Abstract Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has become a growing Public Health concern in the last decade in industrialized countries after the discovery of autochthonous cases of hepatitis. Infections are usually acquired from zoonotic transmission from pigs but other routes of transmission in industrialized countries have been described and others yet have been suspected. Iatrogenic transmission such as transfusion of HEV–contaminated blood products and transplantation of HEV-infected organs are today well documented and heparin, a porcine derived pharmaceutical isolated from porcine intestinal mucosa, has been suspected as the source of infection. We tested different commercial porcine-derived pharmaceutical products for the presence of HEV, including low molecular weight heparins, anti-rotavirus vaccines and the poractant alfa. Our preliminary results show no HEV RNA in these pharmaceutical products however given the potential risk of HEV contamination of porcine-derived pharmaceutical products further investigation is warranted to exclude these products as potential sources of HEV transmission.

Abstract Zebra fish (Danio rerio) has been considered as an increasingly popular model organism for biomedical research since 1980s. Due to highly conserved nature of both genetics and cell biology as higher vertebrates, zebrafish is a suitable animal model in screening leading compounds and identifying drug targets. Small body size, ease of care, rapid development, and transparency of the zebra fish embryo allow researchers to visualize the processes of morphogenesis in early developmental stages with the high throughput screening and in the cost-effectiveness of producing and maintaining a large number of larvae in the laboratory. Moreover, variety of gene editing tools including chemical and insertional mutagenesis, morpholino antisense knockdown, and recent target-selected mutagenesis approaches have been available to model human diseases in zebra fish. By reviewing current studies, we highlight the use of zebra fish in representing depression, brain tumor, epilepsy, and anxiety brain disorders. As a relatively simple and feasible vertebrate species, zebra fish provides new promises in defining disease pathway and discovering specific and powerful therapies.