Pulmonary Toxocariasis Mimicking Invasive Aspergillosis in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis

A 45-year-old-male who had underlying ulcerative colitis and presented with fever and dry cough. Initially, the patient was considered to have invasive aspergillosis due to a positive galactomannan assay. He was treated with amphotericin B followed by voriconazole. Nevertheless, the patient deteriorated clinically and radiographically. The lung biopsy revealed eosinophilic pneumonia, and ELISA for Toxocara antigen was positive, leading to a diagnosis of pulmonary toxocariasis. After a 10-day treatment course with albendazole and adjunctive steroids, the patient recovered completely without any sequelae. Pulmonary toxocariasis may be considered in patients with subacute or chronic pneumonia unresponsive to antibiotic agents, particularly in cases with eosinophilia.     

Effects of auditory stimuli on the lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster

It is well known that music can have calming effects on humans, other mammals and birds. Reducing environmental stress or enhancing the resistance to certain stressors has been shown to extend lifespan in several organisms. Evidence also suggests that mild temporary stress may also enhance stress resistance and ultimately slow the aging process. This study explored the possibility that music may influence the lifespan of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, possibly by affecting responses to stress. Flies received either background sounds (control), or background sounds supplemented with music (experimental). The experimental group had classical music playing constantly at an average of 20 dB above background sound. The median lifespan of females receiving music was 42 days compared to the median of 45 days without music, but the difference was not significant. For males median lifespans were 42 days with music exposure, and 47 days without music and the difference was significant. These results suggest that exposure to classical music decreased the lifespan of male Drosophila. Both experimental and control populations showed age-dependent increases in mortality, indicating that music affects the normal aging process rather than showing overt toxicity. These results suggest that certain auditory stimuli may be stressful and can be used as insect management.     

Fast and sensitive delineation of brain tumor with clinically compatible moxifloxacin labeling and confocal microscopy

Delineation of brain tumor margins during surgery is critical to maximize tumor removal while preserving normal brain tissue to obtain optimal clinical outcomes. Although various imaging methods have been developed, they have limitations to be used in clinical practice. We developed a high‐speed cellular imaging method by using clinically compatible moxifloxacin and confocal microscopy for sensitive brain tumor detection and delineation. Moxifloxacin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antibiotic and was used as a cell labeling agent through topical administration. Its strong fluorescence at short visible excitation wavelengths allowed video‐rate cellular imaging. Moxifloxacin‐based confocal microscopy (MBCM) was characterized in normal mouse brain specimens and visualized their cytoarchitecture clearly. Then, MBCM was applied to both brain tumor murine models and two malignant human brain tumors of glioblastoma and metastatic cancer. MBCM detected tumors in all the specimens by visualizing dense and irregular cell distributions, and tumor margins were easily delineated based on the cytoarchitecture. An image analysis method was developed for automated detection and delineation. MBCM demonstrated sensitive delineation of brain tumors through cytoarchitecture visualization and would have potentials for human applications, such as a surgery‐guiding method for tumor removal.      

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte response against multiple simian immunodeficiency virusA (SIV) proteins in SIV-infected macaques.

To identify the target proteins of CD8+ T lymphocytes we have explored the cytolytic immune responses of 12 rhesus macaques experimentally infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac). Target cells were autologous B cell lines presenting SIVmac proteins after infection with recombinant vaccinia viruses. The eight following proteins were studied: ENV, POL, GAG, NEF, VIF, REV, TAT, and VPX. Macaque PBMC stimulated with Con A and expanded in T cell growth factor-containing medium produced cell lines with cytolytic activity in the majority of infected animals (9/12). The structural proteins ENV, POL, and GAG were recognized by cell lines derived from nine, eight, and six macaques, respectively. The small regulatory proteins also represented efficient CTL targets, a specific activity being detected against NEF (8/12), REV (7/12), VPX (7/12), TAT (6/12), and VIF (5/12). Most cytotoxic responses (except those directed against ENV) were mediated by CD8 cells and were MHC class I restricted. Limiting dilution analysis allowed us to quantify the frequency of CTL precursors and confirmed the high immunogenicity of multiple SIV proteins. Three different patterns of response could be defined: six animals were able to recognize at least six of the eight tested target proteins, two of them reacting with all eight target proteins. The other three responder macaques reacted only against a few SIV proteins, whereas no cytotoxic activity was detected in the three remaining infected macaques and in the nine negative controls. The six animals responding against multiple proteins were still healthy 12 to 22 mo after infection with two of them presenting a decrease in circulating CD4 cells concurrently to the disappearance of the CTL response. Conversely, three nonresponder or low responder macaques developed an overt disease after 4 to 12 mo, and two other presented a very low level of CD4 cells, suggesting that the pattern of response may be of prognostic value.