Influence of consumption of two Peruvian cocoa populations on mucosal and systemic immune response in an allergic asthma rat model

Different cocoa populations have demonstrated a protective role in a rat model of allergic asthma by attenuating the immunoglobulin (Ig) E synthesis and partially protecting against anaphylactic response. The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of diets containing two native Peruvian cocoa populations ("Amazonas Peru" or APC, and "Criollo de Montaña" or CMC) and an ordinary cocoa (OC) on the bronchial compartment and the systemic and mucosal immune system in the same rat model of allergic asthma. Among other variables, cells and IgA content in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum anti-allergen antibody response were analyzed. The three cocoa populations prevented the increase of the serum specific IgG1 (T helper 2 isotype). The three cocoa diets decreased asthma-induced granulocyte increase in the BALF, which was mainly due to the reduction in the proportion of eosinophils. Moreover, both the OC and CMC diets were able to prevent the leukocyte infiltration caused by asthma induction in both the trachea and nasal cavity and decreased the IgA in both fecal and BALF samples. Overall, these results highlight the potential of different cocoa populations in the prevention of allergic asthma

Attenuating Effect of Peruvian Cocoa Populations on the Acute Asthmatic Response in Brown Norway Rats

Cocoa contains bioactive components, which vary according to genetic and environmental factors. The present study aimed to ascertain the anti-allergic properties of native Peruvian cocoa populations ("Blanco de Piura" or BPC, "Amazonas Peru" or APC, "Criollo de Montaña" or CMC, "Chuncho" or CCC, and an ordinary cocoa or OC). To do so, after an initial in vitro approach, an in vivo study focused on the induction of an anaphylactic response associated with allergic asthma in Brown Norway rats was carried out. Based on their polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and in vitro effects, the APC and CMC were selected to be included in the in vivo study. Cocoa diets were tested in a model of allergic asthma in which anaphylactic response was assessed by changes in body temperature, motor activity and body weight. The concentration of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), mast cell protease and leukotrienes was also quantified in serum and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. CMC and OC populations exhibited a protective e ect on the allergic asthma rat model as evidenced by means of a partial protection against anaphylactic response and, above all, in the synthesis of IgE and the release of mast cell protease

Development and characterization of an allergic asthma rat model for interventional studies

Allergic asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of the airways, however it still remains underdiagnosed and hence undertreated. Therefore, an allergic asthma rat model would be useful to be applied in future therapeutic strategy studies. The aim of the present study was to develop an objective model of allergic asthma in atopic rats that allows the induction and quantification of anaphylactic shock with quantitative variables. Female Brown Norway rats were intraperitoneally sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA), alum and Bordetella pertussis toxin and boosted a week later with OVA in alum. At day 28, all rats received an intranasal challenge with OVA. Anaphylactic response was accurately assessed by changes in motor activity and body temperature. Leukotriene concentration was determined in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and total and IgE anti-OVA antibodies were quantified in blood and BALF samples. The asthmatic animals' motility and body temperature were reduced after the shock for at least 20 h. The asthmatic animals developed anti-OVA IgE antibodies both in BALF and in serum. These results show an effective and relatively rapid model of allergic asthma in female Brown Norway rats that allows the quantification of the anaphylactic response

The nature of luminous Ly α emitters at z ∼ 2–3: maximal dust-poor starbursts and highly ionizing AGN

Deep narrow-band surveys have revealed a large population of faint Ly α emitters (LAEs) in the distant Universe, but relatively little is known about the most luminous sources ( LLyα≳1042.7  erg s−1; LLyα≳L∗Lyα ). Here we present the spectroscopic follow-up of 21 luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 found with panoramic narrow-band surveys over five independent extragalactic fields (≈4 × 106 Mpc3 surveyed at z ∼ 2.2 and z ∼ 3.1). We use WHT/ISIS, Keck/DEIMOS, and VLT/X-SHOOTER to study these sources using high ionization UV lines. Luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 have blue UV slopes ( β=−2.0+0.3−0.1 ) and high Ly α escape fractions ( 50+20−15  per cent) and span five orders of magnitude in UV luminosity (MUV ≈ −19 to −24). Many (70 per cent) show at least one high ionization rest-frame UV line such as C IV, N V, C III], He II or O III], typically blue-shifted by ≈100–200 km s−1 relative to Ly α. Their Ly α profiles reveal a wide variety of shapes, including significant blue-shifted components and widths from 200 to 4000 km s−1. Overall, 60 ± 11  per cent appear to be active galactic nucleus (AGN) dominated, and at LLyα > 1043.3 erg s−1 and/or MUV < −21.5 virtually all LAEs are AGNs with high ionization parameters (log U = 0.6 ± 0.5) and with metallicities of ≈0.5 − 1 Z⊙. Those lacking signatures of AGNs (40 ± 11  per cent) have lower ionization parameters ( logU=−3.0+1.6−0.9 and log ξion = 25.4 ± 0.2) and are apparently metal-poor sources likely powered by young, dust-poor ‘maximal’ starbursts. Our results show that luminous LAEs at z ∼ 2–3 are a diverse population and that 2×L∗Lyα and 2×M∗UV mark a sharp transition in the nature of LAEs, from star formation dominated to AGN dominated

The production and escape of Lyman-Continuum radiation from star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2 and their redshift evolution

We study the production and escape of ionizing photons of a sample of 588 H$\alpha$ (Ha) emitters (HAEs) at z=2.2 in COSMOS by exploring their rest-frame Lyman Continuum (LyC) with GALEX/NUV data. We find 8 candidate LyC leakers with f$_{esc}$>60% out of a clean subsample of 191 HAEs (i.e. without any neighbour or foreground galaxy inside the GALEX PSF). Overall, we measure a very low escape fraction f$_{esc}$

Protección contra brucelosis bovina en hembras adultas mediante la revacunación con dosis reducida de Cepa 19

De cinco predios lecheros, cuyas prevalencias de brucelosis eran superiores a 25%, se seleccionan hembras bovinas adultas, no reactoras a las pruebas de seroaglutinación estándar y rosa de Bengala. Éstas habían sido vacunadas con Cepa 19 cuando terneras. En cada predio se conformaron dos gru­pos, uno que fue revacunado con Cepa 19, en dosis de 4,5 x 108 UPC, vía conjuntival, manteniendo al otro grupo sin revacunar como control. El total de bovinos revacunados fue 389 y el de controles 264. Se obtiene sangre de todos los bovinos los días 40, 90, 180, 360, 540 y 720 de iniciada la experiencia y sus sueros se someten a las pruebas de seroaglutina­ción y rosa de Bengala. Aquellas reactoras a una o ambas pruebas, son sometidas a la prueba de inmu­nodifusión doble para descartar las respuestas sero­lógicas de origen vacunal. Los resultados indican que en el grupo revacunado, los reactores a sero­aglutinación y rosa de Bengala persisten en alta proporción hasta el día 90 y posteriormente decre­cen sin desaparecer. En el grupo control los reacto­res a estas pruebas aumentan gradualmente. Al tér­mino de la experiencia, un 23,9% de los bovinos del grupo control es reactor a una o ambas pruebas, además de inmunodifusión y se consideran como presumiblemente infectados. En el grupo revacuna­do, sólo un 4,8% de los bovinos son reactores a las mismas pruebas, luego de descartar a aquellos que muestran reacción postvacunal.Se concluye que este esquema de vacunación en adultos, puede ser usado en predios lecheros o áreas con alta prevalencia de brucelosis con el fin de rebajar éstas a tasas que permiten posteriomente la aplicación de medidas de control tradicionales.Palabras claves: Brucelosis, revacunación, bovinos.AbstractNon reactor cows to standard agglutination (SAT) and Rose Bengal Test (RBT) were selected from 5 dairy farms with a high prevalence of brucellosis. All the animals had vaccinated with Brucella abortus Strain 19 when they were heifer calves. Two groups were established in each farm: a revaccinated group which received 4.5 x 108 CFU of Strain 19, through the conjunctival route, an a unvaccinated control group. A total number of 389 revaccinated and 264 control animals were obtained. The bovinos were bled after revacci­nation at days 45, 90, 180, 360, 540 and 720, and the serum was tested by SAT and RBT. All reactors to one or both tests were retested by a double immunodiffusion test (ID), in order to discard the vaccination response.A number of revaccinated reactors to SAT and RBT persisted until the day 90 and subsequently decreased rapidly beside disappear. The number of reactors in the control group inversed gradually reaching the historical prevalence of farm. At day 720, 23.9% of the control cows were reactors to SAT or RBT and the ID test, and were considered presumed infected animals. In the revaccinated group, only a 4.8% of the cows could be considered as presumed infected animals. The adult revaccination alternative can be recommended to be used in high prevalence brucellosis dairy farms, tending to reduced the infection level until traditional control programs can be applied.Key words: Brucellosis, revaccination, adult cattle.

Protección contra brucelosis bovina en hembras adultas mediante la revacunación con dosis reducida de Cepa 19

De cinco predios lecheros, cuyas prevalencias de brucelosis eran superiores a 25%, se seleccionan hembras bovinas adultas, no reactoras a las pruebas de seroaglutinación estándar y rosa de Bengala. Éstas habían sido vacunadas con Cepa 19 cuando terneras. En cada predio se conformaron dos gru­pos, uno que fue revacunado con Cepa 19, en dosis de 4,5 x 108 UPC, vía conjuntival, manteniendo al otro grupo sin revacunar como control. El total de bovinos revacunados fue 389 y el de controles 264. Se obtiene sangre de todos los bovinos los días 40, 90, 180, 360, 540 y 720 de iniciada la experiencia y sus sueros se someten a las pruebas de seroaglutina­ción y rosa de Bengala. Aquellas reactoras a una o ambas pruebas, son sometidas a la prueba de inmu­nodifusión doble para descartar las respuestas sero­lógicas de origen vacunal. Los resultados indican que en el grupo revacunado, los reactores a sero­aglutinación y rosa de Bengala persisten en alta proporción hasta el día 90 y posteriormente decre­cen sin desaparecer. En el grupo control los reacto­res a estas pruebas aumentan gradualmente. Al tér­mino de la experiencia, un 23,9% de los bovinos del grupo control es reactor a una o ambas pruebas, además de inmunodifusión y se consideran como presumiblemente infectados. En el grupo revacuna­do, sólo un 4,8% de los bovinos son reactores a las mismas pruebas, luego de descartar a aquellos que muestran reacción postvacunal.Se concluye que este esquema de vacunación en adultos, puede ser usado en predios lecheros o áreas con alta prevalencia de brucelosis con el fin de rebajar éstas a tasas que permiten posteriomente la aplicación de medidas de control tradicionales.Palabras claves: Brucelosis, revacunación, bovinos.AbstractNon reactor cows to standard agglutination (SAT) and Rose Bengal Test (RBT) were selected from 5 dairy farms with a high prevalence of brucellosis. All the animals had vaccinated with Brucella abortus Strain 19 when they were heifer calves. Two groups were established in each farm: a revaccinated group which received 4.5 x 108 CFU of Strain 19, through the conjunctival route, an a unvaccinated control group. A total number of 389 revaccinated and 264 control animals were obtained. The bovinos were bled after revacci­nation at days 45, 90, 180, 360, 540 and 720, and the serum was tested by SAT and RBT. All reactors to one or both tests were retested by a double immunodiffusion test (ID), in order to discard the vaccination response.A number of revaccinated reactors to SAT and RBT persisted until the day 90 and subsequently decreased rapidly beside disappear. The number of reactors in the control group inversed gradually reaching the historical prevalence of farm. At day 720, 23.9% of the control cows were reactors to SAT or RBT and the ID test, and were considered presumed infected animals. In the revaccinated group, only a 4.8% of the cows could be considered as presumed infected animals. The adult revaccination alternative can be recommended to be used in high prevalence brucellosis dairy farms, tending to reduced the infection level until traditional control programs can be applied.Key words: Brucellosis, revaccination, adult cattle.

Placing Ion Channels into a Signaling Network of T Cells: From Maturing Thymocytes to Healthy T Lymphocytes or Leukemic T Lymphoblasts

T leukemogenesis is a multistep process, where the genetic errors during T cell maturation cause the healthy progenitor to convert into the leukemic precursor that lost its ability to differentiate but possesses high potential for proliferation, self-renewal, and migration. A new misdirecting “leukemogenic” signaling network appears, composed by three types of participants which are encoded by (1) genes implicated in determined stages of T cell development but deregulated by translocations or mutations, (2) genes which normally do not participate in T cell development but are upregulated, and (3) nondifferentially expressed genes which become highly interconnected with genes expressed differentially. It appears that each of three groups may contain genes coding ion channels. In T cells, ion channels are implicated in regulation of cell cycle progression, differentiation, activation, migration, and cell death. In the present review we are going to reveal a relationship between different genetic defects, which drive the T cell neoplasias, with calcium signaling and ion channels. We suggest that changes in regulation of various ion channels in different types of the T leukemias may provide the intracellular ion microenvironment favorable to maintain self-renewal capacity, arrest differentiation, induce proliferation, and enhance motility

The CALYMHA survey: Lyα escape fraction and its dependence on galaxy properties at z = 2.23

We present the first results from our CAlibrating LYMan-α with Hα (CALYMHA) pilot survey at the Isaac Newton Telescope. We measure Lyα emission for 488 Hα selected galaxies at z = 2.23 from HiZELS in the COSMOS and UDS fields with a specially designed narrow-band filter (λc = 3918 Å, Δλ= 52 Å). We find 17 dual Hα-Lyα emitters (fLyα > 5 × 10−17 erg s−1 cm−2, of which 5 are X-ray AGN). For star-forming galaxies, we find a range of Lyα escape fractions (fesc, measured with 3″ apertures) from 2%−30%. These galaxies have masses from 3 × 108 M⊙ to 1011 M⊙ and dust attenuations E(B − V) = 0 − 0.5. Using stacking, we measure a median escape fraction of 1.6 ± 0.5% (4.0 ± 1.0% without correcting Hα for dust), but show that this depends on galaxy properties. The stacked fesc tends to decrease with increasing SFR and dust attenuation. However, at the highest masses and dust attenuations, we detect individual galaxies with fesc much higher than the typical values from stacking, indicating significant scatter in the values of fesc. Relations between fesc and UV slope are bimodal, with high fesc for either the bluest or reddest galaxies. We speculate that this bimodality and large scatter in the values of fesc is due to additional physical mechanisms such as outflows facilitating fesc for dusty/massive systems. Lyα is significantly more extended than Hα and the UV. fesc continues to increase up to at least 20 kpc (3σ, 40 kpc [2σ]) for typical SFGs and thus the aperture is the most important predictor of fesc