The Elipse® swallowable intragastric balloon: First experience in Peru

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Immune response to gut escherichia coli and susceptibility to adjuvant arthritis in the rats

We have investigated the humoral immune response to antigens of predominant gut aerobic bacterial strains (i.e. Escherichia coli) over the course of adjuvant arthritis and oil-induced arthritis in two inbred rat strains: Dark Agouti (DA) and Albino Oxford (AO). We report the presence of antibodies specific to proteins of Escherichia coli in molecular weight range between 20-30 kDa in sera of diseased DA rats, and the absence of these antibodies in the sera of AO rats. In DA rats, CFA and IFA provoked a stronger antibody response to Escherichia coli, especially of the IgG2b antibody class. Intramuscular administration of Escherichia coli preceding the adjuvant arthritis induction had no effect on the development and course of disease, as well as on the activation of T cells in the draining inguinal lymph nodes. Higher serum levels of natural and induced IgA antibodies, combined with a higher CD3(+)CD26(+) cell percentage were found in AO rats. The observed correlation between the serologic response to commensal flora and rats' genetic background as a defining factor for arthritis susceptibility may contribute to the process of creating a favorable (or less favorable) milieu for arthritis development

Identification of Tsetse (Glossina spp.) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry

Glossina (G.) spp. (Diptera: Glossinidae), known as tsetse flies, are vectors of African trypanosomes that cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in domestic livestock. Knowledge on tsetse distribution and accurate species identification help identify potential vector intervention sites. Morphological species identification of tsetse is challenging and sometimes not accurate. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS) technique, already standardised for microbial identification, could become a standard method for tsetse fly diagnostics. Therefore, a unique spectra reference database was created for five lab-reared species of riverine-, savannah- and forest- type tsetse flies and incorporated with the commercial Biotyper 3.0 database. The standard formic acid/acetonitrile extraction of male and female whole insects and their body parts (head, thorax, abdomen, wings and legs) was used to obtain the flies' proteins. The computed composite correlation index and cluster analysis revealed the suitability of any tsetse body part for a rapid taxonomical identification. Phyloproteomic analysis revealed that the peak patterns of G. brevipalpis differed greatly from the other tsetse. This outcome was comparable to previous theories that they might be considered as a sister group to other tsetse spp. Freshly extracted samples were found to be matched at the species level. However, sex differentiation proved to be less reliable. Similarly processed samples of the common house fly Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae; strain: Lei) did not yield any match with the tsetse reference database. The inclusion of additional strains of morphologically defined wild caught flies of known origin and the availability of large-scale mass spectrometry data could facilitate rapid tsetse species identification in the futur

Anti-inflammatory Effects of Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Experimental Intestinal Inflammation

Electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus nerve is an emerging treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, side effects from cervical vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) are often reported by patients. Here we hypothesized that stimulating the vagus nerve closer to the end organ will have fewer off-target effects and will effectively reduce intestinal inflammation. Specifically, we aimed to: (i) compare off-target effects during abdominal and cervical VNS; (ii) verify that VNS levels were suprathreshold; and (iii) determine whether abdominal VNS reduces chemically-induced intestinal inflammation in rats. An electrode array was developed in-house to stimulate and record vagal neural responses. In a non-recovery experiment, stimulation-induced off-target effects were measured by implanting the cervical and abdominal vagus nerves of anaesthetized rats (n = 5) and recording changes to heart rate, respiration and blood pressure during stimulation (10 Hz; symmetric biphasic current pulse; 320 nC per phase). In a chronic experiment, the efficacy of VNS treatment was assessed by implanting an electrode array onto the abdominal vagus nerve and recording in vivo electrically-evoked neural responses during the implantation period. After 14 days, the intestine was inflamed with TNBS (2.5% 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid) and rats received therapeutic VNS (n = 7; 10 Hz; 320 nC per phase; 3 h/day) or no stimulation (n = 8) for 4.5 days. Stool quality, plasma C-reactive protein and histology of the inflamed intestine were assessed. Data show that abdominal VNS had no effect (two-way RM-ANOVA: P ≥ 0.05) on cardiac, respiratory and blood pressure parameters. However, during cervical VNS heart rate decreased by 31 ± 9 beats/minute (P ≥ 0.05), respiration was inhibited and blood pressure decreased. Data addressing efficacy of VNS treatment show that electrically-evoked neural response thresholds remained stable (one-way RM ANOVA: P ≥ 0.05) and therapeutic stimulation remained above threshold. Chronically stimulated rats, compared to unstimulated rats, had improved stool quality (two-way RM ANOVA: P < 0.0001), no blood in feces (P < 0.0001), reduced plasma C-reactive protein (two-way RM ANOVA: P < 0.05) and a reduction in resident inflammatory cell populations within the intestine (Kruskal-Wallis: P < 0.05). In conclusion, abdominal VNS did not evoke off-target effects, is an effective treatment of TNBS-induced inflammation, and may be an effective treatment of IBD in humans

Compartment- and malignance-dependent up-regulation of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase and dipetidylpeptidase-IV activity in human brain gliomas

γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT, syn. γ-Glutamyltransferase) and dipeptidylpeptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activity participates in metabolic and growth control of normal and tumor cells by processing biologically active peptides. Here, we report on up-regulation of these enzymes in human brain gliomas determined by catalytic enzyme histochemistry and immunocytochemistry. Higher activity of GGT was found in 50%, 68% and 81% of WHO grade II, III and IV tumors, respectively. The process started at/near the microvasculature, from where it spread to the parenchyma. On average, the enzyme activity in grade II, III and IV gliomas exceeded controls 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5-fold, respectively. Up-regulation of DPP-IV-like activity also started at the microvasculature, but mainly in pericytes and mononuclear-like cells around the vessels and dispersed in the parenchyma. Marked elevation of this enzyme activity, comprising also tumor parenchyma, occurred only in grade IV glioblastomas (65% patients; 3.6 times above controls) which can, therefore, help in their differentiation from grade III gliomas. The increase of total DPP-IV-like activity also included its two enzymatic homologs, the canonical DPP-IV/CD26 and FAP-1α. The increase in GGT is supposed to be a tumor grade dependent response of microvasculature and tumor astrocytes to stress induced by tissue hypoxia and/or the metabolic aberrancies. The increase in DPP-IV-like activity in high-grade tumors can be attributed to inflammatory/scavenging processes performed by the mononuclear-like cells and, in glioblastomas, also to regressive changes in the structure and function of the microvasculature and tumor parenchyma, including astrocyte stress response. The inverse relationship between DPP-IV-like activity and Ki67 in most glioblastomas and shorter survival time of patients with low activity of this enzyme also suggest its anti-oncogenic effect

Identification of Gram-positive cocci by use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry: comparison of different preparation methods and implementation of a practical algorithm for routine diagnostics

This study compared three sample preparation methods (direct transfer, the direct transfer-formic acid method with on-target formic acid treatment, and ethanol-formic acid extraction) for the identification of Gram-positive cocci with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A total of 156 Gram-positive cocci representing the clinically most important genera, Aerococcus, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus, as well as more rare genera, such as Gemella and Granulicatella, were analyzed using a Bruker MALDI Biotyper. The rate of correct genus-level identifications was approximately 99% for all three sample preparation methods. The species identification rate was significantly higher for the direct transfer-formic acid method and ethanol-formic acid extraction (both 77.6%) than for direct transfer (64.1%). Using direct transfer-formic acid compared to direct transfer, the total time to result was increased by 22.6%, 16.4%, and 8.5% analyzing 12, 48, and 96 samples per run, respectively. In a subsequent prospective study, 1,619 clinical isolates of Gram-positive cocci were analyzed under routine conditions by MALDI-TOF MS, using the direct transfer-formic acid preparation, and by conventional biochemical methods. For 95.6% of the isolates, a congruence between conventional and MALDI-TOF MS identification was observed. Two major limitations were found using MALDI-TOF MS: the differentiation of members of the Streptococcus mitis group and the identification of Streptococcus dysgalactiae. The Bruker MALDI Biotyper system using the direct transfer-formic acid sample preparation method was shown to be a highly reliable tool for the identification of Gram-positive cocci. We here suggest a practical algorithm for the clinical laboratory combining MALDI-TOF MS with phenotypic and molecular methods

MICROWAVE OBSERVATION OF THE OH-H2_2O RADICAL COMPLEX

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,; MN 55455; Department of Chemistry, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002-5000The radical complex OH-H$_2$O has been observed by rotational spectroscopy. Spectra for $^1$$^6$OH-$^1$$^6$OH$_2$O and $^1$$^8$OH-$^1$$^8$OH$_2$ have been analyzed using a two-state model which accounts for nuclear motion on both the $^2$A$^\prime$ and $^2$A$^{\prime\prime}$ potential surfaces. Partial quenching of the OH orbital angular momentum dramatically affects the rotational spectra, and the $^2$A$^\prime$-$^2$A$^{\prime\prime}$ energy separation, $\rho$, is determined to be -146.50744(42) \wn. The ground state of the complex has approximately 86{\%} $^2$A$^\prime$ character and the vibrationally averaged OH-OH$_2$ hydrogen bond distance is 1.952 \AA. The magnetic hyperfine constants for the OH proton in the complex are significantly altered from monomer values