Respiratory Lesions Research Articles

Histologic pulmonary lesions of SARS-CoV-2 in 4 nonhuman primate species: An institutional comparative review.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an emergent, amphixenotic infection that resulted in a pandemic declaration in March 2020. A rapid search for appropriate animal models of this newly emergent viral respiratory disease focused initially on traditional nonhuman primate research species. Nonhuman primate models have previously been shown to be valuable in evaluation of emerging respiratory coronaviruses with pandemic potential (ie, SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). In this article, we review the pulmonary histopathologic characteristics and immunohistochemical evaluation of experimental SARS-CoV-2 infection in the rhesus macaque, pigtail macaque, African green monkey, and squirrel monkey. Our results indicate that all evaluated nonhuman primate species developed variably severe histopathologic changes typical of coronavirus respiratory disease characterized by interstitial pneumonia with or without syncytial cell formation, alveolar fibrin, and pulmonary edema that progressed to type II pneumocyte hyperplasia. Lesion distribution was multifocal, frequently subpleural, and often more severe in lower lung lobes. However, squirrel monkeys showed the least severe and least consistent lesions of the evaluated nonhuman primates. Additionally, our results highlight the disparate physical relationship between viral antigen and foci of pulmonary lesions. While classic respiratory coronaviral lesions were observed in the lungs of all nonhuman primates evaluated, none of the primates exhibited severe lesions or evidence of diffuse alveolar damage and therefore are unlikely to represent the severe form of SARS-CoV-2 infection observed in fatal human cases.

The Influence of the Use of Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Human Microbiome – A Mini-Review

The aim of this study was to draw attention to the possible consequences of improper, unhygienic use of mouth and nose covers in the context of prophylaxis against the spread of COVID-19 from the point of view of a family physician and focus on the risk of respiratory infections and skin lesions in patients, in different age groups. The use of protective masks may reduce the likelihood of infection but will not eliminate the risk of infection. However, it should be remembered that any mask, no matter how effective the filtration is or how well it seals, will have little effect if not used in conjunction with other preventive measures, including isolation of infected people, immunization, proper respiratory culture, regular, frequent replacement of masks, and hand hygiene. Additionally, certain risks associated with this form of prophylaxis should be taken into account, which, unfortunately, may also aggravate or even constitute a source of serious respiratory infections and lead to the development and aggravation of skin problems. Moreover, educating society not only on hand hygiene but also on the topic of the value of nose and mouth covers, as well as the frequency of their replacement and/or disinfection, is becoming a significant issue.

Microbial landscape in hospital patients with new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), antibiotic resistance comparison vs. Pre-covid stage: a prospective study

Background. The new coronavirus infection has manifested untypically compared to other acute respiratory agents, posing a major challenge to researchers worldwide. Despite low incidence of bacterial complications, microbial coinfection plays an important role in the onset and development of severe COVID-19 to hamper diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.Objectives. A study of microbial landscape in secondary complications of COVID-19 and prevailing microbial-agent antibiotic resistance dynamics in COVID-19 vs. patients with pre-COVID community-acquired pneumonia.Methods. We analysed 1,113 bacterial sputum cultures in COVID-19 patients from 21 hospital of Krasnodar Krai. The study sample comprised 524 strains isolated from COVID-19 patients in bacteriological assays. The comparison sample included 643 positive sputum strains isolated from community-acquired pneumonia patients developing disease in outcome of acute respiratory infection in 2015–2018. The microbial aetiology landscape and strain antibiotic resistance have been compared in COVID-19 vs. patients with community-acquired pneumonia.Results. Gram-negative bacteria predominated in COVID-19 cultures (58%), followed by Gram-positive bacteria (15%) and fungi (27%). Acinetobacter baumannii (35%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (33%) were about equally represented in Gram-negative flora, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19%) and other microorganisms were half as common. Streptococcus pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 48 and 15% Gram-positive strains, respectively. Sputum-isolated fungi were mainly identifi ed as Candida albicans (89%). The Streptoccocus pneumoniae detection rate dropped to 7% in 2020 relative of other flora, which is 10 times less vs. pre-COVID rates, whilst the fungal rate increased dramatically. Antibiotic resistance increased in most isolated microbial strains.Conclusion. A Gram-negative-dominated aetiology of lower respiratory tract lesions, as well as higher risk of fungal and other opportunistic coinfections should be taken into account in patient treatment for a complicated coronavirus infection. A higher antibiotic resistance is induced by active indication-ignorant use of antibiotics, including pre-hospital treatment. A suitable treatment regimen in COVID-19 should avoid undue antibiotic prescriptions in every patient.

Особливості перебігу коронавірусної інфекції COVID-19 у дітей України

Актуальність. Пандемія коронавірусної хвороби COVID-19, спричинена новим коронавірусом SARS-CoV-2, на сьогодні є глобальною проблемою, однак досить обмеженими є дані щодо особливостей перебігу інфекції COVID-19 у дітей. Мета: провести узагальнюючий аналіз демографічних, епідеміологічних і клінічних особливостей перебігу COVID-19 у дітей різного віку з різних регіонів України. Матеріали та методи. З дотриманням принципів біоетики проведено багатоцентрове ретроспективне відкрите когортне дослідження 669 випадків інфекції у дітей, спричиненої коронавірусом SARS-CoV-2, у відділеннях госпітальних баз міст Києва, Вінниці, Чернівців та Одеси. У госпіталізованих дітей визначали комплекс клінічних, лабораторних та інструментальних маркерів перебігу інфекції, спричиненої коронавірусом COVID-19. Результати. До першої (І) групи ввійшли 67 дітей віком до 2 місяців, до другої (ІІ) групи — 320 хворих дітей у віковому проміжку від 60 днів до 6-річного віку, субгрупа зі 127 дітей молодшого та середнього шкільного віку сформувала третю (ІІІ) групу, а до складу четвертої (IV) вікової групи ввійшли 155 підлітків віком від 12 років. Ураження вірусом SARS-CoV-2 систем внутрішніх органів характеризувалося мультисистемним характером і проявлялося змінами з боку верхніх дихальних шляхів у 70,1 % випадків, ураженням нижніх дихальних шляхів — у 54,7 % спостережень, інфекційно-запальними змінами — у 57,2 % випадків, гастроінтестинальними симптомами — у 9,2 %, а також неврологічною симптоматикою — у 17,8 %. Загалом серед клінічних симптомів у загальній когорті пацієнтів найчастіше зустрічались лихоманка (51,1 %), загальна слабкість (51,6 %), біль у горлі (70,1 %), кашель (54,7 %) та зниження апетиту (52,8 %). Ураження паренхіми легень із відповідною клініко-рентгенологічною картиною як прояв коронавірусної хвороби COVID-19 визначалося із частотою від 23,9 до 25,9 % обстежених дітей у різних регіонах України з вірогідним зростанням шансів розвитку пневмонії у підлітковому віці. Найчастішими змінами у додаткових методах обстеження були лейкоцитоз (18,8 % випадків), тромбоцитоз (14,5 % хворих), лейкопенія (11,1 % пацієнтів), збільшення С-реактивного білка у 43,7 % дітей. Підвищений уміст тромбоцитів спостерігався переважно у дітей перших двох місяців життя (у 38,3 % випадків) і вірогідно зростав упродовж періоду стаціонарного лікування, що співпадало з тенденціями до зростання частоти підвищеного вмісту С-реактивного білка у цій віковій когорті. Висновки. Аналіз епідеміологічних, клінічних і лабораторних особливостей перебігу коронавірусної хвороби, викликаної SARS-CoV-2, у дітей різних вікових груп із різних регіональних госпітальних баз України узгоджувався із перебігом у дорослих пацієнтів із COVID-19, але більш високі шанси на легші форми захворювання серед дітей молодшого віку та ураження нижніх дихальних шляхів і вищі шанси тяжкого перебігу серед старших дітей.

Применение препарата лизоцима и деквалиния хлорида в лечении острых респираторных заболеваний верхних дыхательных путей у детей

Актуальность. Острые вирусные респираторные инфекции — группа наиболее распространенных болезней, которые проявляются прежде всего катаральным синдромом с поражением ротоглотки и требуют местного применения антисептиков. Цель работы: изучить клинические особенности поражения глотки и гортани при острых респираторных инфекциях в различных регионах Украины, оценить на большом клиническом материале эффективность и безопасность применения препарата Лизак и его способность влиять на активность нативного иммунитета. Материалы и методы. Обследовано 25 229 детей в возрасте от 4 до 18 лет с острыми респираторными инфекциями, которые проявлялись воспалительным процессом в ротоглотке. Проведены общеклинические, иммунологические, бактериологические исследования. Результаты. Установлено, что применение препарата Лизак в клинической практике является эффективным и приводит к уменьшению интенсивности клинических признаков воспаления в ротоглотке, купирует сухость ротоглотки, болевой синдром, восстанавливает голосовую функцию. При изучении корреляционных связей между клинико-анамнестическими данными было установлено, что наиболее сильные взаимосвязи отмечались между тонзиллитом и выраженностью температурной реакции в первые и третьи сутки от начала лечения (r = 0,43 и 0,69 соответственно), наличие тонзиллита коррелировало также с интенсивностью боли в горле (r = 0,46) и наличием кашля на 7-е сутки заболевания (r = 0,39). В то же время выраженность кашля в первые и третьи сутки заболевания коррелировала с острым ларингитом (r = 0,51 и r = 0,36 соответственно). Охриплость коррелировала со степенью сухости в ротоглотке (r = 0,47) и была присуща ларингиту. Для определения иммунологической эффективности препарата Лизак были обследованы 124 ребенка в возрасте 7–12 лет, которые имели острые респираторные инфекции с поражением ротоглотки. Установлено, что уровень интерферона гамма в ротоглоточный жидкости и сыворотке крови имел тенденцию к снижению, что свидетельствует о снижении активности воспалительного процесса в ротоглотке. Сделаны выводы, что препарат Лизак, уменьшая интенсивность воспалительного процесса в ротоглотке, способен влиять на уровень провоспалительных цитокинов, в частности интерферона гамма. При проведении бактериологического исследования микрофлоры ротоглотки у наблюдаемых пациентов до начала лечения было выявлено повышение числа патогенных и условно-патогенных микроорганизмов. После применения препарата Лизак происходило восстановление микробиоценоза, в основном за счет уменьшения количества патогенной и условно-патогенной флоры (S.aureus, Candida albicans и др.) и увеличения количества индигенной флоры. Препарат Лизак не имел побочных эффектов у большинства пациентов, хотя у небольшого числа больных (0,76 %) наблюдались признаки аллергической реакции (першение в горле, отечность язычка, необычный вкус). Эффективность препарата Лизак была оценена врачами и пациентами в 99 % случаев как хорошая. Выводы. Применение препарата Лизак в клинической практике является эффективным и приводит к уменьшению интенсивности клинических признаков воспаления в ротоглотке, купирует сухость ротоглотки, болевой синдром, восстанавливает голосовую функцию, способствует уменьшению интенсивности воспалительного процесса в ротоглотке и влияет на уровень провоспалительных цитокинов, в частности интерферона гамма, восстанавливает микробиоценоз ротоглотки за счет уменьшения количества патогенной и условно-патогенной флоры (S.aureus, Candida albicans и др.) и увеличения количества индигенной флоры. Препарат Лизак имеет хорошую переносимость и является эффективным в 99 % случаев применения.

Major bacterial pathogens of bovine respiratory disease and lung lesions in calves from selected areas of Ethiopia

Major bacterial pathogens of bovine respiratory disease and lung lesions in calves from selected areas of Ethiopia

Predictivity of Antemortem Findings on Postmortem Inspection in Italian Heavy Pigs Slaughterhouses.

Simple SummaryInspections of pigs before (antemortem) and after (postmortem) being slaughtered are part of the official controls carried out in European abattoirs. The ability of data obtained from the antemortem inspections to predict lesions eventually found during postmortem inspections has not been thoroughly investigated so far. In this study, data obtained from inspections performed both ante- and postmortem in heavy pigs slaughtered in Italy were analyzed, determining the prevalence of the most common lesions and conditions found during the ante- and postmortem inspections and exploring the correlation between these findings. The most common findings were the presence of manure on more than the 30% of the body and pleurisy for antemortem and postmortem inspections, respectively. Some conditions found during the antemortem inspections were predictive of lesions reported during postmortem inspections. For instance, respiratory and kidney lesions were more likely to occur in pigs presenting manure on more than the 30% of the body, whereas dermatitis and skin wounds were more likely to be present in pigs showing skin lesions during the antemortem inspections. The results of this study show that information obtained from the antemortem inspection of pigs can be useful to characterize farms using a risk-based approach and to address the organization of official controls in slaughterhouses.Pigs slaughtered in European abattoirs must be submitted to antemortem inspection (AMI) and postmortem inspection (PMI), as required by the current European legislation in the matter of official controls. AMI and PMI are equally essential to guarantee food safety and to monitor swine health and welfare. However, little is known about the ability of AMI to predict conditions that are possibly found during PMI. In this study, such a correlation was explored together with the assessment of conditions typically found during AMI and PMI in heavy pigs slaughtered in two Italian slaughterhouses. An assessment scheme containing 13 variables for AMI and 34 lesions for PMI was used for the scope. The herd size was also considered as a variable and included in the study. A total of 24,510 pigs and 30,961 pigs were assessed during AMI and PMI, respectively. The most common conditions found were manure on the body covering more than 30% of the body (dirt >30%) and pluck lesions (‘pleurisy’, ‘pericarditis’, and ‘pneumonia’) for AMI and PMI, respectively. A significant correlation (p < 0.05) between some antemortem (AM) findings and postmortem (PM) conditions was found. In particular, the AM conditions ‘dirt >30%’and ‘skin lesions’ were positively related with PM conditions ‘skin wounds’ and ‘dermatitis’, while the complexes of respiratory and kidney lesions were predicted only by the condition ‘dirt >30%’. The variable ‘standardized herd size’ was negatively associated with ‘milk spot liver’ and positively associated with ‘arthritis/bursitis’. The results of this study show that findings reported during AMI can potentially be used to predict certain conditions found in pigs at PMI. These data can be useful for the competent authorities in characterizing swine farms using a risk-based approach and in developing systems and specific plans for official controls.

Study of the effect of Baricitinib on the Course of COVID-19

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the inhibitor of janus kinase – baricitinib ("Olumiant") on the course of COVID-19. This drug baricitinib is able to suppress the systemic inflammatory response, which is one of the common causes of death in COVID-19, is an urgent problem of the study. The study was carried out in the Regional Specialized Budget Infectious Diseases Hospital of Stavropol (Russian Federation, Stavropol Region). In a multivariate analysis, it was shown that the use of baricitinib was associated with a decrease in the frequency of the primary endpoint of death/need for invasive lung ventilation. The use of baricitinib was quite safe, but in some patients there was an increase in the level of transaminases. No cases of hypercoagulation have been reported while taking baricitinib. It was found that patients with a normal BMI are more sensitive to therapy than those who are overweight.75% of patients in the first group had a temperature above 38.0oC. However, against the background of taking the standard treatment regimen and baricitinib, it was noted that the temperature stabilized during the day and did not rise again. Against the background of taking baricitinib, the elimination of the phenomena of respiratory failure and the refusal of an oxygen mask occurred 3.1 times more often than without baricitinib. The authors concluded that the use of baricitinib can be considered as an additional therapy for moderate forms of pneumonia in patients over 65 years or in patients with concomitant chronic diseases in order to suppress the reactions of systemic inflammation and the development of serious respiratory and other system lesions caused by COVID-19.

CALCULATION OF INTERMICROBIAL INTERACTIONS OF ORAL BIOTOPE

A large number of applied and theoretical questions of various sciences are solved with the help of mathematics. Mathematical methods are used in the biological sciences, in particular in medicine. They can describe both quantity and quality, ie function. The aim of the work is to consider the possibility of presenting the relationship between the associates of the oral habitat using mathematical analysis. The materials were the following: the studies of the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Department of Microbiology and Virology with Immunology UMSA, sources of literature related to the study of microflora. Such methods as bibliosemantic analysis, mathematical methods, online calculator were used. Based on the results of the study of the microbiocenosis of the oral cavity in young people with different values of the CPV index, graphs were obtained. The curves that reflect the changes in the number of representatives of the oral microbiocenosis at different values of the CPV index coincide with the growth fragments of biological objects (Pearl curve). The study of antagonistic activity (AA) of the oral habitat concerned several microorganisms with different growth phases. To calculate the relationship between microbial relationships, representatives of the normoflora were selected: corynebacteria, Str. mutans as well as fungi of the genus Candida. These microorganisms belong to different groups of effects on the human body. Corynebacteria form vitamin K - the growth factor of many bacteria. They are able to reduce the redox potential, thus creating conditions for the growth of anaerobes. But under certain conditions, these microorganisms can cause meningitis, brain abscesses, peritonitis, endocarditis, infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract, skin lesions, sepsis and others. Str. mutans, which belongs to Str. γ-haemolyticus, is an antagonist of putrefactive bacteria and also produces substances that inhibit the increase in other streptococci and actinomycetes. Under certain conditions, it becomes cariogenic. Yeast-like fungi Candida synthesize vitamins needed to increase lactobacilli. They are also an etiological factor of candidiasis of the oral mucosa. The calculation was performed according to the formula adapted by us on the online calculator.&#x0D; According to calculations, AA corynebacteria decreases with increasing CPV, ie their activity is suppressed. A completely different situation concerns Str. γ-haemolyticus, AA which increases with increasing CPV. That is, with increasing caries intensity, this type of microorganism begins to dominate some members of the oral microbiota. For fungi of the genus Candida, the error at CPV ≤ 6 is due to the fact that at CPV = 0 they are absent in the biocenosis. Further, with increasing CPV, Candida activity also increases. It is much more pronounced than AA Str. γ-haemolyticus. This fact indicates favorable conditions for this and the suppression of yeast-like fungi of other associates microbiota.&#x0D; Conclusions. Mathematical methods can be used in medicine to characterize the relationship between the biotope of the human oral cavity. Symbiotic relationships within the oral biocenosis can manifest themselves in the form of antagonism. Antagonistic activity between oral habitats can be characterized by an indicator. This technique can be used to study the function of the microbiome of the oral cavity. The calculation indicates that not one associate of the microbiocenosis, but rather several representatives are to prone for the increase in the intensity of caries. We propose to use the calculation of AA in the treatment of caries by means of influencing the oral microbiocenosis. Also, calculated AA data may have prognostic value.

Chemical Weapons in the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) 5. Accumulated Experience in the Treatment of Lesions Caused by Sulfur Mustard

ulfur mustard was widely used during the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988) and in other conflicts in the Middle East. Due to its availability, it can be used by terrorist organizations on the territory of the Russian Federation. Iran is the only country, against which mustard gas was used in modern warfare. The aim of this work is to analyze and summarize the experience of treating of sulfur mustard exposure, accumulated by Iranian specialists during the Iran-Iraq war (1980–1988). The UN official documents and materials, declassified CIA documents, articles of Iranian authors as well as other open sources have been used during its preparation. The Iraqi army used mustard gas in two aggregate states: liquid and dry. Dry mustard gas was a novelty of that war. It was a powdered silica steeped in mustard gas, with a particle size of less than 5 μm. The first signs and symptoms of poisoning could appear after 15 minutes, while acute poisoning effects of exposure to mustard gas vapour or liquid were typically delayed for several hours. The reasons for the severe mustard lesions of the servicemen were the lack of personal protective equipment, untimely evacuation from the mustard gas contamination zone, and the absence of mobile reserves of clean water and degassing installations in battle formations. Iranian experts consider 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution to be the most effective decontaminant. The only safe antidote is sodium thiosulfate, administered within 60 minutes after exposure to mustard gas. During the evacuation of victims and their treatment in hospitals it is necessary, in severe cases, to insert an intravenous catheter, carry out a tracheotomy with the installation of a tracheotomy tube, and use bronchoscopy as early as possible to flush the bronchi. The treatment of skin and eye lesions should be conservative. In case of a corneal perforation, if its diameter is more than 2 mm – keratoplasty, if it is less – cyanoacrylate glue. Treatment of respiratory lesions aims to relieve symptoms and reduce the severity of complications. For this, bronchodilators, antitussives, mucolytics and, if necessary, antibiotics are used. The use of corticosteroids should be limited to the treatment of those patients with bronchospasm, who can not be treated by bronchodilators. The Iranians also consider gene therapy and treatment with mesenchymal stem cells to be the promising method used in the treatment of lung lesions

Detecting pulmonary diseases using deep features in X-ray images

COVID-19 leads to radiological evidence of lower respiratory tract lesions, which support analysis to screen this disease using chest X-ray. In this scenario, deep learning techniques are applied to detect COVID-19 pneumonia in X-ray images, aiding a fast and precise diagnosis. Here, we investigate seven deep learning architectures associated with data augmentation and transfer learning techniques to detect different pneumonia types. We also propose an image resizing method with the maximum window function that preserves anatomical structures of the chest. The results are promising, reaching an accuracy of 99.8% considering COVID-19, normal, and viral and bacterial pneumonia classes. The differentiation between viral pneumonia and COVID-19 achieved an accuracy of 99.8%, and 99.9% of accuracy between COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia. We also evaluated the impact of the proposed image resizing method on classification performance comparing with the bilinear interpolation; this pre-processing increased the classification rate regardless of the deep learning architectures used. We c ompared our results with ten related works in the state-of-the-art using eight sets of experiments, which showed that the proposed method outperformed them in most cases. Therefore, we demonstrate that deep learning models trained with pre-processed X-ray images could precisely assist the specialist in COVID-19 detection.

The place of impulse oscillometry system in the diagnosis of early obstructive disorders associated with asthma

Asthma is one of the most common and socially significant human diseases. To date, spirometry is included in most recommendations as the gold standard for the diagnosis of obstructive disorders. However, in real clinical practice, this procedure does not always reveal signs of bronchial obstruction, not only in the early stages of the disease but also in more severe controlled bronchial asthma. Tests of oscillatory mechanics are increasingly being used to detect early violations of the pulmonary ventilation function. These tests are based on the forced oscillation technique, and the latest modification is impulse oscillometry system. Theaimof this study was to investigate the capabilities of impulse oscillometry in diagnosing early changes in the function of the respiratory system in patients with asthma and identifying the most informative parameters of the method.Methods. A total of 146 patients with an established diagnosis of mild and moderate asthma were examined during remission. The patients were divided into 2 groups by the severity of asthma. The comparison group included 40 people with no signs of lung abnormalities.Results. Disorders of the pulmonary ventilation function were found in 23% of patients with asthma by spirometry, in 42% by bodypletismography in 42%, and in 72% of patients by impulse oscillometry. Impulse oscillometry system revealed obstructive changes localized in the central respiratory tract in 11% of patients, and obstruction of mixed localization was found in 6% of respondents. Peripheral respiratory tract disorders were diagnosed in 56 % of patients. Most respiratory tract lesions were located in the small bronchi in both groups. The obstructive disorders in large bronchi and generalized obstruction were observed more often in the 2ndgroup. Among impulse oscillometry parameters, the increase in Delta (Rrs5– Rrs20) was most often recorded in both examined groups of patients with asthma.Conclusion. Compared to standard methods, impulse oscillometry system is more sensitive. Therefore, it has advantages in diagnosing respiratory system dysfunctions both in the early stages of asthma and in more severe cases during remission.

Pathogenicity of novel reassortant Eurasian avian-like H1N1 influenza virus in pigs

Reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 virus, possessing 2009 pandemic (pdm/09) and triple-reassortant (TR)-derived internal genes, namely G4 genotype, has replaced the G1 genotype EA H1N1 virus (all the genes were of EA origin) and become predominant in swine populations in China. Understanding the pathogenicity of G4 viruses in pigs is of great importance for disease control. Here, we conducted comprehensive analyses of replication and pathogenicity of G4 and G1 EA H1N1 viruses in pigs. G4 virus exhibited enhanced replication, increased duration of virus shedding, and caused more severe respiratory lesions in pigs compared with G1 virus. G4 virus, with viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complex genes of pdm/09 origin, exhibited higher levels of nuclear accumulation and higher polymerase activity, which is essential for improved replication of G4 virus. These findings indicate that G4 virus poses a great threat to both swine industry and public health, and control measures should be urgently implemented.

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis with malignant transformation

Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease with an unpredictable course. The etiology is associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Malignant transformation of papillomas is extremely rare.&#x0D; Two clinical cases of RRP malignization are presented. In the first case, 22-year-old women with a long history of RRP and the lower respiratory tract lesions, squamous cell lung cancer developed. Second case - development of squamous cell carcinoma from the tracheal papilloma in a 35-year-old patient. Aggressive local endobronchial treatment was carried out; however, the prognosis remains pessimistic due to the absence of etiopathogenetic therapy for RRP. Careful monitoring including HPV typing is mandatory, since infection with aggressive HPV strains leads to rapid proliferation of papillomas and malignant transformation.

Referrals from Paediatric Department with Respiratory Symptoms having Skin Lesions

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Introduction: Paediatric patients with respiratory symptoms having skin lesions are often referred from Paediatric to Dermatology Department. Knowledge about skin and respiratory manifestations will lead to early diagnosis and proper management by the doctors of both the specialties. These dermatological conditions may or may not be related to respiratory illness or may hence be part of total disease process or may be completely separate entity. The aim of this study was to find out skin manifestations of various respiratory diseases and analyse dermatological disorders in children referred from Paediatric Department having respiratory symptoms.&#x0D; Methods: An observational cross sectional hospital based study involving inpatients and outpatients referred from Paediatrics to Dermatology Department having respiratory illness and skin lesions was undertaken between January 2019 to December 2020. Details of skin disease were recorded. The descriptive statistical analysis was expressed in frequency and percentage and Chi square test was applied to determine significance among variables.&#x0D; Results: Total 437 patients were included in the study. The most common diagnosis made by Paediatric {160 (36.6%)} and Dermatology Departments {246 (56.2%) was viral exanthema followed by atopic dermatitis {77 (17.6%)}. Out of total 65 patients who suffered from bronchial asthma, 59 (90.7%) patients had atopic dermatitis.&#x0D; Conclusions: Significant paediatric patients with respiratory illnesses have concomitant skin lesions. There is very high percentage of patients having atopic dermatitis among those who had asthma and hence clearly depicts relation between the two diseases.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Fatal Meningoencephalitis From a Rhizomucor pusillus Infection in a Juvenile Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus).

A 7-month-old, male Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus), housed in an outdoor exhibit, developed acute neurologic signs that progressed to death over 2 days. On gross examination, the bird had congested, edematous lungs, and cerebellar hemorrhage. Histologic examination identified granulomatous pneumonia and encephalitis, with thrombosis and eosinophilic, branching fungal hyphae that had invaded the meningeal vessel walls. Polymerase chain reaction identified the fungus in the brain as Rhizomucor pusillus, an uncommon cause of mucormycosis. This organism has previously been reported in respiratory, skeletal, and sino-orbital lesions of avian species. This clinical report describes meningoencephalitis associated with Rhizomucor pusillus in a penguin.

Results of 5-year monitoring of the circulation of seasonal Сoronaviruses in hospitalized children in the pre-pandemic period

Coronaviruses can cause damage to various parts of the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs and systems.The aim of the study: to monitor the circulation of seasonal coronaviruses in hospitalized children in the pre-pandemic period.Materials and methods: real-time multiplex PCR was used to test samples of nasopharyngeal mucus from 2188 patients aged 1 monthto 17 years, hospitalized with acute respiratory infection in 2014—2018. The results are presented with the indication of the fractions (%) and the calculation of the 95% confidence interval according to Klopper-Pearson. The differences between the groups were evaluated using the Pearson χ2 test. The differences in the groups were considered statistically significant at the level of the criterion p&lt; 0.05.Results: monitoring of the circulation of pathogens of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) during 5 epidemic seasons showed that the appearance of a new subtype of coronavirus in 2019 was preceded by a gradual displacement of influenza, RS-and bocavirus infections from the circulation due to a statistically significant increase in the proportion of seasonal coronaviruses from 3.6% in 2014—2015 to 10.8% in the prepandemic season 2018—2019 (p= 0.007). The circulation of seasonal coronaviruses had a distinct seasonality (november-april)with the peak of registration in february (28.4%) and march (36.7%). Seasonal coronaviruses were detected in 7.3% of hospitalized children with ARVI, with a predominance in the age groups under 2 years (58.2%) and 3—6 years (25.4%). Hospitalization was more often required for patients with lower respiratory tract lesions (58.2%), a fifth of which was pneumonia (21.8%). In most children, ARVI caused by coronaviruses occurred as a monoinfection (79.9%), combined infection with other pathogens was observed in 20.1% of cases with fluctuations from 18.2% to 28.6% in different epidemic seasons. Viral associations are most common in young children (85.2%).

The use of the drug "Dextranal" to stimulate cellular immunity and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases calves

The article provides data on the preventive efficacy of the drug "Dextranal" in gastrointestinal diseases of calves and pigs, as well as the effect of the drug on the resistance of newborn animals. Calves and piglets of the experimental groups were injected with the drug from the first day of life, 5 injections at different intervals, depending on the group. During the experiment, the animals were clinically examined daily. When symptoms of gastrointestinal or respiratory tract lesions appeared, clinical signs and duration were recorded. All sick calves, regardless of the group, were prescribed the use of the antibiotic "Dorin-R" in a dosage according to the instructions for use. The shortest duration of the disease was noted in the calves of the first experimental group that received Dextranal at a dose of 0.06 mg / kg (3.0 ml) with an interval of 3 days. This prophylaxis scheme reduces the duration of the disease in animals by 15% compared to the control group. The analysis of the results of the opsonophagocytic reaction (OFR) indicates an increase in the parameters of the phagocytic index, phagocytic number and phagocytic activity of the blood of animals of the experimental groups, which indicates the direct effect of the drug on cellular immunity. The maximum increase in live weight is observed in calves of the first experimental group, exceeding the same indicator of control by 7.4%. When using the drug "Dextranal" to piglets at a dose of 0.02 mg / kg with an interval of 4 days, there is a decrease in animal mortality by 4%. Also, when using the drug according to this scheme, the piglets of the experimental group on the 14th and 42nd days have a maximum increase in live weight in comparison with the same indicator in the control group.

Genetic diversity of porcine circovirus

This article is dedicated to the species diversity of porcine Circovirus that has been the causative agent of a disease caused by Porcine Circovirus widespread in pig farms of the Russian Federation and worldwide. The disease caused by porcine circovirus type II (PCV2) has various clinical signs accompanied by a number of syndromes as Postweaning multisystem wasting syndrome (SPMD), piglet dermatitis and nephropathy (SDNP), lymphoid, respiratory and reproductive dysfunctions and lesions in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. The historical information in the review reflects the stages of porcine circovirus study, its first discovery, isolation in porcine kidney cell culture and identification of new nucleotide sequences of the virus. The presented data demonstrate the genetic differences of the viral genome, as well as the divergence in the clinics depending on the level of pathogenicity of the strains. Data of the previously unknown genotypes of Circovirus the study of their genetic sequences and the features of their distribution are presented in the article. The data on the genetic organization of porcine circovirus, its structure, virion size and nucleotide sequence length are illuminated in the article. Information was collected on the number of reading frames in the genomes of different types of circovirus, the sizes of capsid and replicative proteins, as well as their functions and influence on immune responses in the host organism, are given. It has been noted that an increase in the number of genotypes directly depends on the mutation of the capsid proteins of the circovirus. The data of phylogenetic analysis of porcine circovirus type 2 has been analyzed and in accordance with six genotypes of the virus has been identified (PCV-2a, PCV-2b, PCV-2c, PCV-2d, PCV-2e and PCV-2f). The prevalence of genotypes in the territory of the Russian Federation is provided. According to the retrospective analysis shifts in the genotypes of the virus with an increase in the virulence of the strains has been detected. It became possible to trace the distribution of genotypes across the territories of different countries, as well as to determine the prevailing types of porcine circovirus characteristic of these geographic areas as a result of the study.

Association between clinical respiratory signs, lung lesions detected by thoracic ultrasonography and growth performance in pre\u2010weaned dairy calves

BackgroundBovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the main cause of mortality among 1-to-5 month old calves in Ireland, accounting for approximately one-third of deaths. Despite widespread use of clinical respiratory signs for diagnosing BRD, lung lesions are detected, using thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) or following post-mortem, in calves showing no clinical signs. This highlights the limitation of clinical respiratory signs as a method of detecting sub-clinical BRD. Using 53 purchased artificially-reared male dairy calves, the objectives of this study were to: (i) characterise the BRD incidence detected by clinical respiratory signs and/or TUS, (ii) investigate the association between clinical respiratory signs and lung lesions detected by TUS, and (iii) assess the effect of BRD on pre-weaning growth.ResultsClinical BRD (based on Wisconsin clinical respiratory score and/or rectal temperature > 39.6 ºC) was detected in 43 % and sonographic changes (lung lesions) were detected in 64 % of calves from purchase (23 (SD; 6.2) days of age) until weaning, 53 days post-arrival. Calves with clinical BRD were treated. Sixty-one per cent calves affected with clinical BRD had lung lesions 10.5 days (median) before detection of clinical signs. Moderate correlations (rsp 0.70; P < 0.05) were found between cough and severe lung lesions on arrival day, and between rectal temperature > 39.6 ºC and lung lesions ≥ 2 cm2 on day 7 (rsp 0.40; P < 0.05) post-arrival. Mean average daily live weight gain (ADG) of calves from purchase to weaning was 0.75 (SD; 0.10) kg; calves with or without clinical BRD did not differ in ADG (P > 0.05), whereas ADG of those with severe lung lesions (lung lobe completely consolidated or pulmonary emphysema) was 0.12 kg/d less (P < 0.05) than calves without lung lesions.ConclusionsThoracic ultrasonography detected lung consolidation in calves that did not show signs of respiratory disease. The presence of severe lung lesions was associated with reduced pre-weaning growth. These findings emphasise the importance of using TUS in addition to clinical respiratory scoring of calves for an early and accurate detection of clinical and sub-clinical BRD.