3,113 research outputs found
Valproic acid inhibits interferon-γ production by NK cells and increases susceptibility to <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> infection
Early Exposure of Human Neutrophils to Mycobacteria Triggers Cell Damage and Pro-Inhibitory Molecules, but not Activation
Capgras syndrome as a psychiatric manifestation in Parkinson’s disease: a case report and literature review
We present the case of a 58-year-old male patient who had symptoms of anxiety after witnessing a case of social violence in his community in 2005. After that, he presented symptoms of Parkinson Disease and in 2006 we established this as the main diagnosis. In 2009 he presented neuropsychiatric symptoms such as apathy, anhedonia, social isolation, blunted affect, visual
and auditory hallucinations, paranoid delusions, soliloquies, and the false belief that his wife and daughter had been replaced by identical impostors. We established the diagnosis of Capgras Syndrome. This case is clinically relevant because of the presentation of its symptoms, its evolution and its presenting comorbidity
The histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid attenuates phospholipase Cγ2 and IgE-mediated mast cell activation.
Mast cell activation through the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) plays a central role in allergic reactions. FcεRI-mediated activation triggers multiple signaling pathways leading to degranulation and synthesis of different inflammatory mediators. IgE-mediated mast cell activation can be modulated by different molecules, including several drugs. Herein, we investigated the immunomodulatory activity of the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) on IgE-mediated mast cell activation. To this end, bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) were sensitized with IgE and treated with VPA followed by FcεRI cross-linking. The results indicated that VPA reduced mast cell IgE-dependent degranulation and cytokine release. VPA also induced a significant reduction in the cell surface expression of FcεRI and CD117, but not other mast cell surface molecules. Interestingly, VPA treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of PLCγ2, a key signaling molecule involved in IgE-mediated degranulation and cytokine secretion. However, VPA did not affect the phosphorylation of other key components of the FcεRI signaling pathway, such as Syk, Akt, ERK1/2, or p38. Altogether, our data demonstrate that VPA affects PLCγ2 phosphorylation, which in turn decreases IgE-mediated mast cell activation. These results suggest that VPA might be a key modulator of allergic reactions and might be a promising therapeutic candidate
ARCRAIDER II: Arc search in a sample of non-Abell clusters
We present a search for gravitational arcs in a sample of X-ray luminous,
medium redshift clusters of galaxies. The sample of clusters is called
ARCRAIDER, is based on the ROSAT Bright Survey (RBS) and fulfills the following
criteria: (a) X-ray luminosity Lx>=0.5x10^45erg/s (0.5-2keV band), (b) redshift
range 0.1<=z<=0.52, (c) classified as clusters in the RBS, (d) not a member of
the Abell catalogue and, finally, (e) visible from the ESO sites La
Silla/Paranal (declination \delta<=20deg). In total we found more than 35
(giant) arc/arclet candidates, including a possible radial arc, one
galaxy-galaxy lensing event and a possible quasar triple image in 14 of the 21
clusters of galaxies. Hence 66% of the sample members are possible lenses.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 8 pages
(excl. Appendix), 6 figures, 9 tables; Please download the high-res images of
the appendix from
http://astro-staff.uibk.ac.at/~w.kausch/ARCRAIDER_II_images.tar.g
Valproic acid restricts mast cell activation by Listeria monocytogenes.
Mast cells (MC) play a central role in the early containment of bacterial infections, such as that caused by Listeria monocytogenes (L.m). The mechanisms of MC activation induced by L.m infection are well known, so it is possible to evaluate whether they are susceptible to targeting and modulation by different drugs. Recent evidence indicates that valproic acid (VPA) inhibits the immune response which favors L.m pathogenesis in vivo. Herein, we examined the immunomodulatory effect of VPA on L.m-mediated MC activation. To this end, bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) were pre-incubated with VPA and then stimulated with L.m. We found that VPA reduced MC degranulation and cytokine release induced by L.m. MC activation during L.m infection relies on Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2) engagement, however VPA treatment did not affect MC TLR2 cell surface expression. Moreover, VPA was able to decrease MC activation by the classic TLR2 ligands, peptidoglycan and lipopeptide Pam3CSK4. VPA also reduced cytokine production in response to Listeriolysin O (LLO), which activates MC by a TLR2-independent mechanism. In addition, VPA decreased the activation of critical events on MC signaling cascades, such as the increase on intracellular Ca2+ and phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2 and -p65 subunit of NF-κB. Altogether, our data demonstrate that VPA affects key cell signaling events that regulate MC activation following L.m infection. These results indicate that VPA can modulate the functional activity of different immune cells that participate in the control of L.m infection
Low-Dose Amphotericin B and Murine Dialyzable Spleen Extracts Protect against SystemicCandidaInfection in Mice
Candida albicans causes opportunistic systemic infections with high mortality (30%–50%). Despite significant nephrotoxicity, amphotericin (AmB) is still used for the treatment of this serious fungal infection. Therefore, alternative treatments are urgently needed. Dialyzable leukocyte extracts have been used successfully to treat patients with mucocutaneous candidiasis, but their effectiveness in systemic candidiasis has not been evaluated. In this study, low-dose AmB (0.1 mg/kg) plus 10 pg of murine dialyzable spleen extracts (mDSE) were tested in a systemic candidiasis mouse model. Survival, tissue fungal burden, kidney damage, kidney cytokines, and serum levels of IL-6 and hepcidin were evaluated. Our results showed that the combined treatment of low-dose AmB plus mDSE improved survival and reduced kidney fungal burden and histopathology; these effects correlated with increased kidney concentration of IFN-γ and TGF-β1, decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10, as well as high levels of systemic IL-6 and hepcidin. Low-dose AmB and mDSE synergized to clear the infectious agent and reduced tissue damage, confirming the efficacy of a low dose of AmB, which might decrease the risk of drug toxicity. Further studies are necessary to explore these findings and its implications in future therapeutic approaches
Search for right-handed W bosons in top quark decay
We present a measurement of the fraction f+ of right-handed W bosons produced
in top quark decays, based on a candidate sample of events in the
lepton+jets decay mode. These data correspond to an integrated luminosity of
230pb^-1, collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron
Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. We use a constrained fit to reconstruct the
kinematics of the and decay products, which allows for the
measurement of the leptonic decay angle for each event. By comparing
the distribution from the data with those for the expected
background and signal for various values of f+, we find
f+=0.00+-0.13(stat)+-0.07(syst). This measurement is consistent with the
standard model prediction of f+=3.6x10^-4.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review D Rapid Communications 7 pages, 3
figure
Measurement of the Lifetime Difference in the B_s^0 System
We present a study of the decay B_s^0 -> J/psi phi We obtain the CP-odd
fraction in the final state at time zero, R_perp = 0.16 +/- 0.10 (stat) +/-
0.02 (syst), the average lifetime of the (B_s, B_sbar) system, tau (B_s^0)
=1.39^{+0.13}_{-0.16} (stat) ^{+0.01}_{-0.02} (syst) ps, and the relative width
difference between the heavy and light mass eigenstates, Delta Gamma/Gamma =
(Gamma_L - Gamma_H)/Gamma =0.24^{+0.28}_{-0.38} (stat) ^{+0.03}_{-0.04} (syst).
With the additional constraint from the world average of the B_s^0$lifetime
measurements using semileptonic decays, we find tau (B_s^0)= 1.39 +/- 0.06 ~ps
and Delta Gamma/\Gamma = 0.25^{+0.14}_{-0.15}. For the ratio of the B_s^0 and
B^0 lifetimes we obtain tau(B_s^0)/tau(B^0)} = 0.91 +/- 0.09 (stat) +/- 0.003
(syst).Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. FERMILAB-PUB-05-324-
A search for W bb and W Higgs production in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV
We present a search for W b \bar{b} production in p \bar{p} collisions at
sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV in events containing one electron, an imbalance in transverse
momentum, and two b-tagged jets. Using 174 pb-1 of integrated luminosity
accumulated by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider, and the
standard-model description of such events, we set a 95% C.L. upper limit on W b
\bar{b}WH--$135
GeV.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, submitted to Physical Review Letter
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