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Background: Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV1) is a ubiquitous viral pathogen infecting the equine population worldwide. EHV1 infection causes respiratory illness, abortion, neonatal foal mortality, and myeloencephalopathy. The currently available modified live EHV1 vaccines have safety and efficacy limitations. The two mutant EHV1 viruses (vToH-DMV (∆IR6/gE) and vToH-QMV (∆IR6/UL43/gE/UL56)), generated by the deletion of genes responsible for virulence (gE and IR6) and immunosuppression (uL43 and uL56), have been previously characterized by our group and found to generate good immune responses. The present study aimed to determine the safety and protective efficacy of the above mutants against a virulent EHV1 challenge in a murine model., Methods: BALB/c mice were intranasally immunized with a live vToH-QMV or vToH-DMV vaccine. Intranasal booster immunization was given at 14 days post-vaccination (dpv). Both mutants induced an optimal level of EHV1-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, as determined by virus neutralization assay, ELISA, and immunophenotyping. At 35 dpv, the mice were intranasally challenged with wild-type EHV1 (vRaj strain)., Results: Amongst the two mutants, vToH-QMV induced a better immune response than the vToH-DMV vaccine. Furthermore, vToH-QMV provided good protection in mice against the virulent challenge. It specifically exhibited less severe clinical disease in terms of clinical signs, body weight reduction, and gross and histopathological lung lesions accompanied by early virus clearance., Conclusions: These studies are suggestive of vToH-QMV EHV1 being a potential vaccine candidate against EHV1 infection, which needs to be finally tested in the main host, i.e., horses.

Equid alphaherpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection causes significant health problems in equines. The EHV-1 infection leads to abortion storm in mares, respiratory disease and myeloencephalopathy. Despite the wide use of vaccines, the outbreaks of EHV-1 infections keep occurring globally, suggesting the need for the development of improved vaccines. Gene deletion attenuated mutant viruses could be a good candidate for the development of modified live vaccines. Here, we report the generation of mutant EHV-1 by deleting virulence (glycoprotein E & internal repeat 6; IR6) and immune evasive (pUL43 & pUL56) associated genes either individually or in combinations; and comprehensive evaluation of mutants through in vitro characterization followed by in vivo study in murine model to adjudge the attenuation of the virus and immune responses generated by mutants vis-à-vis wild type (wt) virus. The EHV-1 mutants with deletion of IR6 and gE genes (vToH-DMV) and four genes (i.e., gE, IR6, pUL43 and pUL56) (vToH-QMV) revealed a significant reduction in plaque size with minimal loss in replication efficiency in comparison to the wt virus. Further, in vivo studies showed virus attenuation adjudged through significant reduction in clinical signs, weight loss, gross and histopathological lesions in comparison to wt virus also revealed improved immune responses estimated through serum neutralization and flow cytometric analysis of CD4 + and CD8 + cell populations. Thus it can be concluded that EHV-1 mutants viz. vToH-DMV and vToH-QMV (novel combination) are promising vaccine candidates and qualify to be studied for adjudging the protective efficacy with wt virus challenge., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) infection is a global health problem in equines and the virus is responsible for abortions, respiratory disease and myeloencephalitis in horses. Disease management requires proper biosecurity and immunoprophylactic measures. Vaccines strengthening both arms of immunity are essential for proper control and there has been a continuous focus in this area for generation of better vaccines. Here we report construction of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone of EHV-1 strain Tohana for mutagenesis of the virus and generation of gE gene deletion mutant EHV1. The BAC clone was generated by inserting the mini-F plasmid replacing ORF71 of EHV1 and transforming into E. coli for generation of EHV1-BAC. The infectious virus was regenerated from EHV-1 BAC DNA in RK13 cells. To check utility of EHV1-BAC, we have generated mutant EHV1 by deleting the virulence-associated gE gene. The mutant virus (vToHΔgE) showed significantly reduced plaque size without affecting replication efficiency. Pathological evaluation of lesions in BALB/c mice infected with vToHΔgE revealed reduction in clinical signs and pathology in comparison to the wild-type virus. Generation of infectious BAC of EHV1 and its usage in construction of attenuated viruses shows potential of the technology for development of indigenous modified live vaccine for EHV1. Keywords: quine herpesvirus 1; bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC); mutation; glycoprotein E; vaccine.

Equine influenza is a leading cause for respiratory illness in equines. Major control measures involve vaccination which requires continuous harmonization owing to antigenic drift. The present study focused on assessing the protective efficacy of an inactivated recombinant equine influenza virus (rgEIV) vaccine candidate adjuvanted with Montanide TM Pet Gel in murine model. The rgEIV was generated using reverse genetics by incorporating HA and NA segments from EIV/H3N8, clade 2-Florida sublineage in an A/WSN/33 /H1N1 backbone and inactivated by formalin. The vaccine was prepared by mixing inactivated rgEIV with Montanide TM Pet Gel adjuvant followed by intranasal inoculation into BALB/c mice intranasally. The immune responses and protective efficacy of the vaccine was evaluated by measurement of antibody titer, immunoglobulin subtyping, cytokines, clinical signs and pathological lesions after immunization and challenge with wild EIV. Serology and cytokine expression pattern indicated that the vaccine activated mixed Th1- and Th2-like responses of vaccine. Booster immunization stimulated strong antibody responses (HAI titre: 192 ± 28.6) at 42 days post immunization and the predominant antibody subtype was IgG1. Upregulation of interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-2 levels indicates effective induction of Th1 type response. We found that vaccination has protected mice against equine influenza virus challenge as adjudged through a lack of nonappearance of visible clinical signs of disease, no loss of body weight loss, reduced pathology in the lungs and markedly reduced virus shedding from the respiratory tract. Therefore, we conclude that recombinant EIV vaccine candidate adjuvanted with Montanide TM Pet Gel could aid in quick harmonization of the vaccines through replacement of HA and NA genes for control of EIV outbreaks.

Objectives: The aim of this paper is to enlight the role of endorectal ultrasonography in the preoperative staging of rectal cancer., Methods: 83 patients having rectal cancer and candidates to surgery were studied with endorectal ultrasonography with a probe at a frequency up to 7.5 MHz probe. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with a cancer at A stage, 38 with a neoplasia at B stage and 37 at C stage., Results: In all patients the examination revealed an involvement of the rectal muscular tunica. Sixtyseven patients presented mesorectal invasion, 17 patients showed the involvement of adjoining structures, and 27 patients presented pathological lymph nodes., Conclusions: Endorectal ultrasonography allows to distinguish patients having rectal cancer limited to the mucosa or invading sub-mucosa regions from those having a more indepth invasion. Apart from this, endorectal ultrasonography is not able of discriminate reactive lymph nodes from metastatic ones.

Objectives: Endorectal ultrasound was compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative staging for patients with Rectal Cancer. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed with regards to the factors that might influence the risk of local relapse such as T, N and CRM (circumferential resection margin)., Methods: From January 2006 to April 2010, 64 patients with rectal cancer were studied preoperatively either by means of MRI scan of the pelvis or endorectal ultrasound scan in order to assess the intramural extension. For 30 out of 64 patients both methods were used (comparing instrumental with histopathological data) while for 34 patients over 64 only ultrasound scan was used., Results: Endorectal ultrasound resulted to be more reliable in defining the T (parietal infiltration of the tumor) whereas MRI better defined CRM., Conclusions: Both methods are reliable and complementary enabling an accurate staging of patients with rectal cancer.

In adulthood, choledochal cysts are often surprisingly discovered during cholecystectomy. We report here on a case of an unsuspected congenital type-IA biliary cyst, according to Todani's classification encountered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a 30-year-old woman complaining of acute abdominal pain with an unremarkable preoperative workup. The well-known risk of developing cystic cancer, mainly in the adult, means that an excisional operation is indicated to prevent such complications. Cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy is the definitive treatment of choice, performed at a later stage after radiological and endoscopic confirmation, and after obtaining the patient's consent. Cholangio-MR, and ERCP have proved to be extremely useful for adequate identification of this kind of lesion.

Rectum prolapse is a pathological condition which has long been considered as rare but whose occurrence has been progressively increasing in the past decades. There still exists a degree of uncertainty as to the disease etiopathology: moreover the exact relationship between rectum prolapse and psychic disorders which have been found in up to 50% of the patients with prolapse has not been clarified. Neither on the therapeutic level is there a common opinion as to the ideal surgical approach and over one hundred techniques have been suggested for the surgical correction of the prolapse. A study has been carried out on 10 patients suffering from psychiatric pathology of different kinds (oligophrenia, schizophrenic psychosis), hospitalized at Istituti Ospedalieri Opera Don Uva in Bisceglie. They suffered from complete rectum prolapse and underwent surgical intervention. In this study the etiopathogenetic problems of prolapse are investigated according to recent developments, with particular reference to the very peculiar implications they have in the psychiatric patient. Finally the surgical techniques correctly used and their possible application in the psychiatric patient are examined.