The allspice [Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill, Myrtaceae] in the Sierra Norte de Puebla (México)

13 páginas, 9 figuras, 3 tablas.[ES] Pimenta dioica es una miliacea neotropical de distribución mesoamericana y caribeña. En México vive hacia el este y sudeste. Sus frutos secos se utilizan como condimento, y se trata de un producto del mercado nacional mexicano que también se exporta a Alemania, Estados Unidos, Jamaica y Reino Unido. Aunque la mayoría de la cosecha proviene de la recolección de los frutos en árboles silvestres del bosque tropical, últimamente se tiende a cultivar esta especie en un proceso actual de domesticación. Se exponen datos sobre propagación, domesticación, cosecha, procesado, mercado e importancia socioeconómica de la pimienta de Jamaica en la Sierra Norte de Puebla (México), a partir de los datos de campo obtenidos principalmente en una comunidad indígena totonaca, en donde se usa como medicinal, en alimentación y en tecnología. Además se reseña una obra de carácter histórico sobre la pimienta de Gómez Ortega, que ofrece datos históricos, botánicos, de cultivo y de comercio de esta especie.[EN] Pimenta dioica, allspice, is a neotropical Myrtaceae distributed in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean region. Its área of distribution in México ranges along East and Southeast parts of the country. The main use of its dried fruits is as spice, being sold in Mexican nacional markets as well as exported to Germany, the United States, Jamaica and Great Britain. Most of the harvest comes from trees growing wild in tropical forests, although lately there is a trend to domesticate and cultivate the plant. This paper describes the propagation, domestication, harvesting, processing, marketing and socioeconomic importance of allspice in the Sierra Norte de Puebla (México). The fieldwork has been focused on Totonaca indigenous communities from this area. In these communities, allspice has medicinal use, and is used as a condiment for food; other technological and cultural uses have been also recorded. A historical monograph from Casimiro Gómez Ortega is reviewed. It includes information of the history, botany, cultivation and commerce of allspice.Este estudio se realizó dentro del período de disfrute de una Beca Intercampus E.AL./96 núm. 0384 de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI).Peer reviewe

Исследование волокнистых 3-д полимерных скэффолдов полученных методом электроформирования с минерализованой поверхностью волокон для костной инженерии

В настоящей работе приведены результаты получения нетканых волокнистых трехмерных скэффолдов на основе полигидроксибутирата или полигидроксибутират-гидроксивалерата с минерализованной поверхностью волокон по всему объему скэффолда, и исследования их морфологии, химического состава и структуры. Скэффолды были получены методом электроформирования при скорости вращения коллектора 1200 или 600 об/мин. Для получения полностью покрытых волокон повсему объему скэффолда частицами карбоната кальция использовалась ультразвуковая обработка в растворах хлористого кальция и карбоната натрия. Осуществлялся контроль массы образцов до и после каждой обработки. Для исследования морфологии скэффолдов использовалась сканирующая электронная микроскопия. Для исследования структуры и химического состава образцов использовались рентгеновский фазовый анализ и энергодисперсионная рентгеновская спектроскопия, соответственно

IL-1β Promotes Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms on Implants in vivo

Implant associated infections represent a serious health burden in clinics since some microorganisms are able to colonize biological surfaces or surfaces of indwelling medical devices and form biofilms. Biofilms represent communities of microorganisms attached to hydrated surfaces and enclosed in self-produced extracellular matrix. This renders them resistant to exogenous assaults like antibiotics or immune effector mechanisms. Little is known regarding the role of the immune system in the formation of biofilms during implant associated infections, largely due to the lack of suitable mouse models. Here we use colonized osmotic pumps in mice to study the interaction of an activated immune system with biofilm-forming Staphylococcus aureus encoding Gaussia luciferase. This approach permits biofilm formation on the osmotic pumps in living animals. It also allows the continuous supply of soluble immune cell activating agents, such as cytokines to study their effect on biofilm formation in vivo. Using non-invasive imaging of the bioluminescent signal emitted by the lux expressing bacteria for quantification of bacterial load in conjunction with light and electron microscopy, we observed that pump-supplied pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β strongly increased biofilm formation along with a massive influx of neutrophils adjacent to the biofilm-coated pumps. Thus, our data demonstrate that immune defense mechanisms can augment biofilm formation

Genetic variants of chemokine receptor CCR7 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome and systemic sclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The chemokine receptor CCR7 is a key organizer of the immune system. Gene targeting in mice revealed that Ccr7-deficient animals are severely impaired in the induction of central and peripheral tolerance. Due to these defects, Ccr7-deficient mice spontaneously develop multi-organ autoimmunity showing symptoms similar to those observed in humans suffering from connective tissue autoimmune diseases. However, it is unknown whether mutations of <it>CCR7 </it>are linked to autoimmunity in humans.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>DNA samples were collected from 160 patients suffering from connective tissue autoimmune disease (Sjogren's syndrome, n = 40; systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, n = 20 and systemic sclerosis, n = 100) and 40 health subjects (n = 40). All participants in this study were of German descent. Samples were screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) by sequencing the coding region of the <it>CCR7 </it>gene as well asthe exon flaking intron sites and parts of the regions encoding for the 5'- and 3'-UTR. <it>CCR7 </it>variants were rare. We identified six different sequence variants, which occurred in heterozygosis. The identified SNP were observed at position -60 C/T (observed 1x), +6,476 A/G (7x), +6,555 C/T (15x), +6,560 C/T (6x), +10,440 A/G (3x) and +11,475 C/A (1x). Four of these variants (+6,476 A/G, +6,555 C/T, +6,560 C/T and +10,440 A/G) display allelic frequencies between 1% and 5 % and were present in both patients and control groups. The variants +6,476 A/G, +6,555 C/T, +6,560 C/T are located in the intron 2, while the +10,440 A/G variant corresponds to a silent mutation in exon 3. The variants -60 C/T and +11,475 C/A which are located at the 5'-UTR and 3-UTR respectively, display allelic frequencies below 1%. No correlation between these variants and the autoimmune diseases investigated could be observed. However, reporter gene expression assay demonstrated that the mutation at the -60 C/T position in homozygosis leads to reduced luciferase activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that variants of <it>CCR7 </it>gene occur at an extremely low frequency in the German population and that neither Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, nor systemic sclerosis are associated with these variants. Nevertheless, the decreased luciferase activity observed in cells transfected with the promoter region bearing the -60 C/T mutation suggests that this <it>CCR7 </it>variant could potentially lead to increased susceptibility to autoimmunity.</p

Синтез диарилиодониевых солей в соответствии с принципами «зеленой» химии

Объектами исследования являются диарилиодониевые тозилаты и бромиды. Цель работы – разработка нового метода получения соединений поливалентного иода – диарилиодониевых солей, в частности замещенных диарилиодониевых тозилатов и бромидов с применением окислительной системы на основе Oxone®, серной кислоты и силикагеля. В ходе проведенного исследования были получены субстраты: 4-метилфенилфенилиодониевые тозилаты и бромиды, 2,6-диметилфенилфенилиодониевые тозилаты и бромиды, 2,4,6-триметилфенилфенилиодониевые тозилаты и бромиды, 2,3,5,6-тетрафенилфенилиодониевые тозилаты и бромиды. Область применения: синтезированные продукты могут применяться в качестве фотоинициаторов катионной полимеризации ряда мономеров. Экономическая эффективность/значимость работы определяется следующими факторами: 1) разработанные методики обладают меньшей токсичностью по сравнению с методиками для получения аналогичных соединений; 2) отсутствие данных реагентов на отечественном рынке.Objects of research are diaryliodonium tosylates and bromides. Purpose of work is development of a new method of receiving polyvalent iodine compounds – diaryliodonium salts in particular diaryliodonium tosylates with using of oxidizing system based on Oxone® sulfuric acid and silica gel for the further carrying out of anion exchange reaction. In the course of research 4-methylphenylphenyliodonium tosylates and bromides, 2,6-dimethylphenylphenyliodonium tosylates and bromides, 2,4,6-trimethylphenylphenyliodonium tosylates and bromides, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenylphenyliodonium tosylates and bromides have been received. The synthesized products can be applied as photoinitiators of cationic polymerization of a number of monomers. Economic efficiency / importance of work is defined by the following factors: 1) the developed techniques possess smaller toxicity in comparison with techniques for obtaining similar substances; 2) lack of these reagents in the local market

CCR7 ligands stimulate the intranodal motility of T lymphocytes in vivo

In contrast to lymphocyte homing, little is known about molecular cues controlling the motility of lymphocytes within lymphoid organs. Applying intravital two-photon microscopy, we demonstrate that chemokine receptor CCR7 signaling enhances the intranodal motility of CD4+ T cells. Compared to wild-type (WT) cells, the average velocity and mean motility coefficient of adoptively transferred CCR7-deficient CD4+ T lymphocytes in T cell areas of WT recipients were reduced by 33 and 55%, respectively. Both parameters were comparably reduced for WT T lymphocytes migrating in T cell areas of plt/plt mice lacking CCR7 ligands. Importantly, systemic application of the CCR7 ligand CCL21 was sufficient to rescue the motility of WT T lymphocytes inside T cell areas of plt/plt recipients. Comparing the movement behavior of T cells in subcapsular areas that are devoid of detectable amounts of CCR7 ligands even in WT mice, we failed to reveal any differences between WT and plt/plt recipients. Furthermore, in both WT and plt/plt recipients, highly motile T cells rapidly accumulated in the subcapsular region after subcutaneous injection of the CCR7 ligand CCL19. Collectively, these data identify CCR7 and its ligands as important chemokinetic factors stimulating the basal motility of CD4+ T cells inside lymph nodes in vivo

Stromal mesenteric lymph node cells are essential for the generation of gut-homing T cells in vivo

T cells primed in the gut-draining mesenteric lymph nodes (mLN) are imprinted to express α4β7-integrin and chemokine receptor CCR9, thereby enabling lymphocytes to migrate to the small intestine. In vitro activation by intestinal dendritic cells (DC) or addition of retinoic acid (RA) is sufficient to instruct expression of these gut-homing molecules. We report that in vivo stroma cells, but not DC, allow the mLN to induce the generation of gut tropism. Peripheral LN (pLN) transplanted into the gut mesenteries fail to support the generation of gut-homing T cells, even though gut-derived DC enter the transplants and prime T cells. DC that fail to induce α4β7-integrin and CCR9 in vitro readily induce these factors in vivo upon injection into mLN afferent lymphatics. Moreover, uniquely mesenteric but not pLN stroma cells express high levels of RA-producing enzymes and support induction of CCR9 on activated T cells in vitro. These results demonstrate a hitherto unrecognized contribution of stromal cell delivered signals, including RA, on the imprinting of tissue tropism in vivo

Chemokine Receptor CCR9 Contributes to the Localization of Plasma Cells to the Small Intestine

Humoral immunity in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue is characterized by the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) by antibody-secreting plasma cells (PCs) in the lamina propria. The chemokine CCL25 is expressed by intestinal epithelial cells and is capable of inducing chemotaxis of IgA+ PCs in vitro. Using a newly generated monoclonal antibody against murine CCR9, we show that IgA+ PCs express high levels of CCR9 in the mesenteric lymph node (MLN) and Peyer's patches (PPs), but down-regulate CCR9 once they are located in the small intestine. In CCR9-deficient mice, IgA+ PCs are substantially reduced in number in the lamina propria of the small intestine. In adoptive transfer experiments, CCR9-deficient IgA+ PCs show reduced migration into the small intestine compared with wild-type controls. Furthermore, CCR9 mutants fail to mount a regular IgA response to an orally administered antigen, although the architecture and cell type composition of PPs and MLN are unaffected and are functional for the generation of IgA PCs. These findings provide profound in vivo evidence that CCL25/CCR9 guides PCs into the small intestine

Thymic T Cell Development and Progenitor Localization Depend on CCR7

T cell differentiation in the adult thymus depends on sequential interactions between lymphoid progenitors and stromal cells found in distinct regions of the cortex and medulla. Therefore, migration of T cell progenitors through distinct stromal environments seems to be a crucial process regulating differentiation and homeostasis inside the thymus

Functional specialization of gut CD103+ dendritic cells in the regulation of tissue-selective T cell homing

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) dendritic cells (DCs) display a unique ability to generate CCR9+α4β7+ gut-tropic CD8+ effector T cells. We demonstrate efficient induction of CCR9 and α4β7 on CD8+ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) after oral but not intraperitoneal (i.p.) antigen administration indicating differential targeting of DCs via the oral route. In vitro, lamina propria (LP)–derived DCs were more potent than MLN or Peyer's patch DCs in their ability to generate CCR9+α4β7+ CD8+ T cells. The integrin α chain CD103 (αE) was expressed on almost all LP DCs, a subset of MLN DCs, but on few splenic DCs. CD103+ MLN DCs were reduced in number in CCR7−/− mice and, although CD8+ T cells proliferated in the MLNs of CCR7−/− mice after i.p. but not oral antigen administration, they failed to express CCR9 and had reduced levels of α4β7. Strikingly, although CD103+ and CD103− MLN DCs were equally potent at inducing CD8+ T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, only CD103+ DCs were capable of generating gut-tropic CD8+ effector T cells in vitro. Collectively, these results demonstrate a unique function for LP-derived CD103+ MLN DCs in the generation of gut-tropic effector T cells