The T cell repertoire selected in vitro against EBV: diversity, specificity, and improved purification through early IL-2 receptor alpha-chain (CD25)-positive selection

Polyclonal T cell lines specific for EBV proteins have proved efficient in preventing EBV-related immunoblastic lymphoma after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. To gain insight into the composition of the EBV-specific T cell repertoire that ensured patient protection, we performed for the first time an extensive characterization of eight cytotoxic T cell lines selected in vitro against EBV-transformed autologous lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCL). These T cell lines consist of 50-100 distinct T cell clones, of which 32-96% are specific for autologous BLCL. Moreover, we demonstrate that reactivities against only five EBV proteins (BZLF1, BMLF1, EBNA-3A, EBNA-3C, and LMP2) cover 86% (32/37) of the specificities detected. In addition, we describe an improved method of T cell harvesting using a CD25 selection procedure which reduces the time required to obtain specific T cells and improves the purity of EBV-specific T cells, thus showing promise for use in adoptive transfer protocols.     

Diagnostic and prognostic value of antibodies against chimeric fibrin/filaggrin citrullinated synthetic peptides in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Evidence suggests that citrullinated fibrin(ogen) may be a potential in vivo target of anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We compared the diagnostic yield of three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests by using chimeric fibrin/filaggrin citrullinated synthetic peptides (CFFCP1, CFFCP2, CFFCP3) with a commercial CCP2-based test in RA and analyzed their prognostic values in early RA.

Methods

Samples from 307 blood donors and patients with RA (322), psoriatic arthritis (133), systemic lupus erythematosus (119), and hepatitis C infection (84) were assayed by using CFFCP- and CCP2-based tests. Autoantibodies also were analyzed at baseline and during a 2-year follow-up in 98 early RA patients to determine their prognostic value.

Results

With cutoffs giving 98% specificity for RA versus blood donors, the sensitivity was 72.1% for CFFCP1, 78.0% for CFFCP2, 71.4% for CFFCP3, and 73.9% for CCP2, with positive predictive values greater than 97% in all cases. CFFCP sensitivity in RA increased to 80.4% without losing specificity when positivity was considered as any positive anti-CFFCP status. Specificity of the three CFFCP tests versus other rheumatic populations was high (> 90%) and similar to those for the CCP2. In early RA, CFFCP1 best identified patients with a poor radiographic outcome. Radiographic progression was faster in the small subgroup of CCP2-negative and CFFCP1-positive patients than in those negative for both autoantibodies. CFFCP antibodies decreased after 1 year, but without any correlation with changes in disease activity.

Conclusions

CFFCP-based assays are highly sensitive and specific for RA. Early RA patients with anti-CFFCP1 antibodies, including CCP2-negative patients, show greater radiographic progression.     

Enhanced Biodegradation of Casablanca Crude Oil by A Microbial Consortium in Presence of a Rhamnolipid Produced by Pseudomonas Aeruginosa AT10

The biodegradation of oil products in the environment is often limited by their low water solubility and dissolution rate. Rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT10 were investigated for their potential to enhance bioavailability and hence the biodegradation of crude oil by a microbial consortium in liquid medium. The characterization of the rhamnolipids produced by strain AT10 showed the effectiveness of emulsification of complex mixtures. The addition of rhamnolipids accelerates the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons from 32% to 61% at 10 days of incubation. Nevertheless, the enhancement of biosurfactant addition was more noticeable in the case of the group of isoprenoids from the aliphatic fraction and the alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAS) from the aromatic fraction. The biodegradation of some targeted isoprenoids increased from 16% to 70% and for some alkylated PAHs from 9% to 44%.     

Morbidity of Chagas heart disease in the microregion of Rio Negro,Amazonian Brazil: a case-control study

A case-control study on the morbidity of Chagas heart disease was carried out in the municipality of Barcelos in the microregion of the Rio Negro, state of Amazonas. One hundred and six individuals, who were serologically positive for Trypanosoma cruzi infection, as confirmed by at least two techniques with different principles, were matched according to age and sex with an equal number of seronegative individuals. The cases and controls were evaluated using an epidemiological questionnaire and clinical, electrocardiograph and echocardiograph examinations. In the seroepidemiological evaluation, 62% of the interviewees recognised triatomines and most of them confirmed that they had seen these insects in the piassava plantations of the riverside communities of the Negro River tributaries. Of the seropositive patients, 25.8% affirmed that they had been stung by the triatomines and 11.7% denied having been stung. The principal clinical manifestations of the seropositive individuals were palpitations, chest pain and dyspnoea upon effort. Cardiac auscultation revealed extrasystoles, bradycardia and systolic murmurs. The electrocardiographic alterations were ventricular extrasystoles, left and right bundle branch block, atrioventricular block and primary T wave alterations. The echocardiogram was altered in 22.6% of the seropositive individuals and in 8.5% of the seronegative individuals.