Influence of murine mast cell growth factor (c-kit ligand) on colony formation by mouse marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Purified natural and recombinant murine mast cell growth factor (MGF, a c-kit ligand) were evaluated alone and in combination with other cytokines for effects in vitro on colony formation by multipotential (CFU-GEMM), erythroid (BFU-E) and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells from BDF1 mouse bone marrow. Both preparations stimulated Epo-dependent CFU-GEMM and enhanced Epo-dependent BFU-E colony numbers and size. MGF had some stimulating activity for CFU-GM. When used in combination with plateau concentrations of pokeweed mitogen mouse spleen cell conditioned medium or granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF), MGF enhanced in greater than additive fashion colony formation by CFU-GM. MGF also enhanced the size of colonies formed, an enhancement greatest for colonies containing granulocytes and macrophages. MGF did not enhance Macrophage-CSF stimulated colony numbers or size. MGF seems to be an early acting cytokine with preferential effects on the growth of more immature hematopoietic progenitor cells.     

Identification of parameters required for efficient lentiviral vector transduction and engraftment of human cord blood CD34(+) NOD/SCID-repopulating cells

OBJECTIVE: Human cord blood (CB) is a potential source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for gene therapy to treat patients with hematopoietic disorders. However, limited numbers of CB CD34(+) cells, low transduction efficiency with lentiviral vectors (LVs), and low engraftment efficiency of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) repopulating cells (SRC), a measure of HSC, are blocks to this procedure. To optimize culture and transduction conditions, we compared various lengths of time for prestimulation before transduction, transduction duration, and posttransduction cell culture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a LV to transduce human CB CD34(+) cells followed by engraftment into NOD/SCID mice. We evaluated the effects of prestimulation and transduction time and optimized ex vivo cell culture duration before transplantation. RESULTS: We were able to achieve up to 40% transduction efficiency and up to 50% engraftment efficiency of SRC in CB CD34(+) cells when CB CD34(+) cells were either not prestimulated or prestimulated in 1% fetal bovine serum medium for 1 hour, followed by 5 hours transduction and 3 days culture in a cocktail of growth factors after transduction. No apparent functional changes of CB CD34(+) cells were noted under these conditions. CONCLUSION: This gene-transduction/cell-expansion protocol is the first systematic study to optimize prestimulation time, transduction time, and, very importantly, ex vivo culture time after transduction, and may be of use for LV gene transduction in a gene therapy setting.     

Influence of T-lymphocytes and lactoferrin on the survival-promoting effects of IL-1 and IL-6 on human bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage and erythroid progenitor cells

Purified recombinant human (rhu) interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, rhuIL-6, iron saturated lactoferrin (LF), and T-lymphocytes were assessed for their effects on the survival of granulocyte-macrophage (granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units, CFU-GM) and erythroid (erythroid burst-forming units, BFU-E) progenitor cells from human low-density (LD) and nonadherent LD T-lymphocyte-depleted (NALT-) bone marrow (BM) cells. Colony-stimulating factor (CSF) deprivation studies showed that 10 ng/ml IL-1 alpha could promote the survival of CFU-GM and BFU-E from NALT- BM cells. Concentrations of 1 ng/ml IL-1 alpha and 1-100 ng/ml IL-6 alone could not promote progenitor cell survival from NALT- BM cells; however, concentrations of 1 ng/ml each of IL-1 alpha and IL-6 could synergize to promote the survival of CFU-GM but not of BFU-E. The combination of these low concentrations of IL-1 alpha and IL-6 could, however, support the survival of BFU-E in the presence of purified T-lymphocytes. LF could decrease the survival of CFU-GM and BFU-E from LD but not from NALT- BM cells, apparently due to the inhibition of IL-1 release from monocytes in this cell population. The suppressive effect of LF on the survival of those progenitor cells was abolished by concentrations of 10 ng/ml IL-1 alpha or 1 ng/ml each of IL-1 alpha and IL-6. These results demonstrate that the survival of human marrow CFU-GM and BFU-E can be influenced by IL-1, IL-6, LF, and T-lymphocytes.     

Synergistic myelopoietic actions in vivo after administration to mice of combinations of purified natural murine colony-stimulating factor 1, recombinant murine interleukin 3, and recombinant murine granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor.

Combinations of low dosages of purified murine hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs)--L-cell CSF type 1 (CSF-1), recombinant interleukin 3 (IL-3), and recombinant granulocyte/macrophage CSF (GM-CSF)--were compared with single CSFs for their influence on the cycling rates and numbers of bone marrow granulocyte/macrophage, erythroid, and multipotential progenitor cells in vivo in mice pretreated with human lactoferrin. Lactoferrin was used to enhance detection of the stimulating effects of exogenously administered CSFs. Concentrations of CSFs that were not active in vivo when given alone were active when administered together with other types of CSF. The concentrations of CSF-1, IL-3, and GM-CSF needed to increase progenitor cell cycling rates were reduced by factors of 40-200, 10-50, and 40- greater than 400, respectively; the concentrations needed to increase progenitor cell numbers were reduced by factors of 40-500 (CSF-1), 20-80 (IL-3), and greater than 40- greater than 200 (GM-CSF) when these forms of CSFs were administered in combination with low dosages of one of the other forms of CSFs. The results demonstrate that different CSFs can synergize when administered in vivo to increase the cycling rates and numbers of marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. These findings may be of relevance physiologically to the regulation of myeloid blood cell production by CSFs.     

Human umbilical cord blood as a potential source of transplantable hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate human umbilical cord blood as an alternative to bone marrow in the provision of transplantable stem/progenitor cells for hematopoietic reconstitution. Although no direct quantitative assay for human hematopoietic repopulating cells is at present available, the granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cell (CFU-GM) assay has been used with success as a valid indicator of engrafting capability. We examined greater than 100 collections of human umbilical cord blood for their content of nucleated cells and granulocyte-macrophage, erythroid (BFU-E), and multipotential (CFU-GEMM) progenitor cells, in many cases both before and after cryopreservation. First it was determined that granulocyte-macrophage, erythroid, and multipotential progenitor cells remained functionally viable in cord blood untreated except for addition of anticoagulant for at least 3 days at 4 degrees C or 25 degrees C (room temperature), though not at 37 degrees C, implying that these cells could be satisfactorily studied and used or cryopreserved for therapy after transport of cord blood by overnight air freight carriage from a remote obstetrical service. Granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells from cord blood so received responded normally to stimulation by purified recombinant preparations of granulocyte-macrophage, granulocyte, and macrophage colony-stimulating factors and interleukin 3. The salient finding, based on analysis of 101 cord blood collections, is that the numbers of progenitor cells present in the low-density (less than 1.077 gm/ml) fraction after Ficoll/Hypaque separation typically fell within the range that has been reported for successful engraftment by bone marrow cells. Another observation of practical importance is that procedures to remove erythrocytes or granulocytes prior to freezing, and washing of thawed cells before plating, entailed large losses of progenitor cells, the yield of unwashed progenitor cells from unfractionated cord blood being many times greater. The provisional inference is that human umbilical cord blood from a single individual is typically a sufficient source of cells for autologous (syngeneic) and for major histocompatibility complex-matched allogeneic hematopoietic reconstitution.     

Rheological Behaviour of Cementitious Materials Incorporating Solid–Solid Phase Change Materials

Nowadays, thermal regulation of the indoor environment is mandatory to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The incorporation of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and especially solid–solid PCMs (s/s PCMs) into building materials can be a major step forward in reducing energy consumption. Such materials are used for their high latent heat to save and release heat during phase change. To integrate these products in the fabrication of cementitious materials, it is essential to predict their influence on the rheological behaviour of construction materials. In this work, rheological measurements were carried out on composite suspensions made of cement or mortar plus s/s PCMs. Results showed that the fitting of the Herschel–Bulkley model with a constant value of flow exponent was reliable. The s/s PCMs influenced the consistency and the yield strength values, with the yield strength value being only slightly affected. The adaptation of an existing viscosity model is proposed to predict the consistency value of suspensions. Finally, an innovative approach to predict the flow behaviour is proposed and we highlight the research needs to mainstream the use of s/s PCMs in construction materials.     

Parental Bonding Reports of Clients with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder and Agoraphobia

The study was designed to address two broad purposes: (a) to investigate further the reliability and validity of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and (b) to examine the relationship of parental warmth and overprotection to specific anxiety disorders and their symptoms, anxious personality traits, and social functioning. The PBI was administered, before and after exposure treatment, to an outpatient sample of 52 adults with obsessive–compulsive disorder and 35 with panic disorder with agoraphobia, and to their parents (n=42), if they resided with the patient. PBI scores remained stable despite improvement in symptom severity and mood. Parents' and patients' recollections of the parents' behaviour towards the patient did not agree. According to patients, their parents most often raised them using affectionless control, whereas parents most often rated themselves as having provided optimal parenting. Patients' PBI scores were not related to type or severity of anxiety disorder. However, reports of poorer parenting were associated with worse social adjustment and higher levels of anxious personality disorder characteristics.