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Aim: To reflect on the inclusion of an advanced practice nurse (APN) on a clinical leadership team in rural Vermont during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background: During the COVID‐19 pandemic, APNs contributed to the reimagining of healthcare delivery. In response to pandemic‐related organizational needs, one rural health center in Vermont promoted an APN to a leadership position. Sources of evidence: This critical reflection describes the experience of one APN promoted to a clinical leadership role during the COVID‐19 pandemic in rural Vermont in the United States. We use the four stages of crisis (escalation, emergency, recovery, and resolution) and the healthcare leadership framework proposed by Geerts et al. (2021) to consider how APN leaders can contribute in the "recovery stage" of the pandemic. Discussion: APNs who took on leadership roles during the pandemic may have had fewer opportunities to participate in formal leadership development. However, in the case of our rural health center, an APN was able to seek out mentorship, address operational challenges, and provide representation for advanced practice providers. Conclusion: This article contributes to the literature on APN leadership during the COVID‐19 pandemic, by describing a leadership opportunity that helped build APN leadership capability and capacity in our organization. Implications for nursing practice: APNs offer a valuable perspective on health leadership teams. As organizations move toward the recovery stage of the pandemic, different leadership styles and skills may be required. Implications for health policy: The COVID‐19 pandemic provided unexpected leadership opportunities for APNs. Healthcare organizations now have opportunities to reimagine clinical leadership in ways that include APNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proline‐rich oligopeptide from Bothrops jararaca snake venom, Bj‐PRO‐7a, promotes acute effects in blood pressure in hypertensive animals. However, the cardiac effects of this heptapeptide are completely unknown. Thus, we sought to evaluate whether the Bj‐PRO‐7a could protect against cardiac remodelling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). SHR were treated with Bj‐PRO‐7a (71 nmol/kg/day, s.c.) or saline for 28 days. Wistar rats were used as control. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured by tail‐cuff plethysmography. Cardiomyocyte diameter and interstitial and perivascular fibrosis of the left ventricle (LV) were evaluated using Picrosirius staining. Immunofluorescence was used to detect collagen I and III. Fibroblast proliferation was assessed by immunohistochemistry to detect proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Protein expression was assessed by western blot. The superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and the concentration of lipid peroxidation products were evaluated in the LV. The SBP and HR were not different between treated and non‐treated SHR at the end of the treatment. However, Bj‐PRO‐7a attenuated the cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, deposition of interstitial and perivascular fibrosis and collagen I, and positive PCNA‐labelled fibroblasts. This peptide also reduced the increased levels of TBARS, expression and activity of catalase, and activity of SOD in LV from SHR. Also, the Bj‐PRO‐7a increased the expression of metalloproteinases‐2 in SHR hearts. These findings demonstrate that the Bj‐PRO‐7a reduced the pathological cardiac remodelling in a pressure‐independent manner in hypertensive rats through mechanisms mediated by oxidative stress regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xenotransplantation of porcine organs, tissues, and cells inherits a risk for xenozoonotic infections. Viable tissues and cells intended for transplantation have to be considered as potentially contaminated non-sterile products. The demands on microbial testing, based on the regulatory requirements, are often challenging due to a restricted shelf life or the complexity of the product itself. In Europe, the regulatory framework for xenogeneic cell therapy is based on the advanced therapy medicinal products ( ATMP) regulation (2007), the EMA CHMP Guideline on xenogeneic cell-based medicinal products (2009), as well as the WHO and Council of Europe recommendations. In the USA, FDA guidance for industry (2003) regulates the use of xenotransplants. To comply with the regulations, validated test methods need to be established that reveal the microbial status of a transplant within its given shelf life, complemented by strictly defined action alert limits and supported by breeding in specific pathogen-free ( SPF) facilities. In this review, we focus on assays for the detection of the porcine endogenous retroviruses PERV-A/-B/-C, which exhibit highly polymorphic proviral loci in pig genomes. PERVs are transmitted vertically and cannot be completely eliminated by breeding or gene knock out technology. PERVs entail a public health concern that will persist even if no evidence of PERV infection of xenotransplant recipients in vivo has been revealed yet. Nevertheless, infectious risks must be minimized by full assessment of pigs as donors by combining different molecular screening assays for sensitive and specific detection as well as a functional analysis of the infectivity of PERV including an adequate monitoring of recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Porcine endogenous retroviruses ( PERV) pose a zoonotic risk potential in pig-to-human xenotransplantation given that PERV capacity to infect different human cell lines in vitro has been clearly shown in the past. However, PERV infectious potential for human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hu PBMC) has been also demonstrated, albeit with controversial results. As productive PERV infection of hu PBMC involves immune suppression that may attract opportunistic pathogens as shown for other retroviruses, it is crucial to ascertain unequivocally hu PBMC susceptibility for PERV. To address this question, we first investigated in vitro infectivity of PERV for hu PBMC using supernatants containing highly infectious PERV-A/C. Second, hu PBMC were cocultivated with PERV-A/C producer cells to come a step closer to the in vivo situation of xenotransplantation. In addition, cocultivation of hu PBMC with porcine PBMC (po PBMC) isolated from German landrace pigs was performed to distinguish PERV replication competence when they were constitutively produced by immortalized cells or by primary po PBMC. Methods Supernatants containing recombinant highly infectious PERV-A/C were used to infect PHA-activated hu PBMC in the presence or absence of polybrene. Next, PERV-producing cell lines such as human 293/5° and primary mitogenically activated po PBMC of three German landrace pigs were cocultivated with hu PBMC as well as with susceptible human and porcine cell lines as controls. PERV infection was monitored by using three test approaches. The presence of provirus DNA in putatively infected cells was detected via sensitive nested PCR. Viral expression was determined by screening for the activity of gammaretroviral reverse transcriptase ( RT) in cell-free supernatants of infected cells. Virus release was monitored by counting the number of packaged RNA particles in supernatants via PERV-specific quantitative one-step real-time reverse transcriptase PCR. Results Porcine endogenous retroviruses-A/C in supernatants of human producer 293/5° cells was not able to infect hu PBMC. Neither RT activity nor PERV copies were detected. Even provirus could not be detected displaying the inability of PERV-A/C to induce a productive infection in hu PBMC. In cocultivation experiments only non-productive infection of hu PBMC with PERV derived from 293/5° cell line and from PHA-activated po PBMC was observed by detection of provirus DNA in infected cells. Conclusion Recombinant PERV-A/C in supernatants of producer cells failed to infect hu PBMC, whereas coculture experiments with producer cell lines lead to non-productive infection of hu PBMC. PERV in supernatants seem to have not sufficient infectious potential for hu PBMC. However, extensive PERV exposure to hu PBMC via cocultivation enabled at least virus cell entry as provirus was detected by nested PCR. Furthermore, results presented support previous data showing German landrace pigs as low producers with negligible infectious potential due to the absence of replication-competent PERV in the genome. The low PERV expression profile and the lack of significant replication competence of German landrace pigs raise hope for considering these animals as putative donor animals in future pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Nonetheless, data imply that PERV still represent a virological risk in the course of xenotransplantation, as the presence of PERV provirus in host cells may lead to a provirus integration resulting in insertional mutagenesis and chromosomal rearrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. The egg, larva, protonymph, female and male of Parasitus copridis Costa, 1963 are described and figured. The following are new hosts for the mite: Bubas bubalus, Onitis humerosus and Hister uncinatus. Preliminary notes are given on the biology of P. copridis and the nature of its association with Copris hispanus. The mould depressing effect of the beetle and its influence on the behaviour of P. copridis is noted. The longevity of the deutonymphs of P. copridis was observed to be at least 109 days and is estimated to be 140-50 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Works dealing with the association of searabaeid beetles and mesostigmatic mites are shortly reviewed. In the present paper the mite fauna of 106 specimens of Copris hispanus (Scarabaeidae) is investigated. A total of 3732 mites was collected, belonging to 17 species (10 genera, 6 families). The following species are described (or redescribed) and figured: Parasitus coleoptratorum (L.) Berlese, 1906; Parasitus copridis n. sp.; Parasitus hyper-setosus n. sp,; Pachylaelaps hispani Berlese, 1908; Proctolaelaps parascolyti n. sp.; Alliphis halleri (G. & R. Can., 1881); Alliphis gurei n. sp. The degree of specifity of the mite-beetle association is discussed. It is suggested that there is some relation between the social organization of the beetles and the degree of mite infestation, comparable to the mite-hymenoptera association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) pose a xenozoonotic risk when applying pig organs, tissues and cells in clinical xenotransplantation. Three classes of replication-competent PERV were described in host range and interference studies [1]. Polytropic PERV-A and PERV-B are able to infect not only human cells but also various cell lines in vitro using host membrane proteins as receptors [2]. Although cell tropism of ecotropic PERV-C is mainly restricted to porcine cells, PERV-C represents a considerable infectious risk. On the one hand, PERV-C serves as template for recombination with PERV-A resulting in highly infectious human-tropic PERV-A/C [3]. On the other hand, PERV-C may evolve towards an infectious human-tropic variant since the PERV-C receptor-binding domain could be bound to human cells and solely four amino acid exchanges in the surface unit of the envC gene are sufficient to permit receptor-mediated membrane fusion and virus entry [4]. To guarantee retroviral safety in pig-to-human xenotransplantation generation of appropriate pigs free from replication-competent PERV-A and PERV-B as well as ecotropic PERV-C is required. Using PCR-based methods and directional cloning strategies, we cloned and characterized PERV-C. Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from three different pig subspecies which are either already used or intended for clinical xenotransplantation. One PERV-C clone was reconstructed using genomic DNA of an Auckland Islands pig derived from a DPF herd in New Zealand. Islet cell clusters of these PERV non-transmitters are used in clinical trials to treat diabetes type I patients. Moreover, the potential of brain cells from these animals to treat Parkinson's and Huntington's disease is currently tested clinically. Similarly, a PERV-C clone was reconstructed from genomic DNA of Göttingen minipig which is a PERV non-transmitter as tested in co-cultures with susceptible human HEK 293 cells [5]. Finally, a bacteriophage lambda library was constructed from genomic DNA of a d/d haplotype miniature pig. The individuals of this pig line show lower PERV transmission levels in vitro [6]. We isolated a λ-clone containing PERV-C 5′-LTR, gag, pro/pol as well as large part of the envC gene compared to replication-competent PERV-C(1312) [7]. The provirus is truncated due to our cloning strategy. Nonetheless, using PCR and PERV-C specific primers the missing part of the envC gene and 3′-LTR was amplified and ligated to the proviral fragment present in the λ-clone. Replication-competence of reconstructed full-length viruses is currently tested in susceptible ST-Iowa cells. References [1] Takeuchi Y, Patience C, Magre S et al. Host range and interference studies of three classes of pig endogenous retrovirus. J Virol. 1998; 72: 9986-9991. [2] Ericsson TA, Takeuchi Y, Templin C et al. Identification of receptors for pig endogenous retrovirus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100: 6759-6764. [3] Wilson CA, Wong S, Vanbrocklin M, Federspiel MJ. Extended analysis of the in vitro tropism of porcine endogenous retrovirus. J Virol. 2000; 74: 49-56. [4] Argaw T, Figueroa M, Salomon DA, Wilson CA. Identification of residues outside of the receptor binding domain that influence the infectivity and tropism of porcine endogenous retroviruses. J Virol. 2008; 82: 7483-7491. [5] Semaan M, Rotem A, Barkai U, Bornstein S, Denner J. Screening pigs for xenotransplantation: prevalence and expression of porcine endogenous retroviruses in Göttingen minipigs. Xenotransplantation. 2013; 20: 148-156. [6] Oldmixon BA, Wood JC, Ericsson TA et al. Porcine endogenous retrovirus transmission characteristics of an inbred herd of miniature swine. J Virol. 2002; 76: 3045-3048. [7] Preuss T, Fischer N, Boller K, Tönjes RR. Isolation and characterization of an infectious replication-competent molecular clone of ecotropic porcine endogenous retrovirus class C. J Virol. 2006; 80: 10258-10261. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "Characterization of an ecotropic porcine endogenous retrovirus class C (PERV-C) in a landrace pig," by Michael Rodrigues Costa and colleagues is presented.