Longitudinal evaluation of CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral blood and mammary gland lymphocytes in cows experimentally inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen associated with mastitis, a disease affecting both women and dairy cows. The longitudinal profiles of bovine peripheral blood and mammary gland lymphocyte phenotypes in response to S. aureus-induced mastitis were investigated in dairy cows. Increased percentage of CD4 lymphocytes in the mammary gland between 1 and 8 days post-inoculation, increased milk CD4 protein density per cell between 1-8 days post-inoculation, and a statistically significant negative correlation between post-inoculation bacterial counts in milk and blood lymphocyte CD4 protein density were found. Together with blood and milk leukocyte counts, the milk lymphocyte CD4/CD8 ratio and the milk lymphocyte CD4 protein density were more informative indicators than milk somatic cell counts and bacteriology for identification of early vs. late inflammatory phases. These findings suggest that CD4+ lymphocytes play a protective role in the early stages of S. aureus-induced mastitis.

The treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy with acupuncture: a clinical case study.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), also referred to as chronic relapsing Guillain-Barré syndrome, is a rare neurological disease characterized by progressive symmetrical motor and sensory loss. Current biomedical treatments for this disease are often only short term in nature and have limitations with respect to side-effects and cost. The authors review CIDP from the perspectives of Western biomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine. A case report of a 17-year-old female diagnosed with CIDP and treated successfully with acupuncture is reviewed.

In vitro and in vivo effects of genistein on murine alveolar macrophage TNF alpha production.

The present study was performed to determine whether genistein could inhibit in vivo LPS-induced alveolar macrophage TNFalpha production and thus reduce the alveolar neutrophil influx following LPS. In vitro incubation with genistein completely inhibited LPS-induced TNFalpha production by alveolar macrophages (AM) from BALB/c mice. Subsequently mice were pretreated with intraperitoneal genistein or vehicle, then received nasal LPS to induce an alveolitis. Genistein was then administered every eight hours for five days following LPS. At 24 hours after LPS, the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) TNFalpha and ex vivo TNFalpha production from AM, were lower in the genistein treated animals. As well, total BAL white blood cell (WBC) count was reduced in the genistein as compared to the vehicle-only group. The percent neutrophils and the resolution of neutrophils were similar between genistein and vehicle groups. Therefore, genistein was able to decrease AM TNFalpha production, and was associated with a decrease in BAL WBC count post-LPS.

Prevalence and epidemiologic correlates of human T cell lymphotropic virus infection among intravenous drug users.

Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) in Seattle (n = 213) were studied to identify the prevalence and predominant types of and risk factors for human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection. Detailed questionnaires, serologic screening, and polymerase chain reaction analysis (for a subset) were used. Evidence of HTLV infection was found in 16.5%, of which 89% were HTLV-II. HTLV infection was significantly associated with nonwhite race, older age, more years of intravenous drug use, prior use of heroin, history of gonorrhea, history of any sexually transmitted disease, hepatitis B virus infection, and antibody to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). By stepwise logistic regression analysis, associations persisted with race, age, hepatitis B markers, and HSV-2. Thus, the strong association of HTLV with hepatitis B, a marker for injection behavior, and the independent association with HSV-2 infection, a sexually transmitted pathogen, suggest similarities in the epidemiology of HTLV and human immunodeficiency virus infections in IVDUs.

Escherichia coli O157:H7-associated colitis. A clinical and histological study of 11 cases.

Hemorrhagic colitis is characterized by abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and no or low-grade fever. Most cases are caused by the Shiga-like toxin-producing bacteria, Escherichia coli O157:H7. Nineteen colonic biopsy specimens and one resection specimen were reviewed from 11 patients with E. coli O157:H7-associated colitis to determine whether histologic features could be useful in diagnosis or in suggesting pathogenesis. All specimens showed hemorrhage and edema in the lamina propria. Specimens from nine patients were focally necrotic and showed hemorrhage and acute inflammation in the superficial mucosa with preservation of the deep crypts, similar to the pattern of injury associated with acute ischemic colitis. Specimens from five patients showed neutrophils focally infiltrating the lamina propria and crypts, resembling the pattern of injury seen in infectious colitis. One or both of these histologic patterns were observed in specimens from all but one patient. Specimens from four patients had poorly formed inflammatory pseudomembranes. It is concluded that the histologic features of E. coli O157:H7-associated colitis resemble a combination of ischemic and infectious injuries similar to those described in toxin-mediated Clostridium difficile-associated colitis. This suggests that the toxin(s) produced by these E. coliplay a role in the colonic injury. Infection with E. coli O157:H7 should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ischemic and infectious colitis.

B-cell stimulation by T-cell-secreted proteoglycan.

We have further characterized a recently described B-cell stimulatory factor that contains chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and 70- to 75-kDa protein, both of which are secreted by T cells and coisolate (T-cell proteoglycan fraction, T-PGF). Using T-PGF isolated from a T-cell hybridoma (T14), it was observed that the association between B-cell stimulatory activity and CSPG is stable and comigrates on Sephacryl S-200 columns eluted at high salt concentrations (1.5 M NaCl) and on CsCl gradients. The T-PGF stimulated larger numbers of low-density (activated) B cells, but better relative PFC formation occurred in high-density (resting) B-cell fractions. It is proposed that the B-cell stimulatory activity of T-PGF is, in fact, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan.

Stimulation of mouse B cells by a factor that coisolates with T-cell proteoglycan.

We have isolated a factor that copurifies with chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan secreted by mouse splenocytes and some murine T-cell hybridomas. This factor will stimulate proliferation and plaque-forming cell differentiation of B lymphocytes from mouse spleens, even after T cells have been depleted (less than 2% Thy 1.2-bearing cells). Adherent macrophages enhance the activity of this factor, but their function can be replaced in macrophage- and T-cell-depleted populations by small concentrations of a protein mitogen from Salmonella typhimurium. The stimulatory fraction contains chondroitin sulfate, a major protein which has a molecular weight of 74,000 and a minor moiety at 50,000. Stimulatory activity of this material is destroyed by (i) boiling, (ii) mild alkali treatment, and (iii) protease digestion. It is unaffected by RNase and chondroitinase treatments, suggesting that the factor is a protein. Our data define a new B-cell stimulatory substance(s) and suggest that it may be associated with chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan secreted by immune cells.