CpG DNA inhibits CD4+CD25+ Treg suppression through direct MyD88-dependent costimulation of effector CD4+ T cells

Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands are notable for their ability to induce APC maturation, which in turn facilitates optimal T cell mediated immune responses. Toll-like receptor ligands, such as CpG DNA, can also modulate immune responses by blocking the suppressive effects of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Recently, we have demonstrated that CpG DNA, in addition to its actions on APCs and Tregs, can provide direct costimulatory signals to CD4+CD25- T cells. Here we show that this costimulatory effect is sufficient to abrogate suppression by Tregs. These data indicate a previously undefined role for TLR ligands in directly modulating CD4+ T cell responses.     

持续气道内正压对阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征患者动脉硬化早期表现的影响

背景和目的：阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征（OSAHS）与心血管不良事件相关，其中包括心肌梗死和卒中。动脉硬化是导致这些心血管事件的主要机制。最近的横断面研究结果显示，没有合并症的OSAHS患者也存在动脉硬化的早期表现。因此，本研究观察了持续气道内正压（CPAP）治疗对动脉硬化的影响。为了验证OSAHS直接参与动脉硬化的假说，本研究只纳入没有合并症的重度OSAHS患者。方法：在为期2年的时间内对400例男性重度OSAHS患者进行了筛选，其中376例因合并高血压、     

THE EFFECT OF PREVIOUS ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY ON THE BACTERIOLOGY OF THE TONSILS IN CHILDREN

The bacteriology of the tonsillar surface and core in 30 children undergoing tonsillectomy was studied. Antibiotics taken in the six months before surgery were recorded. Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus were the commonest isolates; Streptococcus pyogenes was relatively rare. Eight children had received no antibiotics, the others had been prescribed 65 different courses of 13 different types. No relationship between the various antibiotic regimens prescribed and tonsillar bacteriology could be demonstrated, and it would appear that the tonsillar bacteriology at the time of tonsillectomy is not altered by antibiotics prescribed in the previous six months.     

Antioxidative and immunological effects of Cyclocarya paliurus polysaccharides on the spleen injury of diabetic rats

OBJEVTIVE:To investigate the effects of Cyclo-carya paliurus (C.paliurus) polysaccharides on the spleen injury of diabetic rats.METHODS.:Animals were divided in...     

The intranuclear cleft of the intervertebral disk: magnetic resonance imaging

Three cadaver spines, 40 patients who were symptomatic for lumbar disk disease, and ten healthy subjects were examined by MR. T2 weighted spin echo images were used to evaluate the character of an intranuclear cleft. This cleft appears identical to annular tissue both on T2 weighted images and histologically. A 120 msec TE, 3 sec TR image was used to delimit the normal nucleus pulposus from the annulus. The incidence and age distribution of the cleft were calculated. An intranuclear cleft was present in all normal disks in both control and symptomatic subjects who were 30 years of age and older. If present in one disk, it was also present in 94% of the other disks in the same subject. This cleft represents a normal anatomic structure and appears to be a constant feature in subjects 30 years of age or older. Its absence, in the presence of an increased signal intensity within the disk, suggests a pathological process with a long T2 value, such as inflammation.     

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE SPANISH VERSION OF THEGMS–AGECAT PACKAGE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF DEMENTIA AND COGNITIVE DISTURBANCES

This report confirms the reliability and validity of the Geriatric Mental State–Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy (GMS–AGECAT) package in a Spanish elderly population. No changes in the original English version are considered necessary. A representative sample (N=1080) of the elderly (65+ years) community in Zaragoza, Spain, stratified by age and sex was assessed. A two-phase screening was designed: phase I (lay interviewers): Spanish versions of GMS–AGECAT and Mini-Mental (MMSE); phase II (psychiatrists,N=324): the same instruments and History and Aetiology Schedule (HAS). Diagnosis: DSM-III-R criteria. Stringent test–retest reliability coefficients were calculated by comparing lay interviewers’ (phase I) vs psychiatrists’ (phase II) ratings. DSM-III-R psychiatric diagnoses in phase II were the gold standards for the validity study. Test–retest reliability coefficients of the cognitive sections of GMS were: case/no case distinction, mean kappa=0.71; dementia/no dementia distinction, mean kappa=0.80. GMS validity coefficients: detection of cases, sensitivity=98.4%; specificity=76.5%. Test–retest reliability coefficients of AGECAT: case/no case distinction, mean kappa=0.59; organic syndrome, dementia, mean kappa=0.68. Validity coefficients of AGECAT (psychiatrists’ outputs): case/no case distinction, sensitivity=90.6%; specificity=89.3%; dementia/no dementia distinction, sensitivity=86.4%; specificity=94.3%.