Literacy/Numeracy Provision and its Effectiveness in Psychiatric Hospitals

For many years the occupational therapist has been involved in dealing with the lack of literacy/numeracy skills of psychiatrically ill people. With the growing emphasis on ‘back to the community’, this is a much needed service in psychiatric hospitals. This article attempts to assess, with its small sample survey, the provision of such a service in psychiatric hospitals and its effectiveness. The survey findings reveal that there is a huge gap in the available resources. The authors suggest possible ways that improvement can be achieved.

Effect of cyclosporin a on normal, mitogen-stimulated and Marek's disease virus-exposed and transformed chicken lymphoid cells

Studies have been made with the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA) to examine its value in the establishment of lymphoid tumour cell lines from Marek's disease (MD) lymphomas and from lymphoid cell cultures exposed to MD virus in vitro. CsA was shown to depress the proliferative response of normal spleen cells to phytohaemagglutinin, Concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen, and to a lesser extent to lipopolysaccharide. Short-term proliferative responses of lymphoma cells were either not affected, depressed or stimulated by CsA. The efficiency of establishment of lymphoid cell lines from long-term cultures of lymphoma cells was not increased by CsA, and the drug had a depressive effect on the proliferation of cell lines in the lympho-cytoid stage. The majority of lymphoblastoid cell lines studied were stimulated by CsA. Interleukin 2 partially overcame the suppressive effect of CsA on the cell lines, and enhanced the stimulatory effects. Cultures of lymphoid cells exposed to MD virus in vitro were usually depressed by CsA; a few stimulatory combinations were observed, but these were not considered to be of biological significance. These results indicate that CsA suppresses normal T-cell responses in the chicken, but that some MD-associated lymphoid cells are stimulated by the drug, in some instances at least by a direct effect.

EtCRK2, a cyclin-dependent kinase gene expressed during the sexual and asexual phases of the Eimeria tenella life cycle

EtCRK2, a cyclin-dependent kinase from the coccidian parasite, Eimeria tenella is closely related to eukaryotic cyclin-dependent kinases that regulate progression of the cell cycle and to several cyclin-dependent kinases identified in the Apicomplexa. Northern blot analyses revealed that EtCRK2 is transcribed during both asexual (first-generation schizogony) and sexual (oocyst sporulation) replicative phases of the parasite life cycle. In addition, it appears to be transcriptionally regulated during meiosis. Recombinant EtCRK2 produced in Escherichia coli has kinase activity which is significantly stimulated by the addition of vertebrate cyclin A. This cyclin-dependent kinase may play a significant role in regulating critical cell cycle events during both asexual proliferation and sexual development of the parasite.

EtMIC4: a microneme protein from Eimeria tenella that contains tandem arrays of epidermal growth factor-like repeats and thrombospondin type-I repeats

Micronemes are specialised secretory organelles that release their proteins by a stimulus-coupled exocytosis that occurs when apicomplexan parasites make contact with target host cells. These proteins play crucial roles in motility and invasion, most likely by mediating adhesion between parasite and host cell surfaces and facilitating the transmission of dynamic forces generated by the parasite actinomyosin cytoskeleton. Members of the TRAP family of microneme proteins are characterised by having extracellular domains containing one or more types of cysteine-rich, adhesive modules, highly-conserved transmembrane regions and cytosolic tails that contain one or more tyrosines, stretches of acidic residues and a single tryptophan. In this paper, we describe a novel member of the TRAP family, EtMIC4, a 218 kDa microneme protein from Eimeria tenella. EtMIC4 contains 31 epidermal growth factor (EGF) modules, 12 thrombospondin type-1 (TSP-1) modules and a highly acidic, proline and glycine-rich region in its extracellular region, plus the conserved transmembrane and cytosolic tail. Like EtMIC1, another TRAP family member from E. tenella, EtMIC4 is expressed in sporozoites and all the merozoite stages of the parasite, suggesting that this parasite has a strong requirement for TSP-1 modules. Unlike the other microneme proteins so far studied in E. tenella, EtMIC4 appears to be found constitutively on the sporozoite surface as well as within the micronemes.

A microneme protein from Eimeria tenella with homology to the Apple domains of coagulation factor XI and plasma pre-kallikrein

Microneme organelles are present in all apicomplexan protozoa and contain proteins that are critical for parasite motility and host cell invasion. One apicomplexan-wide family of microneme proteins has been identified with members that are characterised by the possession of thrombospondin type I repeats, conserved adhesive motifs which are implicated in binding to glycosaminoglycan chains. In this paper we describe a micronemal glycoprotein, EtMIC 5, from Eimeria tenella which contains eleven cysteine-rich motifs that have striking similarity to the adhesive Apple (A-) domains of blood coagulation factor XI and plasma pre-kallikrein. EtMIC 5 is confined to an intracellular location in resting sporozoites but is translocated to the parasite surface and secreted into the culture supernatant during parasite infection of MDBK cells. During intracellular replication, the protein is switched off in early schizogony and is then re-expressed within the apical tips of newly formed merozoites. A-domain sequences were also found in microneme proteins from Sarcocystis muris and Toxoplasma gondii and in a protein of unknown localisation from Eimeria acervulina. These studies suggest that A-domain containing proteins may comprise a novel apicomplexan-wide family of microneme adhesins.

Inhibition of the development of Eimeria tenella in cultured bovine kidney cells by a soluble factor produced by peripheral blood lymphocytes from immune chickens

The intracellular development of Eimeria tenella sporozoites in in vitro cultured Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cells was inhibited when parasite-infected MDBK cells were incubated with peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from infected chickens. The inhibition mediated by PBL was quantified by [3H]uracil uptake and increased during the course of a series of oral infections of chickens with E. tenella. This was mirrored by the development of immunity in these birds, as assessed by counting the oocyst output following each re-infection. Similar levels of inhibition were observed using PBL from 3 inbred lines of chickens which differ in their relative susceptibility to infection with E. tenella, indicating that the genetic background of the host does not influence the production of this inhibitory activity. The inhibition could be transferred to freshly infected MDBK cells using supernatants prepared from parasite-infected monolayers incubated for 48 h with PBL from immune chickens. However, there was no inhibition using either supernatants from infected MDBK cells incubated with PBL from uninfected chickens, or supernatants from uninfected MDBK cells incubated with PBL from immune chickens. Experiments using Transwell plates showed that direct contact of PBL from immune birds with infected MDBK monolayers was not required to produce supernatants with inhibitory activity. Thus production of soluble inhibitory factor(s) by PBL from immune chickens can be specifically induced by soluble antigens present in the culture media of parasite-infected MDBK cells. These factors inhibit the intracellular development of sporozoites in in vitro culture.

Sequence, expression and localization of calmodulin-domain protein kinases in Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima

We have isolated and sequenced cDNA clones from Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima which encode proteins that share homology with a recently described family of calmodulin-domain protein kinases. The primary sequence data show that each of the protein kinases can be divided into 2 main functional domains-an amino-terminal catalytic domain typical of serine/threonine protein kinases and a carboxy-terminal domain homologous to calmodulin, which is capable of binding calcium ions at 4 'EF-hand' motifs. Expression of the E. tenella calmodulin-domain protein kinase (EtCDPK) increased towards the end of oocyst sporulation, as judged by Northern and Western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescent antibody labelling showed that within a few minutes of adding sporozoites to target host cells in in vitro culture EtCDPK was found to be specifically associated with a filament-like structure that converges at the apical end of the parasite. Once the parasite entered the host cell EtCDPK appeared to be left on the host cell membrane at the point of entry, indicating a brief yet specific role for this molecule in the invasion of host cells by E. tenella.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel acidic microneme protein (Etmic-2) from the apicomplexan protozoan parasite, Eimeria tenella

A 50 kDa acidic protein, which is found within the microneme organelles of Eimeria tenella sporozoites and merozoites and called E. tenella mic-2, was cloned by immunoscreening of a cDNA expression library. The expression of the protein and its mRNA during the development cycle of the parasite was consistent with de novo formation of microneme organelles during both sporulation and schizogony. Although micronemal origin, indirect immunofluorescent antibody labelling on gluraraldehyde fixed parasites, indicated that the protein was translocated to the sporozoite surface, and, during host cell invasion the protein was focussed at the point of parasite entry and secreted from the host-parasite interface. Either during or just after invasion, Etmic-2 protein became transiently dispersed over the entire surface of the infected cell. One hour after adding sporozoites to host cells, no detectable Etmic-2 protein remained on the host cell surface. A full length cDNA corresponding to Etmic-2 predicted a protein with a classical signal peptide that preceded the mature N-terminus of the protein as determined by direct microsequencing. Regions of the Etmic-2 protein have highly significant similarities to regions within Drosophila melanogaster tropomyosin II and within two known substrates of the cellular regulatory enzyme protein kinase C.

Primary structure of a BiP homologue in Eimeria spp

cDNA clones for homologues of a molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum called the immunoglobulin heavy-chain binding protein (BiP) have been isolated from Eimeria maxima and E. tenella sporozoite cDNA libraries. The E. tenella cDNA clone is of full length and has a predicted N-terminal signal sequence of approximately 30 amino acids and a C-terminal tetrapeptide sequence (His-Asp-Glu-Leu) for retention in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum.

Nitrocellulose immunoblotting for identification and molecular gene cloning of Eimeria maxima antigens that stimulate lymphocyte proliferation

An immunoblotting technique was used to identify lymphostimulatory antigens within sized polypeptide fractions of Eimeria maxima sporozoites. Six fractions contained polypeptides that specifically stimulated the proliferation of immune lymphocytes in an in vitro assay, and polyclonal antisera were made in rabbits against these fractions. cDNA clones, isolated with antisera against a lymphostimulatory fraction of around 70 kDa, were found to encode four different antigens including a classical hsp70, a molecule homologous to an endoplasmic reticulum chaperonin (BiP/GRP), and a calcium-dependent serine/threonine protein kinase that appears homologous to a recently described molecule from Plasmodium falciparum. The protein kinase cDNA clone was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant antigen was found to induce both antibody and lymphoproliferative responses in chickens when administered subcutaneously. Thus, immunoblotting, in combination with in vitro lymphoproliferation assays, can be used as an initial screen for the identification of lymphostimulatory antigens from a complex pool of polypeptides, and a combination of cDNA cloning, expression, and immunization allows assessment of the lymphostimulatory activity of individual polypeptides. These studies should facilitate further evaluation of antigens that are potential candidates for inclusion in a recombinant vaccine against poultry coccidiosis.

Comparison of immune responses in inbred lines of chickens to Eimeria maxima and Eimeria tenella

Immune responses of 4 inbred lines of chickens, that differ in resistance to Eimeria maxima and E. tenella, were examined. Significant differences were found in in vitro proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes to E. maxima sporozoite antigen, the more resistant lines C and 7(2) having higher responses than the more susceptible line 15I. These differences existed pre-infection and were enhanced following both primary and a second infection. The proportions of lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood following primary infection also differed between lines, with significantly higher percentages of CD8+ and TCR1 + lymphocytes circulating in the more resistant birds. In contrast, there were few differences between lines in either resistance or in in vitro proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes to E. tenella sporozoite antigen either pre-infection or following a primary infection. However, after a second infection when there were significant differences in resistance between lines, as measured by oocyst excretion, there were also significant differences in lymphoproliferation with the more resistant lines 15I and 6(2) having higher responses than the more susceptible line C. Thus for E. maxima there is a direct relationship between resistance to infection and lymphoproliferation in response to parasite antigen. This implies that differences in cellular immunity may account for differences in resistance between lines, and since these specific responses are enhanced by infection they may also reflect important immune mechanisms. For the rather less immunogenic E. tenella, the correlation between resistance and lymphoproliferation is not so clear. However, where there were significant differences between lines, i.e. after a second infection, the direct relationship between resistance and lymphoproliferation was upheld.

Production of an immune suppressor factor by Marek's disease lymphoblastoid cell lines

Culture fluids from Marek's disease (MD) lymphoblastoid cell lines have suppressive activity against normal and mitogen-stimulated chicken spleen and bursal cells and also against the homologous cell lines. Suppressive activity was also present in supernatants from spleen cells infected in vitro with MD virus. The suppressor factor from MD cell lines was non-sedimentable, trypsin sensitive, heat resistant and partially dialysable. Preliminary studies suggest it has a molecular weight of 20,000 daltons. Studies were also conducted on the effect of the prostaglandin inhibitors indomethacin and aspirin on the production and action of the suppressor factor. At low concentrations they have a stimulatory effect on the cell lines suggesting that they inhibit the effects of suppressor factor; however only small amounts of prostaglandin E2 were present in supernatants. Evidence was obtained that the suppressor factor may act indirectly by stimulating the production of prostaglandin by spleen cell cultures. The role of a suppressor factor in the immunosuppression observed in MD is discussed.

Susceptibility of Marek's disease lymphoblastoid cell lines to infection with influenza and pseudorabies viruses and the protective effect of immunization with influenza virus-infected lymphoblastoid cells

The susceptibility of 3 lymphoblastoid cell lines (MDCC-MSB1, MDCC-HP1 and MDCC-RP1) derived from Marek's disease tumours to infection with influenza (AoPR8) and pseudorabies viruses was studied. MSB1 and HP1 were more susceptible to infection with influenza virus than was RP1. It was shown in the case of HP1, which was studied in greater detail, that although the majority of the cells synthesized influenza virus haemagglutinin when infected at high multiplicity, only a small proportion produced mature infectious particles. The results obtained from both high and low multiplicities of infection suggested that infection with AoPRs was abortive in the majority of the cells of all 3 cell lines. Infected cultures remained viable when subcultured over several days. All 3 cell lines were resistant to pseudorabies virus. The block in pseudorabies virus replication probably occurred after adsorption. Immunization of chickens with HP1 lymphoblastoid cells superinfected with influenza virus AoPR8 and inactivated with glutaraldehyde gave better protection against Marek's disease than immunization with uninfected HP1 cells.

Use of an agar culture technique for establishing lymphoid cell lines from Marek's disease lymphomas

Lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from Marek's disease (MD) lymphomas have been established with difficulty by a number of workers. We have compared with conventional liquid culture methods the efficiency of a new technique for establishing lymphoid cell lines in which lymphoma cells were cultured initially in agar medium. Cells from 39/79 lymphomas gave rise to loose lymphoid colonies in the seeded agar after 7 days' incubation at 41 degrees C. Two types of macrophage colony also developed. When lymphoid colonies in agar were transferred to liquid culture, 23/39 gave rise to permanent lymphoid cell lines, compared with 8/33 comparable cultures initiated in liquid medium. Twenty-nine new cell lines have been developed from Rhode Island Red, line 6 and line 7 chickens. All carry T-cell markers and the MD tumour-associated surface antigen (MATSA) and showed variable but low responsiveness to lectin mitogens. The new cell lines, when first established, consisted mainly of small, lymphocytoid cells, but, after varying times, these changed into typical lymphoblastoid lines and an increased expression of an embryonic antigen was associated with this change. The lymphocytoid line cells were more slowly growing and density-dependent than were the lymphoblastoid cells, and lymphocytoid lines grew better at 41 degrees C and lymphoblastoid lines better at 37 degrees C. MD virus could be rescued from some of the lines but others appeared to be true non-producers.