A novel mba-based Real time PCR approach for genotyping of Ureaplasma parvum validated in a cohort of Mongolian mothers and offspring.

The role of Ureaplasma parvum in abnormal outcomes of human pregnancy has been discussed controversially in the past. Of the 14 known ureaplasma serovars, the Ureaplasma parvum serovars 1, 3, 6 and 14, have been found to derive from smaller genomes. Serovars 3 and 6 have been described more often to cause complications in pregnancy. To elucidate the serovar distribution in U. parvum positive specimens of 200 Mongolian mothers and their offspring, a new set of mba-targeting PCRs was developed enabling a fast and reliable serovar differentiation by melting peak analysis in a Real time PCR approach or by conventional agarose gel electrophoresis. 92% maternal and 55% neonatal samples were retrospectively genotyped and a dominance of serovars 3 and 6 was detected while serovar 14 was almost absent. Transmission from mothers to newborns was detected in 83% of U. parvum positive neonates exhibiting serovar patterns identical to their mothers. No statistically significant correlation between a distinct serovar and pregnancy outcome could be detected. However, neonatal colonization with serovar 1 declined with progressing pregnancy suggesting that a higher ureaplasma load shortened pregnancy and thereby had a potential negative effect on offspring health. Our novel mba-based Real time PCR approach, which can also be used in conventional PCR and gel electrophoretic analysis, provides the proof of principle that the four U. parvum serovars 1, 3, 6 and 14 can be differentially detected and quantified. A larger scale study outside the scope of this work should be conducted to clarify the impact of serovar 1 on pregnancy outcome.

Recovered changes in the spleen by agmatine treatment after transient cerebral ischemia.

Stroke or cerebrovascular injury is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of deaths worldwide. After the initial ischemic injury, sympathetic signals are transmitted to the spleen and a compromised blood-brain barrier, coupled with expression of adhesion molecules by the vascular endothelial cells permits an influx of peripheral immune cells. This influx of peripheral immune cells into the brain exacerbates the local brain inflammatory response, leading to enhanced neurodegeneration. Agmatine is a primary amine formed by decarboxylation of L-arginine synthesized in the mammalian brain. In this study, we determined the effect of agmatine on the immune response in the spleen after transient cerebral ischemia. Twenty-three hours after transient cerebral ischemia, the white pulp area was reduced and the number of CD11b(+) macrophages and CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (T reg cells) were increased in the spleens in the experimental group as a result of alteration of the immune response in the spleen, as regulated by inflammatory cytokines. In the agmatine treatment group (100 mg/kg IP), the contraction of white pulp was diminished and the number of CD11b(+) macrophages and CD4(+)CD25(+)T reg cells were decreased. Twenty-three hours after transient cerebral ischemia, the brain infarction area was significantly reduced (5.51±1.63% of the whole brain) in the agmatine treatment group compared to 15.02±4.28% of the whole brain in the experimental control group. These results suggest that agmatine treatment can reduce brain infarction through minimizing neuroinflammation and can lessen the danger of post-stroke infection from depression of the immune system after stroke.