Polarization of TH2 response is decreased during pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus

This study evaluated some cytokines involved in the Th1-Th2 shift during pregnancy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthy women. Twenty-seven consecutive successful pregnancies in 26 SLE patients and 28 pregnancies in 28 matched healthy subjects, as controls, were enrolled and prospectively studied. Sera obtained at first and third trimesters of pregnancy were tested for IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, INF-γ, and TNF-α with a highly sensitive, multiplexed sandwich ELISA (SearchLight Human Inflammatory Cytokine Array). Statistics were performed by SPSS package. IL-8 serum levels were higher in the first (P<0.0001) and third (P=0.003) trimesters of pregnancy in SLE patients compared with controls, INF-γ serum levels in the third trimester (P=0.009), and IL-10 serum levels in the first and third trimesters (P=0.055 and P<0.0001, respectively). IL-2 (r=0.524 P=0.010), IL-12 (r=0.549 P=0.007), IFN-γ (r=0.492 P=0.017), and IL-6 (r=0.515 P=0.020) serum levels correlated with disease activity in SLE patients in the first trimester of pregnancy. Cytokine profile was similar in patients with and without lupus nephritis both in the first and in the third trimesters of pregnancy. IL-8 serum levels were lower in patients with a previous diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome compared with those without, both in the first and in the third trimesters of pregnancy. In SLE patients, a lower than expected decrease in Th1 cytokine serum levels was observed in the third trimester of gestation which could contribute to a lower Th2 cytokine polarization during pregnancy

Detection of serum anti-B/B' UsnRNP antibodies in patients with connective tissue diseases by immunoblotting

Objective: To investigate the reliability of the immunoblot method in the detection of serum immunoreactivity towards the B/B' polypeptides of U small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (UsnRNP) and to assess the significance of these antibodies in connective tissue disease (CTD) patients. Methods: We tested the sera of 348 patients with CTD (101 SLE, 51 systemic sclerosis, 53 primary Sjogren's syndrome, 27 poly/dermatomyositis, 15 rheumatoid arthritis and 101 overlap CTD), of 31 matched healthy subjects and 13 patients with primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection with high titre IgG anti-EBV antibodies. IgG anti-UsnRNP antibodies were determined by immunoblotting on nuclear extract from Raji cells (an EBV-immortalised human B lymphoid cell line) and Jurkat cells (a human T lymphoid cell line). Anti-dsDNA antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence on Crithidia luciliae and anti-ENA by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. Anti-dsDNA activity and avidity were measured in SLE sera by ELISA with Scatchard analysis. Results were statistically analysed by chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: A high frequency of anti-B/B' antibodies was found in the sera of CTD patients, confined to SLE (54.4%) and overlap CTD with SLE features (55,2%). Anti-B/B' immune reactivity was closely associated with other anti-UsnRNP specificities, gel precipitating anti-nRNP and anti-P antibodies. Nine out of 15 (60%) anti-B/B' positive/anti-ENA negative lupus sera on Raji blots were confirmed to be positive also on Jurkat blots. The sera from patients with EBV infection provided, on Raji blots, completely different band patterns from those obtained with auto-immune sera. Conclusions. The Sm B/B' proteins are the predominant or, at least, the most frequently targeted antigens of the UsnRNP auto-immune response in SLE and "lupus-like" overlap CTD. Moreover, anti-B/B' is diagnostically specific for CTD with SLE features. Immunoblotting on human B lymphoid cells is a reliable method, in terms of sensitivity and specificity, for the detection of anti-Sm B/B' antibodies

Application of Synchrotron Radiation-Based Micro-Analysis on Cadmium Yellows in Pablo Picasso's Femme

The cultural heritage community is increasingly exploring synchrotron radiation (SR) based techniques for the study of art and archaeological objects. When considering heterogeneous and complex micro-samples, such as those from paintings, the combination of different SR X-ray techniques is often exploited to overcome the intrinsic limitations and sensitivity of the single technique. Less frequently, SR X-ray analyses are combined with SR micro-photoluminescence or micro-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, which provide complementary information on the molecular composition, offering a unique integrated analysis approach. Although the spatial correlation between the maps obtained with different techniques is not straightforward due to the different volumes probed by each method, the combination of the information provides a greater understanding and insight into the paint chemistry. In this work, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the combination of X-ray techniques and SR-based photoluminescence through the study of two paint micro-samples taken from Pablo Picasso's Femme (1907). The painting contains two cadmium yellow paints (based on CdS): one relatively intact and one visibly degraded. SR micro-analyses demonstrated that the two Cd-yellow paints differ in terms of structure, chemical composition, and photoluminescence properties. In particular, on the basis of the combination of different SR measurements, we hypothesize that the degraded yellow is based on nanocrystalline CdS with high presence of Cd(OH)Cl. These two characteristics have enhanced the reactivity of the paint and strongly influenced its stability

Evaluating the suitability of hazelnut skin as a feed ingredient in the diet of dairy cows

Hazelnut skin (HS) was evaluated as a source of nutrients for dairy cows. In total, 26 Aosta Red Pied cows were divided into two balanced groups. All cows were fed hay ad libitum. The control group was also given 6 kg of concentrate, while the hazelnut skin group (HAZ) was given 1 kg of the same concentrate that was substituted by 1 kg of HS. The dry matter intake of the cows was reduced by the dietary inclusion of HS (p &le; 0.001). The milk yield and main constituents were unaffected by treatment. Milk from HAZ cows showed decreased concentrations of de novo saturated fatty acids (FAs), odd- and branched-chain FA, &alpha;-linolenic acid, and long-chain n-3 FAs, as well as increased concentrations of stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, total monounsaturated FAs, trans biohydrogenation intermediates, and &alpha;&ndash;tocopherol. Replacing the concentrate with HS increased the human-inedible feed quota in the diet and improved the sustainability of milk production in terms of the food-feed competition. Our results suggest that it is possible to add economic value to organic waste from the hazelnut industry using HS as a feed ingredient for dairy cows, enhancing the feed efficiency and milk antioxidant activity and having expected impacts on the nutraceutical quality of milk fat