Bronchodilatory properties of 2-decarboxy-2-hydroxymethyl prostaglandin E1

We evaluated in a double-blind study the bronchodilatory properties of 2-decarboxy-2-hydroxymethyl prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁-carbinol), described recently as a nonirritant bronchodilator in animals. Fifteen asthmatic patients received by inhalation single doses of 1, 10, and 30 μg PGE₁-carbinol, 55 μg PGE₂, and placebo (10% ethanol in normal saline, which was also used as diluent for the PGs). Such pulmonary function tests as forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, and maximal expiratory flow were monitored during 2 hours following inhalation of each compound. 10 and 30 μg PGE₁-carbinol produced significant but short-acting bronchodilation, similar to that caused by 55 μg PGE₂. One-third of the patients reported mild cough and throat irritation during and shortly after inhalation of 30 μg PGE₁-carbinol or 55 μg PGE₂. Placebo and 1 μg PGE₁-carbinol produced minimal side effects, but neither agent caused bronchodilation. In an adjunctive, unblinded trial, the same patients received 400 μg fenoterol. Fenoterol caused greater bronchodilation 15 and 30 minutes after inhalation than did the PGs in the double-blind study.     

Resistance to Osborne's Cyst Nematode in Selected Nicotiana Species

Resistance to an undescribed species of Heterodera, Osborne''s cyst nematode, was compared in Nicotiana glutinosa, N. paniculata, N. plumbaginifolia and N. Iongiflora. These species were differentially resistant in greenhouse tests as shown by nematode development, the reaction of the invaded roots, and the expression of resistance in interspecific hybrids.     

Schistosoma japonicum: Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to egg antigen in humans and rodents

Immediate hypersensitivity reactions in schistosoma japonicum infections were examined in both man and experimental animals. In man higher reaction to soluble egg antigen than to adult worm antigen was detected by the use of the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). Blood-collecting filter paper can be used in RAST for seroepidemiological study in place of a skin test. Reaginic antibody formation against egg antigen was detected at the approximate time of egg deposition in strains of mice, Mongolian gerbils, cotton rats, and laboratory rats by the use of passive cutaneous anaphylaxis or Prausnitz-Küstner-type skin tests. At the same time circumoval precipitin tests were positive. Results with athymic nude mice suggest that these reactions are T-cell dependent. No detectable reagin synthesis against adult worm antigen was found in the animals so far examined, confirming stronger allergenic reaction to egg antigen than to that of adult worms in S. japonicum infections in man and animals.     

Leishmania tropica: pathogenicity and in vitro macrophage function in strains of inbred mice.

Of seven strains of inbred mice and one hybrid that were infected intracutaneously with 5, 10, or 20 × 10⁶ active promastigotes of Leishmania tropica major, two strains (CBA/Ca and C₃H/He) recovered from the infection and their lesions healed within 3 to 5 months. The other strains, with the possible exception of C57B1/6 animals, remained infected, carrying large cutaneous ulcers throughout their lives. These included DBA/2, A/Jax, Balb/c, athymic nude mice of Balb/c origin (nu/nu) and the heterozygote Balb/c (nu⁺). The responses of C57B1/6 animals were of intermediate type with a tendency toward nonhealing at higher doses of the parasite. The cutaneous infection of athymic nude mice invariably gave rise to fulminating visceral infections and death. This condition was never observed in the other strains tested. Concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated syngeneic or allogeneic lymphocytes of intact mice activated peritoneal macrophages of both healer and nonhealer mice, resulting in complete destruction of phagocytosed L. enriettii within 24 to 48 hr. The destruction of ingested L. tropica was confined to macrophages of healer mice and required 72 to 96 hr to reach completion. However, removal of Con A-stimulated lymphocytes from macrophage cultures and regular pulsing of the cells with a lymphokine-rich supernatant produced a state of sustained activation, resulting in destruction of L. tropica inside macrophages of both healer and nonhealer mice. The ability of Con A-stimulated lymphocytes of nonhealer animals to induce effective levels of activation in healer macrophages on one hand, and eventual destruction of L. tropica in macrophages of nonhealer mice under condition of sustained activation on the other, had indicated that so far as the in vitro situation is concerned, there is no inherent defect in lymphocytes or macrophages of nonhealer animals, although the threshold of activation necessary for killing of the parasite seems to be higher for cells of nonhealer origin.     

不同纯度、剂量白喉类毒素对迟发型超敏反应的影响

研究不同剂量及不同白喉类毒素纯度引起的迟发型超敏反应的状况,用于指导疫苗的生产,提高疫苗的质量。以豚鼠为动物模型,采用迟发型超敏试验法,对原制白喉类毒素、精制白喉类毒素、纯化精制白喉类毒素、高纯度的精制白喉类毒素的剂量与超敏反应试验。试验结果表明,注射白喉类毒素剂量的大小与超敏反应成正相关,与纯度成负相关。剂量越大,超敏反应越强;纯度越高,超敏反应愈弱。     

Effect of strain-specific hypersensitive resistance on spatial patterns of virus spread

Spatial patterns of spread were compared between strains of Bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV) that differ in causing systemic necrotic (hypersensitive) or non‐necrotic symptoms in narrow‐leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius). Both types of BYMV were spread naturally by aphids from adjacent infected pasture into a large lupin block (‘natural spread site’), or from clover plants introduced as virus sources into two field experiments with lupin. Cumulative spatial data for plants with disease symptoms from a range of times in the growing period were assessed using Spatial Analysis by Distance IndicEs (SADIE). At the‘natural spread site’, with non‐necrotic BYMV, the extent of clustering of plants with symptoms increased gradually over time, while with necrotic BYMV there was less clustering and no increase over time. In both experiments, for the type of BYMV that was introduced into a plot, there was a gradual increase in clustering, but with this being greater with non‐necrotic BYMV. In the second experiment, there was also significant clustering of plants with symptoms of non‐necrotic BYMV in plots without introduced non‐necrotic foci but not for necrotic BYMV in plots without introduced necrotic foci. When clustering data for plants with newly recorded symptoms was tested for spatial association between successive assessment dates, association was positive for both BYMV types though stronger for the non‐necrotic type, declining as the temporal lag increased. Generally, association was strongest for assessments 2–3 wk apart, corresponding approximately to the period for BYMV to move systemically in plants and for obvious symptoms to appear in shoot tips. Contour maps for local association between dates showed that the strongest spatial associations were from coincidence of infection gaps rather than infection patches. The combination of information from clustering and association analysis showed that spread of non‐necrotic BYMV is less diffuse, with considerably more localised infection surrounding the infection sources. This work demonstrates how spatial virus spread can be diminished when hypersensitive (necrotic) resistance is deployed, and the limitations associated with employing hypersensitivity that is strain specific.     

青枯菌hrp基因的研究进展

青枯菌的hrp基因可诱发植物的超敏反应.对其基因组全序列测定表明:hrp基因簇位于基因组的大质粒上,共有20多个基因组成.从青枯菌中分离得到的可直接诱发植物超敏反应的效应蛋白主要为pop基因编码,它由hrp基因编码的类型Ⅲ蛋白分泌通道释放.目前的研究表明:(1)在hrp基因簇中,hrpY、hrpX及hrpV与分泌通道的一种纤毛的组装有关;(2)hrpB是整个类型Ⅲ蛋白分泌通道基因的转录激活子并作用于基因组中的其它效应基因;(3)hrpG是植物信号对hrp,基因的表达进行级联调控的组分之一.     

Detection of Mycobacterium immunogenum by real-time quantitative Taqman PCR

A quantitative real-time 5′-nuclease (Taqman) PCR technique was developed to specifically detect Mycobacterium immunogenum. rpoB-specific primers and Taqman probe were evaluated for detection of M. immunogenum DNA extracted from pure cultures and from industrial metal working fluids (MWFs). Specificity was confirmed and the sensitivity of detection of M. immunogenum genomic DNA was shown to be approximately 9 fg (2 cell equivalents). When tested on industrial metal working fluids from the UK and USA from which no M. immunogenum CFU were recovered, the assay detected between 3.4 × 10¹ and 1.9 × 10⁴ cell equivalents (CE) per ml, and increased the detection rate over culture to 37.5% (12 of 32 samples). This assay provides a specific, sensitive and rapid method for the detection of M. immunogenum and is applicable within industry for the early detection of this human pathogen and to the possible prevention of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in workers.     

Epidemiological study of sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis in captive Latin American wild mammals,São Paulo,Brazil

Sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis are deep mycosis with a high incidence in human beings in Brazil. In domestic animals histoplasmosis has been described only in dogs, but the occurence of sporotrichosis among domestic animals in Brazil has been described in dogs, cats, mules and asses. There is also a case of this disease reported in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodites). The purpose of this research was to perform an epidomiological study of these mycoses using delayed hypersensitivity tests (histoplasmin and sporotrichin) in Latin American wild mammals. This research was assayed using 96 healthy animals at Parque Zoológico de São Paulo, Brazil: Primates: 33Cebus apella — weeping-capuchin and 16Callithrix jacchus — marmoset; Procyonidae: 37Nasua nasua — coatimundi and 10 Felidae (Panthera onca — jaguar;Felis pardalis — ocelotFelis wiedii — margay;Felis tigrina — wild cat). For intradermic tests, the following antigens were used:Sporothrix schenkii cell suspension (sporotrichin, histoplasmin-filtrate),Histoplasma capsulatum cell suspension (histoplasmin), andHistoplasma capsulatum (polysaccharide). The positivity to histoplasmin was 44.79% (Cebidae 15.15%; Callithricidae 6.25%; Procyonidae 86.49% and Felidae 50.00%, respectively). With respect to sporotrichin, 30.21% (Cebidae 6.06%, Callithricidae 0.0%; Procyonidae 64.86% and Felidae 30.00% respectively). The pattern of infection is similar to that shown by human beings and this may suggest that these animals could be involved in the epidemiologic chain of sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis, the second most prevalent human deep mycoses in Brazil. It is important to point out the absence of similar studies in Latin American wild animals.     

Plasmodium berghei: sporozoite challenge, protection, and hypersensitivity in mice.

Seruminduced hypersensitivity protected some mice against intraperitoneal (ip) sporozoite challenge but not against intravenous challenge. The injection of serotonin 4 hr prior to challenge destroyed this protection. This protection does not appear to be additive to sporozoite immunization. Protection induced by ip injections of 70 salivary glands per injection appeared to be largely suppressed by prior injection of serotonin. It was concluded that hypersensitivity may possibly be at least partly responsible for protection by injections of 70 salivary glands, but that sporozoite immunity is not primarily due to hypersensitivity.