Investigation of the morphological diversity of the potentially zoonoticTrypanosoma copemaniin quokkas and Gilbert's potoroos

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 142 (11) ◽  
pp. 1443-1452 ◽  
Author(s):  
JILL M. AUSTEN ◽  
SIMON A. REID ◽  
DERRICK R. ROBINSON ◽  
JAMES A. FRIEND ◽  
WILLIAM G. F. DITCHAM ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Normal Human

SUMMARYTrypanosomes are blood-borne parasites that can cause severe disease in both humans and animals, yet little is known of the pathogenicity and life-cycles of trypanosomes in native Australian mammals.Trypanosoma copemaniis known to be infective to a variety of Australian marsupials and has recently been shown to be potentially zoonotic as it is resistant to normal human serum. In the present study,in vivoandin vitroexamination of blood and cultures from Australian marsupials was conducted using light microscopy, immunofluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and fluorescencein situhybridization. Promastigote, sphaeromastigote and amastigote life-cycle stages were detectedin vivoandin vitro. Novel trypanosome-like stages were also detected bothin vivoandin vitrorepresenting an oval stage, an extremely thin stage, an adherent stage and a tiny round stage. The tiny round and adherent stages appeared to adhere to erythrocytes causing potential haematological damage with clinical effects similar to haemolytic anaemia. The present study shows for the first time that trypomastigotes are not the only life-cycle stages circulating within the blood stream of trypanosome infected Australian native marsupials and provides insights into possible pathogenic mechanisms of this potentially zoonotic trypanosome species.

scholarly journals EFFICIENCY OF GLUTAMYL PEPTIDE POLYMERS AS PLASMA VOLUME EXTENDERS

1956 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 667-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Rosenthal ◽  
Daniel J. O'Connell ◽  
D. Robert Axelrod ◽  
Max Bovarnick
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Plasma Volume ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Polyglutamic Acid ◽  
Scale Preparation ◽  
Peptide Polymers ◽  
Volume Retention

A series of polymers of polyglutamic acid have been tested as plasma volume expanders. The results indicate that those polymers prepared from backbones of 40,000 molecular weight or over and side chains of 3,000 molecular weight or over, will have plasma volume retention half-life of 15 hours or longer. Measurements of the oncotic efficiency of these polymers in vivo indicated a blood stream fluid retention of approximately 51 ml./gm. of polymer. Similar measurements of polymer-serum albumin solutions in vitro showed a retention of 52 ml./gm. of polymer. The clinical response to infusion of solutions of these polymers indicated no untoward pharmacological properties. Although the number of trials presented is too small for ultimate conclusion regarding either the physiological or clinical effects of these polymers, they do provide a strong indication of the desirability of further clinical testing of this polymer and a sound basis on which to plan the larger scale preparation of polymer. Both measures are currently under way.

Presence and Possible Origin of ɛ(γ-Glutamyl)Lysine Isodipeptide in Human Plasma

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (01) ◽  
pp. 060-062 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Harsfalvi ◽  
E Tarcsa ◽  
M Udvardy ◽  
G Zajka ◽  
T Szarvas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Plasma ◽  
Fibrinolytic Therapy ◽  
Normal Human Plasma ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
Hplc Technique ◽  
Significant Change

Summaryɛ(γ-glutamyl)lysine isodipeptide has been detected in normal human plasma by a sensitive HPLC technique in a concentration of 1.9-3.6 μmol/1. Incubation of in vitro clotted plasma at 37° C for 12 h resulted in an increased amount of isodipeptide, and there was no further significant change when streptokinase was also present. Increased in vivo isodipeptide concentrations were also observed in hypercoagulable states and during fibrinolytic therapy.

scholarly journals Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals ex vivo signatures of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells through ‘reverse phenotyping’

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Fischer ◽  
Meshal Ansari ◽  
Karolin I. Wagner ◽  
Sebastian Jarosch ◽  
Yiqi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Rna Sequencing ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Human Leukocyte ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing

AbstractThe in vivo phenotypic profile of T cells reactive to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 antigens remains poorly understood. Conventional methods to detect antigen-reactive T cells require in vitro antigenic re-stimulation or highly individualized peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) multimers. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to identify and profile SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. To do so, we induce transcriptional shifts by antigenic stimulation in vitro and take advantage of natural T cell receptor (TCR) sequences of clonally expanded T cells as barcodes for ‘reverse phenotyping’. This allows identification of SARS-CoV-2-reactive TCRs and reveals phenotypic effects introduced by antigen-specific stimulation. We characterize transcriptional signatures of currently and previously activated SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells, and show correspondence with phenotypes of T cells from the respiratory tract of patients with severe disease in the presence or absence of virus in independent cohorts. Reverse phenotyping is a powerful tool to provide an integrated insight into cellular states of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells across tissues and activation states.

scholarly journals Lankesterella (Apicomplexa, Lankesterellidae) Blood Parasites of Passeriform Birds: Prevalence, Molecular and Morphological Characterization, with Notes on Sporozoite Persistence In Vivo and Development In Vitro

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1451
Author(s):  
Carolina Romeiro Fernandes Chagas ◽  
Josef Harl ◽  
Vytautas Preikša ◽  
Dovilė Bukauskaitė ◽  
Mikas Ilgūnas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characterization ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Serinus Canaria ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Development In Vitro

Recent studies confirmed that some Hepatozoon-like blood parasites (Apicomplexa) of birds are closely related to the amphibian parasite Lankesterella minima. Little is known about the biology of these pathogens in birds, including their distribution, life cycles, specificity, vectors, and molecular characterization. Using blood samples of 641 birds from 16 species, we (i) determined the prevalence and molecular diversity of Lankesterella parasites in naturally infected birds; (ii) investigated the development of Lankesterella kabeeni in laboratory-reared mosquitoes, Culex pipiens forma molestus and Aedes aegypti; and (iii) tested experimentally the susceptibility of domestic canaries, Serinus canaria, to this parasite. This study combined molecular and morphological diagnostic methods and determined 11% prevalence of Lankesterella parasites in Acrocephalidae birds; 16 Lankesterella lineages with a certain degree of host specificity and two new species (Lankesterella vacuolata n. sp. and Lankesterella macrovacuolata n. sp.) were found and characterized. Lankesterella kabeeni (formerly Hepatozoon kabeeni) was re-described. Serinus canaria were resistant after various experimental exposures. Lankesterella sporozoites rapidly escaped from host cells in vitro. Sporozoites persisted for a long time in infected mosquitoes (up to 42 days post exposure). Our study demonstrated a high diversity of Lankesterella parasites in birds, and showed that several avian Hepatozoon-like parasites, in fact, belong to Lankesterella genus.

scholarly journals Effect of cannulation site on emboli travel during cardiac surgery

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mira Puthettu ◽  
Stijn Vandenberghe ◽  
Stefanos Demertzis
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
In Vitro Study ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Air Bubbles ◽  
Arterial Tree ◽  
Air Bubble ◽  
Cannulation Site ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background During cardiac surgery, micro-air emboli regularly enter the blood stream and can cause cognitive impairment or stroke. It is not clearly understood whether the most threatening air emboli are generated by the heart-lung machine (HLM) or by the blood-air contact when opening the heart. We performed an in vitro study to assess, for the two sources, air emboli distribution in the arterial tree, especially in the brain region, during cardiac surgery with different cannulation sites. Methods A model of the arterial tree was 3D printed and included in a hydraulic circuit, divided such that flow going to the brain was separated from the rest of the circuit. Air micro-emboli were injected either in the HLM (“ECC Bubbles”) or in the mock left ventricle (“Heart Bubbles”) to simulate the two sources. Emboli distribution was measured with an ultrasonic bubble counter. Five repetitions were performed for each combination of injection site and cannulation site, where air bubble counts and volumes were recorded. Air bubbles were separated in three categories based on size. Results For both injection sites, it was possible to identify statistically significant differences between cannulation sites. For ECC Bubbles, axillary cannulation led to a higher amount of air bubbles in the brain with medium-sized bubbles. For Heart Bubbles, aortic cannulation showed a significantly bigger embolic load in the brain with large bubbles. Conclusions These preliminary in vitro findings showed that air embolic load in the brain may be dependent on the cannulation site, which deserves further in vivo exploration.

scholarly journals The anti-angiogenic isoforms of VEGF in health and disease

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1207-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Qiu ◽  
Coralie Hoareau-Aveilla ◽  
Sebastian Oltean ◽  
Steven J. Harper ◽  
David O. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Splice Site ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Age Related Macular Degeneration ◽  
Splicing Factor ◽  
Splice Site Selection ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Normal Human ◽  
Radical Revision

Anti-angiogenic VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) isoforms, generated from differential splicing of exon 8, are widely expressed in normal human tissues but down-regulated in cancers and other pathologies associated with abnormal angiogenesis (cancer, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, the Denys–Drash syndrome and pre-eclampsia). Administration of recombinant VEGF165b inhibits ocular angiogenesis in mouse models of retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, and colorectal carcinoma and metastatic melanoma. Splicing factors and their regulatory molecules alter splice site selection, such that cells can switch from the anti-angiogenic VEGFxxxb isoforms to the pro-angiogenic VEGFxxx isoforms, including SRp55 (serine/arginine protein 55), ASF/SF2 (alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2) and SRPK (serine arginine domain protein kinase), and inhibitors of these molecules can inhibit angiogenesis in the eye, and splice site selection in cancer cells, opening up the possibility of using splicing factor inhibitors as novel anti-angiogenic therapeutics. Endogenous anti-angiogenic VEGFxxxb isoforms are cytoprotective for endothelial, epithelial and neuronal cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting both an improved safety profile and an explanation for unpredicted anti-VEGF side effects. In summary, C-terminal distal splicing is a key component of VEGF biology, overlooked by the vast majority of publications in the field, and these findings require a radical revision of our understanding of VEGF biology in normal human physiology.

Azole-resistant and -susceptible Aspergillus fumigatus isolates show comparable fitness and azole treatment outcome in immunocompetent mice

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 703-710
Author(s):  
Michaela Lackner ◽  
Günter Rambach ◽  
Emina Jukic ◽  
Bettina Sartori ◽  
Josef Fritz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Clinical Parameters ◽  
Fitness Advantage ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Immunocompetent Mice

Abstract No data are available on the in vivo impact of infections with in vitro azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in immunocompetent hosts. Here, the aim was to investigate fungal fitness and treatment response in immunocompetent mice infected with A. fumigatus (parental strain [ps]) and isogenic mutants carrying either the mutation M220K or G54W (cyp51A). The efficacy of itraconazole (ITC) and posaconazole (PSC) was investigated in mice, intravenously challenged either with a single or a combination of ps and mutants (6 × 105 conidia/mouse). Organ fungal burden and clinical parameters were measured. In coinfection models, no fitness advantage was observed for the ps strain when compared to the mutants (M220K and G54W) independent of the presence or absence of azole-treatment. For G54W, M220K, and the ps, no statistically significant difference in ITC and PSC treatment was observed in respect to fungal kidney burden. However, clinical parameters suggest that in particular the azole-resistant strain carrying the mutation G54W caused a more severe disease than the ps strain. Mice infected with G54W showed a significant decline in body weight and lymphocyte counts, while spleen/body weight ratio and granulocyte counts were increased. In immunocompetent mice, in vitro azole-resistance did not translate into therapeutic failure by either ITC or PSC; the immune system appears to play the key role in clearing the infection.

scholarly journals THE EFFECT OF RHEUMATOID FACTORS AND OF ANTIGLOBULINS ON IMMUNE HEMOLYSIS IN VIVO

1963 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel E. Kaplan ◽  
James H. Jandl
Keyword(s):  
Protein Content ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Body Fluids ◽  
Red Cells ◽  
Rheumatoid Factors ◽  
Low Protein ◽  
Immune Hemolysis

Studies were undertaken in man and in the rat comparing the effects of rheumatoid factors and immune antiglobulins on red cells sensitized with incomplete antibodies. The interaction of immune antiglobulins with sensitized red cells produced (a) agglutination in vitro and (b) an accelerated sequestration of the sensitized cells in vivo. In contrast, rheumatoid macroglobulins, although capable of agglutinating Rh-sensitized red cells in vitro, did not modify their destruction in vivo. The failure of rheumatoid factors to function as antiglobulins in vivo appears to reflect their non-reactivity with sensitized cells in whole serum. It is suggested: (a) that the native (7S) gamma globulins of plasma competitively inhibit rheumatoid factors from reacting with fixed antibody in the blood stream; (b) that if these macroglobulins do indeed have pathogenetic activity, this may be limited to body fluids of low protein content.

Autonomy and integration in complex parasite life cycles

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1824-1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL P. BENESH
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Functional Specialization ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Free Living ◽  
New Host ◽  
Complex Life Cycles ◽  
Life Cycle Stages

SUMMARYComplex life cycles are common in free-living and parasitic organisms alike. The adaptive decoupling hypothesis postulates that separate life cycle stages have a degree of developmental and genetic autonomy, allowing them to be independently optimized for dissimilar, competing tasks. That is, complex life cycles evolved to facilitate functional specialization. Here, I review the connections between the different stages in parasite life cycles. I first examine evolutionary connections between life stages, such as the genetic coupling of parasite performance in consecutive hosts, the interspecific correlations between traits expressed in different hosts, and the developmental and functional obstacles to stage loss. Then, I evaluate how environmental factors link life stages through carryover effects, where stressful larval conditions impact parasites even after transmission to a new host. There is evidence for both autonomy and integration across stages, so the relevant question becomes how integrated are parasite life cycles and through what mechanisms? By highlighting how genetics, development, selection and the environment can lead to interdependencies among successive life stages, I wish to promote a holistic approach to studying complex life cycle parasites and emphasize that what happens in one stage is potentially highly relevant for later stages.

scholarly journals MBX-500, a Hybrid Antibiotic withIn VitroandIn VivoEfficacy against Toxigenic Clostridium difficile

2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (9) ◽  
pp. 4786-4792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Butler ◽  
Dean L. Shinabarger ◽  
Diane M. Citron ◽  
Ciarán P. Kelly ◽  
Sofya Dvoskin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Resistance Development ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileinfection (CDI) causes moderate to severe disease, resulting in diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. CDI is difficult to treat due to production of inflammation-inducing toxins, resistance development, and high probability of recurrence. Only two antibiotics are approved for the treatment of CDI, and the pipeline for therapeutic agents contains few new drugs. MBX-500 is a hybrid antibacterial, composed of an anilinouracil DNA polymerase inhibitor linked to a fluoroquinolone DNA gyrase/topoisomerase inhibitor, with potential as a new therapeutic for CDI treatment. Since MBX-500 inhibits three bacterial targets, it has been previously shown to be minimally susceptible to resistance development. In the present study, thein vitroandin vivoefficacies of MBX-500 were explored against the Gram-positive anaerobe,C. difficile. MBX-500 displayed potency across nearly 50 isolates, including those of the fluoroquinolone-resistant, toxin-overproducing NAP1/027 ribotype, performing as well as comparator antibiotics vancomycin and metronidazole. Furthermore, MBX-500 was a narrow-spectrum agent, displaying poor activity against many other gut anaerobes. MBX-500 was active in acute and recurrent infections in a toxigenic hamster model of CDI, exhibiting full protection against acute infections and prevention of recurrence in 70% of the animals. Hamsters treated with MBX-500 displayed significantly greater weight gain than did those treated with vancomycin. Finally, MBX-500 was efficacious in a murine model of CDI, again demonstrating a fully protective effect and permitting near-normal weight gain in the treated animals. These selective anti-CDI features support the further development of MBX 500 for the treatment of CDI.

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