To the Editor:
Rees et al. (Nov. 23 issue)
1
reported that patients with the Guillain–Barré syndrome and recent infection with
Campylobacter jejuni
have a more severe residual disability after one ...year than patients without
C. jejuni
infection. In later studies they showed that patients with the combination of
C. jejuni
infection and antibodies against GM1 ganglioside have the worst prognosis.
2
The effect of treatment was not included in their analyses, however.
We studied the outcome in 147 patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome six months after their enrollment in a trial comparing plasma exchange with intravenous immune globulin.
3
None of the patients . . .
Reversal of the sign of long ascending and descending spinal reflexes dependent on the phase of the step cycle has been shown in the high decerebrate cat. Electrical stimuli were applied to the skin ...over the dorsum of the metacarpals and metatarsals and the effects were recorded in the corresponding hindlimb or forelimb of the same side. Stimulation generally evoked an increase in activity of flexor or extensor muscles shortly before, and during, activity of the muscle. Inhibition of a muscle occurred when its activity overlapped with the activity of an antagonist muscle. From the latencies it was concluded that at least the early components of the long reflex responses are due to spinal mechanisms. In the stimulated limb the activity of flexor and extensor muscles was also modulated in a phase dependent manner. No consistent long spinal responses to skin stimulation were obtained in high spinal cats during stepping. Electrical stimulation of cutaneous nerve trunks in decerebrate preparations during stepping gave variable though phase dependent long spinal reflex effects.
Campylobacter jejuni infections are thought to induce antiganglioside antibodies in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) by molecular mimicry between C. jejuni ...lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and gangliosides. We used purified LPS fractions from five Campylobacter strains to induce antiganglioside responses in rabbits. The animals that received injections with LPS from GBS-associated strains developed anti-GM sub(1) and anti-GA sub(1) antibodies. Animals injected with LPS from one MFS-related C. jejuni strain produced anti-GQ sub(1b) antibodies. Rabbits that were injected with Penner O:3 LPS had a strong anti-LPS response, but no antiganglioside reactivity was observed. The antiganglioside specificity in the rabbits reflected the specificity in the patients from whom the strains were isolated. In conclusion, our results indicate that an immune response against GBS- and MFS-associated C. jejuni LPS results in antiganglioside antibodies. These results provide strong support for molecular mimicry as a mechanism in the induction of antiganglioside antibodies following infections.
To go beyond the point where micro satellites are seen as a way to qualify technology for use on a “real” satellite, small instruments are needed that can perform a socially or scientifically ...significant task. MIBS is a spectrometer operating in the thermal infrared wavelength region, designed in the frame of the phase A study for the ESA EarthCARE mission, which uses an uncooled 2D microbolometer array detector instead of the more common MCT detectors, which allows for a significant reduction in size, and power consumption. Although the detectivity of microbolometers is less then for MCT detectors, they offer specific advantages due to the wider wavelength response, which can be tailored to suit the application. This allows the design of an instrument that can image both the 3⃛5 and 8⃛12 micron bands simultaneously, and which can be seen as an instrument that can be used to assist in weather prediction during everyday use (its original goal) and in addition be used for forest fire detection and monitoring. In order to demonstrate feasibility of the concept a breadboard has been designed and built of which the first measurement results are presented here.
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