Cutaneous lesions associated with dual infection caused by canine distemper virus and orthopoxvirus in a domestic cat.

BACKGROUND Within the context of an increased epidemiological pressure caused by canine distemper virus (CDV) in Switzerland together with a potential re-emergence of endemic pathogens such as orthopoxviruses (OPXV), dual infections are possible among susceptible species. OBJECTIVE To describe a case of concurrent CDV and OPXV infection in a cat. ANIMAL A 5-year-old, neutered male cat was presented with erythema, crusts and ulcerations around the left eye. High-grade pruritus and a severe conjunctivitis were also present. METHODS Formalin-fixed skin biopsy samples were obtained from lesional skin. Histopathology, CDV immunohistochemistry and CDV and OPXV RT-PCR were performed. RESULTS Histopathological examination showed severe epidermal necrosis extending to the follicular walls and a dermal infiltration, predominantly eosinophilic. Intranuclear and intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies were visible in the wall of affected hair follicles, with occasional formation of syncytia. The RT-PCR revealed the contextual presence of both CDV and OPXV. Scattered cells stained positive for CDV by immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION Dual infections with CDV and OPXV, although rare, may occur and represent additional differential diagnoses for ulcerative skin lesions in cats.

Conservation of the oligomeric state of native VDAC1 in detergent micelles.

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) is an intrinsic β-barrel membrane protein located within the mitochondrial outer membrane where it serves as a pore, connecting the mitochondria to the cytosol. The high-resolution structures of both the human and murine VDACs have been resolved by X-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in 2008. However, the structural data are not completely in line with the findings that were obtained after decades of research on biochemical and functional analysis of VDAC. This discrepancy may be related to the fact that structural biology studies of membrane proteins reveal specific static conformations that may not necessarily represent the physiological state. For example, overexpression of membrane proteins in bacterial inclusion bodies or simply the extraction from the native lipid environment using harsh purification methods (i.e. chaotropic agents) can disturb the physiological conformations and the supramolecular assemblies. To address these potential issues, we have developed a method, allowing rapid one step purification of endogenous VDAC expressed in the native mitochondrial membrane without overexpression of recombinant protein or usage of harsh chaotropic extraction procedures. Using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae isoform 1 of VDAC as a model, this method yields efficient purification, preserving VDAC in a more physiological, native state following extraction from mitochondria. Single particle analysis using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated conservation of oligomeric assembly after purification. Maintenance of the native state was evaluated using functional assessment that involves an ATP-binding assay by micro-scale thermophoresis (MST). Using this approach, we were able to determine for the first time the apparent KD for ATP of 1.2 mM.

Hybrid bodies in cyborg sports? The case of Oscar Pistorius

The capabilities of postmodern biotechnology inevitably lead to questioning if it is morally acceptable to use all possibilities offered by technology. In sport, this very complex issue is dealt with by drawing clear boundaries between naturalness and artificiality. Currently, new biotechnology is constantly being produced and with this, boundaries between naturalness and artificiality, between normal and abnormal, human and hybrid are constantly shifting . “Human enhancement” is a fascinating prism that reflects contemporary questions of participation, justice, equality and the autonomy of the subject in all social fields. The area of elite sports is particularly affected by “human enhancement”, according to the principle of exceeding what has come before, of aiming higher, faster and further. This paper analyses the postulated “naturalness” in the regulative and normalising function in the area of elite sports, in connection with Foucault’s theory of governmentality. The example of the South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius appears to be particularly suited to illustrate current definition difficulties in the area of disabled and non-disabled people in differentiated competitive sports. His is a vivid example of a multifaceted body-sociological analysis of current sport culture and the construction of reality or naturalness in the framework of the discourse of drafting and negotiating the accreditation for sprint competitions of non-disabled athletes, most recently in the London Olympics 2012. Using the case study of Oscar Pistorius, the negotiating processes in relation to the argumentation logic, dynamics and resistance in shifting distinctions are presented in detail using the fundamental documents of the IOC, IPC, CAS and IAAF. Represented through the inclusion and exclusion processes are hierarchies of the body that are (re)consolidated and transformed. The central question emerges as to how the worth of equal opportunity and fairness in regard to “naturalness” can be reconsolidated or transformed.

Visual hallucinations in dementia with Lewy bodies: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of visual hallucinations is poorly understood in dementia with Lewy bodies. Pathological alterations in visual cortical excitability may be one contributory mechanism. AIMS: To determine visual cortical excitability in people with dementia with Lewy bodies compared with aged-matched controls and also the relationship between visual cortical excitability and visual hallucinations in dementia with Lewy bodies. METHOD: Visual cortical excitability was determined by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to the occiput to elicit phosphenes (transient subjective visual responses) in 21 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and 19 age-matched controls. RESULTS: Phosphene parameters were similar between both groups. However, in the patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, TMS measures of visual cortical excitability correlated strongly with the severity of visual hallucinations (P = 0.005). Six patients with dementia with Lewy bodies experienced visual hallucination-like phosphenes (for example, seeing people or figures on stimulation) compared with none of the controls (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Increased visual cortical excitability in dementia with Lewy bodies does not appear to explain visual hallucinations but it may be a marker for their severity.

Modification of the magnetic properties of a heterometallic wheel by inclusion of a Jahn-Teller distorted Cu(II) ion

An investigation into the physical consequences of including a Jahn-Teller distorted Cu(II) ion within an antiferromagnetically coupled ring, [R(2)NH(2)][Cr(7)CuF(8)((O(2)C(t)Bu)(16))] is reported. Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic data are simulated using a microscopic spin Hamiltonian, and show that the two Cr-Cu exchange interactions must be inequivalent. One Cr-Cu exchange is found to be antiferromagnetic and the other ferromagnetic. The geometry of the Jahn-Teller elongation is deduced from these results, and shows that a Jahn-Teller elongation axis must lie in the plane of the Cr(7)Cu wheel; the elongation is not observed by X-ray crystallography, due to positional disorder of the Cu site within the wheel. An electronic structure calculation confirms the structural distortion of the Cu site.

Intraoral foreign bodies detected 40 years after a car accident using cone beam computed tomography

Foreign bodies are common findings in the maxillofacial region, most commonly the result of accidents and physical aggression. Among the objects frequently found in the orofacial tissues are fragments of metal, plastic, wood, and glass. Visualization and exact identification of the location of these objects can be challenging but is of major importance prior to surgical removal. The present case report describes the use of cone beam computed tomography to locate, visualize, and surgically remove glass particles in the oral cavity.