Acute lung inflammation in rats induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)

Intratracheal administration of PMA produces acute lung injury in part due to the generation of O₂-derived free radicals. This study evaluated the role of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in PMA-induced lung injury in the rat. PMA was instilled into rats intratracheally (20–60 g/kg), and the lungs were lavaged 4 hr later. Total number of cells recovered from lavage after PMA treatment was not different from the total number recovered from controls; lavagable PMNs increased in a dose-dependent manner. Albumin in lavage fluid (an index of lung vascular permeability) was significantly increased at 60 g/kg PMA. SOD (10,000 U)+PMA (60 g/kg) reduced the albumin level but significantly increased both total number of cells and number of PMNs recovered from lavage fluid. To investigate the possibility that SOD decreases the ability of PMNs to adhere, PMN aggregation was measuredin vitro. The results indicated that 10,000 U SOD can inhibit PMA-induced aggregation by 50%. In contrast, aggregation to other stimuli (e.g., fMet-Leu-Phe, A23187) was unaffected by SOD. We conclude SOD prevents PMA-induced lung permeability and diminishes PMN adherence.     

Detection of hypodense eosinophils by Percoll multilayer density gradient centrifugation in subjects with normal or slightly elevated eosinophilia. Poor reproducibility and eosinophils of density < 1.077 g/ml.

In patients with marked hypereosinophilia 'hypodense' and 'normodense' eosinophils have been found after density gradient centrifugation. Subsequently this terminology has also been used in studies of patients with milder eosinophilia. However, in these cases the differentiation between normo- and hypodense eosinophils was less clear. This might be due to the high imprecision of the test of density gradient centrifugation, as demonstrated in the first part of this study: the mean within-assay variance of the number of eosinophils in the different density layers was 35%. It was calculated that the test must be performed eight times to obtain an estimate of the true mean for the individual patient. In the second part of the study, the absolute number of 'hypodense eosinophils' in groups of patients with asthma (adults and children) and rheumatoid arthritis (adults) were compared to normal controls. Although a difference in the absolute number of hypodense eosinophils between groups of patients and controls could be demonstrated, the high imprecision of the test of density gradient centrifugation suggested that the technique used was not useful in an individual with normal or slightly elevated eosinophils in the peripheral blood.     

Transformation and tumor promoter sensitive phosphoproteins in JB-6 mouse epidermal cells: one is also sensitive to heat stress

JB-6 mouse epidermal cells undergo irreversible transformationwhen exposed to tumor-promoting agents such as 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate(TPA). Phosphoprotein changes related to transformation weresought in four tumor cell lines related to JB-6 cells. Two dimensionalpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed altered abundancesof five phosphoproteins in the tumor cell lines compared withfive untransformed clones. The mol. wt. in Kilodaltons and isoelectricpoints in pH units were: 120/6.0, 80/ 4.5, 55/6.5, 37/5.0 and23–25/4.5. In all four transformants pp80 was markedlydecreased and the pp23–25 doublet increased. In two ofthe four transformants pp120 and pp55 were increased and pp37decreased. Treatment of untransformed clones with TPA affectedonly one of the phosphoproteins altered in the transformants.Treatment of untransformed clones with TPA produced a 2-foldincrease in pp80 after 5 h. pp80 returned to baseline levelsby 24 h and changed little in the continuous presence of TPAfor up to 96 h. The increase in pp80 with short term TPA treatmentoccurred in all of the untransformed clones but none of fourtransformants. Late preneoplastic (P +) JB-6 cells only requiretreatment with a tumor promoter to transform. Early preneoplastic(P – ) JB-6 cells require prior transfection of DNA fromlate preneoplastic JB-6 cells to transform in response to tumorpromoter treatment. Quantitative analysis of pp80 in early preneoplastic,late preneoplastic, and tumor cell lines showed an inverse relationshipbetween the level of pp80 and degree of preneoplastic progressionin these cells. pp80 represents 2% of total cellular phosphoproteinin JB-6 cells, shows microheterogeneity of both mol. wt. andisoelectric point, occurs in the particulate fraction of cellsand is readily solubilized by 1% Triton. pp80 is increased byheat stress and shares other properties with the recently describedmammalian heat stress protein, hsp 80. pp80's decrease in fourout of four tumor cell lines, inverse correlation with stageof preneoplastic progression and responsiveness to TPA in preneoplasticbut not in tumor cell line suggest that pp80 may be closelylinked to biochemical mechanisms underlying transformation inthis cell system.     

Exploring professional identity in rehabilitation professions: a scoping review

Advances in Health Sciences Education - Professional identity is believed to foster self-confidence and resilience in health care professionals. While literature exists describing professional...     

Collaborative working in health and social care: Lessons learned from post-hoc preliminary findings of a young families’ pregnancy to age 2 project in South Wales,United Kingdom

Children of young and socially disadvantaged parents are more likely to experience adverse outcomes. In response to this, a unique young families’ project in Swansea, UK, was created, which drew together a team of multi-agency professionals, to support people aged 16–24 from 17 weeks of pregnancy throughout 1,001 days of the child's life. The aim of the JIGSO (the Welsh word for Jigsaw) project is for young people to reach their potential as parents and to break the cycle of health and social inequality. This evaluation analysed routinely collected data held by the project from January 2017 to December 2018 exploring health and social outcomes, including smoking and alcohol use in pregnancy, breastfeeding, maternal diet and social services outcomes. Outcomes were compared to local and national averages, where available. Data relating to parenting knowledge and skills were available via records of 10-point Likert scales, one collected at the start of the JIGSO involvement and one around 4–6 months later. Findings showed higher than average levels of breastfeeding initiation and lower smoking and alcohol use in pregnancy. Parents also reported enhanced knowledge and confidence in their child care skills, as well as improved family relationships. Parents with high levels of engagement with JIGSO also appeared to have positive outcomes with Social Services (their child's name was removed from child protection register or their case was closed to social services). This was a post-hoc evaluation, not an intervention study or trial, and thus findings must be interpreted with caution. Despite this, the findings are promising and more prospective research exploring similar services is required.     

Indications, results, and complications of refractive corneal surgery with lasers

Large numbers of patients are being treated for myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism using the excimer laser. For many patients who are treated for myopia and hyperopia, the procedure is elective and these treatments remain investigational. The use of other lasers for refractive surgery is at an earlier stage, with human trials commencing for infrared lasers. Animal studies are being performed for pulsed picosecond and solid-state ultraviolet lasers. The indications for refractive treatment should be clearly defined, although the results of laser application remain the subject of investigation. Complications of laser application to the cornea occur in the immediate, short-term, and long-term posttreatment period. A continual improvement in refractive results along with a reduction in complications remains the goal of laser refractive research.     

Immunization with excretory-secretory molecules of intestinal nematodes induces antigen-specific protective memory Th2 cell responses

Parasitic nematodes infect more than 1 billion people in the global south. The development of effective antihelminthic vaccines is a crucial tool for their future elimination. Protective immune responses to nematodes depend on Gata3⁺ Th2 cells, which can also be induced by nematode-released products. Whether these nematode products induce antigen-specific long-lived memory T cells and thereby confer protection against a challenge infection is not known yet. Hence, we set out to characterize the formation of memory Th2 cells induced by immunization with Heligmosomoides polygyrus excretory-secretory (HES) products, infection-induced versus immunization-induced recall responses to a challenge infection, and whether HES-induced memory T cells show protective properties following adoptive transfer. Our results show that 8 weeks postimmunization, HES induces long-lived functional memory Th2 cells at the site of immunization in the peritoneal cavity. Following a H. polygyrus challenge infection, HES-immunized mice display MHC-II-dependent antigen-specific Th2 cytokine responses in the gut-draining lymph nodes, comparable to those induced by a prior natural infection. Moreover, adoptive transfer of sorted memory CD4⁺ T cells from HES-immunized donors reduces female worm fecundity following a challenge H. polygyrus infection in recipient mice, highlighting a protective role for immunization-induced memory T cells.