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This study aimed to clarify the timing and infectivity of equine herpesvirus 9 (EHV-9) infection in BALB/c-nu/nu mice and their immunocompetent counterpart (BALB/c). Following intranasal inoculation with 105 PFU of EHV-9, specimens from 8 mice per group were collected at different times postinoculation (PI) and assessed using histopathology, immunohistochemistry for viral antigen, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for ORF30 gene expression. In BALB/c-nu/nu mice, EHV-9 antigen was abundant in olfactory epithelia of all inoculated animals, and in the olfactory bulb of 1 animal. In contrast, only 1 BALB/c mouse per time point had rhinitis, with mild to moderate immunopositivity starting from 12 to 48 h PI, followed by a gradual virus clearance at 72 h PI. Statistically, significant differences were noted in the immunohistochemistry reactions between the 2 mouse strains, indicating that BALB/c-nu/nu is more susceptible to infection. Relative expression levels of ORF30 gene in olfactory epithelia were significantly different between the 2 groups, with the exception of 12 h PI, when BALB/c-nu/nu animals showed dramatic increases in ORF30 gene expression level until 48 h PI, followed by a decline in expression level until the end of experiment. In contrast, the expression level in brains showed no differences between mouse strain except at 96 h PI. In both strains, the highest messenger RNA expression was detected at 48 h PI, followed by a decline in BALB/c mice, proving a rapid clearance of virus in BALB/c and a gradual slowing down of the increased expression levels in BALB/c-nu/nu. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By using a new member of the neurotropic equine herpesviruses, EHV-9, which induced encephalitis in various species via various routes, an ocular infection model was developed in suckling hamsters. The suckling hamsters were inoculated with EHV-9 via the conjunctival route and were sacrificed after 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144 hours (h) post inoculation (PI). Three horizontal sections of the brains, including the eyes and cranial cavity, were examined histologically to assess the viral kinetics and time-course neuropathological alterations using a panoramic view. At 6 to 24 h PI, there were various degrees of necrosis in the conjunctival epithelial cells, as well as frequent mononuclear cell infiltrations in the lamina propria and the tarsus of the eyelid, and frequent myositis of the eyelid muscles. At 96 h PI, encephalitis was observed in the brainstem at the level of the pons and cerebellum. EHV-9 antigen immunoreactivity was detected in the macrophages circulating in the eyelid and around the fine nerve endings supplying the eyelid, the nerves of the extraocular muscles, and the lacrimal glands from 6 h to 144 h PI. At 96 h PI, the viral antigen immunoreactivity was detected in the brainstem at the level of the pons and cerebellum. These results suggest that EHV-9 invaded the brain via the trigeminal nerve in addition to the abducent, oculomotor, and facial nerves. This conjunctival EHV-9 suckling hamster model may be useful in assessing the neuronal spread of neuropathogenic viruses via the eyes to the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a research study on the pathology and infectivity of equine herpesvirus 9 (EHV-9) in hamsters and inoculations through oral, nasal or intravenous routes. It mentions that 25 male Syrian hamsters that are 5 weeks old were given EHV-9 virus solutions through different routes including oral, nasal or peritoneal. The study showed that the administration of EHV-9 through the nasal route causes encephalitis.

Objective: To evaluate trends in mortality and related factors among trauma patients who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Study: Observational study based on data prospectively gathered in computerized trauma registry.Setting: Trauma intensive care unit (ICU) of 48 beds in level I trauma center.Patients: All trauma patients with ARDS admitted during 1985-87 (486, group 1 [G1]) and 1993-95 (552, group 2[G2]).Methods: ARDS was defined by American-European Consensus Conference criteria and the need for 48 h or more on mechanical ventilation with FIO2 greater than 0.50 and PEEP of more than 5 cmH2O. Demographics, severity score, injury-admission delay time, first 24-h transfusion and septic and organ system failure complications were independent variables. ICU mortality was the dependent variable. ICU length of stay (LOS) and life support techniques were considered. Respiratory and renal support strategies were different in the two time periods.Results: Mortality decreased over the period (G1: 29.2% vs G2: 21.4%, p < 0.04), in patients aged both over and under 65 years. Multivariate analysis showed mortality was related to age, severity and time period (G1 1.68-fold that in G2) and that the greater G1 mortality was related to more renal failure and hematologic failure/dysfunction. ICU LOS decreased from 31.7+/-26.7 days (G1) to 27.3+/-22 days (G2) (p < 0.003).Conclusions: Mortality among trauma patients with ARDS declined over the 8 years studied and was associated with less organ failure. This reduction was probably the result of new approaches to mechanical ventilation, renal failure replacement and vasoactive drug therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 15-month-old bull suffered from pyrexia, anorexia, convulsion, blindness and ataxia, which died after 6 weeks of onset of symptoms. Hematological and CSF examination indicated a preacute inflammatory condition although bacteriological examination gave a negative result. Histopathological examination of brain and cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF) showed evidence of amoebic infection. This is the first report which documented Acanthamoeba spp. as a causative agent of fetal encephalitis in cattle in Egypt with special attention for its diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive condition that affects more than 10% of the population worldwide, accounting for more than 843 million (M) individuals. The prevalence of CKD (844 M patients) is higher than that of diabetes mellitus (422 M patients), cancer (42 M patients), and HIV (37 M patients), but people are often less aware of it. Global expert groups predict reductions in the nephrology workforce in the next decade, with a declining interest in nephrology careers. Over time, KDIGO guidelines have also focused on topics related to the prevention or management of CKD patients in real-life settings. On these premises, a new educational program with international experts in the field of nephrology took place from November 2022 until March 2023 in Milan, Italy. This multinational masterclass provided an educational platform providing unbiased education on diagnosis and treatment by sharing the most recent research data on CKD and comorbidities, therefore creating a snowball effect to increase the implementation of best practices worldwide, using examples from 'real-life' patient outcomes. This paper provides an overview of the International Nephrology Masterclass (INM) concept, summarizing the key lectures and discussions, and giving an outline of future key developments.

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes rhinopneumonitis, abortion, and neurological outbreaks (equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy, EHM) in horses. EHV-1 also causes lethal encephalitis in small laboratory animals such as mice and hamsters experimentally. EHV-1 ORF76 is a homolog of HSV-1 US9, which is a herpesvirus kinase. Starting with an EHV-1 bacterial artificial chromosome clone of neuropathogenic strain Ab4p (pAb4p BAC), we constructed an ORF76 deletion mutant (Ab4p∆ORF76) by replacing ORF76 with the rpsLneo gene. Deletion of ORF76 had no influence on replication, cell-to-cell spread in cultured cells, or replication in primary neuronal cells. In Western blots of EHV-1-infected cell lysates, an EHV-1 US9-specific polyclonal antibody detected multiple bands ranging from 35 to 42 kDa. In a CBA/N1 mouse infection model following intranasal inoculation, the parent and Ab4p∆ORF76 revertant caused the same histopathology in the brain and olfactory bulbs. The parent, Ab4p∆ORF76, and revertant mutant replicated similarly in the olfactory mucosa, although Ab4p∆ORF76 was not transported to the olfactory bulbs and was unable to infect the CNS. These results indicated that ORF76 (US9) plays an essential role in the anterograde spread of EHV-1.

Purpose: Patients with laryngeal cancer may necessitate tracheostomy placement to alleviate compromised airways. However, the impact of tracheostomy on thyroid gland invasion and its implications for prognosis in individuals who further undergo total laryngectomy remains unclear. This study aimed to assess thyroid gland invasion rates and explore the 5-years disease-free and overall survival in laryngectomized patients stratified by preoperative tracheostomy., Methods: All patients who underwent total laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer between 2003 and 2023 at a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic univariable and multivariable regressions were performed to identify factors associated with thyroid gland invasion. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier estimator., Results: A total of 119 laryngectomized patients were included (mean age: 63 ± 10 years, range 35-89, 110 [92.4%] males); 27 (22.7%) underwent preoperative tracheostomy. In 16 (13.4%) patients, tumor cells were found within the thyroid gland. In a multivariable analysis, thyroid gland invasion was independently associated with preoperative tracheostomy (odds ratio [OR] 3.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.45-6.19), pN2 + (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.8-5.14), positive margins (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01-1.77), lower 5-year disease-free survival (38% vs. 57%, p = 0.01), and lower 5-year overall survival (40% vs. 56%, p = 0.03)., Conclusion: Preoperative tracheostomy is an independent predictive factor for thyroid gland invasion and has adverse oncological outcomes in laryngectomized patients. Conversely, the rates of thyroid gland invasion are low when tracheostomy was not performed beforehand., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Laser cordectomy is a widely accepted treatment modality for selected cases of early glottic cancers, but its role as a salvage treatment remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the oncological outcomes and failure patterns of salvage cordectomy., Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent cordectomy for early glottic cancer between 2013 and 2022 at a tertiary referral center. The main outcome measures were overall survival, larynx-preservation rate, tracheostomy dependency rate, and disease-free survival., Results: A total of 142 patients (mean age: 63 years, interquartile range [IQR]: 45-72, 123[86.9 %] males) were analyzed. There were 38 (26.8 %) recurrences after a mean of 22 months (IQR: 17-26). Among them, 25 (17.6 %) underwent salvage cordectomy, while 13 (9.1 %) received other salvage treatments (11[7.7 %] (chemo)radiotherapy and 2[1.4 %] total laryngectomy). In comparison to the other salvage treatments, salvage cordectomy demonstrated lower tracheostomy rates (0 vs. 31 %, p = 0.05), comparable 5-year disease-free survival (62 % vs. 54 %, p = 0.4), higher 5-year larynx preservation rate (92 % vs. 54 %, p = 0.02), and improved 5-year overall survival rate (84 % vs. 62 %, p = 0.01). Factors associated with salvage cordectomy failure were age >60 years (odds ratio [OR]: 1.3, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-1.53), smoking continuation (OR: 3.73, 95 % CI: 3.5-4.4), heavy smoking (OR: 1.24, 95 % CI:1.07-2.15), and pT1b + (OR: 2.26, 95 % CI: 2.1-2.9)., Conclusions: Salvage cordectomy offers favorable larynx preservation rates and oncological outcomes for recurrent disease amenable to conservative surgery. Smoking, advanced age, and advanced tumor stages are associated with salvage cordectomy failure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no financial or non-financial interests that are directly or indirectly related to this work., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) remains a constant threat to the poultry industry. There is scarce information concerning the pathogenicity and genetic characteristics of the circulating velogenic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in Egypt. In the present work, NDV was screened from tracheal swabs collected from several broiler chicken farms ( N = 12) in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) was used for screening of velogenic and mesogenic NDV strains through targeting F gene fragment amplification, followed by sequencing of the resulting PCR products. The identified strain, namely, NDV-CH-EGYPT-F42-DAKAHLIA-2019, was isolated and titrated in the allantoic cavity of 10 day old specific pathogen-free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs), and then their virulence was determined by mean death time (MDT) and intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI). The pathogenicity of the identified velogenic NDV strain was also assessed in 28 day old chickens using different inoculation routes as follows: intraocular, choanal slit, intranasal routes, and a combination of both intranasal and intraocular routes. In addition, sera were collected 5 and 10 days post inoculation (pi) for the detection of NDV antibodies by hemagglutination inhibition test (HI), and tissue samples from different organs were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. A series of different clinical signs and postmortem lesions were recorded with the various routes. Interestingly, histopathology and immunohistochemistry for NDV nucleoprotein displayed widespread systemic distribution. The intensity of viral nucleoprotein immunolabeling was detected within different cells including the epithelial and endothelium lining, as well as macrophages. The onset, distribution, and severity of the observed lesions were remarkably different between various inoculation routes. Collectively, a time-course comparative pathogenesis study of NDV infection demonstrated the role of different routes in the pathogenicity of NDV. The intranasal challenge was associated with a prominent increase in NDV lesions, whereas the choanal slit route was the route least accompanied by severe NDV pathological findings. Clearly, the present findings might be helpful for implementation of proper vaccination strategies against NDV.

The protective effects of Quercetin (QCN) on Benzene (BNZ)-induced hemato- and hepatotoxicy were investigated. To reach this goal, 36 adult male mice were divided into 6 groups (n = 6). The control group was not exposed to BNZ, while animals in BNZ group were exposed to BNZ (30 ppm) and the animals of QCN group were received QCN (50 mg/kg, orally), the fourth, fifth and sixth groups were exposed to 30 ppm BNZ and received 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg QCN one h before the BNZ exposure, for 28 days. The day after the last exposure following anesthesia and the blood collection, the liver and femur tissues were collected. The bone marrow samples were extracted and subjected to micronucleus assay. The blood samples were processed for hematological and biochemical analyses. Histopathological examinations were performed on the liver samples. QCN reduced significantly (p < 0.05) the BNZ-elevated hepatic enzymes and ameliorated the BNZ-induced WBC and RBC reduction. The BNZ-elevated micronucleus percentage both in the bone marrow and peripheral blood was remarkably declined in the QCN-received groups. QCN improved the BNZ-induced histopathological changes and oxidative status in the liver and serum. Our results suggest that QCN could be a protective supplement to reduce the BNZ-induced hemato- and hepatotoxicities., Competing Interests: The authors report no declarations of interest., (© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a major pathogen of poultry worldwide, causes significant economic losses in the poultry industry. To characterize the ability of recently isolated virulent strains of NDV genotypes VI and VII to cause disease in quails, and to evaluate the efficacy of two NDV vaccines against such strains, Japanese quails were experimentally inoculated with either NDV genotype VI (Pigeon F-VI strain) or VII 1.1 (GHB-328 strain) with or without vaccination with inactivated NDV vaccine of genotype II (La Sota strain) or VII (KBNP strain). Mild to severe neurological signs developed in quails inoculated with the Pigeon F-VI strain from 3 to 14 days post infection (PI) and from 4 to 10 days PI in birds infected with the GHB-328 strain. The mortality rates were 46% and 33% for birds inoculated with NDV VI and NDV VII 1.1, respectively. The severity of histopathological changes depended on the viral isolates used. Vaccination with the La Sota or KBNP vaccine strain successfully protected quails against NDV-induced mortality and decreased the severity of clinical signs, pathological changes and cloacal viral shedding. This study showed that these virulent NDV isolates had mild to moderate pathogenicity in quails and that both vaccines protected against challenge with both virus strains. NDV vaccine genotype VII improved the level of protection against challenge with the VII 1.1 genotype compared with the classic vaccine, but failed to protect quails against challenge with the VI genotype., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction  Lemierre syndrome (LS) involving the external jugular vein (EJV) is rare, and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Objectives  To report a case of LS involving the external jugular vein as well as to make a review of the literature regarding both diagnosis and management strategies. Data Synthesis  We describe a case of LS involving the EJV and review the literature of previously published articles to search for additional cases. A PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of science-based search was performed to determine the scope of coverage in well-reported articles in English. Twenty-one papers were retrieved and documented for age, incidence, pathogen, presenting symptoms, imaging, treatment, and outcome, which were noted for each of these cases. In our literature review of 21 papers, there were 16 patients (61%) in their 2nd and 3rd decades of life. Lemierre syndrome was shown to affect females and males equally. The presenting symptoms were a sore throat and fever. Treatment requires intravenous antibiotics, and there is no consensus regarding treatment with anticoagulation. Conclusions  The present case report and review of the literature emphasize the importance of history taking as well as physical examination in what seems to be a case of simple tonsillitis., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests The authors have no conflict of interests to declare., (Fundação Otorrinolaringologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).)

Objectives: We hypothesized that a time-controlled adaptive ventilation strategy would open and stabilize alveoli by controlling inspiratory and expiratory duration. Time-controlled adaptive ventilation was compared with volume-controlled ventilation at the same levels of mean airway pressure and positive end-release pressure (time-controlled adaptive ventilation)/positive end-expiratory pressure (volume-controlled ventilation) in a Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced pneumonia model., Design: Animal study., Setting: Laboratory investigation., Subjects: Twenty-one Wistar rats., Interventions: Twenty-four hours after pneumonia induction, Wistar rats (n = 7) were ventilated with time-controlled adaptive ventilation (tidal volume = 8 mL/kg, airway pressure release ventilation for a Thigh = 0.75-0.85 s, release pressure (Plow) set at 0 cm H2O, and generating a positive end-release pressure = 1.6 cm H2O applied for Tlow = 0.11-0.14 s). The expiratory flow was terminated at 75% of the expiratory flow peak. An additional 14 animals were ventilated using volume-controlled ventilation, maintaining similar time-controlled adaptive ventilation levels of positive end-release pressure (positive end-expiratory pressure=1.6 cm H2O) and mean airway pressure = 10 cm H2O. Additional nonventilated animals (n = 7) were used for analysis of molecular biology markers., Measurements and Main Results: After 1 hour of mechanical ventilation, the heterogeneity score, the expression of pro-inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6 and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 in lung tissue were significantly lower in the time-controlled adaptive ventilation than volume-controlled ventilation with similar mean airway pressure groups (p = 0.008, p = 0.011, and p = 0.011, respectively). Epithelial cell integrity, measured by E-cadherin tissue expression, was higher in time-controlled adaptive ventilation than volume-controlled ventilation with similar mean airway pressure (p = 0.004). Time-controlled adaptive ventilation animals had bacteremia counts lower than volume-controlled ventilation with similar mean airway pressure animals, while time-controlled adaptive ventilation and volume-controlled ventilation with similar positive end-release pressure animals had similar colony-forming unit counts. In addition, lung edema and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 gene expression were more reduced in time-controlled adaptive ventilation than volume-controlled ventilation with similar positive end-release pressure groups., Conclusions: In the model of pneumonia used herein, at the same tidal volume and mean airway pressure, time-controlled adaptive ventilation, compared with volume-controlled ventilation, was associated with less lung damage and bacteremia and reduced gene expression of mediators associated with inflammation., Competing Interests: Drs. de Magalhães, Braga, and F. F. Cruz disclosed government work. Drs. Satalin, Andrews, Habashi, and Nieman have presented and received honoraria and/or travel reimbursement at events sponsored by Dräger Medical Systems, outside of the published work. Drs. Andrews, Habashi, and Nieman have lectured for Intensive Care Online Network (ICON). Dr. Habashi disclosed that he has several patents in the area of mechanical ventilation, for which he has received no royalties; he is the founder of ICON, of which Dr. Andrews is an employee; and he holds patents on a method of initiating, managing, and/or weaning airway pressure release ventilation, as well as controlling a ventilator in accordance with the same, but these patents are not commercialized, licensed, nor royalty-producing. Dr. Nieman’s institution received funding from Draeger Medical. Dr. Silva received support for article research from Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development, the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, and the Department of Science and Technology—Brazilian Ministry of Health. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

The remediation of wastewater (WW) is a promising solution for limited water sources. This study aimed to evaluate rice straw (RS) and zeolite (Z) as bioadsorbents for the removal of pollutants, including heavy metals (HMs) (cadmium [Cd], nickel [Ni], and lead [Pb]) and malathion (PC), from WW and to assess the suitability of reusing remediated WW in fish rearing units. A total of 11 treatment groups with 3 replicates each were designed with different combinations of RS and/or Z for the treatment of real WW contaminated with HMs and malathion, where the WW remained in contact with the adsorbents for 24 h. Different remediated WWs were used for rearing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which were randomly allocated into 33 glass aquaria representing 11 treatments with 3 replicates each for 30 days. The best remediation efficiency was achieved using a mixture of whole RS (WRS), chopped RS (CRS), and Z (HM-PC-WRS-CRS-Z group), with removal percentages of 92%, 95%, 96%, and 99% for Cd, Ni, Pb, and malathion, respectively. The health status of the aquatic ecosystems was assessed through blood tests to characterize biochemical parameters and through pathological changes of cultured O. niloticus reared in treated WW. A significant (P ˂ 0.05) effect on the blood biochemistry of fish reared in treated WW was found and better biochemical and histologic architecture was observed than that of fish reared in untreated WW. A novel mixture of WRS, CRS, and Z could possibly be a promising low-cost adsorbent for wastewater treatment. Graphical abstract.

Background: Tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion is a common procedure in children with otitis media with effusion. Post-TT otorrhea (PTTO) is a frequent post-operative complication. Biofilms are involved in chronic PTTO cases., Objective: To describe and qualitatively analyze the geometry and sites prone to biofilms on removed TTs, relatively to their position in the ear, past medical/surgical history and PTTO presence., Methods: Biofilms presence and topographic distribution on TTs were ex vivo evaluated by using scanning electron microscope, confocal microscope and stereo-microscope., Results: Forty-eight TTs from 30 children were analyzed. Indications for removal were: 71% due to retained TTs (average time from insertion: 24.4 ± 15.1 months), 23% due to chronic PTTO, and 6% due to TT obstruction/dysfunction. Different types of bacterial biofilms were detected on all TTs, regardless the time from their insertion nor their types. Biofilms were observed more on the perpendicular junction and on the internal lumen, and more biofilm colonies were detected on the medial part, facing the middle ear mucosa. TTs removed from children with PTTO exhibited more biofilm colonies when compared to their peers. Of the 16 children who underwent adenoidectomy concomitantly with TT insertion, 10 (62%) children were sent for TT removal due to retained TTs, and 6 (38%) children due to chronic PTTO (p = 0.03)., Conclusion: Descriptive analysis of biofilm topographic distribution demonstrated adhesions on specific TT areas: perpendicular junctions and the internal lumen. Such "prone zones" may be the future target areas for changes in TT geometry or can be specifically coated with anti-biofilm materials., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Nearly half of children who undergo tympanostomy tube (TT) insertion may experience otorrhea following surgery. We sought to review the evidence for the role of bacterial biofilms in post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea (PTTO) and the accumulated experience regarding the preventive measures for biofilm formation/adhesion on TTs., Methods: English literature search for relevant MeSH keywords was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Ovid Medline, Google Scholar, and Clinical Evidence (BMJ Publishing) between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2019. Subsequently, articles were reviewed and included if biofilm was evident in PTTO., Results: There is an increased evidence supporting the role of biofilms in PTTO. Studies on TT design and material suggest that nitinol and/or silicone TTs had a lower risk for PTTO and that biofilms appeared in specific areas, such as the perpendicular junction of the T-tubes and the round rims of the Paparella-type tubes. Biofilm-component DNAB-II protein family was present in half of children with PTTO, and targeting this protein may lead to biofilm collapse and serve as a potential strategy for PTTO treatment. Novel approaches for the prevention of biofilm-associated PTTO include changing the inherent tube composition; tube coating with antibiotics, polymers, plant extracts, or other biofilm-resistant materials; impregnation with antimicrobial compounds; and surface alterations by ion-bombardment or surface ionization, which are still under laboratory investigation., Conclusions: Currently, there is no type of TT on which bacteria will not adhere. The challenges of treating PTTO indicate the need for further research in optimization of TT design, composition, and coating.

Equine herpesvirus-9 (EHV-9), equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) and zebra-borne EHV-1 are members of the family Herpesviridae and cause encephalitis and rhinopneumonitis in a range of animal species. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the rhinopneumonitis induced by experimental intranasal inoculation of groups of hamsters with EHV-9, EHV-1 strain Ab4p or zebra-borne EHV-1 viruses. Animals inoculated with EHV-9 had earlier and more severe neurological and respiratory signs than those inoculated with EHV-1 strain Ab4p or zebra-borne EHV-1. At 4-5 days post inoculation (dpi), hamsters inoculated with EHV-9 had significantly increased expression of open reading fame (ORF) 30, the viral gene encoding the DNA polymerase, in lung tissue. ORF 30 expression at these time points was higher in the hamsters infected with EHV-9 than in those inoculated with the other two viruses. Severe, mild or very mild rhinitis was seen in animals inoculated with EHV-1 strain Ab4p, EHV-9 and zebra-borne EHV-1, respectively. Viral antigen was detected in olfactory receptor neurons, inflammatory cells and desquamated epithelial cells in animals in all groups until 5 dpi. Tracheitis was also seen in all three virus-infected groups with viral antigen detected in tracheal epithelium. Inoculated hamsters developed interstitial pneumonia of increasing severity over the course of the experiment. Bronchopneumonia and vasculitis were also seen in all three infected groups. These results confirm that, in addition to their neurotropism, EHV-9 and zebra-borne EHV-1 are pneumotropic viruses. EHV-1 strain Ab4p caused more severe upper respiratory tract disease, but no significant differences were detected in the severity of pneumonia induced by each virus., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)