Role of cytokines and major histocompatibility complex restriction in mouse resistance to infection with a natural recombinant strain (type I-III) of Toxoplasma gondii

Herein we characterized various genetic markers and the biological behavior of a natural recombinant strain of Toxoplasma gondii (P-Br). From nine genetic markers analyzed, three (B1, ROP1, and SAG1) and three (cS10-A6, GRA6, and SAG3) markers belong to parasites from the type I and type III lineages, respectively. The SAG2 and L363 loci were shown to be type I-III chimera alleles. The cB2l-4 microsatellite marker showed a unique haplotype. The P-Br strain presented low virulence in the acute phase of infection and was cystogenic during the chronic infection. The interleukin 12/gamma interferon axis and inducible nitric oxide synthase were main determinants of resistance during the acute infection with the P-Br strain. As opposed to infection with the type II strain of T. gondii (ME-49), peroral infection with the P-Br strain led only to a light inflammatory infiltrate and no major lesions in the intestine of the C57BL/6 mice. In addition, the BALB/c (resistant to ME-49) and C57BL/6 (susceptible to ME-49) mice were shown, respectively, to be more susceptible and more resistant to cyst formation and toxoplasmic encephalitis when infected with the P-Br strain. Further, the C57BL/KsJ and DBA2/J congenic strains containing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype "d" were more resistant than the parental strains (C57BL/6 and DBA1/J), when infected with the ME-49 but not with the P-Br strain. Together, our results indicate that resistance to cyst formation and toxoplasmic encephalitis induced during infection with P-Br is not primarily controlled by the MHC haplotype d, as previously reported for type II strains of T. gondii.

Identification and characterization of a novel mouse gene encoding a Ras-associated guanine nucleotide exchange factor: expression in macrophages and myocarditis elicited by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites

The ability of Trypanosoma cruzi to activate macrophages is, at least in part, attributed to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mucin-like glycoproteins (GPI-mucins) expressed in the surface of the trypomastigote stage of the parasite. The differential display reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and the reverse Northern blot were used to study modulation of gene expression in murine macrophages exposed to GPI-mucins and in cardiac tissues from mice infected with T. cruzi. Among several cDNAs that were more abundant in lanes corresponding to macrophages stimulated with GPI-mucins as compared with resting cells, we confirmed the differential expression of A1, interleukin-18, and GPIgamma4. Some of these genes were also shown to have enhanced expression in the cardiac tissue (DAP-12, A1, and GPIgamma4) from infected animals. The expression of GPIgamma4 was also enhanced in human monocytes stimulated with GPI-mucins or bacterial lipopolysaccharides. The complete sequence of the GPIgamma4 transcript and its gene including the 5' upstream region was defined. GPIgamma4 was encoded by a novel, single copy gene present in mouse as well as human genomes and showed conserved homology to different members of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor family.

Expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, tryptophan degradation, and kynurenine formation during in vivo infection with Toxoplasma gondii: induction by endogenous gamma interferon and requirement of interferon regulatory factor 1

The induction of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (INDO) expression and the tryptophan (Trp)-kynurenine (Kyn) metabolic pathway during in vivo infection with Toxoplasma gondii was investigated. Decreased levels of Trp and increased formation of Kyn were observed in the lungs, brain, and serum from mice infected with T. gondii. Maximal INDO mRNA expression and enzyme activity were detected in the lungs at 10 to 20 days postinfection. Further, the induction of INDO mRNA expression, Trp degradation and Kyn formation were completely absent in tissues from mice deficient in IFN-gamma (IFN-gamma(-/-)) or IFN regulatory factor -1 (IRF-1(-/-)). These findings indicate the important role of endogenous IFN-gamma and IRF-1 in the in vivo induction of the Trp-Kyn metabolic pathway during acute infection with T. gondii. In contrast, expression of INDO mRNA and its activity was preserved in the tissues of TNF-receptor p55- or inducible nitric oxide synthase-deficient mice infected with T. gondii. Together with the results showing the extreme susceptibility of the IFN-gamma(-/-) and the IRF-1(-/-) mice to infection with T. gondii, our results indicate a possible involvement of INDO and Trp degradation in host resistance to early infection with this parasite.

Diagnosis of dengue infection by detecting specific immunoglobulin M antibodies in saliva samples

To investigate whether saliva could be used for diagnosis of recent dengue, serum and saliva samples were collected simultaneously from patients with suspected dengue infection. Sera (1:10 dilution) and saliva (undiluted) were tested by using an IgM capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (MAC-ELISA) with minor modifications (serum and saliva absorption for 3 h at 37 degrees C). The quality of saliva was evaluated by determining the IgG total concentration (enzyme immunoassay) which ranged from 2.7 to > 50 mg/l. Recent dengue infection was confirmed in 38 cases. Forty-six serum and saliva specimens were collected from these patients 1-30 days after the onset of symptoms. IgM was detected in 65.8% saliva samples. High rate of positivity ( > 80%) was observed for the saliva samples collected > or = 5 days after the onset of the disease. Fifty serum and saliva samples from other 32 patients with rash diseases were also tested and all the specimens were unreactive by MAC-ELISA. These results indicate that saliva may be a convenient non-invasive alternative to serum for diagnosis of recent dengue fever infection, especially for epidemiological studies during outbreaks of the disease.

[Multicenter study of intracoronary stent implantation in Rio de Janeiro]

PURPOSE

To evaluate retrospectively stent implantation (SI) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) performed in 7 hospitals in Rio de Janeiro.

METHODS

From June/94 to December/96 2,220 procedures were performed among which we analyzed 783 SI in 660 (29.7%) patients using coronary angiography without digital subtraction. Several types of stents were used: Palmaz-Schatz (40.9%), Gianturco-Roubin (29.1%) e NIR (22.0%). Indications for SI: 1--de novo lesion (67.9%); 2) restenotic lesion (16.0%); 3) sub-optimal results after PTCA (8.2%); 4) abrupt or threatened closure after PTCA (4.9%); 5) chronic occlusion (3.0%). All stents were implanted using high pressure balloon inflation without intracoronary ultrasound guidance. Sub-acute stent thrombosis prevention, in the majority of patients (87.8%) was done with ticlopidine and aspirin.

RESULTS

Early outcome: a) the success rate of SI in 770 lesions was 98.0% in 646 (97.9%) patients; b) the clinical success rate in 634 patients was 96.0%; c) the major complications were acute myocardial infarction (1.1%); coronary artery bypass graft (1.4%) and death (0.8%); d) vascular complications with surgical correction and/or bleeding occurred in 3.0%. Late outcome: a) the clinical follow-up of 399 (60.4%) and the coronary angiographies of 121 patients (30.3%) showed in-stent lesion in 79 (19.8%); b) other event rates: myocardial infarction (1.5%); coronary bypass (2.3%); death: 1.0% and other PTCA or similar procedure (12.5%).

CONCLUSION

This multicentric study showed that SI for CAD can be performed with safety, high early success rate, few complications and low rate of cardiac events during the late follow-up.

[Stents for bifurcational coronary lesion]

We describe two cases of coronary angioplasty with stents implantation in bifurcational lesion of the left anterior descending artery and the diagonal branch using new techniques successfully performed. Angiographic reestenosis was not present after seven months in one case and the patient was asymptomatic after six months of clinical follow-up in the other.

Kinetic characterization of rat tissue kallikrein using N alpha-substituted arginine 4-nitroanilides and N alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester as substrates

Hydrolysis of seven N alpha-substituted L-arginine 4-nitroanilides: benzoyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Bz-Arg-Nan), tosyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Tos-Arg-Nan), acetyl-leucyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Ac-Leu-Arg-Nan), acetyl-phenylalanyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Ac-Phe-Arg-Nan), benzoyl-phenylalanyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Bz-Phe-Arg-Nan), tosyl-phenylalanyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (Tos-Phe-Arg-Nan), and D-valyl-leucyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (D-Val-Leu-Arg-Nan), and the N alpha-substituted L-arginine ester: benzoyl-arginine ethyl ester (Bz-Arg-OEt), by rat tissue kallikrein was studied throughout a wide range of substrate concentrations. The enzyme showed a bimodal behavior with all the substrates tested except Tos-Arg-Nan. At low substrate concentrations (10 to 170 microM for p-nitroanilides and 50 to 190 microM for Bz-Arg-OEt) the hydrolysis followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, but at higher substrate concentrations (150 to 700 microM for p-nitroanilides and 200 to 1800 microM for Bz-Arg-OEt) a deviation from Michaelis-Menten kinetics was observed with a significant decrease in hydrolysis rates. At high concentrations of the p-nitroanilide substrates, partial enzyme inhibition was observed, whereas complete enzyme inhibition was observed with Bz-Arg-OEt at high concentration. The kinetic parameters reported here were calculated from data for substrate concentrations range where the enzyme followed Michaelis-Menten behavior. D-Val-Leu-Arg-Nan (Km = 24 +/- 2 microM; Vmax = 10.42 +/- 0.28 microM/min) was the best substrate tested, followed by Ac-Phe-Arg-Nan (Km = 13 +/- 2 microM; Vmax = 3.21 +/- 0.11 microM/min), while Tos-Arg-Nan (Km = 29 +/- 2 microM; Vmax = 0.10 +/- 0.002 microM/min) was the worst of the tested substrates for rat tissue kallikrein. For the hydrolysis of Bz-Arg-OEt (Km = 125 +/- 15 microM; Vmax = 121.3 +/- 7.6 microM/min), the kinetic parameters using a substrate inhibition model can reasonably account for the observed enzyme behavior, with a Ksi value about 13.6 times larger than the estimated Km value.