Dietary Protein Deficiency and Mycobacterium Bovis BCG Affect Interleukin-2 Activity in Experimental Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Inbred strain 2 guinea pigs were vaccinated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG or were left unvaccinated. They were maintained for 6 weeks on defined, isocaloric diets containing either 30% (control animals) or 10% (animals receiving low protein) ovalbumin as the sole protein source. Animals were challenged by the respiratory route with a low dose of virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv and killed 4 weeks later. Protein-malnourished animals were not protected by previous vaccination with BCG. Lymphocytes isolated from various tissues were tested in vitro for proliferative responses to mitogen (concanavalin A) and antigen (purified protein derivative [PPD]), production of interleukin-2 (IL-2), and response to exogenous recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2). Protein-malnourished guinea pigs responded only weakly to PPD skin tests, and their blood and lymph node lymphocytes exhibited impaired proliferation when cultured with PPD in vitro. IL-2 levels were consistently low in cultures of stimulated blood and spleen lymphocytes from protein-deprived animals. BCG vaccination of nutritionally normal guinea pigs, on the other hand, induced significantly more IL-2 production by PPD- and concanavalin A-stimulated lymphocytes. The addition of exogenous mouse rIL-2 (40 and 80 U/ml) in vitro to PPD-stimulated blood and lymph node cells from nonvaccinated, protein-deprived guinea pigs resulted in no improvement of the proliferative response. Previous vaccination of malnourished guinea pigs did not consistently enhance the response of PPD-stimulated lymphocytes to added rIL-2. Dietary protein deficiency and BCG vaccination appear to modulate antigen-driven cellular immunity in animals with tuberculosis by altering the production of, and the response to, IL-2 by PPD-stimulated lymphocytes

Ablation loading of barium ions into a surface electrode trap

Trapped-ion quantum information processing may benefit from qubits encoded in isotopes that are practically available in only small quantities, e.g. due to low natural abundance or radioactivity. Laser ablation provides a method of controllably liberating neutral atoms or ions from low-volume targets, but energetic ablation products can be difficult to confine in the small ion-electrode distance, micron-scale, microfabricated traps amenable to high-speed, high-fidelity manipulation of ion arrays. Here we investigate ablation-based ion loading into surface-electrode traps of different sizes to test a model describing ion loading probability as a function of effective trap volume and other trap parameters. We demonstrate loading of ablated and photoionized barium in two cryogenic surface-electrode traps with 730 $\mu$m and 50 $\mu$m ion-electrode distances. Our loading success probability agrees with a predictive analytical model, providing insight for the confinement of limited-quantity species of interest for quantum computing, simulation, and sensing

Ruptured heterotopic pregnancy presenting as hemorrhagic shock

Background: Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare event consisting of simultaneous intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancies. If undiagnosed, it is probable the patient will present to an Emergency Department and require emergent care. Case Report: A 25 year-old woman arrived at the Emergency Department at 14 weeks gestation reporting sharp abdominal cramping and pelvic pain with a history of current tobacco use. Trans-abdominal ultrasound revealed a viable intrauterine pregnancy consistent with 14 weeks, closed cervix with free fluid noted in pelvis, and no evidence of ovarian torsion. Over the next three hours, the patient’s condition deteriorated and hemoglobin levels dropped. The surgeon on call was consulted and suspected ruptured hepatic adenoma versus hepatic hemangioma versus visceral aneurysm. A laparotomy was emergently performed with supraceliac control of aorta to permit resuscitation, and the right and left upper quadrants of the abdominal cavity were investigated without discovery of bleeding source. Further investigation revealed ruptured left tubal ectopic pregnancy and a partial salpingectomy was performed. Conclusions: This case serves as a clinical reminder that while heterotopic pregnancy is thought to be rare, when a patient presents with known intrauterine pregnancy and abdominal pain, heterotopic pregnancy should be included in the differential diagnosis. More common use of assisted reproductive technology may increase the incidence of heterotopic pregnancies, making familiarity with the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for this condition important

Tc-99m pyrophosphate imaging of poloxamer-treated electroporated skeletal muscle in an in vivo rat model

Objective: This study investigates whether 99mTc pyrophosphate (PYP) imaging provides a quantitative non-invasive assessment of the extent of electroporation injury, and of the effect of poloxamer in vivo on electroporated skeletal muscle. Methods: High-voltage electrical shock was used to produce electroporation injury in an anesthetized rat\u27s hind limb. In each experiment, the injured limb was treated intravenously by either poloxamer-188, dextran, or saline, and subsequently imaged with 99mTc PYP. The radiotracer\u27s temporal behavior among the experimental groups was compared using curve fitting of time-activity curves from the dynamic image data. Results: The washout kinetics of 99mTc PYP changed in proportion to the electric current magnitude that produced electroporation. Also, 99mTc PYP washout from electroporated muscle differed between poloxamer-188 treatment and saline treatment. Finally, 10-kDa dextran treatment of electroporated muscle altered 99mTc PYP washout less than poloxamer-188 treatment. Conclusions: Behavior of 99mTc PYP in electroporated muscle appears to be an indicator of the amount of electroporation injury. Compared to saline, intravenous polaxamer-188 treatment reduced the amount of 99mTc PYP uptake. Coupled to results showing poloxamer-188 seals ruptured cellular membranes, lessens the extent of electroporation injury and improves cell viability, 99mTc PYP imaging appears to be a useful in vivo monitoring tool for the extent of electroporation injury. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI

Reduced parasitemia observed with erythrocytes containing inositol hexaphosphate.

Chemicals entrapped in erythrocytes by hypotonic hemolysis can be assessed for possible antiparasitic activity both in vivo and in vitro, regardless of whether they are able to diffuse into erythrocytes readily. Inositol hexaphosphate, a highly charged compound, produced a dramatic lowering of the percentage of cells infected by Babesia microti in vivo and both B. microti and Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. Several possible mechanisms for this observation are discussed