Hematology and Clinical Chemistry Reference Ranges for Laboratory-Bred Natal Multimammate Mice (Mastomys natalensis)

White blood cell image analysis for infection detection based on virtual hexagonal trellis (VHT) by using deep learning

White blood cells (WBCs) are an indispensable constituent of the immune system. Efficient and accurate categorization of WBC is a critical task for disease diagnosis by medical experts. This categorization helps in the correct identification of medical problems. In this research work, WBC classes are categorized with the help of a transform learning model in combination with our proposed virtual hexagonal trellis (VHT) structure feature extraction method. The VHT feature extractor is a kernel-based filter model designed over a square lattice. In the first step, Graft Net CNN model is used to extract features of augmented data set images. Later, the VHT base feature extractor extracts useful features. The CNN-extracted features are passed to ant colony optimization (ACO) module for optimal features acquisition. Extracted features from the VHT base filter and ACO are serially merged to create a single feature vector. The merged features are passed to the support vector machine (SVM) variants for optimal classification. Our strategy yields 99.9% accuracy, which outperforms other existing methods.

Sertaconazole-repurposed nanoplatform enhances lung cancer therapy via CD44-targeted drug delivery

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Drug repurposing and nano-drug delivery systems are attracting considerable attention for improving anti-cancer therapy. Sertaconazole (STZ), an antifungal agent, has been reported to exhibit cytotoxicity against both normal and tumor cells, and its medical use is limited by its poor solubility. In order to overcome such shortcomings, we prepared a drug-repurposed nanoplatform to enhance the anti-tumor efficiency.

METHODS

Nanoplatform was prepared by thin film dispersion. Drug release studies and uptake studies were measured in vitro. Subsequently, we verified the tumor inhibition mechanisms of HTS NPs through apoptosis assay, immunoblotting and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection analyses. Antitumor activity was evaluated on an established xenograft lung cancer model in vivo.

RESULTS

Our nanoplatform improved the solubility of sertaconazole and increased its accumulation in tumor cells. Mechanistically, HTS NPs was dependent on ROS-mediated apoptosis and pro-apoptotic autophagy to achieve their excellent anti-tumor effects. Furthermore, HTS NPs also showed strong inhibitory ability in nude mouse xenograft models without significant side effects.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that sertaconazole-repurposed nanoplatform provides an effective strategy for lung cancer treatment.

Liquid metal injected from interstitial channels for inhibiting subcutaneous hepatoma growth and improving MRI/MAT image contrast

Objective

Liquid metal (LM) nowadays is considered a new biomedical material for medical treatment. The most common application of LM in medical therapy is taking LM as a carrier for oncology therapeutics. However, the feasibility and direct effect of LM in tumor treatment are still unknown, and how to delineate the negative resection margin (NRM) of the tumor is also a crucial problem in surgery. We aimed to inject LM into interstitial channels of extremities of mice to overlay the surface of the primary tumor to investigate the effect of LM on inhibiting tumor growth and highlight the NRM of the tumor.

Methods

In this study, all 50 BALB/c-nude female mice were used to construct the transplanted HepG2-type hepatocellular carcinoma model. One week after the establishment of the model, the mice were divided into three groups, named LM group, PBS group and Control group by injecting different liquid materials into the forelimb interstitial channel of the mice. T2WI image on MRI and Magneto-acoustic tomography (MAT) were used to show the distribution of LM and PBS in vivo. The group comparisons of tumor growth and blood tests were evaluated by one-way ANOVA and post-hoc analysis. And the biocompatibility of LM to BALB/c nude mice was evaluated by histopathological analysis of LM group and control group.

Results

The volume change ratio of tumor was significantly lower in LM group than in PBS and Control group after 10 days of grouping. Compared with PBS and Control group, the main indexes of blood tests in LM group were significantly lower and close to normal level. In addition, the distribution of LM in vivo could be clearly observed under T2WI anatomic images and the crossprofile of the tumor in MAT. LM also has a obvious contrast in MRI T2WI and enhanced the amplitude of imaging signal in MAT.

Conclusion

LM may inhibit the growth of transplanted hepatoma tumor through tumor encapsulation. In vivo, tumor imaging and LM distribution imaging were achieved by MRI T2WI, which verified that LM injected with interstitial injection made the NRM of tumor more prominent and had the potential of being MRI contrast agent. At the same time, LM could also be a new conductive medium to improve the imaging quality of MAT. Moreover, LM performed mild biocompatibility.

Temporal analysis of Lassa virus infection and transmission in experimentally infected Mastomys natalensis

Little is known about the temporal patterns of infection and transmission of Lassa virus (LASV) within its natural reservoir (Mastomys natalensis). Here, we characterize infection dynamics and transmissibility of a LASV isolate (Soromba-R) in adult lab-reared M. natalensis originating from Mali. The lab-reared M. natalenesis proved to be highly susceptible to LASV isolates from geographically distinct regions of West Africa via multiple routes of exposure, with 50% infectious doses of < 1 TCID₅₀. Postinoculation, LASV Soromba-R established a systemic infection with no signs of clinical disease. Viral RNA was detected in all nine tissues examined with peak concentrations detected between days 7 and 14 postinfection within most organs. There was an overall trend toward clearance of virus within 40 days of infection in most organs. The exception is lung specimens, which retained positivity throughout the course of the 85-day study. Direct (contact) and indirect (fomite) transmission experiments demonstrated 40% of experimentally infected M. natalensis were capable of transmitting LASV to naïve animals, with peak transmissibility occurring between 28 and 42 days post-inoculation. No differences in patterns of infection or transmission were noted between male and female experimentally infected rodents. Adult lab-reared M. natalensis are highly susceptible to genetically distinct LASV strains developing a temporary asymptomatic infection associated with virus shedding resulting in contact and fomite transmission within a cohort.

An Erythropoietin-Independent Mechanism of Erythrocytic Precursor Proliferation Underlies Hypoxia Tolerance in Sea Nomads

The Bajau Sea Nomads were recently demonstrated to have evolved larger spleens as an adaptation to millennia of a marine foraging lifestyle. The large-spleen phenotype appears to derive from increases in thyroid hormone (TH) production as a result of reduced expression of phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A), though the exact mechanism remains unknown. Through pharmacological inhibition of PDE10A using the selective inhibitor MP-10 in mice, we were able to mimic the Bajau adaptation and show that treated mice had significantly larger spleens than control animals. This difference appears connected to an excess of early stage erythrocytes and an apparent increase in red blood cell (RBC) precursor proliferation in response to increased TH. However, we determined that the stimulation of RBC production in the mouse model via TH is Erythropoietin (EPO)-independent, unlike in the altitude (chronic hypoxemia) response. We confirmed this using human GWAS data; although the Bajau PDE10A variants are significantly associated with increased TH levels and RBC count, they are not associated with EPO levels, nor are other strongly thyroid-associated SNPs. We therefore suggest that an EPO-independent mechanism of stimulating RBC precursor proliferation via TH upregulation underlies the increase in spleen size observed in Sea Nomad populations.

Inoculation route-dependent Lassa virus dissemination and shedding dynamics in the natural reservoir - Mastomys natalensis

Lassa virus (LASV), a Risk Group-4 zoonotic haemorrhagic fever virus, affects sub-Saharan African countries. Lassa fever, caused by LASV, results in thousands of annual deaths. Although decades have elapsed since the identification of the Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) as a natural reservoir of LASV, little effort has been made to characterize LASV infection in its reservoir. The natural route of infection and transmission of LASV within M. natalensis remains unknown, and the clinical impact of LASV in M. natalensis is mostly undescribed. Herein, using an outbred colony of M. natalensis, we investigate the replication and dissemination dynamics of LASV in this reservoir following various inoculation routes. Inoculation with LASV, regardless of route, resulted in a systemic infection and accumulation of abundant LASV-RNA in many tissues. LASV infection in the Natal multimammate mice was subclinical, however, clinical chemistry values were transiently altered and immune infiltrates were observed histologically in lungs, spleens and livers, indicating a minor disease with coordinated immune responses are elicited, controlling infection. Intranasal infection resulted in unique virus tissue dissemination dynamics and heightened LASV shedding, compared to subcutaneous inoculation. Our study provides important insights into LASV infection in its natural reservoir using a contemporary infection system, demonstrating that specific inoculation routes result in disparate dissemination outcomes, suggesting intranasal inoculation is important in the maintenance of LASV in the natural reservoir, and emphasizes that selection of the appropriate inoculation route is necessary to examine aspects of viral replication, transmission and responses to zoonotic viruses in their natural reservoirs.

Hematologic and serum biochemistry reference intervals using defined ASCVP methodology for laboratory natal multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis)

Complete blood count, serum chemistry values, and biological reference intervals were compared between two age groups (34-49 and 84-120 days old) of healthy male and female laboratory raised natal multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis). Blood was collected via cardiocentesis under isoflurane anesthesia. Data sets of machine automated complete blood counts and clinical chemistries were analyzed. Significant differences between sex and age groups of the data sets were defined. The baseline hematologic and serum biochemistry values described here can improve interpretation of laboratory research using natal multimammate mice.