Measuring spatio-temporal couplings using modal spatio-spectral wavefront retrieval.

Knowledge of spatio-temporal couplings such as pulse-front tilt or curvature is important to determine the focused intensity of high-power lasers. Common techniques to diagnose these couplings are either qualitative or require hundreds of measurements. Here we present both a new algorithm for retrieving spatio-temporal couplings, as well as novel experimental implementations. Our method is based on the expression of the spatio-spectral phase in terms of a Zernike-Taylor basis, allowing us to directly quantify the coefficients for common spatio-temporal couplings. We take advantage of this method to perform quantitative measurements using a simple experimental setup, consisting of different bandpass filters in front of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. This fast acquisition of laser couplings using narrowband filters, abbreviated FALCON, is easy and cheap to implement in existing facilities. To this end, we present a measurement of spatio-temporal couplings at the ATLAS-3000 petawatt laser using our technique.

Nephroprotection of an ET(A)-receptor blocker (LU 135252) in salt-loaded uninephrectomized stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The present study was designed to assess whether the orally active and highly specific endothelin A (ET(A)) receptor antagonist LU 135252 affects progressive renal dysfunction in a hypertensive rat model of renal damage, ie, the uninephrectomized (UNX) stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRsp). The animals were examined on a normal salt (0.25%) diet and, to sensitize the kidney to hypertensive injury, also on a high salt (3%) diet. Stereological methods were used to quantify indices of glomerulosclerosis, vascular damage, and tubulointerstitial damage. Treatment with LU 135252 (100 mg/kg body wt) did not affect systolic blood pressure (BP) in animals on a normal salt diet during the whole period of the experiment (18 weeks) or in salt-loaded animals until week 10; subsequently, BP was slightly but significantly lower in salt-loaded UNX-SHRsp given LU 135252. Between weeks 6 and 12, 40% of the untreated UNX-SHRsp on a high salt diet, but none on a standard salt diet, died; such mortality was completely prevented by LU 135252. Indices of renal damage were more abnormal in salt-loaded UNX-SHRsp compared with UNX-SHRsp on a normal salt diet. Development of glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial and vascular damage in UNX-SHRsp on high salt was completely prevented by LU 135252. The respective indices were no longer significantly different from those of salt-loaded sham-operated SHRsp controls. In the less severely damaged kidneys of UNX-SHRsp on normal salt, treatment with LU 135252 tended to ameliorate the indices, but the difference was not statistically significant. The results document a role of the ET system, specifically of ET(A) receptors, in the development of progressive renal injury in salt-loaded UNX-SHRsp. LU 135252 completely prevented death and renal damage resulting from salt loading.

Oral vaccination of weaned rabbits against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli-like E. coli O103 infection: use of heterologous strains harboring lipopolysaccharide or adhesin of pathogenic strains.

To test the importance of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adhesin as major antigens in vaccination against rabbit enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC)-like E. coli O103 infection, we used two nonpathogenic wild-type strains to immunize rabbits at weaning. One of these strains (C127) harbors the O103 LPS but does not express the 32,000-molecular-weight adhesin that characterizes the highly pathogenic O103 strains. The other (C6) belongs to the O128 serogroup, which does not cross-react with the O103 serogroup, but expresses the adhesin. These strains were administered orally, either live or after Formalin inactivation. After vaccination, the animals were challenged with highly pathogenic O103 strain B10. Compared with rabbits vaccinated with the Formalin-killed homologous strain, rabbits vaccinated with killed C127 or C6 showed partial but significant protection. When given live, these strains colonized more or less heavily the digestive tract of the animals and provided nearly complete (C127) or complete (C6) protection against challenge. They induced a quick local immune response, as judged by fecal immunoglobulin A anti-LPS kinetics. Furthermore, strain C6 induced an ecological effect of "resistance to colonization" against challenge strain B10. This effect may have been due to the adhesin that is shared by both strains and to the production of a colicin. Strain C6 could inhibit in vitro the growth of highly pathogenic O103 strains. On the whole, our results show that adhesins and LPS are important, although probably not exclusive, protection-inducing components in rabbit EPEC-like colibacillosis and provide insight into possible protection of rabbits against EPEC-like E. coli infection with live strains.

Adhesion of Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheic weaned rabbits to intestinal villi and HeLa cells.

Thirty-eight strains, representative of 575 Escherichia coli isolates from weaned diarrheic rabbits, were tested for their ability to adhere in vitro to rabbit intestinal villi and to HeLa 229 cells. The O103 rhamnose-negative, highly pathogenic strains, which are epidemiologically predominant in France, attached to intestinal villi prepared from 8-day-old as well as 6-week-old rabbits and gave a diffuse adhesion pattern with HeLa cells. These adhesion properties were associated with the presence of a protein with a molecular weight of 32,000 in surface extracts of the strains. The expression of the adhesion was dependent on culture medium and temperature, and the adhesion was D-mannose resistant. Antisera raised against the 32,000-molecular-weight protein inhibited adhesion. This adhesion was not expressed in two nonpathogenic O103 strains, indicating its implication in virulence. However, the same adhesin was expressed by two O128 non- or moderately pathogenic strains. Therefore, adhesion to enterocytes is not the only factor involved in the pathogenicity of O103 strains.

Intraocular filaria, a Loaina species, from man in Colombia.

A 4.5-mm filarial worm was removed from the anterior chamber of the left eye of a 56-year-old man who had lost the sight in the right eye due to trauma some years earlier. The worm was removed intact through an upper scleral incision with a corneal based flap. Within 2 months vision was normal. The worm was identified as a sexually mature male of an undescribed species of Loaina Eberhard and Orihel 1984, a genus related to Loa and Dirofilaria.

Tetrapetalonema (T.) colombiensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from Colombian primates.

Tetrapetalonema (T.) colombiensis sp. n., a filarial nematode from the subcutaneous and intermuscular connective tissues of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and tufted ringtail monkeys (Cebus apella) from central Colombia is described. Tetrapetalonema colombiensis is a very small species (male 8 mm, females 11-21 mm), and within the subgenus most closely resembles T. panamensis and T. saimiri in dimensions and in general appearance. It can be distinguished from these species by the following major features: smoothly rounded profile of the anterior extremity; single pair of lateral caudal petals in the male; vagina vera directed immediately posteriad in the female; and a large (295-335 by 4.3-6.7 micron) microfilaria that assumes a gently curved attitude in 2% aqueous formalin preparations (Knott's technique), and which has a conspicuous inner body.

Courses of infections with Plasmodium falciparum in own monkeys displaying a microfilaremia.

Infections with the Uganda Palo Alto, Malayan Camp-CH/Q, Vietnam Oak Knoll, and Vietnam Smith strains of Plasmodium falciparum in owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus griseimembra) with concomitant microfilaremias usually, but not always, followed a more benign course than infections with the same strains in monkeys free of filarial infections. Four distinct microfilariae were identified in systematic examinations of 26 monkeys, 5 with self-limited infections with P. falciparum, 9 with normally benign self-limited infections with P. vivax, and 12 without previous malaria. The microfilariae found included: Dipetalonema (Dipetalonema) gracile, Tetrapetalonema (Tetrapetalonema) barbascalensis, T. (T.) panamensis, and an unidentified species designated "Aotus C." Among 23 monkeys studied completely, 14 were infected with a single species, 4 had double infections, and 5 had triple infections. T. barbascalensis was identified in 16 monkeys, T. panamensis in 11. Although data were very limited, there was a suggestion that infections with P. falciparum were less intense in monkeys infected with T. barbascalensis, either alone or with other filariae, than in subjects infected only with T. panamensis.

Tetrapetalonema (T.) panamensis (McCoy, 1936) comb. n. (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) in Colombian primates, with a description of the adults.

Microfilaria panamensis McCoy, 1936 was identified in the blood of Cebus apella, C. capucinus, C. albifrous, and Saguinus oedipus from various regions in Colombia. Adult worms, recovered from the subcutaneous connective tissues of C. apella and S. oedipus, were identified with this microfilaria and are described as Tetrapetalonema (T.) panamensis (McCoy, 1936) comb. n. This nematode is smaller configuration of the female tail and in the appearance of the spicules, and T. barbascalensis which differs in the placement of the vulva relative to the base of the esophagus and in the structure of the right spicule. The spicular ratio of T. panamensis (1.6 to 2.1) is lower than that of any other member of the subgenus (2.6 to 10.8). The host induced and/or geographic variation of microfilariae and adults of T. panamensis is discussed.

Dipetalonema (Acanthocheilonema) didelphis sp. n. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from opossums, with a redescription of D. (A.) pricei (Vaz and Pereira 1934).

Dipetalonema (Acanthocheilonema) didelphis sp. n. recovered from the subcutaneous and periesophageal connective tissues of Didelphis virginiana from several localities in the United States and of D. marsupialis from Colombia is described. Dipetalonema didelphis sp. n. resembles D reconditum and D. mansonbahri in size, in lacking a two-segmented buccal capsule, and in the female having a long, digitiform tail. Dipetalonema reconditum, however, has a much longer glandular esophagus and D. mansonbahri has a rounded cephalic extremity delimited by a necklike region. The male of D. didelphis sp. n. differs from both in the structural details of the spicules and in having a higher spicular ratio. The microfilaria is much shorter than that of either D. reconditum or D. mansonbahri. Dipetalonema (A.) pricei adults are redescribed from the paratype specimens, and the microfilaria is also described. Dipetalonema pricei most closely resembles D. dracunculoides in size and in the presence of a well-developed, two-segmented buccal capsule, but the latter species has a much longer glandular esophagus. These two species also differ in the appearance of the spicules.

A new species of Breinlia (Breinlia) (nematoda: Filarioidea) from the South Indian flying squirrel Petaurista philippensis (Elliot).

Breinlia (Breinlia) petauristi sp. n. from the abdominal cavity of the flying squirrel, Petaurista philippensis (Elliot), from Kerala, India, is described. Of the 15 recognized species of the subgenus, B. petauristi most closely resembles B. trichosuri in the body size, length of spicules, and number of caudal papillae. The detailed structure of the spicules is, however, markedly different in the 2 worms. This is the third species of Breinlia to be reported from a host other than an Australian marsupial.