Does listening to the sound of yourself chewing increase your enjoyment of food?

Background  

The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between physical anhedonia and psychopathological parameters, pharmacological parameters or motor side-effects in a sample of inpatients with schizophrenia in an acute episode of their illness.     

Synthetic peptides mapping to epitopes of the extracellular domain of the interleukin-2 receptor β-chain to inhibit T-cell activation

Expression of the high-affinity IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) on the surface of activated T cells makes it an attractive target for selective inhibition of alloreactive T cells in organ transplantation. IL-2 binds to its receptor via the extracellular domain of the β-chain. In this study we synthesized synthetic peptides that map to epitopes of this domain and tested their ability to inhibit the activation and proliferation of mitogen-stimulated peripheral-blood T cells. Solid-phase synthesis was applied to create three oligopeptides of primary structures corresponding to the epitopes M¹⁰⁷-E¹¹⁸, Y¹⁷⁸-Q¹⁹⁹, and E¹⁹⁰-Q¹⁹⁹ of the extracellular domain of the IL-2Rβ-chain. A nonhomologous peptide served as control. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells isolated from 16 healthy volunteers (median age 41 years, range 26 to 56 years) were cultured with various concentrations of peptides and the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The inhibitory effect of the peptides on cell proliferation was evaluated by automated cell counting and colorimetric proliferation assays. Cell activation was assessed by immunophenotyping using antibodies directed toward CD4, CD25, or CD69. The amount of IL-2 in culture supernates was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Cultures in the presence of the peptide M¹⁰⁷-E¹¹⁸ (500 nmol/L) inhibited PHA-induced T-cell proliferation by 38%, and IL-2 secretion by 57%. Immunophenotyping confirmed suppression of activated T cells. Peptides Y¹⁷⁸-Q¹⁹⁹ and E¹⁹⁰-Q¹⁹⁹ inhibited proliferation, but failed to significantly affect IL-2 secretion. The control peptide showed no effect on the activation parameters. Our data indicate that the M¹⁰⁷-E¹¹⁸ peptide has promise for organ transplantation therapy.     

A gene from the locus of enterocyte effacement that is required for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to increase tight-junction permeability encodes a chaperone for EspF

Disruption of the barrier properties of the enterocyte tight junction is believed to be important in the pathogenesis of diarrhea caused by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). This phenotype can be measured in vitro as the ability of EPEC to reduce transepithelial resistance (TER) across enterocyte monolayers and requires the products of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) and, in particular, the type III secreted effector protein EspF. We report a second LEE-encoded gene that is also necessary for EPEC to fully reduce TER. rorf10 is not necessary for EPEC adherence, EspADB secretion, or formation of attaching and effacing lesions. However, rorf10 mutants have a diminished TER phenotype, reduced intracellular levels of EspF, and a reduced ability to translocate EspF into epithelial cells. The product of rorf10 is a 14-kDa intracellular protein rich in alpha-helices that specifically interacts with EspF but not with Tir or other EPEC secreted proteins. These properties are consistent with the hypothesis that rorf10 encodes a type III secretion chaperone for EspF, and we rename this protein CesF, the chaperone for EPEC secreted protein F.     

Cytokine production and monocyte HLA-DR expression as predictors of outcome for patients with community-acquired severe infections

This study was performed to evaluate the impact of pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules and human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) expression as markers of immune status for the final outcome of septic patients. The study included 30 patients with severe sepsis due to community-acquired infections. Concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-10, and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) in serum, as well as monocyte HLA-DR expression, were determined on admission and on days 3, 10, 13, and 17 during hospitalization. Of the 30 patients enrolled, 13 survived, while 17 died during their hospital stay. All patients had significantly lower HLA-DR expression and higher pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels than healthy individuals. HLA-DR expression was significantly decreased in nonsurvivors at almost all time points. In nonsurvivors, higher levels in serum of TNF-alpha on days 13 and 17; IL-6 levels on day 3; and IL-10 on days 3, 10, and 13 were found. Baseline levels of TGF-beta1 were significantly higher in survivors. Independent risk factors of mortality were IL-10 levels on days 3 and 10, while monocyte HLA-DR expression on admission was a good predictor for survival. Several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines are oversynthesized during severe infections, especially in patients with a poor outcome. Monocyte HLA-DR expression is an early and constant predictive marker for survival in severe sepsis, while serum IL-10 levels on days 3 and 10 have negative prognostic value for the final outcome.     

Effect of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment on the Th1/Th2 balance in women with recurrent spontaneous abortions

PROBLEM: The way by which intravenous immunoglobulin (IvIg) acts to prevent immunlogically mediated recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) has not been clarified. In the present study, a possible effect of IvIg on the T helper cell (Th1/Th2) balance was investigated in abortions of either alloimmune or autoimmune abnormalities. METHOD OF STUDY: The study included 21 women treated with IvIg before conception because of a history of RSA characterized by alloimmune abnormalities (n = 15) or associated with anti-phospholipid antibodies (APA) (n = 6). Peripheral blood samples, collected before and 5 days after the first IvIg infusion, were stimulated, and Th1 and Th2 cells were detected by flow-cytometric analysis using a combination of monoclonal antibodies against T-cell surface markers and intracellular interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4. The percentage of IFN-gamma-producing (Th1) and IL-4-producing (Th2) cells and the Th1/Th2 ratio were compared between pre- and post-infusion samples. RESULTS: A decrease of Th1 percentage in 66.6% of the cases and a concurrent Th2 percentage increase (47.61%) resulted in a decrease in the Th1/Th2 ratio in most of the cases (76.1%) (p < 0.01). Similar results were found in Group A (Th1/Th2 decreased in 60% of the cases, p < 0.05), while in Group B the effect of IvIg was not clear (Th1/Th2 increased in three and decreased in another three cases). CONCLUSION: Our finding suggests that IvIg administration in women with alloimmune RSA enhances Th2 polarization. This is not always the case with APA-associated abortions.     

Fast Eating Is Associated with Increased BMI among High-School Students

Fast self-reported eating rate (SRER) has been associated with increased adiposity in children and adults. No studies have been conducted among high-school students, and SRER has not been validated vs. objective eating rate (OBER) in such populations. The objectives were to investigate (among high-school student populations) the association between OBER and BMI z-scores (BMIz), the validity of SRER vs. OBER, and potential differences in BMIz between SRER categories. Three studies were conducted. Study 1 included 116 Swedish students (mean ± SD age: 16.5 ± 0.8, 59% females) who were eating school lunch. Food intake and meal duration were objectively recorded, and OBER was calculated. Additionally, students provided SRER. Study 2 included students (n = 50, mean ± SD age: 16.7 ± 0.6, 58% females) from Study 1 who ate another objectively recorded school lunch. Study 3 included 1832 high-school students (mean ± SD age: 15.8 ± 0.9, 51% females) from Sweden (n = 748) and Greece (n = 1084) who provided SRER. In Study 1, students with BMIz ≥ 0 had faster OBER vs. students with BMIz < 0 (mean difference: +7.7 g/min or +27%, p = 0.012), while students with fast SRER had higher OBER vs. students with slow SRER (mean difference: +13.7 g/min or +56%, p = 0.001). However, there was “minimal” agreement between SRER and OBER categories (κ = 0.31, p < 0.001). In Study 2, OBER during lunch 1 had a “large” correlation with OBER during lunch 2 (r = 0.75, p < 0.001). In Study 3, fast SRER students had higher BMIz vs. slow SRER students (mean difference: 0.37, p < 0.001). Similar observations were found among both Swedish and Greek students. For the first time in high-school students, we confirm the association between fast eating and increased adiposity. Our validation analysis suggests that SRER could be used as a proxy for OBER in studies with large sample sizes on a group level. With smaller samples, OBER should be used instead. To assess eating rate on an individual level, OBER can be used while SRER should be avoided.     

Association of sleep duration and quality with immunological response after vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection

Growing evidence suggests that sleep could affect the immunological response after vaccination. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate possible associations between regular sleep disruption and immunity response after vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In total, 592 healthcare workers, with no previous history of COVID-19, from eight major Greek hospitals were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent two Pfizer–BioNTech messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 inoculations with an interval of 21 days between the doses. Furthermore, a questionnaire was completed 2 days after each vaccination and clinical characteristics, demographics, sleep duration, and habits were recorded. Blood samples were collected and anti-spike immunoglobulin G antibodies were measured at 20 ± 1 days after the first dose and 21 ± 2 days after the second dose. A total of 544 subjects (30% males), with median (interquartile range [IQR]) age of 46 (38–54) years and body mass index of 24·84 (22.6–28.51) kg/m² were eligible for the study. The median (IQR) habitual duration of sleep was 6 (6–7) h/night. In all, 283 participants (52%) had a short daytime nap. In 214 (39.3%) participants the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was >5, with a higher percentage in women (74·3%, p < 0.05). Antibody levels were associated with age (r = −0.178, p < 0.001), poor sleep quality (r = −0.094, p < 0.05), insomnia (r = −0.098, p < 0.05), and nap frequency per week (r = −0.098, p < 0.05), but after adjusting for confounders, only insomnia, gender, and age were independent determinants of antibody levels. It is important to emphasise that insomnia is associated with lower antibody levels against COVID-19 after vaccination.     

Disseminated Bartonella henselae disease mimicking Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis

Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat‐scratch disease, has been recognized to be responsible for a broad range of clinical syndromes. We report the case of a patient with disseminated B. henselae infection mimicking Langerhans cell histiocytosis at presentation and its successful management with neurosurgery, prolonged antibacterial therapy, and observation.