Disinfection of bacteria in water systems by using electrolytically generated copper:silver and reduced levels of free chlorine

As an alternative disinfectant to chlorination, electrolytically generated copper:silver (400 and 40 micrograms/L copper and silver, respectively) with and without free chlorine (0.3 mg/L) was evaluated over a period of 4 weeks in indoor and outdoor water systems (100 L tap water with natural body flora and urine). Numbers of total coliform, pseudomonas, and staphylococci were all less than drinking water standards in systems treated with copper:silver and free chlorine and systems treated with free chlorine alone (1.0 mg/L). No significant differences (p less than or equal to 0.05) in bacterial numbers were observed between systems with copper:silver and free chlorine and those with free chlorine alone. Overall, free-chlorine treatments (0.3 or 1.0 mg/L) showed significantly lower heterotrophic plate numbers than those without free chlorine. When challenged with a natural Staphylococcus sp. isolate, water with copper:silver and free chlorine had a 2.4 log10 reduction in bacterial numbers within 2 min, while free chlorine alone or copper:silver alone showed 1.5 and 0.03 log10 reductions, respectively. Addition of copper:silver to water systems may allow the concentration of free chlorine to be reduced while still providing comparable sanitary quality of the water.     

CORRELATION BETWEEN ANOLIS LIZARD DEWLAP PHENOTYPE AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION INDICATES ADAPTIVE DIVERGENCE OF A SIGNAL IMPORTANT TO SEXUAL SELECTION AND SPECIES RECOGNITION

Although the importance of signals involved in species recognition and sexual selection to speciation is widely recognized, the processes that underlie signal divergence are still a matter of debate. Several possible processes have been hypothesized, including genetic drift, arbitrary sexual selection, and adaptation to local signaling environments. We use comparative analyses to investigate whether the remarkable geographic variation of dewlap phenotype in a Hispaniolan trunk Anolis lizard (A. distichus) is a result of adaptive signal divergence to heterogeneous environments. We recover a repeated pattern of divergence in A. distichus dewlap color, pattern, and size with environmental variation across Hispaniola. These results are aligned with ecological models of signal divergence and provide strong evidence for dewlap adaptation to local signaling environments. We also find that A. distichus dewlaps vary with the environment in a different manner to other previously studied anoles, thus expanding upon previous predictions on the direction dewlaps will diverge in perceptual color space in response to the environment.     

Developmental evolution of sexual ornamentation: model and a test of feather growth and pigmentation

A tremendous diversity of avian color displays has stimulatednumerous studies of natural and sexual selection. Yet, the developmentalmechanisms that produce such diversification, and thus the proximatetargets of selection pressures, are rarely addressed and poorlyunderstood. In particular, because feathers are colored duringgrowth, the dynamics of feather growth play a deterministicrole in the variation in ornamentation. No study to date, however,has addressed the contribution of feather growth to the expressionof carotenoid-based ornamentation. Here, we examine the developmentalbasis of variation in ornamental feather shapes in male housefinches (Carpodacus mexicanus)—a species in which carotenoiddisplays are under strong natural and sexual selection. First,we use geometric morphometrics to partition the observed shapevariation in fully grown feathers among populations, ages, degreesof elaboration, ornamental body parts, and individuals. Second,we use a biologically informed mathematical model of feathergrowth to predict variation in shape of ornamental feathersdue to simulated growth rate, angle of helical growth of featherbarbs, initial number of barb ridges, rate of addition of newbarbs, barb diameter, and ramus-expansion angle. We find closeconcordance between among-individual variation in feather shapeand hue of entire ornament, and show that this concordance canbe attributed to a shared mechanism—growth rate of featherbarbs. Predicted differences in feather shape due to rate ofaddition of barbs and helical angle of feather growth explainedobserved variation in ornamental area both among individualsand between populations, whereas differences in helical angleof growth and the number of barbs in the feather follicle explaineddifferences in feather shape between ornamental parts and amongmales of different ages. The findings of a close associationof feather growth dynamics and overall ornamentation identifythe proximate targets of selection for elaboration of sexualdisplays. Moreover, the close association of feather growthand pigmentation not only can reinforce condition-dependencein color displays, but can also enable phenotypic and geneticaccommodation of novel pigments into plumage displays providinga mechanism for the observed concordance of within-populationdevelopmental processes and between-population diversificationof color displays.     

Some observations on the effect of Daflon (micronized purified flavonoid fraction of Rutaceae aurantiae) in bancroftian filarial lymphoedema

BACKGROUND: Morbidity management is a core component of the global programme for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. In a double-blind clinical trial, the tolerability and efficacy of Daflon (500 mg) + DEC (25 mg) or DEC (25 mg) alone, twice daily for 90 days, was studied in 26 patients with bancroftian filarial lymphoedema. RESULTS: None of the patients in either drug group reported any adverse reaction throughout the treatment period (90 days). Haematological and biochemical parameters were within normal limits and there was no significant difference between the pre-treatment (day 0) and post-treatment (day 90) values. The group receiving Daflon showed significant reduction in oedema volume from day 90 (140.6 PlusMinus; 18.8 ml) to day 360 (71.8 PlusMinus; 20.7 ml) compared to the pre-treatment (day 0, 198.4 PlusMinus; 16.5 ml) value. This accounted for a 63.8% reduction in oedema volume by day 360 (considering the pre-treatment (day 0) as 100%). In the DEC group, the changes in oedema volume (between day 1 and day 360) were not significant when compared to the pre-treatment (day 0) value. The percentage reduction at day 360 was only 9%, which was not significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that Daflon (500 mg, twice a day for 90 days) is both safe and efficacious in reducing oedema volume in bancroftian filarial lymphoedema. Further clinical trials are essential for strengthening the evidence base on the role of this drug in the morbidity management of lymphatic filariasis.     

Direct intracardiac injection of umbilical cord-derived stromal cells and umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial cells for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy

The development of new therapeutic strategies is necessary to reduce the worldwide social and economic impact of cardiovascular disease, which produces high rates of morbidity and mortality. A therapeutic option that has emerged in the last decade is cell therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of transplanting human umbilical cord-derived stromal cells (UCSCs), human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial cells (UCBECs) or a combination of these two cell types for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC) in a Wistar rat model. IC was induced by left coronary artery ligation, and baseline echocardiography was performed seven days later. Animals with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of ≤40% were selected for the study. On the ninth day after IC was induced, the animals were randomized into the following experimental groups: UCSCs, UCBECs, UCSCs plus UCBECs, or vehicle (control). Thirty days after treatment, an echocardiographic analysis was performed, followed by euthanasia. The animals in all of the cell therapy groups, regardless of the cell type transplanted, had less collagen deposition in their heart tissue and demonstrated a significant improvement in myocardial function after IC. Furthermore, there was a trend of increasing numbers of blood vessels in the infarcted area. The median value of LVEF increased by 7.19% to 11.77%, whereas the control group decreased by 0.24%. These results suggest that UCSCs and UCBECs are promising cells for cellular cardiomyoplasty and can be an effective therapy for improving cardiac function following IC.     

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor expression in cardiac fibroblasts is modulated by in vitro culture conditions

The bioactive molecule sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) binds with high affinity to five recognized receptors (S1P(1-5)) to affect various tissues, including cellular responses of cardiac fibroblasts (CFbs) and myocytes. CFbs are essential components of myocardium, and detailed study of their cell signaling and physiology is required for a number of emerging disciplines. Meaningful studies on CFbs, however, necessitate methods for selective, reproducible cell isolations. Macrophages reside within normal cardiac tissues and often are isolated with CFbs. A protocol was therefore developed that significantly reduces macrophage levels and utilizes more CFb-specific markers (discoidin domain receptor-2) instead of, or in addition to, more commonly used cytoskeletal markers. Our results demonstrate that primary isolated, purified CFbs express predominantly S1P(1-3); however, the relative levels of these receptor subtypes are modulated with time and by culture conditions. In coculture experiments, macrophages altered CFb S1P receptor levels relative to controls. Further investigations using known macrophage-secreted factors showed that S1P and H(2)O(2) had minimal effects on CFb S1P(1-3) expression, whereas transforming growth factor-beta1, TNF-alpha, and PDGF-BB significantly altered all S1P receptor subtypes. Lowering FBS concentrations from 10% to 0.1% increased S1P(2), whereas supplementation with either PDGF-BB or Rho-associated protein kinase inhibitor Y-27632 significantly elevated S1P(3) levels. S1P(2) and S1P(3) receptor levels are known to regulate cell migration. Using cells isolated from either normal or S1P(3)-null mice, we demonstrate that S1P(3) is important and necessary for CFb migration. These results highlight the importance of demonstrating CFb culture purity in functional studies of S1P and also identify conditions that modulate S1P receptor expression in CFbs.     

An analysis of the effects of stretch on IGF-I secretion from rat ventricular fibroblasts

Mechanical force can induce a number of fundamental short- and long-term responses in myocardium. These include alterations in ECM, activation of cell-signaling pathways, altered gene regulation, changes in cell proliferation and growth, and secretion of a number of peptides and growth factors. It is now known that a number of these autocrine/paracrine factors are secreted from both cardiomyocytes and ventricular cardiac fibroblasts (CFb) in response to stretch. One such substance is IGF-I. IGF-I is an important autocrine/paracrine factor that can regulate physiological or pathophysiological responses, such as hypertrophy. In this study, we addressed the possible effects of mechanical perturbation, biaxial strain, on IGF-I secretion from adult rat CFb. CFb were subjected to either static stretch (3-10%) or cyclic stretch (10%; 0.1-1 Hz) over a 24-h period. IGF-1 secretion from CFb in response to selected stretch paradigms was examined using ELISA to measure IGF-I concentrations in conditioned media. Static stretch did not result in any measurable modulation of IGF-I secretion from CFb. However, cyclic stretch significantly increased IGF-I secretion from CFb in a frequency- and time-dependent manner compared with nonstretched controls. This stretch-induced increase in secretion was relatively insensitive to changes in extracellular [Ca(2+)] or to block of L-type Ca(2+) channels. In contrast, thapsigargin, an inhibitor of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase, remarkably decreased stretch-induced IGF-I secretion from CFb. We further show that IGF-I can upregulate mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide in myocytes. In summary, cyclic stretch can significantly increase IGF-I secretion from CFb, and this effect is dependent on a thapsigargin-sensitive pool of intracellular [Ca(2+)].     

Pyoderma gangrenosum: skin grafting after preparation with hyperbaric oxygen

Four patients with pyoderma gangrenosum were treated with hyperbaric oxygen to prepare the wounds for skin grafting. Each wound responded to a course of daily hyperbaric oxygen with reduction of infection and increased capillary angiogenesis. During follow-up periods of 12 to 30 months, all wounds remained healed. Although the exact etiology of pyoderma gangrenosum is unknown, vasculitis with wound ischemia and infection are prominent components. Inspired oxygen partial pressures of 1100 to 1300 mmHg elevate wound oxygen tension despite relative ischemia. The impaired intracellular bacterial killing of hypoxic leukocytes is corrected during each day's 2-hour bolus of hyperbaric oxygen. Daily wound oxygenation increases collagen production by fibroblasts to support capillary angiogenesis.     

Airway hyperresponsiveness is associated with airway remodeling but not inflammation in aging Cav1-/- mice

Background

Airway inflammation and airway remodeling are the key contributors to airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a characteristic feature of asthma. Both processes are regulated by Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-β. Caveolin 1 (Cav1) is a membrane bound protein that binds to a variety of receptor and signaling proteins, including the TGF-β receptors. We hypothesized that caveolin-1 deficiency promotes structural alterations of the airways that develop with age will predispose to an increased response to allergen challenge.

Methods

AHR was measured in Cav1-deficient and wild-type (WT) mice 1 to 12 months of age to examine the role of Cav1 in AHR and the relative contribution of inflammation and airway remodeling. AHR was then measured in Cav1^-/- and WT mice after an ovalbumin-allergen challenge performed at either 2 months of age, when remodeling in Cav1^-/- and WT mice was equivalent, and at 6 months of age, when the Cav1^-/- mice had established airway remodeling.

Results

Cav1^-/- mice developed increased thickness of the subepithelial layer and a correspondingly increased AHR as they aged. In addition, allergen-challenged Cav1^-/- mice had an increase in AHR greater than WT mice that was largely independent of inflammation. Cav1^-/- mice challenged at 6 months of age have decreased AHR compared to those challenged at 2 months with correspondingly decreased BAL IL-4 and IL-5 levels, inflammatory cell counts and percentage of eosinophils. In addition, in response to OVA challenge, the number of goblet cells and α-SMA positive cells in the airways were reduced with age in response to OVA challenge in contrast to an increased collagen deposition further enhanced in absence of Cav1.

Conclusion

A lack of Cav1 contributed to the thickness of the subepithelial layer in mice as they aged resulting in an increase in AHR independent of inflammation, demonstrating the important contribution of airway structural changes to AHR. In addition, age in the Cav1^-/- mice is a contributing factor to airway remodeling in the response to allergen challenge.