Summary
BACKGROUND: Established
in vivo
models for adenoviral transfer are limited due to a restricted time-period for application of pharmaceutical substances, problems in selective targeting of ...organs, and artificial lesions of the targeted organ because of the method itself. Therefore, we developed a liver circulation model to avoid these difficulties. METHODS: Male Lewis-(RT
1
)-rats (
n
= 8) with a body weight of 120 g received median laparotomy under isoflurane anesthesia. After exposition of the
coeliac trunk
and the
inferior vena cava
the
right renal vein
was punctured. Next the
abdominal aorta
, the
splenic artery
, the
left gastric artery
, and the
gastroduodenal artery
were simultaneously clamped and intravenous infusion of methylene blue into the right renal vein was started. RESULTS: Due to the selective application of the agent into the liver we could demonstrate an obvious discoloration of the liver in this setting, whereas all other abdominal organs were not affected. Photometric extinction of cell suspensions of liver biopsies revealed a maximum concentration of methylene blue 30 min after injection (0.890–2.300 mM). As expected, no extinction was found in cell suspensions of other organs. CONCLUSIONS: Our experimental setting represents a reproducible, reversible, and easily practicable model for semi-selective
in vivo
application of pharmaceutical substances into the liver. Therefore, this approach enables the
in vivo
adenoviral transfer of cytoprotective agents or chemotherapeutic drugs selectively into the liver.
In the “post-genome” era, mass spectrometry (MS) has become an important method for the analysis of proteome data. The rapid advancement of this technique in combination with other methods used in ...proteomics results in an increasing number of high-throughput projects. This leads to an increasing amount of data that needs to be archived and analyzed.
To cope with the need for automated data conversion, storage, and analysis in the field of proteomics, the open source system ProDB was developed. The system handles data conversion from different mass spectrometer software, automates data analysis, and allows the annotation of MS spectra (e.g. assign gene names, store data on protein modifications). The system is based on an extensible relational database to store the mass spectra together with the experimental setup. It also provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing the experimental steps which led to the MS data. Furthermore, it allows the integration of genome and proteome data.
Data from an ongoing experiment was used to compare manual and automated analysis. First tests showed that the automation resulted in a significant saving of time. Furthermore, the quality and interpretability of the results was improved in all cases.
For experimental basic research, standardized transplantation models reflecting technical and immunologic aspects are necessary. This article describes an experimental model of combined ...pancreas/kidney transplantation (PKTx) in detail.
Donor rats underwent en bloc pancreatectomy and nephrectomy. Revascularization was performed using the aorta with the superior mesenteric artery and the inferior vena cava with the portal vein. Exocrine drainage of the pancreas took place over a segment of the duodenum which was transplanted side-to-side to the jejunum. The kidney vessels were transplanted end-to-side. The ureter was anastomosed by patch technique. Postoperatively, serum parameters were monitored daily. Biopsies for histopathology were taken on days 5, 8 and 12.
All 12 recipients survived the combined PKTx without serious surgical complications. One thrombosis of the portal vein led to organ failure. Blood glucose levels were normal by the 3rd postoperative day. The transplanted duodenal segment showed slight villous atrophy, and the kidneys were well perfused without vascular complications. The anastomosis between ureter and bladder was leakproof.
Excellent graft function and survival rates can be achieved due to simplified operation technique and short operation time. It may thus have high clinical relevance to immunologic issues within the scope of basic research.
In northwestern Namibia, silty deposits are widespread. The silts consist of two major components: locally produced weathering detritus and allochthonous dust blown in from the western Kalahari to ...the eastern margin of the Namib Desert. Sedimentological analysis and luminescence age estimations allow identification of distinct sedimentological and geomorphological processes associated with two different climatic periods. Between about 30 and 8
ka loessic alluvial deposits several metres in thickness accumulated in valleys and basins. The deposition was generated by weak slope wash and/or endoreic drainage of the ephemeral rivers. The dust input and the accumulation of silt in the valleys indicate semi-arid climatic conditions with weak summer rains and long dry seasons. Since about 9–8
ka, silt terraces caused by fluvial incision and erosion have been formed. These indicate more humid conditions than had occurred before. The change from a dry to a moister semi-arid climate at about 9–8
ka is confirmed by proxy data from drill cores off the Namibian coast and by dune studies in the south western Kalahari.
While the number of renal transplantations steadily increases, tremendous efforts and progresses have been made to prevent graft rejection. However, in return for increased and potent ...immunosuppressive therapies, a higher rate of infectious complications can be seen. Diagnosis of infection may be difficult in the immunosuppressed posttransplant patient, especially if subclinical infections occur. This is especially true for cytomegalovirus (CMV) co-infections, which are known for their immunosuppressive effect. Cases of simultaneous
Aspergillus pneumonia and CMV pneumonitis have rarely been documented. We report about a 66-year-old man with a CMV-associated invasive aspergillosis infection after a kidney transplantation, who died because of a consecutive septic multiple organ failure due to aspergillosis pneumonia, myocarditis and necrotic nephritis of the transplanted kidney. The diagnosis of coexisting infections proved to be difficult and thus delayed the initiation of appropriate antimicrobial–antifungal treatment. A high degree of suspicion is therefore recommended in immunosuppressed posttransplant patients with unexplained subclinical course.
Le nombre de greffes de rein est en augmentation ces dernières années. Beaucoup de progrès ont été faits pour prévenir le rejet des greffons. En effet les médicaments immunosuppresseurs sont bien plus performants. Cependant, le niveau d’immunodépression est tel que les complications infectieuses sont de plus en plus nombreuses. Le diagnostic des maladies infectieuses chez les malades greffés sous immunosuppresseurs pose parfois problème. En effet, ces patients ne présentent pas les signes cliniques typiques, en particuliers pour les infections virales comme le cytomégalovirus (CMV) qui provoque un effet immunosuppresseur additionnel. Il n’y a que très peu de cas clinique d’infections associant CMV et pneumonie à
Aspergillus. Dans cette publication, nous rapportons le cas clinique d’un homme de 66
ans qui a présenté une infection nosocomiale a
Aspergillus associée a une infection par CMV en postopératoire d’une greffe de rein. Le patient est décédé des suites de pneumopathie, myocardite, et de néphrite nécrotique du greffon. Le diagnostic de cette co-infection fut difficile et les traitements antiviral et antimycotique furent entrepris trop tardivement. En conclusion, il semble très important de suspecter précocement les infections virales et mycotiques chez les patients sous immunosuppresseurs alors même que ces patients n’en présentent pas les signes cliniques typiques.
Esophageal diverticula are comparatively rare. The majority are Zenker's diverticula but parabronchial and epiphrenic diverticula can also occur. Parabronchial diverticula are of low clinical ...relevance, whereas Zenker's and epiphrenic diverticula both belong to the group of pulsion diverticula and can become clinically apparent by dysphagia and regurgitation. Approximately 100 years after the first surgical treatment, peroral approaches (e.g. stapler dissection and flexible endoscopic diverticulotomy) have now achieved a certain level of importance. Both approaches are less invasive than the open approach but are evidently more prone to recurrences. Accordingly, traditional open diverticulectomy with cervical myotomy should be recommended to patients with a reasonable life expectancy and an acceptable operative risk. This holds particularly true for Brombart stages I-III of the disease, as complete myotomy cannot be achieved via the peroral access. The classical surgical treatment of epiphrenic diverticula is open or laparoscopic/thoracoscopic diverticulectomy with distal myotomy, mostly combined with an anterior partial fundoplication; however, the leakage rate is high and several alternative options are currently being evaluated.
Within the last two decades, various vectors based on human viruses have been developed as gene transfer vehicles for gene therapy applications and vaccination. However, one yet unresolved problem ...connected to the use of viral vectors in humans is the pre-existing immunity to most of these vectors in the vast majority of the population which can result in impaired gene transfer efficiency and increased secondary toxicity. One approach to solve this problem is the development of recombinant viruses of non-human origin as vectors for gene transfer. The major rationale for using such vectors is the avoidance of vector neutralization by pre-existing antibodies directed against the virus on which the vector is based. Use of vectors based on non-human viruses may therefore allow the use of lower initial vector doses to achieve efficient gene transfer. Side-effects caused by interactions between vectors derived from human viruses with a primed immune system or with blood components could also be reduced. Furthermore, these vectors might show new cell type tropisms and could therefore infect tissue and organs that are not accessible to current viral vectors. This review outlines some of the problems inherent in the human origin of current viral vectors and describes features and progress with non-human adenovirus and baculovirus-derived vectors that may provide alternatives.
Successful transplantation of allogeneic organs is an important objective in modern medicine. However, sophisticated immune defense mechanisms, primarily evolved to combat infections, often work ...against medical transplantation. To investigate the roles of natural and adaptive immune responses in transplant rejection, we functionally inactivated key effector systems of the innate (NK cells) and the adaptive immune system (CD28-mediated costimulation of T cells) in mice. Neither of these interventions alone led to acceptance of allogeneic vascularized cardiac grafts. In contrast, inhibition of NK-receptor-bearing cells combined with CD28-costimulation blockade established long-term graft acceptance. These results indicate a concerted interplay between innate and adaptive immune surveillance for graft rejection. Thus we suggest that inactivation of NK-receptor-bearing cells could be a new strategy for successful survival of solid-organ transplants.
In this paper we propose a novel concept for the programming of multi-modal service robots. The presented software architecture eases the development of high-level applications for service robots. ...The software architecture is based upon the roblet-technology, which is a powerful medium for robots. It introduces the possibility to develop, compile and execute an application on one workstation. Since the roblet-technology uses Java the development is independent of the operation system. With the feature of running programs as a distributed software, the framework allows running algorithms which need great computation power on different machines which provide this power. In this way, it greatly improves programming and testing of applications in service robotics. The concept is evaluated in the context of the service robot TASER of the TAMS Institute at the University of Hamburg. This robot consists of a mobile platform with two manipulators equipped with artificial hands. Several multimodal input and output devices for interaction round off the robot
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