Effects of Space Flight on Neutrophil Functions in Astronauts

Neutrophil phagocytosis, oxidative burst, degranulation, and the expression of selected surface markers were studied in 25 astronauts following 4 space shuttle missions. Space flight duration ranged from 5 to 11 days. Blood specimens were obtained 10 days before launch, immediately after landing, and again at 3 days after landing. The number of neutrophils increased at landing by 85%. Phagocytosis of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and oxidative burst following the medium length (9 to 11 days) missions were lower than the control mean values. Whereas, following the short-duration (5 days) mission, these functions were unchanged from control values. No consistent changes in degranulation were observed following either short or medium length space missions. The expression of CD16, CD32, CD11a, CD11b, CD11c, L-selectin and CD36 were measured and found to be variable. Specifically, CD16 and CD32 did not correlate with the changes in oxidative burst. Mission duration appears to be a factor in phagocytic and oxidative functions

Characterization of Fluffy A. nidulans Mutants Induced by 5-Azacytidine and 4-Nitroquinoline-1-Oxide

Program year: 1990/1991Digitized from print original stored in HDRThe manner in which the fluF mutation was isolated makes it very interesting because it suggests that it may arise from an epigenetic defect. 5-Azacytidine (5-AC) treatment results in a high frequency of conversion of wild type to fluffy suggesting that the mutation may arise from the demethylation of a sequence that is normally methylated. If true, this would be the first example of an epigenetic event altering the development in a filamentous fungal system. It is also important to note that A. nidulans is characterized by a negligible level of methylation, if methylation exists at all (2). However, 5-AC has been shown to induce permanent heritable phenotypic changes in a variety of eukaryotic systems. Further evidence shows that control of gene expression in more complex systems is related to methylation of cytosines in the DNA and that these methylayion patterns are inherited (8). It would be interesting to characterize fluF and determine the mechanisms involved in its expression. Other chemical mutagens may be used to induce fluffy mutants as well. Although such treatment could result in many types of mutants, visual screening may be used to isolate only those mutants with the fluffy appearance. In these experiments two mutagens, 5-AC and 4-Nitroquinoline-1- (NQO), were used to induce and isolate fluffy mutants. 5-AC is an analog of cytosine that has a nitrogen atom substituted for a carbon at the site of methylation. When incorporated into the DNA, even at marginal levels, it inhibits eukaryotic DNA methyl transferase, thus causing extensive hypomethylation of the DNA. NQO is a classical mutagen that has been used extensively in A. nidulans because it induces mutation primarily in GC base pairs, and is easy to inactivate (3). In these studies, mutants were divided into two groups for the purpose of analyzing the 5-AC and NQO mutants separately. The fluffy strains were then divided into groups based on whether or not conidiation was completely abolished. Further characterization was based on appearance (fluffiness and conidiation), growth rate, reaction to changes in nutrient supply, and ability to extracellularly complement the acoD mutation. Genetic crosses were utilized to determine the number of loci affected and to obtain recombinants

Phytochemicals and Their Usefulness in the Maintenance of Health

Inflammation is the immune system’s first biological response to infection, injury, or irritation. Evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory effect is mediated by the regulation of various inflammatory cytokines, such as nitric oxide, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor alpha-α, interferon gamma-γ, as well as the non-cytokine mediator, prostaglandin E2. Currently, the mechanism of action and clinical usefulness of phytochemicals is known; their action on the activity of cytokines, free radicals, and oxidative stress. The latter are of great relevance in the development of diseases, such that the evidence collected demonstrates the beneficial effects of phytochemicals in maintaining health. Epidemiological evidence indicates that regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is related to a low risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways