ABSTRACT
The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV-1) is a pathogen with the capacity to modulate the interferon type I system. To further investigate the effects of BVDV-1 on the production of the immune response, the Madin-Darby bovine kidney cell line was infected with the cytopathic CH001 field isolate of BVDV-1, and the IFNbeta expression profiles were analyzed. The results showed that cpBVDV-1 was able to induce the production of IFNbeta in a way similar to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, but with less intensity. Interestingly, all cpBVDV-1 activities were blocked by pharmacological inhibitors of the IRF-1, IRF-7, and NF-κB signaling pathway, and the level of IFNbeta decreased at the level of transcript and protein. These results, together with in silico analyses showing the presence of several regulatory consensus target motifs, suggest that cpBVDV-1 regulates IFNbeta expression in bovines through the activation of several key transcription factors. Collectively, the results suggest that during cpBVDV-1 infection, cross talk is evident between various signaling pathways involved in transcriptional activation of IFNbeta in cattle.
Subject(s)
Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Mucosal Disease/genetics , Diarrhea Virus 1, Bovine Viral/immunology , Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Gene Expression/genetics , Interferon Regulatory Factor-1/genetics , Interferon Regulatory Factor-7/genetics , NF-kappa B/genetics , Animals , Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Mucosal Disease/virology , Cattle , Cell Line , Epithelial Cells/immunology , Epithelial Cells/virology , Gene Expression/immunology , Gene Expression Regulation/immunology , Interferon Regulatory Factor-1/immunology , Interferon Regulatory Factor-7/immunology , NF-kappa B/immunology , Signal Transduction/genetics , Signal Transduction/immunologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been associated with chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. We aim to evaluate the correlation between extracranial veins stenosis evaluated with MR venography (MRV) and clinical/MR parameters of MS. METHODS: In 29 consecutive MS patients we performed a standard brain MRI protocol, completed by the evaluation of extra-cerebral venous system using a phase-contrast and a Volumetric Interpolated Breath Hold Examination (VIBE) sequence before and after gadolinium. The T2-proton density images were used to calculate the lesion volume. The jugular veins were evaluated qualitatively (in terms of presence and severity of stenoses) and quantitatively (degree of stenosis). The phase-contrast images were analyzed to calculate the average and peak velocity in the internal jugular veins. RESULTS: Postcontrast VIBE successfully showed the jugular veins in all the subjects. T2-lesion-volume was 8.2 [4.6] cm³. A stenosis of the internal jugular veins > of 50% was observed in 10/29(33%) patients. No significant correlation was observed between T2-lesion-volume and degree-of-stenosis (r = .362, P = .302). No different flow parameters were found in the subgroups of patients with and without stenosis (P = .54). CONCLUSIONS: In MS the presence/severity of jugular vein stenosis identified with 3T-MRV is not related to MR-visible tissue damage. Moreover no abnormal flow parameters were found in stenosed veins.
Subject(s)
Jugular Veins/pathology , Jugular Veins/physiopathology , Magnetic Resonance Angiography/methods , Multiple Sclerosis/pathology , Multiple Sclerosis/physiopathology , Venous Insufficiency/pathology , Venous Insufficiency/physiopathology , Adult , Blood Flow Velocity , Female , Humans , Male , Multiple Sclerosis/complications , Phlebography/methods , Statistics as Topic , Venous Insufficiency/complicationsABSTRACT
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystemic disease involving multiple organ systems including central nervous system (CNS) and muscles. Few studies have focused on the central motor system in DM1, pointing to a subclinical abnormality in the CNS. The aim of our study was to investigate patterns of cerebral activation in DM1 during a motor task using functional MRI (fMRI). Fifteen DM1 patients, aged 20 to 59 years, and 15 controls of comparable age were scanned during a self-paced sequential finger-to-thumb opposition task of their dominant right hand. Functional MRI images were analyzed using SPM99. Patients underwent clinical and genetic assessment; all subjects underwent a conventional MR study. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 patients showed greater activation than controls in bilateral sensorimotor areas and inferior parietal lobules, basal ganglia and thalami, in the ipsilateral premotor area, insula and supplementary motor area (corrected P<.05). Analysis of the interaction between disease and age showed that correlation with age was significantly greater in patients than in controls in bilateral sensorimotor areas and in contralateral parietal areas. Other clinical and MR characteristics did not correlate with fMRI. Functional changes in DM1 may represent compensatory mechanisms such as reorganization and redistribution of functional networks to compensate for ultrastructural and neurochemical changes occurring as part of the accelerated aging process.
