Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the most common causes of viral hepatitis. We examined HEV seroprevalence and associations of sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics with HEV immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity in the Arab population. A cross-sectional single-centre study was conducted among adults in the Nazareth area during 2022. Blood samples were tested using the Altona Real-Star HEV-RNA and the Wantai IgG assays. Data on sociodemographics, health status, and lifestyle were collected using structured questionnaires.

Overall, 490 individuals (55.9% males) aged 18 − 96 (mean = 53.2, SD = 28.0) were enrolled. HEV IgG seropositivity was estimated at 21.4% (95% CI 17.9–25.3). No samples were HEV-RNA positive. The correlates of HEV IgG seropositivity were older age (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.07, 95% CI 1.04–1.09, P < 0.001) and consuming beef frequently (PR 2.81, 95% CI 1.40–5.63, P = 0.003). No associations were found between Arab religious groups (Muslim, Christian or Druze, representing different socioeconomic status and dietary habits) or pork consumption and HEV IgG seropositivity. In conclusion, HEV seropositivity was high in the Arab population, and assessing HEV in Ruminants, particularly cows, is warranted.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by immune system disorders. The main clinical manifestations of SS are dry mouth and eyes caused by the destruction of exocrine glands, such as the salivary and lacrimal glands, and systemic manifestations, such as interstitial pneumonia, interstitial nephritis and vasculitis. The pathogenesis of this condition is complex. However, this has not been fully elucidated. Treatment mainly consists of glucocorticoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents, which can only control inflammation but not repair the tissue. Therefore, identifying methods to regulate immune disorders and repair damaged tissues is imperative. Cell therapy involves the transplantation of autologous or allogeneic normal or bioengineered cells into the body of a patient to replace damaged cells or achieve a stronger immunomodulatory capacity to cure diseases, mainly including stem cell therapy and immune cell therapy. Cell therapy can reduce inflammation, relieve symptoms and promote tissue repair and regeneration of exocrine glands such as the salivary glands. It has broad application prospects and may become a new treatment strategy for patients with SS. However, there are various challenges in cell preparation, culture, storage and transportation. This article reviews the research status and prospects of cell therapies for SS.

Trichinellosis in humans is most often caused by the parasite Trichinella spiralis. The clinical course of the disease is diverse and the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Symptoms usually disappear within a few months, but encysted larvae in the muscles can cause myalgia and weakness that last for years. However, the existence of chronic trichinellosis as a disease is still debatable. This study presents the results obtained at the National Reference Laboratory for Trichinellosis – INEP, Serbia. The study was conducted to assess the immunoserological, biochemical and symptomatic disease parameters of twelve patients who acquired trichinellosis 13 and 18 years ago, respectively. They were involved in two T. spiralis outbreaks in Serbia, at the village of Kumane and the city of Belgrade (nine and three patients, respectively). Results indicated the presence of specific anti-Trichinella antibodies in 83% of the total number of patients. However, while the humoral immune response to Trichinella lasted for more than a decade reaching almost two decades after the acute infection phase (7/9 and 3/3 respectively, in two outbreaks), persistence of chronic muscular pain, as the most prolonged symptom of trichinellosis, could be found in the majority of patients from the Kumane outbreak (7/9). As a consequence, these patients suffered from limitations in daily living activities for the same period of time. The results presented in this paper are our contribution to the view that trichinellosis as a chronic disease with symptoms exists and may be related to the severity of the disease in the acute phase.

Health care workers (HCWs) are in a higher risk of acquiring the disease owing to their regular contact with the patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the seroprevalence among HCWs pre- and post-vaccination. The serological assessment of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody was conducted in pre- and post-vaccination of first or both doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and followed up to 8 months for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and antibody titre. The neutralising antibody was positively correlated with IgG and total antibody. IgG was significantly decreased after 4–6 months post-infection. Almost all HCWs developed IgG after 2 doses of vaccine with comparable IgG to that of the infected HCWs. A follow-up of 6 to 8 months post vaccination showed a significant drop in antibody titre, while 56% of them didn't show a detectable level of IgG, suggesting the need for a booster dose. Around 21% of the vaccinated HCWs with significantly low antibody titre were infected with the SARS-CoV-2, but a majority of them showed mild symptoms and recovered in home isolation without any O2 support. We noticed the effectiveness of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine as evident from the low rate of breakthrough infection with any severe symptoms.

Consumption of edible insects has been widely suggested as an environmentally sustainable substitute for meat to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the novel research field for edible insects relies on the content of bioactive ingredients and on the ability to induce a functional effect in humans. The goal of this manuscript is to review the available body of evidence on the properties of edible insects in modulating oxidative and inflammatory stress, platelet aggregation, lipid and glucose metabolism and weight control. A search for literature investigating the functional role of edible insects was carried out in the PubMed database using specific keywords. A total of 55 studies, meeting inclusion criteria after screening, were divided on the basis of the experimental approach: in vitro studies, cellular models/ex vivo studies or in vivo studies. In the majority of the studies, insects demonstrated the ability to reduce oxidative stress, modulate antioxidant status, restore the impaired activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduce markers of oxidative damage. Edible insects displayed anti-inflammatory activity reducing cytokines and modulating specific transcription factors. Results from animal studies suggest that edible insects can modulate lipid and glucose metabolism. The limited number of studies focused on the assessment of anti-coagulation activity of edible insects makes it difficult to draw conclusions. More evidence from dietary intervention studies in humans is needed to support the promising evidence from in vitro and animal models about the functional role of edible insect consumption.

Up until now, there is much debate about the role of asymptomatic patients and pauci-symptomatic patients in severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, and little is known about the kinetics of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) shedding in these populations. This article aims to describe key features and the nature of asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The cohort consisted of six participants, three pairs, which were infected with SARS-CoV-2 during February 2020 on board the Diamond Princess. Of the six confirmed (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) cases, four were initially diagnosed in Japan and two upon their arrival to Israel. Duration of infection was between four days and up to 26 days. Of the six patients, three were completely asymptomatic and the others were pauci-symptomatic. All five patients in whom a computerized tomography (CT) scan was performed had lung pathology. In one patient, infectivity was tested using cell culture and a cytopathic effect was demonstrated. A serology test was performed in three of the patients and all three had a positive immunoglobulin G (IgG) four to eight weeks after disease onset. This case series demonstrates that asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic patients may play a role in infection transmission by demonstrating probable transmission among asymptomatic spouses and by demonstrating a viable virus via a cell culture. Additionally, asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic patients can have lung pathology and developing IgG antibodies.

A seven-month-old girl was referred to the emergency department (ED) after a general practitioner suspected Steven-Johnson syndrome. Actually, the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid (BP) was made based on biopsies; BP is a rare, autoimmune skin disease involving the presence of blisters known as bullae. The child was efficiently treated with topical steroids. This case shows the importance of the ED physician’s prior knowledge of BP so that a differential diagnosis with other autoimmune diseases (dermatosis, pemphigus) can be made.

Thabouillot O, Le Coz J, Roche NC. Bullous pemphigoid in an infant: a case report. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(4):448–450.

The objective of this study was to compare the prediction efficiency of IgG concentration in bovine colostrum by NIRS, using liquid and dried (Dry-Extract Spectroscopy for Infrared Reflectance, DESIR) samples by transflectance and reflectance modes, respectively. Colostrum samples (157), obtained from 2 commercial Holstein dairy farms, were collected within the first hour after calving and kept at −20 °C until analysis. After thawing and homogenisation, a subsample of 500 mg of liquid colostrum was placed in an aluminium mirror transflectance cell (0·1 mm path length), in duplicate, to collect the spectrum. A glass fiber filter disc was infused with another subsample of 500 mg of colostrum, in duplicate, and dried in a forced-air oven at 60 °C for 20 min. The samples were placed in cells for dry samples to collect the spectra. The spectra in the VIS-NIR region (400–2500 nm) were obtained with a NIRSystems 6500 monochromator. Mathematical treatments, scatter correction treatments and number of cross-validation groups were tested to obtain prediction equations for both techniques. Reference analysis for IgG content was performed by radial immunodiffusion. The DESIR technique showed a higher variation in the spectral regions associated with water absorption bands, compared with liquid samples. The best equation for transflectance method (liquid samples) obtained a higher coefficient of determination for calibration (0·95 vs. 0·94, respectively) and cross validation (0·94 vs. 0·91, respectively), and a lower error of cross validation (9·03 vs. 11·5, respectively) than the best equation for reflectance method (DESIR samples). In final, both methods showed excellent capacity for quantitative analysis, with residual predictive deviations above 3. It is concluded that, regarding accuracy of prediction and time for obtaining results of IgG from bovine colostrum, NIRS analysis of liquid samples (transflectance) is recommended over dried samples (DESIR technique by reflectance).

Calves are highly dependent of colostrum (and antibody) intake because they are born agammaglobulinemic. The transfer of passive immunity in calves can be assessed directly by dosing immunoglobulin G (IgG) or by refractometry or Brix refractometry. The latter are easier to perform routinely in the field. This paper presents a protocol for a systematic review meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of refractometry or Brix refractometry versus dosage of IgG as a reference standard test. With this review protocol we aim to be able to report refractometer and Brix refractometer accuracy in terms of sensitivity and specificity as well as to quantify the impact of any study characteristic on test accuracy.

Colostrum is an essential source of immunoglobulin G (IgG) for neonate piglets. However, colostrum IgG content and nutritional composition can vary considerably among sows due to age, parity, feeding regime and immunological background. Currently, there is no practical way to obtain information about colostrum IgG concentration at herd level. We evaluated sows’ colostrum IgG content on-farm using a Brix refractometer and its performance was compared with that of an IgG ELISA. In addition, nutritional compositions of the colostrum samples were analyzed using Fourier transform IR spectroscopy. Colostrum samples (5 to 6 ml) (n=153) were obtained within 0 to 3 h of farrowing. However, to obtain a 24 h IgG profile for 11 sows, colostrum samples were collected at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 16 and 24 h after farrowing. A 0.3 ml of freshly drawn colostrum sample was used for the on-farm measurement of Brix percentages using a digital refractometer shortly after collection. The remaining fractions of the samples were frozen and submitted to laboratory analysis for total IgG, using a commercially available pig IgG ELISA kit. For nutritional composition analysis, a 35 ml colostrum sample (n=34) was obtained immediately after birth of first piglet from the first three pairs of frontal teats. Colostrum concentrations of IgG averaged 52.03±30.70 mg/ml (mean±SEM) at 0 to 3 h after farrowing. Concentration of IgG decreased on average by 50% during the 1st day of lactation (P<0.01). Sow parity did not influence colostrum concentrations of IgG. Differences in colostrum composition were recorded between two herds and among the parity groups (P<0.05). The Brix refractometer measurement of colostrum and the corresponding log transformed IgG measurements from the ELISA were moderately correlated (r=0.63, P<0.001, n=153). Based on the classification we suggest here, low levels of IgG (14.5±1.8 mg/ml) were recorded for colostrum samples with Brix readings below 20%. Borderline colostrum IgG content (43.8±2.3 mg/ml) had Brix readings of 20% to 24%, adequate colostrum IgG content (50.7±2.1 mg/ml) had Brix % readings of 25% to 29% and very good IgG colostrum content (78.6±8.4 mg/ml) had Brix readings >30%. Colostrum IgG concentration is highly variable among sows, Brix measurement of a sows’ fresh colostrum is an inexpensive, rapid and satisfactorily accurate method of estimating IgG concentration, providing indication of differentiation between good and poor IgG content of colostrum.

Excess iodine intake by the pregnant dam reduces lamb serum antibody concentration, specifically immunoglobulin G (IgG). An experiment was conducted to investigate the mechanisms under pinning the reduced serum IgG concentration at 24 h postpartum in the progeny of iodine supplemented dams. Forty-five mature twin bearing ewes (n=15/treatment) were allocated to one of three dietary treatments as follows: basal diet (Control); basal diet plus 26.6 mg of iodine per ewe per day as calcium iodate (CaIO3); or potassium iodide (KI). Ewes were individually housed and fed from d 119 of gestation until parturition. All lambs received colostrum at 1, 10 and 18 h postpartum via stomach tube. At 1 h postpartum lambs from the control and an iodine supplemented treatment (n=10 per treatment from control and CaIO3) were euthanised before colostrum consumption and ileal segments isolated to determine the gene expression profile of a panel of genes identified as having a role in antibody transfer. Preceding euthanasia, lambs were blood sampled for determination of serum IgG, total thyroxine and free tri-iodothyronine concentrations. Progeny of CaIO3 supplemented dams had lower tri-iodothyronine concentrations (P<0.01) at 1 h postpartum and lower serum IgG concentrations (P<0.001) at 24 h postpartum when compared with the progeny of control dams. Iodine (CaIO3) supplementation of the dam increased the relative expression (P<0.05) of the B2M, PIGR and MYC genes in the ileum of the lamb, before colostrum consumption; while the expression of THRB declined when compared with the progeny of C dams (P<0.01). In conclusion, the results of this study show that it is the actual inclusion of excess iodine in the diet of the ewe, regardless of the carrier element, that negatively affects passive transfer in the newborn lamb. This study presents novel data describing the relationship between maternal iodine nutrition and its effect on the thyroid hormone status and subsequent gene expression in the newborn lamb; which results in a failure of passive transfer and a decline in serum IgG concentration.

Instruments for on-farm determination of colostrum quality such as refractometers and densimeters are increasingly used in dairy farms. The colour of colostrum is also supposed to reflect its quality. A paler or mature milk-like colour is associated with a lower colostrum value in terms of its general composition compared with a more yellowish and darker colour. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between colour measurement of colostrum using the CIELAB colour space (CIE L*=from white to black, a*=from red to green, b*=from yellow to blue, chroma value G=visual perceived colourfulness) and its composition. Dairy cow colostrum samples (n=117) obtained at 4·7±1·5 h after parturition were analysed for immunoglobulin G (IgG) by ELISA and for fat, protein and lactose by infrared spectroscopy. For colour measurements, a calibrated spectrophotometer was used. At a cut-off value of 50 mg IgG/ml, colour measurement had a sensitivity of 50·0%, a specificity of 49·5%, and a negative predictive value of 87·9%. Colostral IgG concentration was not correlated with the chroma value G, but with relative lightness L*. While milk fat content showed a relationship to the parameters L*, a*, b* and G from the colour measurement, milk protein content was not correlated with a*, but with L*, b*, and G. Lactose concentration in colostrum showed only a relationship with b* and G. In conclusion, parameters of the colour measurement showed clear relationships to colostral IgG, fat, protein and lactose concentration in dairy cows. Implementation of colour measuring devices in automatic milking systems and milking parlours might be a potential instrument to access colostrum quality as well as detecting abnormal milk.

Colostrum intake from birth to 24 h after the onset of parturition (T24) was estimated for 526 piglets from 40 litters. Plasma concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG), lactate, glucose and cortisol were determined at T24 for six piglets per litter. Plasma IgG concentration was also assayed at weaning (28 days) on the same piglets. Rectal temperature was measured at T24 on all piglets. Mortality was recorded until weaning and comparisons were made between piglets that died before weaning and those that were still alive at weaning. The piglets that died before weaning had lower birth weight, lower colostrum intake, lower weight gain between birth and T24, and had a lower rectal temperature, higher plasma cortisol concentration and lower plasma IgG and glucose concentrations at T24 than piglets still alive at weaning. In addition, a higher proportion of piglets that died before weaning had difficulty taking their first breath after birth and were affected by splayleg. Considering all piglets, colostrum intake was positively related to rectal temperature and plasma glucose concentration and negatively related to plasma cortisol concentration at T24. Plasma IgG concentration at T24 was explained by colostrum intake, IgG concentration in the ingested colostrum, birth weight and birth rank (P < 0.0001). Plasma IgG concentration at weaning was related to plasma IgG concentration at T24 (r = 0.54; P < 0.0001) and to colostrum intake (r = 0.32; P < 0.0001). Finally, body weight was explained by colostrum intake, birth weight and age until 6 weeks of age (P < 0.0001). These results show that colostrum intake is the main determinant of piglet survival through provision of energy and immune protection and has potential long-term effects on piglet growth and immunity.

Bovine colostrum and milk antibodies of calving and lactating cows immunized with a multivalent vaccine consisting of whole cells of three different species of pathogenic bacteria including four strains of enterotoxigenic Escherischia coli, five strains of enteropathogenic Esch. coli, three strains of enteroinvasive Esch. coli, two strains of Samonella typhi, and one strain each of Shigellia dysenteriae, Sh. sonnei and Sh. flexneri were generated, respectively. A significantly elevated activity and titre of specific IgG from bovine immune colostrum were seen for only 5 days after calving of immunized cows, however, the levels of specific IgG could be obtained continuously from the milk of immunized lactating cows until the 11th week of the entire experiment period. Subsequently, we observed that the high specific IgG activity in immune milk was relatively stable under pH 5·0–7·0 at 37°C. Of importance, we identified that the specific IgG preserved its biological function for high antigen-binding activity at pH 5·5–6·5 for 30 min of heat treatment at 70°C and for 350 s at 72°C. Our findings suggest that the specific IgG from milk antibodies of immunized lactating cows may be used as an abundant source of hyper-immune products for prevention of multibacteria-induced diarrhea, however, the effect of pH on its antigen-binding activity upon heating should be carefully considered and designed.

When immunoglobulin G (IgG) was incubated with Spirometra mansoni plerocercoid (sparganum), it was cleaved into Fab and Fc fragments. Fab/c fragments were also hydrolysed. The digestion was accelerated by dithiothreitol (DTT), indicating that cleavage of IgG heavy chain was due to a cysteine protease secreted into the medium. The responsible enzyme, of Mr 27 (± 0·8) kDa, was purified by a series of thiopropyl affinity, Sephacryl S-300 HR and DEAE-anion exchange chromatographies, either from worm extracts or from excretory–secretory products (ESP). The purified, thiol-dependent protease showed an optimal activity at pH 5·7 with 0·1 M sodium acetate but was active over the pH range 4·5–8·0. Its activity was inhibited completely by 10−5 M L-trans-epoxysuccinylleucylamido(4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and 1 mM iodoacetamide (IAA), but by only 53% using the specific cathepsin L inhibitor, Z-Phe-Phe-CHN2 (5 × 10−5 M). Partial NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was Leu-Pro-Asp-Ser-Val-Asn-Trp-Arg-Glu-Gly-Ala-Val-Thr-Ala-Val which showed 80% homology to human cathepsin S. Immunoblot analysis showed that sera from infected patients exhibited IgE antibody reaction. It is proposed that cleavage of immunoglobulin by an excreted–secreted, cathepsin S-like, allergenic protease is a mechanism of immune evasion used by the sparganum.

Sixty twin-bearing ewes were allocated to one of four dietary treatments investigating the effects of supplementary iodine or cobalt during late pregnancy on lamb serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and vitamin E concentrations, and lamb IgG absorption efficiency. Ewes were offered grass silage ad libitum supplemented with 800 g per ewe per day of a 190 g/kg crude protein (CP) concentrate from day 126 of gestation until parturition plus one of the following supplements (n = 15 per treatment); no supplement (C); 26.6 mg iodine per day for final 3 weeks pre partum (I-3); 26.6 mg iodine/day for final week pre partum (I-1); 20 mg cobalt/day for final 3 weeks pre partum (Co-3). Lambs were blood sampled at 24 and 72 h post partum for serum IgG and vitamin E concentrations. Ten lambs from C and I-3 were blood sampled at 1 h post partum for serum IgG, vitamin E, T3 and T4 concentrations. There were no differences in serum IgG, vitamin E or T4 values (P > 0.05) at 1 h post partum between lambs born to the C and I-3 ewes. T3 levels were lower in I-3 compared with C progeny (P < 0.05). Supplemental iodine reduced colostral IgG absorption efficiency (P < 0.001) and lamb serum IgG concentrations at 24 and 72 h post partum (P < 0.001). Serum vitamin E concentration in I-3 and I-1 lambs was lower than in Co-3 lambs at 24 h post partum, while at 72 h post partum I-3, I-1 and Co-3 lambs had significantly lower concentrations than C lambs (P < 0.001). Supplementing the ewe’s diet with 26.6 mg/day of iodine for the final week of pregnancy reduced lamb serum IgG concentration at 24 and 72 h post partum. The lower total and free T3 values in the progeny of I-3-treated ewes suggest interference in the synthesis and metabolism of thyroid hormones when ewes receive excessive dietary iodine for 3 weeks immediately pre partum. Based on these findings, the indications are that the toxicity level for iodine in the diet of the pregnant ewe should be lowered to 20 mg per ewe per day, equivalent to 40% of its current level. The finding that high-level cobalt supplementation during the final 3 weeks of pregnancy will have a negative effect on serum vitamin E concentration at 72 h post partum is a new and significant finding and previously has not been reported in the literature.

Excessive I in the diet of pregnant sheep can reduce the concentration of antibodies in the blood plasma of the lambs after they have consumed colostrum. Our aim was to determine the dose of dietary I that would avoid this effect, and to relate this to changes in the concentrations of hormones and metabolites in the lambs. Four groups of pregnant ewes received concentrate containing 5·5, 9·9, 14·8, and 21·0 mg I/kg DM, respectively. Hay and molasses (containing 0·16 and 0·29 mg I/kg DM, respectively) were available ad libitum. The lambs were prevented from suckling for the first 24 h of life and were fed a fixed quantity of artificial colostrum in four feeds. At 24 h, the average plasma concentrations of immunoglobulin G in the lambs were 6·08, 5·06, 3·18 and 3·10 g/l for the 5·5, 9·9, 14·8 and 21·0 mg/kg groups, respectively. Supplementation with I was associated with higher levels of tri-iodothyronine and thyroxine in the lambs at birth. There was no effect of treatment on the plasma concentrations of insulin, cortisol, glucose or NEFA in the lambs. The concentration of dietary I that had an effect on the immunoglobulin concentration in the lambs is marginally above the levels added to commercial concentrate feeds; we tentatively identify 9·9 mg I/kg DM (approximately 9 mg I/ewe per day) as the upper safe limit of I supplementation according to the criterion of the concentration of immunoglobulin G in the plasma of lambs at 24 h after birth.