Experimental campylobacter jejuni infection of scid mice

Campylobacter jejuni was inoculated orally to C.B-17 scid/scid (severe combined immunodeficient) and C.B—17 immunocompetent mice. Groups of mice from each strain were pretreated with enrofloxacin in an attempt to increase colonisation. All mice were heavily colonised but neither clinical signs of illness nor histological lesions were observed. Results from our experiment indicate that specific humoral and cellular immunity are not directly involved in the protection against C. jejuni, since said mice were not more sensitive to the infection than C.B-17 rnice. Animals, treated as well as untreated with antibiotic, showed the same colonisation pattern which suggests that normal flora does not hamper establishing of this bacterium in the intestine. On the other hand this study shows that both C.B~l7 and scid mice may become inapparent carriers of C. jejuni

Enhanced catecholamine transporter binding in the locus coeruleus of patients with early Parkinson disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies in animals suggest that the noradrenergic system arising from the locus coeruleus (LC) and dopaminergic pathways mutually influence each other. Little is known however, about the functional state of the LC in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrospectively reviewed clinical and imaging data of 94 subjects with PD at an early clinical stage (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1-2) who underwent single photon computed tomography imaging with FP-CIT ([¹²³I] N-ω-fluoropropyl-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) tropane). FP-CIT binding values from the patients were compared with 15 healthy subjects: using both a voxel-based whole brain analysis and a volume of interest analysis of <it>a priori </it>defined brain regions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Average FP-CIT binding in the putamen and caudate nucleus was significantly reduced in PD subjects (43% and 57% on average, respectively; p < 0.001). In contrast, subjects with PD showed an increased binding in the LC (166% on average; p < 0.001) in both analyses. LC-binding correlated negatively with striatal FP-CIT binding values (caudate: contralateral, ρ = -0.28, p < 0.01 and ipsilateral ρ = -0.26, p < 0.01; putamen: contralateral, ρ = -0.29, p < 0.01 and ipsilateral ρ = -0.29, p < 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with an up-regulation of noradrenaline reuptake in the LC area of patients with early stage PD, compatible with enhanced noradrenaline release, and a compensating activity for degeneration of dopaminergic nigrostriatal projections.</p