Co-existence of glucagon- and substance P-like immunoreactivity in the chicken retina

This immunohistochemical study of chicken retina using flat-mounts shows that pancreatic glucagon- and substance P-like immunoreactive amacrine cells have more heterogeneous subpopulations than was previously understood to be the case. Using double-staining immunohistochemical procedures we demonstrate that a substantial proportion of all subtypes of glucagon-like immunoreactive cells contain substance P-like immunoreactivity and that the ratio of the amacrine cells containing both peptides to total immunoreactive cells varies according to position in the retinal and cell type. These results suggest that retinal cells may have different functions according to position or cell type.     

An oral vaccine for type 1 diabetes based on live attenuated Salmonella

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a metabolic disease that is initiated by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells that is accompanied by the development of antigen-specific antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Several studies have shown that vaccination with diabetic autoantigens provides some protection against this process. In this report we describe a new oral vaccine that utilizes live attenuated Salmonella for simultaneous delivery of autoantigens in conjunction with immunomodulatory cytokine genes to immune cells in the gut mucosa. Recent data showed that live attenuated Salmonella is a safe, simple and effective vector for expression of antigens and cytokines by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT). This novel strategy was tested by fusion of the diabetic autoantigen preproinsulin with Salmonella secretory effector protein (SseF) of pathogenicity island-2 (SPI2). In this way the autoantigen is only expressed inside the host immune cells and translocated to the host cell cytosol. In addition Salmonella was used to deliver the gene for the immunomodulatory cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) for host cell expression. Oral co-vaccination of 8 week-old non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with three weekly doses of both the autoantigen and cytokine significantly reduced the development of diabetes, improved the response to glucose challenge, preserved beta cell mass, and reduced the severity of insulitis compared with controls and autoantigen alone. Combination therapy also resulted in increased circulating levels of IL10 four weeks post-vaccination and IL2 for 12 weeks post-vaccination, but without effect on proinflammatory cytokines IL6, IL12(p70), IL17 and IFNγ. However, in non-responders there was a significant rise in IL12 compared with responders. Future studies will examine the mechanism of this vaccination strategy in more detail. In conclusion, Salmonella-based oral vaccines expressing autoantigens combined with imunomodulatory cytokines appears to be a promising therapy for prevention of T1D.     

Soy isoflavones improve cardiovascular disease risk markers in women during the early menopause

Background

Hormone replacement therapy may be beneficial for cardiovascular disease risk (CVR) in post-menopausal women. Soy isoflavones may act as selective estrogen receptor modulators. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether soy isoflavones had an effect on CVR markers.

Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Salvianolic Acids and Tanshinones Dry Powder Inhalation

Salvianolic acids and tanshinones both exhibit efficacy in treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), but their formulation limits their clinical use. This study aimed to prepare the salvianolic acids and tanshinones dry powder for inhalation (SPI) to achieve pulmonary delivery for the treatment of IPF. The variable quantities of salvianolic acids and tanshinones composite powder were optimized using the central composite design-response surface method. Different carriers with various drug-carrier ratios were optimized to prepare SPI. The final optimized formulation of SPI was as follows: InhaLac 230^® was selected as the carrier with drug:carrier = 1:6, and the milled lactose InhaLac 400^® was added at 5%. The developed SPI characterized with an angle of repose 52.46 ± 1.04°, Carr's index of 34.00 ± 0.50% and showed high lung deposition in vitro, indicating the potential of pulmonary delivery for the treatment of IPF.     

Soft phonation index — a sensitive parameter?

Objective  The diagnosis of voice disorders is based on perceptual and acoustic paradigms. Modern acoustic analysis systems are relatively inexpensive and user friendly. One aspect of laryngeal function that is of great interest is the extent of vocal fold closure. Soft phonation index (SPI) is the parameter in Multi Dimensional Voice Program, which reflects the approximation of vocal folds. High values of SPI are stated to correlate with incomplete vocal fold adduction and are a better indicator of breathiness than EGG. This study aims to determine the sensitivity of this acoustic parameter of SPI, as a reflective indicator of incomplete vocal fold adduction in male patients diagnosed with unilateral vocal nodules. Methodology  60 participants were included in the study; 30 with normal vocal fold functioning in the control group and 30 with unilateral vocal nodules in the experimental group. The phonation sample of vowel /a/ was recorded into CSL 4150 of Kay Elemetrics, in a sound treated room. The readings of SPI on the MDVP analysis was extracted and subjected to statistical analysis using independent samples ‘t-test’ using SPSS Version 11. Results  The results of the study reveal that there was a statistically significant difference between the means of the SPI values between the control and the experimental groups. Discussion  It can be understood that SPI is a sensitive parameter to detect abnormalities in vocal fold approximation in the considered population of individuals with vocal nodules. This is in coherence with a study done on patients with vocal fold palsy and cordectomy, wherein SPI was found to be a good indicator of breathiness. The SPI mean obtained for participants in the control group was higher than the Western normative mean specified in MDVP, which highlights the importance of establishing normative values for Indian population. Conclusion  It can be concluded that SPI was sensitive to detect changes affecting vocal fold closure in unilateral vocal nodules. But this conclusion has to be generalized with caution keeping in mind that only one population with vocal pathology was studied. The factors of vocal fold physiology and mechanical properties of vocal tract, which may contribute to individual variations in SPI values, have to be considered for further research.     

Root cause analysis of limitations of virtual crossmatch for kidney allocation to highly-sensitized patients

Efficient allocation of deceased donor organs depends upon effective prediction of immunologic compatibility based on donor HLA genotype and recipient alloantibody profile, referred to as virtual crossmatching (VCXM). VCXM has demonstrated utility in predicting compatibility, though there is reduced efficacy for patients highly sensitized against allogeneic HLA antigens. The recently revised deceased donor kidney allocation system (KAS) has increased transplantation for this group, but with an increased burden for histocompatibility testing and organ sharing. Given the limitations of VCXM, we hypothesized that increased organ offers for highly-sensitized patients could result in a concomitant increase in offers rejected due to unexpectedly positive crossmatch. Review of 645 crossmatches performed for deceased donor kidney transplantation at our center did not reveal a significant increase in positive crossmatches following KAS implementation. Positive crossmatches not predicted by VCXM were concentrated among highly-sensitized patients. Root cause analysis of VCXM failures identified technical limitations of anti-HLA antibody testing as the most significant contributor to VCXM error. Contributions of technical limitations including additive/synergistic antibody effects, prozone phenomenon, and antigens not represented in standard testing panels, were evaluated by retrospective testing. These data provide insight into the limitations of VCXM, particularly those affecting allocation of kidneys to highly-sensitized patients.     

基于SPI总线和W5100的医疗仪器网络接口设计

介绍了一种基于SPI总线和W5100的医疗仪器网络接口的设计方法。网络接口由PIC单片机、W5100网络芯片和RJ-45组成。W5100通过RJ-45接口PC机、局域网或Internet;单片机通过SPI总线获取W5100的网络信息,并实现与医疗仪器的信息交换与控制。实验结果表明:基于SPI总线和W5100的医疗仪器网络接口的硬件结构简单、性能稳定、兼容性强。     

Ultrastructural identification of substance P immunoreactive neurons in the main olfactory bulb of the hamster

The neurons containing substance P immunoreactivity in the main olfactory bulb of the hamster are located in the glomerular layer. Their cell bodies lie in the periglomerular region and contain spherical or ovoid nuclei which lack invaginations of the nuclear membrane and tend to be positioned eccentrically in the cell body. Dendrites of these neurons extend throughout the periglomerular region and project into the glomerular neuropil. Within the glomerular neuropil, processes with substance P immunoreactivity contain agranular, spherical synaptic vesicles. Primary olfactory axons, and processes of uncertain origin which contain pleomorphic synaptic vesicles, form synaptic contacts with substance P immunoreactive processes.These ultrastructural findings confirm that the substance P immunoreactive neurons are external tufted cells. Their likely physiological properties are considered in relation to the synaptic organization in the glomerular layer of the main olfactory bulb and to the other putative neurotransmitters or neuromodulators located in this layer.