Gut Microbiota Shape Oligodendrocyte Response after Traumatic Brain Injury.

White matter injury (WMI) is thought to be a major contributor to long-term cognitive dysfunctions after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This damage occurs partly due to apoptotic death of oligodendrocyte lineage cells (OLCs) after the injury, triggered directly by the trauma or in response to degenerating axons. Recent research suggests that the gut microbiota modulates the inflammatory response through the modulation of peripheral immune cell infiltration after TBI. Additionally, T-cells directly impact OLCs differentiation and proliferation. Therefore, we hypothesized that the gut microbiota plays a critical role in regulating the OLC response to WMI influencing T-cells differentiation and activation. Gut microbial depletion early after TBI chronically reduced re-myelination, acutely decreased OLCs proliferation, and was associated with increased myelin debris accumulation. Surprisingly, the absence of T-cells in gut microbiota depleted mice restored OLC proliferation and remyelination after TBI. OLCs co-cultured with T-cells derived from gut microbiota depleted mice resulted in impaired proliferation and increased expression of MHC-II compared with T cells from control-injured mice. Furthermore, MHC-II expression in OLCs appears to be linked to impaired proliferation under gut microbiota depletion and TBI conditions. Collectively our data indicates that depletion of the gut microbiota after TBI impaired remyelination, reduced OLCs proliferation with concomitantly increased OLC MHCII expression and required the presence of T cells. This data suggests that T cells are an important mechanistic link by which the gut microbiota modulate the oligodendrocyte response and white matter recovery after TBI.

Recombinant Erythropoietin Induces Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Proliferation After Traumatic Brain Injury and Delayed Hypoxemia.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in axonal loss and demyelination, leading to persistent damage in the white matter. Demyelinated axons are vulnerable to pathologies related to an abnormal myelin structure that expose neurons to further damage. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) mediate remyelination after recruitment to the injury site. Often this process is inefficient due to inadequate OPC proliferation. To date, no effective treatments are currently available to stimulate OPC proliferation in TBI. Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) is a pleiotropic neuroprotective cytokine, and its receptor is present in all stages of oligodendroglial lineage cell differentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that rhEPO administration would enhance remyelination after TBI through the modulation of OPC response. Utilizing a murine model of controlled cortical impact and a primary OPC culture in vitro model, we characterized the impact of rhEPO on remyelination and proliferation of oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Myelin black gold II staining of the peri-contusional corpus callosum revealed an increase in myelinated area in association with an increase in BrdU-positive oligodendrocytes in injured mice treated with rhEPO. Furthermore, morphological analysis of OPCs showed a decrease in process length in rhEPO-treated animals. RhEPO treatment increased OPC proliferation after in vitro CSPG exposure. Erythropoietin receptor (EPOr) gene knockdown using siRNA prevented rhEPO-induced OPC proliferation, demonstrating that the rhEPO effect on OPC response is EPOr activation dependent. Together, our findings demonstrate that rhEPO administration may promote myelination by increasing oligodendrocyte lineage cell proliferation after TBI.

Characterization of a binary system composed of luminescent quantum dots for liquid scintillation.

Scintillation dosimetry has evolved towards utilizing 3D liquid dosimeters to perform quality assurance verification of complex treatment configuration for photon, electron and proton beams. However, most of the fluorophores utilized in these dosimeters are alike and present limitations. This study aims to establish the profile of CdSe colloidal quantum dots (cQDs) that were given the role of the fluorophore in a binary liquid scintillation system. We chose to investigate the cQDs because of their wide absorption spectrum, the tunability of their absorption and emission spectra with respect to their size and composition, and their ability to function as an effective energy transfer intermediate. The scintillation intensity and spectral response of three organic solvent-based liquid cQD dispersions have been investigated upon irradiation with kV and MV photon beams. The solvents used to disperse the cQDs were hexane, toluene and linear alkylbenzene. The scintillation efficiency of the cQD dispersions has proven to be dependent on the nature of the solvent, the alkylbenzene cQD liquid dispersion having the brightest light emission of the three solutions, for an equivalent deposited dose in the scintillator. Its light output was found to reach a tenth of the light intensity of a commercial liquid scintillator, Ultima Gold, irradiated under the same conditions. This cQD dispersion also demonstrated a remarkable energy transfer to the cQDs, only 5% of its intensity being due to Cherenkov light production in the solvent. Overall, these results indicate that the alkylbenzene cQD liquid dispersion could be the best choice for a potential cQD-based liquid scintillator.

Necroptosis in spontaneously-mutated hematopoietic cells induces autoimmune bone marrow failure in mice.

Acquired aplastic anemia is an autoimmune-mediated bone marrow failure syndrome. The mechanism by which such an autoimmune reaction is initiated is unknown. Whether and how the genetic lesions detected in patients cause autoimmune bone marrow failure have not yet been determined. We found that mice with spontaneous deletion of the TGFß-activated kinase-1 gene in a small subset of hematopoietic cells developed bone marrow failure which resembled the clinical manifestations of acquired aplastic anemia patients. Bone marrow failure in such mice could be reversed by depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes or blocked by knockout of interferon-γ, suggesting a Th1-cell-mediated autoimmune mechanism. The onset and progression of bone marrow failure in such mice were significantly accelerated by the inactivation of tumor necrosis factor-α signaling. Tumor necrosis factor-α restricts autoimmune bone marrow failure by inhibiting type-1 T-cell responses and maintaining the function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Furthermore, we determined that necroptosis among a small subset of mutant hematopoietic cells is the cause of autoimmune bone marrow failure because such bone marrow failure can be prevented by deletion of receptor interacting protein kinase-3 Our study suggests a novel mechanism to explain the pathogenesis of autoimmune bone marrow failure.

Th17 Cell Response in SOD1G93A Mice following Motor Nerve Injury.

An increased risk of ALS has been reported for veterans, varsity athletes, and professional football players. The mechanism underlying the increased risk in these populations has not been identified; however, it has been proposed that motor nerve injury may trigger immune responses which, in turn, can accelerate the progression of ALS. Accumulating evidence indicates that abnormal immune reactions and inflammation are involved in the pathogenesis of ALS, but the specific immune cells involved have not been clearly defined. To understand how nerve injury and immune responses may contribute to ALS development, we investigated responses of CD4(+) T cell after facial motor nerve axotomy (FNA) at a presymptomatic stage in a transgenic mouse model of ALS (B6SJL SOD1(G93A)). SOD1(G93A) mice, compared with WT mice, displayed an increase in the basal activation state of CD4(+) T cells and higher frequency of Th17 cells, which were further enhanced by FNA. In conclusion, SOD1(G93A) mice exhibit abnormal CD4(+) T cell activation with increased levels of Th17 cells prior to the onset of neurological symptoms. Motor nerve injury exacerbates Th17 cell responses and may contribute to the development of ALS, especially in those who carry genetic susceptibility to this disease.

Whispering gallery mode sensing with a dual frequency comb probe.

Silica microspheres are probed with a dual comb interferometry setup. The impulse responses of these microresonators are measured with a temporal resolution smaller than 400 fs over more than 200 ps. The amplitudes and phases of the impulse responses are interpreted as providing sensing information. The more familiar transmission spectra corresponding to the measured impulse responses are also calculated and shown. Sensing is demonstrated by varying the concentration of isopropanol in de-ionized water surrounding the microsphere and by binding bovine serum albumin on the silanized microsphere surface.