Prevalence of Rhodococcus equi from the nasal cavity of 1010 apparently healthy horses.

BACKGROUND: Rhodococcus equi is an important cause of foal pneumonia. While its isolation from different sources has been widely evaluated, there is a need to better understand the R. equi epidemiology from samples of the nasal cavity of healthy horses. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of R. equi from the nasal cavity of healthy horses, along with its virulence profile, antimicrobial susceptibility and environmental variables associated. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Swabs from the nasal cavity of 1010 apparently healthy horses from 341 farms were submitted for bacteriological analyses. The identity and virulence profile of the R. equi isolates were assessed by multiplex PCR; antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the disk-diffusion method. The occurrence of R. equi was calculated at the level of both animal and farm. The association of seven specific environmental factors with R. equi isolation was assessed using logistic regression and by a spatial scan statistical method to determine the presence of local clusters. RESULTS: Antimicrobial-sensitive R. equi was isolated from 10 (1%) of 1010 horses ranging between 3 and 29 years old. Ten farms (3%) had at least one positive horse. Only one R. equi isolate (10%) was classified as virulent. Red-Yellow Argisol (PVA/PV) soils were significantly associated with R. equi isolation (odds ratio (OR) 8.02; CI95% , 1.98-32.50, P = 0.01), and areas with well-drained soil were less likely to be test positive (OR 0.85; CI95% , 0.76-0.96, P = 0.03). MAIN LIMITATIONS: The use of culture-based method instead of PCR-based assay and the lack of soil sampling. CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial-sensitive R. equi may be considered a minor part of the normal bacterial flora in the nasal cavity of healthy and immunologically functional horses breeding on pasture. Further studies are warranted to determine if soils rich in iron and well-drained are, in fact, associated with the occurrence of R. equi.

Protective role of γδ T cells in cigarette smoke and influenza infection.

Airborne pathogens commonly trigger severe respiratory failure or death in smokers with lung disease. Cigarette smoking compromises the effectiveness of innate immunity against infections but the underlying mechanisms responsible for defective acquired immune responses in smokers remains less clear. We found that mice exposed to chronic cigarette smoke recovered poorly from primary Influenza A pneumonia with reduced type I and II interferons (IFNs) and viral-specific immunoglobulins, but recruited γδ T cells to the lungs that predominantly expressed interleukin 17A (IL-17A). Il-17a-/- mice exposed to smoke and infected with Influenza A also recruited γδ T cells to the lungs, but in contrast to wild-type mice, expressed increased IFNs, made protective influenza-specific antibodies, and recovered from infection. Depletion of IL-17A with blocking antibodies significantly increased T-bet expression in γδ T cells and improved recovery from acute Influenza A infection in air, but not smoke-exposed mice. In contrast, when exposed to smoke, γδ T cell deficient mice failed to mount an effective immune response to Influenza A and showed increased mortality. Our findings demonstrate a protective role for γδ T cells in smokers and suggest that smoke-induced increase in IL-17A inhibits the transcriptional programs required for their optimal anti-viral responses. Cigarette smoke induces IL-17A expression in the lungs and inhibits γδ T-cell-mediated protective anti-viral immune responses.

Lymphoid tissue inducer cells in intestinal immunity.

During fetal development, lymphoid tissue inducer cells (LTis) seed the developing lymph node and Peyer's patch anlagen and initiate the formation of both types of lymphoid organs. In the adult, a similar population of cells, termed lymphoid tissue inducer-like cells (LTi-like cells), supports the formation of organized gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in the intestine, including both isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs) and cryptopatches (CPs). Both LTi and LTi-like cells require expression of the transcription factor RORgammat for their differentiation and function, and mice lacking RORgammat lack lymph nodes, Peyer's patches, and other organized GALT. In ILFs and cryptopatches, LTi-like cells are in close contact with different populations of intestinal dendritic cells (DCs), including a subpopulation recently shown to extend dendrites and sample luminal microflora. This interaction may allow for communication between the intestinal lumen and the immune cells in the lamina propria, which is necessary for maintaining homeostasis between the commensal microflora and the intestinal immune system. The potential functional implications of the organization of LTi-like cells, DCs, and lymphocytes in the lamina propria are discussed in the context of maintenance of homeostasis and of infectious diseases, particularly HIV infection.

Post-column oxidative derivatization for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines.

A first post-column chemical derivatization method for the liquid chromatographic determination of phenothiazines is presented. Peroxyacetic acid is introduced as a derivatizing agent for phenothiazines, yielding the colored radical cations or fluorescent sulfoxides, depending on reaction conditions. Both reaction products were successfully employed for the detection of the phenothiazines after their liquid chromatographic separation. The fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxides proved to be the more robust and sensitive method. Limits of detection ranged from 4 nM for triflupromazine and trimeprazine to 300 nM for phenothiazine for the fluorescence spectroscopic detection of the sulfoxide and from 0.3 microM for phenothiazine and triflupromazine to 2 microM for trifluperazine for the UV-Vis spectroscopic detection of the radical cation. The calibration functions for the fluorimetric sulfoxide determination ranged from two to more than three decades, starting at the limit of quantification.

The relative radiolucencies of breast implant filler materials.

Breast implants in current use utilize silicone gel for filler material. One substantial drawback of silicone gel is its radiodensity, resulting in the obscuration of breast tissue on mammography. The relative radiolucencies of silicone gel, saline, breast tissue equivalent, triglycerides (peanut oil), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (Bio-Oncotic gel) were determined by using standard mammographic equipment. Visibility through these materials was compared by using a standard breast phantom as background. The x-ray dosage necessary to create each mammographic image was measured. Peanut oil provided the clearest image of the phantom artifacts, required the least radiation exposure, and was approximately four times more radiolucent than the saline or Bio-Oncotic gel and about 45 times more radiolucent than silicone gel. As improved implant filler materials are being sought, triglycerides maintain superior radiographic properties.

Artificial insemination of gilts with 1.5 billion sperms stored in different periods associated with different pre-ovulatory intervals.

This study evaluated the reproductive performance of gilts inseminated at three intervals before ovulation (0-12, 13-23, 24-30 h) with sperm doses (SD) stored for 0-48 and 96-120 h. A total of 218 PIC Camborough 22 gilts were inseminated once with SD of 1.5 x 10(9) sperms. Pregnant gilts (n = 166) were slaughtered 30.8 +/- 3.7 days after artificial insemination. The number of corpora lutea (CL) and total embryos (TE) was counted. Pregnancy rates (PR) were analysed by chi-square test. TE and embryonic survival (ES), obtained as the ratio between viable embryos and CL, were analysed by GLM procedure (SAS) and mean values were compared by Tukey's test. Pregnancy rate was similar among artificial insemination-ovulation (AIOV) intervals when semen was stored for 0-48 h. However, the lowest PR was observed in the 24-30 h AIOV interval with storage time (ST) of 96-120 h (p < 0.05). There was a significant effect of the interaction between ST and AIOV (p < 0.05) on TE and ES variables. Total embryos and ES did not differ (p > 0.05) among AIOV intervals in ST of 0-48 h. However, gilts inseminated at 24-30 h AIOV interval with ST of 96-120 h showed a reduction of 6.7 embryos (p < 0.05) compared with gilts in the same interval inseminated with semen stored for 0-48 h. ES for the 24-30 h AIOV interval and ST of 96-120 h was lower than that observed in the other groups (p < 0.05).

[Etiology and clinical aspects of palatal myoclonus]. / Zur Atiologie und Klinik des palatinalen Myoklonus.

Palatal myoclonus is a movement disorder consisting of rhythmic myoclonus of the soft palate, pharynx, larynx, and other muscles derived from the embryonal branchial arches. These movements are continuous and involuntary, and the patients are, in general, unaware of them. In the majority of patients, palatal myoclonus persists for life. In oculopalatal myoclonus, the eyes can be involved in the form of a nystagmus. Often a clicking noise in one or both ears is the initial symptom which can be heard by the examiner. A variety of etiologies have been linked to palatal myoclonus. The most common defined cause is a stroke. The variable delay between the proposed cause and the appearance of the disorder causes difficulties in determining the exact etiology. Pathologic findings show a transsynaptic hypertrophic degeneration of the inferior olivary nucleus which is due to a lesion of a specific, inhibitory, anatomic pathway. This somatotopic pathway leaves the contralateral dentate nucleus, passes through the superior cerebellar peduncle, and crosses the posterior commissure before joining the central tegmental tract and descending to the ipsilateral inferior olive. Treatment of palatal myoclonus is only occasionally effective. Some patients have responded to tryptophan, carbamazepine, and trihexyphenidyl. Surgical attempts have not been successful. - In the present paper the authors report on a case of an oculopalatal myoclonus following Leber's optic atrophy which involved the brain stem.

Salvage in a case of ring avulsion injury with an immediate second-toe wrap-around flap.

A nonreplantable complete degloving injury to the small finger of a young woman was treated with the immediate microsurgical transfer of a second-toe wrap-around flap. One year after the operation, the donor foot was free of symptoms, and the reconstructed finger had an excellent cosmetic appearance, a range of motion of 0/90 degrees at both the metacarpophalangeal and the proximal interphalangeal joints, and a two-point discrimination of 6 mm. In selected patients, when the degloved skin envelope cannot be revascularized and when the skeletal and tendinous units are still intact, an immediate second-toe wrap-around flap may be a good alternative to amputation.

Liquid chromatography with post-column electrochemical treatment and mass spectrometric detection of non-polar compounds.

The first hyphenation of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electrochemical online oxidation and mass spectrometry (MS) is described. Ferrocenecarboxylic acid esters of various alcohols and phenols have been synthesized, separated by reversed-phase HPLC and oxidized (ionized) coulometrically prior to single quadrupole MS analysis using electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interfaces. The dependence of the ionization on the electrochemical pretreatment is demonstrated. Limits of detection for selected derivatives range from 4 x 10(-9) to 4 x 10(-7) mol dm-3 depending on the individual compound and the selected interface.

[Lyme borreliosis and its significance for the ENT physician]. / Die Lyme-Borreliose und ihre Bedeutung für den HNO-Arzt.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne multisystemic Borrelia infection to which the following diseases belong: erythema migrans, lymphadenosis benigna cutis, lymphocytic meningoradiculitis (Bannwarth's syndrome), Lyme-arthritis and acrodermitis chronica atrophicans. The infection rate of ticks with Borrelia Burgdorferi in Germany amounts to 13.6% compared to the infection with the European spring summer meningoencephalitis virus with 1.1%. Recent investigations show that lipopolysaccharides and interleukin-1 play an important role in the pathogenesis of Lyme disease. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are a constitutive part of the outer wall of gram negative bacteria. Its biological activities include pyrogenicity, mitogenicity for lymphocytes and the induction of interleukin-1 (IL-1). IL-1 is the major macrophage-derived immunoregulatory protein. Lyme disease is characterized by a variety of symptoms which could be explained by the effects of IL-1 on host systems. These symptoms include: fever, malaise, erythema migrans and arthritis. The clinical course can be divided into three stages. Erythema migrans, lymphadenosis benigna cutis and general symptoms characterize the first stage. In the second stage disorders of the heart and the neurological system may follow including Bannwarth's syndrome. 60% of the patients develop facial palsy and 30% of these patients bilateral palsy. In 40% of all cases the facial palsy is the only motor disorder. Other cranial nerves can also be affected. The third stage consists of the Lyme-arthritis, acrodermitis chronica atrophicans and encephalomyelitis. The determination of specific spirochetal antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the most valuable diagnostic aid for this borreliosis. The CSF examination may also be helpful.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Incidence of epithelial neoplasms in the head and neck area in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas]. / Zum Auftreten epithelialer Neubildungen im Kopf-Hals-Bereich bei Non-Hodgkin-Lymphomen.

There is an increased risk of malignancy in patients with genetically determined or acquired immunosuppression. The authors report a case of a 70-year-old patient with a lymphoplasmocytic immunocytoma who developed 19 squamous-cell carcinomas (SCC) and nine basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) over a three-year period. This was the reason to review 100 cases of malignant lymphomas for evidence of additional malignancies. Of these patients, 15% had one or more SCC or BCC in the head and neck area. The age range was 59 to 79 years (mean, 71.7 years) and the male:female ratio 11:4. One or more SCC arose in 93% of these patients, 36% developed an additional one or more BCC, and BCC alone occurred in 7%. The usual ratio of BCC:SCC is 10:1; in the authors' patients, by contrast, this ratio was 6:14. In 12 cases, SCC and BCC were located on the skin. The remaining cases of SCC developed in the oral mucosa, the tonsils and the hypopharynx. In 13 cases, low-grade malignant lymphomas were found and in two cases high-grade malignant lymphomas were found. The SCC were clinically aggressive. Thirty-six percent of the patients had recurrent lesions, 43% multiple neoplasms, and 50% metastases. Histologically, the SCC showed moderate to poor differentiation, a high degree of cell polymorphism and mitotic activity, and deep tissue infiltration. There are several explanations for the increased incidence of neoplasms in patients with immunodeficiency disorders. The surveillance function of the immune system may be impaired due to the disease itself or due to the treatment for immunosuppression. Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic agents are potential carcinogens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bcl-xl-specific antibody labels activated microglia associated with Alzheimer's disease and other pathological states.

This report describes the production of a monoclonal antibody raised against Bcl-xl, and includes an initial study of bcl-xl expression in neuropathology including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Bcl-xl is a potent apoptotic inhibitor and is known to be the predominant Bcl-x isoform in brain. To examine the expression of bcl-xl in aged brain and neurodegenerative disease, we raised a Bcl-xl-specific monoclonal antibody. In aged human brain, the highest bcl-xl expression was observed in cerebellum. By immunohistochemistry, significant bcl-xl expression was detected in reactive microglia of patients with AD and other neurological diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy. Bcl-xl-positive microglia frequently colocalized with beta-amyloid plaques in AD and with activated astrocytes in non-AD and AD brains, suggesting a general role for Bcl-xl in regions of pathology. High levels of Bcl-xl protein might render microglia more resistant to cytotoxic environments such as areas of neurodegeneration and astrogliosis.

FADD is required for DR4- and DR5-mediated apoptosis: lack of trail-induced apoptosis in FADD-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor family that can kill a wide variety of tumor cells but not normal cells. TRAIL-induced apoptosis in humans is mediated by its receptors DR4 (TRAIL-R1) and DR5 (TRAIL-R2). What constitutes the signaling molecules downstream of these receptors, however, remains highly controversial. Using the FADD dominant negative molecule, several groups have reached different conclusions with respect to the role of FADD in TRAIL-induced apoptosis. More recently, using FADD-deficient (-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts, Yeh et al. (Yeh, W.-C., Pompa, J. L., McCurrach, M. E., Shu, H.-B., Elia, A. J., Shahinian, A., Ng, M., Wakeham, A., Khoo, W., Mitchell, K., El-Deiry, W. S., Lowe, S. W., Goeddel, D. V., and Mak, T. W. (1998) Science 279, 1954-1958) concluded that DR4 utilizes a FADD-independent apoptotic pathway. The latter experiment, however, involved transient overexpression, which often leads to nonspecific aggregation of death domain-containing receptors. To address this issue in a more physiological setting, we stably transfected mouse DR4/5, human DR4, or human DR5 into FADD(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. We showed that FADD(-/-) MEF cells stably transfected with TRAIL receptors are resistant to TRAIL-mediated cell death. In contrast, TRAIL receptors stably transfected into heterozygous FADD(+/-) cells or FADD(-/-) cells reconstituted with a FADD retroviral construct are sensitive to the TRAIL cytotoxic effect. We conclude that FADD is required for DR4- and DR5-mediated apoptosis.