Correlation of histocompatibility and biologically active serum factors between parental and filial generations of Wistar rats inoculated with Walker Carcinoma 256

Evidence is given for a genetic control of the histocompatibility between Wistar rats and subcutaneous Walker Carcinoma 256. Selection for 1–4 generations for tumour susceptible or resistant animals respectively results in two separate groups with a predominant number of the selected type (80–100%). Furthermore, the proliferation speed of the tumour is significantly slower in susceptible offspring when one or both parents are resistant than in offspring from two susceptible parents.The serum of normal and tumour-bearing rats of various histocompatibility types has been analysed by starch block electrophoresis combined with a germination test (the germination rate, i.e. the mitotic rate of mold spores is affected by certain serum fractions). One cation fraction, which moves ahead of the -globulines, and shows no absorption in UV, has a specific effect on the germination rate. This effect is correlated with the histocompatibility type of the test animal's parents. This same section of the pherogram shows significant differences between normal and tumourbearing rats (tumour differential zone). These changes of the germination rates, brought about by tumour inoculation, are again dependent on the histocompatibility type of the test animal's parents, or, if the genetic concept of histocompatibility is accepted, on the histocompatibility genotype of the host itself.This investigation was supported by a grant toDr. F. H. Schwarzenbach from the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung.The author is grateful to Prof.F. E. Lehmann for offering hospitality and facilities of his laboratory and wishes to express her sincere appreciation toDr. F. H. Schwarzenbach for encouraging this study and for stimulating discussions.     

Predictors of clinical response to extrafine and non-extrafine particle inhaled corticosteroids in smokers and ex-smokers with asthma

We performed a post-hoc analysis of the OLiVIA-study investigating whether current and ex-smoking asthmatics with small airways dysfunction (SAD) show a better response in airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to small particle adenosine after treatment with extrafine compared to non-extrafine particle inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), and to investigate which clinical parameters predict a favorable response to both treatments. We show that smoking and ex-smoking asthmatics with and without SAD have a similar treatment response with either extrafine or non-extrafine particle ICS. We also found that lower blood neutrophils are associated with a smaller ICS-response in smokers and ex-smokers with asthma, independent from the level of blood eosinophils.     

Acetobacter senegalensis isolated from mango fruits: Its polyphasic characterization and adaptation to protect against stressors in the industrial production of vinegar: A review

It has been more than a decade since Acetobacter senegalensis was isolated, identified and described as a thermotolerant strain of acetic acid bacteria. It was isolated from mango fruits in Senegal and used for industrial vinegar production in developing countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. The strain was tested during several spirit vinegar fermentation processes at relatively high temperatures in accordance with African acclimation. The upstream fermentation process had significant stress factors, which are highlighted in this review so that the fermentation process can be better controlled. Due to its high industrial potential, this strain was extensively investigated by diverse industrial microbiologists worldwide; they concentrated on its microbiological, physiological and genomic features. A research group based in Belgium proposed an important project for the investigation of the whole-genome sequence of A. senegalensis. It would use a 454-pyrosequencing technique to determine and corroborate features that could give this strain significant diverse bio-industrial applications. For instance, its application in cocoa bean fermentation has made it a more suitable acetic acid bacterium for the making of chocolate than Acetobacter pasteurianus. Therefore, in this paper, we present a review that summarizes the current research on A. senegalensis at its microbial and genomic levels and also its specific bio-industrial applications, which can provide economic opportunities for African agribusiness. This review summarizes the physiological and genomic characteristics of Acetobacter senegalensis, a thermotolerant strain isolated from mango fruits and intended to be used in industrial vinegar fermentation processes. It also explores other bio-industrial applications such as cocoa fermentation. Vinegar fermentation is usually performed with mesophilic strains in temperate regions of the world. Developing countries, such as Senegal, import vinegar or make ‘fake’ vinegar by diluting acetic acid obtained from petrochemicals. The use of a thermotolerant Acetobacter senegalensis strain as a solid functional starter culture, as well as the design of a new adapted bioreactor, has significantly contributed to food security and the creation of small- to medium-sized enterprises that produce mango vinegar in West Africa.     

The Belgian MIRA (MabThera In Rheumatoid Arthritis) registry: clues for the optimization of rituximab treatment strategies

Introduction  

This study describes the results of the Belgian 'MabThera In Rheumatoid Arthritis (MIRA)' registry: effectiveness, safety and evaluation of the current retreatment practice on the background of the Belgian reimbursement criteria for rituximab.     

Effect and Process Evaluation of a Cluster Randomized Control Trial on Water Intake and Beverage Consumption in Preschoolers from Six European Countries: The ToyBox-Study

BackgroundWithin the ToyBox-study, a kindergarten-based, family-involved intervention was developed to prevent overweight and obesity in European preschoolers, targeting four key behaviours related to early childhood obesity, including water consumption. The present study aimed to examine the effect of the ToyBox-intervention (cluster randomized controlled trial) on water intake and beverage consumption in European preschoolers and to investigate if the intervention effects differed by implementation score of kindergartens and parents/caregivers.MethodA sample of 4964 preschoolers (4.7±0.4 years; 51.5% boys) from six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Spain) was included in the data analyses. A standardized protocol was used and parents/caregivers filled in socio-demographic data and a food-frequency questionnaire. To assess intervention effects, multilevel repeated measures analyses were conducted for the total sample and for the six country-specific samples. Based on the process evaluation questionnaire of teachers and parents/caregivers, an implementation score was constructed. To assess differences in water intake and beverage consumption by implementation score in the total sample, multilevel repeated measures analyses were performed.ResultsLimited intervention effects on water intake from beverages and overall beverage consumption were found. However, important results were found on prepacked fruit juice consumption, with a larger decrease in the intervention group compared to the control group. However, also a decline in plain milk consumption was found. Implementation scores were rather low in both kindergartens and parents/caregivers. Nevertheless, more favorable effects on beverage choices were found in preschoolers whose parents/caregivers and kindergarten teachers had higher implementation scores compared to those with lower implementation scores.ConclusionThe ToyBox-intervention can provide the basis for the development of more tailor-made interventions. However, new strategies to improve implementation of interventions should be created.     

Raising cytosolic Cl- in cerebellar granule cells affects their excitability and vestibulo-ocular learning

Cerebellar cortical throughput involved in motor control comprises granule cells (GCs) and Purkinje cells (PCs), both of which receive inhibitory GABAergic input from interneurons. The GABAergic input to PCs is essential for learning and consolidation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, but the role of GC excitability remains unclear. We now disrupted the Kcc2 K-Cl cotransporter specifically in either cell type to manipulate their excitability and inhibition by GABA(A)-receptor Cl(-) channels. Although Kcc2 may have a morphogenic role in synapse development, Kcc2 disruption neither changed synapse density nor spine morphology. In both GCs and PCs, disruption of Kcc2, but not Kcc3, increased [Cl(-)](i) roughly two-fold. The reduced Cl(-) gradient nearly abolished GABA-induced hyperpolarization in PCs, but in GCs it merely affected excitability by membrane depolarization. Ablation of Kcc2 from GCs impaired consolidation of long-term phase learning of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, whereas baseline performance, short-term gain-decrease learning and gain consolidation remained intact. These functions, however, were affected by disruption of Kcc2 in PCs. GC excitability plays a previously unknown, but specific role in consolidation of phase learning.     

Sensitivity function-based model reduction: A bacterial gene expression case study

Mathematical models used to predict the behavior of genetically modified organisms require 1). a (rather) large number of state variables, and 2). complicated kinetic expressions containing a large number of parameters. Since these models are hardly identifiable and of limited use in model-based optimization and control strategies, a generic methodology based on sensitivity function analysis is presented to reduce the model complexity at the level of the kinetics, while maintaining high prediction power. As a case study to illustrate the method and results obtained, the influence of the dissolved oxygen concentration on the cytN gene expression in the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 is modeled. As a first modeling approach, available mechanistic knowledge is incorporated into a mass balance equation model with 3 states and 14 parameters. The large differences in order of magnitude of the model parameters identified on the available experimental data indicate 1). possible structural problems in the kinetic model and, associated with this, 2). a possibly too high number of model parameters. A careful sensitivity function analysis reveals that a reduced model with only seven parameters is almost as accurate as the original model.     

Insulin-related peptides and their conserved signal transduction pathway

The 'insulin superfamily' is an ancient category of small, structurally related proteins, such as insulin, insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and relaxin. Insulin-like signaling molecules have also been described in different invertebrates, including nematodes, mollusks, and insects. They initiate an evolutionary conserved signal transduction mechanism by binding to a heterotetrameric, membrane-spanning receptor tyrosine kinase. Recent physiological and genetic studies have revealed that, in different metazoans, the insulin signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the regulation of a variety of interrelated, fundamental processes, such as metabolism, growth, reproduction and aging.