Inflammatory biomarker signatures in post-surgical drain fluid may detect anastomotic leaks within 48 hours of colorectal resection.

BACKGROUND: The optimal treatment of colorectal cancer is surgical resection and primary anastomosis. Anastomotic leak can affect up to 20% of patients and creates significant morbidity and mortality. Current diagnosis of a leak is based on clinical suspicion and subsequent radiology. Peritoneal biomarkers have shown diagnostic utility in other conditions and could be useful in providing earlier diagnosis. This pilot study was designed to assess the practical utility of peritoneal biomarkers after abdominal surgery utilising an automated immunoassay system in routine use for quantifying cytokines. METHODS: Patients undergoing an anterior resection for a rectal cancer diagnosis were recruited at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff between June 2019 and June 2021. A peritoneal drain was placed in the proximity of the anastomosis during surgery, and peritoneal fluid was collected at days 1 to 3 post-operatively, and analysed using the Siemens IMMULITE platform for interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, CXCL8, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: A total of 42 patients were recruited (22M:20F, median age 65). Anastomotic leak was detected in four patients and a further five patients had other intra-abdominal complications. The IMMULITE platform was able to provide robust and reliable results from the analysis of the peritoneal fluid. A metric based on the combination of peritoneal IL-6 and CRP levels was able to accurately diagnose three anastomotic leaks, whilst correctly classifying all negative control patients including those with other complications. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study demonstrates that a simple immune signature in surgical drain fluid could accurately diagnose an anastomotic leak at 48 h postoperatively using instrumentation that is already widely available in hospital clinical laboratories.

[Accidental poisoning with aconite napel (monkshood) : Simultaneous treatment of two patients]. / Akzidentielle Intoxikation mit der Pflanzengattung Eisenhut (Aconitum napellus) : Simultane Behandlung zweier Patienten.

The unintentional poisoning with aconite in a 32-year-old healthy woman led to life-threatening neurological and cardiovascular effects with cardiac arrest and need for resuscitation. The combined administration of magnesium and amiodarone was able to stabilize heart rhythm and circulation. Organ damage was not recognized in the follow-up.

GLI1-dependent transcriptional repression of CYLD in basal cell carcinoma.

CYLD is a deubiquitination enzyme that regulates different cellular processes, such as cell proliferation and cell survival. Mutation and loss of heterozygosity of the CYLD gene causes development of cylindromatosis, a benign tumour originating from the skin. Our study shows that CYLD expression is dramatically downregulated in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer in humans. Reduced CYLD expression in basal cell carcinoma was mediated by GLI1-dependent activation of the transcriptional repressor Snail. Inhibition of GLI1 restored the CYLD expression-mediated Snail signaling pathway, and caused a significant delay in the G1 to S phase transition, as well as proliferation. Our data suggest that GLI1-mediated suppression of CYLD has a significant role in basal cell carcinoma progression.

In vivo manipulation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells with zoledronate and low-dose interleukin-2 for immunotherapy of advanced breast cancer patients.

The potent anti-tumour activities of gammadelta T cells have prompted the development of protocols in which gammadelta-agonists are administered to cancer patients. Encouraging results from small Phase I trials have fuelled efforts to characterize more clearly the application of this approach to unmet clinical needs such as metastatic carcinoma. To examine this approach in breast cancer, a Phase I trial was conducted in which zoledronate, a Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell agonist, plus low-dose interleukin (IL)-2 were administered to 10 therapeutically terminal, advanced metastatic breast cancer patients. Treatment was well tolerated and promoted the effector maturation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells in all patients. However, a statistically significant correlation of clinical outcome with peripheral Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell numbers emerged, as seven patients who failed to sustain Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells showed progressive clinical deterioration, while three patients who sustained robust peripheral Vgamma9Vdelta2 cell populations showed declining CA15-3 levels and displayed one instance of partial remission and two of stable disease, respectively. In the context of an earlier trial in prostate cancer, these data emphasize the strong linkage of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell status to reduced carcinoma progression, and suggest that zoledronate plus low-dose IL-2 offers a novel, safe and feasible approach to enhance this in a subset of treatment-refractory patients with advanced breast cancer.

[Properties of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclopyrophosphate--an intermediate in the non-mevalonate isoprenoid biosynthesis]. / Nekotorye svoistva 2-C-metil-D-éritritol-2,4-tsiklopirofosfata--intermediata bezmevalonatnogo puti biosinteza izoprenoidov.

Extraction and purification from the biomass of Corynebacterium ammoniagenes of 2-C-methyl-D-erhythritol 2,4-cyclopyrophosphate (MEC) was associated with its spontaneous transformation into a number of derivatives (which was due to pyrophosphate bond lability and the formation of complexes with metals). These derivatives included 1,2-cyclophospho-4-phosphate, 2,4-diphosphate, 2,3-cyclophosphate, 1,4-diphosphate, and 3,5-diphosphate (identified by 1H, 31P, and 13C NMR spectroscopy) and accounted for about 10% MEC. When added to a solution of DNA in the presence of the Fenton reagent, MEC prevented DNA decomposition. In addition, MEC slowed down the interaction of the reagent with tempol radicals, which indicates that complexation of ferrous ions by MEC attenuates their ability to catalyze the formation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide. In the presence of 0.23 mM MEC, the rate of respiration of rat liver mitochondria increased 1.8 times. At 0.1-1.0 mM, MEC activated in vitro proliferation of human Vgamma9 T-cells. It is suggested that MEC acts as an endogenous stabilizing agent for bacterial cells subjected to oxidative stress and as an immunomodulator for eukaryotic hosts.

Phytic acid (IP6), novel broad spectrum anti-neoplastic agent: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Phytic acid or IP6 has been extensively studied in animals and is being promoted as an anti-cancer agent in health food stores. It is naturally found in legumes, wheat bran, and soy foods. It is believed to be the active ingredient that gives these substances their cancer fighting abilities. Proposed mechanisms of action include gene alteration, enhanced immunity, and anti-oxidant properties. METHODS: A Medline search from 1966 to May 2002 using the keywords phytic acid and cancer, and limiting the search to the subheadings of therapeutic uses, prevention, and adverse effects revealed 28 studies. These studies were included in the review. RESULTS: A great majority of the studies were done in animals and showed that phytic acid had anti-neoplastic properties in breast, colon, liver, leukemia, prostate, sarcomas, and skin cancer. There were no human studies. Side effects included chelation of multivalent cations, and an increase in bladder and renal papillomas. This increase in papilloma formation only occurred with the sodium salt of phytic acid. It did not occur with either the potassium or magnesium salts. CONCLUSIONS: There is a large body of animal evidence to show that phytic acid may have a role in both the prevention and treatment of many forms of cancer. There is clearly enough evidence to justify the initiation of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in humans.

Identification of (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate as a major activator for human gammadelta T cells in Escherichia coli.

The gcpE and lytB gene products control the terminal steps of isoprenoid biosynthesis via the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway in Escherichia coli. In lytB-deficient mutants, a highly immunogenic compound accumulates significantly, compared to wild-type E. coli, but is apparently absent in gcpE-deficient mutants. Here, this compound was purified from E. coli DeltalytB mutants by preparative anion exchange chromatography, and identified by mass spectrometry, (1)H, (13)C and (31)P NMR spectroscopy, and NOESY analysis as (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP). HMB-PP is 10(4) times more potent in activating human Vgamma9/Vdelta2 T cells than isopentenyl pyrophosphate.

Cellular and humoral immune responses and protection against schistosomes induced by a radiation-attenuated vaccine in chimpanzees.

The radiation-attenuated Schistosoma mansoni vaccine is highly effective in rodents and primates but has never been tested in humans, primarily for safety reasons. To strengthen its status as a paradigm for a human recombinant antigen vaccine, we have undertaken a small-scale vaccination and challenge experiment in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Immunological, clinical, and parasitological parameters were measured in three animals after multiple vaccinations, together with three controls, during the acute and chronic stages of challenge infection up to chemotherapeutic cure. Vaccination induced a strong in vitro proliferative response and early gamma interferon production, but type 2 cytokines were dominant by the time of challenge. The controls showed little response to challenge infection before the acute stage of the disease, initiated by egg deposition. In contrast, the responses of vaccinated animals were muted throughout the challenge period. Vaccination also induced parasite-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG, which reached high levels at the time of challenge, while in control animals levels did not rise markedly before egg deposition. The protective effects of vaccination were manifested as an amelioration of acute disease and overall morbidity, revealed by differences in gamma-glutamyl transferase level, leukocytosis, eosinophilia, and hematocrit. Moreover, vaccinated chimpanzees had a 46% lower level of circulating cathodic antigen and a 38% reduction in fecal egg output, compared to controls, during the chronic phase of infection.

LytB, a novel gene of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli.

The mevalonate-independent 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis is essential in many eubacteria, plants, and the malaria parasite. Using genetically engineered Escherichia coli cells able to utilize exogenously provided mevalonate for isoprenoid biosynthesis by the mevalonate pathway we demonstrate that the lytB gene is involved in the trunk line of the MEP pathway. Cells deleted for the essential lytB gene were viable only if the medium was supplemented with mevalonate or the cells were complemented with an episomal copy of lytB.

A calreticulin-like molecule from the human hookworm Necator americanus interacts with C1q and the cytoplasmic signalling domains of some integrins.

Calreticulin was recently identified as a hookworm (Necator americanus) allergen, implying secretion, and contact with cells of the immune system, or significant worm attrition in the tissues of the host. As human calreticulin has been shown to bind to and neutralize the haemolytic activity of the complement component C1q, and to be putatively involved in integrin-mediated intracellular signalling events in platelets, it was of interest to determine whether a calreticulin from a successful nematode parasite of humans, with known immune modulatory and antihaemostatic properties, exhibited a capacity to interfere with complement activation and to interact with integrin domains associated with cell signalling in platelets and other leucocytes. We can now report that recombinant calreticulin failed to demonstrate significant calcium binding capacity, which is a hallmark of calreticulins in general and may indicate inappropriate folding following expression in a prokaryote. Nevertheless, recombinant calreticulin retained sufficient molecular architecture to bind to, and inhibit the haemolytic capacity of, human C1q. Furthermore, recombinant calreticulin reacted in surface plasmon resonance analysis (SPR) with peptides corresponding to cytoplasmic signalling domains of the integrins alphaIIb and alpha5, in a calcium independent manner. SPR was also used to ratify the specificity of a polyclonal antibody to hookworm calreticulin, which was then used to assess the stage specificity of expression of the native molecule (in comparison with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction), to indicate its apparent secretion, and to purify native calreticulin from worm extracts by affinity chromatography. This development will allow the functional tests described above to be repeated for native calreticulin, to ascertain its role in the host-parasite relationship.

Cutting edge: human gamma delta T cells are activated by intermediates of the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis.

Activation of V gamma 9/V delta 2 T cells by small nonprotein Ags is frequently observed after infection with various viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotic parasites. We suggested earlier that compounds synthesized by the 2-C:-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway of isopentenyl pyrophosphate synthesis are responsible for the V gamma 9/V delta 2 T cell reactivity of many pathogens. Using genetically engineered Escherichia coli knockout strains, we now demonstrate that the ability of E. coli extracts to stimulate gamma delta T cell proliferation is abrogated when genes coding for essential enzymes of the MEP pathway, dxr or gcpE, are disrupted or deleted from the bacterial genome.

Improvement of semen quality by nocturnal scrotal cooling and moderate behavioural change to reduce genital heat stress in men with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia.

A questionnaire assessing factors that might cause an increase in scrotal temperature was completed by patients with reproducible oligoasthenoteratozoospermia of idiopathic nature or caused by varicocele. Evaluation by means of a grading scale revealed increased scrotal heat stress in oligoasthenoteratozoospermic patients compared with normozoospermic men (P < 0.01). In addition, long-term determination of 24 h scrotal temperature profiles showed that compared with semen donors, oligoasthenoteratozoospermic patients frequently had scrotal temperatures above 35.5 degrees C despite the same environmental temperatures (P < 0.05). In 88% of cases, maximum scrotal temperatures were measured during rest or sleep phases, whereas minimum values were recorded during physical activity or frequent change of position. Nocturnal scrotal cooling by means of an air stream resulted in a decrease in scrotal temperature of approximately 1 degrees C. Furthermore, a highly significant increase in sperm concentration (P < 0.0001) and total sperm output (P < 0.0001) was achieved after nocturnal scrotal cooling for 12 weeks together with a moderate decrease in factors leading to genital heat stress. A significant improvement in sperm motility (P < 0.05) and sperm morphology (P < 0.05) was also observed, but this improvement was markedly less pronounced than the changes in sperm concentration. This study shows the importance of genital heat stress as a cofactor in fertility impairment in men and indicates nocturnal scrotal cooling as a therapeutic option.

Antibodies to glycans dominate the host response to schistosome larvae and eggs: is their role protective or subversive?

Multiple exposures of chimpanzees to the radiation-attenuated schistosome vaccine provoked a strong parasite-specific cellular and humoral immune response. Specific IgM and IgG were directed mainly against glycans on antigens released by cercariae; these were also cross-reactive with soluble antigens from larvae, adult worms, and eggs. Egg deposition was the major antigenic stimulus after challenge of vaccinated and control chimpanzees with normal parasites, eliciting strong antiglycan responses to egg secretions. Glycan epitopes recognized included LacdiNAc, fucosylated LacdiNAc, Lewis(X) (weakly), and those on keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Antibodies to peptide epitopes became prominent only during the chronic phase of infection, as glycan-specific IgM and IgG decreased. Because of their intensity and cross-reactivity, the antiglycan responses resulting from infection could be a smoke screen to subvert the immune system away from more vulnerable larval peptide epitopes. Their occurrence in humans might explain the long time required for antischistosome immunity to build up after infection.

Effect of two complex platinum salts on human sperm motility and acrosome reaction.

Hydrogen hexachloroplatinate, H2PtCl6, has been shown to induce the human sperm acrosome reaction in vitro. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this exocytic process has not been studied. Therefore, two structurally and chemically different platinum (Pt) compounds, the potent sensitizer sodium-hexachloro-platinate-(IV), Na2[PtCl6], and the nonimmunogenic tetraamineplatinum-(II)-chloride, [Pt(NH3)4]Cl2, were selected for the experiments. Their effects on human sperm function and second messenger pathways were investigated. Washed human spermatozoa were treated with different concentrations of both Pt salts (0.5-1000 microM) during or after capacitation for 3 h at 37 degrees C. In addition, spermatozoa were incubated with Pt salts in calcium-free medium or in the presence of the protein kinase A+C inhibitor H7. Sperm motility was evaluated by computer-assisted sperm analysis; acrosomal loss was detected by triple staining. Compared with the controls (6.6+/-2.4%), the percentages of living acrosome-reacted spermatozoa showed a significant dose-dependent increase (P<0.001) after 3 h of incubation with Na2[PtCl6] (7.9+/-4.2% for 0.5 microM 25.0+/-2.9% for 1 mM) and [Pt(NH3)4]Cl2 (7.9+/-3.9% to 21.0+/-5.8%). Sperm motility was markedly reduced in samples containing the highest concentrations of the Pt salts. The acrosome reaction was also significantly increased when spermatozoa had first been capacitated and then treated with both Pt salts. Calcium-free medium had no effect on the ability of both Pt salts to induce the acrosome reaction. However, incubation of Na2[PtCl6] in the presence of H7 tendentiously decreased the percentage of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. In conclusion, complex Pt salts such as Na2[PtCl6] or [Pt(NH3)4]Cl2 influence human sperm functions by inducing the acrosome reaction during or after capacitation. This stimulatory effect is independent of calcium and seems to be dependent on protein kinase A or C.

IL-18 potentiates the adjuvant properties of IL-12 in the induction of a strong Th1 type immune response against a recombinant antigen.

Due to the synergistic effects of IL-12 and IL-18, and to their importance in establishing a Th1 type immune response, we investigated the potential of a combined administration of both cytokines as an adjuvant for recombinant antigens. As a model system, we used a schistosome T cell antigen recently identified in our group. By co-adsorption of this antigen on alum in the presence of IL-12 and IL-18, we demonstrate that IL-18 enhances the effects of IL-12 in inducing an antigen-specific Th1 type CD4(+) T cell response as well as high titres of IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibodies.

Inhibitors of the nonmevalonate pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis as antimalarial drugs.

A mevalonate-independent pathway of isoprenoid biosynthesis present in Plasmodium falciparum was shown to represent an effective target for chemotherapy of malaria. This pathway includes 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DOXP) as a key metabolite. The presence of two genes encoding the enzymes DOXP synthase and DOXP reductoisomerase suggests that isoprenoid biosynthesis in P. falciparum depends on the DOXP pathway. This pathway is probably located in the apicoplast. The recombinant P. falciparum DOXP reductoisomerase was inhibited by fosmidomycin and its derivative, FR-900098. Both drugs suppressed the in vitro growth of multidrug-resistant P. falciparum strains. After therapy with these drugs, mice infected with the rodent malaria parasite P. vinckei were cured.

Isolation of T-cell antigens by using a recombinant protein library and its application to the identification of novel vaccine candidates against schistosomiasis.

We present here a novel approach to identify T-cell antigens from any infectious agent by use of a library of purified recombinant proteins. Essential features of this strategy include (i) a highly efficient cDNA cloning system which negatively selects against nonrecombinant transformants by making use of the bacterial EcoK restriction system, (ii) affinity staining of cDNA clones expressing recombinant proteins, and (iii) a procedure of simultaneous purification of recombinant proteins from large numbers of isolated clones (representing the protein library) in a single step from pools consisting of up to 24 individual clones. The feasibility of the screening system was confirmed by constructing a protein library of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. The recombinant antigens of this library were used to stimulate CD4(+) T cells derived from the axillary lymph nodes of mice vaccinated with irradiated cercariae. In initial screening experiments, we detected parasite-specific proliferation and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) secretion in response to several pools of cDNA clones. Further analysis of one particular pool revealed that only one of its constituents stimulated considerable IFN-gamma secretion by CD4(+) T cells and that the expressed antigen is identical to a small fragment of myosin heavy chain.

Cerebral perfusion defects, dysautoregulation and carotid stenosis.

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), imaging of cerebral blood flow was carried out in ten patients with haemodynamically significant carotid stenosis. Before and after carotid endarterectomy each patient was investigated by 3--dimensional SPECT brain scanning using technetium--hexamethyl propyleneamine oxine (99 mTcHMPAO, ceretec). Brain blood flow was normal before and after operation in 3 patients whose autoregulation was kept intact. Seven patients received acetazolamide to limit cerebral vascular reactivity and in four of these, preoperative perfusion defects were visible. After carotid endarterectomy the ipsilateral perfusion defects were abolished and it is concluded that carotid stenosis can reduce perfusion in the dysautoregulation brain and that carotid reconstruction can restore normal flow.

Influence of tissue heterogeneity on the determination of steroid receptors in breast cancer.

Biochemical determination of hormone receptors in carcinomas is influenced by the potential heterogeneity of the tissue samples. In order to check this, samples of 16 breast cancers were divided into 6 segments. These segments were alternately examined for their ratio of tumor tissue to connective tissue ("percentage of carcinoma") or for the content of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Only 3 of the tumors were homogeneous, and 9 of the heterogeneous tissues had hormone receptors. The segment with the maximum "percentage of carcinoma" was adjacent to that with the peak value of hormone receptors in all but 1 tissue. The same applied to the minima. The maximum and minimum values of estrogen and progesterone receptors were located within the same segment in all but one tissue sample. The results demonstrated that biochemical assay of hormone receptors is reliable. A reduction of the sample volume does not enhance the precision of the receptor assay, since it increases the possibility of a false negative result.