Immune responses to stress after stress management training in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Psychological stress may alter immune function by activating physiological stress pathways. Building on our previous study, in which we report that stress management training led to an altered self-reported and cortisol response to psychological stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we explored the effects of this stress management intervention on the immune response to a psychological stress task in patients with RA.

Methods

In this study, 74 patients with RA, who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a group that received short stress management training, performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) 1 week after the intervention and at a 9-week follow-up. Stress-induced changes in levels of key cytokines involved in stress and inflammatory processes (for example, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8) were assessed.

Results

Basal and stress-induced cytokine levels were not significantly different in patients in the intervention and control groups one week after treatment, but stress-induced IL-8 levels were lower in patients in the intervention group than in the control group at the follow-up assessment.

Conclusions

In line with our previous findings of lower stress-induced cortisol levels at the follow-up of stress management intervention, this is the first study to show that relatively short stress management training might also alter stress-induced IL-8 levels in patients with RA. These results might help to determine the role of immunological mediators in stress and disease.

Trial registration

The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR1193)     

Importance of native arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation in the halophyte Asteriscus maritimus for successful establishment and growth under saline conditions

Background and aims

The biological restoration of saline habitats could be achieved by using halophyte plant species together with adapted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). An interesting plant to be used in restoration of saline environments, Asteriscus maritimus, is highly mycotrophic. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of native and allochthonous AMF to enhance the establishment and growth of the halophyte A. maritimus under saline conditions.

Methods

We studied the symbiotic effectiveness of four AMF strains (three native fungal isolates from a saline soil and one allochthonous, from collection) in A. maritimus subjected to increasing salinity stress. We measured plant physiological parameters by which AMF may ameliorate the detrimental effects of salinity stress.

Results

A. maritimus plants showed a high mycorrhizal dependency, even in absence of salt stress. Plants inoculated with native AMF had higher shoot dry weight, efficiency of photosystem II, stomatal conductance and accumulation of glutathione than those inoculated with the collection AMF at the highest level of salinity. Moreover, at this salt level, only 30 % of A. maritimus plants inoculated with the collection AMF survived, while with the three native AMF, the rate of survival was 100 %.

Conclusions

Results points out the importance of native AMF inoculation in the establishment, survival and growth of A. maritimus plants. Inoculation with these native AMF enhanced A. maritimus salt tolerance by increasing efficiency of photosystem II, stomatal conductance and glutathione content and by reducing oxidative damage. Thus, the use of adequate native AMF inocula could be a critical issue for success in recovering saline degraded areas.     

PCR gut analysis reveals that Tenuiphantes tenuis (Araneae: Linyphiidae) is a potentially significant predator of Argentine stem weevil,Listronotus bonariensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in New Zealand pastures

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) gut analysis was conducted on specimens of the introduced spider Tenuiphantes tenuis collected from dairy pasture in Canterbury, New Zealand. PCR primers were specifically designed to amplify a fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) from Listronotus bonariensis and revealed that this major pasture pest species is consumed in the field by T. tenuis. The field predation rate of L. bonariensis by T. tenuis was estimated from our PCR results together with published data on the degradation of DNA and the density of T. tenuis in Canterbury pastures. We found that T. tenuis is a potentially significant predator of L. bonariensis in New Zealand pastures.     

Step on it: can footprints from tracking tunnels be used to identify lizard species?

There are few effective or efficient established methods for monitoring cryptic herpetofauna. Footprint tracking tunnels are routinely used to index small mammal populations, but also have potential for monitoring herpetofauna. We evaluated the utility of tracking tunnels for identification of New Zealand lizards using captive- and wild-sourced animals (four skink and eight gecko species). All skink prints that we obtained were indistinct or obscure, but we obtained relatively clear, measurable prints for all gecko species. We found that identification to species level was possible for the two gecko species for which we had a large sample—Naultinus gemmeus and Woodworthia ‘Otago large’—using linear discriminant analysis (the best model correctly assigned 96.1% of individuals). Our findings suggest that footprints from tracking tunnels may be used to distinguish between species of geckos. Additional research is needed to assess the ability to further discriminate intra- and inter-genera lizard footprints from tracking tunnels, and the utility of the technique for surveying and monitoring lizard populations.     

Phylogenetic analysis of slippage-like sequence variation in the V4 rRNA expansion segment in tiger beetles (Cicindelidae)

Sequence variation in the middle part of the small-subunit rRNA was studied for representatives of the major groups in the family Cicindelidae (Coleoptera). All taxa exhibited a much expanded segment in variable region V4 compared to D. melanogaster. This expanded segment was not found in other groups of beetles, including three taxa in the closely related Carabidae. Secondary structure predictions indicate that the expanded segment folds into a single stem-loop structure in all taxa. Despite its structural conservation, the fragment differs strongly in primary sequence, even between closely related sister taxa. Several features of these sequences are consistent with slippage replication as the mechanism that has generated this sequence variation: the level of internal sequence repetition as measured by the relative simplicity factor (RSF), its variation in length between close relatives, and the strong nucleotide bias compared to the remainder of the gene. With few exceptions, there was also a correlation between sequence length and the level of sequence repetition, frequently interpreted as the result of slippage. Phylogenies inferred from the expansion segment were not consistent with existing hypotheses from other molecular data for the group. This indicates that DNA sequences in this region are not homologous throughout the entire Cicindelidae, but it leaves open the possibility that this expansion segment can be used for phylogeny reconstruction within subgroups. The implications of a phylogenetic approach to the understanding of slippage-like evolution are discussed.      

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis regulates physiology and performance of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Digitaria eriantha</Emphasis> plants subjected to abiotic stresses by modulating antioxidant and jasmonate levels

This study evaluates antioxidant responses and jasmonate regulation in Digitaria eriantha cv. Sudafricana plants inoculated (AM) and non-inoculated (non-AM) with Rhizophagus irregularis and subjected to drought, cold, or salinity. Stomatal conductance, photosynthetic efficiency, biomass production, hydrogen peroxide accumulation, lipid peroxidation, antioxidants enzymes activities, and jasmonate levels were determined. Stomatal conductance and photosynthetic efficiency decreased in AM and non-AM plants under all stress conditions. However, AM plants subjected to drought, salinity, or non-stress conditions showed significantly higher stomatal conductance values. AM plants subjected to drought or non-stress conditions increased their shoot/root biomass ratios, whereas salinity and cold caused a decrease in these ratios. Hydrogen peroxide accumulation, which was high in non-AM plant roots under all treatments, increased significantly in non-AM plant shoots under cold stress and in AM plants under non-stress and drought conditions. Lipid peroxidation increased in the roots of all plants under drought conditions. In shoots, although lipid peroxidation decreased in AM plants under non-stress and cold conditions, it increased under drought and salinity. AM plants consistently showed high catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity under all treatments. By contrast, the glutathione reductase (GR) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of AM roots was lower than that of non-AM plants and increased in shoots. The endogenous levels of cis-12-oxophytodienoc acid (OPDA), jasmonic acid (JA), and 12-OH-JA showed a significant increase in AM plants as compared to non-AM plants. 11-OH-JA content only increased in AM plants subjected to drought. Results show that D. eriantha is sensitive to drought, salinity, and cold stresses and that inoculation with AM fungi regulates its physiology and performance under such conditions, with antioxidants and jasmonates being involved in this process.     

Comparative genomics and experimental promoter analysis reveal functional liver-specific elements in mammalian hepatic lipase genes

Background

Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a high-throughput method for measuring genome-wide DNA copy number changes. Current aCGH methods have limited resolution, sensitivity and reproducibility. Microarrays for aCGH are available only for a few organisms and combination of aCGH data with expression data is cumbersome.

Results

We present a novel method of using commercial oligonucleotide expression microarrays for aCGH, enabling DNA copy number measurements and expression profiles to be combined using the same platform. This method yields aCGH data from genomic DNA without complexity reduction at a median resolution of approximately 17,500 base pairs. Due to the well-defined nature of oligonucleotide probes, DNA amplification and deletion can be defined at the level of individual genes and can easily be combined with gene expression data.

Conclusion

A novel method of gene resolution analysis of copy number variation (graCNV) yields high-resolution maps of DNA copy number changes and is applicable to a broad range of organisms for which commercial oligonucleotide expression microarrays are available. Due to the standardization of oligonucleotide microarrays, graCNV results can reliably be compared between laboratories and can easily be combined with gene expression data using the same platform.     

Microsatellite analysis of Damask rose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa damascena</Emphasis> Mill.) accessions from various regions in Iran reveals multiple genotypes

Background  

Damask roses (Rosa damascena Mill.) are mainly used for essential oil production. Previous studies have indicated that all production material in Bulgaria and Turkey consists of only one genotype. Nine polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity of 40 accessions of R. damascena collected across major and minor rose oil production areas in Iran.     

Echocardiographic quantification of myocardial function using tissue deformation imaging, a guide to image acquisition and analysis using tissue Doppler and speckle tracking

Recent developments in the field of echocardiography have allowed the cardiologist to objectively quantify regional and global myocardial function. Regional deformation (strain) and deformation rate (strain-rate) can be calculated non-invasively in both the left and right ventricle, providing information on regional (dys-)function in a variety of clinical settings. Although this promising novel technique is increasingly applied in clinical and preclinical research, knowledge about the principles, limitations and technical issues of this technique is mandatory for reliable results and for implementation both in the clinical as well as the scientific field. In this article, we aim to explain the fundamental concepts and potential clinical applicability of strain and strain-rate for both tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) derived and speckle tracking (2D-strain) derived deformation imaging. In addition, a step-by-step approach to image acquisition and post processing is proposed. Finally, clinical examples of deformation imaging in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) are presented.