This report describes three cases of infection with Sphingobacterium multivorum after transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. The pathogen is ubiquitous in water and soil but has been ...described fewer than 10 times causing infections in humans. An infection hygiene evaluation identified and changed a step in the biopsy process in order to reduce the risk of inoculating the patient with environmental microorganisms.
Besides its function as a growth factor for T lymphocytes, interleukin 2(IL-2) induces β
2-integrin mediated adhesion, migration, and extravasation of T lymphocytes. It is, however, largely unknown ...how IL-2 receptors (IL-2R) are coupled to the β
2-integrin adhesion pathway. Because IL-2 modulates enzymatic activity and/or subcellular distribution of serine/threonine phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1/PP2A) in T cells, we examined the role of these phosphatases in IL-2 induced homotypic adhesion in antigen specific human CD4
+T cell lines. We show that calyculin A, a potent inhibitor of PP1 and PP2A, blocks PP1/PP2A activity and IL-2 induced adhesion, whereas cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2B (PP2B), does not, suggesting that PP1 and/or PP2A are involved in IL-2 induced adhesion. Endothall, which preferentially inhibits PP2A, strongly inhibited cytokine induced adhesion, whereas the structurally related compound 1,4-dimethylendothall had no effect on either phosphatase activity or the adhesion response. Okadaic acid, which preferentially inhibits PP2A, almost completely blocked IL-2-induced adhesion, whereas tautomycin, a potent inhibitor of PP1, had no inhibitory effect on cytokine induced adhesion at concentrations which strongly inhibited phosphatase activity. In conclusion, these data provide evidence that PP2A plays a critical role in IL-2-induced β
2-integrin-dependent adhesion of human T cell lines.
To elucidate the role of IGF-1 in the galactopoietic effect of somatotropin, the partition of plasma IGF-1 between groups of binding proteins (BP) was studied in goats at different stages of ...pregnancy, lactation and somatotropin treatment.
By size-exclusion chromatography, total plasma IGF-1 was divided into a 150 kDa class and a 35 kDa class. Lactation was associated with marked reduction in plasma concentrations of IGF-1, specifically of the 150 kDa class. During lactation, BP3 concentrations were also low and BP3 circulated mainly in a "free"; or non-complex bound form. Somatotropin treatment changed IGF-1 concentration and distribution towards that seen in pregnancy.
It is concluded that the change in distribution of IGF-1 and its binding protein at the start of lactaion means increased turnover of IGF-1 and probably increased availability of IGF-1 to mammary cells and other target tissues. The observed changes may be important aspects of the homeorhetic adaptation to lactation.
During 4 diel cycles in a Danish coastal environment, bacterial growth rates were estimated by several methods. ³H-thymidine incorporation into DNA gave results of the same order of magnitude as data ...obtained from frequency of dividing cells (FDC). In contrast to minor diel changes in cell numbers and bacterial secondary production, marked diel changes were observed in the percentage of active bacteria determined from microautoradiography using ³H-thymidine. Between 20 and 80 % of the bacteria were active. Increases in percent activity were frequently but not always found in the morning. Attempts to estimate specific activity of thymidine nucleotide pools by isotope dilution procedure suggested that there was less intracellular dilution than expected from literature data; however, it seemed to be an underestimate and results were often difficult to evaluate. Results from biomass changes sometimes revealed appreciably higher production rates than those obtained from thymidine incorporation, whether or not the thymidine data were separately adjusted for presumed isotope dilution. Based on the assumption that all dividing bacteria were active, bacterial biomass and FDC were corrected according to the percent active bacteria determined from autoradiography. Corrected bacterial production rates were on average 28 % (range 4 to 169 %) higher than those obtained from standard FDC procedure.
The contractibility and trainability of the pelvic floor were investigated during pregnancy and after vaginal delivery in 86 healthy primiparae. One group (TG) (n = 38) was instructed in training the ...pelvic floor from the 33rd week of pregnancy, whereas the other group (non-TG) (n = 39) was not. Both groups were measured by perineometry five times between 33rd-39th week of pregnancy and approximately 8 weeks after delivery. Half of the women were also measured 8 months post partum. At the beginning of the study both groups showed the same strength of the pelvic floor. 8 weeks and 8 months after delivery the TG were significantly (p < 0.05) better able to contract the pelvic floor compared with the non-TG. 8 months post partum, the TG had regained the initial values of pelvic floor contraction as from 33rd week of pregnancy, whereas the non-TG had not. During pregnancy there was a better ability to contract the pelvic floor in the TG vis-à-vis the non-TG, though not significantly so. No difference in the course of delivery was observed, and the frequency of complications was the same in the two groups.
: Exposures to airborne protein antigens, aeroallergens, may cause sensitization with production of Th2‐dependent antibodies, including IgE. The IgE antibodies and associated cellular responses are ...responsible for the allergic airway diseases, allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, which are increasing in societies with Western life style. Aeroallergens may have different potential to sensitize exposed subjects. Thus, there are only a limited number of important groups of aeroallergens, which are those from house dust mites, cockroaches, pets, pollens, and moulds. Allergy follows to a certain extent the pharmacological/toxicological paradigm of dose‐response relationship. Unlike effects of pharmacologically and toxicologically active substances, allergens elicit their adverse effects in a two‐stage process. In the first stage the immunologically naïve individual is sensitized to the allergen. In the second stage renewed exposure to the allergen elicits the disease response. Also, high concentrations of aeroallergens may induce immunological tolerance. The scientific literature suggests that many environmental factors contribute to the increase in sensitization and development of airway allergies. Nevertheless, the dose‐response relationships apply (within certain limits) both to the sensitization itself and to the exacerbation of the diseases. This suggest that exposure reduction may be one of the methods for reduction of risk, in relation to control of the allergic airway diseases.
Total protein S, a coagulation regulating protein, was determined by an electroimmunoassay in samples of plasma collected during one menstrual or hormone-induced cycle in 15 young women and 11 women ...using oral contraceptives with 30 micrograms ethinyl estradiol and 150 micrograms levonorgestrel. Distinct individual levels caused the with-in-group variations of plasma total protein S to be larger than the individual variations. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups, but in the hormone group there was a slight but statistically significant decrease during the hormone-induced cycle.
We have previously reported that slowly progressing HIV infection (SPI) was associated with the presence of contemporaneous autologous neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, a group of individuals ...with more rapidly progressing infection (RPI) generally lacked these antibodies. To understand the importance of autologous neutralizing antibodies in SPI more fully, we have now conducted a prospective study taking consecutive blood samples from the individuals with SPI (8 patients) and RPI (10 patients). Blood sampling in the group with SPI was done 110 and 123 months after the estimated seroconversion and at similar time points in the group with RPI. Virus isolation was attempted at both time points in both groups of individuals; crossed neutralization assays were set up with autologous virus. These confirmed our previous finding of significant autologous neutralizing titers in the group with SPI (geometric mean titer GMT 8.7 versus 1.6 in SPI and RPI, respectively; p = 0.0048). However, not all individuals with SPI possessed autologous neutralizing antibodies, indicating that other factors may be decisive for SPI. Furthermore, neutralizing antibody titers did not increase from early to late serum samples. Finally, late virus isolates from individuals with SPI generally remained sensitive to neutralization by early serum samples. Virus phenotype (SI/NSI) and CCR5 genotype was determined for all individuals. Neither showed significant correlation with SPI. However, all SPI individuals who were heterozygous for the CCR5 deletion were infected with virus of NSI phenotype. In contrast, all RPI individuals who were heterozygous for the CCR5 deletion were infected with virus of SI phenotype (p = .028). Thus, a beneficial effect of having a partly nonfunctional CCR5 coreceptor may depend on the viral SI/NSI phenotype.
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