Effect of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene nonionic block copolymers on performance and recruitment of immune cell subsets in weaned pigs.

BACKGROUND: Because European-wide directives are restricting the non-clinical use of antibiotics as in-feed growth promotors in swine production, there is an intensive search for alternative strategies for control and prevention of losses among young pigs. With the growing knowledge of the porcine immune system and its endogenous modulation, it has been clearly established that exogenous immunomodulation using adjuvants and immune response modifiers (IRMs) represents an important prophylactic/therapeutic approach in the prevention/treatment of both stress- and microbial-induced disorders that accompaning weaning. However, it is essential to select a fully evaluated agent which may act either as a nonspecific IRM or synergistically as an adjuvant with vaccines. The synthetic macromolecules with a long history as adjuvant and IRM are nonionic block copolymers which consist of polyoxyethylene (POE) and polyoxypropylene (POP) molecules. METHODS: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of POE-POP given as a single peroral dose on productivity parameters such as body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio, and systemic and intestinal immune parameters by assessing the proportions of CD45+ lymphoid cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and CD21+ B cells in the peripheral blood as well as the number of CD45RA+ naive lymphoid cells residing in the ileal mucosa in weaned pigs during a follow-up study 5 weeks after the treatment. RESULTS: Pigs treated with POE-POP had better feed intake (+ 14.57%), higher average body mass at the end of the experiment (20.91 kg vs. 17.61 kg), and higher body weight gain in relation to Day 0 (191.63% vs. 144.58%) as well as in relation to nontreated pigs (+ 18.74%), with a lower feed conversion ratio (- 30.26%) in comparison to the control pigs. A much lower diarrhea severity score (5 vs. 54) was recorded in pigs treated with POE-POP (- 90.74%) than in the control pigs. A higher average diarrhea severity (ADS) was recorded in the control pigs (1.54 vs. 0.14), whereas the treatmant group had much a lower ADS ratio (- 90.91%) after 35 days of the experiment. The pigs that were treated with POE-POP had an increased proportion of CD45+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells at Day 21 (at p < 0.05, p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively), Day 28 (at p < 0.01, respectively) and Day 35 (at p < 0.01, p < 0.05 or p < 0.01, respectively) as well as of CD21+ cells at Day 28 (p < 0.05) and Day 35 of the experiment (p < 0.01). Also, these pigs had more numerous CD45RA+ cells in interfollicular (p < 0.05) and follicular areas (p < 0.01) of the ileal Peyer's patches than did control pigs. CONCLUSION: This property of POE-POP to induce recruitment of circulating and intestinal immune cell subsets in weaned pigs may allow the use of IRM-active block copolymers as adjuvants for vaccines, particularly those orally delivered and targeted to the gut-associated lymphoid tissues that are well known to promote rather tolerogenic than protective immune responses.

Cytologic follow-up in patients with CIN treated by LLETZ, Cold knife Conization and Semm's cold coagulation.

Management of cervical premalignant lesions starts with abnormal Pap smear. Regular screening of asymptomatic women (the Pap smear) allows us to diagnose and treat preinvasive lesions before they progress to cervical cancer. There is a wide variety of ablative and destructive methods used in treatment of cervical premalignant lesions. In this study we have compared follow-up cytology results in patient groups treated by LLETZ (Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone), Cold Knife Conization (CKC) and Semm's cold coagulation (Electrocoagulation, ECG) according to CIN on target biopsy specimen, and definite therapeutic approach according to patient age, parity and lesion grading. The aim was to evaluate therapeutic success in all three patient groups on the basis of control cytology findings. Normal cytology findings after treatment were recorded in 43 women in LLETZ group (88%), 22 women in CKC group (73%) and in 22 women from the Semm's cold coagulation group (73%). The importance of the use of diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines and regular follow up is emphasized, bearing in mind primarily the young female population with severe preinvasive lesions of uterine cervix. Treating cervical preinvasive lesions offers an excellent opportunity to prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer in the large majority of women with abnormal cervical smears.

Tissue expression of proliferative antigens (PCNA and Ki-67) in oral lichen ruber related to clinical status.

The aim of this study was to determine the expression intensity of PCNA and Ki-67 tissue antigens related to pathologically modified oral mucosa in OLR lesions, and to determine the reaction intensity of these antigens in individual clinical forms, i.e. lichen ruber planus (LRP) and lichen ruber erosivus (LRE) comparing the reaction intensity with the inflammation grade and the degree of hyperkeratosis in lesions of 30 patients. Control group included patients (n = 15) with oral leukoplakia simplex. Tissue antigens were observed by immunohistochemical analysis using APAAP and LSAB methods. The reaction on tested tissue antigens was focal positive and of mosaic type. The reaction of the PCNA antigen was intensely high in OLR lesions regardless on the clinical form of the lesion. The reaction intensity positively correlated with the inflammation grade and the degree of hyperkeratosis in lesions. The reaction on Ki-67 tissue antigen ranged from low to moderately high intensity. Intensely high reaction was observed in lesions of lichen ruber erosivus. The reaction positively correlated with the inflammation grade and the degree of hyperkeratosis in lesions. Observed modified reaction of analyzed tissue antigens related with individual clinical forms of OLR might be the indicator of transformed nature of these lesions.

Changes in the tissue expression of the C-erbB-2 oncogen in the oral lichen ruber.

The aim of this study was to determine the expression intensity of c-erbB-2 antigen in oral lichen planus and erosive form of oral lichen in 30 patients, and to compare the obtained results with the inflammation intensity i.e. hyperkeratosis. The examination of expression intensity of c-erbB-2 antigen was conducted through immunohistochemical analysis by APAAP method. Obtained reaction of examined tissue antigen was positive in individual or in group cells of spinous epithelium layer and mosaically expressed. The reaction was negative in basal cell epithelium layer. Strong intensity reaction was observed in intercellular bridges of spinous cells layer. In control group, the reaction was of uniform strong intensity in all epithelium layers. The reaction was not dependent on the inflammation intensity in lesions but it was positively correlated with their degree of hyperkeratosis. Changed expression of c-erbB-2 antigen in OLR lesions reveals the possibility of potential malignant transformation of these lesions.