Neutrophil adherence induced by lipopolysaccharide in vitro. Role of plasma component interaction with lipopolysaccharide.

Endotoxemia results in neutrophil localization within a number of microcirculatory beds, reflecting in part an adhesive interaction between neutrophils and the vascular endothelial cell. In previous studies, endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of rabbits resulted in neutrophil sequestration at LPS concentrations well below those effective at increasing neutrophil adherence in vitro. We hypothesized that LPS-induced neutrophil adherence involved a plasma component. In the absence of plasma, high concentrations of LPS (10 micrograms/ml) were required to increase human neutrophil adherence to endothelial cells in vitro. With the inclusion of as little as 1% plasma or serum, however, the LPS dose-response curve was markedly shifted, resulting in increments in adherence at 10 ng/ml, and the time course of enhanced adherence was accelerated. Pretreatment studies suggested that the effect of LPS was on the neutrophil rather than the endothelial cell. Immunoprecipitation of 0111:B4 LPS paralleled the loss of functional activity, suggesting that LPS was an integral part of the active complex, rather than altering a plasma component to make it active. The incubation of plasma with LPS decreased the apparent molecular mass of LPS from 500-1,000 kD to approximately 100 kD. The disaggregated 0111:B4 LPS eluted in the range of albumin and was able to increase adherence in the absence of additional plasma. Plasma depleted of lipoproteins or heat treated retained activity, suggesting that the interaction of LPS with HDL or complement did not account for the observed findings. An LPS-binding protein isolated from rabbit serum enhanced the adherence-inducing effects of both 0111:B4 and Re595 LPS. Furthermore, the activity of rabbit serum was abolished after incubation with an antibody directed against this LPS-binding protein (LBP). An antibody directed against CD14, the putative receptor of the LPS-LBP complex, prevented the adhesive response to LPS. These data suggest that LPS is disaggregated by an LBP in serum and plasma to form an active LPS-plasma component complex. This putative complex then interacts with CD14 on the neutrophil so as to induce an adhesive state.     

Common and distinct intracellular signaling pathways in human neutrophils utilized by platelet activating factor and FMLP.

Stimulation of human neutrophils with chemoattractants FMLP or platelet activating factor (PAF) results in different but overlapping functional responses. We questioned whether these differences might reflect patterns of intracellular signal transduction. Stimulation with either PAF or FMLP resulted in equivalent phosphorylation and activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPk) homologue 38-kD murine MAP kinase homologous to HOG-1 (p38) MAPk. Neither FMLP nor PAF activated c-jun NH2-terminal MAPk (JNKs). Under identical conditions, FMLP but not PAF, resulted in significant p42/44 (ERK) MAPk activation. Both FMLP and PAF activated MAP kinase kinase-3 (MKK3), a known activator of p38 MAPk. Both MAP ERK kinase kinase-1 (MEKK1) and Raf are activated strongly by FMLP, but minimally by PAF. Pertussis toxin blocked FMLP-induced activation of the p42/44 (ERK) MAPk cascade, but not that of p38 MAPk. A specific p38 MAPk inhibitor (SK&F 86002) blocked superoxide anion production in response to FMLP and reduced adhesion and chemotaxis in response to PAF or FMLP. These results demonstrate distinct patterns of intracellular signaling for two chemoattractants and suggest that selective activation of intracellular signaling cascades may underlie different patterns of functional responses.     

Studying the Process of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: Discursive and Embodied Aspects

This paper presents a case study that aims to further our understanding of the relational and embodied aspects of the psychotherapy process. One psychoanalytic session is examined on multiple levels, including talk, participants’ physiological arousal and interactional attunement, ruptures in the therapeutic alliance, postural congruence and facial expression of affect. Implicit processes of non‐verbal attunement seem to play a role in resolving ruptures and in fostering exploration and the creation of new meanings. Embodied attunement was found to be at its highest at points in the session characterized by verbal disjunction and ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. The therapeutic dyad was ‘in sync’ non‐verbally until tension was resolved, at which point, synchrony was relaxed, and therapist and client were able to proceed with their respective ‘tasks’, secure in the knowledge that the other is there for them. It is argued that attempts to describe the complex and nuanced processes of psychotherapeutic change would benefit from attending to both explicit/semantic and implicit/non‐verbal domains of interaction.     

Adherence of neutrophils to cultured human microvascular endothelial cells. Stimulation by chemotactic peptides and lipid mediators and dependence upon the Mac-1, LFA-1, p150,95 glycoprotein family.

The process of neutrophil adhesion to and migration through the microvascular endothelium, an early event in the induction of the acute inflammatory response, has been attributed to the generation of extravascular chemoattractants. Although both chemotactic peptides and lipid mediators enhance neutrophil adherence in vitro and in vivo, the mechanism(s) involved in the interaction between circulating neutrophils and microvascular endothelial cells is still not completely understood. In a microtiter well adherence assay, the chemotactic peptides, FMLP and C5a, and the lipid mediators, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and platelet activating factor (PAF), enhanced human neutrophil adherence to cultured human microvascular endothelial cells as well as to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner with a rapid time course. This stimulated adhesive interaction between neutrophils and cultured human endothelial cells was dependent on the expression of the Mac-1, LFA-1, p150,95 glycoprotein family on the neutrophil surface since neutrophils from patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency, lacking surface expression of the adhesive glycoproteins, exhibited markedly diminished adherence to human endothelial cells in response to stimulation with chemotactic factors compared to normal control neutrophils. All four mediators enhanced expression of the glycoprotein family on the surface of normal neutrophils as determined by flow cytofluorimetry using a monoclonal antibody (TS1/18) to the glycoprotein common beta subunit. In addition, TS1/18 inhibited up to 100% the adherence of normal neutrophils to endothelial cells stimulated by maximal concentrations of FMLP, C5a, LTB4, or PAF. Moreover, HL-60 cells, human promyelocytic leukemia cells, neither increased glycoprotein surface expression nor adherence in response to stimulation. Thus, peptide and lipid mediators of the acute inflammatory response appear to enhance adherence of circulating neutrophils to the microvascular endothelium by a mechanism dependent on expression of the Mac-1, LFA-1, p150,95 glycoprotein family on the neutrophil surface.     

Cellular uptake and toxicity effects of silver nanoparticles in mammalian kidney cells

The rapid progress and early commercial acceptance of silver‐based nanomaterials is owed to their biocidal activity. Besides embracing the antimicrobial potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), it is imperative to give special attention to the potential adverse health effects of nanoparticles owing to prolonged exposure. Here, we report a detailed study on the in vitro interactions of citrate‐coated AgNPs with porcine kidney (Pk15) cells. As uncertainty remains whether biological/cellular responses to AgNPs are solely as a result of the release of silver ions or whether the AgNPs themselves have toxic effects, we investigated the effects of Ag⁺ on Pk15 cells for comparison. Next, we investigated the cellular uptake of both AgNPs and Ag⁺ in Pk15 cells at various concentrations applied. The detected Ag contents in cells exposed to 50 mg l^?1 AgNPs and 50 mg l^?1 Ag⁺ were 209 and 25 µg of Ag per 10⁶ cells, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated that the Pk15 cells internalized AgNPs by endocytosis. Both forms of silver, nano and ionic, decreased the number of viable Pk15 cells after 24 h in a dose‐dependent manner. In spite of a significant uptake into the cells, AgNPs had only insignificant toxicity at concentrations lower than 25 mg l^?1, whereas Ag⁺ exhibited a significant decrease in cell viability at one‐fifth of this concentration. The Comet assay suggested that a rather high concentration of AgNP (above 25 mg l^?1) is able to induce genotoxicity in Pk15 cells. Further studies must seek deeper understanding of AgNP behavior in biological media and their interactions with cellular membranes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mapping of the C5a receptor signal transduction network in human neutrophils.

Human neutrophils respond to chemoattractants, resulting in their accumulation at an inflammatory site. Chemoattractants such as the C5a peptide, derived from the C5 complement factor, bind to inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding protein (Gi)-coupled seven membrane-spanning receptors expressed in neutrophils. C5a receptor activation results in the Gi-dependent activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway in human neutrophils. C5a receptor ligation activates both B-Raf and Raf-1, with B-Raf activation overlapping but temporally distinct from that of Raf-1. B-Raf and Raf-1 both efficiently phosphorylate MAP kinase kinase (MEK-1). C5a also stimulates guanine nucleotide exchange and activation of Ras. Ras and Raf activation in response to C5a involves protein kinase C-dependent and -independent pathways. Activation of both Raf-1 and B-Raf was inhibited by protein kinase A stimulation, consistent with the inhibitory effects of increased cAMP levels on neutrophil function. The findings define a functional signal transduction pathway linking the neutrophil C5a chemoattractant receptor to the regulation of Ras, B-Raf, Raf-1, and MAP kinase.     

Parents' Constructions of the 'Problem' during Assessment and Diagnosis of their Child for an Autistic Spectrum Disorder

The majority of studies on the effects of a diagnosis of learning disability in the family have employed traditional 'loss' and 'stress reaction' paradigms. In contrast to this approach, the current analysis employed a form of discourse analysis to explore the ways in which parents represented the 'problem' during the process of assessment of their child for an autistic spectrum disorder. The analysis suggested that parents employed three main discourses in their talk about the 'problem', which were termed the discourse of normal development, the medical discourse and the discourse of disability. The ways in which these discourses were used in constructing the 'problem', their relationship to each other and the discursive work underlying the diagnosis are discussed. Although this study focused on the specific case of autism, it is suggested that the findings could inform thinking around the complex ways in which medical diagnosis is constructed by families and extend our understanding of this important aspect of health care practice.