Efficacy of a progressive walking program and glucosamine sulphate supplementation on osteoarthritic symptoms of the hip and knee: a feasibility trial

Introduction  

Management of osteoarthritis (OA) includes the use of non-pharmacological and pharmacological therapies. Although walking is commonly recommended for reducing pain and increasing physical function in people with OA, glucosamine sulphate has also been used to alleviate pain and slow the progression of OA. This study evaluated the effects of a progressive walking program and glucosamine sulphate intake on OA symptoms and physical activity participation in people with mild to moderate hip or knee OA.     

Attenuating regulatory T cell induction by TLR agonists through inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling in dendritic cells enhances their efficacy as vaccine adjuvants and cancer immunotherapeutics

TLR ligands are potent adjuvants and promote Th1 responses to coadministered Ags by inducing innate IL-12 production. We found that TLR ligands also promote the induction of IL-10-secreting regulatory T (Treg) cells through p38 MAPK-induced IL-10 production by dendritic cells (DC). Inhibition of p38 suppressed TLR-induced IL-10 and PGE(2) and enhanced IL-12 production in DC. Incubation of Ag-pulsed CpG-stimulated DC with a p38 inhibitor suppressed their ability to generate Treg cells, while enhancing induction of Th1 cells. In addition, inhibition of p38 enhanced the antitumor therapeutic efficacy of DC pulsed with Ag and CpG and this was associated with an enhanced frequency of IFN-gamma-secreting T cells and a reduction of Foxp3(+) Treg cells infiltrating the tumors. Furthermore, addition of a p38 inhibitor to a pertussis vaccine formulated with CpG enhanced its protective efficacy in a murine respiratory challenge model. These data demonstrate that the adjuvant activity of TLR agonists is compromised by coinduction of Treg cells, but this can be overcome by inhibiting p38 signaling in DC. Our findings suggest that p38 is an important therapeutic target and provides a mechanism to enhance the efficacy of TLR agonists as vaccine adjuvants and cancer immunotherapeutics.     

Mitochondrial gene divergence of Colombian Drosophila pseudoobscura

Isolated populations of drosophila pseudoobscura, separated from North American populations by about 2,400 km, were found in Colombia in 1960. We compared for sequences of the small ribosomal RNA (srRNA) gene on the mitochondria between North American and Colombian D. pseudoobscura in order to clarify the age of the Colombian isolates. The North American populations were not genetically different from each other but were genetically different from the Colombian populations. The Mexican strains represent the area from which the Colombian founders might have come. The estimated net nucleotide divergence between Mexican and Colombian D. pseudoobscura indicates that the Colombian population is not an ancient lineage. Phylogenies using both distance and parsimony methodologies reinforced this conclusion. The Colombian samples group together with both methods but, according to the bootstrap analysis, not significantly. It appears that the populations have not been separated long enough for their DNA sequences to show much divergence.      

Ex vivo investigations on the potential of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic tool for reproductive medicine in a bovine model

Routine infertility investigations in the male and female include imaging techniques such as ultrasonography and endoscopy (fertiloscopy). However, these techniques lack the resolution to localize vital sperm or to reveal detailed morphological analysis of the oviduct which is often the cause of infertility in females. Therefore we set out to evaluate the efficiency of optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic imaging tool for micron‐scale visualization of the male and female genital tract. Using the bovine as a model, the optical features of the Telesto^TM, Ganymede^TM (both Thorlabs) and Niris^TM (Imalux) OCT imaging systems were compared.

Comparative visualization of ex vivo bovine testicular tissue by the Telesto^TM microscopic optical coherence tomography system (left) and corresponding H&E staining (right).