Group formation of female pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Human epidemiological studies have suggested that social variables can modulate the effects of stress on the immune system, and this concept has been gaining increasing attention with positive results emerging from empirical studies using nonhuman primates over the last two decades. Results from a previous study in rhesus monkeys suggested that receiving grooming positively affected recovery of T-helper and T-suppressor cells following the initial stress associated with group formation, and this co-varied with high dominance rank. Thus, the present study was undertaken in order to determine: (1) if the stress effect of formation could be replicated in another species and (2) if social behaviors or dominance rank, given that formation is a stressor, might independently correlate with physiological recovery from the stressor. Eight adult female pigtail macaques were moved from individual cages and simultaneously introduced into an outdoor enclosure along with an adult male, while eight weight-matched controls remained in individual caging. Behavioral data were collected during the introduction and over 4 weeks thereafter. Blood samples were collected prior to and at intervals for 4 weeks following formation. Compared to control subjects, the test subjects showed an increase in basal cortisol secretion (+28.9%) and a significant decrease in T-helper cells (-33.6%), T-suppressor cells (-30.8%), and B cells (-22.5%), while there was a significant increase in white blood cells (+29.5%) 24 hr following formation. When dominance rank and seven behavioral categories were analyzed, only the frequency of receiving grooming significantly predicted change, with animals who received a greater frequency of grooms showing a lesser negative percent change from baseline in the absolute number of T-helper cells 1 week following formation. The establishment of a dominance hierarchy, apparent within 1 week, was accomplished with no serious fighting and a complete absence of wounding or trauma, suggesting that psychosocial stress was responsible for the physiological changes observed. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis and in vitro antitumor activity of novel scopoletin derivatives

Twenty scopoletin derivatives were developed by a systematic combinatorial chemical approach and their chemical structures were confirmed by MS, IR, (1)H NMR spectra and elemental analysis. Primary screening against mammary (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231) and colon (HT-29) carcinoma cells indicated that five compounds (8d, 8g, 8j, 11b and 11g) displayed high antitumor potencies with IC(50) values below 20 μM whereas scopoletin showed IC(50) values above 100 μM. Moreover, the most promising compound 11g was more active than 5-fluorouracil. These results clearly indicated that the modification of the scopoletin structure could greatly increase its antitumor activity in vitro.     

Top-down mass spectrometry reveals multiple interactions of an acetylsalicylic acid bearing Zeise’s salt derivative with peptides

JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry - Synergistic effects and promising anticancer activities encourage the combination of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with metallodrugs. Here,...     

5-Alkynyl-2'-deoxyuridines: chromatography-free synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation against human breast cancer cells

Starting with 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine, a series of 5-alkynyl-2'-deoxyuridines (with n-propyl, cyclopropyl, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl, p-tolyl, p-tert-butylphenyl, p-pentylphenyl, and trimethylsilyl alkyne substituents) have been synthesized via the palladium-catalyzed (Sonogashira) coupling reaction followed by a simplified isolation protocol (76-94% yield). The cytotoxic activity of modified nucleosides against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells has been determined in vitro. 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, the only nucleoside in the series containing a terminal acetylene, is the most potent inhibitor with IC(50) (microM) 0.4+/-0.3 for MCF-7 and 4.4+/-0.4 for MDA-MB-231.     

Estimating the Number of Persons Who Inject Drugs in the United States by Meta-Analysis to Calculate National Rates of HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Infections

Background

Injection drug use provides an efficient mechanism for transmitting bloodborne viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Effective targeting of resources for prevention of HIV and HCV infection among persons who inject drugs (PWID) is based on knowledge of the population size and disparity in disease burden among PWID. This study estimated the number of PWID in the United States to calculate rates of HIV and HCV infection.

Methods

We conducted meta-analysis using data from 4 national probability surveys that measured lifetime (3 surveys) or past-year (3 surveys) injection drug use to estimate the proportion of the United States population that has injected drugs. We then applied these proportions to census data to produce population size estimates. To estimate the disease burden among PWID by calculating rates of disease we used lifetime population size estimates of PWID as denominators and estimates of HIV and HCV infection from national HIV surveillance and survey data, respectively, as numerators. We calculated rates of HIV among PWID by gender-, age-, and race/ethnicity.

Results

Lifetime PWID comprised 2.6% (95% confidence interval: 1.8%–3.3%) of the U.S. population aged 13 years or older, representing approximately 6,612,488 PWID (range: 4,583,188–8,641,788) in 2011. The population estimate of past-year PWID was 0.30% (95% confidence interval: 0.19 %–0.41%) or 774,434 PWID (range: 494,605–1,054,263). Among lifetime PWID, the 2011 HIV diagnosis rate was 55 per 100,000 PWID; the rate of persons living with a diagnosis of HIV infection in 2010 was 2,147 per 100,000 PWID; and the 2011 HCV infection rate was 43,126 per 100,000 PWID.

Conclusion

Estimates of the number of PWID and disease rates among PWID are important for program planning and addressing health inequities.     

Plant LysM proteins: modules mediating symbiosis and immunity

Microbial glycans, such as bacterial peptidoglycans, fungal chitin or rhizobacterial Nod factors (NFs), are important signatures for plant immune activation or for the establishment of beneficial symbioses. Plant lysin motif (LysM) domain proteins serve as modules mediating recognition of these different N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)-containing ligands, suggesting that this class of proteins evolved from an ancient sensor for GlcNAc. During early plant evolution, these glycans probably served as immunogenic patterns activating LysM protein receptor-mediated plant immunity and stopping microbial infection. The biochemical potential of plant LysM proteins for sensing microbial GlcNAc-containing glycans has probably since favored the evolution of receptors facilitating microbial infection and symbiosis.     

Role of passive immunotherapies in managing infectious outbreaks

The historical and current role of passive immunization in managing outbreaks of infectious diseases reviewed.