Antioxidant components of naturally-occurring oils exhibit marked anti-inflammatory activity in epithelial cells of the human upper respiratory system

Background

Proteomic studies of respiratory disorders have the potential to identify protein biomarkers for diagnosis and disease monitoring. Utilisation of sensitive quantitative proteomic methods creates opportunities to determine individual patient proteomes. The aim of the current study was to determine if quantitative proteomics of bronchial biopsies from asthmatics can distinguish relevant biological functions and whether inhaled glucocorticoid treatment affects these functions.

Methods

Endobronchial biopsies were taken from untreated asthmatic patients (n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 3). Asthmatic patients were randomised to double blind treatment with either placebo or budesonide (800 μg daily for 3 months) and new biopsies were obtained. Proteins extracted from the biopsies were digested and analysed using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation combined with a nanoLC-LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Spectra obtained were used to identify and quantify proteins. Pathways analysis was performed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to identify significant biological pathways in asthma and determine how the expression of these pathways was changed by treatment.

Results

More than 1800 proteins were identified and quantified in the bronchial biopsies of subjects. The pathway analysis revealed acute phase response signalling, cell-to-cell signalling and tissue development associations with proteins expressed in asthmatics compared to controls. The functions and pathways associated with placebo and budesonide treatment showed distinct differences, including the decreased association with acute phase proteins as a result of budesonide treatment compared to placebo.

Conclusions

Proteomic analysis of bronchial biopsy material can be used to identify and quantify proteins using highly sensitive technologies, without the need for pooling of samples from several patients. Distinct pathophysiological features of asthma can be identified using this approach and the expression of these features is changed by inhaled glucocorticoid treatment. Quantitative proteomics may be applied to identify mechanisms of disease that may assist in the accurate and timely diagnosis of asthma.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT01378039     

Graph theoretical analysis of functional brain networks: test-retest evaluation on short- and long-term resting-state functional MRI data

Graph-based computational network analysis has proven a powerful tool to quantitatively characterize functional architectures of the brain. However, the test-retest (TRT) reliability of graph metrics of functional networks has not been systematically examined. Here, we investigated TRT reliability of topological metrics of functional brain networks derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Specifically, we evaluated both short-term (<1 hour apart) and long-term (>5 months apart) TRT reliability for 12 global and 6 local nodal network metrics. We found that reliability of global network metrics was overall low, threshold-sensitive and dependent on several factors of scanning time interval (TI, long-term>short-term), network membership (NM, networks excluding negative correlations>networks including negative correlations) and network type (NT, binarized networks>weighted networks). The dependence was modulated by another factor of node definition (ND) strategy. The local nodal reliability exhibited large variability across nodal metrics and a spatially heterogeneous distribution. Nodal degree was the most reliable metric and varied the least across the factors above. Hub regions in association and limbic/paralimbic cortices showed moderate TRT reliability. Importantly, nodal reliability was robust to above-mentioned four factors. Simulation analysis revealed that global network metrics were extremely sensitive (but varying degrees) to noise in functional connectivity and weighted networks generated numerically more reliable results in compared with binarized networks. For nodal network metrics, they showed high resistance to noise in functional connectivity and no NT related differences were found in the resistance. These findings provide important implications on how to choose reliable analytical schemes and network metrics of interest.     

In vivo USPIO magnetic resonance imaging shows that minocycline mitigates macrophage recruitment to a peripheral nerve injury

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Minocycline has proven anti-nociceptive effects, and delays the development of allodynia/hyperalgesia after peripheral nerve injury. However, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. Inflammatory cells, in particular macrophages, are critical components of the response to nerve injury. Using ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide-magnetic resonance imaging (USPIO-MRI) to monitor macrophage trafficking, the purpose of this project is to determine whether minocycline modulates macrophage trafficking to the site of nerve injury in vivo and, in turn, results in altered pain thresholds. RESULTS: Animal experiments were approved by Stanford IACUC. A model of neuropathic pain was created using the Spared Nerve Injury (SNI) model that involves ligation of the left sciatic nerve in the left thigh of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals with SNI and uninjured animals (control) were then injected with/without USPIOs (300umol/kg IV) and with/without minocycline (50mg/kg IP). Bilateral sciatic nerves were scanned with a volume coil in a 7T magnet 7 days after USPIO administration. Fluid-sensitive MR images were obtained, and ROIs were placed on bilateral sciatic nerves to quantify signal intensity. Pain behavior modulation by minocycline was measured using the Von Frey filament test. Sciatic nerves were ultimately harvested at day 7, fixed in 10% buffered formalin and stained for the presence of iron oxide-laden macrophages. Behavioral measurements confirmed the presence of allodynia in the neuropathic pain model while the uninjured and minocycline-treated injured group had significantly higher paw withdrawal thresholds (p<0.011). Decreased MR signal is observed in the SNI group that received USPIOs (3.3+/-0.5%) compared to the minocycline-treated SNI group that received USPIOs (15.2+/-4.5%) and minocycline-treated group (no USPIOs; 41.2+/-2.3%) (p<0.04). Histology of harvested sciatic nerve specimens confirmed the presence USPIOs at the nerve injury site in the SNI group without minocycline treatment. CONCLUSION: Animals with neuropathic pain in the left hindpaw show increased trafficking of USPIO-laden macrophages to the site of sciatic nerve injury. Minocycline appears to retard the migration of macrophages to the nerve injury site, which may partly explain its anti-nociceptive effects. USPIO-MRI is an effective in vivo imaging tool to study the role of macrophages in the development of neuropathic pain.     

Variation in senescent-dependent lung changes in inbred mouse strains.

Previous studies from our laboratories showed lung development differences between inbred strains of mice. In the present study, the C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) strains were examined for senescent-dependent differences with respect to the lung structure and function. Specifically, we hypothesize that senescent changes in lung vary between strains due to identifiable gene expression differences. Quasi-static pressure-volume curves and respiratory impedance measurements were performed on 2- and 20-mo-old B6 and D2 mice. Lung volume at 30 cm H(2)O (V(30)) pressure was significantly (P < 0.01) increased with age in both strains, but the increase was proportionally greater in D2 (68%) than in B6 (40%) mice. In addition, decreased elastic recoil pressure at 50% of V(30) and a reduction in airway resistance as a function of positive end-expiratory pressure were observed in 20-mo-old D2 mice but not in B6 mice. Morphometric analysis of lung parenchyma showed significant decreases in elastic fiber content with age in both strains, but the collagen content was significantly (P < 0.01) increased with age in D2 but not B6 mice at 20 mo. Furthermore, using quantitative RT-PCR methods, gene expression differences between strains suggested that D2 mice significantly (P < 0.05) downregulated the expressions of elastin (Eln) and procollagen I, III, and VI (Col1a1, Col3a1, and Col6a3) in lung tissue at 20 mo of age. These age-dependent changes were accompanied by an increased gene expression in matrix metalloproteinase 9 (Mmp9) in D2 and an increase in tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (Timp1 and Timp4) in B6 mice. In conclusion, the results from the present study demonstrate that lung mechanics of both strains show significant age-dependent changes. However, changes in D2 mice are accelerated relative to B6 mice. Moreover, gene expression differences appear to be involved in the strain-specific changes of lung mechanic properties.     

Protein phosphorylation in isolated nuclei from etiolated Avena seedlings. Effects of red/far-red light and cholera toxin

We have studied the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of several nuclear proteins in isolated nuclei from etiolated Avena seedlings as a function of red/far-red light. The effect of stimulatory (ADP-ribosylation by cholera toxin) or inhibitory (GDP beta S) conditions for GTP-binding proteins was also studied. Red or far-red light enhanced the phosphorylation level of 2 nuclear proteins with molecular masses of 75 and 60 kDa. The phosphorylation pattern was affected by the addition of cholera toxin or GDP beta S to the isolated nuclei. At least 2 proteins with molecular masses of 24 and 75 kDa cross-reacted by Western blot with GTP-binding protein antibodies.     

Resting Network Plasticity Following Brain Injury

The purpose of this study was to examine neural network properties at separate time-points during recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) using graph theory. Whole-brain analyses of the topological properties of the fMRI signal were conducted in 6 participants at 3 months and 6 months following severe TBI. Results revealed alterations of network properties including a change in the degree distribution, reduced overall strength in connectivity, and increased “small-worldness” from 3 months to 6 months post injury. The findings here indicate that, during recovery from injury, the strength but not the number of network connections diminishes, so that over the course of recovery, the network begins to approximate what is observed in healthy adults. These are the first data examining functional connectivity in a disrupted neural system during recovery.     

Development and characterization of new cell line BPH22 from midgut epithelial cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Poekilocerus pictus</Emphasis> (Fabricius, 1775)

Poekilocerus pictus is a painted grasshopper, which feeds on Calotropis sp. containing the cardiac glycosides. A new cell line BPH22 is developed from midgut of P. pictus to study its unique physiology and biochemistry. Initially, the Graces insect medium is used with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum. After four passages, the serum quantity was reduced up to 0%.The lag phase in growth curve was 5 d and log phase is up to 10–11 d. The addition of Calotropis extract in Graces medium enhanced the growth of cells. The Calotropis extract with Graces medium altered the morphology of cells of BPH22. The amplification and sequencing of 16S rRNA gene confirmed the origin and purity of the BPH22.     

Persistence of herpes simplex virus type-2 genome in a human leukemic cell line

To study the nature of virus-cell interaction in persistently infected cells we have examined production of infectious virus, synthesis of viral DNA and DNA polymerase in a human leukemic cell line K562. It was found that only one of three K562 cell lines was permissive for limited growth of HSV-2 and infectious virus was released in a cyclical fashion. Intranuclear inclusions with electron-dense fibrils and particles resembling viral structures were observed in the virus-infected but not control K562 cells. Viral DNA synthesis could not be detected by centrifugation in CsCl density gradients; but was readily identified by Southern blot hydridization of virus-infected intracellular DNA with purified viral DNA. Viral DNa polymerase was synthesized by infected cells during active infectious virus production. In one of the two K562 cell lines that did not produce infectious virus, a few DNA fragments from infected cells were found to hybridize with purified viral DNA. These results suggest that variable lengths of HSV-2 genome can be harbored and propagated by different human leukemic K562 cells.