Differentiation and expansion of endothelial cells from human bone marrow CD133(+) cells

We report a method of purifying, characterizing and expanding endothelial cells (ECs) derived from CD133(+) bone marrow cells, a subset of CD34(+) haematopoietic progenitors. Isolated using immunomagnetic sorting (mean purity 90 +/- 5%), the CD133(+) bone marrow cells were grown on fibronectin-coated flasks in M199 medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin growth factor (IGF-1). The CD133(+) fraction contained 95 +/- 4% CD34(+) cells, 3 +/- 2% cells expressing VEGF receptor (VEGFR-2/KDR), but did not express von Willebrand factor (VWF), VE-cadherin, P1H12 or TE-7. After 3 weeks of culture, the cells formed a monolayer with a typical EC morphology and expanded 11 +/- 5 times. The cells were further purified using Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 (UEA-1)-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and anti-FITC microbeads, and expanded with VEGF for a further 3 weeks. All of the cells were CD45(-) and CD14(-), and expressed several endothelial markers (UEA-1, VWF, P1H12, CD105, E-selectin, VCAM-1 and VE-cadherin) and typical Weibel-Palade bodies. They had a high proliferative potential (up to a 2400-fold increase in cell number after 3 weeks of culture) and the capacity to modulate cell surface antigens upon stimulation with inflammatory cytokines. Purified ECs were also co-cultivated with CD34(+) cells, in parallel with a purified fibroblastic cell monolayer. CD34(+) cells (10 x 10(5)) gave rise to 17,951 +/- 2422 CFU-GM colonies when grown on endothelial cells, and to 12,928 +/- 4415 CFU-GM colonies on fibroblast monolayers. The ECs also supported erythroid blast-forming unit (BFU-E) colonies better. These results suggest that bone marrow CD133(+) progenitor cells can give rise to highly purified ECs, which have a high proliferative capacity, can be activated by inflammatory cytokines and are superior to fibroblasts in supporting haematopoiesis. Our data support the hypothesis that endothelial cell progenitors are present in adult bone marrow and may contribute to neo-angiogenesis.

The apoptogenic response of human myeloid leukaemia cell lines and of normal and malignant haematopoietic progenitor cells to the proteasome inhibitor PSI

Degradation of several intracellular proteins involved in cell cycle control and tumour growth is regulated by the ubiquitin-dependent multicatalytic protease complex (proteasome). We report that proteasome inhibitor Z-Ile-Glu(OtBu)-Ala-Leucinal (PSI) was cytotoxic on most human myeloid leukaemia cell lines at IC50 doses ranging from 5 to 25 nmol/l. Additionally, PSI pre-treatment enhanced cytotoxicity by taxol and cisplatinum. PSI was more active on leukaemic than on normal CD34(+) bone marrow progenitors because the 50% growth inhibition of colony-forming unit granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) from cases of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and normal subjects was achieved by 15 nmol/l and 50 nmol/l PSI respectively. PSI killed cells by apoptosis as revealed by ultrastructural changes, nuclear DNA fragmentation, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and of beta-catenin, and was antagonized by ectopic expression of Bcl-2 but not by inactivating mutations of p53. This event was associated with a slight accumulation of Bcl-2, a decrease of Bax but no changes in Bcl-X(L) protein expression at any time point. In Ph(+) cell lines BCR-ABL protein was only down-regulated after 48 h of treatment with 10 nmol/l PSI. Altogether, these results indicate that PSI, alone or in association with other cytotoxic agents, has anti-tumour activity against myeloid malignancies and is more effective on leukaemic than on normal haematopoietic progenitor cells.

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis in association with later occurrence of acute myeloblastic leukaemia

Indeterminate cell histiocytosis (ICH) is a proliferation of indeterminate CD1a+, CD68+, S100+ and CD207- dermal dendritic cells. We describe a 39-year-old man who developed diffuse ICH and, 6 years later, acute myeloblastic leukaemia (AML). He was treated with cyclophosphamide, etoposide and vinblastine until 2003. In August 2004, he presented dyspnoea, hyperpyrexia and infiltration of the lung parenchyma, compatible with an AML invasion, and died after a course of induction chemotherapy. Cytomorphology and immunophenotype analyses suggested an ICH clonal evolution. The leukaemogenic role of etoposide is discussed. ICH has previously been reported in association with B-cell malignancy, but only one case has shown systemic progression.

Decrease in pathology and progression of scrapie after immunisation with synthetic prion protein peptides in hamsters

Effective therapy for prion diseases is currently unavailable. Recently, vaccination was shown to be effective in mouse models of a particular neurodegenerative conditions: Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we report that vaccination with synthetic oligopeptides homologous to the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) prion protein augments survival time in animals infected intraperitoneally with 263K scrapie agent. For each hamster included in the study, prion-specific serum antibodies as well as deposition of pathological prion protein (PrP(res)), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and mRNA expression for cytokines (TNF alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10) in brain tissues were evaluated. In immunized animals, increased survival after challenge was associated with a reduction of cerebral lesion, PrP deposition and GFAP expression; in these animals, anti-prion protein peptide antibody levels were increased, and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha and IL-1beta) was reduced. Vaccination could be an effective therapeutic approach to postpone disease onset.

Sensitivity of human multiple myelomas and myeloid leukemias to the proteasome inhibitor I

The proteasome inhibitor PSI is potently cytotoxic in vitro against human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemias (AML). Here, we have tested proteasome inhibitor I (PSI) in a panel of 11 human multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines and found that it has antiproliferative activity, with an IC50 between 4.5 and 557 nM at 48 h. PSI potentiated the toxicity of a number of chemotherapeutic agents in myeloid leukemia but not in MM cell lines, while in combination with therapeutic proteasome inhibitor PS-341 (Bortezomib) it had a synergistic effect. PSI suppressed the growth of AML cell lines more effectively than PS-341. CFU-GM colony assays revealed that CD34+ bone marrow progenitors from CML and AML patients were more sensitive to PSI than those from normal subjects (IC50: 5, 15 and 50 nM for AML, CML and normal, respectively). Moreover, the growth of normal primitive progenitors (LTC-IC) was unaffected by 15 nM PSI (P=0.576). PSI-induced cell death required RNA transcription and protein synthesis, but not DNA replication, was accompanied by the upregulation of Bcl-2 and modest reduction of Bax and Bcl-XL proteins, and involved the activation of caspases 2, 3, 7 and 8. These findings lend additional support to preclinical investigations with PSI.

Functional and morphological characterization of immunomagnetically selected CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells

We evaluated the potential of immunomagnetically selected (miniMACS) progenitor cells to give rise to colony-forming cells and their precursors, detected as long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC), as well as their capacity to expand in liquid cultures. A 90% mean purity, a 43.2% yield and a 55.8-fold enrichment were achieved from normal bone marrow. When corrected for enrichment, the mean number of committed progenitor cells and the frequency of LTC-IC (evaluated by means of limiting dilution assay [LDA]) were not statistically different in low density mononuclear cells or in the CD34-enriched fractions. In five cases CD34+ selected cells grown in a stroma-free long-term bone marrow culture system with the addition of stem cell factor, interleukin 3, interleukin 6 and GM-CSF every 48 h, showed a 15 (+/- 15) and 31 (+/- 21) mean colony forming unit-granulocyte/macrophage fold increase on cultures at days 7 and 14. However, when corrected for enrichment, the expansion capability of these cells was significantly lower than that of the unseparated fraction, particularly after the first week. Immediately after separation, electron microscopy revealed that the CD34+ selected fraction contained more than 45% of well-differentiated myeloid cells (MPO+), with iron beads preferentially clustered at one pole of the cell surface and sometimes already endocytosed in pinocytic vesicles. After 24 h and 48 h incubation at 37 degrees C, the majority of the cells showed no iron particles, but about 30% of the cells were iron-labeled phagocytic cells. The percentage of apoptotic cells with internalized iron was negligible. These data show that immunomagnetically separated CD34+ cells may have a slightly impaired short-term expansion capability, but give rise to both committed and more primitive progenitor cells. During the separation, the iron beads are internalized, rapidly processed in the cytoplasm and do not seem to interfere with in vitro growth.

Haematopoietic abnormalities after autologous stem cell transplantation in lymphoma patients

Haematopoietic reconstitution after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was evaluated at different times in 26 lymphoma patients. All of the patients showed a significant decrease in the number of both committed (CFU-C) and more primitive progenitor cells (LTC-IC). The expansion of bone marrow progenitor cells in a 'stroma-free' long-term liquid culture system supplemented with SCF, IL-3, IL-6 and GM-CSF from 19 transplanted patients was significantly reduced compared to normal controls. The stromal cell compartment, evaluated by means of a CFU-F assay, was also greatly reduced. The number of haematopoietic and stromal cell progenitors was, nevertheless, very similar to their pre-transplant values. Bone marrow histology, which was evaluated at different times after transplant, showed an increase in reticulin fibres, the dilatation of parenchymal sinusoids and some morphological evidence of trilineage dysplasia in 11 patients; however, the same abnormalities were seen in the majority of pre-transplant samples. No cytogenetic abnormalities were observed in 15 patients before transplant, but four subsequently developed persistent clonal karyotypic alterations and five showed non-clonal abnormalities that generally disappeared over time. Our data suggest that both the stromal and the haematopoietic compartments are somehow damaged after ASCT for lymphoma; however, these defects generally pre-exist the transplant conditioning regimen and seem to become less pronounced over time.

Response of myelodysplastic syndrome marrow progenitor cells to stimualtion with cytokine combinations in a stroma-free long-term culture system

The effect of an ex vivo expansion culture system using multiple cytokine combinations was evaluated in 38 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with the aim of overcoming the defective in vitro growth of haemopoietic progenitor cells. A combination of four growth factors (GF) including SCF, IL-3, IL-6 and GM-CSF was identified as the optimal combination for expanding clonogenic progenitor cells in MDS bone marrow liquid cultures. The cultures of 50% of the patients (19/38) responded to GF stimulation (mean CFU-GM fold increase 15.65+/-48 at week 4) and showed morphological features of normal and/or dysplastic myeloid differentiation. In 12/38 cases (31%), complete unresponsiveness to multiple cytokine stimulation was observed; a small number of patients (7/38) showed progressive leukaemic growth along the cultures with the presence of 100% immature blasts at week 4. GM-CSF and c-kit receptors, analysed by immuno-histochemistry in 10 patients, were over-expressed in responding patients and either lacking or down-regulated in non-responders. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of cultured interphase cells of nine patients (trisomy 8 in eight patients) showed a clear-cut increase in the percentage of cells with three signals in the two responding patients, thus indicating the expansion of a MDS clone. Multiple cytokine liquid cultures seem to be able to override the refractoriness of MDS progenitor cells to GF stimulation in many cases, revealing a heterogeneity which may have prognostic implications and should be considered in ex-vivo and in vivo clinical trials with cytokine combinations.

IgG, IgA, and lysozyme in Martina Franca donkey jennies and their foals

Because immune transfer from jenny to donkey foal is mostly unknown, the aim of the present study was to evaluate, from 5 days before to 10 days after foaling, immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, and lysozyme peripartal concentrations in serum and mammary secretions of 10 healthy, spontaneously foaling Martina Franca jennies and in serum of their mature, viable, healthy foals, in the first 10 days after birth. The results showed that, in jennies, mammary secretion of IgG levels (ranging between 16 and 75 mg/mL) and IgA (0.9-2 mg/mL), and IgG (6.8-13.5 mg/mL) and IgA (0.5-2.4 mg/mL) serum concentrations were not different along the time of study. Also, IgG concentrations in serum of foals did not show significant differences although a high level was observed at 12 hours after birth (8 mg/mL), and IgA concentrations in serum of foals did not show any significant difference, although a high level was observed at 12 hours after birth (1.2 mg/mL). Lysozyme increased significantly at Day 2 after parturition in mammary secretions of jennies (551.9 μg/mL) and at 12 hours in serum of foals (25.9 μg/mL). The study demonstrated that the pattern of passive immune transfer in donkey foals seems to be similar to that reported for the horse foal, with IgG predominating IgA in serum and mammary secretions of the jenny and also in serum of foals. The most significant early increase in foals' serum concerns lysozyme, which probably plays an important role in the innate immunity of the donkey foal in the first challenging hours after birth.

Effects of recombinant human stem cell factor (rh-SCF) on colony formation and long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Stem cell factor (SCF), the ligand of the c-kit receptor, is a potent enhancing cytokine for haematopoietic cells in the presence of IL-3, GM-CSF and erythropoietin (Epo). In the clonogenic assays of 63 MDS patients, the addition of rh-SCF + GM-CSF and/or IL-3 induced a significant increase (p < 0.001) in the number and size of CFU-GM. Never reaching the levels of controls, this increase was seen in all FAB subtypes, but particularly in RA. There was no significant increase in cluster formation, even in RAEB or RAEBt. Rh-SCF (10 ng/ml) led to mean increases of up to 26 times in the number of Epo-dependent BFU-E colonies, particularly in RA (p < 0.001) and RAEB (p < 0.05). Individual responses varied widely (especially in RA) from no response to supranormal levels. Added to the weekly refeed of 37 MDS LTBMC, SCF (10 ng/ml) induced only a 7% mean increase in both cell output and the number of clonogenic cells recovered in the supernatant. Immunohistochemical examination of the supernatant showed significant increases in differentiating myeloid cells in all examined cases, and in erythroid cells in 3 cases; blast cells increased in only 3 cases. These data suggest that rh-SCF is capable of at least partially reversing defective MDS myeloid haematopoiesis, and leads no overt risk of leukaemic transformation. Its potent effect on erythroid cells is encouraging for future clinical applications in patients, particularly if they are selected by means of in vitro tests.

Immunoglobulins G and lysozyme concentrations in canine fetal fluids at term of pregnancy

In the dog, the endotheliochorial placenta allows only the 5% to 10% transfer of maternal antibodies to the fetus, but the timing and the factors influencing the immunoglobulin G (IgG) transplacental transport were not fully investigated. The aims of the present study were the following: (1) to assess the presence of both IgG and lysozyme in amniotic and allantoic fluids collected from fully developed and viable newborn puppies born by elective cesarean section at term and possible correlations between amniotic and allantoic IgG and lysozyme levels; (2) to verify possible differences in IgG and lysozyme concentrations between the two fluids; and (3) to detect possible differences in IgG and lysozyme fetal fluid levels in relation to the maternal breed body size and parity, as well as to the neonatal gender. The study, performed on 41 purebred bitches submitted to elective cesarean section at term, enrolled 142 puppies, 74 males and 68 females, born mature, viable, without gross malformations, and with a normal weight. At surgery, a total of 129 amniotic and 84 allantoic samples were collected for IgG and lysozyme analysis. Class G immunoglobulins and lysozyme were detected in both fluids, but IgG concentrations were higher (P < 0.01) in amniotic fluid. Moreover, a significant positive correlation (P < 0.01) between IgG amniotic and allantoic levels, but not for lysozyme, was observed. A significant effect of the maternal parity (P < 0.05), but not of the breed body size, on the amniotic IgG concentrations was found, whereas the newborn gender was not associated to different IgG or lysozyme amniotic or allantoic levels. Given the significant contributions of fetal fluids to fetal and neonatal health, the results reported that the amniotic and allantoic fluids play a role in the immune protection of the fetus/newborn also in canine species. However, additional research is needed to better elucidate both the origin of IgG and lysozyme and the factors influencing the wide interindividual variations.

The effect of interleukin-12 in ex-vivo expansion of human haemopoietic progenitors

We evaluated progenitor cell proliferation in cultures supplemented by different cytokine combinations in the presence or absence of IL-12. In cultures of low density cells, cytokine combinations including IL-12 were associated to a greater proliferation (up to 6.7 +/- 2.5 CFU-GM fold expansion). However, in cultures of purified CD34+ cells the more efficient cytokine combination (147 +/- 49 CFU-GM fold expansion) was SCF, IL-3, IL-11 and MIP-1 alpha, and the addition of IL-12 did not further enhance expansion of progenitors. These results indicate that accessory cells, lost in CD34+ cell purification, could be in part responsible for IL-12 effect on progenitor cell proliferation. In CD34+ cell cultures the addition of IL-12 led to CD19 mRNA generation, suggesting that IL-12 acts on haemopoietic cells with both myeloid and lymphoid potential.

Expansion of dendritic cells derived from human CD34+ cells in static and continuous perfusion cultures

We examined the effects of different cytokine combinations and culture conditions on the expansion and modulation of cell surface antigens of CD34+ derived dendritic cells (DCs), the most efficient antigen-presenting cells capable of stimulating resting T cells in the primary immune response. Cells with a dendritic morphology and expressing HLA-DR, CD1a, S100 and CD83 were maximally expanded under serum-free conditions with the addition of SCF, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta and Flt-3 ligand (fold increase of CD1a+ cells = 102 +/- 32 after 2 weeks of culture). CD34+ cells were also grown under continuous flow conditions in an artificial capillary system: after 14d of culture, the expansion in the total cell number was lower than that of the static cultures (3.3 +/- 2 v 18.9 +/- 4) but the percentage of CD1a+/CD83+/ CD80+ cells was considerably higher, whereas the CD14+ cells were significantly reduced (8.9 +/- 2 v 26 +/- 13). In continuous perfusion cultures, low levels of DC precursors and of LTC-IC were still present up to day 14. The DCs generated under flow conditions stimulated the mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR) more than the cells grown in static cultures. By electron microscopy, cells grown in the continuous flow system showed an increased number of large cells with numerous dendritic processes and abundant multilamellar complexes. The cells expanded under these conditions were sorted on the basis of their light-scatter properties into two fractions: one containing a predominance of CD1a+/S100+/ CD8 3+/CD80+/CD14- 'large cells' with great internal complexity (mature DCs); the second including 'small cells' either CD33+/CD14+, CD33+/CD15+ or CD33+/CD13-/CD14. The DCs generated and selected with this method are therefore particularly well suited for immunotherapeutic protocols.

Effect of Aging on the Immune Response to Core Vaccines in Senior and Geriatric Dogs

Elderly dogs are steadily increasing worldwide as well as veterinarians' and owners' interest in their health and wellness. Aging is not a disease, but a combination of changes negatively affecting the organism in general and the immune system in particular, resulting in a decline in protection over time. The aim of this study was to measure the specific serum antibody titers against the main dangerous and widespread viral diseases preventable by core vaccinations in senior and geriatric dogs using the in-practice test VacciCheck. A cohort of three hundred fifty elderly dogs was analyzed for Protective Antibody Titers (PATs) against CPV-2, CDV and CAdV-1. The age ranged from 5 to 19 years, with two hundred fifty-eight seniors (73.7%) and ninety-two geriatrics (26.3%), and 97.4% of them were vaccinated at least once in their lives. More than half of the entire study population (52.9%) had PATs simultaneously for all three diseases, with 80.5% seniors and 19.5% geriatrics. Specific PATs were found in 88.6% of aging dogs for CPV-2, 82.3% for CadV-1 and 66.0% for CDV, demonstrating that unprotected aging dogs represent a minority. Unexpectedly, the larger elderly dogs resulted as more protected than smaller ones for CPV-2. Protection then decreases over time, with geriatric dogs less protected than senior ones. Veterinary practitioners should therefore always consider whether to maintain core vaccinations in aging dogs as in adults on a three-year basis or opt instead for closer boosters (every 1 or 2 years). PATs for core vaccines could then represent a good biomarker of protection and their titration could become a standard of care, especially in such a sensitive period of the dogs' life.

Sudden death in a dog after doxorubicin chemotherapy

A case is reported of fatal cardiomyopathy in an 8-year-old female German Shepherd after standard chemotherapy with doxorubicin for splenic hemangiosarcoma. The main gross lesion was a moderate bilateral cardiac ventricular dilation with diffusely pale myocardium. Histological analysis revealed severe multifocal vacuolar degeneration of cardiomyocytes, myocytolysis, myofibril loss, myocardial fibrosis, and edema. Myocardial fiber vacuolization and myocytolysis were highly suggestive of doxorubicin cardiotoxicity.

Ultrastructural features of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells from bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood

Hematopoietic progenitor cells from different sources have been widely characterized, but their ultrastructural morphology has never been described in detail. In this study, imunomagnetically separated CD34+ cells from normal bone marrow (BM), mobilized peripheral blood (PBSC) and human umbilical cord blood (CB) were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a cytochemical method which reveals endogenous myelo-peroxidase (MPO) activity. This technique is particularly suited for detecting early signs of the myeloid commitment. The CD34+ cells from PBSC were morphologically very homogeneous and 94.7+/-4.5% of these cells were MPO-: these ultrastructural features are generally considered typical of immature cells. The CD34+ BM cells were instead more heterogeneous, with 24.6+/-7.4% showing intense MPO activity. The ultrastructural characteristics of CB cells fell between those observed in PBSC and BM, but there was a high percentage of morphologically immature cells with no evidence of MPO activity (about 83%). The number of apoptotic cells within samples from different sources was also examined both by TEM and flow cytometry. The percentage of apoptotic cells was 0.7% in PBSC, 2.3% in BM, 2.9% in CB from vaginal delivery and 11.6% in CB from cesarean section. These observations confirm the relative phenotypic immaturity of CB in comparison with BM cells; they also suggest that CB collected after cesarean section may be associated with reduced stem cells viability.

In vitro effect of clozapine on hemopoietic progenitor cells

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Clozapine is a diabenzodiazepine derivative characterized by a high therapeutic index in schizophrenic patients resistant to traditional neuroleptic drugs, because of the rarity of any extrapyramidal side effects, and its particular hematologic toxicity. According to the international literature, clozapine-induced neutropenia occurs mainly during the first 4-6 months of treatment, and its incidence decreases considerably over time. This neutropenic effect is not dose-dependent and normally clears up after drug discontinuation, although it may evolve into agranulocytosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro toxic effect of clozapine and N-desmethylclozapine on both committed and immature human hematopoietic progenitor cells.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Cytotoxic assays were performed in vitro on normal human bone marrow samples treated with clozapine or with its metabolite N-desmethylclozapine. The clonogenic potential after treatment with both compounds was assessed on low density mononuclear cells (LD-MNC), purified CD34+ cells, cytokine driven liquid cultures and long term culture initiating cell (LTC-IC).

RESULTS

Clozapine and N-desmethylclozapine had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on in vitro growth of CFU-GM and BFU-E from normal bone marrow. The two drugs had toxic effects on purified CD34+ progenitor cells but no significant effect on LTI-IC.

INTERPRETATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate a cytotoxic effect, which is more pronounced with N-desmethylclozapine and at high doses, on the committed progenitor cell compartment but not on primitive hematopoietic cells. Furthermore, our data show that clozapine and N-desmethylclozapine have a direct effect on treated cells and do not induce apoptotic death.

Ok Google, Start a Fire. IoT devices as witnesses and actors in fire investigations

Fire incidents are amongst the most destructive events an investigator might encounter, completely transforming a scene with most of the objects left in ashes or highly damaged. Until now, fire investigations relied heavily on burn patterns and electrical artifacts to find possible starting locations, as well as witness statements and more recently witness imagery. As Internet of Things (IoT) devices, often seen as connected smart devices, become more common, the various sensors embedded within them provide a novel source of traces about the environment and events within. They collect and store information in different locations, often not touched by the event, such as remote servers (cloud) or companion smartphones, widening the investigation field for fire incidents. This work presents two controlled fire incidents in apartments that we furnished, equipped with IoT devices, and subsequently burnt. We studied the traces retrievable from the objects themselves after the incident, the companion smartphone apps, and the cloud and assessed the value of the information they conveyed. This research highlighted the pertinence to consider traces from IoT devices in the forensic process of fire investigation.

Zoonoses and pet owners: A survey on risk perception in Northern Italy

Veterinary and human medicine are focused on the issue of emerging and re-emerging diseases, which are especially represented by zoonosis that could be a threat for public health. Zoonotic risk may come from pets: some canine and/or feline viral, bacterial, parasitic, protozoal or mycotic diseases can be transmitted directly to humans. There are several strategies to prevent the transmission of such zoonosis, and among them vaccination plays an important role. Through a survey carried out in Northern Italy aimed to collect information regarding owners' knowledge and perception of the zoonotic risks associated with three zoonoses (rabies, leptospirosis, and dermatophytosis), it was demonstrated that dog owners tend to adhere more consistently to their pets' vaccination schedules and are more receptive to changes in vaccination scheduling compared to cat owners. This study also suggests that cat owners predominantly visit veterinarians for vaccination purposes, whereas dog owners seek veterinary services for a variety of reasons. The survey highlighted the ongoing need to enhance owners' understanding of zoonoses affecting their pets and also the protective role of vaccines. Veterinarians should undertake the responsibility of educating, reassuring, and informing pet owners about the significance of vaccines for their pets and for public health.

Prevalence of Serum Antibody Titers against Core Vaccine Antigens in Italian Cats

Feline core vaccines strongly recommended for all cats are against Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), Felid herpesvirus type 1 (FeHV-1), and Feline calicivirus (FCV), but cats can be classified as low- and high-risk based on their lifestyle. The aim of this study was to determine the actual seroprotection against FPV, FeHV-1, and FCV in a large cohort of Italian cats by using the VacciCheck test. A total of 740 cats (567 owned and 173 stray cats; 435 vaccinated and 305 unvaccinated) were analyzed for Protective Antibody Titers (PATs). Differences related to origin, sex, age, breed, FIV/FeLV status, health status, and time elapsed since last vaccination were evaluated. Less than half of the entire cohort (36.4%) had PATs for all three diseases simultaneously, increasing to 48.6% if weak positive values were also considered and 50.3% when considering only the 435 vaccinated cats. Particularly, antibodies were detected against FCV, FPV, and FeHV-1 at protective titers (PATs) in 78.6%, 68.1, and 49.1% of the cats, respectively. In general, owned, neutered, and adult FIV- and/or FeLV-negative cats were the most protected categories, even if not always for the three viruses. Most cats maintained high PATs for 3 years or longer after vaccination against FPV and FCV but not FeHV-1. Long-lasting protective immunity persisted for many years after the last vaccination (more than 18 years in the oldest cats). Nevertheless, since not all cats were protected after so many years and for all pathogens, checking protection via antibody titration could be the best choice to prevent immunity breakdowns. The discussion also focuses on the reliability of antibody titration for the two URTD (upper respiratory tract disease) viruses which, unlike for FPV, is not widely accepted as a valid index of protection.