Effect of intrajejunal elemental diet perfusion on local secretion of soluble CD4 and CD8

The effects of nutrients on the mucosal immune system are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to study the cellular mucosal immune response to intrajejunal perfusion of an elemental diet (ED) or a control (C) electrolyte solution by measuring jejunal secretion of soluble CD4 (sCD4) and sCD8. sCD4 and sCD8 are markers of helper/inducer and suppressor/cytotoxic regulatory functions of T cells, respectively. A four lumen tube with a proximal occluding balloon at the angle of Treitz was used for jejunal perfusion in seven healthy volunteers (mean age 23 years). The length of the test segment was 40 cm. The jejunum was successively perfused with C for 80 min and then with ED containing 21.3g/l of free amino acids and 104.2g/l of oligosaccharides for 100 min. Jejunal fluid and serum concentrations of sCD4 and sCD8 were measured and their jejunal outputs calculated. When compared with C perfusion, jejunal perfusion with the ED resulted in a significant increase of sCD8 but not sCD4 jejunal secretion rates. sCD8 jejunal values increased early after ED perfusion and stayed at roughly the same level during the perfusion. Serum concentrations of sCD4 and sCD8 were not modified during ED perfusion. These data support the hypothesis that ED suppresses the immunologic tone of the gut, which could explain its beneficial effect in the management of intestinal inflammatory disease.     

Morphological changes in the internal organs in chronic streptococcal infection

A histological and histochemical study was made of the internal organs of albino mice at various times (from 24 h to 27 weeks) after a single intraperitoneal injection of L-forms of -hemolytic group A streptococci. A progressive pathological process (myocarditis, hepatitis, glomerulonephritis) against a marked allergic bacground and leading to systemic lesions of the tissues was discovered.Institute of Human Morphology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR. N. F. Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR A. P. Avtsyn.) Translated from Byullten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 80, No. 9, pp. 111–115, September, 1975.     

Cellular responses to cytomegalovirus in immunosuppressed patients: circulating CD8+ T cells recognizing CMVpp65 are present but display functional impairment

The availability of tetrameric complexes of HLA class I molecules folded with immunodominant peptides makes it possible to utilize flow cytometry for rapid and highly specific visualization of virus specific CD8+ T cells. An alternate technique is to incubate whole blood with specific antigens and to subsequently detect and characterize responding T cells (e.g. by performing intracellular staining of interferon-gamma). By using an HLA-A2 tetramer construct folded with the same immunodominant CMV-peptide as that used for peptide pulsing, we monitored both the presence and functional capacity of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells. In addition T cell activation was assayed by determination of CD38 and CD69 expression. Twelve organ transplant patients and 31 healthy blood donors with latent CMV infection were investigated using CMV pp65 tetramer staining and intracellular staining of interferon-gamma after CMV pp65 peptide pulsing or CMV lysate pulsing. CMV-specific T cells were detected in similar absolute numbers as well as frequencies of T cells in the two groups investigated. However, the CMV-specific CD8+ T cells in immunosuppressed individuals showed a decreased functional response to the CMV-peptide, as evidenced by reduced interferon-gamma production when compared to healthy blood donors (19%; 42%, P < 0.005). In addition, CD38 expression was markedly higher in immunosuppressed patients compared to healthy blood donors (24%; 6%, P < 0.005). In a case report we demonstrate that reactivation of CMV can occur in an immunosuppressed patient with high number of CMV-specific T cells, but without functional capacity. Hence, these findings reflect impaired activation of cytotoxic T cells controlling latent CMV infection in immunosuppressed patients.     

UU和HCMV感染及细胞因子与输卵管妊娠的关系研究

本文研究目的是应用聚合酶链反应 (PCR)技术 ,检测 2 1份输卵管妊娠患者宫颈分泌物及输卵管液中解脲支原体 (UU)及巨细胞病毒 (HCMV) ,用ELISA法检测输卵管液中IL - 6、IL - 8,研究UU、HCMV感染和细胞因子变化与输卵管妊娠的关系。结果显示 :输卵管妊娠组宫颈分泌物和输卵管液中UU、HCMV检出率显著高于正常妊娠组 ,两者有显著性差异 (P <0 .0 5 ) ;输卵管妊娠组宫颈分泌物与输卵管液中UU、HCMV检出率比较无显著性差异 (P >0 .0 5 ) ;输卵管妊娠组输卵管液中IL- 6、IL - 8较正常妊娠组有极显著性差异 (P <0 .0 0 1)。结论 :输卵管妊娠与UU、HCMV感染和细胞因子变化有密切关系 ,与生殖道感染有密切关系。     

PMX2B,a new candidate gene for Hirschsprung's disease

Hirschsprung's (HSCR) disease is a congenital intestinal malformation of the enteric nervous system. It is a multigenic malformation and until now, eight genes have been involved in the etiology of this disease: genes encoding proteins of the RET signaling pathway (RET, GDNF and NTN), genes participating in the endothelin (EDN) type B receptor pathway (EDNRB, EDN3 and ECE-1), the SOX10 gene and the SIP1 gene that is mutated in syndromic forms of HSCR. Mutations of these genes are found in not more than 50-60% of affected individuals. Here, we report on the results of a molecular cytogenetic study performed in a girl who presented with a syndromic short segment HSCR associated with a de novo t(4;8)(p13;p22) translocation. A comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) study found a 4p12p13 deletion. A molecular characterization of this rearrangement showed that the 4p13 deletion was 5 Mb in length and included the paired mesoderm homeobox gene (PMX2B) (MIM 603851), a gene expressed in the human embryonic gut and essential for the development of autonomic neural crest derivatives. The present observation suggests that PMX2B haploinsuffciency might predispose to HSCR.     

A unique pattern of lymphokine synthesis is a characteristic of certain antigen-specific suppressor T cell clones

We report that the lymphokines (IFN-) and IL-10 are co-syntheslzedby previously described CD3⁺ TCRß⁺, minor antigen-specificsuppressor T cell clones. IFN- and IL-10 are known to (I) becharacteristically produced by different helper T cell types,T_h1 and T_h2 respectively, and (II) inhibit the function of thereciprocal subset of T cells: IFN- Inhibits the function ofT_h2 and IL-10 that of T_h1 cells. Although Th0 cells are alsoknown to synthesize cytoklnes of both the T_h1- and T_h2-typeT cells, the suppressor T cells described in this report aredifferent from T_h0 cells in that they produce (I) neither IL-2nor IL-4 molecules and (II) stimulation via their CD3-TCR systemseems independent of both IL-2 and IL-4, the typical autocrinemolecules for T cell proliferation. The lymphokine profile ofthese suppressor T (TJ cell clones, as well as those of humanantigen-specific T. cells reported earlier, suggests that co-synthesisof some T_h1-llke and some T_h2-like cytoklnes may be a characteristicof antigen-specific T, cells as opposed to the type of reciprocalinhibition mediated through IFN- or IL-10, which is antigennon-specific.     

流体切应力作用强度对内皮细胞IL-8生成的影响

血管内皮细胞衬于血管腔的表面，是血流机械应力的主要感受者。切应力可以直接调节内皮细胞生物活性物质的合成和分泌，其中包括诱导内皮细胞生成IL-8，而且IL-8的生成量与切应力作用时间有关。为阐明内皮细胞IL-8的生成除了与切应力的作用时间有关外还与切应力的强度有关，我们用不同强度的流体切应力(2．09、4．61、6．19、8．51、10．50、12．59、14．41、17．22、18．32dyne／cm^2)处理培养的人脐静脉内皮细胞，然后采用双抗体夹心ABC-ELISA技术检测内皮细胞IL-8蛋白质的生成。结果显示：未用切应力处理的内皮细胞只有极少量的IL-8蛋白质生成；切应力处理内皮细胞后，低切应力(2．09dyne／cm^2)时IL-8蛋白质生成量明显增加，约为高切应力(18．32dyne／cm^2)时IL-8蛋白质生成量的6(作用5h)或7倍(作用6h)。IL-8蛋白质生成量与内皮细胞所施加的切应力强度呈反变关系；直线回归方程：5h时为y=760．12—36．06x，相关系数7=-O．978；6h时为y=781．87—36．66x，相关系数7=-O．980。式中：y为切应力作用下内皮细胞IL-8的生成量；x为施加于内皮细胞的切应力强度(dyne／cm^2)。不同的切应力作用时间(5h、6h)均表现出相同的IL-8蛋白质生成量随切应力强度的变化规律。提示流体切应力诱导内皮细胞生成IL-8的量，不仅与切应力的作用时间有关，而且IL-8的生成量与切应力强度有关。流体低切应力诱导内皮细胞IL-8的生成量急剧增高，可能在急性炎症和动脉粥样硬化的发生、发展过程中具有重要作用。     

Seroprevalence of human herpesvirus-8 in blood donors from different geographical regions of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile

Human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) causes Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and lymphoproliferative disorders in both HIV-infected and uninfected patients. HHV-8 has a worldwide occurrence but infection rates vary according to a combination of geographic and behavioral risks. The main transmission route seems to be sexual, nevertheless, nasal secretions, saliva, blood, and organ graft have been proposed. HHV-8 was postulated as a new infectious agent for screening in blood donors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against HHV-8 antigens in blood donors of South America. Serum samples from 2,470 blood donors from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile corresponding to five geographic regions were studied by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Seroprevalence rate was 3.7% (92/2,470; 95% CI 2.9-4.5) in the entire blood donor population distributed as follows: Argentina, 4.0% (Buenos Aires city, 4.3%; Bahia Blanca, 2.4%; and Córdoba, 4.0%), Campinas (Brazil), 2.8%; and Santiago de Chile, 3.0%. There was no difference (P>0.05) between men and women or age related, except in Brazil where positive cases were 30-49-year-old males. The present study, which includes different geographical areas of multiple countries from South America, has not been done before. The results show similar prevalence rates among the studied zones corresponding to low-prevalence regions. South America is a large sub-continent with a wide spectrum of population and geographical characteristics, thus, more HHV-8 prevalence studies should be necessary to establish possible regional differences.     

TLR8 and TLR7 are involved in the host's immune response to human parechovirus 1

Toll-like receptors (TLR) have a key role in regulating immunity against microbial agents. Engagement of TLR by bacterial, viral or fungal components leads to the production and release of inflammatory cytokines. In this study we show that mainly TLR8 and also TLR7 act as the host sensors for human parechovirus 1, a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus. Furthermore, we see that the viral ssRNA genome is detected in endosomal compartments by these TLR, which activate signalling that lead to the synthesis of pro-inflammatory molecules by the host.     

Antigen and checkpoint receptor engagement recalibrates T cell receptor signal strength

1. Download : Download high-res image (214KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image