Adenosine-regulated mechanisms in the pathogenesis of ventilation disorders in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis

Uncovering involvement of the purinergic system in the pathogenesis of ventilation disorders (VD) may provide additional information about the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to the development of VD in pulmonary tuberculosis (PT). The aim was to identify a relationship between the parameters of adenosine metabolism, inflammatory response and altered ventilation metabolism in PT patients. Materials and methods. Obstructive and mixed PT patients were assigned to subgroups with/without VD for assessing adenosine deaminase activity (ADA-1, 2) in serum, mononuclear cells, neutrophils; ecto-5’-nucleotidase (ecto-5’-NT); CD26 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4, DPP-4), phagocyte oxidative burst measured by NO generation. Results. PT patients showed decreased ADA-1 and CD26 (DPP-4), but increased ADA-2. Elevated intracellular adenosine concentration was found in mononuclear cells in patients lacking VD, whereas patients with mixed and obstructive VD — had it in neutrophils. Mononuclear cells of patients with PT lacking VD as well as with obstructive VD type had decreased NO3– concentration. Neutrophil hyperactivity was recorded in all groups of PT patients. Patients with PT lacking VD as well as with mixed VD type showed that the parameters of external respiration were associated with activity of extra-/intracellular ADA, whereas obstructive VD was caused by excessive formation of serum adenosine. Changes in respiratory function in PT were associated with decreased level of serum NO radicals, impaired nitrogen-dependent bactericidal phagocyte activity, and overproduced neutrophil oxygen radicals. Conclusion. Purinergic regulation is involved in regulating inflammatory and compensatory processes in PT patients as well as impaired ventilation efficiency. The most severe respiratory disorders observed in PT patients with mixed VD type are associated with the most prominent changes in nucleotidase activity, particularly ecto-ADA-2 and DPP-4/CD26.

Effect of the administration of probiotic Bacillus NP5 in the rearing media on water quality, growth, and disease resistance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Putra AN, Syamsunarno MB, Ningrum W, Jumyanah, Mustahal. 2020. Effect of the administration of probiotic Bacillus NP5 in the rearing media on water quality, growth, and disease resistance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Biodiversitas 21: 2566-2575. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of administration of the probiotic Bacillus NP5 in rearing media on water quality, growth, and disease resistance of African catfish. The study consisted of three different concentrations of probiotic Bacillus NP5 - C: control, A: probiotic Bacillus NP5 of 1 x 109 CFU/mL, and B: probiotic Bacillus NP5 of 1 x 1010 CFU/mL, on the rearing media of African catfish for 45 days. Based on the results, the lowest significant ammonia (P <0.05) was found in treatment A (1.91 ± 0.17 mg/L), then followed by B (2.12 ± 0.14 mg/L) while the highest was in the control (2.36 ± 0.19 mg/L). Treatment A also had a better immune response compared to other treatments shown with the highest significant number of leukocytes at 6.69 ± 0.17 x 104 cells/mm3 and phagocyte activity at 65.19 ± 0.04%. Furthermore, treatment A significantly resulted in the best specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio (2.02 ± 0.07%.day-1, 1.05 ± 0.07, respectively). The administration of probiotic Bacillus NP5 of 1 x 109 CFU/mL in rearing media significantly improved the ammonia value, growth, and resistance of African catfish to Aeromonas hydrophila infection.

Salmonella Extracellular Polymeric Substances Modulate Innate Phagocyte Activity and Enhance Tolerance of Biofilm-Associated Bacteria to Oxidative Stress

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi causes 14.3 million acute cases of typhoid fever that are responsible for 136,000 deaths each year. Chronic infections occur in 3%–5% of those infected and S. Typhi persists primarily in the gallbladder by forming biofilms on cholesterol gallstones, but how these bacterial communities evade host immunity is not known. Salmonella biofilms produce several extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) during chronic infection, which are hypothesized to prevent pathogen clearance either by protecting biofilm-associated bacteria from direct humoral attack or by modulating innate phagocyte interaction with biofilms. Using wild-type and EPS-deficient planktonic and biofilm Salmonella, the direct attack hypothesis was tested by challenging biofilms with human serum and antimicrobial peptides. Biofilms were found to be tolerant to these molecules, but these phenotypes were independent of the tested EPSs. By examining macrophage and neutrophil responses, new roles for biofilm-associated capsular polysaccharides and slime polysaccharides were identified. The S. Typhi Vi antigen was found to modulate innate immunity by reducing macrophage nitric oxide production and neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The slime polysaccharides colanic acid and cellulose were found to be immune-stimulating and represent a key difference between non-typhoidal serovars and typhoidal serovars, which do not express colanic acid. Furthermore, biofilm tolerance to the exogenously-supplied ROS intermediates hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hypochlorite (ClO−) indicated an additional role of the capsular polysaccharides for both serovars in recalcitrance to H2O2 but not ClO−, providing new understanding of the stalemate that arises during chronic infections and offering new directions for mechanistic and clinical studies.

Measurement of phagocyte activity in heterotherms

The heterotherm immune system undergoes significant variation in response to life cycle periodicity and torpor. As heterothermic bats are important reservoirs of zoonotic agents and modulation of immune activity can affect host-pathogen interactions, this work aimed at developing a suitable method for assessing heterotherm phagocyte activity. Chemiluminescence measurements were evaluated by mathematical and mechanistic approaches, both of which yielded comparable results in time-related parameters of phagocyte activity. Using a mathematical method, however, we developed a model that can be applied to particular specimens. The proposed equation offers a simple and reliable tool for comparing phagocyte activity, the values of which can be used for further analysis. While time-related parameters of bat phagocyte activity varied with measurement temperature, with the onset of respiratory burst at 38 °C being quicker than at 25 °C, quantitative values ​​of phagocyte activity were not influenced by measurement temperature. Further, homeotherm phagocyte activity parameters were more variable at 25 °C. Considering there was no influence of measurement temperature on the total volume of heterotherm phagocyte activity, we suggest that parameters measured at 25 °C are more representative of the immune status adapted to physiological extremes at low body temperatures.

Pemanfaatan ekstrak Wortel (Daucus carrota L.) sebagai imunostimulan pada ikan Kakap Putih (Lates calcarifer)

This study aims to determine the effect of carrot extract on the phagocyte activity of Vibrio alginolyticus in white snapper. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications. The treatments used respectively as follows, treatment A: 0 µl extract/individu, B: 100 µl extract/individu, C: 150 μl extract/individu, and D: 200 μl extract/individu. The average value of phagocytic activity tended to increase, namely treatment A 8.67%; treatment B 9.33%; treatment C 11.00%; and treatment D 14.00%. Carrot extract can increase phagocytic activity of white snapper. An effective dose that can increase the immune response of white snapper was 200 µl extract/individu of fish.

EFFECTS OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL NEUROTHERAPY IN REGULATION IMMUNE RESPONSE COMBINED WITH STANDARD ANTITUBERCULOSIS DRUG THERAPY IN ACUTE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS

The aim of this study was to assess optimizing effects of antistress neurotechnologies on the clinical course of acute pulmonary tuberculosis. The study was performed in three steps: upon admission before treatment, followed by repeated examination at 2 and 4 months. The patients before study were divided into the two groups: (1) 33 patients received standard antituberculosis drug therapy (SDT) and (2) 35 cases after standard antituberculosis drug therapy accompanied by neurothechnological anti-stress therapy (NAT). Patients from the NAT group received a regular audio-visual-vibrotactile stimulation as additional therapy (2 to 3 30-min sessions per week during 4 months). By the time of hospitalization, the groups did not differ in their general immune state. The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD16+, CD19+as well as indexes of phagocyte activity showed some changes after 2 and 4 months of therapy. The patients from both groups before treatment exhibited lymphocytosis, decreased phagocyte activity, when compared to healthy individuals. By the end of therapy (4 months), the patients from the NAT group showed increased phagocytosis by monocytes (p < 0.01) and granulocytes (p < 0.05) which approached values of healthy control. The study demonstrated also that efficiency of combined therapy was higher in the NAT vs. SDT group: closure of lung destruction cavities was observed in 90.5% of patients from the NAT group vs 45% of patients from the STD group. The results present evidence for combined implementation of neurothechnological anti-stress therapies as a supplementary method for the standard specific drug therapy in primary infiltrative lung tuberculosis.