Investigation of cytokine levels and their association with SCORAD index in adults with acute atopic dermatitis

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with increasing frequency over the last decades, especially in adults. Cytokines orchestrate atopic skin inflammation. Objectives The aim of this study was to compare serum levels of cytokines in adult patients with acute AD (AD1) with other groups of AD patients and controls and investigate the possible association between such cytokines and disease severity. Methods We measured cytokine levels using flow cytometry in 21 adult patients with acute AD, 12 adults with chronic AD, 10 children with acute AD and 10 healthy adults. Results Flow cytometry analysis of cytokines revealed that interleukin 10 (IL‐10), IL‐6, interferon γ (IFN‐γ) and IL‐4 levels were significantly decreased in AD1 group compared with controls, whereas IL‐2 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) did not differ. Comparison of AD1 group with adults chronic phase group showed that IgE, eosinophil and IL‐2 levels remained unaltered, whereas IL‐10, IL‐6, IFN‐γ, IL‐4 and TNF were significantly decreased. SCORAD and IgE levels were significantly increased, IL‐10, IL‐6 and IFN‐γ were decreased and TNF, IL‐2, IL‐4 and eosinophil levels remained unchanged in AD1 group compared with children acute phase group. Within AD1 group correlation analysis revealed that IgE and TNF levels were significantly associated with AD severity. Coefficient of determination analysis revealed that TNF and IgE levels could explain 49.14% and 35.28% of the variance of SCORAD. Conclusions These data indicate that serum IgE and TNF levels correlate with AD severity and that serum cytokines are downregulated in AD1 group. Further studies are clearly needed to elucidate cytokines’ role in adults with AD .     

Gene expression changes linked to antimicrobial resistance, oxidative stress, iron depletion and retained motility are observed when Burkholderia cenocepacia grows in cystic fibrosis sputum

Background

Effective prophylaxis and treatment for infections caused by biological threat agents (BTA) rely upon early diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy. Most methods for identifying pathogens in body fluids and tissues require that the pathogen proliferate to detectable and dangerous levels, thereby delaying diagnosis and treatment, especially during the prelatent stages when symptoms for most BTA are indistinguishable flu-like signs.

Methods

To detect exposures to the various pathogens more rapidly, especially during these early stages, we evaluated a suite of host responses to biological threat agents using global gene expression profiling on complementary DNA arrays.

Results

We found that certain gene expression patterns were unique to each pathogen and that other gene changes occurred in response to multiple agents, perhaps relating to the eventual course of illness. Nonhuman primates were exposed to some pathogens and the in vitro and in vivo findings were compared. We found major gene expression changes at the earliest times tested post exposure to aerosolized B. anthracis spores and 30 min post exposure to a bacterial toxin.

Conclusion

Host gene expression patterns have the potential to serve as diagnostic markers or predict the course of impending illness and may lead to new stage-appropriate therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the devastating effects of exposure to biothreat agents.     

The distinct gene expression profiles of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma suggest different anti-apoptotic mechanisms but predict only some differences in phenotype

We compared gene expression in purified tumor cells from untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic (CLL) (n=24) and newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) (n=29) using the Affymetrix HuGeneFL microarray with probes for approximately 6800 genes. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed that CLL and MM have distinct expression profiles (class prediction). Gene and protein expression (measured by flow cytometry) correlated well for CD19, CD20, CD23, and CD138 in CLL and MM, but not for immunoglobulin light chain, CD38 and CD79b in CLL, or CD45 and CD52 in MM. CLL and MM differentially expressed 18% of 130 apoptosis related genes, suggesting differences in mechanisms of cell survival.     

Restoration of nerve agent inhibited muscle force production in human intercostal muscle strips with HI 6

An important factor for successful therapy of poisoning with organophosphorus compounds (OP) is the rapid restoration of blocked respiratory muscle function. To achieve this goal, oximes are administered for reactivation of inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Unfortunately, clinically used oximes, e.g. obidoxime and pralidoxime, are of limited effectiveness in poisoning with different OP nerve agents requiring the search for alternative oximes, e.g. HI 6. In view of substantial species differences regarding reactivation properties of oximes, the effect of HI 6 was investigated with sarin, tabun and soman exposed human intercostal muscle. Muscle force production by indirect field stimulation and the activity of the human muscle AChE was assessed. 30 μM HI 6 resulted in an almost complete recovery of sarin blocked muscle force and in an increase of completely inhibited muscle AChE activity to approx. 30% of control. In soman or tabun exposed human intercostal muscle HI 6 (50 and 100 μM) had no effect on blocked muscle force or on inhibited human muscle AChE activity. In addition, HI 6 up to 1000 μM had no effect on soman blocked muscle force indicating that this oxime has no direct, pharmacological effect in human tissue. These results emphasize that sufficient reactivation of AChE is necessary for a beneficial therapeutic effect on nerve agent blocked neuromuscular transmission.     

Weichteilnavigation im Kopf-Hals-Bereich und navigierte Fremdkörperentfernung

Background

Soft tissue navigation has traditionally been neglected in computer-aided surgery (CAS) because of unpredictable margins of error. In our study, we examined clinical cases in which standard CAS was applied in soft tissue surgery in the head and neck region. Its extended applicability, margins of error, and general performance are described and discussed.

Materials and methods

CAS was applied in surgical procedures for six patients. Five patients had foreign bodies in the head and neck region, and one patient displayed uncertain cervical lymph node enlargement. An optoelectrical navigation system (VectorVision², BrainLAB) was used in all cases.

Results

Using CAS, 10 out of 11 total foreign bodies were identified. Only one glass splinter attached to the eyeball could not be detected by the navigation system. One glass splinter that was deeply buried within the sphenoid bone was easily found but was left untouched. The parapharyngeal lymph node was identified and extracted in a minimally invasive transpalatinal approach.

Conclusions

Soft tissue navigation was successfully applied in all but one case; the success was due to the altered demands in soft tissue navigation as opposed to skull-base surgery. Easy identification of foreign bodies and lymph nodes was possible in the soft tissues of the head and neck, with an acceptable margin of error.     

Studies on the origin of redox enzymes in seminal plasma and their relationship with results of in-vitro fertilization

Glutathione (GSH), GSH peroxidase (GPX), GSH reductase (GRD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase-like enzyme activity were quantified in seminal plasma from normozoospermic patients, men with known distal ductal occlusion, proven fathers and male partners of couples receiving in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment for both male and female causes. Glutathione was non-detectable (< 2.5 microM) in seminal plasma. None of the enzyme activities per unit volume were lower in semen from vasectomized men, suggesting that they did not originate substantially from the testis or epididymis. The strongest relationships between enzyme activities and accessory gland markers were between zinc and GRD (r = 0.678), SOD (r = 0.602) and GPX (r = 0.548), suggesting a largely prostatic origin of these enzymes. Only weak relationships between accessory gland markers and catalase-like activity suggested a multi-glandular source of this enzyme. There was no relationship between the activity of any of the enzymes in the IVF patients with their fertilization rates in vitro or the establishment of pregnancy after IVF. Nor was there any correlation of enzyme activity with the morphology and percentage of motile spermatozoa in semen or with the percentage motility of spermatozoa immediately after swim-up or after overnight incubation. These findings suggest that the protective enzymes in the seminal plasma are contributed largely by the prostate and little by the epididymis, and that in most cases of IVF, they have no major influence on the outcome.      

The behavior of epididymis, processus vaginalis and testicular descent in cryptorchid boys treated with buserelin

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was initiated to analyze the behavior of epididymis, processus vaginalis and testicular descent in cryptorchid boys treated with a low dose (20 g) of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (Buserelin), administered daily, as a nasal spray, for a short period (28 days). Fifty-nine true cryptorchid boys were randomly assigned to 3 groups: buserelin, treatment [22], surgical treatment [18] or placebo control group [19]. The 3 groups of patients were similar before treatment in regard to testicular position, chronological and bone age, height and weight, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, penile size and the volume of the contralateral descended testis. None of the patients had retractile testes. Buserelin significantly induced testicular descent compared to the boys treated with a placebo (P<0.01). A normal epididymis was found more often in boys with successful descent (P<0.003). A closed processus vaginalis was also more frequently observed in the group treated with buserelin than in surgically treated one (P<0.05). In conclusion, buserelin was capable of inducing testicular descent besides provoking further development of the epididymis and closing the processus vaginalis.