Exogenous nitric oxide inhibits experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis development in Lewis rats by modulation of the Th1-dependent immune response.

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of posterior uvea that closely resembles a human disease. The uveitogenic effector T cell has a Th1-like phenotype [high interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), low interleukin-4 (IL-4)], and genetic susceptibility to EAU that is associated with an elevated Th1 response. Suppression of CD4+ Th1 cells for the treatment of autoimmune disease is an attractive potential therapeutic approach. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential role of NO as an immunoregulator to alter Th1/Th2 cytokine production, as well as to inhibit the interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP)-induced EAU, a CD4+ Th1 cell-mediated autoimmune disease. Injection of IRBP (100 microg) into two footpads resulted in severe EAU. The beginning peak of the disease was days 12 to 15 after immunization. Oral treatment with molsidomine (MSDM), a NO donor, began 24 h before IRBP immunization to the end of the experiments, which resulted in a significant inhibition of the disease by clinical and histopathological criteria. When MSDM was administered until day 21, a complete reduction of incidence and severity of EAU was observed. To investigate the cytokine alterations from Th1 to Th2 cytokines by MSDM, the cytokines were assayed in a culture medium of IRBP-stimulated inguinal lymphocytes. IRBP-immunized rats secreted a high concentration of IFN-gamma and a low concentration of IL-10. In contrast, MSDM treatment enhanced IL-10 secretion and tended to decrease IFN-gamma secretion. In conclusion, we show that the administration of NO suppresses EAU by altering the Th1/Th2 balance of inflammatory immune responses. We suggest that NO may be useful in the therapeutic control of autoimmune uveitis.     

Cloning of heat shock protein genes from the brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens,and the small brown planthopper,Laodelphax striatellus,and their expression in relation to thermal stress

Three heat shock protein （HSP） genes （hsp70, hsc70, hsp90） were partially cloned from the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens and the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus （Homoptera： Delphacidae）, which are serious pests of the rice plant. Sequence comparisons at the deduced amino acid level showed that the three HSPs of planthoppers were most homologous to corresponding HSPs of dipteran and lepidopteran species. Identities of both heat shock cognate 70 and HSP90 were higher than HSP70 in both species. Identity of the HSP70 between the two planthopper species was only 81%, a value much lower than seen among fly and moth groups. Effects of heat and cold shocks were demonstrated on expression of the three hsp genes in the two planthopper species. Heat shock （40 ℃） upregulated the hsp90 level but did not change the hsc70 level in either the nymph and adult stages of either species. On the other hand, the hsp70 level was only upregulated in L. striatellus. This heat shock response was prompt and lasted only for 1 h after treatment. In contrast, cold shock at 4℃ did not change the expression levels of any hsp in either species.     

Efficient and accurate analysis of microRNA using a specific extension sequence

Molecular Biology Reports - We present here on an innovative assay for detecting miRNAs using a uniquely designed specific extension sequence that provides high efficiency and accuracy. This assay...     

Measurement of Shoulder Range of Motion in Patients with Adhesive Capsulitis Using a Kinect

Range of motion (ROM) measurements are essential for the evaluation for and diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (AC). However, taking these measurements using a goniometer is inconvenient and sometimes unreliable. The Kinect (Microsoft, Seattle, WA, USA) is gaining attention as a new motion detecting device that is nonintrusive and easy to implement. This study aimed to apply Kinect to measure shoulder ROM in AC; we evaluated its validity by calculating the agreement of the measurements obtained using Kinect with those obtained using goniometer and assessed its utility for the diagnosis of AC. Both shoulders of 15 healthy volunteers and affected shoulders of 12 patients with AC were included in the study. The passive and active ROM of each were measured with a goniometer for flexion, abduction, and external rotation. Their active shoulder motions for each direction were again captured using Kinect and the ROM values were calculated. The agreement between the two measurements was tested with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Diagnostic performance using the Kinect ROM was evaluated with Cohen’s kappa value. The cutoff values of the limited ROM were determined in the following ways: the same as passive ROM values, reflecting the mean difference, and based on receiver operating characteristic curves. The ICC for flexion/abduction/external rotation between goniometric passive ROM and the Kinect ROM were 0.906/0.942/0.911, while those between active ROMs and the Kinect ROMs were 0.864/0.932/0.925. Cohen’s kappa values were 0.88, 0.88, and 1.0 with the cutoff values in the order above. Measurements of the shoulder ROM using Kinect show excellent agreement with those taken using a goniometer. These results indicate that the Kinect can be used to measure shoulder ROM and to diagnose AC as an alternative to goniometer.     

Differential Reward Learning for Self and Others Predicts Self-Reported Altruism

In social environments, decisions not only determine rewards for oneself but also for others. However, individual differences in pro-social behaviors have been typically studied through self-report. We developed a decision-making paradigm in which participants chose from card decks with differing rewards for themselves and charity; some decks gave similar rewards to both, while others gave higher rewards for one or the other. We used a reinforcement-learning model that estimated each participant''s relative weighting of self versus charity reward. As shown both in choices and model parameters, individuals who showed relatively better learning of rewards for charity – compared to themselves – were more likely to engage in pro-social behavior outside of a laboratory setting indicated by self-report. Overall rates of reward learning, however, did not predict individual differences in pro-social tendencies. These results support the idea that biases toward learning about social rewards are associated with one''s altruistic tendencies.     

Pollen and gene flow in fragmented habitats

Abstract. Habitat fragmentation affects both plants and pollinators. Habitat fragmentation leads to changes in species richness, population number and size, density, and shape, thus to changes in the spatial arrangement of flowers. These changes influence the amount of food for flower-visiting insects and the quantity and quality of pollinations. Seed set in small populations is often reduced and genetic variation is expected but not always found to be low. The majority of studies show that low flower densities have reduced pollination success and higher inbreeding. Density effects are stronger than size effects. Most studies concluded that species richness in flower-visiting insects is directly related to richness in plant species. However, the consequences of low insect species richness for pollination are not always clear, depending on the studied pollinator-plant relationship. The effects of the presence of simultaneously flowering species are highly dependent on the circumstances and may range from competition to facilitation. Other flowering plant species may play a role as stepping stones or corridor in the connection between populations. In the absence of stepping stones even short distances between populations act as strong barriers for gene flow. We illustrate the present review paper with own data collected for three plant species, rare in The Netherlands: Phyteuma spicatum ssp. nigrum (Campanulaceae), Salvia pratensis (Labiatae) and Scabiosa columbaria (Dipsacaceae). The species differ in their breeding systems and in the assemblage of visitor species. Data are shown on the effects of population size on species richness with consequences for seed set. Effects of flower density and isolation on pollen exchange are given. Since plant reproduction depends on the behaviour of individual insects and not on the overall behaviour of the species, the examples all point to individual insects and extrapolate to effects at the species level.