Small colony variants constitute a slow-growing subpopulation of bacteria with distinctive phenotypic and pathogenic traits. Phenotypically, small colony variants have a slow growth rate, atypical colony morphology and unusual biochemical characteristics, making them a challenge for clinical microbiologists to identify. Clinically, small colony variants are better able to persist in mammalian cells and are less susceptible to antibiotics than their wild-type counterparts, and can cause latent or recurrent infections on emergence from the protective environment of the host cell. This review covered the phenotypic, genetic and clinical picture associated with small colony variants, with an emphasis on staphylococci, for which the greatest amount of information is available.

Small Colony Variants: a Pathogenic Form of Bacteria that Facilitates Persistent and Recurrent Infections

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections: clinical signs, pathology and laboratory diagnosis.

Publications Financial Statement pursuant to rule 154-ter paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree No. 58/1998 Annual Report Annual Report on Form 20-F for the Securities and Exchange Commission Fact Book (in Italian and English) Eni in 2011 (in English) Interim Consolidated Report as of June 30 pursuant to rule 154-ter paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree No. 58/1998 Corporate Governance Report pursuant to rule 123-bis of Legislative Decree No. 58/1998 (in Italian and English) Remuneration Report pursuant to rule 123-ter of Legislative Decree No. 58/1998 (in Italian and English)

Annual Report 2011 -個人別教育研究報告-

Respiratory disease in pigs is common in modern pork production worldwide and is often referred to as porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). PRDC is polymicrobial in nature, and results from infection with various combinations of primary and secondary respiratory pathogens. As a true multifactorial disease, environmental conditions, population size, management strategies and pig-specific factors such as age and genetics also play critical roles in the outcome of PRDC. While non-infectious factors are important in the initiation and outcome of cases of PRDC, the focus of this review is on infectious factors only. There are a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens commonly associated with PRDC including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza virus (SIV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHYO) and Pasteurella multocida (PMULT). The pathogenesis of viral respiratory disease is typically associated with destruction of the mucocilliary apparatus and with interference and decrease of the function of pulmonary alveolar and intravascular macrophages. Bacterial pathogens often contribute to PRDC by activation of inflammation via enhanced cytokine responses. With recent advancements in pathogen detection methods, the importance of polymicrobial disease has become more evident, and identification of interactions of pathogens and their mechanisms of disease potentiation has become a topic of great interest. For example, combined infection of pigs with typically low pathogenic organisms like PCV2 and MHYO results in severe respiratory disease. Although the body of knowledge has advanced substantially in the last 15 years, much more needs to be learned about the pathogenesis and best practices for control of swine respiratory disease outbreaks caused by concurrent infection of two or more pathogens. This review discusses the latest findings on polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs.

Polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs

Clinical signs and pathological features are still the corner-stones to suspect and diagnose overt disease associated with PCV2 infection. The clinico-pathological scope of this viral infection has been expanded over time. From the initial description of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, some enteric, respiratory and reproductive disorders have been subsequently linked with PCV2. Porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, an immunocomplex disease, has also been associated with infection by this virus. All together, these conditions have been grouped under the name of porcine circovirus diseases (PCVD) or porcine circovirus associated diseases (PCVAD). The precise mechanisms by which a PCV2 infected pig develops a PCV2 subclinical infection or a clinical PCVD/PCVAD are still to be fully elucidated, but inferences based upon clinical, gross and histologic findings from field cases of disease have been useful to suggest the pathogenesis of this viral infection. The objective of the present review is to update the current knowledge on the clinical and pathological scope of PCV2 infections, as well as on their diagnosis. Moreover, a proposal on a unified PCVD/PCVAD terminology and clearly defined diagnostic criteria for these conditions are also given. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections: Clinical signs, pathology and laboratory diagnosis

Pasteurella multocida in porcine pneumonia, impact of bacterial strain and host immunocompetence

STUDY QUESTION
Does 8 weeks of continuous low-dose hCG administration increase the proportion of antral follicles that reach the preovulatory state during ovarian stimulation (OS) in women with low ovarian reserve?


SUMMARY ANSWER
The proportion of antral follicles (2-10 mm) that reached the preovulatory state did not increase.


WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
The administration of androgens prior to OS might upregulate FSH receptor (FSHR) expression on granulosa cells, making follicles more responsive to exogenous FSH stimulation during OS. LH and hCG stimulate the local follicular androgen synthesis in theca cells and may be used as an endogenous androgen priming method. Exogenous priming by testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) have been shown to increase the number of retrieved oocytes and live birth rate but the studies are small, and their use is associated with side effects.


STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
A prospective, paired, non-blinded single-center study including 20 women serving as their own controls conducted between January 2021 and July 2021 at The University Hospital Copenhagen Rigshospitalet, Denmark.


PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Participants underwent two identical consecutive IVF/ICSI treatments, a Control cycle and a Study cycle, separated by ∼8 weeks (two menstrual cycles) of daily injections of 260 IU recombinant hCG (rhCG). A freeze-all strategy was applied in the Control cycle. Both IVF/ICSI cycles were performed in a fixed GnRH antagonist protocol using a daily dose of 300 IU recombinant FSH (rFSH) and GnRH antagonist 0.25 mg from stimulation days 5-6.


MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
Follicular output rate, defined as the number of follicles >16 mm on hCG trigger day divided by the antral follicle count (2-10 mm) at baseline, did not increase after 8 weeks of hCG priming (P = 0.8). The mean number of oocytes retrieved was significantly higher after the hCG priming being 4.7 (2.8) vs 3.2 (1.7) in the Study and Control cycle, respectively (P = 0.01). The duration of stimulation was longer in the Study versus the Control cycle (P = 0.05), despite the use of identical hCG trigger criterion and similar diameters of the three biggest follicles on hCG trigger day in the two cycles (P = 0.9).


LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The sample size was small, and the number of oocytes retrieved was not the primary endpoint. Larger studies are needed to confirm this finding.


WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
Long-term, low-dose rhCG administration may increase the number of oocytes retrieved during IVF/ICSI in women with low ovarian reserve, but more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.


STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
This study was funded by an unrestricted grant from Gedeon Richter. A.P. reports personal consulting fees from PregLem SA, Novo Nordisk A/S, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, Gedeon Richter Nordics AB, Cryos International, and Merck A/S outside the submitted work and payment or honoraria for lectures from Gedeon Richter Nordics AB, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, Merck A/S, and Theramex and Organon & Co. Grants to the institution have been provided by Gedeon Richter Nordics AB, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, and Merck A/S and receipt of equipment by the institution from Gedeon Richter Nordics AB is reported. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.


TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04643925.

Eight weeks of androgen priming by daily low-dose hCG injections before ICSI treatment in women with low ovarian reserve.

Background Infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) have impaired spermatogenesis. Dilated and un-dilated atrophic seminiferous tubules are often present in the testes of these patients, with the highest likelihood of active spermatogenesis in the dilated tubules. Little is known about the un-dilated tubules, which in NOA patients constitute the majority. To advance therapeutic strategies for men with NOA who fail surgical sperm retrieval we aimed to characterize the spermatogonial stem cell microenvironment in atrophic un-dilated tubules. Methods Testis biopsies approximately 3x3x3 mm3 were obtained from un-dilated areas from 34 patients. They were classified as hypospermatogenesis (HS) (n=5), maturation arrest (MA) (n=14), and Sertoli cell only (SCO) (n= 15). Testis samples from five fertile men were included as controls. Biopsies were used for histological analysis, RT-PCR analysis and immunofluorescence of germ and Sertoli cell markers. Results Anti-Müllerian hormone mRNA and protein expression was increased in un-dilated tubules in all three NOA subtypes, compared to the control, showing an immature state of Sertoli cells (p<0.05). The GDNF mRNA expression was significantly increased in MA (P=0.0003). The BMP4 mRNA expression showed a significant increase in HS, MA, and SCO (P=0.02, P=0.0005, P=0.02, respectively). The thickness of the tubule wall was increased 2.2-fold in the SCO-NOA compared to the control (p<0.05). In germ cells, we found the DEAD-box helicase 4 (DDX4) and melanoma-associated antigen A4 (MAGE-A4) mRNA and protein expression reduced in NOA (MAGE-A: 46% decrease in HS, 53% decrease in MA, absent in SCO). In HS-NOA, the number of androgen receptor positive Sertoli cells was reduced 30% with a similar pattern in mRNA expression. The γH2AX expression was increased in SCO as compared to HS and MA. However, none of these differences reached statistical significance probably due to low number of samples. Conclusions Sertoli cells were shown to be immature in un-dilated tubules of three NOA subtypes. The increased DNA damage in Sertoli cells and thicker tubule wall in SCO suggested a different mechanism for the absence of spermatogenesis from SCO to HS and MA. These results expand insight into the differences in un-dilated tubules from the different types of NOA patients.

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Sertoli and Germ Cells Within Atrophic Seminiferous Tubules of Men With Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

Cancer registries are invaluable in the evaluation of cancer incidence (Monsein 1991). They offer estimates of risk of cancer in the population, as well as assessments of changes in cancer distribution over time and between groups (Monsein 1991, Misdorp 1996). A Veterinary Cancer Registry can help identify risk factors in carcinogenesis, and serve as a source of information on spontaneous animal cancers that may act as sentinels for human cancers (Misdorp 1996).

http://www.vetcancer.sund.ku.dk/publikationer/Abstract%20Abildgaard.pdf

The establishment of a Danish veterinary cancer registry: a feasibility study

Abstract Background Ovarian tissue transplantation can restore fertility in young cancer survivors, however the detrimental loss of follicles following transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue is hampering the efficiency of the procedure. This study investigates whether needle puncturing prior to transplantation can enhance revascularization and improve follicle survival in xenotransplanted human ovarian cortex. Methods Cryopreserved human ovarian cortex pieces ( N = 36) from 20 women aged 24–36 years were included. During the thawing process, each piece of tissue was cut in halves; one half serving as the untreated control and the other half was punctured approximately 150–200 times with a 29-gauge needle. The cortex pieces were transplanted subcutaneously to immunodeficient mice for 3, 6 and 10 days ( N = 8 patients) and for 4 weeks ( N = 12 patients). After 3, 6 and 10 days, revascularization of the ovarian xenografts were assessed using immunohistochemical detection of CD31 and gene expression of angiogenic factors ( Vegfα , Angptl4 , Ang1 , and Ang2 ), and apoptotic factors ( BCL2 and BAX ) were performed by qPCR. Follicle density and morphology were evaluated in ovarian xenografts after 4 weeks. Results A significant increase in the CD31 positive area in human ovarian xenografts was evident from day 3 to 10, but no significant differences were observed between the needle and control group. The gene expression of Vegfα was consistently higher in the needle group compared to control at all three time points, but not statistically significant. The expression of Ang1 and Ang2 increased significantly from day 3 to day 10 in the control group ( p &lt; 0.001, p = 0.0023), however, in the needle group this increase was not observed from day 6 to 10 (Ang2 p = 0.027). The BAX / BCL2 ratio was similar in the needle and control groups. After 4-weeks xenografting, follicle density (follicles/mm 3 , mean ± SEM) was higher in the needle group (5.18 ± 2.24) compared to control (2.36 ± 0.67) ( p = 0.208), and a significant lower percentage of necrotic follicles was found in the needle group (19%) compared to control (36%) ( p = 0.045). Conclusions Needle puncturing of human ovarian cortex prior to transplantation had no effect on revascularization of ovarian grafts after 3, 6 and 10 days xenotransplantation. However, needle puncturing did affect angiogenic genes and improved follicle morphology. 

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Susanne Elisabeth Pors

Papers

Pasteurella multocida in porcine pneumonia, impact of bacterial strain and host immunocompetence

Eight weeks of androgen priming by daily low-dose hCG injections before ICSI treatment in women with low ovarian reserve.

Sertoli and Germ Cells Within Atrophic Seminiferous Tubules of Men With Non-Obstructive Azoospermia

The establishment of a Danish veterinary cancer registry: a feasibility study

Effects of needle puncturing on re-vascularization and follicle survival in xenotransplanted human ovarian tissue