BluePort: A Platform to Study the Eosinophilic Response of Mice to the Bite of a Vector of Leishmania Parasites, Lutzomyia longipalpis Sand Flies

transmission in residents of endemic areas has been attributed to the acquisition of immunity to sand fly salivary proteins. One theoretical way to accelerate the acquisition of this immunity is to increase the density of antigen-presenting cells at the sand fly bite site. Here we describe a novel tissue platform that can be used for this purpose. sand flies. Results presented indicate that a shift in the inflammatory response, from neutrophilic to eosinophilic, is the main histopathological feature associated with the immunity acquired through repeated exposure to the bite of sand flies, and that the BluePort tissue compartment could be used to accelerate this process. In addition, changes observed inside the BluePort parenchyma indicate that it could be used to study complex immunobiological processes, and to develop ectopic secondary lymphoid structures.Understanding the characteristics of the dermal response to the bite of sand flies is a critical element of strategies to control leishmaniasis using vaccines that target salivary proteins. Finding that dermal eosinophilia is such a prominent component of the anti-salivary immunity induced by repeated exposure to sand fly bites raises one important consideration: how to avoid the immunological conflict derived from a protective Th2-driven immunity directed to sand fly saliva with a protective Th1-driven immunity directed to the parasite. The BluePort platform is an ideal tool to address experimentally this conundrum

A retrospective study of visceral and non-visceral hemangiosarcoma and hemangiomas in domestic animals.

Abstract. Cases of hemangiosarcoma submitted to the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory during a 6-year period were reviewed. Visceral hemangiosarcomas represent less than 2% of canine specimens submitted for histologic examination and nonvisceral hemangiosarcoma less than 1%. Most nonvisceral hemangiosarcomas of dogs occur in skin. Hemangiosarcomas are less common in cats and usually occur in skin. They are also rare in other animal species. Animals with nonvisceral hemangiosarcomas are usually mature; dogs and cats average 10 years of age. The tumors develop in many different locations, and there is no sex predilection. A wide variety of dog breeds are affected, but Italian greyhounds, greyhounds, and whippets are overrepresented. Clinical outcomes of 76 cases of nonvisceral hemangiosarcomas in dogs and cats were obtained from submitting veterinarians. Completeness of excision of a tumor is the most important factor that can be used in predicting clinical outcome for an affected dog or cat. In all cases in which the animals were clinically normal for at least 1 year after surgical removal of a nonvisceral hemangiosarcoma, the margins were reported to be free of neoplastic cells. Degree of differentiation, mitotic rate, size of tumor, and presence or absence of epidermal ulceration, mast cells, or solar elastosis did not correlate with clinical outcome

Exploring the motivational brain: effects of implicit power motivation on brain activation in response to facial expressions of emotion

This study tested the hypothesis that implicit power motivation (nPower), in interaction with power incentives, influences activation of brain systems mediating motivation. Twelve individuals low (lowest quartile) and 12 individuals high (highest quartile) in nPower, as assessed per content coding of picture stories, were selected from a larger initial participant pool and participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging study during which they viewed high-dominance (angry faces), low-dominance (surprised faces) and control stimuli (neutral faces, gray squares) under oddball-task conditions. Consistent with hypotheses, high-power participants showed stronger activation in response to emotional faces in brain structures involved in emotion and motivation (insula, dorsal striatum, orbitofrontal cortex) than low-power participants

Localization and appearance of the BluePort tissue compartment.

<p>Macroscopic appearance of the blue nodule (BluePort) formed one month after injection of CBa-beads in the subcutaneous tissue of mice (A and B). Macroscopic (C) and microscopic appearance (D) of BluePort-associated skin 24 hours after exposure of naïve mice to the bite of <i>L. longipalpis</i> sand flies. Black arrows indicate skin erythema in (C), and vasodilatation of dermal blood vessels in (D). White arrow indicates vasodilatation of blood vessels inside the BluePort parenchyma in (D). Hematoxylin-eosin stain, magnification 100x in (D).</p

Chronic inflammatory response to CBa-beads.

<p>Histopathological changes observed 30 days (A and B), 60 days (C and D), 90 days (E and F) and 120 days (G and H) days after injection of CBa-beads. Arrows indicate endothelial cells in (A), macrophages in (B), neutrophils inside a blood vessel in (C), capsule in (D), multinucleated foreign-body giant cells in (E), mast cells in (F), eosinophils in (G) and lymphocytes in (H). Hematoxylin-eosin stain, 1000x magnification.</p

Inflammatory response in mice exposed twice to sand fly bites on BluePort-associated skin.

<p>Evolution of the inflammatory response in samples collected 24 hours (A, E and I), 48 hours (B, F and J), 72 hours (C, G and K) and 96 hours (D, H and L) after exposure for the second time to the bite of sand flies. Black arrows indicate neutrophils and white arrows indicate eosinophils. Hematoxylin-eosin stain. Magnification: 100x in (A–D), 1000x in dermis (E–H) and hypodermis (I–L).</p