A novel LPS binding /bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (LBP/BPI) from the scallop Argopecten purpuratus plays an essential role in host resistance to Vibrio infection.

Lipopolysaccharide binding proteins (LBPs) and bactericidal permeability increasing proteins (BPIs) play significant roles in the immune response of vertebrates against bacterial pathogens. These soluble proteins produced by immune cells, specifically interact with and bind to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), with BPIs also displaying antibacterial activity. In Argopecten purpuratus scallop larvae resistant to Vibrio bivalvicida VPAP30, we identified a significant overexpression of a transcript displaying molecular features of an LBP/BPI protein, both before and after infection.

Comparing and Correcting Spectral Sensitivities between Multispectral Microscopes: A Prerequisite to Clinical Implementation.

Multispectral, multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) microscopy has been used to great effect in research to identify cellular co-expression profiles and spatial relationships within tissue, providing a myriad of diagnostic advantages. As these technologies mature, it is essential that image data from mIF microscopes is reproducible and standardizable across devices. We sought to characterize and correct differences in illumination intensity and spectral sensitivity between three multispectral microscopes.

[STOP-BANG questionnaire as predictor of a difficult airway management during anesthesia].

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent. The STOP-BANG questionnaire is a simple and useful tool to screen for OSA.

Aim: Since OSA is strongly associated with airway management troubles, we sought to determine whether the STOP-BANG can predict difficult airway management.

[Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus bacteremia in a mother-child binomial].

Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus is a Gram-positive, P-hemolytic coccus considered part of the commensal flora in horses and an opportunistic pathogen in other animals. Infection in humans is rare, but it usually manifests as serious symptoms, it has been associated with contact with animals, especially horses, and the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products. In this report we describe a case of bacteremia of the mother-child binomial by this agent, associated with the consumption of artisan cheeses.

Profiles of Problematic Internet Use in Bullying and Cyberbullying among Adolescents.

The rise of technology has increased risks such as problematic internet use or cyberbullying. Data show that there is problematic use of the internet, which has important repercussions academically, personally, socially and for health. The objective of this study was to identify different profiles that vary according to intra- and interpersonal conflicts related to internet use.

Monitoring the occurrence of microplastic ingestion in Otariids along the Peruvian and Chilean coasts.

Repeated reports of microplastic pollution in the marine pinniped diet have emerged in the last years. However, only few studies address the drivers of microplastics presence and the potential implications for monitoring microplastic pollution in the ocean. This study monitored their in the scats (N = 205) of four pinniped species/subspecies at five different locations in the southern Pacific Ocean (Peru and Chile).

High prevalence of clarithromycin resistance and effect on Helicobacter pylori eradication in a population from Santiago, Chile: cohort study and meta-analysis.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication using standard triple therapy (STT) with proton pump inhibitors (PPI), amoxicillin and clarithromycin (CLA) has been the standard in Latin America. However, CLA resistance is a rising problem affecting eradication rates.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection in puerperal women and their neonates at Barcelona, Anzoategui State, Venezuela.

Introduction. Trypanosoma cruzi is mainly transmitted by vectors. Other pathways such as oral and congenital transmission have become increasingly relevant.

Emotional Intelligence, Bullying, and Cyberbullying in Adolescents.

Bullying and cyberbullying are important global issues with negative consequences for physical and mental health in education. The objective of this study was to analyze to what extent some dimensions of emotional intelligence predict certain manifestations of bullying and cyberbullying in adolescents. The total number of subjects recruited in compulsory secondary education schools, was 309 (53.

Epidermal γδ T cells originate from yolk sac hematopoiesis and clonally self-renew in the adult.

The murine epidermis harbors two immune cell lineages, Langerhans cells (LCs) and γδ T cells known as dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs). LCs develop from both early yolk sac (YS) progenitors and fetal liver monocytes before locally self-renewing in the adult. For DETCs, the mechanisms of homeostatic maintenance and their hematopoietic origin are largely unknown.

T Cell Zone Resident Macrophages Silently Dispose of Apoptotic Cells in the Lymph Node.

In lymph nodes (LNs), dendritic cells (DCs) are thought to dispose of apoptotic cells, a function pertaining to macrophages in other tissues. We found that a population of CX3CR1 MERTK cells located in the T cell zone of LNs, previously identified as DCs, are efferocytic macrophages. Lineage-tracing experiments and shield chimeras indicated that these T zone macrophages (TZM) are long-lived macrophages seeded in utero and slowly replaced by blood monocytes after birth.

Clonal Proliferation and Stochastic Pruning Orchestrate Lymph Node Vasculature Remodeling.

Lymph node (LN) expansion during an immune response relies on the transient remodeling of its vasculature. Although the mechanisms driving LN endothelial cell division are beginning to be understood, a comprehensive view of LN endothelial cell dynamics at the single-cell level is lacking. Here, we used multicolored fluorescent fate-mapping models to track the behavior of blood endothelial cells during LN expansion upon inflammation and subsequent return to homeostasis.

Broad and Largely Concordant Molecular Changes Characterize Tolerogenic and Immunogenic Dendritic Cell Maturation in Thymus and Periphery.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are instrumental in the initiation of T cell responses, but how thymic and peripheral tolerogenic DCs differ globally from Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced immunogenic DCs remains unclear. Here, we show that thymic XCR1(+) DCs undergo a high rate of maturation, accompanied by profound gene-expression changes that are essential for central tolerance and also happen in germ-free mice. Those changes largely overlap those occurring during tolerogenic and, more unexpectedly, TLR-induced maturation of peripheral XCR1(+) DCs, arguing against the commonly held view that tolerogenic DCs undergo incomplete maturation.

Dynamics and Transcriptomics of Skin Dendritic Cells and Macrophages in an Imiquimod-Induced, Biphasic Mouse Model of Psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Previous studies showed that short-term, 5-7 d-long application of imiquimod (IMQ), a TLR7 agonist, to the skin of mice triggers a psoriasis-like inflammation. In the current study, by applying IMQ for 14 consecutive d, we established an improved mouse psoriasis-like model in that it recapitulated many of the clinical and cellular hallmarks observed in human patients during both the early-onset and the late-stable phase of psoriasis.

Fate mapping reveals origin and dynamics of lymph node follicular dendritic cells.

Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) regulate B cell function and development of high affinity antibody responses but little is known about their biology. FDCs associate in intricate cellular networks within secondary lymphoid organs. In vitro and ex vivo methods, therefore, allow only limited understanding of the genuine immunobiology of FDCs in their native habitat.

Identification of a new stromal cell type involved in the regulation of inflamed B cell follicles.

Lymph node (LN) stromal cells provide survival signals and adhesive substrata to lymphocytes. During an immune response, B cell follicles enlarge, questioning how LN stromal cells manage these cellular demands. Herein, we used a murine fate mapping system to describe a new stromal cell type that resides in the T cell zone of resting LNs.

Multicolor fate mapping of Langerhans cell homeostasis.

Langerhans cells (LCs) constitute a network of immune sentinels in the skin epidermis that is seeded during embryogenesis. Whereas the development of LCs has been extensively studied, much less is known about the homeostatic renewal of adult LCs in "nonmanipulated" animals. Here, we present a new multicolor fluorescent fate mapping system and quantification approach to investigate adult LC homeostasis.

[Phenotype and genotype of thiopurine methyltransferase in Chilean individuals].

Background: Thiopurines (azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine) are highly effective medications but with potential adverse effects. Thiopurine methyltransferase (TMPT) is the key enzyme in their pharmacokinetics and is genetically regulated. A low activity of TPMT is associated with myelotoxicity.

Development and Application of an ELISA Assay Using Excretion/Secretion Proteins from Epimastigote Forms of T. cruzi (ESEA Antigens) for the Diagnosis of Chagas Disease.

An indirect enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) for Trypanosoma cruzi was developed using epimastigote secretion/excretion proteins (ESEA antigens) obtained from axenic culture supernatants. A panel of 120 serum samples from subjects with confirmed Chagas disease (n = 50), healthy controls (n = 50), and patients with other parasitic diseases (n = 20) was used to evaluate the new ESEA-based ELISA (ELISA(ESEA)). This new test had excellent sensitivity (98%) and acceptable specificity (88%).

High endothelial venules as traffic control points maintaining lymphocyte population homeostasis in lymph nodes.

Millions of lymphocytes enter and exit mammal lymph nodes (LNs) each day, accessing the parenchyma via high endothelial venules (HEVs) and egressing via lymphatics. Despite this high rate of cellular flux and the many entry and exit sites within a given LN, the number of lymphocytes present in a resting LN is extraordinary stable over time, raising the question of how this steady-state is maintained. Here we have examined the anatomic details of lymphocyte movement in HEVs, finding that HEVs create pockets within which lymphocytes reside for several minutes before entering the LN proper.

Galectin-1-expressing stromal cells constitute a specific niche for pre-BII cell development in mouse bone marrow.

In the bone marrow (BM), stromal cells constitute a supportive tissue indispensable for the generation of pro-B/pre-BI, pre-BII, and immature B lymphocytes. IL-7-producing stromal cells constitute a cellular niche for pro-B/pre-BI cells, but no specific stromal cell microenvironment was identified for pre-BII cells expressing a functional pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR). However expression of the pre-BCR represents a crucial checkpoint during B-cell development.