Evaluation of a new chemiluminescence immunoassay for diagnosis of syphilis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To assess the sensitivity, specificity, and feasibility of a new chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) in the diagnosis of syphilis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>At first, a retrospective study was conducted, using 135 documented cases of syphilis and 30 potentially interfering samples and 80 normal sera. A prospective study was also performed by testing 2, 071 unselected samples for routine screening for syphilis. CLIA was compared with a nontreponemal test (TRUST) and a treponemal test (TPPA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was an agreement of 100% between CLIA and TPPA in the respective study. The percentage of agreement among the 245 sera tested was 100.0%. Compared with TPPA, the specificity of CLIA was 99.9% (1817/1819), the sensitivity of CLIA was 100.0% (244/244) in the prospective study. CLIA showed 99.5% agreement with TPPA by testing 2, 071 unselected samples. And CLIA seemed to be more sensitive than TPPA in detecting the samples of primary syphilis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CLIA is easy to perform and the indicator results are objective and unequivocal. It may be suitable for large-scale screening as a treponemal test substituted for TPPA.</p

Bio-Inspired Synthetic Nanovesicles for Glucose-Responsive Release of Insulin

A new glucose-responsive formulation for self-regulated insulin delivery was constructed by packing insulin, glucose-specific enzymes into pH-sensitive polymersome-based nanovesicles assembled by a diblock copolymer. Glucose can passively transport across the bilayer membrane of the nanovesicle and be oxidized into gluconic acid by glucose oxidase, thereby causing a decrease in local pH. The acidic microenvironment causes the hydrolysis of the pH sensitive nanovesicle that in turn triggers the release of insulin in a glucose responsive fashion. In vitro studies validated that the release of insulin from nanovesicle was effectively correlated with the external glucose concentration. In vivo experiments, in which diabetic mice were subcutaneously administered with the nanovesicles, demonstrate that a single injection of the developed nanovesicle facilitated stabilization of the blood glucose levels in the normoglycemic state (<200 mg/dL) for up to 5 days

Abnormalities in circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Introduction: Dendritic cells (DCs) are capable of inducing immunity or tolerance. Previous studies have suggested plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) are pathogenic in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the functional characteristics of directly isolated peripheral circulating blood pDCs in SLE have not been evaluated previously.Methods: Peripheral blood pDCs from 62 healthy subjects and 58 SLE patients were treated with apoptotic cells derived from polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs). Antigen loaded or unloaded pDCs were then co-cultured with autologous or allogenous T cells. Changes in T cell proliferation, cell surface CD25 expression, intracellular Foxp3 expression and cytokine production were evaluated. pDCs that had captured apoptotic PMNs (pDCs + apoPMNs were also studied for their cytokine production (interferon (IFN)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-18) and toll like receptor (TLR) expression.Results: Circulating pDCs from SLE patients had an increased ability to stimulate T cells when compared with control pDCs. Using allogenous T cells as responder cells, SLE pDCs induced T cell proliferation even in the absence of apoptotic PMNs. In addition, healthy pDCs + apoPMNs induced suppressive T regulatory cell features with increased Foxp3 expression in CD4 + CD25 + cells while SLE pDCs + apoPMNs did not. There were differences in the cytokine profile of pDCs that had captured apoptotic PMNs between healthy subjects and patients with SLE. Healthy pDCs + apoPMNs showed decreased production of IL-6 but no significant changes in IL-10 and IL-18. These pDCs + apoPMNs also showed increased mRNA transcription of TLR9. On the other hand, while SLE pDCs + apoPMNs also had decreased IL-6, there was decreased IL-18 mRNA expression and persistent IL-10 protein synthesis. In addition, SLE pDCs lacked TLR9 recruitment.Conclusions: We have demonstrated that peripheral circulating pDCs in patients with SLE were functionally abnormal. They lacked TLR9 expression, were less capable of inducing regulatory T cell differentiation and had persistent IL-10 mRNA expression following the capture of apoptotic PMNs. We suggest circulating pDCs may be pathogenically relevant in SLE. © 2010 Jin et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

An NF-κB - EphrinA5-Dependent Communication between NG2+ Interstitial Cells and Myoblasts Promotes Muscle Growth in Neonates

SummarySkeletal muscle growth immediately following birth is critical for proper body posture and locomotion. However, compared with embryogenesis and adulthood, the processes regulating the maturation of neonatal muscles is considerably less clear. Studies in the 1960s predicted that neonatal muscle growth results from nuclear accretion of myoblasts preferentially at the tips of myofibers. Remarkably, little information has been added since then to resolve how myoblasts migrate to the ends of fibers. Here, we provide insight into this process by revealing a unique NF-κB-dependent communication between NG2+ interstitial cells and myoblasts. NF-κB in NG2+ cells promotes myoblast migration to the tips of myofibers through cell-cell contact. This occurs through expression of ephrinA5 from NG2+ cells, which we further deduce is an NF-κB target gene. Together, these results suggest that NF-κB plays an important role in the development of newborn muscles to ensure proper myoblast migration for fiber growth

Successful Treatment of an Iatrogenic Giant Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm With Percutaneous Thrombin Injection

A femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (FAP) is one of the most troublesome complications following invasive procedures related to the femoral arterial access. Post-procedure FAP rarely occurs; however, its occurrence tends to increase with the more frequently antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, and larger-sized catheter used for interventional procedures. Traditionally, surgical repair has been considered as the standard treatment modality for FAP; however, less invasive methods currently exist such as blind manual or ultrasound-guided compression repair (UGCR) as well as percutaneous thrombin injection, both of which have replaced the need for surgery. We report a case of a giant pseudoaneurysm in a femoral artery, which had developed as a complication of stenting in a patient with carotid artery stenosis and ischemic heart disease, and was subsequently successfully treated using percutaneous thrombin injection

Radiological and Clinical Characteristics of a Military Outbreak of Pandemic H1N1 2009 Influenza Virus Infection

Objective: To describe detailed clinical and radiological features of the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza viral infection among healthy young males in a semi-closed institutionalized setting. Materials and Methods: A total of 18 patients confirmed with the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus infection from July 18 to July 30, 2009 were enrolled in this study. Each patient underwent an evaluation to determine detailed clinical and radiological features. Results: All patients presented with high fever (> 38.0 degrees C), with accompanying symptoms of cough, rhinorrhea, sore throat, myalgia and diarrhea, and increased C-reactive protein (CRP) values with no leukocytosis nor elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). All patients, including one patient who progressed into acute respiratory distress syndrome, were treated with oseltamivir phosphate and quickly recovered from their symptoms. Chest radiographs showed abnormalities of small nodules and lobar consolidation in only two out of 18 patients. However, six of 12 patients who underwent thin-section CT examinations showed abnormal findings for small ground-glass opacities (GGOs) in addition to poorly-defined nodules with upper lobe predominance. Conclusion: In a population of healthy young adults, elevated CRP with normal ESR and white blood cell levels combined with GGOs and nodules on thin-section CT scans may indicate early signs of infection by the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus.Agarwal PP, 2009, AM J ROENTGENOL, V193, P1488, DOI 10.2214/AJR.09.3599Ajlan AM, 2009, AM J ROENTGENOL, V193, P1494, DOI 10.2214/AJR.09.3625Lee CW, 2009, KOREAN J RADIOL, V10, P531, DOI 10.3348/kjr.2009.10.6.531Chowell G, 2009, NEW ENGL J MED, V361, P674, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa0904023Perez-Padilla R, 2009, NEW ENGL J MED, V361, P680, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa0904252Dawood FS, 2009, NEW ENGL J MED, V360, P2605, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa0903810Shinde V, 2009, NEW ENGL J MED, V360, P2616, DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa0903812Belshe RB, 2009, NEW ENGL J MED, V360, P2667, DOI 10.1056/NEJMe09039952009, MMWR MORB MORTAL WKL, V58, P536*WHO, 2009, WKLY EPIDEMIOL REC, V84, P185*US CDCP, 2009, INT WHO GUID SURV HUHansell DM, 2008, RADIOLOGY, V246, P697DOLIN R, 2008, HARRISONS PRINCIPLES, P1127Grinblat L, 2003, RADIOLOGY, V228, P802, DOI 10.1148/radiol.2283030671Wong KT, 2003, RADIOLOGY, V228, P395, DOI 10.1148/radiol.2283030541*WHO, WORLD NOW START 2009*WHO, INFL A H1N1 UPD 68

Extraction of Electron Self-Energy and Gap Function in the Superconducting State of Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8 Superconductor via Laser-Based Angle-Resolved Photoemission

Super-high resolution laser-based angle-resolved photoemission measurements have been performed on a high temperature superconductor Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8. The band back-bending characteristic of the Bogoliubov-like quasiparticle dispersion is clearly revealed at low temperature in the superconducting state. This makes it possible for the first time to experimentally extract the complex electron self-energy and the complex gap function in the superconducting state. The resultant electron self-energy and gap function exhibit features at ~54 meV and ~40 meV, in addition to the superconducting gap-induced structure at lower binding energy and a broad featureless structure at higher binding energy. These information will provide key insight and constraints on the origin of electron pairing in high temperature superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Caspase-4 is essential for saikosaponin a-induced apoptosis acting upstream of caspase-2 and γ-H2AX in colon cancer cells

Saikosaponin a (SSa), a bioactive phytochemical from Bupleurum, triggers sequential caspase-2 and caspase-8 activation, and thereby induces caspase-mediated apoptosis in human colon carcinoma (HCC) cells. However, the upstream mechanism of caspase-2 activation remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the signaling mechanisms underlying SSa-induced caspase activation and apoptosis in HCC cells. SSa treatment triggered marked antitumor effects, especially in HCC cells, in a cell culture model and a mouse xenograft model. SSa also induced the activation of several endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signals. Specifically, caspase-4, a critical regulator of ER stress-induced apoptosis, was activated significantly after SSa treatment. Mechanistically, selective inhibition of caspase-4 suppressed SSa-induced apoptosis, colony inhibition, and the activation of caspase-3, -8, and -2, but not vice versa. Consistent with the important role of caspase-2 in the DNA damage response, SSa induced DNA damage, as evidenced by a cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay, single-cell gel electrophoresis, and an increase in the levels of γ-H2AX, a DNA damage marker. Moreover, inhibition of caspase-4 activation inhibited SSa-induced histone H2AX phosphorylation. Taken together, these results suggest that caspase-4 is an upstream regulator of SSa-induced DNA damage and caspase activation in HCC cells. Given that SSa-induced apoptosis appeared to be specific to certain cell types including HCC cells, SSa may be a promising cancer therapy agent in certain types of cancer