The spinal cord injury-induced immune deficiency syndrome: results of the SCIentinel study.

Infections are prevalent after spinal cord injury (SCI), constitute the main cause of death and are a rehabilitation confounder associated with impaired recovery. We hypothesize that SCI causes an acquired lesion-dependent (neurogenic) immune suppression as an underlying mechanism to facilitate infections. The international prospective multicentre cohort study (SCIentinel; protocol registration DRKS00000122; n = 111 patients) was designed to distinguish neurogenic from general trauma-related effects on the immune system. Therefore, SCI patient groups differing by neurological level, i.e. high SCI [thoracic (Th)4 or higher]; low SCI (Th5 or lower) and severity (complete SCI; incomplete SCI), were compared with a reference group of vertebral fracture (VF) patients without SCI. The primary outcome was quantitative monocytic Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR expression (mHLA-DR, synonym MHC II), a validated marker for immune suppression in critically ill patients associated with infection susceptibility. mHLA-DR was assessed from Day 1 to 10 weeks after injury by applying standardized flow cytometry procedures. Secondary outcomes were leucocyte subpopulation counts, serum immunoglobulin levels and clinically defined infections. Linear mixed models with multiple imputation were applied to evaluate group differences of logarithmic-transformed parameters. Mean quantitative mHLA-DR [ln (antibodies/cell)] levels at the primary end point 84 h after injury indicated an immune suppressive state below the normative values of 9.62 in all groups, which further differed in its dimension by neurological level: high SCI [8.95 (98.3% confidence interval, CI: 8.63; 9.26), n = 41], low SCI [9.05 (98.3% CI: 8.73; 9.36), n = 29], and VF without SCI [9.25 (98.3% CI: 8.97; 9.53), n = 41, P = 0.003]. Post hoc analysis accounting for SCI severity revealed the strongest mHLA-DR decrease [8.79 (95% CI: 8.50; 9.08)] in the complete, high SCI group, further demonstrating delayed mHLA-DR recovery [9.08 (95% CI: 8.82; 9.38)] and showing a difference from the VF controls of -0.43 (95% CI: -0.66; -0.20) at 14 days. Complete, high SCI patients also revealed constantly lower serum immunoglobulin G [-0.27 (95% CI: -0.45; -0.10)] and immunoglobulin A [-0.25 (95% CI: -0.49; -0.01)] levels [ln (g/l × 1000)] up to 10 weeks after injury. Low mHLA-DR levels in the range of borderline immunoparalysis (below 9.21) were positively associated with the occurrence and earlier onset of infections, which is consistent with results from studies on stroke or major surgery. Spinal cord injured patients can acquire a secondary, neurogenic immune deficiency syndrome characterized by reduced mHLA-DR expression and relative hypogammaglobulinaemia (combined cellular and humoral immune deficiency). mHLA-DR expression provides a basis to stratify infection-risk in patients with SCI.

Enhancing physical activity and reducing symptoms of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled trial of the PrevOP-Psychological Adherence Program.

BACKGROUND: This primary analysis evaluated the "PREVenting the impairment of primary Osteoarthritis by high-impact long-term Physical exercise regimen-Psychological Adherence Program" (PrevOP-PAP), designed to support patients with osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) to engage in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to reduce OAK symptoms (WOMAC scores). Theory-based on the health action process approach (HAPA), the intervention targeted volitional precursors of MVPA change: action and coping planning, maintenance and recovery self-efficacy, action control, and social network formation. We hypothesized that compared to an active control condition, increases in MVPA at the end of the 12-month intervention would translate into lower WOMAC scores at 24 months in the intervention condition. METHODS: Participants with radiographically verified moderate OAK (N = 241; 62.66% female; M(SD) = 65.60(7.61) years) were randomly assigned to the intervention (51%) or the active control condition. WOMAC scores (24 months) were the primary -, accelerometer-assessed MVPA (12 months) the key secondary outcomes. The PrevOP-PAP was a 12-month intervention with computer-assisted face-to-face and phone-based sessions designed to increase HAPA-proposed volitional precursors of MVPA change (up to 24 months; secondary outcomes). Intent-to-treat analyses included multiple regression and manifest path models. RESULTS: MVPA (12 months) did not mediate effects of the PrevOP-PAP on WOMAC scores (24 months). Compared to the active control condition, WOMAC scores (24 months) were lower in the intervention condition, but this effect did not remain stable in sensitivity analyses (b(SE) = -8.41(4.66), 95%-CI [-17.53; 0.71]). However, exploratory analyses revealed significantly stronger reductions in WOMAC-pain (24 months) in the intervention condition (b(SE) = -2.99(1.18), 95%-CI [-5.36; -0.63]). Groups did not differ in MVPA at 12 months (b(SE) = -3.78(3.42), 95%-CI [-10.80; 2.58]). Of the proposed precursors of MVPA change, action planning was higher in the intervention than in the control condition (24 months; b(SE) = 0.64(0.26), 95%-CI [0.14; 1.15]). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to an active control condition, the PrevOP-PAP did not produce reliable effects on WOMAC scores and none on preceding MVPA. Of the HAPA-proposed volitional precursors, only action planning was sustainably increased. Future interventions should use m-health applications to digitally support long-term changes in proposed volitional precursors of MVPA change. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register; https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00009677 ; also available at http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ ; registration number: DRKS00009677; date of registration: 26/01/2016.

Health Demands Moderate the Link Between Willpower Beliefs and Physical Activity in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Regular physical activity (PA) was found to alleviate pain and improve functioning among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK). Heightened health demands due to OAK severity, body mass index (BMI), and depressive symptoms may require self-regulatory strategies to engage in more PA. Research on willpower-the capacity to exert self-control-suggests that believing that willpower is a nonlimited rather than a limited resource predicts effective self-regulation specifically when demands are high. The present study examines the association of OAK patients' willpower beliefs with their daily PA as a function of health demands. METHODS: To identify the moderating role of OAK severity (WOMAC), BMI, and depressive symptoms (CES-D) on the link between willpower beliefs and objectively assessed PA over a 7-day period, baseline data of a registered randomized controlled trial with 243 patients (Mage = 65.47 years, SD = 0.49) were examined in secondary analyses. RESULTS: Moderation analyses revealed that overall positive associations of willpower beliefs with PA were further qualified by OAK severity, BMI, and depressive symptoms. When patients faced less health demands, believing that willpower is nonlimited was associated with more PA. When health demands were higher, willpower beliefs were not associated with PA. CONCLUSION: OAK patients' willpower beliefs were associated with PA. However, facing more health demands seemed to erase this beneficial link. Improving willpower beliefs by way of intervention may help to shed more light on predictive direction and ways to overcome barriers to regular physical activity.

Degeneration of Lumbar Intervertebral Discs: Characterization of Anulus Fibrosus Tissue and Cells of Different Degeneration Grades.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) herniation and degeneration is a major source of back pain. In order to regenerate a herniated and degenerated disc, closure of the anulus fibrosus (AF) is of crucial importance. For molecular characterization of AF, genome-wide Affymetrix HG-U133plus2.0 microarrays of native AF and cultured cells were investigated. To evaluate if cells derived from degenerated AF are able to initiate gene expression of a regenerative pattern of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, cultivated cells were stimulated with bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), transforming growth factor ß1 (TGFß1) or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) for 24 h. Comparative microarray analysis of native AF tissues showed 788 genes with a significantly different gene expression with 213 genes more highly expressed in mild and 575 genes in severe degenerated AF tissue. Mild degenerated native AF tissues showed a higher gene expression of common cartilage ECM genes, whereas severe degenerated AF tissues expressed genes known from degenerative processes, including matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and bone associated genes. During monolayer cultivation, only 164 differentially expressed genes were found. The cells dedifferentiated and altered their gene expression profile. RTD-PCR analyses of BMP2- and TGFß1-stimulated cells from mild and severe degenerated AF tissue after 24 h showed an increased expression of cartilage associated genes. TNFα stimulation increased MMP1, 3, and 13 expression. Cells derived from mild and severe degenerated tissues could be stimulated to a comparable extent. These results give hope that regeneration of mildly but also strongly degenerated disc tissue is possible.

Facilitating physical activity and reducing symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial to test a theory-based PrevOP-psychological adherence program (PrevOP-PAP).

BACKGROUND: The present randomized controlled trial, which is crossed with the "PREVenting the impairment of primary Osteoarthritis by high impact long-term Physical exercise regimen" Main Medical Trial (PrevOP-MMT), aims to evaluate a psychological adherence program (PrevOP-PAP), and is designed to support persons with knee osteoarthritis (OAK) in the uptake and maintenance of regular physical activity to reduce OAK symptoms. The PrevOP-PAP is based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), a social-cognitive theory predicting health behavior change in individuals, extended here by social network characteristics and social exchange processes. It is expected that participants with OAK receiving the PrevOP-PAP will maintain higher levels of regular physical activity throughout a 24-month period and consequently report lower levels of OAK symptoms than participants of an active control condition. METHODS: A total of N = 240 participants with medically verified moderate OAK will be randomly assigned to an intervention condition (PrevOP-PAP-I; 50%) or an active control condition (PrevOP-PAP-CTRL). The PrevOP-PAP-I includes a motivational intervention, repeated self-regulation interventions, and a network creation intervention delivered over 12 months. Modes of intervention delivery include a paper-pencil motivation leaflet with a quiz, a computer-assisted face-to-face intervention, four computer assisted phone-based interventions, and activity calendars. The PrevOP-PAP-CTRL includes the motivational intervention only. Primary outcome will be OAK symptoms. Secondary outcomes include objectively and subjectively measured physical activity and indicators of quality of life. Other outcomes are HAPA-derived self-regulatory indicators as well as proposed social network and social exchange mechanisms of health behavior change. Assessments take place at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months following baseline. DISCUSSION: Based on the extended HAPA, this study seeks to reveal the self-regulatory and social mechanisms of the uptake and maintenance of physical activity and their relation to disease symptoms in persons with OAK. The design and evaluation of this program are intended to become a yardstick for future development and implementation of digitalized psychological adherence programs in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register; also available at http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ ; registration number: DRKS00009677 ; date of registration: 26 January 2016.

Effects of dendritic polyglycerol sulfate on articular chondrocytes.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory processes driven by cytokines play a crucial role during osteoarthritis (OA) progression. Dendritic polyglycerol sulfate (dPGS) was analyzed in vitro for its effects on articular chondrocytes, cartilage and cytokines involved in the OA process. METHODS: The metabolic activity of cultured human articular chondrocytes stimulated for 24 h with dPGS (10(-3)-10(-6) mol/L) was monitored using AlamarBlue(®) assay. The dPGS uptake was studied using fluorescence labeled nanoparticles. Further, chondrocytes were either treated with 10(-6) M dPGS, TNFα (10 ng/mL) alone or with a combination of both. The influence on extracellular matrix components, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)1 and the anaphylatoxin receptor C3aR was analyzed by RTD-PCR, flow cytometry and ELISA. RESULTS: Even at higher dosages (10(-3) mol/L), dPGS did not influence chondrocytes viability. Uptake of dPGS was successfully monitored in human articular chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts, penetration into cartilage chips was up to ~50 µm. Cellular treatment with dPGS had no effect on synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6, but expression of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 was upregulated. Cotreatment with TNFα and dPGS reduced the TNFα level, while IL-1ß, IL-6 and IL-10 expression did not change. Collagen type II gene expression was significantly reduced after preincubating cells with dPGS, but remained unaffected at the protein level. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that dPGS could play a role in regulation of cytokines associated with the inflammatory aspect of OA progression.

The influence of IL-10 and TNFα on chondrogenesis of human mesenchymal stromal cells in three-dimensional cultures.

Chondrogenic differentiated mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for articular cartilage repair. This study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of two three-dimensional (3D) culture systems for chondrogenic MSC differentiation in comparison to primary chondrocytes and to assess the effect of Interleukin (IL)-10 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)α on chondrogenesis by MSCs in 3D high-density (H-D) culture. MSCs were isolated from femur spongiosa, characterized using a set of typical markers and introduced in scaffold-free H-D cultures or non-woven polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds for chondrogenic differentiation. H-D cultures were stimulated with recombinant IL-10, TNFα, TNFα + IL-10 or remained untreated. Gene and protein expression of type II collagen, aggrecan, sox9 and TNFα were examined. MSCs expressed typical cell surface markers and revealed multipotency. Chondrogenic differentiated cells expressed cartilage-specific markers in both culture systems but to a lower extent when compared with articular chondrocytes. Chondrogenesis was more pronounced in PGA compared with H-D culture. IL-10 and/or TNFα did not impair the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. Moreover, in most of the investigated samples, despite not reaching significance level, IL-10 had a stimulatory effect on the type II collagen, aggrecan and TNFα expression when compared with the respective controls.

Comparison of veterinarians and a deep learning tool in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The aim was to compare ophthalmic diagnoses made by veterinarians to a deep learning (artificial intelligence) software tool which was developed to aid in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases. As equine ophthalmology is a very specialised field in equine medicine, the tool may be able to help in diagnosing equine ophthalmic emergencies such as uveitis. STUDY DESIGN: In silico tool development and assessment of diagnostic performance. METHODS: A deep learning tool which was developed and trained for classification of equine ophthalmic diseases was tested with 40 photographs displaying various equine ophthalmic diseases. The same data set was shown to different groups of veterinarians (equine, small animal, mixed practice, other) using an opinion poll to compare the results and evaluate the performance of the programme. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) were trained on 2346 photographs of equine eyes, which were augmented to 9384 images. Two hundred and sixty-one separate unmodified images were used to evaluate the trained network. The trained deep learning tool was used on 40 photographs of equine eyes (10 healthy, 12 uveitis, 18 other diseases). An opinion poll was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of 148 veterinarians in comparison to the software tool. RESULTS: The probability for the correct answer was 93% for the AI programme. Equine veterinarians answered correctly in 76%, whereas other veterinarians reached 67% probability for the correct diagnosis. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Diagnosis was solely based on images of equine eyes without the possibility to evaluate the inner eye. CONCLUSIONS: The deep learning tool proved to be at least equivalent to veterinarians in assessing ophthalmic diseases in photographs. We therefore conclude that the software tool may be useful in detecting potential emergency cases. In this context, blindness in horses may be prevented as the horse can receive accurate treatment or can be sent to an equine hospital. Furthermore, the tool gives less experienced veterinarians the opportunity to differentiate between uveitis and other ocular anterior segment disease and to support them in their decision-making regarding treatment.

Human hamstring tenocytes survive when seeded into a decellularized porcine Achilles tendon extracellular matrix.

Tendon ruptures and defects remain major orthopaedic challenges. Tendon healing is a time-consuming process, which results in scar tissue with an altered biomechanical competence. Using a xenogeneic tendon extracellular matrix (ECM) as a natural scaffold, which can be reseeded with autologous human tenocytes, might be a promising approach to reconstruct damaged tendons. For this purpose, the porcine Achilles (AS) tendons serving as a scaffold were histologically characterized in comparison to human cell donor tendons. AS tendons were decellularized and then reseeded with primary human hamstring tenocytes using cell centrifuging, rotating culture and cell injection techniques. Vitality testing, histology and glycosaminoglycan/DNA quantifications were performed to document the success of tendon reseeding. Porcine AS tendons were characterized by a higher cell and sulfated glycosaminoglycan content than human cell donor tendons. Complete decellularization could be achieved, but led to a wash out of sulfated glycosaminoglycans. Nevertheless, porcine tendon could be recellularized with vital human tenocytes. The recellularization led to a slight increase in cell number compared to the native tendon and some glycosaminoglycan recovery. This study indicates that porcine tendon can be de- and recellularized using adult human tenocytes. Future work should optimize cell distribution within the recellularized tendon ECM and consider tendon- and donor species-dependent differences.

The SCIentinel study--prospective multicenter study to define the spinal cord injury-induced immune depression syndrome (SCI-IDS)--study protocol and interim feasibility data.

BACKGROUND: Infections are the leading cause of death in the acute phase following spinal cord injury and qualify as independent risk factor for poor neurological outcome ("disease modifying factor"). The enhanced susceptibility for infections is not stringently explained by the increased risk of aspiration in tetraplegic patients, neurogenic bladder dysfunction, or by high-dose methylprednisolone treatment. Experimental and clinical pilot data suggest that spinal cord injury disrupts the balanced interplay between the central nervous system and the immune system. The primary hypothesis is that the Spinal Cord Injury-induced Immune Depression Syndrome (SCI-IDS) is 'neurogenic' including deactivation of adaptive and innate immunity with decreased HLA-DR expression on monocytes as a key surrogate parameter. Secondary hypotheses are that the Immune Depression Syndrome is i) injury level- and ii) severity-dependent, iii) triggers transient lymphopenia, and iv) causes qualitative functional leukocyte deficits, which may endure the post-acute phase after spinal cord injury. METHODS/DESIGN: SCIentinel is a prospective, international, multicenter study aiming to recruit about 118 patients with acute spinal cord injury or control patients with acute vertebral fracture without neurological deficits scheduled for spinal surgery. The assessment points are: i) <31 hours, ii) 31-55 hours, iii) 7 days, iv) 14 days, and v) 10 weeks post-trauma. Assessment includes infections, concomitant injury, medication and neurological classification using American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) and neurological level. Laboratory analyses comprise haematological profiling, immunophenotyping, including HLA-DR expression on monocytes, cytokines and gene expression of immune modulators. We provide an administrative interim analysis of the recruitment schedule of the trial. DISCUSSION: The objectives are to characterize the dysfunction of the innate and adaptive immune system after spinal cord injury and to explore its proposed 'neurogenic' origin by analyzing its correlation with lesion height and severity. The trial protocol considers difficulties of enrolment in an acute setting, and loss to follow up. The administrative interim analysis confirmed the feasibility of the protocol. Better understanding of the SCI-IDS is crucial to reduce co-morbidities and thereby to attenuate the impact of disease modifying factors to protect neurological "outcome at risk". This putatively results in improved spinal cord injury medical care. TRIAL REGISTRATION DRKS-ID: DRKS00000122 (German Clinical Trials Registry).

A rare case of severely elevated septic parameters caused by intercurrent juvenile rheumatoid arthritis despite dual trauma surgery.

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are considered markers used in clinical practice to differentiate bacterial infections from autoimmune origin. Here we evaluate a rare case of a male patient diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The patient presented repeatedly to our department with atraumatic femoral head necrosis, traumatic medial femoral neck fracture and peri-implant femoral fracture. While undergoing repeated surgical interventions including a removal of osteosynthesis material and total endoprosthesis of his right hip including double subtrochanteric osteotomy, the patient developed drastically increasing infection parameters of PCT and CRP. After a completely inconspicuous revision we revealed the untypical genesis of a rheumatic cause. Consequently, we emphasize this etiology to be considered in further decision making for trauma surgery.

Infrapatellar Fat Pad Modulates Osteoarthritis-Associated Cytokine and MMP Expression in Human Articular Chondrocytes.

Osteoarthritis (OA) most frequently affects the knee joint and is associated with an elevated expression of cytokines and extracellular cartilage matrix (ECM), degrading enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Differences in gene expression of the intra-articularly located infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) and other fatty tissue suggest its autonomous function, yet its role in OA pathogenesis remains unknown. Human IPFPs and articular cartilage were collected from OA patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, and biopsies from the IPFP of healthy patients harvested during knee arthroscopy served as controls (CO). Isolated chondrocytes were co-cultured with either osteoarthritic (OA) or CO-IPFPs in a transwell system. Chondrocyte expression of MMP1, -3, -13, type 1 and 2 collagens, interleukin IL1ß, IL6, IL10, and tumor necrosis factor TNFα was analyzed by RTD-PCR at day 0 and day 2, and TNFα secretion was analyzed by ELISA. The cytokine release in IPFPs was assessed by an array. Results: Both IPFPs (CO, OA) significantly reduced the expression of type 2 collagen and TNFα in chondrocytes. On the other hand, only CO-IPFP suppressed the expression of type 1 collagen and significantly induced the MMP13 expression. On the contrary, IL1ß and IL6 were significantly induced when exposed to OA-IPFP. Conclusions: The partial loss of the suppressive effect on type 1 collagen gene expression found for OA-IPFP shows the pathological remodeling and dedifferentiation potential of the OA-IPFP on the chondrocytes. However, the significant suppression of TNFα implies that the OA- and CO-IPFP could also exhibit a protective role in the knee joint, preventing the progress of inflammation.

Anaphylatoxin receptors and complement regulatory proteins in human articular and non-articular chondrocytes: interrelation with cytokines.

Tissue trauma induces an inflammatory response associated with a cytokine release that may engage complement pathways. Cytokine-mediated complement expression may contribute to cartilage degradation. Hence, we analysed the complement expression profile in primary articular and non-articular chondrocytes and its interrelation with cytokines. The expression of the anaphylatoxin receptors (C3aR and C5aR) and the complement regulatory proteins (CPRs) CD35, CD46, CD55 and CD59 was studied in cultured articular, auricular and nasoseptal chondrocytes using RTD-PCR and immunofluorescence labelling. The complement profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was opposed to the expression in articular chondrocytes. The time-dependent regulation (6 and 24 h) of these complement factors was assessed in articular chondrocytes in response to the cytokines TNFα, IL-10 or TNFα combined with IL-10 (each 10 ng/mL). C3aR, C5aR, CD46, CD55 and CD59 but almost no CD35 mRNA was expressed in any of chondrocyte types studied. The anaphylatoxin receptor expression was lower and that of the CRPs was higher in chondrocytes when compared with PBMCs. The majority of the studied complement factors were expressed at a significantly lower level in non-articular chondrocytes compared with the articular chondrocytes. TNFα significantly increased the C3aR expression in chondrocytes after 6 and 24 h. TNFα + IL-10 significantly downregulated C5aR and IL-10 significantly inhibited the CD46 and CD55 gene expression after 24 h. C5aR and CD55 could be localised in cartilage in situ. Anaphylatoxin receptors and CRPs are regulated differentially by TNFα and IL-10. Whether cytokine-induced complement activation occurs in response to cartilage trauma has to be further identified.

Artificial intelligence as a tool to aid in the differentiation of equine ophthalmic diseases with an emphasis on equine uveitis.

BACKGROUND: Due to recent developments in artificial intelligence, deep learning, and smart-device-technology, diagnostic software may be developed which can be executed offline as an app on smartphones using their high-resolution cameras and increasing processing power to directly analyse photos taken on the device. OBJECTIVES: A software tool was developed to aid in the diagnosis of equine ophthalmic diseases, especially uveitis. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective comparison of software and clinical diagnoses. METHODS: A deep learning approach for image classification was used to train software by analysing photographs of equine eyes to make a statement on whether the horse was displaying signs of uveitis or other ophthalmic diseases. Four basis networks of different sizes (MobileNetV2, InceptionV3, VGG16, VGG19) with modified top-layers were evaluated. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) were trained on 2346 pictures of equine eyes, which were augmented to 9384 images. 261 separate unmodified images were used to evaluate the performance of the trained network. RESULTS: Cross validation showed accuracy of 99.82% on training data and 96.66% on validation data when distinguishing between three categories (uveitis, other ophthalmic diseases, healthy). MAIN LIMITATIONS: One source of selection bias for the artificial intelligence presumably was the increased pupil size, which was mainly present in horses with ophthalmic diseases due to the use of mydriatics, and was not homogeneously dispersed in all categories of the dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our system for detection of equine uveitis is unique and novel and can differentiate between uveitis and other equine ophthalmic diseases. Its development also serves as a proof-of-concept for image-based detection of ophthalmic diseases in general and as a basis for its further use and expansion.

Absence of the complement regulatory molecule CD59a leads to exacerbated neuropathology after traumatic brain injury in mice.

BACKGROUND: Complement represents a crucial mediator of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration after traumatic brain injury. The role of the terminal complement activation pathway, leading to generation of the membrane attack complex (MAC), has not been thoroughly investigated. CD59 is the major regulator of MAC formation and represents an essential protector from homologous cell injury after complement activation in the injured brain. METHODS: Mice deleted in the Cd59a gene (CD59a-/-) and wild-type littermates (n = 60) were subjected to focal closed head injury. Sham-operated (n = 60) and normal untreated mice (n = 14) served as negative controls. The posttraumatic neurological impairment was assessed for up to one week after trauma, using a standardized Neurological Severity Score (NSS). The extent of neuronal cell death was determined by serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and by staining of brain tissue sections in TUNEL technique. The expression profiles of pro-apoptotic (Fas, FasL, Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) mediators were determined at the gene and protein level by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS: Clinically, the brain-injured CD59a-/- mice showed a significantly impaired neurological outcome within 7 days, as determined by a higher NSS, compared to wild-type controls. The NSE serum levels, an indirect marker of neuronal cell death, were significantly elevated in CD59a-/- mice at 4 h and 24 h after trauma, compared to wild-type littermates. At the tissue level, increased neuronal cell death and brain tissue destruction was detected by TUNEL histochemistry in CD59a-/- mice within 24 hours to 7 days after head trauma. The analysis of brain homogenates for potential mediators and regulators of cell death other than the complement MAC (Fas, FasL, Bax, Bcl-2) revealed no difference in gene expression and protein levels between CD59a-/- and wild-type mice. CONCLUSION: These data emphasize an important role of CD59 in mediating protection from secondary neuronal cell death and further underscore the key role of the terminal complement pathway in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury. The exact mechanisms of complement MAC-induced secondary neuronal cell death after head injury require further investigation.

Pacinian neuromas and neurofibromas of the hands and fingers: a systematic review.

Tumours involving Pacinian corpuscles are rare. The literature identifies two main pathological disorders: the Pacinian corpuscle neuroma or hyperplasia and the Pacinian corpuscle neurofibroma. Published data are confusing and at times conflicting. This systematic review summarizes the available data in order to support clinicians in the differential diagnosis with other tumours responsible for unclear symptoms in the hands and fingers. We identified 67 pertinent articles. Although some similarities have been described, the two tumours have relevant differences, specifically when comparing age of the patient, location, symptoms, characteristic of a mass, and aetiology. All these factors should be taken into account in order to improve diagnostic accuracy. Despite the low incidence of unsuccessful surgeries, extraordinary measures are occasionally necessary to achieve complete resolution of symptoms.

SLCV-a supervised learning-computer vision combined strategy for automated muscle fibre detection in cross-sectional images.

Muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) is an important biomedical measure used to determine the structural composition of skeletal muscle, and it is relevant for tackling research questions in many different fields of research. To date, time consuming and tedious manual delineation of muscle fibres is often used to determine the CSA. Few methods are able to automatically detect muscle fibres in muscle fibre cross-sections to quantify CSA due to challenges posed by variation of brightness and noise in the staining images. In this paper, we introduce the supervised learning-computer vision combined pipeline (SLCV), a robust semi-automatic pipeline for muscle fibre detection, which combines supervised learning (SL) with computer vision (CV). SLCV is adaptable to different staining methods and is quickly and intuitively tunable by the user. We are the first to perform an error analysis with respect to cell count and area, based on which we compare SLCV to the best purely CV-based pipeline in order to identify the contribution of SL and CV steps to muscle fibre detection. Our results obtained on 27 fluorescence-stained cross-sectional images of varying staining quality suggest that combining SL and CV performs significantly better than both SL-based and CV-based methods with regards to both the cell separation- and the area reconstruction error. Furthermore, applying SLCV to our test set images yielded fibre detection results of very high quality, with average sensitivity values of 0.93 or higher on different cluster sizes and an average Dice similarity coefficient of 0.9778.

Discerning the spatio-temporal disease patterns of surgically induced OA mouse models.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in ageing societies, with no effective therapies available to date. Two preclinical models are widely used to validate novel OA interventions (MCL-MM and DMM). Our aim is to discern disease dynamics in these models to provide a clear timeline in which various pathological changes occur. OA was surgically induced in mice by destabilisation of the medial meniscus. Analysis of OA progression revealed that the intensity and duration of chondrocyte loss and cartilage lesion formation were significantly different in MCL-MM vs DMM. Firstly, apoptosis was seen prior to week two and was narrowly restricted to the weight bearing area. Four weeks post injury the magnitude of apoptosis led to a 40-60% reduction of chondrocytes in the non-calcified zone. Secondly, the progression of cell loss preceded the structural changes of the cartilage spatio-temporally. Lastly, while proteoglycan loss was similar in both models, collagen type II degradation only occurred more prominently in MCL-MM. Dynamics of chondrocyte loss and lesion formation in preclinical models has important implications for validating new therapeutic strategies. Our work could be helpful in assessing the feasibility and expected response of the DMM- and the MCL-MM models to chondrocyte mediated therapies.

Biphasic onset of splenic apoptosis following hemorrhagic shock: critical implications for Bax, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1 proteins.

INTRODUCTION: The innate immune response to trauma hemorrhage involves inflammatory mediators, thus promoting cellular dysfunction as well as cell death in diverse tissues. These effects ultimately bear the risk of post-traumatic complications such as organ dysfunction, multiple organ failure, or adult respiratory distress syndrome. In this study, a murine model of resuscitated hemorrhagic shock (HS) was used to determine the apoptosis in spleen as a marker of cellular injury and reduced immune functions. METHODS: Male C57BL-6 mice were subjected to sham operation or resuscitated HS. At t = 0 hours, t = 24 hours, and t = 72 hours, mice were euthanized and the spleens were removed and evaluated for apoptotic changes via DNA fragmentation, caspase activities, and activation of both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Spleens from untreated mice were used as control samples. RESULTS: HS was associated with distinct lymphocytopenia as early as t = 0 hours after hemorrhage without regaining baseline levels within the consecutive 72 hours when compared with sham and control groups. A rapid activation of splenic apoptosis in HS mice was observed at t = 0 hours and t = 72 hours after hemorrhage and predominantly confirmed by increased DNA fragmentation, elevated caspase-3/7, caspase-8, and caspase-9 activities, and enhanced expression of intrinsic mitochondrial proteins. Accordingly, mitochondrial pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were inversely expressed within the 72-hour observation period, thereby supporting significant pro-apoptotic changes. Solely at t = 24 hours, expression of the anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 protein shows a significant increase when compared with sham-operated and control animals. Furthermore, expression of extrinsic death receptors were only slightly increased. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that HS induces apoptotic changes in spleen through a biphasic caspase-dependent mechanism and imply a detrimental imbalance of pro- and anti-apoptotic mitochondrial proteins Bax, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1, thereby promoting post-traumatic immunosuppression.

Systemic ubiquitin release after blunt trauma and burns: association with injury severity, posttraumatic complications, and survival.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that ubiquitin (Ub) is systemically released after trauma, has pleiotropic effects on host defense mechanisms, and that Ub administration reduces fluid shifts into tissues during inflammation. Ub release after burns (B) has not been studied and its association with injury severity and outcome after blunt trauma (T) is unknown. Thus, we evaluated Ubs association with injury severity and outcomes after B and T. METHODS: Injury severity was assessed with the Injury Severity Score (ISS) in T and burn size (% total body surface area, %TBSA) in B. A total of 129 T (ISS: 26 +/- 13) and 55 B (46% +/- 18% TBSA) were observed for sepsis/multiple organ failure (MOF) and survival. In B, sequential organ failure assessment scores were documented daily. Fifty volunteers served as controls (C) Ub serum levels were measured on day 0 (admission), 1, 3, 5, and 7 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were analyzed using bivariate or partial correlation analyses, t test, and analysis of variance with Tukey post-hoc test for multiple comparisons (two-tailed p < 0.05). RESULTS: Ub was significantly elevated in patients. Peak levels (ng/mL) were detectable on day 0 (C: 118 +/- 76; T: 359 +/- 205; B: 573 +/- 331) and increased with increased ISS, %TBSA, and presence of inhalation injury. In T, Ub normalized by day 3, but remained elevated in B. In B, Ub correlated significantly negative with sequential organ failure assessment scores (r: -0.143; p = 0.0147), sepsis/MOF development (r: -0.363; p = 0.001), and survival (r: -0.231; p = 0.009). Compared with B who recovered uneventfully, Ub levels were significantly lower on days 1 to 7 and on days 5/7 in B who developed sepsis/MOF or died, respectively. CONCLUSION: Ub concentrations reflect the extent of tissue damage. Along with Ubs previously described anti- inflammatory properties, this study suggests that its systemic release is protective, that burn patients who develop sepsis/MOF have a relative Ub deficiency and that Ub could play an important role during the physiologic response to burn injury.