27 research outputs found
CHARM Transformation : A case study on change and release management Catella Bank
No full textThe purpose of the thesis is to conduct a case study for investigating change and release management at Catella Bank, within the context of IT Service Management (ITSM), by measuring and to provide suggestions for improvements. Incident and operations management is included to enhance the understanding of the historical performance at Catella. The case study is set out to answer the following research questions: 1. “How does a transition in change management structure impact the performance of successfully delivering both changes and releases of IT services at a financial institution?” 2. “What are the causes of delays in the delivering changes and releases?” 3. “How does stakeholder involvement alter the performance of implementing a successful change and release?” 4. “How do Information Technology, and the corresponding departments manage and control necessary changes and releases of software at present?” Research methodology utilized in the thesis includes both qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, participation in meetings and empirical investigation of internal material at Catella. The result from the research has provided a significant collection of issues, as well as suggested solutions for Catella to take to improve organizational maturity in enhancing the capabilities in performing work related to the four managerial disciplines within ITSM. The research culminated in the creation of the CHARM (CHange And Release Management) model, which consists of integrating change and release management into project management, split between three different components for the three organizational levels. The author has created the following components: Strategy matrix, a governance model, and a process model
Immunoregulatory signal FoxP3, cytokine gene expression and IFN-γ cell responsiveness upon porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) natural infection
No full textThe study aims at evaluating gene expression of pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α), pro-immune (IFN-γ), anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines and of the immunoregulatory signal FoxP3 in association with PRRSV-specific IFN-γ secreting cell (SC) responsiveness upon PRRSV natural infection. Forty PRRSV-negative pigs were assigned to two groups: 20 pigs were vaccinated at 3 weeks of age (weaning) against PRRSV (V-PRRSV) with a modified live virus vaccine (MLV) and 20 pigs were kept non-vaccinated (NV) as controls. Blood samples were collected at 3 (vaccination), 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 weeks of age. Natural infection occurred from 8 weeks of age onward in both groups and viremia lasted 8 weeks. In the early phase of infection, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α) showed a delayed increase concomitant with the peak of viremia in both groups. In both groups, IL-10 peaked at 12 weeks in association with the increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, in vaccinated pigs (V-PRRSV), IFN-γ showed higher gene expression during the early phase of infection and a more intense secreting cell (SC) response in the late phase. Differently, gene expression of the transcription factor FoxP3, expressed by T regulatory lymphocytes (Tregs), increased significantly in controls only and was associated with the rise of the viral load. Moreover, FoxP3 levels remained significantly higher during the late phase of infection and paralleled with lower levels of IFN-γ SC detected by ELISPOT. The expression/production of immunoregulatory signals involved in Treg activation could be a promising marker to study the immunobiology of PRRSV infection
EVALUATION OF INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN PIGS NATURALLY INFECTED WITH MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE
No full textMycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MH) is the main causative agent of enzootic pneumonia of pigs.
49 pigs, presenting lung lesions, from 5 different herds were sampled at slaughterhouses.
Lung lesions were individually scored according to Madec e Kobish (1982).
MH was locally RT-PCR detected from each lung lesion according to Marois e coll. (2010)
Lung samples were formalin-fixed. 5 μm paraffin sections were histologically evaluated with a score, ranging from 0 to 4, for BALT volume, severity
of bronchi, bronchiolar disepithelization and subacute inflammation.
Immunohistochemistry was carried out using commercial antibodies anti-MAC387 to detect macrophages, anti-CD3 for T-cells, anti CD79α for B-cells,
Foxp3 for regulatory T-cells. The amount of antigen detected was scored from 0 to 4 based on the number of positive T and B cells foci per 4, 200 magnification
fields. T-reg cells were individually counted in four BALT per pig.
The average histological lung score ranged from 0.14 to 1.98. Results of RT-PCR were 32 positive and 17 negative samples.
Lungs showed catarrhal bronco-interstitial pneumonia with increased volume of peribronchial, peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphoid tissue.
10 samples showed subacute inflammation and 22 showed lesions MH induced without secondary bacteria irruption.
MAC387 positive cells were numerous in lung lesions (scored 4) affected by severe subacute inflammation while B, T and Treg cells were poorly
represented. On the contrary, T cells were numerous in hyperplatic BALT MH induced (scored 3 to 4). B cells were scarcely represented in subacute
inflammation; in MH induced BALT lesions were scored from 2 to 3.
This study shows that Treg cells are very rare in hyperplastic BALT, suggesting a less active role of Treg cells in maintaining a low activation of immune
system. Macrophages are numerous in subacute inflammation, while less in MH BALT, suggesting a low grade of apoptosis of cells of the follicle center
Preliminary in vitro characterization of some immunobiological properties of HP-PRRSV isolates in Italy
No full text
Clinical and immunological study of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) due to highly pathogenic viruses.
No full textPorcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) è una malattia endemica nella maggior parte dei Paesi a suinicoltura intensiva nei quali è considerata una delle maggiori cause di danno economico. La malattia colpisce le scrofe, determinando insufficienza riproduttiva e aborto, e i suini in accrescimento, con problemi respiratori, calo dell’incremento ponderale giornaliero e maggiore incidenza di infezioni batteriche secondarie. Negli ultimi venti anni in Nord America, Asia e successivamente in Europa sono emersi nuovi ceppi di PRRSV definiti ad alta patogenicità (HP) e caratterizzati da persistente viremia, elevata febbre (>41°C), gravi quadri clinici e alta mortalità in tutte le categorie produttive dell’allevamento.
In questo studio sono state condotte due sperimentazioni su un isolato italiano di PRRSV che in campo si comportava con caratteristiche di alta patogenicità (PRRSV-1 PR40/2014). Nella prima, è stata riprodotta l’infezione sostenuta dall’isolato confrontandola con quella causata da un isolato, sempre di origine italiana, a normale patogenicità (PRRSV-1 PR11/2014), per valutare ed evidenziare le differenze nella virulenza a cui si associano diversi quadri clinici e anatomopatologici. Nella seconda sperimentazione è stata valutata l’efficacia di un vaccino commerciale vivo attenuato MLV PRRSV.1 nei confronti di PRRSV-1 PR40/2014.
I risultati ottenuti dal primo studio hanno confermato una sintomatologia respiratoria grave, febbre elevata e anoressia nel gruppo infetto con PRRSV-1 PR40/2014, evidenziata macroscopicamente da una grave polmonite interstiziale, rispetto al gruppo infetto con PRRSV-1 PR11/2014. Microscopicamente, l’istologia e l’immunoistochimica degli organi linfoidi hanno mostrato una marcata deplezione linfoide, e in alcuni casi, totale atrofia del timo cervicale nei soggetti HP.
Nel secondo studio, i risultati ottenuti hanno mostrato una sintomatologia respiratoria più lieve e una ridotta viremia nei soggetti vaccinati e infetti con PR40-HP rispetto al gruppo HP. I valori degli anticorpi nei soggetti vaccinati sono stati sempre più alti rispetto al gruppo non vaccinato e si è osservato dopo 10 giorni dall’ inoculazione del virus un effetto booster che ha mantenuto tali i valori per tutta la sperimentazione.
Le sperimentazioni oggetto della tesi hanno confermato le principali caratteristiche cliniche, virologiche e patologiche di un isolato italiano PRRSV 1.1 ad alta patogenicità, mettendo in evidenza, attraverso il confronto con un virus a normale virulenza, la gravità del quadro clinico e anatomopatologico. Il vaccino commerciale MVL PRRSV-1 ha fornito una cross protezione parziale nei confronti dell’isolato italiano altamente virulento PRRSV-1 PR40 / 2014.Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is an endemic disease in intensive pig production countries, and it is one of the most important cause of economic damage. The disease affects sows resulting in reproductive and abortion failure, and growing pigs, with respiratory problems, decrease in daily weight gain and higher incidence of secondary bacterial infections. During the last twenty years, outbreaks of new highly pathogenic (HP) PRRSV strains, characterized by persistent viraemia, high fever (> 41 ° C), severe clinical signs and high mortality in all breeding categories have been reported in North America, Asia and later in Europe.
In this study, two experiments on an Italian isolate of PRRSV, with high pathogenicity characteristics (PRRSV-1 PR40 / 2014) in the field were carried out. In the first one, the infection dynamics of the Italian HP- isolate and of Italian normal pathogenicity (PRRSV-1 PR11 / 2014) strain were compared, in order to evaluate the differences in terms of virulence and pathogenicity. In the second experiment, the efficacy of a PRRSV.1 modified-live virus (MLV) commercial vaccine against PRRSV-1 PR40 / 2014 was evaluated.
The comparison results from the first study confirmed the more severe clinical and pathological aspects associated with the PRRSV-1 PR40 / 2014 infection, already described during the outbreak in the field. In particular, severe respiratory symptoms, high fever, anorexia and an interstitial pneumonia were reported in the infected group. Microscopically, histology and immunohistochemistry of lymphoid organs confirmed a marked lymphocyte depletion in HP–infected animals, and in some cases a complete atrophy of the cervical thymus.
In the second study, the obtained results showed a milder respiratory symptomatology and a reduced viraemia in the vaccinated and PR40-infected animals, compared to the NP group. The antibody titres in vaccinated group were higher than in the unvaccinated group, and 10 days after infection a booster was observed.
Both the experiments confirmed the main clinical, virological and pathological features of a highly pathogenic Italian PRRSV 1.1 isolate, highlighting the severity of the clinical and anatomo-pathological pictures. The PRRSV-1 MLV commercial vaccine provided a partial cross protection against the highly virulent Italian isolate PRRSV-1 PR40 / 2014
A highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus type 1 (PRRSV-1) strongly modulates cellular innate and adaptive immune subsets upon experimental infection
Get PDFHighly pathogenic (HP) PRRSV isolates have been discovered within both PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 genotypes and
investigated in recent years especially for their ability to cause extremely severe disease in conventional pig
herds. The exacerbation of general and respiratory clinical signs has been attributed not only to an efficient
replication (virulence) but also to the ability to dysregulate viral recognition and induce mechanisms of immune
evasion or immune enhancement of humoral and cellular anti-viral responses differently from non-HP PRRSV
isolates in terms of intensity and temporal onset. Thus, the understanding of the immunopathogenesis of HP
PRRSV is a major concern for the study of virus biology and development of efficacious vaccines. The present
study aims at addressing the modulation of relevant immune cell subsets by flow cytometry in the blood of 4-
week-old pigs experimentally infected with the recently discovered PR40/2014 HP PRRSV-1.1 strain phenotypically
characterized in Canelli et al. (2017) compared to pigs infected with a non-HP PRRSV isolate (PR11/
2014) and uninfected controls. PR40 infected animals showed an early and marked reduction of pro-inflammatory
CD172α+ CD14+CD16+ and CD14+CD163+ monocytes and TCRγδ+CD8α+/CD8α- lymphocytes
when pigs were most infected, possibly due to a recruitment sustaining an acute inflammatory response in
target tissues. The prolonged increased CD3+CD16+ NKT cell levels may sustain peripheral inflammation and/
or the anti-viral response. The late reduction (potential depletion) of γ/δ T lymphocytes and CD3+CD4+CD8α-
naïve Th lymphocytes paralleled with the delayed increase of CD3+CD4+CD8α+ memory and CD3+CD4-
CD8α/β+cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In addition, PR40 infection showed an early depletion of activated
CD4+CD25+ T lymphocytes and Tregs together with an intense and lasting depletion of CD21+ B lymphocytes.
Overall, these features demonstrate that the more severe clinical signs observed upon infection with the
HP PR40 strain are sustained by remarkable changes in the peripheral blood distribution of immune cells and
provide further insights into the immune regulation/immunopathogenesis induced by PRRSV-1 subtype 1
European isolates
Phenotypic characterization of a novel HP Italian PRRSV-1 isolate in experimentally infected pigs
Get PDFAssessing the virucidal activity of essential oils against feline calicivirus, a non-enveloped virus used as surrogate of norovirus
Get PDFNorovirus (NoV) causes serious gastrointestinal disease worldwide and is regarded as an important foodborne pathogen. Due the difficulties of in vitro cultivation for human NoV, alternative caliciviruses (i.e., feline calicivirus, FCV, or murine NoV) have long been used as surrogates for in vitro assessment of the efficacy of antivirals. Essential oils (EOs) are natural compounds that have displayed antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. We report in vitro the virucidal efficacy of four EOs, Melissa officinalis L. EO (MEO), Thymus vulgaris L. EO (TEO), Rosmarinus officinalis L. EO (REO), and Salvia officinalis L. EO (SEO) against FCV at different time contacts (10, 30 min, 1, 4 and 8 h). At the maximum non-cytotoxic concentration and at 10- and 100- fold concentrations over the cytotoxic threshold, the EOs did not decrease significantly FCV viral titers. However, MEO at 12,302.70 mu g/mL exhibited a significant efficacy decreasing the viral titer by 0.75 log10 Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50)/50 mu l after 10 min as compared to virus control. In this study, virucidal activity of four EOs against FCV, was investigated. A lack of virucidal efficacy of TEO, REO and SEO at different compound concentrations and time contacts against FCV was observed whilst MEO was able to significantly decrease FCV titer
