Increased ß-haemolytic group A streptococcal M6 serotype and streptodornase B-specific cellular immune responses in Swedish narcolepsy cases.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy associated with the HLA allele DQB1*06:02. Genetic predisposition along with external triggering factors may drive autoimmune responses, ultimately leading to the selective loss of hypocretin-positive neurons. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate potential aetiological factors in Swedish cases of postvaccination (Pandemrix) narcolepsy defined by interferon-gamma (IFNγ) production from immune cells in response to molecularly defined targets. METHODS: Cellular reactivity defined by IFNγ production was examined in blood from 38 (HLA-DQB1*06:02(+) ) Pandemrix-vaccinated narcolepsy cases and 76 (23 HLA-DQB1*06:02(+) and 53 HLA-DQB1*06:02(-) ) control subjects, matched for age, sex and exposure, using a variety of different antigens: ß-haemolytic group A streptococcal (GAS) antigens (M5, M6 and streptodornase B), influenza (the pandemic A/H1N1/California/7/09 NYMC X-179A and A/H1N1/California/7/09 NYMC X-181 vaccine antigens, previous Flu-A and -B vaccine targets, A/H1N1/Brisbane/59/2007, A/H1N1/Solomon Islands/3/2006, A/H3N2/Uruguay/716/2007, A/H3N2/Wisconsin/67/2005, A/H5N1/Vietnam/1203/2004 and B/Malaysia/2506/2004), noninfluenza viral targets (CMVpp65, EBNA-1 and EBNA-3) and auto-antigens (hypocretin peptide, Tribbles homolog 2 peptide cocktail and extract from rat hypothalamus tissue). RESULTS: IFN-γ production was significantly increased in whole blood from narcolepsy cases in response to streptococcus serotype M6 (P = 0.0065) and streptodornase B protein (P = 0.0050). T-cell recognition of M6 and streptodornase B was confirmed at the single-cell level by intracellular cytokine (IL-2, IFNγ, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and IL-17) production after stimulation with synthetic M6 or streptodornase B peptides. Significantly, higher (P = 0.02) titres of serum antistreptolysin O were observed in narcolepsy cases, compared to vaccinated controls. CONCLUSION: ß-haemolytic GAS may be involved in triggering autoimmune responses in patients who developed narcolepsy symptoms after vaccination with Pandemrix in Sweden, characterized by a Streptococcus pyogenes M-type-specific IFN-γ cellular immune response.

Psychological and physiological effects of caring for patients with treatment-resistant depression.

BACKGROUND: Carers of patients with psychiatric disorders show high levels of anxiety and depression, possibly mediated through disruption of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Among carers of patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), we set out to determine the psychological and physiological (HPA axis) consequences of caring, and the association of these consequences with long-term outcome in patients. METHOD: Thirty-five informal carers of patients with severe TRD requiring in-patient treatment were recruited and compared with 23 controls. HPA-axis activity was assessed by measuring post-awaking salivary cortisol. The Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire (IEQ) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) were administered to measure carer burden and psychiatric caseness respectively. Independent t tests were used to compare differences between carers and controls and a linear regression model was used to determine the association of post-awakening cortisol with carer status while controlling for confounding variables. Data on long-term patient outcome (12 to 83 months), measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), were also obtained and linear regression was used to determine the association between cortisol output in carers and remission status in patients. RESULTS: Carers experienced high carer burden and high psychiatric caseness. Carers showed reduced cortisol output after awakening, calculated as the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg), which remained significant after controlling for potential confounders. In a linear regression model, non-remission in patients was associated with reduced cortisol output in carers. CONCLUSIONS: Caring for patients with TRD is associated with adverse psychological and physiological changes suggesting hypocortisolism post-awakening. These changes are associated with poor patient outcome.

Increased (6 exon) interleukin-7 production after M. tuberculosis infection and soluble interleukin-7 receptor expression in lung tissue.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) and the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) have been shown to be alternatively spliced in infectious diseases. We tested IL-7 and IL-7R splicing in a tuberculosis (TB)-vaccine/Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-challenge model in non-human primates (NHPs). Differential IL-7 splicing was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 15/15 NHPs showing 6 different IL-7 spliced isoforms. This pattern did not change after infection with virulent Mtb. We demonstrated increased IL-7 (6 exon) and IL-17 protein production in lung tissue along with concomitant decreased transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) from NHPs (vaccinated with a recombinant BCG (rBCG)) who showed increased survival after Mtb challenge. IL-7 increased IL-17 and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) gene and protein expression in PBMCs. Mtb-infected NHPs showed differential IL-7R splicing associated with the anatomical location and tissue origin, that is, in lung tissue, hilus, axillary lymph nodes (LNs) and spleen. Differential splicing of the IL-7R was typical for healthy (non-Mtb infected) and for Mtb-infected lung tissue with a dominant expression of soluble IL-7R (sIL-7R) receptor lacking exon 6 (9:1 ratio of sIL-7R/cell-bound IL-7R). Differential ratios of cell-bound vs sIL-7R could be observed in hilus and axillary LNs from Mtb-infected NHPs with an inversed ratio of 1:9 (sIL-7R/cell-bound IL-7R) in spleen and PBMCs. Soluble IL-7R is exclusively present in lung tissue.

Discrepancy between subjective and objective severity in treatment-resistant depression: prediction of treatment outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying predictors of outcome among patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is challenging. We hypothesised that discrepancy between self-rated and observer-rated scales may be a simple way of making such a prediction. METHOD: 102 patients were admitted to a unit specialising in the treatment of resistant depression and underwent fortnightly assessment with clinician-rated (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-21, HAM-D) and self-rated (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) measures. All patients had significant depressive symptoms that were treatment resistant, 70% as part of a major depressive disorder and the remainder as part of a bipolar or other disorder. A discrepancy score between the HAM-D and BDI was calculated on admission and its association with patient clinico-demographic factors was determined. A subset of 67 patients remained as inpatients for 40 weeks or until clinical response and were entered into a responder analysis, in which response was defined as ≥50% reduction in admission HAM-D score. The association of the admission BDI-HAM-D discrepancy score with subsequent patient response, was determined. RESULTS: The magnitude of BDI-HAM-D discrepancy was higher in those with co-morbid personality disorder, lower in those with psychosis and positively correlated with anxiety. High BDI-HAM-D discrepancy score predicted delayed treatment response (odds ratio 5.40, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Within TRD, higher discrepancy predicts slower response to treatment independent of objective illness severity; this may be mediated by underlying personality traits and co-morbid anxiety.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) and IL-7 splice variants affect differentiation of human neural progenitor cells.

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA increases proteomic diversity, a crucial mechanism in defining tissue identity. We demonstrate differentially spliced interleukin (IL)-7 in distinct anatomic areas in the adult, in developing human brains and in normal human neuronal progenitor (NHNP) cells. IL-7c (c, the canonical form spanning all six exons) or its variants IL-7 delta 5, delta 4 or delta 4/5 were cloned and expressed as recombinant proteins. IL-7 and splice variants were able to shift the differentiation of NHNP cells as compared with the diluent control (P<0.01) defined by anti-beta (III)-tubulin and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression, with different degrees (IL-7c>delta 4/5>IL-7 delta 5); IL-7 delta 4 exhibited a significantly weaker potency. Differentiation was confirmed by transcriptome analysis of IL-7c-stimulated neural NHNP cells, resulting in 58 differentially expressed genes; some of these are involved in neural differentiation, for example, the developmentally regulated transcription factor krüppel-like factor 12, musashi 2, a translational regulator of cell fate or the sonic hedgehog receptor patch 1. This suggests that IL-7 influences neural development at a molecular level by participating in human brain architecture through glia cell formation: a paradigm that alternative splicing in cytokines, for example, for IL-7, has a physiological role in human organ development and progenitor cell differentiation.

Folate antagonists. 15. 2,3-Diamino-6-(2-naphthylsulfonyl)quinazoline and related 2,4-diamino-6-[(phenyl and naphthyl)sulfinyl and sulfonyl]quinazolines, a potent new class of antimetabolites with phenomenal antimalarial activity.

Oxidation of an array of 2,4-diamino-6-(arylthio)quinazolines provided the corresponding arylsulfinyl and arylsulfonyl analogues. A variety of these nonclassical analogues of methotrexate exhibited suppressive antimalarial activity superior to that of the parent thioquinazolines against drug-sensitive lines of Plasmodium berghei in mice and P. gallinaceum in chicks, and several displayed potent prophylactic activity against P. gallinaceum. The sulfinyl- and sulfonylquinazolines also retained antimalarial effects against chloroquine-, cycloguanil-, and DDS-resistant lines of P. berghei in mice and against chloroquine- and pyrimethamine-resistant strains of P. falciparum in owl monkeys. Coadministration of one of the most active of these compounds, 2,4-diamino-6-(2-naphthylsulfonyl)-quinazoline (35), with sulfadiazine to monkeys infected with P. falciparum of P. vivax led to greatly enhanced activity and prevented the development of quinazoline resistance.

Folate antagonists. 13. 2,4-Diamino-6-](alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl)thio]quinazoline and related 2,4-diamino-6-[(phenyl- and naphthyl)thio]quinazolines, a unique class of antimetabolites with extraordinary antimalarial and antibacterial effects.

An array of nonclassical thioquinazoline analogues (VIII) of methotrexate was prepared by cyclization of the requisite 2-amino-5-(arylthio)benzonitrile with chloroformamidine hydrochloride (28--79%). The aminonitrile precursors were obtained by SnCl2-HCl reduction (28--99%) of the corresponding 2-nitro-5-(arylthio)benzonitriles, which were synthesized by the condensation of the appropriate 5-chloro-2-nitrobenzonitriles with various arylthiols (36--83%). Many of the thioquinazolines (VIII) showed suppressive antimalarial activity comparable with or superior to chloroquine, cycloguanil, and pyrimethamine against drug-sensitive lines of Plasmodium berghei in mice and Plasmodium gallinaceum in chicks, and several displayed potent prophylactic activity with P. gallinaceum. Moreover, the thioquinazolines retained potent antimalarial effects against chloroquine-, cycloguanil-, pyrimethamine- and DDS-resistant lines of P. berghei in mice and against chloroquine- and pyrimethamine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum in owl monkeys. The most active compound, namely, 2,4-diamino-6-[alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoro-m-tolyl)thio]quinazoline, was designated for preclinical toxicological studies. Numerous substances exhibited in vitro activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria at concentrations of less than 0.25 microgram/mL. The thioquinazolines also prove to be potent folate antagonists, causing 50% inhibition of Streptococcus faecalis R (ATCC 8043) at drug concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 ng/mL. Structure--activity relationships are discussed.

Screening large numbers of compounds in a model based on mortality of Trypanosoma rhodesiense infected mice.

A test system has been developed to evaluate the trypanosomicidal activity of large numbers of candidate drugs. Based on mortality of mice with blood induced Trypanosoma rhodesiense infections, it serves as a primary screen or as a secondary and confirmatory test for active compounds. Over 5,500 selected compounds have been tested; more than 6% were active.