Infection with Hymenolepis diminuta Is More Effective than Daily Corticosteroids in Blocking Chemically Induced Colitis in Mice

Purpose. To compare infection with the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, with steroid (dexamethasone) administration in the inhibition of dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid- (DNBS-) induced colitis in mice. Procedures. Mice were treated with DNBS ± infected with H. diminuta or treated with daily dexamethasone (2 mg/Kg, ip.) and were assessed 72 hours post-DNBS by the calculation of disease activity and histological damage scores, and spleen cell cytokine production. Results. H. diminuta-infected mice showed increased IL-4 and IL-10 production by spleen cells compared to other groups and were protected from DNBS-induced colitis. In contrast, there was little benefit of dexamethasone in the treatment of colitis. Collagen deposition in the colon was not different between the groups. Conclusions. H. diminuta was superior to dexamethasone in the prevention of DNBS-induced colitis and did not result in additional side effects (i.e., collagen deposition). Comparisons with current therapeutics and long-term followup to studies are essential if “helminth therapy” is to become a viable treatment for specific inflammatory diseases in the gut or other tissues

Imaging of cardiac neuronal function after cocaine exposure using Carbon-11 hydroxyephedrine and positron emission tomography

AbstractObjectives. The aim of the study was to define the effect of cocaine on the myocardial uptake and retention of C-11 hydroxyephedrine in the anesthetized dog model.Background. Cardiac toxcity of cocaine has been linked to its inhibitory effect on norepinephrine reuptake by the sympathetic nerve terminals of the heart. Carbon-11 hydroxyephedrine is a C-11-labled norepinephrine analog that has high specific affinity for uptake-1 and thus makes possible the assessment of the effect of cocaine on norepinephrine reuptake by cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals.Methods. The cardiac kinetics of C-11 hydroxyephedrine as assessed by dynamic positron emission tomographic imaging were used to characterize norepinephrine reuptake by the sympathetic nerve terminals. Carbon-11 hydroxyephedrine was injected intravenously before, as well as at 5 min and 2.5 h after, intravenous administration of 2 mg/kg body weight of cocaine in anesthetized dogs. Hemodynamic variables and microsphere-determined cardiac blood flow were also measured before and after cocaine exposure.Results. Intravenous injection of cocaine did not significantly affect hemodynamic variables and myocardial blood flow in the anesthetized animals. Compared with baseline, myocardial retention of C-11 hydroxyephedrine was significantly reduced by 78 ± 3% (mean ± SD) at 5 min and remained significantly reduced (28 ± 17%) at 2.5 h after cocaine injection. Cocaine administration after C-11 hydroxyephedrine injection (39 min) resulted in rapid biexponential clearance of C-11 hydroxyephedrine from myocardium.Conclusions. These results suggest prolonged effects of cocaine on the sympathetic nerve terminals of the heart. Positron emission tomography provides a noninvasive and sensitive means to objectively assess the cardiac pharmacokinetics of drugs such as cocaine

Shape and structure of N=Z 64Ge; Electromagnetic transition rates from the application of the Recoil Distance Method to knock-out reaction

Transition rate measurements are reported for the first and the second 2+ states in N=Z 64Ge. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with large-scale Shell Model calculations applying the recently developed GXPF1A interactions. Theoretical analysis suggests that 64Ge is a collective gamma-soft anharmonic vibrator. The measurement was done using the Recoil Distance Method (RDM) and a unique combination of state-of-the-art instruments at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). States of interest were populated via an intermediate-energy single-neutron knock-out reaction. RDM studies of knock-out and fragmentation reaction products hold the promise of reaching far from stability and providing lifetime information for excited states in a wide range of nuclei

Cría ganadera y riesgo: Evaluación mediante simulación Monte Carlo

Cualquier actividad productiva presenta en menor o mayor medida riesgo. La identificación de los orígenes y su cuantificación son de importancia a fines de su administración. En el sector agrícola, clima y precios de productos son las principales fuentes de riesgo. En ganadería el riesgo responde a una secuencia de variables: las condiciones meteorológicas inciden en el crecimiento del forraje y éste a su vez en la producción de carne. El precio también incide, pudiendo correlacionarse con la condición climática. La simulación Monte Carlo, al trabajar con variables aleatorias, es una herramienta adecuada para modelizar escenarios de decisiones como el mencionado. Su uso es frecuente en los cultivos agrícolas. Sin embargo son pocos los antecedentes en el caso de sistemas de cría de ganado vacuno. En este trabajo se confeccionó un modelo de toma de decisión para un establecimiento representativo del sudeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires dedicado a la cría bovina tecnológicamente convencional (con venta de terneros al destete y poca inversión en recursos forrajeros). Validado el modelo, se analizaron el resultado esperado y la variabilidad asociada al mismo. Será un punto de partida para evaluar sistemas ganaderos más intensivos en capital

Lifetime determination of excited states in Cd-106

Two separate experiments using the Differential Decay Curve Method have been performed to extract mean lifetimes of excited states in 106 Cd. The inedium-spin states of interest were populated by the Mo-98(C-12, 4n) Cd-106 reaction performed at the Wright Nuclear Structure Lab., Yale University. From this experiment, two isomeric state mean lifetimes have been deduced. The low-lying states were populated by the Mo-96(C-13, 3n)Cd-106 reaction performed at the Institut fur Kernphysik, Universitat zu Koln. The mean lifetime of the I-pi = 2(1)(+) state was deduced, tentatively, as 16.4(9) ps. This value differs from the previously accepted literature value from Coulomb excitation of 10.43(9) ps