Acoustic stress induces long term severe intestinal inflammation in the mouse.

The influence of noise on the presentation and progression of inflammatory bowel diseases has been poorly analyzed. We designed this study to investigate immediate and late effects of acoustic stress (AS) on small intestine. To this aim, CBA/J, BALB/c and DBA/2 mice were divided into AS and control groups.

Flow cytometric analysis of T-lymphocytes from nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) in a model of secondary immunodeficiency in Wistar rats.

Nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) is responsible for immune responses in the upper respiratory tract of rodents. In our model of protein malnutrition (R21 group), bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT), situated in the lower respiratory tract, showed a decrease of CD4(+), CD8alpha(+), and TCRalphabeta(+) lymphocytes but TCRgammadelta(+) cells were increased. Besides, there is no information regarding the frequencies of T-cell populations in 60-day-old Wistar rats (C60 group).

Mucosal immunity induced by orally administered transgenic plants.

Oral immunization is an efficient means to induce protection at the portal entrance for many pathogens. Therefore, the design of efficient edible vaccines through transgenic plants represents a challenging alternative to the traditional injectable ones. We have previously reported the construction of transgenic potato plants expressing the genes coding for the immunogenic proteins of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) and their immunogenicity in mice.

Nutrition disorder and immunologic parameters: study of the intestinal villi in growing rats.

Objective: The aim of the present work was to study how a diet in which cereals were the only protein source would affect B and T lymphocytes and a cell population positive for thymus-expressed chemokine (TECK) in the intestinal villi of growing rats.

Methods: Wistar rats were fed a 6.5% precooked maize protein diet for 18-20 d (M group).

Comparative immunohistochemical study of M-CSF and G-CSF in feto-maternal interface in a multiparity mouse model.

Problem: Multiparity status has been found to bring beneficial effects both to the maintenance of pregnancy and to the offspring; however, these effects have not been fully explained. We have previously reported that placentae obtained from multiparous females belonging to a syngeneic mouse crossbreeding showed an important increase in the number of placental macrophages, suggesting that they might constitute a protective subpopulation. Taking into account that macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) have proved to modulate macrophage activity and that both factors and/or their receptors have been found at feto-maternal interface, in this paper we analyzed the presence of M-CSF and G-CSF in placental tissue employing the same multiparity mouse model in order to investigate the influence of parity status on local immunoregulation factors of macrophage activity.

The role of transforming growth factor-{beta} in a model of oral tolerance to the diet antigen dextrin.

In a model of immunodeficiency provoked by protein deficiency, cytosol fractions from gut IELS isolated from immunodeficient rats presenting oral tolerance to dextrin showed increased expression of TGF-beta to reduce the effect of higher levels of inflammatory cytokines.

Asymmetric antibodies (AAb) in the female reproductive tract.

Vaginal mucosa has been shown to play an important role in fertility, since several changes during the estrous cycle determine fertility and pregnancy outcome. The contribution of vaginal fluid IgG antibodies (Abs) to these changes is not fully characterized. Asymmetric Abs (AAb) are a subpopulation of IgG Abs bearing a carbohydrate residue in only one Fab region of the molecule, being therefore functionally univalent and unable to trigger immunological mechanisms tending to destroy the antigens.

Murine abortion is associated with enhanced interleukin-6 levels at the feto-maternal interface.

CBA/JXDBA/2J murine abortion is known to be associated with increased local and peripheral Th1-cytokines levels. The role of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) in murine abortion remains unclear. In humans, IL-6 was reported to be elevated at the onset of spontaneous abortion.