Reproducibility of flow cytometric assessment of follicular tumours of the thyroid.

The reproducibility of the DNA index of paraffin wax sections from 44 follicular tumours of the thyroid (18 follicular adenomas and 26 follicular carcinomas), which had been assessed by flow cytometry was analysed in two laboratories, using consecutive sections of the same specimens and two different commercially available flow cytometers. Two slightly different cell preparation and staining techniques were used in the two laboratories. Using strictly defined criteria the histograms were classified blind as diploid, peritetraploid, aneuploid, or inadequate and insufficient by two independent investigators. Both the concordance between the two different flow cytometers and the agreement of duplicate assessments within the same flow cytometers were assessed. The mean coefficient of variation of the G0/G1 peak of the diploid tumours in the PARTEC flow cytometer was 5.5 (range 2.3-9.8) and in the FACS flow cytometer 5.2 (range 3.7-8.3); this difference was not significant. There was concordance of classification between the two laboratories in 35 of 36 cases. In 25 cases (18 diploid, seven aneuploid) the intralaboratory variation showed a 100% concordance in histogram classification. It is concluded that flow cytometer DNA index assessment of follicular tumours of the thyroid is reproducible and can be used to evaluate the discriminating and prognostic value of this feature.     

Optimization of plasmid maintenance in the attenuated live vector vaccine strain Salmonella typhi CVD 908-htrA

The broad objective of the research presented here is to develop a noncatalytic plasmid maintenance system for the stabilization of multicopy expression plasmids encoding foreign antigens in a Salmonella typhi live-vector vaccine strain such as CVD 908-htrA. We have enhanced the maintenance of expression plasmids at two independent levels. First, we removed dependence upon balanced-lethal maintenance systems that involve catalytic enzymes expressed from multicopy plasmids; we accomplished this through incorporation into expression plasmids of a postsegregational killing system based on the noncatalytic hok-sok plasmid addiction system from the antibiotic resistance factor pR1. We also included at least one naturally occurring plasmid partition function in our expression plasmids, which eliminates random segregation of these plasmids, thereby enhancing their inheritance and stability; to accomplish this, we incorporated either the par locus from pSC101, the parA locus from pR1, or both. We monitored the stability of optimized expression plasmids within CVD 908-htrA by quantitating expression of a variant of green fluorescent protein (GFPuv) by using flow cytometry. In this report, we demonstrate the utility of this novel plasmid maintenance system in enhancing the stability of our expression plasmids and go on to show that as the copy number of stabilized plasmids increases, the toxicity of GFPuv synthesis also increases. The implications of these observations for the rational design of immunogenic and protective bacterial live vector vaccines are discussed.     

Levels of quality management of blood transfusion services in Europe

The European blood legislation has defined several key quality elements to achieve Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in the field of blood transfusion. During the recent years, the blood legislation is in the process of implementation throughout its member states. Following the Directive 2002/98/EC, Directive 2005/62/EC has given further requirements for quality-management systems to be fulfilled by blood establishments. In addition, GMP/Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and ISO standards are used inter alia by blood establishments. In order to support the implementation of the blood legislation, the European Public Health Work Plan (2005/2007) has cofunded two projects, led by the German Red Cross and supported by the European Blood Alliance, delivering a common European Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) methodology (EU-Q-Blood-SOP) and criteria and standards for the inspection of blood establishments (EUBIS). The EU-SOP manual will assist blood establishments in preparing for the inspection of their services related to the implementation of quality relevant elements required by the EU Directive 2002/98/EC and its technical annexes. The standards and criteria for inspection of blood establishments will cross-reference existing quality standards to the directive requirements and define requirements for the structure of quality-management systems based on the directive 2002/98/EC and its technical annexes. Based on these requirements, inspection standards and criteria are developed to assist in the independent assessment of quality systems established by individual blood establishments. These assessments are done in relation to the requirements defined by the European Union legislation on blood, in order to safeguard the quality of blood and to achieve continuous improvement of its quality throughout Europe.     

Distinct expression patterns of polycomb oncoproteins and their binding partners during the germinal center reaction

Polycomb group (PcG) genes encode two chromatin-binding protein complexes, the PRC1 and the PRC2 PcG complexes, which are essential for the maintenance of cell identity and play a role in oncogenesis. PcG complexes were recently identified as novel regulators of hematopoiesis, and appear to be expressed in a non-overlapping pattern in resting and mature follicular B cells. Using highly specific antisera in combination with immunohistochemistry and triple immunofluorescence, we investigated the expression pattern of nine human PcG genes in germinal center (GC) B cells and highly purified germinal center B cell subpopulations. PcG proteins were detected in characteristic binding patterns that were not necessarily related to mutually exclusive expression of the two PcG complexes. We conclude that the two PcG complexes are expressed throughout GC development, and that the fine composition of each complex is determined by the differentiation status of the cell. In addition, a subset of dividing cells with a centrocyte CD marker profile was identified that co-expresses core components of the PRC1 and PRC2 complex. We propose that these cells reflect a transitional stage between resting and dividing follicular B lymphocytes, and that they possibly represent the healthy precursors of nodal large B cell lymphomas.     

Low elementary movement speed is associated with poor motor skill in Turner's syndrome

The article aims to discriminate between 2 features that in principle both may be characteristic of the frequently observed poor motor performance in girls with Turner's syndrome (TS). On the one hand, a reduced movement speed that is independent of variations in spatial accuracy demands and therefore suggests a problem in motor execution. On the other hand, a disproportional slowing down of movement speed under spatial-accuracy demands, indicating a more central problem in motor programming. To assess their motor performance problems, 15 girls with TS (age 9.6-13.0 years) and 14 female controls (age 9.1-13.0 years) were tested using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). In additionally, an experimental procedure using a variant of Fitts' graphic aiming task was used to try and disentangle the role of spatial-accuracy demands in different motor task conditions. The results of the MABC reestablish that overall motor performance in girls with TS is poor. The data from the Fitts' task reveal that TS girls move with the same accuracy as their normal peers but show a significantly lower speed independent of task difficulty. We conclude that a problem in motor execution is the main factor determining performance differences between girls with TS and controls.     

Prostaglandin E2 synthesis and suppression of fibroblast proliferation by alveolar epithelial cells is cyclooxygenase-2-dependent

Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) may influence neighboring fibroblasts by the elaboration of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)). This prostanoid can be synthesized via "constitutive" cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and "inducible" COX-2 enzyme isoforms. We compared AECs isolated from wild-type (WT), COX-1 knockout (KO), and COX-2 KO mice to determine the contribution of COX isoforms to AEC PGE(2) synthesis and capacity for suppression of fibroblast proliferation in co-cultures. WT AECs constitutively expressed both COX-1 and COX-2 isoforms by immunoblot analysis. COX-1 KO cells and WT cells comparably augmented PGE(2) synthesis following incubation with lipopolysaccharide or interleukin-1, whereas COX-2 KO cells were unable to do so. Surprisingly, however, constitutive generation of PGE(2) was also dramatically reduced only in COX-2 KO cells. When co-cultured with WT murine lung fibroblasts, AECs from WT and COX-1 KO animals suppressed serum-induced fibroblast proliferation, whereas COX-2-deficient AECs caused a modest enhancement in fibroblast proliferation. These results indicate that PGE(2) synthetic capacity in AECs is predominantly COX-2-dependent under both basal and stimulated conditions. They also demonstrate conclusively that AECs can modulate fibroblast function by the elaboration of suppressive prostanoids. These alterations in AEC phenotype likely contribute to the propensity for pulmonary fibrosis observed in COX-2-deficient mice.     

The gamma interferon receptor is required for the protective pulmonary inflammatory response to Cryptococcus neoformans

Mice with a null deletion mutation in the gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) receptor gene were used to study the role of IFN-gamma responsiveness during experimental pulmonary cryptococcosis. Cryptococcus neoformans was inoculated intratracheally into mice lacking the IFN-gamma receptor gene (IFN-gammaR-/-) and into control mice (IFN-gammaR+/+). The numbers of CFU in lung, spleen, and brain were determined to assess clearance; cytokines produced by lung leukocytes were measured, and survival curves were generated. In the present study, we demonstrate the following points. (i) IFN-gammaR-/- mice are markedly more susceptible to C. neoformans infection than IFN-gammaR+/+ mice. (ii) In the absence of IFN-gamma signaling, pulmonary CFU continue to increase over the course of infection, and the infection disseminates to the brain. (iii) In the absence of IFN-gamma receptor, recruitment of inflammatory cells in response to pulmonary cryptococcal infection is not impaired. (iv) At week 5 postinfection, IFN-gammaR-/- mice have recruited greater numbers of leukocytes into their lungs, with neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes accounting for this cellular increase. (v) IFN-gamma signaling is required for the development of a T1 over a T2 immune response in the lung following cryptococcal infection. These results indicate that in the absence of IFN- gamma responsiveness, even though the recruitment of pulmonary inflammatory cells is not impaired and the secretion of IFN-gamma is not affected, IFN-gammaR-/- mice do not have the ability to resolve the cryptococcal infection. In conclusion, our data suggest that proper functional IFN-gamma signaling, possibly through a mechanism which inhibits the potentially disease-promoting T2 response, is required for mice to confine the cryptococcal infection.     

Induction of interleukin-12 and gamma interferon requires tumor necrosis factor alpha for protective T1-cell-mediated immunity to pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection

The development of T1-cell-mediated immunity is required to clear a pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection. The objective of these studies was to determine the mechanism by which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) augments the development of pulmonary T1 immunity to C. neoformans infection. TNF-alpha expression was detected in lavage sample cells at days 2, 3, and 7 following C. neoformans infection. The numbers of CFU in the lung were not different between control and anti-TNF-alpha-treated mice at any time point examined during the afferent phase of the response (days 0 to 7). However, neutralization of TNF-alpha prevented the initiation of pulmonary clearance during the efferent phase of the response (day 14). Administration of anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody (day 0) diminished the lung levels of TNF-alpha, interleukin-12 (IL-12), and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) induced by C. neoformans at day 7 postinfection. Neutralization of TNF-alpha (day 0) also altered the IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratio in the lung-associated lymph nodes at day 7 following C. neoformans infection. Anti-TNF-alpha-treated mice developed a pulmonary eosinophilia at day 14 postinfection. Consistent with the pulmonary eosinophilia, anti-TNF-alpha-treated mice exhibited elevated serum immunoglobulin E and inhibition of the anticryptococcal delayed-type hypersensitivity response, indicating a shift toward a T2 response. Neutralization of IL-12 also prevented lung leukocyte production of IFN-gamma in response to the infection. These findings demonstrate that afferent-phase TNF-alpha production is essential for the induction of IL-12 and IFN-gamma and neutralization of early TNF-alpha results in a T2 shift of the T1/T2 balance of antifungal immunity.