Trypanosoma gambiense: immunity with thymic cell transfer in mice.

This report deals with the enhanced agglutinin production and protection in thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice (TI-mice) with transferred thymic cells from mice immune to T. gambiense. Such mice, when sensitized with trypanosome antigen showed protection against experimental infection and also produced agglutinins. Thymic cells from cortisone-treated immune mice were able to induce the production of agglutinins in TI-mice subsequently injected with antigen. However, these agglutinin titers were very low. In bovine serum albumin gradient centrifugation experiments, agglutinin production could be efficiently induced by inoculation of TI-mice with a rather high density thymic cell subpopulation taken from immune mice. Fractionated by Sephadex G-200, the agglutinins displayed a division into two parts, a first and second peak. The main agglutination reaction was seen in the first or macroglobulin peak. In the fractionation of serum by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, agglutinins were eluted in two parts, the 0.0175 M and 0.4 M effluents. The agglutination by the 0.4 M effluent was much stronger than that of the 0.0175 M effluent, in agreement with the gel filtration results. The sera containing agglutinins were able to enhance the phagocytosis of trypanosomes by cultured macrophages from the peritoneal cavity of normal and irradiated mice. Delay of parasitemia was evident in some of the TI-mice having detectable agglutinins. The delayed parasitemia resulted from antigenically altered trypanosomes which were able to withstand the lethal factors of TI-mice. Transplantation of thymic cells was considered to be responsible for agglutinins induced by the antigenic stimulation in TI-mice and for protection against experimental infection.     

Efficacy of non-toxic deletion mutants of protective antigen from Bacillus anthracis

Current human anthrax vaccines available in the United States and Europe consist of alum-precipitated supernatant material from cultures of a toxigenic, nonencapsulated strain of Bacillus anthracis. The major component of human anthrax vaccine that confers protection is protective antigen (PA). A second-generation human vaccine using the recombinant PA (rPA) is being developed. In this study, to prevent the toxicity and the degradation of the native rPA by proteases, we constructed two PA variants, delPA (163-168) and delPA (313-314), that lack trypsin (S(163)-R(164)-K(165)-K(166)-R(167)-S(168)) or chymotrypsin cleavage sequence (F(313)-F(314)), respectively. These proteins were expressed in Bacillus brevis 47-5Q. The delPAs were fractionated from the culture supernatant of B. brevis by ammonium sulfate at 70% saturation, followed by anion exchange chromatography on a Hitrap Q, Hiload 16/60 superdex 200 gel filtration column and phenyl sepharose hydrophobic interaction column. In accordance with previous reports, both delPA proteins combined with lethal factor protein did not show any cytotoxicity on J774A.1 cells. The delPA (163-168) and delPA (313-314) formulated either in Rehydragel HPA or MPL-TDM-CWS (Ribi-Trimix), elicited a comparable amount of anti-PA and neutralizing antibodies to those of native rPA in guinea pigs, and confers full protection of guinea pigs from 50xLD50 of fully virulent B. anthracis spore challenges. Ribi-Trimix was significantly more effective in inducing anti-PA and neutralizing antibodies than Rehydragel HPA. These results indicate the possibility of delPA (163-168) and delPA (313-314) proteins being developed into nontoxic, effective and stable recombinant vaccine candidates.     

Synthetic and therapeutic perspectives of nitrogen containing heterocycles as anti-convulsants

Epilepsy is one of the commonly prevailing neurological disorders. According to the reports, it is evident that about 80% of the epileptic cases have been observed in developing countries. Although there are many drugs with significant potency available in the market; still there is an issue of selectivity and toxicity. Therefore, continuous attempts have been made by the researchers to develop newer therapeutic agents against epilepsy. Many synthetic strategies have been available in the literature to synthesize various classes of anticonvulsants with promising activity. In the presented review, authors have summarized some newer synthetic routes being used for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing anticonvulsants taking a cue from the reported established anticonvulsant drugs viz. vigabatrin, sodium valproate, oxcarbazepine, felbamate, retigabine, and gabapentin. Various derivatives with the substitution for better anticonvulsant profile have been described in the figures for easy comparative study. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) of compounds with maximum potency has also been discussed. This article may serve as a boost for the researchers to modify the pre-existing synthetic routes as well as to improve potency and yield of the compounds.     

Protective effects of sulforaphane and aerobic exercise on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice

ObjectiveThe paper intends to study the protective effects of sulforaphane (SF) on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice by intragastric administration of SF, aerobic exercise and the approach of SF integrated with aerobic exercise.Methodology60 NIH mice were randomly divided into 6 groups of equal number according to their body weight and were intragastrically administrated with 50% ethanol. The serum and liver indexes of each group of mice were detected, and the liver was stained with oil red O for pathological examination.ResultsCompared with the model group, the serum TG and the ratio of liver to body weight of the model mice that suffered from acute alcoholic hepatic injury could be significantly decreased in the group that practiced aerobic exercise, the group administered with SF, and the group treated with the approach of SF integrated with aerobic exercise (P < 0.05). The contents of TG and MDA in liver could be significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and SOD activity could be significantly increased (P < 0.05) both in the group administered with SF and the group treated with the approach of SF integrated with aerobic exercise. Serum VLDL (P < 0.05) could also be significantly reduced in the group treated with the approach of SF integrated with aerobic exercise.ConclusionBoth SF and aerobic exercise could alleviate alcohol-induced acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice possibly thanks to the working mechanism related to antioxidant stress that reduced the harm posed by alcohol on hepatic cells. In addition, the protective effect of SF on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice was stronger than that of aerobic exercise, while the approach of SF integrated with aerobic exercise had the strongest protective effect on acute alcoholic hepatic injury in mice.     

Effects of Two Types of Clothing on the Day-Night Variation of Core Temperature and Salivary Immunoglobulin a

Circadian variations in core temperature, skin temperatures, heart rate, and salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) were compared in subjects wearing two different types of clothing that covered, or left uncovered, their extremities. The experiments were carried out on six female subjects at an ambient temperature of 24 ± 0.5°C and relative humidity of 50 ± 5%. One type of clotiiing consisted of long-sleeved shirts, full-length trousers, and socks (Type L: 1042 g, 1.048 clo); the other was half-sleeved shirts and knee-length trousers (Type H: 747 g, 0.744 clo). The main results were as follows: (i) The level of rectal temperature during night sleep was significantly lower with Type H than Type L clothing, and cosinor analysis indicated a significantly higher circadian amplitude with Type H clothing, (ii) Skin temperatures in the lower extremities increased significantly more on retiring to sleep with Type H than Type L clothing, (iii) Heart rate was significantly lower with Type H than Type L clothing during the sleep period, (iv) The day-night variation of salivary IgA showed a pattern that was the inverse of that of rectal temperature (i.e., low in the daytime and high in the nighttime), and the concentration of salivary IgA was significantly higher with Type H than Type L clothing at 02:30. (v) Subjectively, the self-assessed sleep quality was better with Type H clothing. These results suggest that clothing that leaves the extremities uncovered might be regarded as favorable at the moderate temperature since it induces good sleep and activates the immune response. (Chronobiology International, 14(6), 607–617, 1997)     

Complement factor H and related proteins in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of legal blindness in the industrialized world. Polymorphisms and recently discovered rare mutations of the Complement Factor H gene have been shown to be strongly associated with AMD. The deletion of CFH-related proteins 1 and 3, proteins that share homologous regions with CFH, is found in protective haplotypes. The following is a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the implication of CFH and CFH-related proteins 1 and 3 in AMD.     

Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor for Detection of Bacillus anthracis, the Causative Agent of Anthrax from Soil Samples Targeting Protective Antigen

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax is one of the most important biological warfare agents. In this study, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology was used for indirect detection of B. anthracis by detecting protective antigen (PA), a common toxin produced by all live B. anthracis bacteria. For development of biosensor, a monoclonal antibody raised against B. anthracis PA was immobilized on carboxymethyldextran modified gold chip and its interaction with PA was characterized in situ by SPR and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. By using kinetic evaluation software, K_D (equilibrium constant) and B_max (maximum binding capacity of analyte) were found to be 20 fM and 18.74, respectively. The change in Gibb’s free energy (∆G = −78.04 kJ/mol) confirmed the spontaneous interaction between antigen and antibody. The assay could detect 12 fM purified PA. When anthrax spores spiked soil samples were enriched, PA produced in the sample containing even a single spore of B. anthracis could be detected by SPR. PA being produced only by the vegetative cells of B. anthracis, confirms indirectly the presence of B. anthracis in the samples. The proposed method can be a very useful tool for screening and confirmation of anthrax suspected environmental samples during a bio-warfare like situation.     

低磷胁迫对雷公藤幼苗叶片生理生化特性的影响

为研究雷公藤的耐磷胁迫性,对雷公藤（Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.）一年生和三年生同一无性系扦插苗采用土培的方法进行了控制条件下的低磷胁迫实验,以KH2PO4为磷源,土壤中P2O5浓度为0、5、10、15、20、25（CK）mg/kg,低磷胁迫3个月和6个月后取叶片测定其丙二醛（MDA）、脯氨酸（Pro）含量以及超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性和酸性磷酸酶（APA）活性的变化。实验结果表明：低磷胁迫下一年生和三年生雷公藤叶片SOD、APA活性升高,MDA、Pro含量增加,并呈现随低磷胁迫加重和胁迫时间延长而上升趋势,低磷胁迫下各处理的一年生和三年生雷公藤叶片CAT、POD活性普遍低于对照,并随着低磷胁迫程度的加重而呈下降趋势。低磷胁迫下雷公藤幼苗叶片的几种保护酶活性、MDA、Pro含量以及APA活性响应都较为灵敏,保护酶系统在15、20 mg/kg处理下能够起到较好保护作用,表明雷公藤能通过自身生理调节来适应中度和轻度缺磷环境;综合各项生理指标,三年生雷公藤相对于一年生雷公藤显示了较强的抗氧化能力和渗透调节能力,具有较强的耐低磷能力,对磷较为缺乏的林地下套种雷公藤的苗龄选择有参考价值。     

The Introduction of Postconsumer Recycled Material into TYVEK® Production, Marketing, and Organizational Challenges

In the late 1980s, with the advent of increased consumer environmental awareness, DuPont faced a challenge with its TYVEK® family of nonwoven polyethylene textile products. TYVEK is used in a wide variety of applications ranging from house wrap to medical packaging. One of the most visible portions of the business is envelopes used by FedEx (previously known as Federal Express), the wellknown courier and delivery service and by the U.S. Postal Service. As early as 1988, end users began asking questions about the environmental characteristics of TYVEK envelopes. As these questions increased, DuPont began to address the concerns directly. In response to the market's concern and because of the increased availability of postconsumer-recycled (PCR) polyethylene, DuPont decided to put PCR polyethylene into TYVEK, beginning with the envelope business. Further, DuPont developed a recycling infrastructure for TYVEK because, although TYVEK consists entirely of high-density polyethylene, which is highly recyclable, no infrastructure was in place to recycle the material. These decisions produced a wide variety of technical and organizational challenges the firm had to overcome. This case study examines how DuPont made these choices and overcame the difficulties created by implementing needed changes. Whereas the envelope market for TYVEK embraced PCR polyethylene, other product markets resisted the innovation. The article closes with a discussion of the lessons learned from DuPont's experience.