Talin1 is required for integrin-dependent B lymphocyte homing to lymph nodes and the bone marrow but not for follicular B-cell maturation in the spleen

Talin1 is a key integrin coactivator. We investigated the roles of this cytoskeletal adaptor and its target integrins in B-cell lymphogenesis, differentiation, migration, and function. Using CD19 Cre-mediated depletion of talin1 selectively in B cells, we found that talin1 was not required for B-cell generation in the bone marrow or for the entry of immature B cells to the white pulp of the spleen. Loss of talin1 also did not affect B-cell maturation into follicular B cells but compromised differentiation of marginal zone B cells. Nevertheless, serum IgM and IgG levels remained normal. Ex vivo analysis of talin1-deficient spleen B cells indicated a necessary role for talin1 in LFA-1 and VLA-4 activation stimulated by canonical agonists, but not in B-cell chemotaxis. Consequently, talin1 null B splenocytes could not enter lymph nodes nor return to the bone marrow. Talin1 deficiency in B cells was also impaired in the humoral response to a T cell-dependent antigen. Collectively, these results indicate that talin1 is not required for follicular B-cell maturation in the spleen or homeostatic humoral immunity but is critical for integrin-dependent B lymphocyte emigration to lymph nodes and optimal immunity against T-dependent antigens.     

Characterization of a Microsphere Formulation Containing Glucose Oxidase and its <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">In Vivo</Emphasis> Efficacy in a Murine Solid Tumor Model

Purpose  

This work focused on the characterization and in vitro/in vivo evaluation of an alginate/chitosan microsphere (ACMS) formulation of glucose oxidase (GOX) for the locoregional delivery of reactive oxygen species for the treatment of solid tumors.     

Paresthesia in various spinal anesthesia techniques for cesarean section

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of paresthesia with different spinal puncture techniques using a 27-gauge Whitacre needle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Spinal puncture was performed in 224 elective cesarean sections using different techniques in this single-blind, prospective trial. Patients were randomized to 4 groups: group 1, combined epidural and subarachnoid puncture using an introducer needle; group 2, combined epidural and subarachnoid puncture without an introducer; group 3, subarachnoid puncture with an introducer; and group 4, subarachnoid puncture with an introducer to within a few millimeters of the dural sac, at which point the introducer was withdrawn. RESULTS: Paresthesia developed in 23, 11, 16 and 5 patients in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Various nerve roots were affected. In 2 and 11 cases the fourth and fifth lumbar nerve roots were affected; in 29 and 13 cases, the first and second sacral nerve roots were involved. In comparison with group 4, the risk of paresthesia was 7, 2.5 and 4 times greater in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Combined epidural-subarachnoid puncture leads to a higher incidence of paresthesia in comparison with simple spinal puncture, probably because the lumbar puncture is performed on a dural sac that has been previously deformed due to the "tent effect" caused by the epidural needle. Fewer cases of paresthesia occur when the subarachnoid puncture is slow and steady and the introducer needle is withdrawn millimeters before it reaches the dural sac.     

Acupuncture anesthesia and analgesia for clinical acute pain in Japan

Acupuncture anesthesia has been practiced in China since about 1960. In Japan, Hyodo reported 30 cases of acupuncture anesthesia in 1972. However, from around 1980, the direction of acupuncture investigations turned from anesthesia to analgesia. Acupuncture analgesia is presently considered a way to activate the body's endogenous analgesic system. Recently, with the rise of acupuncture as one of the most well known CAM therapies, acupuncture or moxibustion treatment has been reported for both acute and chronic pain. Even so, few clinical reports and original articles have been reported in Japan. This review illustrates how acupuncture is being used in Japan for acute pain such as surgical operations, post- operative pain (POP), neuropathic pain, pain associated with teeth extractions and after the extraction of impacted wisdom teeth.     

Síndrome de Sweet asociado a síndrome mielodisplásico: a propósito de un caso. Revisión de la literatura

Sweet's syndrome or acute neutrophilic febrile dermatosis is a systemic disease of unknown etiology characterized by the appearance of skin lesions produced by a neutrophilic dermal infiltrate, fever and peripheral leukocytosis. It may be associated with hematologic diseases, including leukemia, with immune diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, or can occur in isolation. The myelodysplasias are hematological disorders characterized by one or more cytopenias secondary to bone marrow dysfunction. We present the case of a patient with Sweet's syndrome associated with myelodysplastic syndrome and treated with glucocorticoids who did not present a good clinical outcome. We discuss the different treatment of these diseases because in most cases glucocorticoids, which are the treatment of choice in Sweet's syndrome, may be insufficient.     

Rentabilidad de las muestras respiratorias pediátricas en la red centinela de vigilancia de la gripe en las Islas Baleares

IntroductionInfluenza disease is subjected to surveillance by national networks (RC) that predict the epidemic behaviour by reporting clinical and virological data.ObjectivesTo evaluate the effectiveness of the paediatric respiratory samples in the Balearic Islands RC in the last five epidemic seasons.Material and patientsA breath sample was taken from paediatric patients in the RC who had flu symptoms. The samples were inoculated in the MDCK cell line. We reviewed the epidemiological data of patients with a culture positive to influenza A and B.ResultsA total of 338 pharyngeal swabs from the RC were analysed during the study period. Of these, 65 (19.3%) belonged to <14 years old patients, and 44.6% of the samples were positive as opposed to 39.1% of adult respiratory samples. The influenza A virus was isolated in 24 paediatric samples (82.7%) and the influenza B virus in 5 (17.3%). The mean age of the paediatric patients of the RC who were positive was 8.5 years. Only 3 patients in the 0–4 year old group were positive (10.3%) and 26 patients (89.7%) in the 5–14 years old group.ConclusionsIn spite that paediatricians represented only 22% of the RC doctors and obtain the 19.3% of all respiratory samples, the percentage and effectiveness of these is higher that that obtained in the adult population.