Tinea faciei starting at day two of life

Dermatophyte infections are exceedingly rare in neonates, possibly due to the thin stratum corneum and high sebum content of neonatal skin. Only a handful of cases of tinea faciei have been reported in neonates, with the majority of reports occuring in India. Here, we report what to our knowledge is the earliest reported presentation of tinea faciei in the United States. We also provide a brief literature review of other reported cases of tinea faciei in neonates less than 30 days of age.     

Human eosinophils express and release IL-13 following CD28-dependent activation

Human eosinophils produce a large number of cytokines, including immunoregulatory cytokines. Given that eosinophils store and release interleukin (IL)-4, a key cytokine in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation, and that IL-4 and IL-13 share common biological functions, we investigated the possibility that IL-13 may be synthesized by these cells. Using flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry, we show that eosinophils synthesize and store IL-13. Granule localization was demonstrated after subcellular fractionation, and IL-13 immunoreactivity was localized to crystalloid, granule-enriched fractions. Furthermore, electron microscopic analyses specifically localized IL-13 to the dense cores of bicompartmental secondary granules. Upon CD28 ligation, IL-13 was released by eosinophils, whereas a combination of CD28 and immunoglobulin A complexes resulted in decreased IL-13 secretion. Furthermore, eosinophil-derived IL-13 exerts a biological effect, inducing CD23 expression on B cells. By having the capacity to synthesize and release IL-13, eosinophils may participate in the development and maintenance of the T helper cell type 2 response, a prominent feature of allergic diseases.     

Downregulation of major histocompatibility complex antigens in invading glioma cells: stealth invasion of the brain

Invasion into surrounding brain tissue is a fundamental feature of gliomas and the major reason for treatment failure. The process of brain invasion in gliomas is not well understood. Differences in gene expression and/or gene products between invading and noninvading glioma cells may identify potential targets for new therapies. To look for genes associated with glioma invasion, we first employed Affymetrix microarray Genechip technology to identify genes differentially expressed in migrating glioma cells in vitro and in invading glioma cells in vivo using laser capture microdissection. We observed upregulation of a variety of genes, previously reported to be linked to glioma cell migration and invasion. Remarkably, major histocompatiblity complex (MHC) class I and II genes were significantly downregulated in migrating cells in vitro and in invading cells in vivo. Decreased MHC expression was confirmed in migrating glioma cells in vitro using RT-PCR and in invading glioma cells in vivo by immunohistochemical staining of human and murine glioblastomas for beta2 microglobulin, a marker of MHC class I protein expression. To the best of our knowledge, this report is the first to describe the downregulation of MHC class I and II antigens in migrating and invading glioma cells, in vitro and in vivo, respectively. These results suggest that the very process of tumor invasion is associated with decreased expression of MHC antigens allowing glioma cells to invade the surrounding brain in a 'stealth'-like manner.     

Live/Real Time Three‐Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiographic Findings in Caseous Mitral Annular Calcification

We describe a 77‐year‐old female with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in whom live/real time three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) provided incremental value over two‐dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (2DTTE, 2DTEE) and three‐dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (3DTTE) in making a more comprehensive assessment and a more confident diagnosis of caseous mitral annular calcification. 3DTEE revealed a portion of the mass to consist of small, multiple, highly echogenic discrete band‐like and punctate areas within a relatively much less echogenic stroma and surrounded by a well defined highly echogenic border. This appearance correlated with the pathological findings of calcific granules/strands located in a liquefied or semiliquefied interior providing a typical toothpaste like appearance. The highly echogenic outer border represented the residual outer portion or rim of the calcific mass which did not undergo liquefaction. These findings on 3DTEE which correlated with the toothpaste like appearance seen at surgery were not visualized on 2DTTE, 2DTEE, and 3DTTE. (Echocardiography 2010;27:1147‐1150)     

Relationship Between Proprioception and Endurance Functionality of the Cervical Flexor Muscles in Chronic Neck Pain and Asymptomatic Participants

Objective

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between flexion endurance capacity and joint position error in participants with or without chronic neck pain (CNP).

Immune Responses to the O-Specific Polysaccharide Antigen in Children Who Received a Killed Oral Cholera Vaccine Compared to Responses following Natural Cholera Infection in Bangladesh

Current oral cholera vaccines induce lower levels of protective efficacy and shorter durations of protection in young children than in adults. Immunity against cholera is serogroup specific, and immune responses to Vibrio cholerae lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the antigen that mediates serogroup-specific responses, are associated with protection against disease. Despite this, responses against V. cholerae O-specific polysaccharide (OSP), a key component of the LPS responsible for specificity, have not been characterized in children. Here, we report a comparison of polysaccharide antibody responses in children from a region in Bangladesh where cholera is endemic, including infants (6 to 23 months, n = 15), young children (24 to 59 months, n = 14), and older children (5 to 15 years, n = 23) who received two doses of a killed oral cholera vaccine 14 days apart. We found that infants and young children receiving the vaccine did not mount an IgG, IgA, or IgM antibody response to V. cholerae OSP or LPS, whereas older children showed significant responses. In comparison to the vaccinees, young children with wild-type V. cholerae O1 Ogawa infection did mount significant antibody responses against OSP and LPS. We also demonstrated that OSP responses correlated with age in vaccinees, but not in cholera patients, reflecting the ability of even young children with wild-type cholera to develop OSP responses. These differences might contribute to the lower efficacy of protection rendered by vaccination than by wild-type disease in young children and suggest that efforts to improve lipopolysaccharide-specific responses might be critical for achieving optimal cholera vaccine efficacy in this younger age group.     

Goat semen cryopreservation with rainbow trout seminal plasma supplemented lecithin-based extenders

The objective of this study was to determine the optimum concentrations of rainbow trout seminal plasma (RTS) supplemented extenders for goat semen quality at post-thaw and after incubation. Five sexually mature Saanen goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) were used for semen collection. Pooled semen was diluted with soybean lecithin-based extender without RTS (control) or supplemented with different concentrations of RTS (1%, 2%, 4% or 8%), at a final concentration of 150 × 10⁶ spermatozoon/ml. Sperm motility, plasma membrane functional integrity (HOST), damaged acrosome (PSA-FITC), mitochondrial activity (rhodamine123) and DNA integrity (TUNEL) were evaluated. Spermatological parameters were evaluated at post-thaw and after 6 hr incubation. RTS8 group preserved sperm motility, acrosomal integrity, plasma membrane functional integrity and mitochondrial function better than the control group (p < .05). The study demonstrated that RTS supplemented lecithin-based extenders have useful effects on goat spermatozoa. In addition, the results of the current study represented the positive effect of using 8% RTS supplemented extender.     

Lower objectively measured physical activity is linked with perceived risk of hypoglycemia in type 1 diabetes

Aims

Compare physical activity (PA) levels in adults with and without type 1 diabetes and identify diabetes-specific barriers to PA.