It started with a dream: Paul's dream (Acts 16,9?10) and Aeneas as a biblical example of dreams as intercultural legitimation strategy.

Dreams are often used to promote religion, or to propagate an interpretation of religion, or to bring political ideas to the fore. A dream can be used as an indication of divine help and thus it is a perfect tool for promoting ideas. Dreams figure in religious propaganda in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions (e.g., in Osama bin Laden's tapes). In classical literature, we find many kings, emperors, or generals who had visions or dreams, especially in association with their accession to power. It is the thesis of this article that in the encounter between Jewish (-Christian) cultures and the Hellenistic world dreams were shared as possible means of divine communication. An important example is the dream in Acts 16,9?10, the most Hellenistic dream of the New Testament. This dream is part of a larger unit, Paul's new move from Asia to Europe. I will try to show that the author of Acts combines here the story of Aeneas (e.g., as told by Virgil) and the story of Jesus, an interesting merging of two cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancement of IL-2-induced T cell proliferation by a novel factor(s) present in murine spleen dendritic cell-T cell culture supernatants

The mechanism(s) underlying the potent accessory cell function of dendritic cells (DC) remains unclear. The possibility was considered that a soluble factor(s) released during the interaction of DC and T cells might contribute to the potent T cell activating function of DC. Culture supernatants were generated from mixtures of murine spleen DC and periodate-treated spleen T cells and were examined for the presence of known cytokine activities and factors capable of enhancing T cell responsiveness to IL-2. Serum-free supernatants from 24 h DC-T cell co-cultures exhibited high levels of IL-2, detectable levels of IL-3, and negligible levels of IL-1, -4, -5, -6, and TNF. A factor(s) was also identified with an apparent Mr of 12.5 to 17.0 kDa, henceforth designated IL-2 enhancing factor (IL-2EF), which enhanced the IL-2-induced proliferation of murine thymocytes, CTLL, and HT-2 cells by approximately three- to fourfold. This enhancement was also observed in the presence of neutralizing antibodies to murine IL-1 alpha, -1 beta, -3, -4, -5, -6, granulocyte-macrophage (GM)-CSF, TNF, and IFN-gamma. However, IL-2EF failed to enhance: 1) the activity of IL-1, -3, -4, -5, or -6 on cells responsive to these cytokines; 2) IL-2-augmented, IL-5-induced BCL1 proliferation; and 3) either PHA- or Con A-stimulated thymocyte proliferation. Moreover, neither IFN-gamma nor GM-CSF exhibited IL-2EF activity. When DC and T cells were cultured separately (after an initial 12 h co-culture period), IL-2EF activity resided predominantly in the T cell-derived supernatants. These and other data indicate that IL-2EF, a heat-labile T cell-derived 12.5 to 17.0 kDa protein, is distinct from IL-1 alpha, -1 beta, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, TNF, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF, and previously described factors that co-stimulate thymocyte proliferation in the presence of Con A or PHA. It is suggested that IL-2EF functions to specifically enhance IL-2-driven T cell proliferation and contributes to the potent activation of T cells induced by DC.     

A multisensory integration model of human stance control

A model is presented to study and quantify the contribution of all available sensory information to human standing based on optimal estimation theory. In the model, delayed sensory information is integrated in such a way that a best estimate of body orientation is obtained. The model approach agrees with the present theory of the goal of human balance control. The model is not based on purely inverted pendulum body dynamics, but rather on a three-link segment model of a standing human on a movable support base. In addition, the model is non-linear and explicitly addresses the problem of multisensory integration and neural time delays. A predictive element is included in the controller to compensate for time delays, necessary to maintain erect body orientation. Model results of sensory perturbations on total body sway closely resemble experimental results. Despite internal and external perturbations, the controller is able to stabilise the model of an inherently unstable standing human with neural time delays of 100 ms. It is concluded, that the model is capable of studying and quantifying multisensory integration in human stance control. We aim to apply the model in (1) the design and development of prostheses and orthoses and (2) the diagnosis of neurological balance disorders. Received: 25 August 1997 / Accepted in revised form: 8 December 1998     

Incidence of three cross-reactive idiotypes on human rheumatoid factor paraproteins

The basis for rheumatoid factor (RF) production in autoimmune or lymphoproliferative diseases cannot be understood without defining the molecular factors that dictate RF structure and specificity. Recently three different mAb (6B6.6, 17.109, and G6) have been developed that define cross-reactive idiotypes (CRI) on intact L or H chains of human monoclonal RF cryoglobulins. However, the true incidence of these CRI among RF and their relationship to each other have not been delineated. In the present experiments, a panel of 163 randomly selected IgM paraproteins was evaluated for the expression of the two kappa L chain CRI, 6B6.6 and 17.109, and the H chain CRI, G6. Among the paraproteins with kappa L chains, 14% expressed the 17.109 CRI, and 9% expressed the 6B6.6 CRI. Both ELISA and Western immunoblotting experiments showed that the two L chain CRI were mutually exclusive. Anti-IgG activity was documented in 22 of the IgM-kappa paraproteins, among which mAb 6B6.6 reacted with 7 (32%) and mAb 17.109 with 6 (27%). Both CRI were expressed exclusively by L chains within the kappaIII variable gene subgroup. Although 17.109 CRI+ paraproteins had kappaIIIb L chains, none of the 6B6.6 CRI+ paraproteins possessed L chains with this kappa sub-subgroup specific Ag. The G6 CRI was found predominantly among RF paraproteins and was frequently yet not exclusively associated with the 17.109 CRI+ L chains. Additional experiments were performed on a panel of normal adult human sera and documented the presence of 6B6.6 and 17.109 CRI on a small percentage (0.1 to 2.0%) of IgM from most individuals. These data indicate that 1) the mAb 6B6.6 and 17.109 identify two major and distinct CRI among IgM-RF paraproteins, 2) both CRI are associated exclusively with kappaIII L chains, 3) kappaIIIb and kappaIII non-b L chains are equally prevalent among IgM-RF, 4) the G6 H chain CRI is frequently associated with 17.109 CRI+ L chains, but not with 6B6.6 CRI+ L chains, and 5) although the ability to make 6B6.6 and 17.109 CRI+ kappa L chains is common in humans, these CRI are present in low concentrations in normal IgM.     

Increased (23R)-hydroxylase activity in patients suffering from cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis, resulting in (23R)-hydroxylation of bile acids

Patients suffering from cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis, an inborn error of metabolism in bile acid synthesis, excrete excessive amounts of 23-hydroxylated bile alcohols, 23-norcholic acid and 23-hydroxycholic acid into urine. In this study the configuration of this excreted 23-hydroxycholic acid was established as (23R)-hydroxycholic acid. Urine samples of two treated patients, receiving chenodeoxycholic acid, were investigated to see whether this administered bile acid was partly converted into 23-hydroxychenodeoxycholic acid. One patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid for 1 month and subsequently with chenodeoxycholic acid, and the urinary excretion of both (23R)-hydroxychenodeoxycholic acid and (23R)-hydroxyursodeoxycholic acid were followed. Indeed, all three patients excreted (23R)-hydroxylated chenodeoxycholic acid during oral treatment with chenodeoxycholic acid, and the patient treated with ursodeoxycholic acid excreted (23R)-hydroxylated ursodeoxycholic acid. During treatment with chenodeoxycholic acid the excretion of (23R)-hydroxychenodeoxycholic acid increases at first and later on decreases markedly. These findings suggest increased (23R)-hydroxylase activity in patients suffering from cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis, acting both on endogenously synthesized bile alcohols and on exogenously administered bile acids; during continuation of chenodeoxycholic acid treatment in an effective dose (750 mg/day) this enzyme activity gradually disappears.     

Dynamics of bryophytes in a chalk grassland

Dynamics of bryophytes were followed in a chalk grassland in 4 plots, 25×25 cm, each subdivided in to 400 subplots, in which every 3–4 months the presence of all bryophyte species was recorded. During the first 14 months no successional trends were visible. However, dynamics on the scale of one subplot were considerable. Degree of dynamics was markedly negatively correlated with original presence in the plots. Several explanations for this correlation are discussed.     

Responses of a Mutant Strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardi to Prolonged Organotrophic Growth

The responses of the wild type strain and of the y-2 mutant strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardi to long term organotrophic growth were studied. It was shown that wild type can be cultured as an organotroph for at least a month with little decrease in chlorophyll content and no loss of viability. On the other hand, the mutant strain y-2 dies during such organotrophic growth, death beginning after 5 to 6 days in the dark. The kinetics of death indicate that the loss of 95% of the chlorophyll precedes death and that revertants to wild type overgrow such a culture. The results suggest that death of y-2 is correlated with the loss of chlorophyll rather than simple metabolic response to organotrophy and that the chloroplast or a chloroplast related factor may perform certain nonphotosynthetic functions in C. reinhardi. The activities of nicotine adenine dinucleotide and nicotine adenine dinucleotide phosphate dependent triose phosphate dehydrogenases were studied during long term organotrophic growth of y-2. It was found that the activities of these enzymes varied in a manner consistent with previous findings under these conditions. The activity of glutamic dehydrogenase was found to vary as a function of chlorophyll content in the mutant strain y-2.