Cell-mediated immunity in patients with sickle cell anaemia

Homozygous sickle cell disease patients have an increased risk of developing severe infections, probably because of impaired immunity. Cellular immunity was studied in thirty-two patients with S homozygous haemoglobin (SS) and compared to 32 A homozygous haemoglobin (AA) healthy subjects. A leukocytosis was observed but with a significant diminution of T4 and T8 proportions in sickle cell patients. B lymphocytes, concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin, and phorbol myristate acetate-induced lymphocyte proliferation were not different between the two groups except for enhanced pokeweed mitogen stimulation in SS patients. In contrast, addition of autologous sera to mitogen-induced cultures resulted in a potentiation of lymphocyte proliferation significantly greater in patients with S homozygous haemoglobin when compared to subjects with A homozygous haemoglobin. This highly amplified mitogen-induced response of lymphocytes by SS autologous sera, when compared to AA autologous sera, was not observed when these sera were added to lymphocytes obtained from an allogenic healthy individual. In vivo interleukin 2 production and natural killer activity were not different between SS and AA individuals. We conclude that there are functional abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity in patients with sickle cell anaemia and the SS lymphocyte activation by autologous sera was probably due to infectious and drepanocytic antigenic determinants contained in SS serum.     

Value of terminal subcultures for blood cultures monitored by BACTEC 9240.

Blood cultures collected in BACTEC Plus Aerobic/F bottles and BACTEC Plus Anaerobic/F bottles were monitored for 5 days by BACTEC 9240 and subsequent terminal subcultures. Of the 13,471 bottles subcultured, 11.0% (1,477 of 13,471) were culture positive. Of these, 94.0% (1,388 of 1,477) were detected by BACTEC 9240; the additional 6.0% (89 of 1,477) were considered to be false negatives by BACTEC 9240 since they were detected by terminal subculture only. The false-negative bottles consisted of 17 BACTEC Plus Aerobic/F and 72 BACTEC Plus Anaerobic/F bottles, accounting for 2.2 (17 of 786) and 10.4% (72 of 691) of the total positive aerobic and anaerobic bottles, respectively. The positive blood culture bottles most frequently not detected by BACTEC 9240 grew Pseudomonas spp. (24), Staphylococcus spp. (21), and yeasts (24). Of the 86 blood cultures represented by the 89 false-negative bottles, 41 would not have been identified as positive since the other bottle in the blood culture set was either a false negative or a true negative. In general, terminal subcultures of false-negative BACTEC bottles had heavy growth, indicating that BACTEC Plus media were able to support the growth of microorganisms, but the BACTEC 9240 instrument was unable to detect this growth.     

Sexual interactions between estrous female rats and castrated male rats treated with testosterone propionate or estradiol benzoate

Estrous female rats display 'precopulatory behaviors' such as ear wiggling and hopping/darting when castrated males treated with testosterone propionate (TP) are placed in their vicinity and before copulatory interactions have taken place. Castrated males treated with estradiol benzoate (EB) do not elicit these precopulatory behaviors in advance of copulatory interactions. It therefore seemed of interest to study females' sexual behavior with castrated males treated with TP or EB when males or females had primary control over the temporal patterning of the behavior. Unrestrained sexual behavior (= male control) with EB-treated males was characterized by large numbers of intromissions and long periods of time preceding ejaculation, as compared with interactions with TP-treated males. The temporal pattern of sexual behavior did not change importantly when the males were tethered (= sexual behavior controlled by females). When given a choice between two sexually active castrated and tethered males, one treated with TP and the other with EB, estrous females 'preferred' EB-treated animals in various respects. Fewer interactions occurred with, and less time was spent in the vicinity of, TP-treated males over prolonged observation periods (115-135 min). The preference for EB-treated males disappeared, and TP- and EB-treated animals became equally attractive, when the vaginal opening of the female animals was covered with adhesive tape to prevent the occurrence of penile intromissions during mounting. It is concluded that female control over copulatory behavior does not necessarily change the females' sexual behavior.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Evaluation of Mycotrim-GU for isolation of Mycoplasma species and Ureaplasma urealyticum.

The Mycotrim-GU (Hana Biologics, Berkeley, Calif.) biphasic culture system and a conventional system were compared for their ability to detect Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma species in 100 clinical specimens. Both systems detected 18 Mycoplasma spp. isolates. The average colony detection time was 1.9 days with the Mycotrim-GU and 2.3 days with the conventional system. The Mycotrim-GU agar detected all 33 U. urealyticum isolates recovered in the study, and the conventional agar detected 31. In addition to the U. urealyticum isolates recovered from the agar, there were several specimens that, although they did not grow colonies on the agar, gave an alkaline broth change. Of these specimens, two were found with the conventional system and seven were found with the Mycotrim-GU. The average detection time of U. urealyticum colonies was 2.0 days for the conventional agar and 1.7 days for the Mycotrim-GU. The Mycotrim-GU offers several advantages over the conventional system: it is commercially available, consists of a one-flask system which is ready to use, has a significantly longer shelf life, and is cost competitive. This study showed the Mycotrim-GU to be an effective system for detecting the genital mycoplasmas.     

Different calcium phosphate bioglass ceramics implanted in rabbit cortical bone. An interface study

In order to study the interface of calcium phosphate bioglass ceramics, cylinders of standard size were implanted in the tibiae of rabbits. The materials were evaluated by radiography, light microscopy and microradiography. Bioceramics with hydroxyapatite surface give rise to a closer contact with new bone than calcium phosphate glass ceramics.     

An electrophysiological study of the sacral parasympathetic pathway to the colon of the cat.

1. Electrophysiological techniques were used to study the sacral parasympathetic pathway to the colon of the cat. 2. Electrical stimulation of the sacral ventral roots or the pelvic nerve elicited contractions of the colon and firing in nerve filaments on the serosal surface of the colon. Both responses were markedly reduced by the administration of ganglionic blocking agents. It is concluded that sacral preganglionic fibres to the colon make synaptic contacts with extramural ganglion cells. These cells were identified histologically in small ganglia on the serosal surface of the distal colon and rectum. 3. Transmission in extramural colonic ganglia was cholinergic and mediated by nicotinic receptors. Colonic ganglia did not exhibit large recruiting responses during repetitive (1-4 c/s) preganglionic nerve stimulation or an adrenergic inhibitory mechanism, both of which have been identified in bladder parasympathetic ganglia. It is concluded that colonic ganglia unlike bladder function primarily as simple relay stations and have little potential for modulating the neral activity arising in the central nervus system. 4. The preganglionic input to colonic ganglia was mediated by C fibres with maximal conduction velocities ranging from 0-5 to 1-4 m/sec. Bladder ganglia, on the other hand, received a preganglionic input composed of B fibres with maximal conduction velocities ranging from 8 to 10 m/sec. The possible physiological significance of different types of preganglionic fibres in the sacral outflow is discussed.     

Enhanced Immunological Memory Responses to Listeria monocytogenes in Rodents, as Measured by Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH), Adoptive Transfer of DTH, and Protective Immunity, following Lactobacillus casei Shirota Ingestion

We have investigated the effect of orally administered Lactobacillus casei Shirota (L. casei) on immunological memory, as measured by delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and acquired cellular resistance (ACR). The studies were performed in animal models in which the animals were rendered immune by a primary Listeria monocytogenes infection. It was shown that orally administered viable L. casei, and not heat-killed L. casei, enhanced significantly the antigen-specific DTH at 24 and 48 h in Wistar rats, Brown Norway rats, and BALB/c mice in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. L. casei had to be administered at least 3 days prior to the DTH assay at a daily dose of 10⁹ CFU in order to induce significant effects. Long-term administration of 10⁹ CFU of viable L. casei resulted in enhanced ACR, as demonstrated by reduced L. monocytogenes counts in the spleen and liver and diminished serum alanine aminotransferase activity after reinfection. Enhancement of cell-mediated immunological immune responses by L. casei was further established in an adoptive transfer study. Naïve recipient BALB/c mice, which were infused with nonadherent, immunized spleen cells from L. casei-fed donor BALB/c mice, showed significantly enhanced DTH responses at 24 and 48 h compared to recipient mice which received spleen cells from control donor mice. In conclusion, orally administered L. casei enhanced cell-mediated immunological memory responses. The effects relied on lactobacillus dose and viability as well as timing of supplementation and, further, appeared to be independent of host species or genetic background.     

Acenocoumarol and heparin compared with acenocoumarol alone in the initial treatment of proximal-vein thrombosis.

BACKGROUND. In most countries, heparin is used in the initial treatment of patients with deep-vein thrombosis. Well-designed studies establishing the efficacy of heparin therapy are lacking, however. Treatment with acenocoumarol alone, according to the hypothesis that high dosages of oral anticoagulants obviate the need for heparin, is considered an effective alternative in some countries. METHODS. In a randomized, double-blind study we compared the efficacy and safety of continuous intravenous heparin plus acenocoumarol with the efficacy and safety of acenocoumarol alone in the initial treatment of outpatients with proximal-vein thrombosis. The principal study end point was a confirmed symptomatic extension or recurrence of venous thromboembolism during six months of follow-up. In addition, we assessed asymptomatic extension or pulmonary embolism by repeating venography and lung scanning after the first week of treatment. The incidence of major bleeding was determined during three months of follow-up. RESULTS. The study was terminated early by the Data Safety and Monitoring Committee because of an excess of symptomatic events in the group that received acenocoumarol alone (in 12 of 60 patients [20 percent], as compared with 4 of 60 patients [6.7 percent] in the combined-therapy group by intention-to-treat analysis; P = 0.058). Asymptomatic extension of venous thrombosis was observed in 39.6 percent of the patients in the acenocoumarol group and in 8.2 percent of patients treated with heparin plus acenocoumarol (P < 0.001). Major bleeding complications were infrequent and comparable in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS. Patients with proximal-vein thrombosis require initial treatment with full-dose heparin, which can safely be combined with acenocoumarol therapy.     

The outer membranes of Brucella spp. are resistant to bactericidal cationic peptides.

The actions of polymyxin B, rabbit polymorphonuclear lysosome extracts, 14 polycationic peptides (including defensin NP-2, cecropin P1, lactoferricin B, and active peptides from cationic protein 18 and bactenecin), EDTA, and Tris on Brucella spp. were studied, with other gram-negative bacteria as controls. Brucella spp. were comparatively resistant to all of the agents listed above and bound less polymyxin B, and their outer membranes (OMs) were neither morphologically altered nor permeabilized to lysozyme by polymyxin B concentrations, although both effects were observed for controls. EDTA and peptides increased or accelerated the partition of the hydrophobic probe N-phenyl-naphthylamine into Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae OMs but had no effect on Brucella OMs. Since Brucella and H. influenzae OMs are permeable to hydrophobic compounds (G. Martínez de Tejada and I. Moriyón, J. Bacteriol. 175:5273-5275, 1993), the results show that such unusual permeability is not necessarily related to resistance to polycations. Although rough (R) B. abortus and B. ovis were more resistant than the controls were, there were qualitative and quantitative differences with smooth (S) brucellae; this may explain known host range and virulence differences. Brucella S-lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) had reduced affinities for polycations, and insertion of Brucella and Salmonella montevideo S-LPSs into the OM of a Brucella R-LPS mutant increased and decreased, respectively, its resistance to cationic peptides. The results show that the core lipid A of Brucella LPS plays a major role in polycation resistance and that O-chain density also contributes significantly. It is proposed that the features described above contribute to Brucella resistance to the oxygen-independent systems of phagocytes.