Type 1 immunity provides both optimal mucosal and systemic protection against a mucosally invasive, intracellular pathogen

It has been hypothesized that optimal vaccine immunity against mucosally invasive, intracellular pathogens may require the induction of different types of immune responses in mucosal and systemic lymphoid tissues. Mucosal type 2/3 responses (producing interleukin-4 [IL-4], IL-6 and/or transforming growth factor beta) could be necessary for optimal induction of protective secretory immunoglobulin A responses. On the other hand, systemic type 1 responses (including gamma interferon [IFN-gamma], tumor necrosis factor alpha, and optimal cytotoxic T-cell responses) are likely to be critical for protection against the disseminated intracellular replication that occurs after mucosal invasion. Despite these predictions, we recently found that vaccines inducing highly polarized type 1 immunity in both mucosal and systemic tissues provided optimal mucosal and systemic protection against the protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi. To further address this important question in a second model system, we now have studied the capacity of knockout mice to develop protective immune memory. T. cruzi infection followed by nifurtimox treatment rescue was used to immunize CD4, CD8, beta2-microglobulin, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-12, IFN-gamma, and IL-4 knockout mice. Despite the previously demonstrated importance of CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and nitric oxide for T. cruzi immunity, CD4, CD8, and iNOS knockout mice developed mucosal and systemic protective immunity. However, IL-12, IFN-gamma, and beta2-microglobulin-deficient mice failed to develop mucosal or systemic protection. In contrast, IL-4 knockout mice developed maximal levels of both mucosal and systemic immune protection. These results strongly confirm our earlier conclusion from studies with polarizing vaccination protocols that type 1 immunity provides optimal mucosal and systemic protection against a mucosally invasive, intracellular pathogen.     

Gene therapy for pituitary tumors

Pituitary tumors are the most common primary intracranial neoplasms. Although most pituitary tumors are considered typically benign, others can cause severe and progressive disease. The principal aims of pituitary tumor treatment are the elimination or reduction of the tumor mass, normalization of hormone secretion and preservation of remaining pituitary function. In spite of major advances in the therapy of pituitary tumors, for some of the most difficult tumors, current therapies that include medical, surgical and radiotherapeutic methods are often unsatisfactory and there is a need to develop new treatment strategies. Gene therapy, which uses nucleic acids as drugs, has emerged as an attractive therapeutic option for the treatment of pituitary tumors that do not respond to classical treatment strategies if the patients become intolerant to the therapy. The development of animal models for pituitary tumors and hormone hypersecretion has proven to be critical for the implementation of novel treatment strategies and gene therapy approaches. Preclinical trials using several gene therapy approaches for the treatment of anterior pituitary diseases have been successfully implemented. Several issues need to be addressed before clinical implementation becomes a reality, including the development of more effective and safer viral vectors, uncovering novel therapeutic targets and development of targeted expression of therapeutic transgenes. With the development of efficient gene delivery vectors allowing long-term transgene expression with minimal toxicity, gene therapy will become one of the most promising approaches for treating pituitary adenomas.     

Contribution of magnetic resonance microscopy in the 12-week neurotoxicity evaluation of carbonyl sulfide in Fischer 344 rats

In this carbonyl sulfide (COS) study, magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) and detailed light microscopic evaluation effectively functioned in parallel to assure that the distribution and degree of pathology in the brain was accurately represented. MRM is a powerful imaging modality that allows for excellent identification of neuroanatomical structures coupled with the ability to acquire 200 or more cross-sectional images of the brain, and the ability to display them in multiple planes. F344 rats were exposed to 200-600 ppm COS for up to 12 weeks. Prior to MRM, rats were anesthetized and cardiac perfused with McDowell Trump's fixative containing a gadolinium MR contrast medium. Fixed specimens were scanned at the Duke Center for In Vivo Microscopy on a 9.4 Tesla magnetic resonance system adapted explicitly for microscopic imaging. An advantage of MRM in this study was the ability to identify lesions in rats that appeared clinically normal prior to sacrifice and the opportunity to identify lesions in areas of the brain which would not be included in conventional studies. Other advantages include the ability to examine the brain in multiple planes (transverse, dorsal, sagittal) and obtain and save the MRM images in a digital format that allows for postexperimental data processing and manipulation. MRM images were correlated with neuroanatomical and neuropathological findings. All suspected MRM images were compared to corresponding H&E slides. An important aspect of this study was that MRM was critical in defining our strategy for sectioning the brain, and for designing mechanistic studies (cytochrome oxidase evaluations) and functional assessments (electrophysiology studies) on specifically targeted anatomical sites following COS exposure.     

Lymphocyte Transformation in Syphilis: an In Vitro Correlate of Immune Suppression In Vivo?

Suppression of cellular immunity during primary and secondary infection may explain, in part, the unusual clinical evolution of syphilis. We have previously shown that lymphocytes from normal subjects undergo blastic transformation when exposed in vitro to Treponema refringens. This response was suppressed in patients with syphilis. the suppression being unrelated to serum factors. In the present paper we studied lymphocyte response in vitro to T. refringens, T. reiter, and T. pallidum as well as to monilia and trychophytins. The response to these antigens was suppressed in patients with syphilis although the response to phytohemagglutinin. pokeweed mitogen, and streptolysin was normal. These data support the hypothesis that human infection with T. pallidum is followed by a complex interaction between cellular and humoral immunity, the former being suppressed in primary and secondary stages.     

The incorporation of iodine in thyroid hormone may stem from its role as a prehistoric signal of ecologic opportunity: an evolutionary perspective and implications for modern diseases

To optimize fitness under conditions of varying Darwinian opportunity, organisms demonstrate tremendous plasticity in their life-history strategies based on their perception of available resources. Higher-energy environments generally promote more aggressive life-history strategies, such as faster growth, larger adult size, greater genetic variation, shorter lifespan, larger brood sizes, and offspring ratio skewed towards the larger-sized gender. While numerous mechanisms regulate life-history plasticity including genetic imprinting, methylation, and growth factors, evidence suggests that thyroid hormone plays a central role. Given the pivotal adaptive role of thyroid hormone, the teleology of its dependence on dietary iodine for production remains unexplained. We hypothesize that iodine may have emerged as a substrate for production of thyroid hormone in prehistoric ecosystems because the former represented a reliable proxy for ecologic potential that enabled the latter to modulate growth, reproduction, metabolic rate, and lifespan. Such a scenario may have existed in early marine ecosystems where ocean-surface vegetation, which concentrates iodine for its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, formed the basis of the food chain. Teleologic parallels can be drawn to the food-chain accumulation of antimicrobials that also exhibit antioxidant properties and promote adult size, brood size, and offspring quality by modulating central hormonal axes. As each higher species in the food chain tunes its life-history strategy based on iodine intake, the coupling of this functional role of iodine with its value as a resource signal to the next member of the food-chain may promote runaway evolution. Whereas predators in prehistoric ecosystems successfully tuned their life-history strategy using iodine as a major input, the strategy may prove maladaptive in modern humans for whom the pattern of iodine intake is decoupled from resource availability. Iodine acquired through sodium iodide supplementation may independently contribute to some biologic dysfunctions currently attributed to sodium.     

Alternative methods to analyse the impact of HIV mutations on virological response to antiviral therapy

Background  

Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regression may be useful to summarize the HIV genotypic information. Without pre-selection each mutation presented in at least one patient is considered with a different weight. We compared these two strategies with the construction of a usual genotypic score.     

上矢状窦旁桥静脉的显微解剖与影像学观察

目的:通过对上矢状窦(SSS)旁大脑桥静脉的显微解剖、影像学观察及其对照研究,为各种纵裂间手术入路中桥静脉的保护提供基础。方法:分别对30例(60侧)上矢状窦和颈内静脉内灌注蓝色乳胶的成人头颅湿标本、40侧DSA静脉相和16侧CTV进行显微解剖和影像学观察。结果:上矢状窦前部和后部分别有一缺乏桥静脉注入段,显微解剖、DSA和CTV观察上矢状窦旁桥静脉的数量分别为11.2支、8.9支和7.0支,DSA和CTV观察发现桥静脉注入上矢状窦处常显示不清。结论:熟悉和比较上矢状窦旁桥静脉的解剖学和影像学特征有利于各种纵裂间手术入路和手术过程中桥静脉的保护。     

带翼金属烤瓷冠在残根残冠修复中的应用

目的 保留根周健康的残冠残根，采取带翼金属烤瓷冠修复牙体缺损，以恢复功能及美观。方法 选择85例患者110颗患牙经过根管治疗，给予金属烤瓷冠修复，修复时在它的邻牙腭或舌侧设计金属翼以加强固位。结果 经1～5年观察修复效果良好。结论 带翼金属烤瓷冠增加了唇、颊向对抗力，并分散了残根的垂直耠力，加强了摩擦力及固位。临床观察，具有一定实用性和可行性，但远期效果有待进一步探讨。     

JM细胞培养上清对人B淋巴细胞和小鼠脾细胞增殖的免疫调节作用

JM 是来自人胸腺不成熟 T 细胞的急性淋巴细胞白血病细胞系.本文以 SAC 刺激的人外周血纯化 B 淋巴细胞和小鼠脾细胞增殖为模型,观察了 JM 细胞培养上清(SPN_(JM))对人 B 淋巴细胞和小鼠脾细胞增殖的免疫调节作用.发现具有 T 细胞抑制活性的 SPN_(JM)对人和小鼠 B 淋巴细胞的增殖具有促进作用。在无 SAC 诱导时,SPN_(JM)与 HrIL—2协同对 B 细胞仍有促增殖作用.本实验还发现,高浓度时对 T 细胞具有抑制作用的 SPN_(JM),在低浓度时(1:640)对 T 细胞增殖亦具有促进作用.     

脑缺血再灌流对大鼠海马FOS蛋白的诱导及电针对其的影响

目的　探讨脑缺血再灌流后电针对大鼠海马FOS蛋白表达的影响。方法　采用夹闭大鼠双侧颈总动脉造成的脑缺血再灌流损伤模型 ,电针“百会”、“风池”、“大钟”及“足三里”穴 ,频率 2～ 2 0Hz,强度以肌肉轻微抖动为准 ,持续 30min ,4h后观察海马FOS蛋白的表达。结果　电针能明显加强脑缺血再灌流后海马各区FOS蛋白的表达。结论　缺血再灌流可诱导海马FOS蛋白的显著表达 ;电针信息对缺血后海马神经元的功能可能会有影响。