CD26 Expression on T Helper Populations and sCD26 Serum Levels in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

We studied dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV, CD26) expression in different T helper cells and serum soluble DPP-IV/sCD26 levels in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, correlated these with disease activity score (DAS), and examined how they were affected by different therapies, conventional or biological (anti-TNF, anti-CD20 and anti-IL6R or Ig-CTLA4). The percentage of CD4⁺CD45R0⁺CD26^- cells was greatly reduced in patients (up to 50%) when compared with healthy subjects. Three other subsets of CD4 cells, including a CD26high Th1-associated population, changed variably with therapies. Data from these subsets (frequency and staining density) significantly correlated with DAS28 or DAS28 components but different in each group of patients undergoing the different therapies. Th17 and Th22 subsets were implicated in RA as independent CCR4⁺ and CCR4^- populations each, with distinct CD26 expression, and were targeted with varying efficiency by each therapy. Serum DPP-IV activity rather than sCD26 levels was lower in RA patients compared to healthy donors. DPP-IV and sCD26 serum levels were found related to specific T cell subsets but not to disease activity. We conclude that, according to their CD26 expression, different cell subsets could serve to monitor RA course, and an uncharacterized T helper CD26^- subset, not targeted by therapies, should be monitored for early diagnosis.     

Validation of AshTest as a Non-Invasive Alternative to Transjugular Liver Biopsy in Patients with Suspected Severe Acute Alcoholic Hepatitis

Background/Aims

According to guidelines, the histological diagnosis of severe alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) can require liver biopsy if a specific treatment is needed. The blood test AshTest (BioPredictive, Paris, France) has been initially validated for the non-invasive diagnosis of ASH in a large population of heavy drinkers. The aim was to validate the AshTest accuracy in the specific context of use of patients with suspected severe ASH, in order to reduce the need for transjugular biopsy before deciding treatment.

Methods

The reference was liver biopsy, performed using the transjugular route, classified according to its histological severity as none, minimal, moderate or severe. Biopsies were assessed by the same experienced pathologist, blinded to simultaneous AshTest results.

Results

A total of 123 patients with severe clinical ASH (recent jaundice and Maddrey function greater or equal to 32) were included, all had cirrhosis and 80% had EASL histological definition of ASH. 95% of patients received prednisolone; and the 2-year mortality was 63%. The high AshTest performance was confirmed both for the binary outcome [AUROC = 0.803 (95%CI 0.684–0.881)] significantly higher than the AST/ALT AUROC [0.603 (0.462–0.714); P<0.001], and for the severity of ASH-score system by the Obuchowski measures for [mean (SE) 0.902 (0.017) vs. AST/ALT 0.833 (0.023); P = 0.01], as well as for the diagnosis and severity of ballooning, PMN and Mallory bodies. According to attributability of discordances, AshTest had a 2–7% risk of 2 grades misclassification.

Conclusion

These results confirmed the diagnostic performance of AshTest in cirrhotic patients with severe clinical ASH, in the specific context of use of corticosteroid treatment. AshTest is an appropriate non-invasive alternative to transjugular liver biopsy.     

Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 46 (Usp46) regulates mouse immobile behavior in the tail suspension test through the GABAergic system

The tail suspension test (TST) is widely recognized as a useful experimental paradigm for assessing antidepressant activity and depression-like behavior. We have previously identified ubiquitin-specific peptidase 46 (Usp46) as a quantitative trait gene responsible for decreasing immobility time in the TST in mice. This Usp46 mutation has a 3-bp deletion coding for lysine in the open reading frame, and we indicated that Usp46 is implicated in the regulation of the GABAergic system. However, it is not known precisely how the immobile behavior is regulated by the GABAergic system. Therefore, in the present study, we examined whether the immobility time is influenced by drugs affecting the action mediated by GABA(A) receptor using both 3-bp deleted (the Usp46 mutant) and null Usp46 (Usp46 KO) mice. Nitrazepam, an agonist at the benzodiazepine-binding site of the GABA(A) receptor, which potentiates the action of GABA, produced a dose-dependent increase in TST immobility time in the Usp46 mutant mice without affecting general behaviors. The Usp46 KO mice exhibited short immobility times comparable to the Usp46 mutant mice, which was also increased by nitrazepam administration. The effects of nitrazepam in the Usp46 mutant and KO mice were antagonized by flumazenil. These results indicate that the 3-bp deleted Usp46 mutation causes a loss-of-function phenotype, and that the GABA(A) receptor might participate in the regulation of TST immobility time.     

Secretory Pattern of Inhibin During Estrous Cycle and Pregnancy in African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) Elephants

The ovary of female elephants has multiple corpora lutea (CL) during the estrous cycle and gestation. The previous reports clearly demonstrated that inhibin was secreted from lutein cells as well as granulosa cells of antral follicles in cyclic Asian elephants. The aim of this study is to investigate the inhibin secretion during the pregnancy in African and Asian elephants. Two African elephants and two Asian elephants were subjected to this study. Circulating levels of immunoreactive (ir‐) inhibin and progesterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. Four pregnant periods of an African elephant and three pregnant periods of an Asian elephant were analyzed in this study. Circulating levels of ir‐inhibin started to increase at 1 or 2 week before the ovulation and reached the peak level 3 or 4 weeks earlier than progesterone during the estrous cycle in both African and Asian elephants. After last luteal phase, the serum levels of ir‐inhibin remained low throughout pregnancy in both an African and an Asian elephant. The mean levels of ir‐inhibin during the pregnancy were lower than the luteal phase in the estrous cycle despite high progesterone levels were maintained throughout the pregnancy. These results strongly suggest that CL secrete a large amount of progesterone but not inhibin during the pregnancy in elephants. Zoo Biol 31:511‐522, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Chemometric evaluation of pharmaceutical properties of antipyrine granules by near-infrared spectroscopy

The purpose of this research was to apply near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with chemometrics to predict the change of pharmaceutical properties of antipyrine granules during granulation by regulation of the amount of water added. The various kinds of granules (mean particle size, 70–750 μm) were obtained from the powder mixture (1 g of antipyrine, 6 g of hydroxypropylcellulose, 140 g of lactose, and 60 g of potato starch) by regulation of the added water amount (11–19 wt/wt%) in a high-speed mixer. The granules were characterized by mean particle size, angle of repose, compressibility, tablet porosity, and tablet hardness as parameters of pharmaceutical properties. To predict the pharmaceutical properties, NIR spectra of the granules were measured and analyzed by principal component regression, (PCR) analysis. The mean particle size of the granules increased from 81 μm to 650 μm with an increase in the amount of water, and it was possible to make larger spherical granules with narrow particle size distribution using a high-speed mixer. Angle of repose, compressibility, and porosity of the tablets decreased with an increase of added water, but tablet hardness increased. The independent calibration models to evaluate particle size, angle of repose, and tablet porosity and hardness were established by using PCR based on NIR spectra of granules, respectively. The correlation coefficient constants of calibration curves for prediction of mean particle size, angle of repose, tablet porosity, and tablet hardness were 0.9109, 0.8912, 0.7437, and 0.8064, respectively. It is possible that the pharmaceutical properties of the granule, such as mean particle size, angle of repose, tablet porosity, and tablet hardness, could be predicted by an NIR-chemometric method.     

Macrophage inflammatory protein-3alpha and beta-defensin-2 stimulate dentin sialophosphoprotein gene expression in human pulp cells

Macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3alpha and beta-defensin (BD)-2 have antimicrobial activity and chemotactic activity for immature dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and memory T cells. However, it remains unknown if the widespread effects of these peptides also include an influence on the differentiation of mesenchymal cells. Pulp cells have the capacity to differentiate into odontoblasts and to form dentin. The aim of this study was to determine if inflammatory leukocyte products influence the capacity of pulp cells to differentiate. Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is a tooth-specific protein being expressed mostly by odontoblast cells. In the present study, we investigated effects of MIP-3alpha and BD-2 on the DSPP and osteopontin (OPN) gene expression in cultures of human pulp-derived fibroblastic cells (HP cells). HP cells expressed mRNA for the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 6 to which both MIP-3alpha and BD-2 can bind. Real-time PCR showed that MIP-3alpha and BD-2 significantly increased DSPP mRNA levels, although BD-2 increased DSPP mRNA levels less than MIP-3alpha. MIP-3alpha and BD-2 increased OPN mRNA levels very slightly. MIP-3alpha and BD-2 possessed antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus casei, which are involved in caries, although the antibacterial activity of MIP-3alpha was lower than that of BD-2. These findings suggest the MIP-3alpha and BD-2 have the ability to stimulate odontoblast differentiation in addition to their more traditional role in inflammation and have potential in the removal of bacteria in infected soft dentin and pulp tissues.     

Relevant EEG features for the classification of spontaneous motor-related tasks

 There is a growing interest in the use of physiological signals for communication and operation of devices for the severely motor disabled as well as for healthy people. A few groups around the world have developed brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that rely upon the recognition of motor-related tasks (i.e., imagination of movements) from on-line EEG signals. In this paper we seek to find and analyze the set of relevant EEG features that best differentiate spontaneous motor-related mental tasks from each other. This study empirically demonstrates the benefits of heuristic feature selection methods for EEG-based classification of mental tasks. In particular, it is shown that the classifier performance improves for all the considered subjects with only a small proportion of features. Thus, the use of just those relevant features increases the efficiency of the brain interfaces and, most importantly, enables a greater level of adaptation of the personal BCI to the individual user. Received: 15 January 2001 / Accepted in revised form: 19 July 2001