Accumulation, distribution pattern and potential contamination of sulphur in vineyard soils of the Valdepeñas protected denomination origin

Soil is the basis for almost all global agriculture and the medium in which most terrestrial biological activity occurs. Viticulture represents an important agricultural practice in the Castilla-La Mancha (CLM) community. In this region, there are several protected denominations of origin (PDO), the largest being Valdepeñas. This paper describes the accumulation pattern of sulphur (S) in the vineyard soils of this PDO. Samples were collected from 90 vineyard soil profiles. Sulphur content was determined using an X-ray Fluorescence spectrometer in the solid mode on a powdered aliquot of each sample. The results indicated that the total S in soils varied from 0.54 to 6.90 (g·kg-1) in surface soil (0-30 cm) and from 0.39 to 2.80 (g·kg-1) on the subsurface layer (30-80 cm). When comparing the mean values of surface horizons to the subsurface horizons, S content lowered as soil depth increased. Kurtosis exceeded 45 % in all cases, which indicates a wide variability of concentrations. These findings can be explained by the continuous fertiliser and fungicide applications (and therefore S) in these production systems. Using the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), most soils were included in Class 0 (Igeo <0) and were, thus, S uncontaminated; only a few points can be considered pollutants. The obtained results should contribute to extend the scarce existing database on S in Mediterranean regions like that herein studied.

Post-immunobiotics increase resistance to primary respiratory syncytial virus infection and secondary pneumococcal pneumonia

Previously, we demonstrated that post-immunobiotics derived from Lactobacillus gasseri TMT36, TMT39, and TMT40 strains (HK36, HK39 and HK40, respectively) differentially regulated Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)-mediated antiviral respiratory immunity in infant mice. In this work, we investigated whether the HK36, HK39 and HK40 nasal treatments were able to improve the resistance against primary respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and secondary pneumococcal pneumonia. Our results demonstrated that the three treatments increased the resistance to primary viral infection by reducing variations in body weight, RSV titers and lung damage of infected infant mice. Post-immunobiotics significantly enhanced the expressions of interferon (IFN)-λ, IFN-β, IFN-γ, interleukin(IL) - 1β, IL-6, IL-27, Mx1, RNAseL and 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) genes and decreased tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in alveolar macrophages of RSV-challenged mice. In addition, the studies in the model of RSV-Streptococcus pneumoniae superinfection showed that the HK39 and HK40 treatments were capable of reducing lung damage, lung bacterial cell counts, and the dissemination of S. pneumoniae into the blood of infant mice. The protective effect was associated with increases in IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-27 in the respiratory tract. This study demonstrates that the nasal application of the post-immunobiotics HK39 and HK40 stimulates innate respiratory immunity and enhances the defences against primary RSV infection and secondary pneumococcal pneumonia offering an alternative to combat respiratory superinfections in children, which can be fatal.

Soymilk-fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii TUA4408L improves immune-health in pigs

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii TUA4408L has the ability to grow and ferment soymilk and is able to modulate the innate immune response of intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. These two properties prompt us to evaluate whether the soymilk fermented with the TUA4408L strain can induce beneficial immunomodulatory effects in vivo. For this purpose, pigs were selected as a preclinical model. The studies performed here demonstrated that the L. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii TUA4408L-fermented soymilk (TUA4408L FSM) reduced blood markers of inflammation and differentially regulated the expression of inflammatory and regulatory cytokines in the intestinal mucosa. These immunological changes induced by the TUA4408L FSM were associated to an enhanced resistance to pathogenic Escherichia coli and an improved grow performance and meat quality of pigs. The experiments and analysis in our study indicate that the immunobiotic TUA4408L FSM could be an interesting non-dairy functional food to beneficially modulate the intestinal immune system, improve protection against pathogens and reduce inflammatory damage. The preclinical study carried out here in pigs could have a better correlation in humans, compared to a rodent model. However, the clinical relevance of these findings still needs to be confirmed by further research, for example, in controlled human challenge studies.

Oral Vaccination with Hepatitis E Virus Capsid Protein and Immunobiotic Bacterium-Like Particles Induce Intestinal and Systemic Immunity in Mice

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 (GT3) is an emergent pathogen in industrialized countries. It is transmitted zoonotically and may lead to chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised individuals. We evaluated if the major antigen of HEV, the capsid protein, can be used in combination with immunobiotic bacterium-like particles (IBLP) for oral vaccination in a mouse model. We have cloned and expressed the RGS-His₅-tagged HEV GT3 capsid protein (ORF2) in E. coli and purified it by NiNTA. IBLP were obtained from two immunobiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains acid- and heat-treated. ORF2 and the IBLP were orally administered to Balb/c mice. After three oral immunizations (14-day intervals), blood, intestinal fluid, Peyer´s patches, and spleen samples were drawn. IgA- and IgG-specific antibodies were determined by ELISA. Mononuclear cell populations from Peyer's patches and spleen were analyzed by flow cytometry, and the cytokine profiles were determined by ELISA to study cellular immunity. Orally administered recombinant ORF2 and IBLP from two L. rhamnosus strains (CRL1505 and IBL027) induced both antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. IBLP027 was more effective in inducing specific secretory IgA in the gut. IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-4 were produced by Peyer's plaques lymphocytes stimulated with ORF2 ex vivo suggesting a mixed Th1/Th2-type adaptive immune response in immunized mice. Oral vaccines are not invasive, do not need to be administered by specialized personal, and elicit both systemic and local immune responses at the port of entry. Here, we present an experimental oral vaccine for HEV GT3, which could be further developed for human and/or veterinary use.

New immunobiotics from highly proteolytic Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains: their impact on intestinal antiviral innate immune response

Proteolytic starter cultures with intrinsic immunomodulatory activities are desirably features for the development of functional foods, which would significantly reduce the cost of their production (one-strain starter) having an additional beneficial effect on the host. In this work, Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains were selected according to their ability to efficiently hydrolyse β-casein and to modulate the immune system. Among 36 strains evaluated, the highest proteolytic activities were found for L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis CRL581 and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL656. The immunomodulatory effect of both strains and their β-casein hydrolysates (CRL581 and CRL656 hydrolysates, respectively) were studied in a murine model. Balb/c mice were fed lactobacilli or their hydrolysates for three days. One day after the last lactobacilli or hydrolysate treatments, mice were challenged with the Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist poly(I:C) by intraperitoneal injection. Before and after poly(I:C) challenge the phagocytic and microbicidal activity of peritoneal macrophages, intestinal immunoglobulin A (IgA), cytokine profile, and histological analysis of the intestine were analysed. L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis CRL581 significantly increased the activation of peritoneal macrophages as well as the levels of intestinal IgA, interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)-γ when compared to untreated controls. In addition, the CRL581 strain was able to significantly reduce the intestinal inflammatory damage triggered by TLR3 activation. L. delbrueckii CRL581 increased the levels of IL-10, IFN-γ and IFN-β, and reduced tumour necrosis factor alpha and IL-6 concentrations in the intestine of poly(I:C)-challenged mice. No immunomodulatory effects were observed for the CRL656 strain or for the CRL581 or CRL656 hydrolysates. The results of this work show that the technologically relevant and high proteolytic strain L. delbrueckii CRL581 is able to beneficially modulate the intestinal innate antiviral immune response. Although further studies with the CRL581 strain are required to corroborate and deepen its immunological effects, this bacterium is an interesting alternative for the development of new functional foods with antiviral capabilities.

Modulation of Toll-like receptor-mediated innate immunity in bovine intestinal epithelial cells by lactic acid bacteria isolated from feedlot cattle

The ability of lactobacilli isolated from feedlot cattle environment to differentially modulate the innate immune response triggered by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) activation in bovine intestinal epithelial (BIE) cells was evaluated. BIE cells were stimulated with Lactobacillus mucosae CRL2069, Lactobacillus acidophilus CRL2074, Lactobacillus fermentum CRL2085 or Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL2084 and challenged with heat-stable pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) to induce the activation of TLR4 or with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) to activate TLR3. Type I interferons, cytokines, chemokines and negative regulators of TLR signalling were studied by RT-PCR. L. mucosae CRL2069 significantly reduced the expression of interleukin (IL)-8 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in BIE cells in the context of TLR3 activation. L. mucosae CRL2069 also reduced the expression of tumour necrosis factor-α, IL-β, MCP-1, and IL-8 in heat-stable ETEC PAMPs-challenged BIE cells. In addition, reduced expressions of IL-6, MCP-1, and IL-8 were found in BIE cells stimulated with L. rhamnosus CRL2084, although its effect was significantly lower than that observed for the CRL2069 strain. The reduced levels of pro-inflammatory factors in BIE cells induced by the CRL2069 and CRL2085 strains was related to their ability of increasing the expression of TLR negative regulators. L. mucosae CRL2069 significantly improved the expression of A20-binding inhibitor of NFκ-B activation 3 (ABIN-3), interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase M (IRAK-M) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MKP-1) while L. rhamnosus CRL2084 augmented ABIN-3 expression in BIE cells. The results of this work suggest that among the studied strains, L. mucosae CRL2069 was able to regulate TLR3-mediated innate immune response and showed a remarkable capacity to modulate TLR4-mediated inflammation in BIE cells. The CRL2069 strain induce the up-regulation of three TLR negative regulators that would influence nuclear factor kB and mitogen-activated protein kinases signalling pathways while reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Therefore, L. mucosae CRL2069 is an interesting immunobiotic candidate for the protection of the bovine host against TLR-mediated intestinal inflammatory damage.

[The problem of decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriers from the microbiologist's point of view (review of literature).]

Staphylococcus aureus asymptomatically persists on the nasal mucosa, and also causes serious diseases in carriers (endogenous infection) and in patients in a hospital (nosocomial infection). Decolonization of nasal carriers of S. aureus is an important measure aimed at reducing the incidence of staphylococcal infections. Carriage is a form of nasal dysbiosis, therefore, the effectiveness of antibiotics for the decolonization of carriers, by definition, is low. The review discusses the prospects of using probiotics to restore the nasal microbiota. The commercial production of nasal probiotics has not yet been established, but developments in this direction are being carried out in different countries. The experimental substantiation of the possibility of using corynebacteria and other representatives of the nasal microbiota for the decolonization of staphylococcal carriers is presented, as well as the authors' ideas on how to improve the methods of microbial therapy. In particular, it was proposed to use biofilm probiotics, autoprobiotics, and autovaccines for this purpose.

Deciphering the influence of paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria on the innate antiviral immune response of bovine intestinal epitheliocytes by transcriptomic analysis

Previously, we reported that the non-viable immunomodulatory Bifidobacterium infantis MCC12 and Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 strains (paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria) were able to increase the protection against rotavirus infection in bovine intestinal epithelial (BIE) cells. In order to gain insight into the influence of paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria on the innate antiviral immune response of BIE cells, their effect on the transcriptomic response triggered by Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) activation was investigated. By using microarray technology and qPCR analysis, we obtained a global overview of the immune genes involved in the innate antiviral immune response in BIE cells. Activation of TLR3 by poly(I:C) in BIE cells significantly increased the expression of interferon (IFN)-α and IFN-β, several interferon-stimulated genes, cytokines, and chemokines. It was also observed that both paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria differently modulated immune genes expression in poly(I:C)-challenged BIE cells. Most notable changes were found in genes involved in antiviral defence (IFN-β, MX1, OAS1X, MDA5, TLR3, STAT2, STAT3), cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6), and chemokines (CCL2, CXCL2, CXCL6) that were significantly increased in bifidobacteria-treated BIE cells. B. infantis MCC12 and B. breve MCC1274 showed quantitative and qualitative differences in their capacities to modulate the innate antiviral immune response in BIE cells. B. breve MCC1274 was more efficient than the MCC12 strain to improve the production of type I IFNs and antiviral factors, an effect that could be related to its higher ability to protect against rotavirus replication in BIE cells. Interestingly, B. infantis MCC12 showed a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect. The MCC12 strain was more efficient to reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (IL-16, IL-20, CX3CL1) when compared with B. breve MCC1274. These results provided valuable information for the deeper understanding of the antiviral immune response of intestinal epithelial cells as well as the host-paraimmunobiotic interaction in the bovine host.

Lactobacillus fermentum UCO-979C beneficially modulates the innate immune response triggered by Helicobacter pylori infection in vitro

Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with important gastric pathologies. An aggressive proinflammatory immune response is generated in the gastric tissue infected with H. pylori, resulting in gastritis and a series of morphological changes that increase the susceptibility to cancer development. Probiotics could present an alternative solution to prevent or decrease H. pylori infection. Among them, the use of immunomodulatory lactic acid bacteria represents a promising option to reduce the severity of chronic inflammatory-mediated tissue damage and to improve protective immunity against H. pylori. We previously isolated Lactobacillus fermentum UCO-979C from human gastric tissue and demonstrated its capacity to reduce adhesion of H. pylori to human gastric epithelial cells (AGS cells). In this work, the ability of L. fermentum UCO-979C to modulate immune response in AGS cells and PMA phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated THP-1 (human monocytic leukaemia) macrophages in response to H. pylori infection was evaluated. We demonstrated that the UCO-979C strain is able to differentially modulate the cytokine response of gastric epithelial cells and macrophages after H. pylori infection. Of note, L. fermentum UCO-979C was able to significantly reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in AGS and THP-1 cells as well as increase the levels of immunoregulatory cytokines, indicating a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect. These findings strongly support the probiotic potential of L. fermentum UCO-979C and provide evidence of its beneficial effects against the inflammatory damage induced by H. pylori infection. Although our findings should be proven in appropriate experiments in vivo, in both H. pylori infection animal models and human trials, the results of the present work provide a scientific rationale for the use of L. fermentum UCO-979C to prevent or reduce H. pylori-induced gastric inflammation in humans.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505 nasal administration improves recovery of T-cell mediated immunity against pneumococcal infection in malnourished mice

Immunobiotic lactic acid bacteria have become an interesting alternative for the prevention of respiratory infections. Previously, we demonstrated that the nasal administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CRL1505, during repletion of malnourished mice, resulted in diminished susceptibility to the challenge with the respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. Considering the known alterations induced by malnutrition on T lymphocytes and the importance of this cell population on the protection against respiratory pathogens, we aimed to study the effect of L. rhamnosus CRL1505 nasal administration on the recovery of T cell-mediated defences against pneumococcal infection in malnourished mice under nutritional recovery. Malnourished mice received a balanced conventional diet (BCD) for seven days or BCD for seven days with nasal L. rhamnosus CRL1505 supplementation during last two days of the treatment. After the treatments mice were infected with S. pneumoniae. Flow cytometry studies were carried out in bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lung to study T cells, and Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles were determined in broncho-alveolar lavages and serum. The administration of CRL1505 strain to malnourished mice under recovery reduced quantitative and qualitative alterations of CD4+ T cells in the bone marrow, thymus, spleen and lung induced by malnutrition. In addition, CRL1505 treatment augmented Th2-cytokines (interleukin 10 and 4) in respiratory and systemic compartments after pneumococcal infection. These results show that modulation of CD4+ T lymphocytes induced by L. rhamnosus CRL1505 has an important role in the beneficial effect induced by this strain on the recovery of malnourished mice. These data also indicate that nasally administered L. rhamnosus CRL1505 may represent a non-invasive alternative to modulate and improve the T cell-mediated immunity against respiratory pathogens in immunocompromised malnourished hosts.

Exopolysaccharide-producing Streptococcus thermophilus CRL1190 reduces the inflammatory response caused by Helicobacter pylori

This work evaluated the ability of the probiotic Streptococcus thermophilus CRL1190 strain and its exopolysaccharides to adhere to gastric mucosa. Probiotic bacteria attachment to the human stomach epithelium was confirmed in human stomach tissue samples and the gastric epithelial cell line AGS. In addition, it was demonstrated that S. thermophilus CRL1190 strain reduced Helicobacter pylori adhesion and attenuated inflammatory response in AGS cells. This is the first demonstration of the capacity of S. thermophilus CRL1190 to adhere to the stomach gastric mucosa, and improve protection against H. pylori through the reduction of its adhesion and the modulation of the inflammatory response. Therefore, S. thermophilus CRL1190 fermented milk is a good candidate for further in vivo studying of the protective effect of functional food against H. pylori infection and gastric inflammatory damage.

Development of an in vitro immunobiotic evaluation system against rotavirus infection in bovine intestinal epitheliocytes

The bovine intestinal epithelial cell line (BIE cells) expresses the Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and is able to mount an antiviral immune response after the stimulation with poly(I:C). In the present study, we aimed to further characterise the antiviral defence mechanisms in BIE cells by evaluating the innate immune response triggered by rotavirus (RV) infection. In addition, we attempted to determine whether immunobiotic bifidobacteria are able to confer protection of BIE cells against RV infection by beneficially modulating the antiviral immune response. RV OSU (porcine) and UK (bovine) effectively infected BIE cells, while a significant lower capacity to infect BIE cells was observed for human (Wa) and murine (EW) RV. We observed that viral infection in BIE cells triggered TLR3/RIG-I-mediated immune responses with activation of IRF3 and TRAF3, induction of interferon beta (IFN-β) and up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines. Our results also demonstrated that preventive treatments with Bifidobacterium infantis MCC12 or Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 significantly reduced RV titres in infected BIE cells and differentially modulated the innate immune response. Of note, both strains significantly improved the production of the antiviral factor IFN-β in RV-infected BIE cells. In conclusion, this work provides comprehensive information on the antiviral immune response of BIE cells against RV, that can be further studied for the development of strategies aimed to improve antiviral defences in bovine intestinal epithelial cells. Our results also demonstrate that BIE cells could be used as a newly immunobiotic evaluation system against RV infection for application in the bovine host.

Modulation of porcine intestinal epitheliocytes immunetranscriptome response by Lactobacillus jensenii TL2937

In order to evaluate probiotic strains applicable for the beneficial immunomodulation of the porcine gut (immunobiotics), we previously developed a porcine intestinal epitheliocyte cell line (PIE cells). Here, transcriptomic studies using PIE cells were performed considering that this information would be valuable for understanding the mechanisms involved in the protective activity of the immunobiotic strain Lactobacillus jensenii TL2937 against intestinal inflammatory damage in pigs. In addition, those studies would provide criteria for selecting biomarkers for the screening of new immunobiotic strains. We performed microarray analysis to investigate the transcriptomic response of PIE cells to the challenge with heat-stable enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and, the changes induced by L. jensenii TL2937 in that response. The approach allowed us to obtain a global overview of the immune genes involved in the response of PIE cells to heat-stable ETEC PAMPs. We observed that L. jensenii TL2937 differently modulated gene expression in ETEC PAMPs-challenged PIE cells. Microarray and RT-PCR analysis indicated that the most remarkable changes in PIE cells transcriptomic profile after heat-stable ETEC PAMPs challenge were observed in chemokines, adhesion molecules, complement and coagulation cascades factors. In addition, an anti-inflammatory effect triggered by TL2937 strain in PIE cells was clearly demonstrated. The decrease in the expression of chemokines (CCL8, CXCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11), complement (C1R, C1S, C3, and CFB), and coagulation factors (F3) by L. jensenii TL2937 supports our previous reports on the immunoregulatory effect of this strain. These results provided clues for the better understanding of the mechanism underlying host-immunobiotic interaction in the porcine host. The comprehensive transcriptomic profiles of PIE cells provided by our analyses successfully identified a group of genes, which could be used as prospective biomarkers for the screening and evaluation of new anti-inflammatory immunobiotics for the prevention of inflammatory intestinal disorders in pigs.

Inhibition of enteropathogens adhesion to human enterocyte-like HT-29 cells by a dairy strain of Propionibacterium acidipropionici

Adhesion to the host intestinal mucosa is considered relevant for orally delivered probiotics as it prolongs their persistence in the gut and their health promoting effects. Classical propionibacteria are microorganisms of interest due to their role as dairy starters as well as for their functions as probiotics. Propionibacterium acidipropionici Q4, is a dairy strain isolated from a Swiss-type cheese made in Argentina that displays probiotic potential. In the present work we assessed the ability of this strain to adhere to the human enterocyte-like HT-29 cell line and to counteract the adhesion of two common human enteropathogens, such as Escherichia coli C3 and Salmonella Enteritidis 90/390. The results were compared with those obtained with the well-known probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. P. acidipropionici Q4 showed a high adhesion capacity, even higher than the reference strain L. rhamnosus GG (42.3±4.4% and 36.2±2.3%, respectively), whereas adhesion of enteropathogens was significantly lower (25.2±2.2% for E. coli and 21.0±3.4% for S. Enteritidis). Propionibacteria as well as lactobacilli were able to inhibit by exclusion and competition the adherence of E. coli C3 and S. Enteritidis 90/390 whereas only L. rhamnosus GG displaced S. Enteritidis from HT-29 intestinal cells. Inhibition of pathogens by propionibacteria was not exerted by antimicrobials or coaggregation but was mainly due to exclusion by cell surface components, such as proteins and carbohydrates. The relevance of cell surface proteins (CSP) for preventing pathogens infection was confirmed by their concentration dependent effect observed for both pathogens: 100 µg/ml of CSP inhibited E. coli attachment almost as untreated propionibacteria, whereas it partially inhibited the attachment of S. Enteritidis. Results suggest that P. acidipropionici Q4 could be considered for the development of propionibacteria containing functional foods helpful in counteracting enteropathogen infection.

Potentiality of standardized extract and isolated flavonoids from Zuccagnia punctata for the treatment of respiratory infections by Streptococcus pneumoniae: in vitro and in vivo studies

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zuccagnia punctata Cav. (Fabaceae) is a monotypic species distributed in western Argentina and is traditionally used for the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections. The aim of this study was to demonstrated the antibacterial activity of the Zuccagnia punctata standardized extract and the structurally related non-methoxylated flavonoids with similar pattern of substitution and differences in ring C present in this plant species: 7-hydroxyflavanone (HF), 2',4'-dihydroxychalcone (DHC) and 3,7-dihydroxyflavone (DHF), against Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates using in vitro and in vivo models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MIC values of natural products were determined by agar macrodilution method. In vivo activities were investigated in a Streptococcus pneumoniae infection model in mice. Lung and blood samples were obtained for bacterial cell counts. The serum was used by biochemical analysis (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, urea and creatinine) in order to evaluate the toxicity of natural products.

RESULTS

All samples showed antimicrobial activity in vitro with MIC values between 50 and 500μg/ml. Zuccagnia punctata extract (1mg/mice) and HF (1mg/mice) significantly reduced the number of viable Streptococcus pneumoniae in lung (p<0.01) while lower quantities has not effect. Therefore, the present study has shown that intake once or twice a day of 1mg of Zuccagnia punctata extract or HF for seven days did not result in toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that Zuccagnia punctata extract as well as one of its isolated flavonoids, 7-hydroxyflavanone, could be useful for the development of a novel respiratory infections treatment.

Data acquisition electronics for gamma ray emission tomography using width-modulated leading-edge discriminators

We present a new high-performance and low-cost approach for implementing radiation detection acquisition systems. The basic elements used are charge-integrating ADCs and a set of components encapsulated in an HDL (hardware definition language) library which makes it possible to implement several acquisition tasks such as time pickoff and coincidence detection using a new and simple trigger technique that we name WMLET (width-modulated leading-edge timing). As proof of concept, a 32-channel hybrid PET/SPECT acquisition system based on these elements was developed and tested. This demonstrator consists of a master module responsible for the generation and distribution of trigger signals, 2 x 16-channel ADC cards (12-bit resolution) for data digitization and a 32-bit digital I/O PCI card for handling data transmission to a personal computer. System characteristics such as linearity, maximum transmission rates or timing resolution in coincidence mode were evaluated with test and real detector signals. Imaging capabilities of the prototype were also evaluated using different detector configurations. The performance tests showed that this implementation is able to handle data rates in excess of 600k events s(-1) when acquiring simultaneously 32 channels (96-byte events). ADC channel linearity is >98.5% in energy quantification. Time resolution in PET mode for the tested configurations ranges from 3.64 ns FWHM to 7.88 ns FWHM when signals from LYSO-based detectors are used. The measured energy resolution matched the expected values for the detectors evaluated and single elements of crystal matrices can be neatly separated in the acquired flood histograms.

Administration of a probiotic associated with nasal vaccination with inactivated Lactococcus lactis-PppA induces effective protection against pneumoccocal infection in young mice

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a serious public health problem, especially in developing countries, where available vaccines are not part of the vaccination calendar. We evaluated different respiratory mucosa immunization protocols that included the nasal administration of Lactococcus lactis-pneumococcal protective protein A (PppA) live, inactivated, and in association with a probiotic (Lc) to young mice. The animals that received Lc by the oral and nasal route presented the highest levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG anti-PppA antibodies in bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and IgG in serum, which no doubt contributed to the protection against infection. However, only the groups that received the live and inactivated vaccine associated with the oral administration of the probiotic were able to prevent lung colonization by S. pneumoniae serotypes 3 and 14 in a respiratory infection model. This would be related to a preferential stimulation of the T helper type 1 (Th1) cells at local and systemic levels and with a moderate Th2 and Th17 response, shown by the cytokine profile induced in BAL and by the results of the IgG1/IgG2a ratio at local and systemic levels. Nasal immunization with the inactivated recombinant strain associated with oral Lc administration was able to stimulate the specific cellular and humoral immune response and afford protection against the challenge with the two S. pneumoniae serotypes. The results obtained show the probiotic-inactivated vaccine association as a valuable alternative for application to human health, especially in at-risk populations, and are the first report of a safe and effective immunization strategy using an inactivated recombinant strain.

"Self and parent-assessed skin cancer risk factors in school-age children"

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate sunburn, sun sensitivity factors and sun protection behavior in school-age children.

METHODS

2002 to 2004 survey of 2942 children in primary schools of Valencia, Spain, and their parents, using a self-administered questionnaire filled by the children with the help of their parents.

RESULTS

Having a fair skin (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.38-3.04), light coloured eyes (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.12-1.68), freckles (OR: 1.32; 95% CI:1.12-1.56), and older age (OR: 2.34; 95% CI:1.96-2.80) were associated with occurrence of sunburns. Hair color, gender, use of sunscreens, wearing T-shirts and sunglasses were not. Wearing hats (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.54-0.75) was inversely associated. Parents were significantly more inclined to protect younger and fair-skinned children with sunscreen and T-shirts.

CONCLUSIONS

As expected, phenotype is related to sunburns and appears to influence parent's sun protection behaviours.

Treatment of poor prognosis AML patients using PSC833 (valspodar) plus mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (PSC-MEC)

The failure of convenional chemotherapy in relapsed or refractory and other poor risk AML patients has been linked to expression of the multidrug resistance gene (mdr 1) product P-glycoprotein (P-gp). PSC 833 is a non-competitive inhibitor of P-gp and has been shown in vitro and in vivo to restore sensitivity of resistant tumor cells to anticancer drugs (ACDs). Induction chemotherapy consisting of cytarabine (C) in combination with PSC 833 and escalating doses of mitoxantrone (M) and etoposide (E) over 5 or 6 days were tested in two phase I/II studies in poor prognosis AML. Overall, 59 patients were evaluated: their age ranged between 18 and 70 years. Fourteen patients had primary refractory disease, 25 had relapsed within 9 months from first complete remission (CR), 5 were in second relapse, 10 had secondary AML, and 4 had relapsed post-bone marrow transplantation. PSC 833 was given as a constant i.v. infusion at a rate of 10 mg/kg/24 h for 5 or 6 days, depending on the duration of chemotherapy. In both studies a loading dose of 2 mg/kg of PSC 833 was given on day 1. In the 5-day regimen, the final study doses of the cytotoxic agents were C 1 g/m2/d, M 4.0 mg/m2/d, and E 40 mg/m2/d. In the 6-day regimen, the final study doses of the cytotoxic agents were C 1 g/m2/d, M 4.5 mg/m2/d and E 30 mg/m2/d. The combined efficacy results of both studies indicate that PSC-MEC is active in all treatment indications, complete remission being achieved in 2/5 (40%) second relapses, 8/25 (32%) early relapses, 3/10 (30%) secondary AML, 3/15 (20%) refractory patients and 1/4 (25%) post-BMT relapses. Based on historical controls, this observed overall CR rate (29%) is higher than expected in this high risk patient population. Our data indicate that, in refractory/relapsed AML patients, PSC-MEC regimens had encouraging antileukemic effects, is well tolerated, and has led to Phase III trials in this setting.

Treatment of refractory and relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia with combination chemotherapy plus the multidrug resistance modulator PSC 833 (Valspodar)

A potential mechanism of chemotherapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the multidrug resistance (MDR-1) gene product P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which is often overexpressed in myeloblasts from refractory or relapsed AML. In a multicenter phase II clinical trial, 37 patients with these poor risk forms of AML were treated with PSC 833 (Valspodar; Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, East Hanover, NJ), a potent inhibitor of the MDR-1 efflux pump, plus mitoxantrone, etoposide, and cytarabine (PSC-MEC). Pharmacokinetic (PK) interactions of etoposide and mitoxantrone with PSC were anticipated, measured in comparison with historical controls without PSC, and showed a 57% decrease in etoposide clearance (P =.001) and a 1.8-fold longer beta half-life for mitoxantrone in plasma (P <.05). The doses of mitoxantrone and etoposide were substantially reduced to compensate for these interactions and clinical toxicity and in Cohort II were well tolerated at dose levels of 4 mg/m2 mitoxantrone, 40 mg/m2 etoposide, and 1 g/m2 C daily for 5 days. Overall, postchemotherapy marrow hypoplasia was achieved in 33 patients. Twelve patients (32%) achieved complete remission, four achieved partial remission, and 21 failed therapy. The PK observations correlated with enhanced toxicity. The probability of an infectious early death was 36% (4 of 11) in patients with high PK parameters for either drug versus 5% (1 of 20) in those with lower PK parameters (P =.04). P-gp function was assessed in 19 patients using rhodamine-123 efflux and its inhibition by PSC. The median percentage of blasts expressing P-gp was increased (49%) for leukemic cells with PSC-inhibitable rhodamine efflux compared with 17% in cases lacking PSC-inhibitable efflux (P =.004). PSC-MEC was relatively well tolerated in these patients with poor-risk AML, and had encouraging antileukemic effects. The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group is currently testing this regimen versus standard MEC chemotherapy in a phase III trial, E2995, in a similar patient population.

Changes in glycosaminoglycan structure and composition of the main heparan sulphate proteoglycan from human colon carcinoma cells (perlecan) during cell differentiation

Colon carcinoma cells provide a useful model to study the biochemical processes associated with cell differentiation. Undifferentiated HT29, differentiated HT29MTX(-3) and HT29MTX(-6), and Caco2 human colon carcinoma cells have been used to study the production of proteoglycans and to characterize the glycosaminoglycan structure of the heparan sulphate chains. All the cell lines produce mainly a heparan sulphate proteoglycan that is found partly in the extracellular medium and associated to the cell membrane. The heparan sulphate proteoglycans from the media were purified by ion-exchange chromatography and subjected to structural analysis. The heparan sulphate proteoglycan from differentiated cells is larger and more homogeneous in size than the heparan sulphate proteoglycan from undifferentiated HT29 cells. No differences in protein core structure were observed when cells were labeled with [35S]methionine and the protein cores visualized by gel electrophoresis. Nevertheless, differences in glycosaminoglycan composition were found correlated with the degree of differentiation. The heparan sulphate chains from differentiated HT29MTX(-3) and HT29MTX(-6) cells have a higher sulphation degree than those from undifferentiated HT29 cells. The heparan sulphate from Caco2 cells is the most highly sulphated species. The differences are mainly attributed to O-sulphate groups. The increase in O-sulphation was more pronounced for D-glucosamine 6-O-sulphate than for L-iduronic acid 2-O-sulphate groups.

Enterocytic differentiation correlates with changes in the fine structure and sulfation of perlecan in HT29 human colon carcinoma cells

Undifferentiated HT29 and differentiated HT29G-human colon carcinoma cells have been used to study the changes in proteoglycan production and structure associated with enterocytic cell differentiation. Differentiated cells incorporate twice as much sulfate than undifferentiated cells when labeled with [35S]sulfate. Both cell lines produce a heparan sulfate proteoglycan which was purified by ion-exchange. The heparan sulfate proteoglycan from differentiated HT29G- cells is larger and more homogeneous in size than that produced by undifferentiated HT29 cells. No differences in the core protein structure were observed. The detailed structural analysis of the heparan sulfate chains revealed that the structure of these chains follows the standard rules for these glycosaminoglycans with N-sulfated domains and N-acetylated domains. The main finding was that differentiated HT29G- cells have a degree of higher sulfation than HT29 cells. These differences were found to affect primarily 6-O-sulfated positions.

The effect of TGF-beta 1 on cell proliferation and proteoglycan production in human melanoma cells depends on the degree of cell differentiation

The effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) on cell proliferation, colony formation in soft agar and synthesis and structure of proteoglycans was studied in three human melanoma cell lines at different stages of differentiation: SK-mel-1.36-1-5 (early), SK-mel-3.44 (intermediate) and SK-mel-23 (late). TGF-beta 1 potently inhibited cell growth in monolayer as well as in soft agar. TGF-beta 1 increased the release of sulfated proteoglycans into the medium, including the cell-specific melanoma proteoglycan, mel-PG, and induced changes in disaccharide composition and sulfation of the glycosaminoglycan chains. In all the cases, the effect of TGF-beta 1 was more pronounced in the most undifferentiated cell line SK-mel-1.36-1-5 than in the SK-mel-3.44, whereas it had no effect on the most differentiated SK-mel-23 cells.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 increases the synthesis and shedding of the melanoma-specific proteoglycan in human melanoma cells

Melanoma cells produce a cell-specific proteoglycan, mel-PG, which is an integral chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan that can be released into the medium as a result of the proteolytic cleavage of the trans-membrane form. The effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) on proteoglycan production was studied in three melanoma cell lines at various stages of differentiation: SK-mel-1.36-1-5 (early), SK-mel-3.44 (intermediate), and SK-mel-23 (late). The main effect of TGF-beta 1 was to increase the synthesis and shedding of mel-PG into the medium without affecting the amount present in the cell membranes nor the balance between the proteoglycan and the glycoprotein forms of mel-PG. After TGF-beta 1 treatment, there was an increase in the amount of mel-PG present in the medium as observed in metabolic labeling, immunoprecipitation, and pulse-chase experiments. This effect was more pronounced in the SK-mel-1.36-1-5 than in the SK-mel-3.44 cell line, whereas the SK-mel-23 cells did not contain mel-PG either in the presence or in the absence of TGF-beta 1. Characterization of mel-PG purified from the medium from control and TGF-beta 1-treated cells showed that the factor increased slightly the GAG chain length in SK-mel-1.36-1-5 but not in SK-mel-3.44 cells, without modifying the degree of sulfation.

Ras transformation alters the composition of extracellular matrix proteoglycans in rat fibroblasts

ts371 KiMuSV-transformed rat kidney fibroblasts growing at the permissive temperature to allow the expression of a transforming p21 ras protein secrete a different pattern of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans than when growing at the non-permissive temperature. Transformed cells produce less versican and larger amounts of biglycan and decorin than their normal counterpart, and they do not secrete 35S-labeled PG-100. Western blot experiments showed the presence of PG-100 epitope, suggesting that the apparent effect of the oncoprotein is due to a reduced sulfation of the molecule. Transformed and non-transformed cells are similarly sensitive to the proteoglycan-induction effect of TGF-beta.