Ly6Chigh Monocytes Protect against Kidney Damage during Sepsis via a CX3CR1-Dependent Adhesion Mechanism

Monocytes have a crucial role in both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory phenomena occurring during sepsis. Monocyte recruitment and activation are orchestrated by the chemokine receptors CX3CR1 and CCR2 and their cognate ligands. However, little is known about the roles of these cells and chemokines during the acute phase of inflammation in sepsis. Using intravital microscopy in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis, we showed that inflammatory Ly6C^high monocytes infiltrated kidneys, exhibited altered motility, and adhered strongly to the renal vascular wall in a chemokine receptor CX3CR1-dependent manner. Adoptive transfer of Cx3cr1-proficient monocyte-enriched bone marrow cells into septic Cx3cr1-depleted mice prevented kidney damage and promoted mouse survival. Modulation of CX3CR1 activation in septic mice controlled monocyte adhesion, regulated proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine expression, and was associated with the extent of kidney lesions such that the number of lesions decreased when CX3CR1 activity increased. Consistent with these results, the pro-adhesive I249 CX3CR1 allele in humans was associated with a lower incidence of AKI in patients with sepsis. These data show that inflammatory monocytes have a protective effect during sepsis via a CX3CR1-dependent adhesion mechanism. This receptor might be a new therapeutic target for kidney injury during sepsis.     

Acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma: a report of two cases

Acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma is a rare low-grade malignant soft tissue tumor, usually observed in the extremities of middle-aged adults. We report two cases which occurred in the thumb and knee of middle-aged women. Both tumors showed a multinodular architecture, with cellular areas, occasional foci of hyalinized fibrosis, and hypocellular areas with a myxoid background. Various neoplastic cells were identified including spindled or rounded epithelioid cells and occasional bizarre giant cells, morphologically mimicking Reed-Sternberg cells or ganglion cells. Tumor cells were strongly immunoreactive for vimentin, and variably positive for CD68 and CD34. Both tumors were completely resected and patients were free of disease without any further treatment after a mean follow-up of 14 months.     

Effectiveness of permanet in Côte d'Ivoire rural areas and residual activity on a knockdown-resistant strain of Anopheles gambiae

The effectiveness of long-lasting preimpregnated nets of Permanet type (deltamethrin, 50 mg/m2) erected in households in rural areas of C?te d'Ivoire was tested on two laboratory strains of Anopheles gambiae s.s.: the Kisumu susceptible strain and the Vk per pyrethroids resistant strain with >70% kdr allelic frequency. Treated nets were distributed in households in three villages of Danan6 forest area in western part of C?te d'Ivoire. In each village, a net was sampled for bioassays. Three Permanets also were erected in the laboratory, serving as control samples. From May 2001 to July 2002, the effectiveness of these deltamethrin-pretreated nets was monitored using World Health Organization-cone tests on the two strains of An. gambiae. Mortality rates were recorded 24 h postexposure. Knockdown times for 50 and 95% mosquitoes (kdT50 and kdT95, respectively) were estimated by means of WIN DL software. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the knockdown times. Times to failure of nets were analyzed using Cox model. The kdT50 of the Kisumu susceptible strain with both laboratory samples and nets used in the field varied around 10 min. No significant difference was recorded between the kdT50 of the Kisumu susceptible strain with laboratory kept nets and samples of nets used in the field. The kdT95 values were in the same scale with the two types of nets. The kdT50 of the Vk per resistant strain when exposed to used nets were twofold that of the Kisumu susceptible strain at the beginning of the trial, and they increased to fivefold 15 mo later. These latter kdT50 significantly differed to those of the Kisumu susceptible strain tested with laboratory and field samples of nets. The kdT95 significantly differed from those of the Kisumu strain with laboratory kept nets and with field kept nets. Baseline bioassay mortality rates were always 99-100% with the Kisumu susceptible strain, and they did not show any significant difference between laboratory-kept nets and field-used nets during the 15-mo trial. With the Vk per resistant strain, the expected long-lasting activity was not achieved. A high decrease of mortality rates was observed from 69 to 75% in the first 3 mo to 2% at the month 15. This mortality was associated with significant differences between Vk per resistant strain tested with field-used nets compared with Kisumu susceptible strain tested with both laboratory kept-nets and field-used nets. This study emphasized the actual long-lasting effectiveness of Permanet against the An. gambiae Kisumu susceptible reference strain and a rapid decrease of residual activity against a strain with kdr-based resistance to pyrethroids.     

The effect of target modality on visual and proprioceptive contributions to the control of movement distance

The goal of this study was to determine whether the sensory nature of a target influences the roles of vision and proprioception in the planning of movement distance. Two groups of subjects made rapid, elbow extension movements, either toward a visual target or toward the index fingertip of the unseen opposite hand. Visual feedback of the reaching index fingertip was only available before movement onset. Using a virtual reality display, we randomly introduced a discrepancy between actual and virtual (cursor) fingertip location. When subjects reached toward the visual target, movement distance varied with changes in visual information about initial hand position. For the proprioceptive target, movement distance varied mostly with changes in proprioceptive information about initial position. The effect of target modality was already present at the time of peak acceleration, indicating that this effect include feedforward processes. Our results suggest that the relative contributions of vision and proprioception to motor planning can change, depending on the modality in which task relevant information is represented.     

Extended spectrum of antibiotic susceptibility for tuberculosis,Djibouti

In the Horn of Africa, there is a high prevalence of tuberculosis that is reported to be partly driven by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strictu sensu strains. We conducted a prospective study to investigate M. tuberculosis complex species causing tuberculosis in Djibouti, and their in vitro susceptibility to standard anti-tuberculous antibiotics in addition to clofazimine, minocycline, chloramphenicol and sulfadiazine. Among the 118 mycobacteria isolates from 118 successive patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis, 111 strains of M. tuberculosis, five Mycobacterium canettii, one ‘Mycobacterium simulans’ and one Mycobacterium kansasii were identified. Drug-susceptibility tests performed on the first 78 isolates yielded nine MDR M. tuberculosis isolates. All isolates were fully susceptible to clofazimine, minocycline and chloramphenicol, and 75 of 78 isolates were susceptible to sulfadiazine. In the Horn of Africa, patients with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis caused by an in vitro susceptible strain may benefit from anti-leprosy drugs, sulfamides and phenicol antibiotics.