Fatal infection with Versteria sp. in a muskrat, with implications for human health

The Taeniidae tapeworms are a family of helminths that have a similar life cycle, with intermediate hosts developing characteristic cysts in visceral organs. We describe here a case in Pennsylvania, USA, of fatal Versteria infection in a muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus), which, to our knowledge, has not been reported to develop disease associated with infection. Postmortem examination revealed widespread tissue loss and replacement by solid-bodied cestode larvae with minimal adjacent inflammation in many visceral organs, most severe in the lungs, liver, and brain. Key morphologic features via histology included cephalic structures and short rostellar hooklets, which are characteristic for the genus. Genetic characterization confirmed the cestode as being an undescribed lineage of Versteria that has been implicated as the cause of severe morbidity and mortality in humans and nonhuman primates in North America. Considering the zoonotic significance of this pathogen, our report expands on the limited literature regarding disease caused by Versteria and emphasizes the need to identify the causative tapeworm more accurately, especially in rodent intermediate hosts given that previous reports do not have molecular confirmation of species.

A case of metastatic non-teratoid ocular medulloepithelioma in an adult horse

This case reports an eight-years-old horse that presented a unilateral tumor in the left ocular orbital region diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs, gross anatomopathological and histopathological investigations. The affected area was exenteration and submitted to histopathological evaluation and was diagnosed as a non-teratoid medulloepithelioma. This is a rare ocular neoplasm that usually affects young individuals – and was composed by neuroepithelium arranged in tubules and Flexner-Wintersteiner rosettes without presence of heteroplastic components. The animals died and was submitted to post-mortem evaluation, revealing presence of medulloepithelioma metastases at the internal region of the head, lymph nodes, lungs, and liver. This neoplasm usually presents a benign frame; however, the case herein described shows that it can be highly malignant and aggressive since it can cause extensive lesions and spread metastases to visceral organs.

Incidence and Prognostic Significance of Liver Metastases for Newly Diagnosed Ovarian Cancer in Relation to Subtypes

Background: Ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous and aggressive malignant tumor, and the liver is one of the most common metastases target visceral organs of ovarian cancer. We aim to analysis the incidence and prognostic relevance of histological subtypes for patients with liver metastases in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer. Methods: In the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we identified the ovarian cancer patients from 2010 to 2016. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine whether histological types were associated with the presence of liver metastases at diagnosis. The Kaplan-Meier method and multivariable Cox regression was performed to identify covariates associated with survival using the histological types.Results: Among 25293 ovarian cancer patients, 1749 cases presented with liver metastases. The incidence proportions were highest among ovarian carcinosarcoma patients (OR=17.76, 95% CI=9.26-34.09), and liver metastasis specificity was the highest in the clear cell type (70.69% of the metastatic subset). The median cancer-specific survival (CSS) for non-metastatic ovarian cancer patients was 77 months, but the ovarian cancer with only liver metastasis was 21 months. The mucinous (5 months; vs nonepithelial subtype, HR=0.26; 95% CI, 0.14-0.49) subtype experienced the shortest median survival among all histologic types.Conclusion: This population-based study provides that liver was one of the most common distant visceral organs for ovarian cancer metastasis, and the incidence proportions of liver metastasis were highest for carcinosarcomas subtype, and the mucinous ovarian cancer with liver metastasis being associated with the poorest survival.

Different Expressions of HIF-1α and Metabolism in Brain and Major Visceral Organs of Acute Hypoxic Mice

Hypoxia is associated with clinical diseases. Extreme hypoxia leads to multiple organs failure. However, the different effects of hypoxia on brain and visceral organs still need to be clarified, and moreover, characteristics in vulnerable organs suffering from hypoxia remain elusive. In the present study, we first aimed to figure out the hypoxic sensitivity of organs. Adult male mice were exposed to 6% O2 or 8% O2 for 6 h. Control mice were raised under normoxic conditions. In vivo and in vitro imaging of anti-HIF-1α-NMs-cy5.5 nanocomposites showed that the expression level of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) was the highest in the liver, followed by kidney and brain. HIF-1α was detected in the hepatocytes of liver, distal convoluted tubules of kidney and neurons of cerebral cortex. The liver, kidney and brain showed distinct metabolic profiles but an identical change in glutamate. Compared with kidney and brain, the liver had more characteristic metabolites and more disturbed metabolic pathways related to glutaminolysis and glycolysis. The level of O-phosphocholine, GTP, NAD and aspartate were upregulated in hypoxic mice brain, which displayed significant positive correlations with the locomotor activity in control mice, but not in hypoxic mice with impaired locomotor activities. Taken together, the liver, kidney and brain are the three main organs of the body that are strongly respond to acute hypoxia, and the liver exhibited the highest hypoxic sensitivity. The metabolic disorders appear to underlie the physiological function changes.

Drugs that reduce the motility of the gastrointestinal tract

Spastic reactions of smooth muscles of visceral organs play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, the main drugs for relief of which are antispasmodic drugs. The article describes in detail the mechanisms of development of spastic abdominal pain and possible ways to correct it. The mechanisms of influence of the main myotropic antispasmodics on the gastrointestinal tract are given. Particular attention is paid to the peculiarities of pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, listed indications, contraindications, features of drug interaction.

Outcomes of curative intent treatment in advanced gynecological cancer with recurrent, distant lymph node, or visceral organ metastasis: Retrospective study from a single community center.

e17566 Background: Uterine, cervical and ovarian cancers with isolated recurrences in the pelvic, para-aortic or distant lymph nodes, such as axillary, supraclavicular lymph node, or visceral organs, are uncommon conditions. The standard care is palliative systemic chemotherapy. We hypothesized that combined modality treatment (CMT) incorporating surgery or radiation for curative intent may increase local disease control and delay or mitigate further distant metastasis, thereby increase overall survival (OS). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed characteristics and outcomes of patients who had localized recurrence of gynecological malignancies and who were treated with an aggressive approach of salvage chemotherapy + radiation +/- surgery or radiofrequency ablation. Results: We identified 23 patients, including 6 cervical, 14 uterine and 3 ovarian cancer patients who were treated from 2005 to 2021. The mean age was 68. About 47.8% patients had advanced stages of disease at diagnosis (stage 3+4). Serous carcinoma (n = 7, 30.4%) was the most common uterine cancer pathology. All patients received curative intent therapy at initial diagnosis. The first recurrence sites are shown in the table, and the visceral organs involvement were liver, gluteal muscle, etc. The recurrence was within previous radiation field in 9 patients (39.1%) and outside radiation field in 12 (52.1%). 16 patients had local radiation + chemo, 6 had systemic chemo only and 1 had radiation only (see table below). Only 13 patients had a second recurrence, including 5 from the previous systemic treatment only group. Seven had local recurrence only and all received local therapy. Six patients eventually developed wide spread disease, and 2 died. After a median follow up of 56 months (range 22 to 186 months), 17 patients were alive (4 lost for follow up), and 15 had no evidence of disease (NED). The median time to first recurrence was 14.5 m [Interquartile range (IQR), Q1, Q3 to be 7, 19]. The PFS for those patients who had only 1 recurrence was 41.5 m (IQR 21, 63). The PFS for those who had the second recurrence until the next progression was 15 months (IQR 9, 37). The overall survival in all patients was 56 m (IQR 39, 71). Conclusions: A curative intent, salvage CMT protocol for advanced GYN cancer patients who develop isolated local or distant recurrence may have a therapeutic advantage. It renders a longer PFS and OS than those from systemic therapy alone reported in the historical data.[Table: see text]

Mastocytosis, MCAS, and Related Disorders—Diagnosis, Classification, and Therapy

Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous group of hematologic neoplasms defined by an accumulation of neoplastic mast cells (MC) in the skin, bone marrow, and other visceral organs [...]

Salmonella Gallinarum in Small-Scale Commercial Layer Flocks: Occurrence, Molecular Diversity and Antibiogram

Salmonella Gallinarum is one of the most important bacterial pathogens associated with diminished egg production in poultry. The aim of this study was to understand the occurrence, molecular traits and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella Gallinarum strains isolated from small-scale commercial layer flocks with low level biosecurity standards in Bangladesh. A total of 765 samples, including cloacal swabs (535), visceral organs (50), and droppings (180), were collected from chickens of 12 layer flocks in 11 districts. Salmonella Gallinarum was isolated and characterized through culture-based method, followed by biochemical tests, sero-grouping, PCR assays, sequencing, and antibiogram. The identity of biochemically detected isolates of Salmonella Gallinarum was confirmed via genus-specific 16S rRNA gene based PCR, followed by invA and spvC genes based PCR assays. Occurrence of Salmonella Gallinarum was detected in overall 25.75% (197/765) samples, with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher incidence in visceral organs (42%) in comparison to cloacal swab (24%) and droppings (26%). Sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analysis of invA and spvC genes in representative strains of Salmonella Gallinarum revealed a close genetic lineage, with a sequence similarity of 98.05–99.21% and 97.51–99.45%, respectively, to previously published sequences of the corresponding genes from the same serogroup strains. Remarkably, 66.5% (131/197) of the isolated strains of Salmonella Gallinarum were found to be resistant to 3 to 6 antimicrobial agents, and interpreted as multidrug resistant (MDR). The findings of this study underscore an inherent need of appropriate control measures to curb the widespread incidence of MDR Salmonella Gallinarum in small-scale commercial layer flocks, thereby, facilitating enhanced egg production and further support to the food security and safety in low resource settings.