We have constructed a new laser-Compton-scattering facility, called the LEPS2 beamline, at the 8 GeV electron storage ring, SPring-8. This facility provides a linearly polarized photon beam in a ...tagged energy range of 1.3–2.4 GeV. Thanks to a small divergence of the low-emittance storage-ring electrons, the tagged photon beam has a size (σ) suppressed to about 4 mm even after it travels about 130 m to the experimental building that is independent of the storage ring building and contains large detector systems. This beamline is designed to achieve a photon beam intensity higher than that of the first laser-Compton-scattering beamline at SPring-8 by adopting the simultaneous injection of up to four high-power laser beams and increasing a transmittance for the long photon-beam path up to about 77%. The new beamline is under operation for hadron photoproduction experiments.
OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate Bcl-2 and Fas expression in human eutopic and ectopic endometrium during the menstrual cycle in relation to endometrial cell apoptosis.
STUDY DESIGN: Eutopic ...and ectopic endometrial samples were obtained from 29 patients with endometriosis, and eutopic endometrial tissue samples were obtained from 9 patients with uterine myoma. Bcl-2 and Fas expression were examined by immunohistochemical staining with specific monoclonal antibodies; Bcl-2 expression in eutopic endometrium was also examined by Western blotting and apoptotic cells were detected by the labeling of deoxyribonucleic acid fragments.
RESULTS: In eutopic endometrium Bcl-2 was strongly expressed during the proliferative phase. Endometrial glandular cells showed evidence of cyclic changes in Bcl-2 expression, but cyclic changes were not apparent in peritoneal and ovarian endometriotic tissue. Fas expression was observed on glandular cells but not on stromal cells, and no cyclic changes in expression occurred in either ectopic or eutopic endometrium. Apoptotic cells were observed primarily in the glandular cells of the basal layer in eutopic endometrium during the late secretory and menstrual phases.
CONCLUSION: The current study indicated that there was no apparent correlation between Bcl-2 or Fas expression with endometrial cell apoptosis. The absence of cyclic changes in Bcl-2 expression in ectopic endometrium implied a difference in the mechanisms of proliferation or differentiation between eutopic and ectopic endometrium.(Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;176:360-8.)
Simian malaria is still an open question concerning the species of Plasmodium parasites and species of New World monkeys susceptible to the parasites. In addition, the lingering question as to ...whether these animals are reservoirs for human malaria might become important especially in a scenario of eradication of the disease. To aid in the answers to these questions, monkeys were surveyed for malaria parasite natural infection in the Amazonian state of Rondônia, Brazil, a state with intense environmental alterations due to human activities, which facilitated sampling of the animals.
Parasites were detected and identified in DNA from blood of monkeys, by PCR with primers for the 18S rRNA, CSP and MSP1 genes and sequencing of the amplified fragments. Multiplex PCR primers for the 18S rRNA genes were designed for the parasite species Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae/Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium.
An overall infection rate of 10.9% was observed or 20 out 184 monkey specimens surveyed, mostly by P. brasilianum. However, four specimens of monkeys were found infected with P. falciparum, two of them doubly infected with P. brasilianum and P. falciparum. In addition, a species of monkey of the family Aotidae, Aotus nigriceps, is firstly reported here naturally infected with P. brasilianum. None of the monkeys surveyed was found infected with P. simium/P. vivax.
The rate of natural Plasmodium infection in monkeys in the Brazilian state of Rondônia is in line with previous surveys of simian malaria in the Amazon region. The fact that a monkey species was found that had not previously been described to harbour malaria parasites indicates that the list of monkey species susceptible to Plasmodium infection is yet to be completed. Furthermore, finding monkeys in the region infected with P. falciparum clearly indicates parasite transfer from humans to the animals. Whether this parasite can be transferred back to humans and how persistent the parasite is in monkeys in the wild so to be efficient reservoirs of the disease, is yet to be evaluated. Finding different species of monkeys infected with this parasite species suggests indeed that these animals can act as reservoirs of human malaria.
Antibodies have an essential role in the acquired immune response against blood stage P. falciparum infection. Although several antigens have been identified as important antibody targets, it is ...still elusive which antigens have to be recognized for clinical protection. Herein, we analyzed antibodies from plasmas from symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals living in the same geographic area in the Western Amazon, measuring their recognition of multiple merozoite antigens.
Specific fragments of genes encoding merozoite proteins AMA1 and members of MSP and EBL families from circulating P. falciparum field isolates present in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients were amplified by PCR. After cloning and expression of different versions of the antigens as recombinant GST-fusion peptides, we tested the reactivity of patients' plasmas by ELISA and the presence of IgG subclasses in the most reactive plasmas.
11 out of 24 recombinant antigens were recognized by plasmas from either symptomatic or asymptomatic infections. Antibodies to MSP9 (X2(DF=1) = 9.26/p = 0.0047) and MSP5 (X2(DF=1) = 8.29/p = 0.0069) were more prevalent in asymptomatic individuals whereas the opposite was observed for MSP1 block 2-MAD20 (X2(DF=1) = 6.41/p = 0.0206, Fisher's exact test). Plasmas from asymptomatic individuals reacted more intensely against MSP4 (U = 210.5, p < 0.03), MSP5 (U = 212, p < 0.004), MSP9 (U = 189.5, p < 0.002) and EBA175 (U = 197, p < 0.014, Mann-Whitney's U test). IgG1 and IgG3 were predominant for all antigens, but some patients also presented with IgG2 and IgG4. The recognition of MSP5 (OR = 0.112, IC95% = 0.021-0.585) and MSP9 (OR = 0.125, IC95% = 0.030-0.529, cross tab analysis) predicted 8.9 and 8 times less chances, respectively, to present symptoms. Higher antibody levels against MSP5 and EBA175 were associated by odds ratios of 9.4 (IC95% = 1.29-69.25) and 5.7 (IC95% = 1.12-29.62, logistic regression), respectively, with an asymptomatic status.
Merozoite antigens were targets of cytophilic antibodies and antibodies against MSP5, MSP9 and EBA175 were independently associated with decreased symptoms.
Primaquine is an anti-malarial used to prevent Plasmodium vivax relapses and malaria transmission. However, PQ metabolites cause haemolysis in patients deficient in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate ...dehydrogenase (G6PD). Fifteen PQ-thiazolidinone derivatives, synthesized through one-post reactions from primaquine, arenealdehydes and mercaptoacetic acid, were evaluated in parallel in several biological assays, including ability to block malaria transmission to mosquitoes.
All primaquine derivatives (PQ-TZs) exhibited lower cell toxicity than primaquine; none caused haemolysis to normal or G6PD-deficient human erythrocytes in vitro. Sera from mice pretreated with the test compounds thus assumed to have drug metabolites, caused no in vitro haemolysis of human erythrocytes, whereas sera from mice pretreated with primaquine did cause haemolysis. The ability of the PQ-TZs to block malaria transmission was evaluated based on the oocyst production and percentage of mosquitoes infected after a blood meal in drug pre-treated animals with experimental malaria caused by either Plasmodium gallinaceum or Plasmodium berghei; four and five PQ-TZs significantly inhibited sporogony in avian and in rodent malaria, respectively. Selected PQ-TZs were tested for their inhibitory activity on P. berghei liver stage development, in mice and in vitro, one compound (4m) caused a 3-day delay in the malaria pre-patent period.
The compound 4m was the most promising, blocking malaria transmissions and reducing the number of exoerythrocytic forms of P. berghei (EEFs) in hepatoma cells in vitro and in mice in vivo. The same compound also caused a 3-day delay in the malaria pre-patent period.
Naturally occurring antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies against cardiolipin (CL)- and phosphatidylserine (PS)-dependent antigens
are associated with placental dysfunction and unsuccessful pregnancy. ...Murine monoclonal aPL antibodies react with placental
trophoblast and may interfere with normal trophoblastic function. In this study, we evaluated the expression of phospholipid-dependent
antigens during trophoblast differentiation and measured the effects of monoclonal aPL antibodies on two in vitro aspects
of trophoblast differentiation: hormone production and invasion into filters coated with extracellular matrix. Murine monoclonal
IgM aPL antibodies that differentiated between PS and CL were used: 3SB9b reacted only with PS (CL-/PS+), D11A4 reacted only
with CL (CL+/PS-), and BA3B5C4 reacted with both CL and PS (CL+/PS+). Isolated trophoblasts were cultured for 4 days, and
reactivity with monoclonal aPL antibodies was evaluated daily. BA3B5C4 (CL+/PS+) reacted strongly with most trophoblasts that
were freshly isolated (Day 0) and through 2 days of culture, after which time the percentage of cells reactive with BA3B5C4
decreased steadily. 3SB9b (CL-/PS+) reactivity increased during incubation; about 8% of cells reacted initially, but after
1 day of incubation 100% reacted, and this percentage remained stable throughout the 4-day incubation. D11A4 (CL+/PS-) reacted
only minimally and at the level of the negative control monoclonal antibody (mAb) with 1- and 2-day cultures. Both mAbs that
reacted with PS-dependent antigens completely prevented invasion of matrigel-coated filters by isolated trophoblasts. These
mAbs also inhibited trophoblastic hCG and human PL production by more than 45%. Thus, as trophoblasts undergo differentiation,
they are reactive with mAbs against PS. These antibodies are inhibitory in vitro to trophoblastic hormone production and invasion.
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