Development of a patient-centered questionnaire for post-stroke spasticity assessment: a reliability study.

In the emerging scenario of patient-centered medicine, it is becoming increasingly important to involve patients in the management of chronic diseases. The rehabilitation field currently has no assessment tool for evaluating the functional impact of post-stroke spasticity on activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to identify a tool to fill this gap. The "Spasticity Questionnaire in Real Life" (SPQR) was administered, twice, to 39 patients with poststroke spasticity. Statistical analysis showed internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire, with values greater than 0.96 and 0.76, respectively. These results show that the SPQR is a promising tool for evaluating the functional impact of post-stroke spasticity.

Bugs for atopy: the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG strategy for food allergy prevention and treatment in children.

Food allergy (FA) is a major health issue for children living in Western countries. At this time the only proven treatment for FA is elimination of offender antigen from the diet. It is becoming clear that the development of gut microbiota exerts a profound influence on immune system maturation and tolerance acquisition. Increasing evidence suggests that perturbations in gut microbiota composition of infants are implicated in the pathogenesis of FA. These findings have unveiled new strategies to prevent and treat FA using probiotics bacteria or bacterial substance to limit T-helper (Th)/Th2 bias, which changes during the disease course. Selected probiotics administered during infancy may have a role in the prevention and treatment of FA. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is the most studied probiotic in this field. Administration of LGG in early life have a role in FA prevention. Preliminary evidence shows that LGG accelerates oral tolerance acquisition in cow's milk allergic infants. We are understanding the mechanisms elicited by LGG and metabolites in influencing food allergen sensitization. A deeper definition of these mechanisms is opening the way to new immunotherapeutics for children affected by FA that can efficiently limit the disease burden.

Comparative model building of interleukin-7 using interleukin-4 as a template: a structural hypothesis that displays atypical surface chemistry in helix D important for receptor activation.

Using a combination of theoretical sequence structure recognition predictions and experimental disulfide bond assignments, a three-dimensional (3D) model of human interleukin-7 (hIL-7) was constructed that predicts atypical surface chemistry in helix D that is important for receptor activation. A 3D model of hIL-7 was built using the X-ray crystal structure of interleukin-4 (IL-4) as a template (Walter MR et al., 1992, J Mol Biol. 224:1075-1085; Walter MR et al., 1992, J Biol Chem 267:20371-20376). Core secondary structures were constructed from sequences of hIL-7 predicted to form helices. The model was constructed by superimposing IL-7 helices onto the IL-4 template and connecting them together in an up-up down-down topology. The model was finished by incorporating the disulfide bond assignments (Cys3, Cys142), (Cys35, Cys130), and (Cys48, Cys93), which were determined by MALDI mass spectroscopy and site-directed mutagenesis (Cosenza L, Sweeney E, Murphy JR, 1997, J Biol Chem 272:32995-33000). Quality analysis of the hIL-7 model identified poor structural features in the carboxyl terminus that, when further studied using hydrophobic moment analysis, detected an atypical structural property in helix D, which contains Cys 130 and Cys142. This analysis demonstrated that helix D had a hydrophobic surface exposed to bulk solvent that accounted for the poor quality of the model, but was suggestive of a region in IL-7 that maybe important for protein interactions. Alanine (Ala) substitution scanning mutagenesis was performed to test if the predicted atypical surface chemistry of helix D in the hIL-7 model is important for receptor activation. This analysis resulted in the construction, purification, and characterization of four hIL-7 variants, hIL-7(K121A), hIL-7(L136A), hIL-7(K140A), and hIL-7(W143A), that displayed reduced or abrogated ability to stimulate a murine IL-7 dependent pre-B cell proliferation. The mutant hIL-7(W143A), which is biologically inactive and displaces [125I]-hIL-7, is the first reported IL-7R system antagonist.

Randomised clinical trial: efficacy of a new synbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 plus arabinogalactan and xilooligosaccharides in children with acute diarrhoea.

BACKGROUND: Acute diarrhoea is a frequent problem in children with heavy economic burden for families and society. AIM: To test the efficacy of a new synbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060, arabinogalactan and xilooligosaccharides in children with acute diarrhoea. METHODS: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, including children (age 3-36 m) with acute diarrhoea who were allocated to placebo or synbiotic group. Major outcome was resolution rate of diarrhoea at 72 h. Total duration of diarrhoea, daily stool outputs, stool consistency, working days lost by parents, adjunctive medications, and hospitalisation were also assessed. RESULTS: We enrolled 55 children in placebo group and 52 in synbiotic group. The two groups were similar for demographic and clinical characteristics. Resolution rate of diarrhoea at 72 h was significantly higher in synbiotic group (67%) compared to placebo group (40%, P = 0.005). Children in synbiotic group showed a significant reduction in the duration of diarrhoea (90.5 h, 78.1-102.9 vs. 109.8 h, 96.0-123.5, P = 0.040), daily stool outputs (3.3, 2.8-3.8 vs. 2.4, 1.9-2.8, P = 0.005) and stool consistency (1.3, 0.9-1.6 vs. 0.6, 0.4-0.9, P = 0.002) compared to placebo group (data expressed as mean, 95% CI). Rate of parents that missed at least one working day (41.8% vs. 15.4%, P = 0.003), rate of children that needed adjunctive medications (25.5% vs. 5.8%, P = 0.005) or hospitalisation (10.9% vs. 0%, P = 0.014) after the first 72 h of treatment, were reduced in synbiotic group. CONCLUSION: The synbiotic formulation studied is effective in children with acute diarrhoea. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000641998).

Faecal calprotectin as reliable non-invasive marker to assess the severity of mucosal inflammation in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: An accurate monitoring of mucosal inflammation is important for an effective management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Intestinal inflammation can be detected by faecal calprotectin level determination. AIM: To comparatively evaluate the accuracy of faecal calprotectin, clinical scores, common serum markers and endoscopy in the assessment of the severity of intestinal mucosa inflammation in children with inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: Fifty-eight paediatric patients (mean age 13.9 years, 95% CI 2.9-14.8; male 28) with confirmed inflammatory bowel disease (26 Crohn's disease, 32 ulcerative colitis) were enrolled. Before endoscopy, all patients underwent a complete evaluation including: clinical scores, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and faecal calprotectin determination. The severity of mucosal inflammation was assessed using specific endoscopic and histologic scores. RESULTS: Faecal calprotectin showed a high correlation (r=0.655) with the histologic grade of mucosal inflammation, similar to that observed for endoscopy (r=0.699), and it resulted the most accurate tool (sensitivity 94%, specificity 64%, positive predictive value 81%, negative predictive value 87%) to detect the presence of active mucosal inflammation when compared to clinical scores and common serum markers. In patients with apparent clinical and laboratory remission the accuracy of faecal calprotectin resulted further improved (sensitivity 100%, specificity 80%, positive predictive value 67%, negative predictive value 100%). CONCLUSIONS: A more accurate assessment of the severity of mucosal inflammation can be achieved by the determination of faecal calprotectin levels compared to other common clinical and laboratory indices. This non-invasive and objective method could be particular useful in patients with apparent clinical and laboratory remission.

Disulfide bond assignment in human interleukin-7 by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy and site-directed cysteine to serine mutational analysis.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a proteinaceous biological response modifier that has a bioactive tertiary structure dependent on disulfide bond formation. Disulfide bond assignments in human (h)IL-7 are based upon the results of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectroscopy and Cys to Ser mutational analyses. A gene encoding the hIL-7 was synthesized incorporating Escherichia coli codon usage bias and was used to express biologically active protein as determined by stimulation of precursor B-cell proliferation. MALDI mass spectroscopic analysis of trypsin-digested hIL-7 was performed and compared with the anticipated results of a simulated tryptic digestion. Many of the anticipated hIL-7 tryptic fragments were detected including one with a molecular mass equivalent to the sum of two polypeptides linked through a disulfide bond formed from Cys residues (Cys3 and Cys142). Subsequently, Cys to Ser substitution mutational analyses were performed. A hIL-7 variant with all six Cys substituted with Ser was found to be biologically inactive (EC50 > 1 x 10(-7) M). In contrast, a family of single disulfide bond-forming variants of hIL-7 were constructed by reintroducing Cys pairs (Cys3-Cys142, Cys35-Cys130, and Cys48-Cys93), and each could stimulate cell proliferation with an EC50 of 4 x 10(-9), 2 x 10(-8), and 2 x 10(-9) M, respectively. In single disulfide bond-forming mutants of hIL-7, the ability to stimulate cell proliferation was abolished in the presence of 2 mM dithiothreitol. The results presented strongly suggest that only a single disulfide bond is required for hIL-7 to form a tertiary structure capable of stimulating precursor B-cell proliferation.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic investigation of glycosomal pyruvate phosphate dikinase from Trypanosoma brucei.

The PP(i)-dependent glycosomal enzyme pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) from Trypanosoma brucei is expressed in the insect stage of the parasite. Its precise function there is still unclear, but the enzyme may catalyze the 'reverse reaction' of transfer of phosphate from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to generate pyruvate as a means of scavenging large amounts of pyrophosphate. This protein may represent a target for drug design against diseases caused by trypanosomes and related kinetoplastids. The recombinant protein is 918 amino acids long (predicted molecular mass approximately 100 kDa and pI = 8.9). Crystallization conditions for the recombinant PPDK are reported that result in crystals that diffract X-rays to better than 3.0 A resolution. Their space group is P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 121.17, b = 153.5, c = 65.46 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees. The crystals, like the protein in solution, are sensitive to temperature and fail to diffract or diffract only to low resolution after ageing for two weeks or longer.

Diphtheria toxin-related cytokine fusion proteins: elongation factor 2 as a target for the treatment of neoplastic disease.

We have used protein engineering and recombinant DNA methodologies in order to construct a fusion protein in which human interleukin-2 (IL-2) is genetically linked to the catalytic and transmembrane domains of diphtheria toxin. The fusion toxin, DAB486IL-2, is highly cytotoxic for only those cells which display the high affinity interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) on their surface. In phase I/II clinical studies the intravenous administration of DAB486IL-2 has been found to be safe, well tolerated and may lead to the induction of durable remissions in patients presenting with a variety of IL-2R positive lymphomas.