Antigenic Proteins Involved in Occupational Rhinitis 1 and Asthma Caused by Obeche Wood (Triplochiton Scleroxylon)

Background Obeche wood dust is a known cause of occupational asthma where an IgE-mediated mechanism has been demonstrated. Objective To characterize the allergenic profile of obeche wood dust and evaluate the reactivity of the proteins by in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assays in carpenters with confirmed rhinitis and/or asthma Materials and methods An in-house obeche extract was obtained, and two IgE binding bands were purified (24 and 12 kDa) and sequenced by N-terminal identity. Specific IgE and IgG, basophil activation tests and skin prick tests (SPTs) were performed with whole extract and purified proteins. CCD binding was analyzed by ELISA inhibition studies. Results Sixty-two subjects participated: 12 with confirmed occupational asthma/rhinitis (ORA+), 40 asymptomatic exposed (ORA−), and 10 controls. Of the confirmed subjects, 83% had a positive SPT to obeche. There was a 100% recognition by ELISA in symptomatic subjects vs. 30% and 10% in asymptomatic exposed subjects and controls respectively (p<0.05). Two new proteins were purified, a 24 kDa protein identified as a putative thaumatin-like protein and a 12 kDa gamma-expansin. Both showed allergenic activity in vitro, with the putative thaumatin being the most active, with 92% recognition by ELISA and 100% by basophil activation test in ORA+ subjects. Cross-reactivity due to CCD was ruled out in 82% of cases. Conclusions Two proteins of obeche wood were identified and were recognized by a high percentage of symptomatic subjects and by a small proportion of asymptomatic exposed subjects. Further studies are required to evaluate cross reactivity with other plant allergens

Exploration of analgesia with tramadol in the Coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis mouse model

Infection of mice with Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) triggers inflammation of the heart and this mouse model is commonly used to investigate underlying mechanisms and therapeutic aspects for viral myocarditis. Virus-triggered cytotoxicity and the activity of infiltrating immune cells contribute to cardiac tissue injury. In addition to cardiac manifestation, CVB3 causes cell death and inflammation in the pancreas. The resulting pancreatitis represents a severe burden and under such experimental conditions, analgesics may be supportive to improve the animals' well-being. Notably, several known mechanisms exist by which analgesics can interfere with the immune system and thereby compromise the feasibility of the model. We set up a study aiming to improve animal welfare while ensuring model integrity and investigated how tramadol, an opioid, affects virus-induced pathogenicity and immune response in the heart. Tramadol was administered seven days prior to a CVB3 infection in C57BL/6 mice and treatment was continued until the day of analysis. Tramadol had no effect on the virus titer or viral pathogenicity in the heart tissue and the inflammatory response, a hallmark of myocardial injury, was maintained. Our results show that tramadol exerts no disruptive effects on the CVB3 myocarditis mouse model and, therefore, the demonstrated protocol should be considered as a general analgesic strategy for CVB3 infection

A roadmap to improve the quality of atrial fibrillation management:proceedings from the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference

At least 30 million people worldwide carry a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), and many more suffer from undiagnosed, subclinical, or 'silent' AF. Atrial fibrillation-related cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including cardiovascular deaths, heart failure, stroke, and hospitalizations, remain unacceptably high, even when evidence-based therapies such as anticoagulation and rate control are used. Furthermore, it is still necessary to define how best to prevent AF, largely due to a lack of clinical measures that would allow identification of treatable causes of AF in any given patient. Hence, there are important unmet clinical and research needs in the evaluation and management of AF patients. The ensuing needs and opportunities for improving the quality of AF care were discussed during the fifth Atrial Fibrillation Network/European Heart Rhythm Association consensus conference in Nice, France, on 22 and 23 January 2015. Here, we report the outcome of this conference, with a focus on (i) learning from our 'neighbours' to improve AF care, (ii) patient-centred approaches to AF management, (iii) structured care of AF patients, (iv) improving the quality of AF treatment, and (v) personalization of AF management. This report ends with a list of priorities for research in AF patients

Whole genome shotgun sequencing guided-by bioinformatics pipelines - An optimized approach for an established technique

Kaiser O, Bartels D, Bekel T, et al. Whole genome shotgun sequencing guided-by bioinformatics pipelines - An optimized approach for an established technique. JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY. 2003;106(2-3):121-133.While the sequencing of bacterial genomes has become a routine procedure at major sequencing centers, there are still a number of genome projects at small- or medium-size facilities. For these facilities a maximum of control over sequencing, assembling and finishing is essential. At the same time, facilities have to be able to co-operate at minimum costs for the overall project. We have established a pipeline for the distributed sequencing of Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2, Azoarcus sp. BH72, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis NCPPB382, Sorangium cellulosum So ce56 and Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria 85-10. Our pipeline relies on standard tools (e.g. PHRED/PHRAP, CAP3 and Consed/Autofinish) wherever possible, supplementing them with new tools (BioMake and BACCardI) to achieve the aims described above. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Bioinformatics support for high-throughput proteomics

Wilke A, Rückert C, Bartels D, et al. Bioinformatics support for high-throughput proteomics. JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY. 2003;106(2-3):147-156.In the "post-genome" era, mass spectrometry (MS) has become an important method for the analysis of proteome data. The rapid advancement of this technique in combination with other methods used in proteomics results in an increasing number of high-throughput projects. This leads to an increasing amount of data that needs to be archived and analyzed. To cope with the need for automated data conversion, storage, and analysis in the field of proteomics, the open source system ProDB was developed. The system handles data conversion from different mass spectrometer software, automates data analysis, and allows the annotation of MS spectra (e.g. assign gene names, store data on protein modifications). The system is based on an extensible relational database to store the mass spectra together with the experimental setup. It also provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing the experimental steps which led to the MS data. Furthermore, it allows the integration of genome and proteome data. Data from an ongoing experiment was used to compare manual and automated analysis. First tests showed that the automation resulted in a significant saving of time. Furthermore, the quality and interpretability of the results was improved in all cases. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved