Immediate effects of rhythmic joint mobilization of the temporomandibular joint on pain, mouth opening and electromyographic activity in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

BACKGROUND: Rhythmic joint mobilizations (RJM) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are employed to relieve pain and improve function in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the evidence on the immediate effects of RJM in patients with TMD is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate clinical and functional effects of RJM in patients with TMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a one-group quasi-experimental before and after study. Thirty-eight patients with TMD were assessed by means of pain intensity (visual analogue score, VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT, measured through pressure algometry on the masseter and temporal muscles), mouth opening (MO, measured with a ruler), and surface electromyographic activity of the masseter and temporal muscles (asymmetry index, AI). Measurements were performed before and after a single, 1-min session of RJM of each TMJ. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS version 20.0 statistical package. RESULTS: A statistical significant difference was found in pain intensity, PPT and MO after the intervention (p < 0.05). No difference was found in the AI. A large effect size was observed for pain intensity, PPT of the left and right masseter muscles and MO (d = 0.85-1.13), whereas for the left and right temporal muscles the effect size was moderate (d = 0.62) and small, respectively (d = 0.49). CONCLUSION: In this sample of patients with TMD, a single session of RJM of the TMJ seemed to be effective in reducing pain intensity, increasing PPT and improving MO immediately after the intervention, without differences in the AI.

Novel HLA-DP region susceptibility loci associated with severe acute GvHD.

Despite HLA allele matching, significant acute GvHD remains a major barrier to successful unrelated donor BMT. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify recipient and donor genes associated with the risk of acute GvHD. A case-control design (grade III-IV versus no acute GvHD) and pooled GWA approach was used to study European-American recipients with hematological malignancies who received myeloablative conditioning non-T-cell-depleted first transplantation from HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1 allele level (10/10) matched unrelated donors. DNA samples were divided into three pools and tested in triplicate using the Affymetrix Genome-wide SNP Array 6.0. We identified three novel susceptibility loci in the HLA-DP region of recipient genomes that were associated with III-IV acute GvHD (rs9277378, P=1.58E-09; rs9277542, P=1.548E-06 and rs9277341, P=7.718E-05). Of these three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs9277378 and rs9277542 are located in non-coding regions of the HLA-DPB1 gene and the two are in strong linkage disequilibrium with two other published SNPs associated with acute GvHD, rs2281389 and rs9277535. Eighteen other recipient SNPs and 3 donor SNPs with a high level of significance (8E-07 or lower) were found. Our report contributes to emerging data showing clinical significance of the HLA-DP region genetic markers beyond structural matching of DPB1 alleles.

Retrospective cohort study comparing activated partial thromboplastin time versus anti-factor Xa activity nomograms for therapeutic unfractionated heparin monitoring in pediatrics.

BACKGROUND: Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is widely used to treat thromboembolic disease, but monitoring in children is challenging. Both activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and anti-factor Xa activity (anti-Xa) are utilized, but a comparison of dosing nomograms has not been reported in pediatrics. OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of aPTT and anti-Xa for UFH monitoring in pediatric patients. DESIGN/METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in patients ≤ 21 years old treated with UFH at Johns Hopkins Hospital from January 2009 to May 2011. For monitoring, an aPTT nomogram was used for the initial 15 months, and an anti-Xa nomogram was used for the subsequent 12 months. Clinical characteristics, laboratory data and outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were monitored with aPTT and 26 patients with anti-Xa. There was no significant difference in median time to therapeutic range (11.6 h aPTT, 95%CI = 6.0-17.0; 9.9 h anti-Xa, 95%CI = 7.3-20.7) or per cent of patients achieving therapeutic measurements at 24 (79% aPTT, 95%CI = 62-91; 73% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 52-88) and 48 h (88% aPTT, 95%CI = 73-97; 96% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 80-100). However, anti-Xa measurements were more frequently therapeutic than aPTT (74% [95%CI = 69-78] vs. 54% [95%CI = 50-59]). Variance between anti-Xa and aPTT measurements was high (R(2)  = 0.236). No significant difference was seen in bleeding incidence (9% aPTT, 95%CI = 2-24; 15% anti-Xa, 95%CI = 4-35). CONCLUSION: The time to achieve therapeutic measures and bleeding outcomes were not significantly different between anti-Xa and aPTT nomograms. However, a small study size limits the power to detect clinically relevant differences. The results warrant larger prospective studies of UFH monitoring in children with thromboembolic disease.

Pig-to-monkey islet xenotransplantation using multi-transgenic pigs.

The generation of pigs with genetic modifications has significantly advanced the field of xenotransplantation. New genetically engineered pigs were produced on an α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout background with ubiquitous expression of human CD46, with islet beta cell-specific expression of human tissue factor pathway inhibitor and/or human CD39 and/or porcine CTLA4-lg. Isolated islets from pigs with 3, 4 or 5 genetic modifications were transplanted intraportally into streptozotocin-diabetic, immunosuppressed cynomolgus monkeys (n = 5). Immunosuppression was based on anti-CD154 mAb costimulation blockade. Monitoring included features of early islet destruction, glycemia, exogenous insulin requirement and histopathology of the islets at necropsy. Using these modified pig islets, there was evidence of reduced islet destruction in the first hours after transplantation, compared with two series of historical controls that received identical therapy but were transplanted with islets from pigs with either no or only one genetic modification. Despite encouraging effects on early islet loss, these multi-transgenic islet grafts did not demonstrate consistency in regard to long-term success, with only two of five demonstrating function beyond 5 months.

Retinoic acid-producing, ex-vivo-generated human tolerogenic dendritic cells induce the proliferation of immunosuppressive B lymphocytes.

While much is known about tolerogenic dendritic cell effects on forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3)⁺ regulatory T cells, virtually nothing is known about their effects on another arm of immunoregulation that is mediated by a subpopulation of immunosuppressive B cells. These cells suppress rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and inflammatory bowel disease in mice, and functional defects have been reported in human lupus. We show that co-stimulation-impaired tolerogenic dendritic cells that prevent and reverse type 1 diabetes mellitus induce the proliferation of human immunosuppressive B cells in vitro. We also show that the suppressive properties of these B cells concentrate inside the CD19⁺ CD24⁺ B cell population and more specifically inside the CD19⁺ CD24⁺ CD38⁺ regulatory B cell population. We discovered that B cell conversion into suppressive cells in vitro is partially dependent on dendritic cell production of retinoic acid and also that CD19⁺ CD24⁺ CD38⁺ B regulatory cells express retinoic acid receptors. Taken together, our data suggest a model whereby part of the immunosuppressive properties of human tolerogenic dendritic cells could be mediated by retinoic acid which, in addition to its known role in favouring T cell differentiation to FoxP3⁺ regulatory T cells, acts to convert B cells into immunosuppressive cells.

A dose-finding study of temsirolimus and liposomal doxorubicin for patients with recurrent and refractory bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

There are few effective therapies for high-risk sarcomas. Initial chemosensitivity is often followed by relapse. In vitro, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition potentiates the efficacy of chemotherapy on resistant sarcoma cells. Although sarcoma trials using mTOR inhibitors have been disappointing, these drugs were used as maintenance. We conducted a Phase I/II clinical trial to test the ability of temsirolimus to potentiate the cytotoxic effect of liposomal doxorubicin and present here the dose-finding portion of this study. Adult and pediatric patients with recurrent or refractory sarcomas were treated with increasing doses of liposomal doxorubicin and temsirolimus using a continual reassessment method for escalation, targeting a dose-limiting toxicity rate of 20%. Blood samples were drawn before and after the first dose of temsirolimus in Cycles 1 and 2 for pharmacokinetic analysis. The maximally tolerated dose combination was liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m(2) monthly with temsirolimus 20 mg/m(2) weekly. Hematologic toxicity was common but manageable. Dose-limiting toxicities were primarily renal. Concurrent administration of liposomal doxorubicin resulted in increased exposure to sirolimus, the active metabolite of temsirolimus. Thus, the combination of liposomal doxorubicin and temsirolimus is safe for heavily pretreated sarcoma patients. Co-administration with liposomal doxorubicin did not alter temsirolimus pharmacokinetics, but increased exposure to its active metabolite.

Administration of a negative vaccination induces hyporesponsiveness to islet allografts.

As a result of less than optimal outcomes the use of islet allografts as a standard insulin replacement therapy is limited to adults with a history of extreme glucose dysregulation and hypoglycemia unawareness. In this study, we examined the use of prophylactic immunotherapy to prevent islet allograft rejection in the absence of antirejection drugs. Our protocol to achieve allograft acceptance used a negative vaccination strategy that is comprised of apoptotic donor cells delivered in Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA) 1 week prior to islet transplantation. The goal of this new protocol is to elicit hyporesponsiveness to alloantigen prior to islet transplantation. First, we examined our protocol without islet allograft transplants and determined that the negative vaccination was not globally immunosuppressive or immunostimulatory. Islet allograft experiments using fully MHC-mismatched islet donors and recipients demonstrated that the negative vaccination strategy induced long-term islet allograft acceptance. Upon rechallenge with alloantigen, the negative vaccination protocol successfully achieved hyporesponsiveness. In addition, the microenvironment at the site of the tolerant allograft revealed a decrease in proinflammatory mediators (IFN-γ, TNF-α) and an increase in the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10, as well as increased expression of the master regulator of T-regulatory cells, FOXP3. Our data suggest that pretreating allograft recipients with apoptotic donor alloantigen delivered in IFA induced long-term islet allograft acceptance and glycemic control by introducing alloantigen to the recipient immune system in a nonimmunostimulatory manner prior to transplant.

Improved quality of life following total pancreatectomy and auto-islet transplantation for chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Total pancreatectomy (TP) with auto-islet transplant (AIT) is an extreme treatment for chronic pancreatitis, and we reviewed our experience to assess the impact on quality of life (QOL). METHODS: A prospective cohort study from 2007 through 2010 with pre- and postoperative assessments of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Pain Disability Index, and visual analogue pain scale was performed. RESULTS: Twenty patients underwent TP-AIT with a median follow-up of 12 months (6.75-24 months). All patients reported moderate (45 %) to severe (55 %) pain prior to surgery. TP-AIT resulted in significant decreases in abdominal pain (p < 0.001), 80 % reporting no or mild pain. Despite pain improvement, only 30 % discontinued narcotics. Improvements in all PDI QOL domains improved from 79 to 90 % (p = 0.002), with greatest improvements seen in those without prior pancreatic surgery, younger patients, and in those with higher levels of preoperative pain. Patients were less affected by depression and anxiety prior to surgery, but 60 and 70 % did show improvement in depression and anxiety, respectively (p = 0.033). Sixteen patients (80 %) required exogenous insulin at last follow-up (mean total dose of insulin 11.6 U/day). CONCLUSIONS: TP-AIT significantly improves pain and QOL measures in appropriately selected patients with CP.

Amino acid position 11 of HLA-DRß1 is a major determinant of chromosome 6p association with ulcerative colitis.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p is an established risk locus for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). We aimed to better define MHC association signals in UC and CD by combining data from dense single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping and from imputation of classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types, their constituent SNPs and corresponding amino acids in 562 UC, 611 CD and 1428 control subjects. Univariate and multivariate association analyses were performed, controlling for ancestry. In univariate analyses, absence of the rs9269955 C allele was strongly associated with risk for UC (P = 2.67 × 10(-13)). rs9269955 is a SNP in the codon for amino acid position 11 of HLA-DRß1, located in the P6 pocket of the HLA-DR antigen binding cleft. This amino acid position was also the most significantly UC-associated amino acid in omnibus tests (P = 2.68 × 10(-13)). Multivariate modeling identified rs9269955-C and 13 other variants in best predicting UC vs control status. In contrast, there was only suggestive association evidence between the MHC and CD. Taken together, these data demonstrate that variation at HLA-DRß1, amino acid 11 in the P6 pocket of the HLA-DR complex antigen binding cleft is a major determinant of chromosome 6p association with UC.

Etapas del proceso de construcción de la inteligencia sensoriomotriz en bebés argentinos / Construction stages of the sensorimotor intelligence

El objetivo del artículo es presentar los resultados correspondientes a una investigación que se enmarca en un proyecto UBACyT 2008-2010, cuyo título es “Evaluación Nacional de la Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz a bebés de 6 a 30 meses”. El objetivo principal de dicha investigación es conocer las etapas del proceso de construcción de la inteligencia práctica en bebés argentinos en las distintas provincias de la Argentina y la elaboración de nuevos baremos a nivel nacional para la Escala Argentina de Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz (EAIS). La muestra se encuentra compuesta por 800 niños de 6 a 30 meses de edad de las provincias de Buenos Aires y CABA, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Salta, Chaco, Misiones, Mendoza, Santa Cruz y Río Negro. No se observaron diferencias significativas entre las provincias argentinas en los niveles de desarrollo cognitivo en los bebés. No ha sido necesaria la elaboración de tablas diferenciales de baremos por región. Se presentan las tablas de baremos para la EAIS para la evaluación del desarrollo cognitivo en bebés de 6 a 30 meses de edad a nivel nacional.

Etapas del proceso de construcción de la inteligencia sensoriomotriz en bebés argentinos / Construction stages of the sensorimotor intelligence

El objetivo del artículo es presentar los resultados correspondientes a una investigación que se enmarca en un proyecto UBACyT 2008-2010, cuyo título es ôEvaluación Nacional de la Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz a bebés de 6 a 30 mesesö. El objetivo principal de dicha investigación es conocer las etapas del proceso de construcción de la inteligencia práctica en bebés argentinos en las distintas provincias de la Argentina y la elaboración de nuevos baremos a nivel nacional para la Escala Argentina de Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz (EAIS). La muestra se encuentra compuesta por 800 niños de 6 a 30 meses de edad de las provincias de Buenos Aires y CABA, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe, Salta, Chaco, Misiones, Mendoza, Santa Cruz y Río Negro. No se observaron diferencias significativas entre las provincias argentinas en los niveles de desarrollo cognitivo en los bebés. No ha sido necesaria la elaboración de tablas diferenciales de baremos por región. Se presentan las tablas de baremos para la EAIS para la evaluación del desarrollo cognitivo en bebés de 6 a 30 meses de edad a nivel nacional.(AU)

C-peptide reduces high-glucose-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells and decreases NAD(P)H-oxidase reactive oxygen species generation in human aortic endothelial cells.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during hyperglycaemia are implicated in the development of diabetic vascular complications. High glucose increases oxidative stress in endothelial cells and induces apoptosis. A major source of ROS in endothelial cells exposed to glucose is the NAD(P)H oxidase enzyme. Several studies demonstrated that C-peptide, the product of proinsulin cleavage within the pancreatic beta cells, displays anti-inflammatory effects in certain models of vascular dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this effect is unclear. We hypothesised that C-peptide reduces glucose-induced ROS generation by decreasing NAD(P)H oxidase activation and prevents apoptosis METHODS: Human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were exposed to 25 mmol/l glucose in the presence or absence of C-peptide and tested for protein quantity and activity of caspase-3 and other apoptosis markers by ELISA, TUNEL and immunoblotting. Intracellular ROS were measured by flow cytometry using the ROS sensitive dye chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (CM-H(2)-DCDFA). NAD(P)H oxidase activation was assayed by lucigenin. Membrane and cytoplasmic levels of the NAD(P)H subunit ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (rho family, small GTP binding protein Rac1) (RAC-1) and its GTPase activity were studied by immunoblotting and ELISA. RAC-1 (also known as RAC1) gene expression was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: C-peptide significantly decreased caspase-3 levels and activity and upregulated production of the anti-apoptotic factor B cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2). Glucose-induced ROS production was quenched by C-peptide and this was associated with a decreased NAD(P)H oxidase activity and reduced RAC-1 membrane production and GTPase activity. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In glucose-exposed endothelial cells, C-peptide acts as an endogenous antioxidant molecule by reducing RAC-1 translocation to membrane and NAD(P)H oxidase activation. By preventing oxidative stress, C-peptide protects endothelial cells from glucose-induced apoptosis.

Interleukin-7 matures suppressive CD127(+) forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)(+) T cells into CD127(-) CD25(high) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells.

We have identified a novel interleukin (IL)-7-responsive T cell population [forkhead box P3 (FoxP3(+) ) CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(+) ] that is comparably functionally suppressive to conventional FoxP3(+) CD4(+) CD25(+) regulatory T cells (T(regs) ). Although IL-2 is the most critical cytokine for thymic development of FoxP3(+) T(regs) , in the periphery other cytokines can be compensatory. CD25(+) CD127(+) T cells treated with IL-7 phenotypically 'matured' into the known 'classical' FoxP3(+) CD4(+) CD25(high) CD127(-) FoxP3(+) T(regs) . In freshly isolated splenocytes, the highest level of FoxP3 expression was found in CD127(+) CD25(+) T cells when compared with CD127(-) CD25(+) or CD127(+) CD25(-) cells. IL-7 treatment of CD4(+) CD25(+) T cells induced an increase in the accumulation of FoxP3 in the nucleus in vitro. IL-7-mediated CD25 cell surface up-regulation was accompanied by a concurrent down-regulation of CD127 in vitro. IL-7 treatment of the CD127(+) CD25(+) FoxP3(+) cells also resulted in up-regulation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 without any changes in CD45RA at the cell surface. Collectively, these data support emerging evidence that FoxP3(+) T cells expressing CD127 are comparably functionally suppressive to CD25(+) CD127(-) FoxP3(+) T cells. This IL-7-sensitive regulation of FoxP3(+) T(reg) phenotype could underlie one peripheral non-IL-2-dependent compensatory mechanism of T(reg) survival and functional activity, particularly for adaptive T(regs) in the control of autoimmunity or suppression of activated effector T cells.

The Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR) study: recruitment, intervention and follow-up.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The Trial to Reduce IDDM in the Genetically at Risk (TRIGR) study was designed to establish whether weaning to a highly hydrolysed formula in infancy subsequently reduces the risk of type 1 diabetes. METHODS: The study population comprises newborn infants who have first-degree relatives with type 1 diabetes and meet the increased risk HLA inclusion, but not exclusion criteria. The study is being performed in 15 countries in three continents. First-degree relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes were identified from diabetes clinics, diabetes registries, and from other endocrinology or obstetrics offices and websites. HLA typing was performed at birth from cord or heel stick blood, and the results sent to the study's Data Management Unit within 2 weeks for communication of eligibility to the clinical study centre. All mothers recruited were encouraged to breastfeed. The intervention lasted for 6 to 8 months, and weaning formulas based on hydrolysed casein and standard cow's milk were compared. RESULTS: TRIGR recruited 5,606 infants, of whom 2,160 were enrolled as eligible participants, 6% more than the target of 2,032. Of those enrolled, 80% were exposed to the study formula. The overall retention rate over the first 5 years is 87%, with protocol compliance at 94%. The randomisation code will be opened when the last recruited child turns 10 years of age, i.e. in 2017. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The TRIGR experience demonstrates the feasibility and successful implementation of an international dietary intervention study. TRIGR is the first ever primary prevention trial for type 1 diabetes and, if completed successfully, will provide a definite answer to the research question. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00179777 FUNDING: The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH) (grant numbers HD040364, HD042444 and HD051997), Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the Commission of the European Communities (specific RTD programme 'Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources', contract number QLK1-2002-00372 'Diabetes Prevention'. Other funding came from the EFSD/JDRF/Novo Nordisk Focused Research Grant, Academy of Finland, Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation and Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation).

Resultados preliminares de 7 provincias argentinas en el marco de una propuesta de Evaluación Nacional de la Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz a bebes de 6 a 30 meses / Preliminary results from 7 provinces of argentina within a proposition of a National Assessment of Sensory Motor Intelligence for argentinean babies of 6 to 30 months old

El objetivo es presentar los resultados preliminares de siete provincias argentinas correspondientes a una investigación que se enmarca en un proyecto UBACyT 2008-2010, cuyo título es "Evaluación Nacional de la Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz a bebés de 6 a 30 meses". El objetivo principal de dicha investigación es conocer las etapas del proceso de construcción de la inteligencia práctica en bebés argentinos en las distintas provincias de la Argentina y la elaboración de baremos a nivel nacional y por cada provincia, administrando la Escala Argentina de Inteligencia Sensoriomotriz (EAIS). La muestra se encuentra compuesta por 109 niños de las provincias de Santa Fe, Santa Cruz, Río Negro, Entre Ríos, Salta, Córdoba y Buenos Aires. En el análisis de los datos, se observó que el 67% de los niños evaluados obtuvieron resultados normales, 16.5% de riesgo y 3.7% de retraso. Es decir, el 20% de los niños evaluados obtuvieron resultados de riesgo y retraso.

The aim of this article is to present the preliminary results from seven provinces of Argentina within an investigation belonging to UBACyT 2008-2010, which title is "National assessment of the sensorymotor intelligence in babies of 6 to 30 months old". The main objective of the research is to assess the periods involved in the construction process of the practical intelligence in Argentinean babies from different provinces, as well as the elaboration of national and provincial percentiles, administrating the Argentinean scale of Sensorymotor intelligence (EAIS). The sample is composed by 109 babies from the Argentinean provinces of Santa Fe, Salta Cruz, Río Negro, Entre Ríos, Salta, Córdoba y Buenos Aires. In the analysis of the data, it was observed that 67% of the babies obtained normal results, 16.5% obtained results indicating risk and 3.7% delayed. In other words, 20% of the assessed babies obtained results indicating risk and delayed in the sensorymotor intelligence.

Investigation of lymphocyte depletion and repopulation using alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) in cynomolgus monkeys.

As the target CD52 molecule is expressed on erythrocytes of most nonhuman primate strains, using alemtuzumab in these species would cause massive hemolysis. Six cynomolgus monkeys of Indonesian origin, screened by agglutination assay for absence of CD52 on erythrocytes, were administered alemtuzumab in a cumulative dose to a maximum of 60 mg/kg. In two monkeys, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was added as maintenance therapy. Complete depletion of T and B lymphocytes (>99.5%) was achieved with 20 mg/kg alemtuzumab and was more profound than in monkeys treated with antithymocyte globulin (n = 5), as quantified by flow cytometry. Repopulation was suppressed by weekly injections of 10 mg/kg. Without MMF, repopulation of CD20(+)B cells and CD8(+)T cells was complete within 2 and 3 months, respectively, and repopulation of CD4(+)T cells was 67% after 1 year. MMF significantly delayed CD4(+)T-cell repopulation. Among repopulating CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, a phenotypic shift was observed from CD45RA(hi)CD62L(hi) naïve cells toward CD45RA(lo)CD62L(lo) effector memory cells. In lymph nodes, the depletion of naïve cells was more profound than of memory cells, which may have initiated a proliferation of memory cells. This model offers opportunities to investigate lymphocyte depletion/repopulation phenomena, as well as the efficacy of alemtuzumab in preclinical transplantation models.

Islet amyloid deposition limits the viability of human islet grafts but not porcine islet grafts.

Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for diabetes but long-term success is limited by progressive graft loss. Aggregates of the beta cell peptide islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) promote beta cell apoptosis and rapid amyloid formation occurs in transplanted islets. Porcine islets are an attractive alternative islet source as they demonstrate long-term graft survival. We compared the capacity of transplanted human and porcine islets to form amyloid as an explanation for differences in graft survival. Human islets were transplanted into streptozotocin-diabetic immune-deficient mice. Amyloid deposition was detectable at 4 weeks posttransplantation and was associated with islet graft failure. More extensive amyloid deposition was observed after 8 weeks. By contrast, no amyloid was detected in transplanted neonatal or adult porcine islets that had maintained normoglycemia for up to 195 days. To determine whether differences in IAPP sequence between humans and pigs could explain differences in amyloid formation and transplant viability, we sequenced porcine IAPP. Porcine IAPP differs from the human sequence at 10 positions and includes substitutions predicted to reduce its amyloidogenicity. Synthetic porcine IAPP was considerably less amyloidogenic than human IAPP as determined by transmission electron microscopy, circular dichroism, and thioflavin T binding. Viability assays indicated that porcine IAPP is significantly less toxic to INS-1 beta cells than human IAPP. Our findings demonstrate that species differences in IAPP sequence can explain the lack of amyloid formation and improved survival of transplanted porcine islets. These data highlight the potential of porcine islet transplantation as a therapeutic approach for human diabetes.

Cluster-like headache. A comprehensive reappraisal.

Among the primary headaches, cluster headache (CH) presents very particular features allowing a relatively easy diagnosis based on criteria listed in Chapter 3 of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II). However, as in all primary headaches, possible underlying causal conditions must be excluded to rule out a secondary cluster-like headache (CLH). The observation of some cases with clinical features mimicking primary CH, but of secondary origin, led us to perform an extended review of CLH reports in the literature. We identified 156 CLH cases published from 1975 to 2008. The more frequent pathologies in association with CLH were the vascular ones (38.5%, n = 57), followed by tumours (25.7%, n = 38) and inflammatory infectious diseases (13.5%, n = 20). Eighty were excluded from further analysis, because of inadequate information. The remaining 76 were divided into two groups: those that satisfied the ICHD-II diagnostic criteria for CH, 'fulfilling' group (F), n = 38; and those with a symptomatology in disagreement with one or more ICHD-II criteria, 'not fulfilling' group (NF), n = 38. Among the aims of this study was the possible identification of clinical features leading to the suspicion of a symptomatic origin. In the differential diagnosis with CH, red flags resulted both for F and NF, older age at onset; for NF, abnormal neurological/general examination (73.6%), duration (34.2%), frequency (15.8%) and localization (10.5%) of the attacks. We stress the fact that, on first observation, 50% of CLH presented as F cases, perfectly mimicking CH. Therefore, the importance of accurate, clinical evaluation and of neuroimaging cannot be overestimated.

Long-term controlled normoglycemia in diabetic non-human primates after transplantation with hCD46 transgenic porcine islets.

Xenotransplantation of porcine islets into diabetic non-human primates is characterized by (i) an initial massive graft loss possibly due to the instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction and (ii) the requirement of intensive, clinically unfriendly immunosuppressive therapy. We investigated whether the transgenic expression of a human complement-regulatory protein (hCD46) on porcine islets would improve the outcome of islet xenotransplantation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Cynomolgus monkeys. Immunosuppression consisted of thymoglobulin, anti-CD154 mAb for costimulation blockade, and mycophenolate mofetil. Following the transplantation of islets from wild-type pigs (n = 2) or from 1,3-galactosyltransferase gene-knockout pigs (n = 2), islets survived for a maximum of only 46 days, as evidenced by return to hyperglycemia and the need for exogenous insulin therapy. The transplantation of islets from hCD46 pigs resulted in graft survival and insulin-independent normoglycemia in four of five monkeys for the 3 months follow-up of the experiment. One normalized recipient, selected at random, was followed for >12 months. Inhibition of complement activation by the expression of hCD46 on the pig islets did not substantially reduce the initial loss of islet mass, rather was effective in limiting antibody-mediated rejection. This resulted in a reduced need for immunosuppression to preserve a sufficient islet mass to maintain normoglycemia long-term.