Induction of cytolytic activity and interferon-gamma production in murine natural killer cells by polymyxins B and E

Natural killer (NK) cells are the primary effector cells of the innate immune system and have well-established roles in tumor rejection and resistance to viruses, bacteria and certain parasites. There is a need for more specific immune modulators of NK cell activity that tack the wide-ranging side effects of NK cell-stimulatory interleukins. The polycationic antibiotic polymyxin B (PMB) has been shown to have a unique ability to enhance activities of some immune cells, independent of its antibiotic properties. Here we report that both PMB and its analog potymyxin E (PME) markedly enhanced the activity of NK cells enriched from the murine spleen. Maximal activation of NK cell activity was obtained after 24 h of incubation with PMB at a dose of 300 mu g/ml. PMB nonapeptide, one of the two PMB domains, and PME methanesulfonate, the negatively charged derivative of PME, had little effect on NK cell activity. PMB induced interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-a production in NK cells. Proliferation of NK cells in vitro was significantly stimulated by being incubated with PMB. Administration of PMB to mice for 7 consecutive days stimulated splenic NK cell activity and increased NK cell populations in the spleen. These results suggest that the polycationic antibiotics PMB and PME may up-regulate innate and adaptive immune responses by induction of NK cell activity and IFN-gamma production.</p

Suppressive effect of azithromycin on Plasmodium berghei mosquito stage development and apicoplast replication

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Azithromycin (AZM) is a macrolide antibiotic that displays an excellent safety profile even in children and pregnant women and has been shown to have anti-malarial activity against blood stage <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. This study evaluated the transmission-blocking effect of AZM using a rodent malaria model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>AZM-treated mice infected with <it>Plasmodium berghei </it>were exposed to <it>Anopheles stephensi </it>mosquitoes, followed by the observation of parasite development at different phases in the mosquito, i.e., ookinetes in the midgut, oocysts on the midgut, and sporozoites in the midgut and salivary glands. Furthermore, to evaluate the effect on organelle replication of each stage, quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The inhibitory effect of AZM was noticeable in both gametocyte-ookinete transformation in the midgut and sporozoite production in the oocyst, while the latter was most remarkable among all the developmental phases examined. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that AZM suppressed apicoplast replication at the period of sporozoite production in oocysts.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AZM inhibits parasite development in the mosquito stage, probably through the same mechanism as in the liver and blood stages. Such a multi-targeting anti-malarial, along with its safety, would be ideal for mass drug administration in malaria control programmes.</p

オングルトウ キンボウ ノ ゼン カンブリアキ ヘンマガン ニヨル コチジキガクテキ ケンキュウ

第1次および第3次南極観測隊派遣の際,古地磁気学研究の目的をもって,東オングル島昭和基地附近の先カンブリア紀の片麻岩(biotite horn-blende granodioritic gneiss)を方向をつけて採集してきた.これらの岩石の自然残留磁気(NRMと略す)の測定結果から,岩石生成時の地球双極子の方向を計算すると,Lat.=19°N,Long.=167°Wとなる.また,岩石の片理面が岩石生成時には水平面であったと仮定し補正しても,Lat.=3°N,Long.=107°Wとなる.いずれにしても岩石のNRMの方向から推定される地球双極子軸の方向は,西太平洋赤道地域にあったこととなり,先カンブリア紀以来,地球磁極(すなわち地軸も)および南極大陸相互は,広範な移動および回転をしてきたことが示された.この論文では,以上の結論を確認するため,岩石のNRMが岩石生成時から,そのまま保存されてきたかどうかというテストを実験室で行なった結果についても同時に示されている

Planar CuO_2 hole density estimation in multilayered high-T_c cuprates

We report that planar CuO_2 hole densities in high-T_c cuprates are consistently determined by the Cu-NMR Knight shift. In single- and bi-layered cuprates, it is demonstrated that the spin part of the Knight shift K_s(300 K) at room temperature monotonically increases with the hole density $p$ from underdoped to overdoped regions, suggesting that the relationship of K_s(300 K) vs. p is a reliable measure to determine p. The validity of this K_s(300 K)-p relationship is confirmed by the investigation of the p-dependencies of hyperfine magnetic fields and of spin susceptibility for single- and bi-layered cuprates with tetragonal symmetry. Moreover, the analyses are compared with the NMR data on three-layered Ba_2Ca_2Cu_3O_6(F,O)_2, HgBa_2Ca_2Cu_3O_{8+delta}, and five-layered HgBa_2Ca_4Cu_5O_{12+delta}, which suggests the general applicability of the K_s(300 K)-p relationship to multilayered compounds with more than three CuO_2 planes. We remark that the measurement of K_s(300 K) enables us to separately estimate p for each CuO_2 plane in multilayered compounds, where doped hole carriers are inequivalent between outer CuO_2 planes and inner CuO_2 planes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 2 Tables, to be published in Physical Review

Computerized pattern making focus on fitting to 3D human body shapes

Purpose - This paper aims to describe the development of a method of constructing three-dimensional (3D) human body shapes that include a degree of ease for purpose of computerized pattern making. Design/methodology/approach - The body shape could be made with ease allowance to an individual's unique body shape using sweep method and a convex method. And then generates tight skirt patterns for the reconstructed virtual body shape using a computerized pattern making system. Findings - This paper obtains individual patterns using individually reconstructed 3D body shapes by computerized pattern development. In these patterns, complex curved lines such as waist lines and dart lines are created automatically using the developed method. The method is successfully used to make variations of a tight skirt to fit different size women. The author also used the method to make other skirts of various designs. Originality/value - The method described in this paper is useful for making patterns and then garments, without the need for the garments to be later adjusted for the subject.ArticleInternational Journal of Clothing Science and Technology. 22(1):16-24 (2010)journal articl