Influence of Dialysable Transfer Factor on IgE Concentrations in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

Dialysable transfer factor (TF) was given in 10 paediatric patients with severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Ten patients with AD, matched for age and severity of disease, served as controls.
Prior to the therapy with TF and at weekly intervals thereafter, T- and B-cells in the blood, PHA-stimulation, total IgE and specific IgE antibodies to inhalant and food antigens were determined. Therapy with TF was followed by IgE depression in 8/10 patients and was most pronounced in three patients with initially high levels. Some decrease of IgE levels was seen in four controls also, none of them, however, fell to normal levels as was seen in two of the treated patients.
Specific IgE levels decreased slightly, but always remained within the pathological range. T-cell counts in the blood increased in 2/10 cases as well as PHA-stimulation. B-cell counts remained within normal limits. Clinical improvement was seen in one patient, five improved slightly and four remained unchanged.
Our results indicate, that transfer factor can lower total IgE levels in cases with atopic dermatis. The effect is most marked in patients with high total IgE levels. Skin involvement, however, does not closely follow in vitro findings.     

Three-dimensional eye position and slow phase velocity in humans with downbeat nystagmus

Downbeat nystagmus (DN), a fixation nystagmus with the fast phases directed downward, is usually caused by cerebellar lesions, but the precise etiology is not known. A disorder of the smooth-pursuit system or of central vestibular pathways has been proposed. However, both hypotheses fail to explain why DN is usually accompanied by gaze-holding nystagmus, which implies a leaky neural velocity-to-position integrator. Because three-dimensional (3-D) analysis of nystagmus slow phases provides an excellent means for testing both hypotheses, we examined 19 patients with DN during a fixation task and compared them with healthy subjects. We show that the presentation of DN patients is not uniform; they can be grouped according to their deficits: DN with vertical integrator leakage, DN with vertical and horizontal integrator leakage, and DN without integrator leakage. The 3-D analysis of the slow phases of DN patients revealed that DN is most likely neither caused by damage to central vestibular pathways carrying semicircular canal information nor by a smooth pursuit imbalance. We propose that the observed effects can be explained by partial damage of a brain stem-cerebellar loop that augments the time constant of the neural velocity to position integrators in the brain stem and neurally adjusts the orientation of Listing's plane.     

Distribution of the [3H]-label from low doses of radioactive ochratoxin a ingested by rats,and evidence for DNA single-strand breaks caused in liver and kidneys

The distribution of a single low dose of [³H]ochratoxin A (OTA) in different tissues of male Wistar rats, after administration by intubation, was investigated after 5 h, 24 h and 48 h. This dose corresponds to concentrations encountered in naturally contaminated feed (4 ppm). The distribution of [³H]-label varied with the time elapsed after administration; at 5 h the highest specific label was found in the stomach contents and in decreasing order in: intestinal contents, lung, liver, kidney, heart, fat, intestine, testes, and the lowest in muscles, spleen and brain. With exception of brain, fat, stomach and lung, all tissues showed maximum levels at 24 h, after which time the label decreased steadily, whereas in fat it increased.After a 12-week feeding experiment, with doses of 288.8 g/kg corresponding to an intake of 4 ppm in feed each 48 h, the DNA in liver and kidneys was investigated for damage. By the alkaline elution method combined with micro-spectrofluorimetric determinations of DNA, evidence for DNA single-strand breaks was obtained. These findings support reports on the carcinogenic action of OTA.     

Employment Consequences of COVID-19 for People with Disabilities and Employers

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation - Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the lives of people with disabilities (PWD). How the pandemic affects the employment of PWD...     

Sexualisierte Gewalt in der Erfahrung Jugendlicher: Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Befragung

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Seit 1998 erhebt die Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) im Rahmen ihrer Repräsentativbefragung...     

Active Case Finding of Current Bornavirus Infections in Human Encephalitis Cases of Unknown Etiology,Germany, 2018–2020

Human bornavirus encephalitis is a severe and often fatal infection caused by variegated squirrel bornavirus 1 (VSBV-1) and Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1). We conducted a prospective study of bornavirus etiology of encephalitis cases in Germany during 2018–2020 by using a serologic testing scheme applied along proposed graded case definitions for VSBV-1, BoDV-1, and unspecified bornavirus encephalitis. Of 103 encephalitis cases of unknown etiology, 4 bornavirus infections were detected serologically. One chronic case was caused by VSBV-1 after occupational-related contact of a person with exotic squirrels, and 3 acute cases were caused by BoDV-1 in virus-endemic areas. All 4 case-patients died. Bornavirus etiology could be confirmed by molecular methods. Serologic testing for these cases was virus specific, discriminatory, and a practical diagnostic option for living patients if no brain tissue samples are available. This testing should be guided by clinical and epidemiologic suspicions, such as residence in virus-endemic areas and animal exposure.     

DNA measurement,proliferation markers,and other factors in pituitary adenomas

To assess the proliferative activity of pituitary adenomas, 36 surgically removed adenomas were studied by light microscopical parameters; mitotic count; expression of PCNA, Ki-67, cathepsin D, and EGF; and image cytometry. Three adenomas (9%) showed high, 11 (34%) medium, 17 (53%) moderate, and 1 (3%) low structural differentiation. In 10 adenomas (31%), no mitosis was observed. The average was 2.4 mitoses/100 HPF; the highest count was 7.1 mitoses/100 HPF. Eleven adenomas (33.3%) were PCNA-negative; in 20 adenomas (60.6%), between 0.05 and 3.9, and in 2 adenomas (6.0%), between 10.5 and 16.4 PCNA-positive nuclei were observed. Only a recurrent null-cell adenoma (9%) was Ki-67-negative. Three adenomas (9.1%) were EGF-negative, 28 (84.8%) showed up to 10% positive cells, and 2 (6.1 %) showed between 10 and 30% positive cells; 19 adenomas (68%) were cathepsin D-negative, including all endocrine-inactive adenomas. Half the adenomas had an euploid DMA stem line. Endocrine-inactive adenomas displayed a higher rate of euploid DNA stem lines than endocrine-active adenomas. The S-phase fraction varied between 2.97 and 28%, with a mean value of 14.4%. Half the adenomas showed an S-phase fraction of 11.65% or lower.     

Modulation of electrically evoked [3H]-noradrenaline release from cultured chick sympathetic neurons

In the present study we attempted a comprehensive characterization of modulation of noradrenaline release from chick sympathetic neurons. To this purpose sympathetic neurons derived from chick lumbosacral paravertebral ganglia and kept in culture for 7 days were loaded with 0.05 mol/l [³H]-noradrenaline and subjected to electrical field stimulation (36 pulses/3 Hz). Since the released transmitter was partially recaptured, superfusion was usually performed in the presence of (+)-oxaprotiline, an inhibitor of noradrenaline re-uptake. [³H]-Noradrenaline was released in a manner which was dependent on extracellular Ca²⁺ and sensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX). -Conotoxin (-CTX; 100 nmol/l) abolished [³H]-noradrenaline release indicating that influx through -CTX-sensitive Ca²⁺-channels was essential for transmitter release. 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro4-[2-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]-3-pyridine carboxylic acid methyl ester ((±)Bay K 8644) and 4-(4-benzofurazanyl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-5-pyridinecarboxylic acid isopropyl ester ((±)-202-791), agonists at L-type voltage sensitive Ca²⁺-channels (VSCCs), increased noradrenaline release and induced, in addition, an overflow of tritium which was Ca²⁺-dependent and prevented by the presence of TTX. The L-type VSCC antagonists (–)-202-791 and (+)-4-(4-benzofurazanyl)-1,4-dihydro2,6-dimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicar boxylic acid methyl, isopropyl ester ((+)-PN 200–110) diminished [³H]-noradrenaline release. These data suggest that L-type VSCCs, probably located on the cell body of the neuron, play an additional role in modulation of release. The full ₂-adrenoceptor agonists 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)-quinoxaline ( UK-14,304) and noradrenaline significantly inhibited noradrenaline release, whereas clonidine, a partial a2-agonist, produced only a slight inhibition even at 10 mol/l. The facilitation of noradrenaline release observed in the presence of the ₂-adrenoceptor antagonist rauwolscine was very low in comparison to that obtained with brain slices and isolated smooth muscle tissues. These results corroborate the observation that noradrenaline release from chick sympathetic neurons is regulated by an ₂-adrenoceptor which needs further subtype characterization. The experiments were mostly performed at 25°C, since a rise in temperature to 37°C increased the resting outflow, but not the evoked overflow of tritium, approximately 4-fold. In the presence of pargyline to block monoamine oxidase, however, the temperature-dependent enhancement was diminshed and the release showed properties comparable to those observed at 25°C (with respect to TTX-sensitivity, Ca²⁺ dependence and modulation via ₂-adrenoceptors). In addition to the ₂-adrenoceptors, we detected inhibitory -adrenoceptors, opioid and receptors, and P₂ purinoceptors as well as facilitatory prostaglandin (PG) E receptors. No indication was found for a functional relevance of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), opioid , PGD, adenosine A₁ or glutamate receptors. In conclusion, electrically evoked noradrenaline release from cultured chick sympathetic neurons shows the properties of action-potential-induced transmitter release and is bidirectionally regulated by various substances. Therefore, sympathetic neurons in culture offer the possibility to investigate directly the mechanisms bringing about receptor-coupled modulation of transmitter release.Abbreviations ATP adenosine 5-triphosphate - Bay K 8644 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-[2-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]-3-pyridine carboxylic acid methyl ester - DAGO (d-Ala²,N-methyl-Phe⁴,Gly-ol⁵)-enkephalin - DPDPE (d-Pen ^2,5)-enkephalin - 5-HT 5-hydroxytryptamine - -CTX -conotoxin - KRBB modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer - NMDA N-methyl-d-aspartic acid - PG prostaglandin - PN 200-110 4-(4-benzofurazanyl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxy lic acid methyl, isopropyl ester - R-PIA R(–)-N⁶-(2-phenyl-isopropyl)-adenosine - TTX tetrodotoxin - U-50,488H trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl]-benzene acetamide - UK-14,304 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)-quinoxaline - VSCC voltage sensitive Ca²⁺-channel - 202-791 4-(4-benzofurazanyl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-5-pyridinecarboxylic acid isopropyl ester Correspondence to: C. Allgaier at the above address