Streptococcus thermophilus NCIMB 41856 ameliorates signs of colitis in an animal model of inflammatory bowel disease.

Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly based on suppression of symptoms, often with numerous side effects. Trials of probiotics in IBD have frequently produced disappointing results. The majority of probiotics are unusual, since they do not require iron for growth, unlike many bacteria resident in the intestine. The IBD intestine is iron-rich due to bleeding and use of oral iron supplements; conventional probiotics would be rapidly outcompeted. We have evaluated an iron-responsive Streptococcus thermophilus strain for its potential to reduce signs of colitis. Efficacy of S. thermophilus was evaluated in the dextran sodium sulphate mouse model of colitis. Treated animals were given 1×108 cfu S. thermophilus per day and clinical observations were taken daily. At termination, gross and histopathological signs of disease, cellular infiltration, location of bacteria, and cytokine expression in the intestine were determined. S. thermophilus delayed onset of colitis and reduced clinical signs of disease, including bodyweight loss and gastrointestinal bleeding. It reduced bacterial translocation into the colonic tissue. Increased numbers of CD8+ intraepithelial lymphocytes were seen in control animals treated with S. thermophilus. S. thermophilus had no effect on gross pathology, histopathology or cytokine production in either colitic or control animals. We propose that S. thermophilus promotes maintenance of mucosal barrier function which reduces bacterial translocation, thereby reducing immune stimulation and associated inflammation. This allows mucosal healing, reducing gastrointestinal bleeding and weight loss. This could be studied as a locally-acting adjunct or alternative to current IBD treatments.

Antemortem diagnosis of new york human rabies case and review of u.s. Cases.

To help elucidate rabies disease patterns and control issues, a full assessment of a human case of dog-variant rabies was undertaken. In 2000, a 54-year-old man presented to a New York hospital with lower back discomfort four days after arrival from Africa. Rabies was first suspected 8 days after hospitalization based on clinical signs, specimens were collected on the same day, and rabies infection was confirmed the following day (fluorescence antibody testing on nuchal skin biopsy specimen). By the 12(th) day after illness onset, he was unresponsive, and life support was removed on day 15. Subsequently, an African dog variant was confirmed by nucleic acid sequence analysis of rabies viral RNA extracted and amplified from the patient's saliva. Management of human concerns about exposure to the patient kept the number of persons receiving postexposure prophylaxis to 26. With less than half of the U.S. human rabies cases being diagnosed antemortem, this case emphasizes the need to routinely include rabies in the differential diagnosis of any unexplained encephalitis to ensure early confirmation and triage of human contacts to reduce associated healthcare costs.

Biocompatibility of platinum-metallized silicone rubber: in vivo and in vitro evaluation.

Silicone rubber is commonly used for biomedical applications, including implanted cuff electrodes for both recording and stimulation of peripheral nerves. This study was undertaken to evaluate the consequences of a new platinum metallization method on the biocompatibility of silicone rubber cuff electrodes. This method was introduced in order to allow the manufacture of spiral nerve cuff electrodes with a large number of contacts. The metallization process, implying silicone coating with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), its activation by an excimer laser and subsequent electroless metal deposition, led to a new surface microtexture. The neutral red cytotoxicity assay procedure was first applied in vitro on BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts in order to analyze the cellular response elicited by the studied material. An in vivo assay was then performed to investigate the tissue reaction after chronic subcutaneous implantation of the metallized material. Results demonstrate that silicone rubber biocompatibility is not altered by the new platinum metallization method.