Regulatory T and B cells in asthmatic women: variations from pregnancy to postpartum Treg and Breg: pregnancy to postpartum

BACKGROUND: Allergic asthma and rhinitis are common in pregnancy. The immune mechanisms underlying the effects of pregnancy in asthma and vice-versa are not completely understood. OBJECTIVES: This work aimed to study the evolution of regulatory T and B cells in asthmatic pregnant women, from late pregnancy till postpartum. METHODS: Four groups of women were enrolled for this study: third trimester pregnant women, asthmatic (n=24) and healthy (n=43), and non-pregnant women, asthmatic (n=33) and healthy (n=35). Pregnant women were also evaluated postpartum (>6 weeks after delivery). Blood samples were taken from each woman and flow cytometry was used to characterize circulating regulatory T and B cells. Foxp3 expression was assessed within CD4DimCD25Hi regulatory T cells. RESULTS: In asthmatic and healthy pregnant women, regulatory T cells did not oscillate significantly from pregnancy to postpartum, but CD24HiCD38Hi regulatory B cells, decreased in pregnancy, rose significantly postpartum. Foxp3 expression in regulatory T cells was also impaired during pregnancy in asthmatic and healthy pregnant women, recovering postpartum. Nevertheless, asthmatic pregnant women presented higher Foxp3 expression than healthy pregnant women (p=0.007), probably due to the use of control medication. CONCLUSIONS: Women with controlled asthma present variations in regulatory cell subsets during pregnancy and postpartum. The similar pattern observed for Foxp3 expression and CD24HiCD38Hi regulatory B cells during this period corroborates the interaction established between regulatory T and B cells in immune responses. Considering the immunomodulatory potential of these immune mediators, more studies are needed to evaluate their relation with asthma and rhinitis complications in pregnancy

Serum markers of B-cell activation in pregnancy during late gestation, delivery, and the postpartum period

B cells are vital for the normal evolution of pregnancy due to their humoral and possible regulatory activities. Our group and others have documented that circulating B-cell subsets undergo changes from normal late pregnancy to the postpartum period. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Therefore, this study examined the degree of B-cell activation in normal pregnancy by analyzing the levels of serum markers in healthy pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy, the day of delivery, and the postpartum period. METHOD OF STUDY: A prospective study including pregnant and non-pregnant women attending routine care was undertaken at a hospital clinic. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, along with peripheral blood samples. The serum levels of soluble CD23 (sCD23), B-cell-activating factor (BAFF), kappa (κ) and lambda (λ) free light chains (FLC), IgA, IgG, and IgM were quantified. RESULTS: Our study included 43 third trimester pregnant and 35 non-pregnant women. In the pregnant women, the median levels of sCD23, BAFF, IgG, and κ FLC were significantly higher during the postpartum period than during the third trimester of pregnancy. Compared to the non-pregnant women, the third trimester pregnant women had higher median BAFF levels and lower sCD23, IgA, IgG, and FLC levels. CONCLUSION: Changes in serum markers of B-cell kinetics that occur during pregnancy often persist into the postpartum period and affect the secretion of immunoglobulins from different classes. Further studies are needed to clarify the biological significance of our observations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization of B cells in healthy pregnant women from late pregnancy to post-partum: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: B cells play a role in pregnancy due to their humoral and regulatory activities. To our knowledge, different maturational stages (from transitional to memory) of circulating B cell subsets have not yet been characterized (cell quantification and phenotype identification) in healthy pregnant women. Thus, the objective of our study was to characterize these subsets (as well as regulatory B cells) from late pregnancy to post-partum and to compare them with the circulating B cells of non-pregnant women. METHODS: In all of the enrolled women, flow cytometry was used to characterize the circulating B cell subsets according to the expression of IgD and CD38 (Bm1-Bm5 classification system). Regulatory B cells were characterized based on the expression of surface antigens (CD24, CD27, and CD38) and the production of IL-10 after lipopolysaccharide stimulation. RESULTS: Compared to the absolute counts of B cells in the non-pregnant women (n = 35), those in the pregnant women (n = 43) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and on delivery day (immediately after delivery). The percentages of these cells on delivery day and at post-partum were significantly lower than those in the non-pregnant women. In general, the absolute counts and percentages of the majority of the B cell subsets were significantly lower in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and on delivery day than in the non-pregnant women. However, these counts and percentages did not differ significantly between the post-partum and the non-pregnant women. The most notable exceptions to the above were the percentages of naïve B cells (which were significantly higher in the 3rd trimester and on delivery day than in the non-pregnant women) and of CD24(hi)CD38(hi) regulatory B cells (which were significantly higher in the post-partum than in the non-pregnant women). CONCLUSION: According to our study, the peripheral B cell compartment undergoes quantitative changes during normal late pregnancy and post-partum. Such findings may allow us to better understand immunomodulation during human pregnancy and provide evidence that could aid in the development of new strategies to diagnose and treat pregnancy-associated disturbances. Our findings could also be useful for studies of the mechanisms of maternal responses to vaccination and infection

Milk microbiome and bacterial load following dry cow therapy without antibiotics in dairy cows with healthy mammary gland

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T17:40:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2017-08-14Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Preventive infusion of antibiotics in the mammary gland of cows consumes 11 tons/year of medically relevant antimicrobials, yet, this practice might not be critical to prevent new infections in the healthy mammary gland of cows. Here, we used next-generation sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR to determine the impact of dry cow therapy without antibiotics on milk microbiome and bacterial load, respectively. Cows diagnosed as negative for mastitis at dry off were randomly allocated to receive antibiotic (intramammary ceftiofur hydrochloride) and teat sealant or just teat sealant. Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum, and Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, and Staphylococcus, often involved in mastitis cases, were the most abundant genera across treatments and time. However, there were no effects of antimicrobial on milk microbiome and bacterial load. Bacterial load was greater at seven days postpartum than at dry off. Dry cow therapy based on teat sealant without antibiotics can be used with no detrimental impacts on milk microbiome and bacterial load in cows with a healthy mammary gland.Univ Illinois, Dept Vet Clin Med, Champaign, IL 61820 USASao Paulo State Univ, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Inst Biosci, Botucatu, SP, BrazilCornell Univ, Dept Populat Med & Diagnost Sci, Ithaca, NY USAUniv Liverpool, Dept Epidemiol & Populat Hlth, Inst Infect & Global Hlth, Leahurst, Neston, EnglandSao Paulo State Univ, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Inst Biosci, Botucatu, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2015/15208

Economic impact of treatment for surgical site infections in cases of total knee arthroplasty in a tertiary public hospital in Brazil

The aim of this study was to estimate the additional cost of treatment of a group of nosocomial infections in a tertiary public hospital. A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted by means of analyzing the medical records of 34 patients with infection after total knee arthroplasty, diagnosed in 2006 and 2007, who met the criteria for nosocomial infection according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To estimate the direct costs of treatment for these patients, the following data were gathered: length of hospital stay, laboratory tests, imaging examinations, and surgical procedures performed. Their costs were estimated from the minimum values according to the Brazilian Medical Association. The estimated cost of the antibiotics used was also obtained. The total length of stay in the ward was 976 days, at a cost of US$18,994.63, and, in the intensive care unit, it was 34 days at a cost of US$ 5,031.37. Forty-two debridement procedures were performed, at a cost of US$5,798.06, and 1965 tests (laboratory and imaging) were also performed, at a cost of US$ 15,359.25. US$20,845.01 was spent on antibiotics and US$ 1,735.16 on vacuum assisted closure therapy, microsurgical flaps, implant removal, spacer use, and surgical revision. The total additional cost of these cases of hospital infection in 2006 and 2007 was of US$ 91,843.75. Based on that, we demonstrate that the high cost of treatment for hospital infections emphasizes the importance of taking measures to prevent and control hospital infection