Theology, News and Notes - Vol. 14, No. 05

Theology News & Notes was a theological journal published by Fuller Theological Seminary from 1954 through 2014.https://digitalcommons.fuller.edu/tnn/1032/thumbnail.jp

Tissue Tropism and Target Cells of NSs-Deleted Rift Valley Fever Virus in Live Immunodeficient Mice

Rift Valley fever, caused by a member of the Bunyaviridae family, has spread during recent years to most sub-Saharan African countries, in Egypt and in the Arabian peninsula. The virus can be transmitted by insect vectors or by direct contacts with infectious tissues. The analysis of virus replication and dissemination in laboratory animals has been hampered by the need to euthanize sufficient numbers of animals and to assay appropriate organs at various time points after infection to evaluate the viral replication. By following the bioluminescence and fluorescence of Rift Valley fever viruses expressing light reporters, we were able to track the real-time dissemination of the viruses in live immunodeficient mice. We showed that the first infected organs were the thymus, spleen and liver, but the liver rapidly became the main location of viral replication. Phagocytes also appeared as important targets, and their systemic depletion by use of clodronate liposomes decreased the number of viruses in the blood, delayed the viral dissemination and prolonged the survival of the infected mice

Inhalation of chrysotile asbestos induces rapid cellular proliferation in small pulmonary vessels of mice and rats.

Asbestos inhalation in mice and rats causes a rapid proliferative response in epithelial and interstitial cells, followed by the development of an interstitial lesion at the first alveolar duct bifurcations where fiber deposition and alveolar macrophage accumulation occur. Here we report that endothelial and smooth muscle cells of arterioles and venules near the bifurcations incorporated significantly increased levels of 3H-TdR 19 to 72 hours after chrysotile exposure. As many as 28% of the vessels had labeled cells 31 hours after exposure. No labeled cells were observed in vessels from sham-exposed or iron-exposed controls. This proliferative response resulted in a doubling of both the number of smooth muscle cells and the thickness of the smooth muscle cell layer, determined by ultrastructural morphometry 1 month after exposure. The fact that a variety of cell types incorporates 3H-TdR so rapidly after asbestos inhalation leads us to speculate that the response involves the release of diffusible growth factors

Differential effects of age and sex on the cerebellar hemispheres and the vermis: A prospective MR

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of age and sex on the size of the cerebellar hemispheres, the cerebellar vermis, and the pons in healthy adults. METHODS: We estimated the volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres (excluding the vermis and the peduncles), the cross-sectional area of the vermis, and the cross-sectional area of the ventral pons from MR images obtained in 146 healthy volunteers, 18 to 77 years old. RESULTS: We found a mild but significant age-related reduction in the volume of the cerebellar hemispheres and in the total area of the cerebellar vermis; however, the analysis of age trends in the vermian lobules revealed differential age-related declines. The areas of lobules VI and VII and of the posterior vermian lobules (VIII–X) declined significantly with age, whereas the anterior vermis (I–V) showed no significant age-related shrinkage. The volume of the cerebellar hemispheres (especially the right) and the area of the anterior vermis were greater in men, even after adjustment for height. Neither age nor sex affected the area of the ventral pons. CONCLUSIONS: Normal aging of the cerebellum is associated with selective regional shrinkage. The cerebellar hemispheres and the area of the anterior vermis may be larger in men tha