The role of basophil activation test in venom immunotherapy: comparative evaluation with specific IgE and skin prick tests, innovative approaches.

Summary: Background. In diagnosing insect venom allergy and making immunotherapy decisions, clinical history, skin tests, and specific serum IgE levels are commonly utilized. This study aims to emphasize the clinical significance of using the basophil activation test in accurately identifying sensitivities in individuals with insect venom allergy and to compare its effectiveness with other testing methods. Methods. This study included a total of 43 patients, who experienced at least one systemic allergic reaction following insect stings and were deemed suitable for immunotherapy.Basophil activation test, specific serum IgE levels, and skin prick test results utilized in making immunotherapy treatment decisions were recorded. Results. Our study determined that the overall clinical sensitivities of the basophil activation test (BAT), specific serum IgE (spIgE), and skin prick test (SPT) for apis mellifera were 95.5%, 95.7%, and 48.4% respectively, while for vespula vulgaris, they were 83.3%, 100%, and 33.3%. Based on these results, the prediction of systemic reactions to bee stings is ordered as spIgE > BAT > SPT. Additionally, early-stage skin prick tests showed a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 50% at a cut-off value of 1.5 mm, and 33% sensitivity and 83% specificity at 2.5 mm. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that the basophil activation test (BAT) can provide a high positive predictive value in immunotherapy treatment decisions and offer significant insights in clinical practices.

Building a Web-Augmented Reality application for demonstration of kidney pathology for veterinary education.

Three-dimensional (3D) models created with computers and educational applications designed using such models are used in the medical field every day. However, there is a lack of macroscopic demonstration applications built with digital 3D models in the field of veterinary pathology. The aim is to build a fully interactive 3D educational web-based augmented reality application, to demonstrate macroscopic lesions in kidneys for educational purposes. We used open source and free software for all 3D modelling, Augmented Reality and website building. Sixteen 3D kidney pathology models were created. Kidney models modelled in 3D and published as WebAR are as follows: normal kidney, unilateral neurogenic shutdown with atrophy, hydronephrosis, hypercalcemia of malignancy tubular nephrosis, interstitial corticomedullary nephritis, renal infarct, multifocal petechial hemorrhages, polycystic kidneys, renal masses, multifocal nephritis, pigmentary nephrosis, papillary necrosis, glucose-related rapid autolysis (pulpy kidney), pyelonephritis, renomegaly and kidney stones. With the workflow shown here, it has been presented as a feasible model application for human pathology and presented to educators, researchers and developers who have 3D models and AR in their field of interest. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study on Web-Augmented Reality application for veterinary pathology education.

Is the middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysm affected by morphological parameters of bifurcation?

BACKGROUND: Aneurysm formation is a multifactorial process involving genetic, anatomical and environmental risk factors. A research focusing on the relationship between the presence of aneurysm and the morphology of the arteries will help in the pathogenesis and prediction of intracranial aneurysms. In this study, the relationship between the presence of aneurysm and various morphological parameters of aneurysm-related arteries was evaluated in patients with saccular middle cerebral artery (MCA) bifurcation aneurysm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The archival images of 74 patients (62.2% women) were evaluated retrospectively. In this study, the angle between the ipsilateral MCA M1 segment and the dominant truncus (Φ1), the angle between the M1 segment and the recessive truncus (Φ2), and the bifurcation angle (Φ1 + Φ2) were compared. Bilateral internal carotid artery (ICA), MCA M1 segment, dominant and recessive truncus diameters and these diameters ratios were compared with the aneurysmal side and the contralateral side without aneurysm. RESULTS: When the dominant truncus, recessive truncus angles and bifurcation angle were compared, a significant difference was found on the aneurysmal side (p < 0.0001). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, when the bifurcation angle of 147.5° was accepted as the limit value, 78.4% sensitivity, 79.7% specificity, 79.5% positive predictive value and 78.7% negative predictive value were determined (area under the curve: 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: Our study of the morphological features of arteries associated with MCA bifurcation aneurysms showed that the presence of MCA aneurysms was significantly associated with large bifurcation angles.

Astrocytes, microglia/macrophages, and neurons expressing Toll-like receptor 11 contribute to innate immunity against encephalitic Toxoplasma gondii infection.

Toll-like receptor 11 (TLR11) is a specific receptor for Toxoplasma gondii and uropathogenic Escherichia coli and has recently been identified in the mouse brain. In the present study, TLR11 gene expression was measured in the mouse brain by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Furthermore, the TLR11 protein expression profile was evaluated in neuroglia and neurons throughout the encephalitic period (10, 20, and 30days after inoculation) in mice with experimentally induced T. gondii infection. In the brains of experimental (n=21) and control (n=7) mice, TLR11, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), cd11b, NeuN, TLR11/GFAP+, TLR11/cd11b+, and TLR11/NeuN+ cells were investigated using either indirect single- or double-labeling immunoperoxidase staining. The results indicated that TLR11 gene expression increased during chronic toxoplasmic encephalitis, and there was a variable degree of TLR11 immunopositivity among cd11b+, GFAP+, and NeuN+ cells in the brain. On the tenth day of infection, there was a significant increase in TLR11 protein and gene expression, which remained stable during the later stages of infection. In this experimental model, TLR11 expression was induced in astrocytes, neurons, and microglia/macrophages during the immune response to T. gondii infection.