Neurocysticercosis in Persons with Epilepsy in Medellín,Colombia

Summary: Purpose: A prospective series of 643 persons with epilepsy attending a reference neurologic center in Medellin, Colombia, was examined by computed tomography (CT scan) or serology or both with the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (EITB) to assess the prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis. Methods: All presenting patients were consecutively enrolled in the study. Five hundred forty-six persons underwent cerebral CT scans; 376 of them also had serum EITB performed. Results: Prevalence of neurocys@ercosis by CT scan was 13.92%. Overall prevalence of T. solium antibodies with EITB was 9.82%, but for those with late-onset epilepsy (onset after age 30 years), prevalence increased to 17.5% and 19% for those who originated from outside urban Medellin. Seroprevalence in individuals with mixed lesions (cysts and calcifications) was 88.2% and 64.10% in those with live cysts. Conversely, only 2.72% of persons with CT findings not related to neurocysticercosis had positive EITB tests. Conclusions: Our study shows that an important proportion of individuals with epilepsy have radiologic or serologic evidence of T. solium infection, suggesting that neurocysticercosis is an important etiology for epilepsy in Colombia.     

Differential changes of nicotinic receptors in the ratbrain following ibotenic acid and 192-IgG saporin lesionsof the nucleus basalis magnocellularis

The basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are implicated in the pathogenesis ofneurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer^fn2s disease (AD). The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been found to besignificantly afflicted in AD. To study the underlying mechanisms for dysfunction of the basalforebrain cholinergic neurons development of suitable animal models is warranted. In this studywe investigated the effects of bilateral lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis on nAChRs inthe rat brain using the cholinergic system selective immunotoxin 192-IgG saporin andnon-selective excitotoxin ibotenic acid. Changes in nAChRs were measured by ³H-cytisineand ³H-epibatidine, two ligands with different selectivity for nAChRs subtypes. Inthe parietal cortex of ibotenic acid lesioned rates, the choline acetyltransferase activity (ChAT)was decreased by 24% while no changes were detected in the frontal cortex or hippocampus.Similarly, a 40% decrease was observed in the number of nAChRs labelled by ³H-cytisine,but not by ³H-epibatidine, in the parietal cortex, while no changes were found in thefrontal cortex or hippocampus. Although the 192-IgG saporin induced lesions reduced the ChATactivity in the frontal cortex, parietal cortex and hippocampus by 77, 50 and 21%, respectively, nochanges were observed in the number of nAChRs as studied by ³H-cytisine or ³H-epibatidine. The results indicate a difference in vulnerability of the cortical nAChRsubtypes to experimental lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. The findings in this studysuggest that a major portion of the nAChRs might be located on non-cholinergic neurons in thebrain.     

Expression of bcl-6 and CD10 protein is associated with longer overall survival and time to treatment failure in follicular lymphoma

Follicular lymphomas (FLs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors, but prognostic factors are evaluated insufficiently in this common hematologic neoplasm. While bcl-6 and CD10 are expressed characteristically in FLs, their significance for biologic behavior of FL has not been studied previously. Samples from 73 patients with FL and clinical follow-up from 7 to 231 months were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. Patients with high levels of bcl-6 expression had favorable overall survival (OS) (P = .003), disease-specific survival (DSS) (P = .033), and time to treatment failure (P = .003) compared with patients with low levels of bcl-6 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the results for OS, DSS, and time to treatment failure were independent of the international prognostic index. Patients with CD10+ FLs also had longer OS (P = .001), DSS (P = .007), and time to treatment failure (P = .004), and grade 1 FL was associated with better OS (P = .01) and a statistical trend for longer DSS (P = .05) and time to treatment failure (P = .05), but these results were not independent of bcl-6 expression or the international prognostic index in multivariate analysis.     

Fusion and Matrix Protein Gene Sequence Analysis of Paramyxoviruses of Type 1(PMV-1) Isolated from Pigeons in Slovenia

Paramyxoviruses of type 1 (PMV-l) isolated from pigeons were genetically analyzed. A part of the fusion and the matrix protein genes were amplified and sequenced, Typical amino acid sequences associated with virulence were determined at the fusion protein cleavage site in all PMV-1 isolates. All Slovene pigeon PMV-1 strains share high amino acid sequence similarity with other pigeon strains. In the phylogenetic tree, they are clustered together with pigeon PMV-1 isolates with moderate pathogenicity. Phylogenetic analysis obtained from the fusion and the matrix protein gene alignments showed the same branching order. Viruses circulating among pigeons were found to form quite unique lineage of virulent NDV strains.     

Multiple effects of caffeine on calcium current in rat ventricular myocytes

Caffeine exerts a number of different effects on L-type calcium current in rat ventricular myocytes. These include: (1) a slowing of inactivation that is comparable to, but not additive to, that produced by prior treatment of the cells with ryanodine (a selective sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ releaser) or high concentrations of intracellular 1,2-bis[2-aminophenoxy]ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) (a fast Ca²⁺ chelator), (2) a stimulation of peak I _Ca that is comparable to, but not additive to that produced by prior treatment with isobutylmethylxanthine (a selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor), and (3) a dose-dependent decrease of peak I _Ca that is not prevented by pretreatment with any of these agents. None of the caffeine actions could be mimicked or prevented by administration of 8-phenyltheophylline, a specific adenosine receptor antagonist. We conclude that only the slowing of I _Ca inactivation is due to caffeine's ability to deplete the sarcoplasmic reticulum of calcium. The stimulatory effect of caffeine on peak I _Ca is probably due to phosphodiesterase inhibition, while caffeine's inhibitory effect on I _Ca is independent of these processes and could be a direct effect on the channel. The multiplicity of caffeine actions independent of its effects on the sarcoplasmic reticulum lead to the conclusion that ryanodine, though slower acting and essentially irreversible, is a more selective agent than caffeine for probing sarcoplasmic reticulum function and its effects on other processes.The experimental part of this work was published during the postdoctoral stay of I. Zahradník in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA     

Autoantibodies to heat shock protein 90 in the human natural antibody repertoire

The present study demonstrates the presence of natural autoantibodies of the IgG isotype directed against heat shock protein 90 (HSP90). The binding properties of affinity-purified anti-HSP antibodies were compared with those of natural antibodies specific for other self antigens, including anti-thyroglobulin and anti-myoglobin autoantibodies, by using semiquantitative immunoblotting, with solubilized proteins from normal liver tissue as antigens, and cross-blot analysis using purified self proteins. Affinity-purified anti-HSP90 antibodies were polyreactive and the non-HSP90-specific fraction of normal IgG was depleted in its natural autoantibody content. We further observed that self antigens including HSP, myosin, tubulin and aldolase with highly conserved structures show similar patterns of binding with natural antibodies, and form a well-defined cluster as demonstrated by cluster analysis of immunoreactivity data, whereas the less-conserved self and non-self antigens remained unclustered. The results favor the hypothesis that HSP90 belongs to a subset of highly conserved and immunodominant self antigens that are the primary target for natural autoantibodies in normal human IgG.     

Thymic selection and peptide-induced activation of T cell receptor-transgenic CD8 T cells in interleukin-2-deficient mice

The requirement for interleukin-2 (IL-2) in repertoire selection and peripheral activation of CD8 T cells was tested in mice rendered IL-2 deficient by gene targeting and expressing a transgenic T cell receptor (TcR) (F5) specific for influenza nucleoprotein (NP) 366-374 + H-2D^b. Positive selection of the transgenic F5 TcR into the CD8 compartment proceeded normally. Both in vivo and in vitro, the antigenic peptide induced depletion of immature thymocytes and proliferation of mature CD8 T cells regardless of the presence of an intact IL-2 gene. In contrast, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity was only generated by T cells from IL-2⁺ F5 transgenic mice. Exogenous IL-2 was able to fully restore the CTL response of IL-2^?/? responder cells in vitro. Thus, both in vivo and in vitro, clonal expansion of CD8 T cells can proceed in the absence of IL-2, whereas in peptide-immunized F5 transgenic mice, induction of cytotoxic effector function is IL-2 dependent.     

Cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia is unimpaired in breath-hold divers

Hypercapnic cerebrovascular reactivity is decreased in obstructive sleep apnoea and congestive heart disease perhaps as a result of repeated apnoeas. To test the hypothesis that repeated apnoeas blunt cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia, we studied breath hold divers and determined cerebrovascular reactivity by measuring changes in middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAV, cm s⁻¹) per mmHg change in end-tidal partial pressure of CO₂ (     ) in response to two hyperoxic hypercapnia rebreathing manoeuvres (modified Read protocol) in elite breath-hold divers (BHD, n = 7) and non-divers (ND, n = 7). In addition, ventilation and central (beat-to-beat stroke volume measurement with Modelflow technique) haemodynamics were determined. Ventilatory responses to hypercapnia were blunted in BHD versus ND largely due to lower breathing frequency. Cerebrovascular reactivity did not differ between groups (3.7 ± 1.4 versus 3.4 ± 1.3% mmHg⁻¹     in BHD and ND, respectively; P = 0.90) and the same was found for cerebral vascular resistance and MCAV recovery to baseline after termination of the CO₂ challenge. Cardiovascular parameters were not changed significantly during rebreathing in either group, except for a small increase in mean arterial pressure for both groups. Our findings indicate that the regulation of the cerebral circulation in response to hypercapnia is intact in elite breath-hold divers, potentially as a protective mechanism against the chronic intermittent cerebral hypoxia and/or hypercapnia that occurs during breath-hold diving. These data also suggest that factors other than repeated apnoeas contribute to the blunting of cerebrovascular reactivity in conditions like sleep apnoea.     

Effects of melanotan II,a melanocortin agonist,on grooming and exploration in rats after repeated restraint/immobilization

2 mg/kg melanotan II (MTII, administered i.p.), a cyclic peptide analog of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone, at a single dose increased grooming in naive rats placed in an unfamiliar open-field device without changing locomotion or rearing. Male rats exposed to restraint/immobilization stress (IS) for 1 h on three consecutive days displayed increased grooming after the second stressor exposure, compared to pre-stress levels. MTII, administered to the rats after IS, enhanced the grooming response compared both to the pre- and post-stress values. The increase was greatest after the first dose and declined over the following two applications. As to the locomotion of rats in the entire experimental space, IS reduced the distance moved only after the first two stressor exposures; MTII did not influence these alterations. Locomotion in the central part of arena was not reduced by the stressor or by MTII, on the contrary, there was an increase in both groups after the third intervention. The only observed change in rearing was an increase in the MTII group after the third restraint exposure. Thus, MTII selectively increased grooming without markedly affecting the spatio-temporal structure of locomotor behavior in the open-field. The decline of MTII enhanced grooming over the three test days may be interpreted in terms of adaptation to the stressor and of the developing tolerance to the peptide.