Pollen proteases compromise the airway epithelial barrier through degradation of transmembrane adhesion proteins and lung bioactive peptides.

BACKGROUND: Allergic disorders, such as seasonal rhinitis and asthma, are increasing causes of morbidity worldwide and often result from exposure to airborne pollen. Pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Europe. In fact, epidemiological longitudinal studies confirm that pollen species usually considered with low allergenic potential became more recently responsible for intense allergic reactions. In this study, we aimed to characterize major pollen proteolytic activity and evaluate its contribution to the immunologic and inflammatory response to airborne allergens. METHODS: Proteolytic activity in four pollen diffusates with distinct allergenicity, Olea europaea, Dactylis glomerata, Cupressus sempervirens and Pinus sylvestris, was evaluated through several enzymatic assays. The action of pollen proteases on the paracellular integrity of Calu-3, grown at the air-liquid interphase, was evaluated through a transepithelial permeability assay. Immunoblot and immunofluorescence experiments were performed to analyse the disruption of intercellular complexes. Degradation of bioactive peptides by pollen crude extracts was assessed by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: All pollen diffusates were shown to have high molecular weight proteases with serine and/or aminopeptidase activity. These proteases increased Calu-3 transepithelial permeability through disruption of transmembrane adhesion proteins: occludin, claudin-1 and E-cadherin. Moreover, they were able to degrade airway bioactive peptides and were not blocked by endogenous protease inhibitors. CONCLUSION: Pollen grains with distinct allergenic abilities release proteases that might be involved in the sensitization to a range of airborne allergens by facilitating allergen delivery across the epithelium and also contribute directly to the inflammation characteristic of allergic diseases.

Comparison of electron microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and latex agglutination for the detection of bovine rotavirus in faeces.

The performance characteristics of 2 enzyme immunoassays (ELISAs) and 4 latex agglutination assays (LXs) were evaluated for the detection of bovine rotavirus in faecal specimens of young calves with diarrhoea. A total of 26 specimens from calves less than 5 months of age were examined with different commercial assays and compared with electron microscopy (EM) as the gold standard and with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for the detection of atypical, non-group A rotaviruses. In the 2nd study, EIA (Dako) and LX (Murex), the assays of choice, were used to analyse 97 further faecal specimens from calves with diarrhoea. The ELISAs proved to be the most sensitive compared with the other tests used. The EM and PAGE are 100% specific although slightly less sensitive than the commercial assays. The results show that all the commercial assays can accurately detect rotavirus in the stools of calves with gastroenteritis, although the suitability and choice of assay will depend upon the requirements of individual laboratories.

Isolation and preliminary characterization of a caprine rotavirus.

Five cytopathic rotavirus strains were isolated in MA104 cells from stool specimens of kids with diarrhoea. Pre-treatment of the virus with trypsin and incorporation of low levels of trypsin in the maintenance medium were important for the successful cultivation of the strains in these cells. The isolates were shown to be group A rotaviruses by antigenic reactivity with a group A monoclonal antibody. This was confirmed by the migration patterns of the viral RNA genome during polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which also confirmed that all five strains had an identical RNA electropherotype. Analysis with monoclonal antibodies to the subgroup-specific VP6 antigen showed that these strains carried the subgroup I epitope.

Rotavirus in Saanen goats.

Rotavirus particles were detected in the stools of 8 out of 12 Saanen kids with either diarrhoea or an increased rectal temperature. No other pathogenic organisms could be recovered from these kids. This is believed to be the first report of rotavirus infection in goats in southern Africa.

Molecular epidemiology and subgroup analysis of bovine group A rotaviruses associated with diarrhea in South African calves.

Rotavirus-positive specimens were recovered from 143 Afrikander calves on two farms in the northeastern Cape of South Africa during late 1988 and 1989. The rotavirus strains were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the RNA genome, and four rotavirus RNA electrophoretypes, each with a long profile, were identified. A distinct RNA profile was identified on the farms during 1988, but by early 1989, two patterns existed, one unique to each farm. Over the next 8 months a new electrophoretic pattern emerged on one farm, whereas the pattern on the other farm remained unchanged. The rotavirus subgroup I antigen was detected in all specimens examined with subgroup-specific monoclonal antibodies. Non-group A rotaviruses were not identified by RNA genome analysis of 82 specimens from calves with diarrhea negative for group A rotaviruses by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Lipoma gigante do ligamento redondo do figado. / Giant lipoma of the round ligament of the liver

Dentre os tumores derivados do mesanquima, o lipoma e o que mais comumente grandes tamanhos, com localizacoes variadas. Apresentamos um caso de lipoma gigante, do ligamento redondo do figado, que, pelo seu tamanho e localizacao, nao tivemos oportunidade de identificar casos semelhante na literatura por nos revista