Reuse of reactive dyes for dyeing of jute fabric.

The aim of the work was to find out suitable method of dyeing so that costly reactive dye can be reused without draining them. The bleached jute fabric was dyed with four different class of reactive dyes namely, cold brand, hot brand, vinyl sulphone and high exhaustion (HE) brand. It is found that the two-step two-bath method of reactive dyeing, where exhaustion and fixation step is separated, is most ideal for reuse of dye bath. Separate original samples produced K/S value same as that of original sample and the K/S value of separate reuse sample varied from 50% to 80% of the original sample depending on the class of dye. In case of same bath method, colour yield of original reuse samples varies from only 10% to maximum 30% of the original samples depending on the class of dyes. Reuse of reactive dyes following separate bath method is particularly suitable for higher depth of shade (4% and above). This process not only utilises costly reactive dyes to the maximum extent but it also produces low water pollution as the effluent contain minimum amount of dye. So the process is economic and eco-friendly as well.

B cell-deficient mice have increased susceptibility to HSV-1 encephalomyelitis and mortality.

We studied the susceptibility of B cell-deficient mice to encephalomyelitis following intraperitoneal inoculation of HSV-1. B cell-deficient mice developed striking CNS signs including tail atony, clumsy gait and limb paralysis after HSV-1 infection. In addition, B cell-deficient mice had decreased survival (LD50 = 2.2 x 10(7) PFU) compared to control C57BL/6 mice (LD50 = 2.3 x 10(8) PFU). B cell-deficient mice had encephalomyelitis and detectable virus in the brain 7 days post-infection while C57BL/6 mice did not. Passive transfer of hyperimmune sera protected B cell-deficient mice from death, suggesting a role for antibody in susceptibility to HSV-1 encephalomyelitis.

In the absence of T cells, natural killer cells protect from mortality due to HSV-1 encephalitis.

The importance of natural killer (NK) cells in the resistance to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a common infection of immunocompromised patients, is unclear. Previous data on the role of NK cells in murine HSV-1 infection has been contradictory. Adoptive transfer studies suggested that NK cells mediated resistance to HSV-1, but in vivo depletion approaches demonstrated that NK cells were not important. We studied the course of HSV-1 infection after intranasal (i.n.) inoculation of E26 mice (lacking NK and T cells), T cell knockout (T cell ko) mice (lacking T cells only), or normal control mice. The E26 mice showed greater mortality and an impaired ability to clear virus from lung and brain compared to T cell ko mice and control mice, and had severe necrotizing HSV-1 encephalitis. Therefore, the data support the hypothesis that NK cells play an important role in the natural defense of murine HSV-1 infection.

Recombinant CD40L treatment protects allogeneic murine bone marrow transplant recipients from death caused by herpes simplex virus-1 infection.

Posttransplant infection associated with host immune deficiency is the major cause of nonrelapse mortality of human bone marrow transplant recipients. In a new murine model of posttransplant infection, allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients were infected with herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) via intraperitoneal inoculation 12 weeks after transplantation. Allogeneic transplant recipients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) had significantly increased mortality from HSV-1 encephalitis, with deficiencies of both specific anti-HSV-1 antibody and total serum IgG2a. GVHD mice displayed a Th2 cytokine profile (increased interleukin-4 [IL-4] and decreased interferon-gamma) and decreased lipopolysaccharide (LPS) responses, suggesting that both T-cell and B-cell defects contributed to the impaired production of antibody. Because passive transfer of hyperimmune serum protected mice from HSV-1 infection, we hypothesized that CD40 ligand (CD40L), which induces B-cell maturation, would protect mice from HSV-1 infection. CD40L-treated GVHD mice showed elevated IgG2a levels and increased survival compared with vehicle-treated transplant recipients.

A role for transforming growth factor-beta1 in the increased pneumonitis in murine allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients with graft-versus-host disease after pulmonary herpes simplex virus type 1 infection.

To gain further insights in the pathogenesis of herpesvirus pneumonia in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients, transplanted mice (B10.BR --> CBA) with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and control mice (transplanted mice without GVHD and normal CBA mice) were infected intranasally with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). When compared with infected control mice, infected allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD showed increased periluminal mononuclear cell infiltrates. However, infected allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD showed lower virus content in the lung tissue than infected control mice. High concentrations of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) were detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of mock-infected allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD, which increased slightly after infection. Anti-TGF-beta treatment of allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD significantly decreased the histological evidence of pneumonitis at day 4 after HSV-1 infection. We conclude that allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD have (1) increased pneumonia, (2) highly elevated levels of TGF-beta1 in the BAL fluid, and (3) reduced pulmonary virus content after HSV-1 infection. Our data suggest that the newly recognized dysregulation of cytokine (TGF-beta1) production may be more important than the viral load for the increased severity of HSV-1 pneumonia in allogeneic transplant recipients with GVHD.

Suppression of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-induced pneumonia in mice by inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, NOS2).

Intranasal Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection of mice caused pneumonia. Manifestations of the disease included: histological pneumonitis, pulmonary influx of lymphocytes, decreased pulmonary compliance, and decreased survival. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated iNOS induction and the nitrotyrosine antigen in the lungs of infected, but not uninfected mice, suggesting that nitric oxide contributes to the development of pneumonia. To elucidate the role of nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of HSV-1 pneumonia, infected mice were treated either with the inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase activity, N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), or, as a control, with PBS or D-NMMA. L-NMMA treatment decreased the histological evidence of pneumonia and reduced the bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocyte number to one-quarter of the total measured in control-treated mice. L-NMMA treatment significantly improved survival and pulmonary compliance of HSV-1-infected mice. Strikingly, the L-NMMA-mediated suppression of pneumonia occurred despite the presence of a 17-fold higher pulmonary viral titer. Taken together, these data demonstrated a previously unrecognized role of nitric oxide in HSV-1-induced pneumonia. Of note, suppression of pneumonia occurred despite higher pulmonary virus content; therefore, our data suggest that HSV-1 pneumonia is due to aspects of the inflammatory response rather than to direct viral cytopathic effects.