbidity and mortality, especially in the developing world. We
focus on how advances in mapping, Geographic Information System,
and Decision Support System technologies, and progress in spatial
and space-time modeling, can be harnessed to prevent and control
these diseases. Major themes, which are addressed using examples
from tick-borne Lyme disease; flea-borne plague; and
mosquito-borne dengue, malaria, and West Nile virus disease,
include (a) selection of spatial and space-time modeling
techniques, (b) importance of using high-quality and biologically
or epidemiologically relevant data, (c) incorporation of new
technologies into operational vector and disease control
programs, (d) transfer of map-based information to stakeholders,
and (e) adaptation of technology solutions for use in
resource-poor environments. We see great potential for the use of
new technologies and approaches to more effectively target
limited surveillance, prevention, and control resources and to
reduce vector-borne and other infectious diseases. Expected final
online publication date for the Annual Review of Entomology
Volume 56 is December 03, 2010. 

PURPOSE OF REVIEW:
Borrelia burgdorferi colonization of the joints induces an inflammatory response, which in some individuals progresses to chronic arthritis. In this review, we discuss novel pathways that are implicated in disease development by modulating host defenses to B. burgdorferi infection.

SUMMARY: The cause and pathogenesis of Lyme arthritis are complex. Elucidating the mechanisms that govern this chronic inflammatory response will provide direct insights into other infectious arthritides and the development of novel therapeutic approaches against B. burgdorferi infection.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pu
bmed&id=20332424&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

Three pathologists graded immunoreactivity according
to a four-tier grading system: negative, weak, moderate, strong.
Canine parvoviral immunoreactivity was markedly decreased
following 2, 7, and 10 weeks of fixation in myocardium, small
intestine, and spleen, respectively. Bovine respiratory syncytial
virus immunoreactivity was markedly decreased following 7 weeks
of fixation. Bartonella henselae had an abrupt loss of
immunoreactivity following 9 weeks of fixation. Despite variation
among time points, immunoreactivity remained moderate to strong
throughout the study period for the other 18 antigens. These
results suggest that prolonged formalin fixation of up to 7 weeks
generally does not limit immunohistochemical detection of
infectious agents. However, the effects of prolonged fixation
depend on the targeted antigen and the selected antibody. The
results of this study further validate the utility and
reliability of immunohistochemistry in diagnostic pathology.

Linda’s comments:  There is a lot of controversy regarding XMRV and doctors are scrambling to find some answers.  Doctors are now thinking that this virus is in Lyme patients. 

Excerpt:

Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is a recently discovered gammaretrovirus that has been linked to prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. This virus is therefore an important potential human pathogen and, as such, it is essential to understand its host cell tropism. Intriguingly, infectious virus has been recovered from patient-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These cells express several antiviral restriction factors that are capable of inhibiting the replication of a wide range of retroviruses, including other gamma retroviruses. This raises the possibility that, similar to HIV, XMRV may have acquired resistance to restriction. We therefore investigated the susceptibility of XMRV to a panel of different restriction factors. We found that both human APOBEC3 and tetherin proteins are able to block XMRV replication. Expression of human TRIM5alpha, however, had no effect on viral infectivity. There was no evidence that XMRV expressed countermeasures to overcome restriction. In addition, the virus was inhibited by factors from nonhuman species, including mouse Apobec3, tetherin, and Fv1 proteins. These results have important implications for predicting the natural target cells for XMRV replication, for relating infection to viral pathogenicity and pathology, and for the design of model systems with which to study XMRV-related diseases.

Background: Morphea, granuloma annulare (GA) and lichen sclerosus et atrophicans (LSA) have also been suggested to be linked to Borrelia infection. Previous studies based on serologic data or detection of Borrelia by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reported contradictory results. Thus, we examined skin biopsies of morphea, GA and LSA by PCR to assess the prevalence of Borrelia DNA in an endemic area and to compare our results with data in the literature.

Methods: Amplification of DNA sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato by nested PCR from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded skin biopsies of morphea, GA and LSA, followed by automated sequencing of amplification products. PCR-based studies on Borrelia species in these disorders published until July 2009 were retrieved by a literature search. Continued

The use of new, highly sensitive diagnostic methods has revealed persistent
infections to be a common feature of different tick-borne diseases, such as
babesiosis, anaplasmosis and heartwater. Antigenic variation can contribute to
disease persistence through the continual elaboration of new surface structures,
and we know in several instances how this is achieved. Continued

Background.Standard 2‐tiered immunoglobulin G (IgG) testing has performed well in late Lyme disease (LD), but IgM testing early in the illness has been problematic. IgG VlsE antibody testing, by itself, improves early sensitivity, but may lower specificity. We studied whether elements of the 2 approaches could be combined to produce a second‐tier IgG blot that performs well throughout the infection. Continued

The Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) has recently published a research study revealing the prevalence of XMRV in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME/CFS, or what has most recently been called, X associated neuro-immune disease (XAND). Continued