The potential utility of B cell-directed biologic therapy in autoimmune diseases

Increasing awareness of the importance of aberrant B cell regulation in autoimmunity has driven the clinical development of novel B cell-directed biologic therapies with the potential to treat a range of autoimmune disorders. The first of these drugs—rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the B cell-specific surface marker CD20—was recently approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis in patients with an inadequate response to other biologic therapies. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential use of rituximab in the management of other autoimmune disorders. Results from early phase clinical trials indicate that rituximab may provide clinical benefit in systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s syndrome, vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura. Numerous case reports and several small pilot studies have also been published reporting the use of rituximab in conditions such as myositis, antiphospholipid syndrome, Still’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. In general, the results from these preliminary studies encourage further testing of rituximab therapy in formalized clinical trials. Based on results published to date, it is concluded that rituximab, together with other B cell-directed therapies currently under clinical development, is likely to provide an important new treatment option for a number of these difficult-to-treat autoimmune disorders

Human cell types important for Hepatitis C Virus replication in vivo and in vitro. Old assertions and current evidence

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a single stranded RNA virus which produces negative strand RNA as a replicative intermediate. We analyzed 75 RT-PCR studies that tested for negative strand HCV RNA in liver and other human tissues. 85% of the studies that investigated extrahepatic replication of HCV found one or more samples positive for replicative RNA. Studies using in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and quasispecies analysis also demonstrated the presence of replicating HCV in various extrahepatic human tissues, and provide evidence that HCV replicates in macrophages, B cells, T cells, and other extrahepatic tissues. We also analyzed both short term and long term in vitro systems used to culture HCV. These systems vary in their purposes and methods, but long term culturing of HCV in B cells, T cells, and other cell types has been used to analyze replication. It is therefore now possible to study HIV-HCV co-infections and HCV replication in vitro

Badania właściwości odcieku ze składowiska IBB za pomocą analiz biologicznych oraz fizykochemicznych

Yemen is one of the developing countries suffering from water pollution. Landfill is one of the sources of water pollution. A study of composition of landfill leachate was conducted at Ibb landfill, located at Al-Sahool area, north of Ibb City, Yemen. The leachate was sampled at five different landfill locations during dry season, due to the excessive generation of leachate during this season. The physicochemical characteristic of leachate, such as pH, temperature, EC, TDS, DO were measured in-situ. Also, biological parameters such as COD and BOD5, major anions and nitrogenous compound such as Cl, SO4, NO2, NO3, NH3-N, major cations (Na, Mg, Ca, K, Fe) and heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cd, Cu) were analysed in the laboratory. The results showed that, the leachate from Ibb landfill is in methanogenic phase. The first leachate site at Al-Sahool area was characterized by the highest values of most physico-chemical parameters. However, the quantitative results of most studied parameters were generally decreased towards downstream sites (1-5). The BOD5/COD value of 0.1 to 0.7 obtained for leachate suggested the partially stabilization. The concentrations of heavy metals were found in relatively high levels (except Cu). Therefore, a leachate collection pond should be built to collect and treat the leachate to prevent further contamination as well as build more sanitary landfill facilities in Al-Sahool area to prevent further ecological contamination and keep public health safer.Jemen jest jednym z krajów, które borykają się z zanieczyszczeniem wód. Składowiska odpadów są jednym ze źródeł zanieczyszczeń wód. Celem pracy jest badanie właściwości oraz charakterystyka odcieku ze składowiska zlokalizowanego w mieście Al-sahool, w północnej części województwa IBB w Republice Jemenu. Próbki przeznaczone do badań pobrano z pięciu różnych lokalizacji na ww. składowisku. Próbki odcieku zebrano podczas pory suchej, ze względu na nadmierną ilość wytwarzania odcieków w tym sezonie. Właściwości fizykochemiczne takie jak pH, temperatura, przewodnictwo elektryczne właściwe (PE), suma substancji rozpuszczonych (SSR), rozpuszczony tlen (RT) zbadano na miejscu. Parametry biologiczne takie jak chemiczne zapotrzebowanie tlenu (ChZT), biologiczne zapotrzebowanie na tlen (BZT), główne aniony takie jak chlorek (Cl), siarczan (SO4) oraz azotowe związki takie jak azotyny (NO2), azotany (NO3), amoniak (NH3-N), główne kationy (Na, Mg, Ca, K, Fe) oraz metale ciężkie (Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cd, Cu) analizowano w wojewódzkim laboratorium Wody i Służby Sanitarnej, IBB. Wyniki przeprowadzonych badań wykazały, iż badane odcieki są w metagonicznej fazie. Odcieki z pierwszej lokalizacji charakteryzują się najwyższymi wartościami głównych parametrów fizykochemicznych. Natomiast wyniki ilościowe większości badanych parametrów na ogół miały tendencję spadkową w kierunku lokalizacji (1-5). Wartości (BZT)/ (ChZT) od 0,1 do 0,7 otrzymano dla odcieku częściowo stabilizowanego. Koncentracja metali ciężkich była na wysokim poziomie (oprócz Cu). Wyniki badań rekomendują, że budowa basenu do gromadzenia ścieków, budowa sanitarnego składowiska jest bardzo potrzebna aby ochronić przed zanieczyszczeniami ekologicznymi