Is it possible to generate an additional pleasant and pain-relieving muscle stimulation when using a low-frequency spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of lower back pain? Pilot study: A new technique: "MuscleSCS".

Objective: The combined use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and muscle stimulation, in the treatment of chronic pain, using the same probe, could improve the clinical results. However, this technique has not been established as yet. It was our hypothesis that it is possible to generate muscle stimulation by using low frequencies with SCS electrodes and use it to additionally treat chronic back pain.

[Endoscopic intragastric detection of hydrogen].

The sensitivity of hydrogen (H2) breath-tests for testing small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth is limited by many factors. In this study H2 was tested directly with a selective electrochemical cell in a sample of stomach gas obtained during gastroscopy. This was possible in 100 of 109 cases.

[Diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis based on the determination of lactoferrin and calcium in the duodenal juice?].

The diagnostic relevance of measuring calcium and lactoferrin in duodenal juice collected after stimulation is unclear. Concentration and output of these compounds were therefore analyzed after maximal stimulation of the pancreas according to Ribet, the duodenal juice being collected during an endoscopic procedure as described earlier. Kinetics of secretion showed a maximum within the first 10 minutes.

Frequency and activity of immune interferon (IFN-gamma)- and colony-stimulating factor-producing human peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

This report describes the first frequency estimate of immune interferon (IFN-gamma)- and colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-producing human peripheral blood T lymphocytes. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) were activated with T cell mitogens [concanavalin A (Con A) or phytohemagglutinin (PHA)] in bulk culture and subsequently plated in limiting dilution (LD) microcultures in the presence of irradiated allogeneic HPBL filler cells and culture medium supplemented with human interleukin 2 and T cell mitogen (Con A or PHA). HPBL growing in these cultures were T cells as determined by E-rosetting (greater than 85%) and were positive for the OKT8 marker.

Biological and biochemical properties of a serum factor that stimulates splenic hemopoiesis in mice.

Some biological and biochemical properties of a distinct hemopoietic factor that stimulates splenic hemopoiesis in mice are described. This factor can be detected by measuring the increase in the number of in vitro hemopoietic colony-forming cells (CFCs) in the spleens of mice after transfer of serum from syngeneic donors that have been treated previously with the bacterial cell-wall components: lipid A or lipoprotein. Serum collected 5 min after the IV injection of lipid A contained almost no splenic hemopoiesis-stimulating factor (SHSF).

Cloning and frequency analysis of haemopoietic stem cells producing CFC over weeks in long-term marrow cultures.

Using adherent marrow cell layers devoid of stem cells, in vitro cloning and the determination of the frequency of murine haemopoietic stem cells were performed by means of limiting dilution. The presence of stem cells in individual microcultures was indirectly proven by the sustained presence of in vitro colony-forming cells (CFC). These cells increased in number as a function of the culture period, which seems to indicate that the CFC were, de novo, produced in vitro.

The effect of two different types of colony-stimulating factor on the expression of aminopeptidase on marrow-derived murine macrophages.

The expression of aminopeptidase, a surface-membrane-bound enzyme, on macrophages formed in liquid cultures of hemopoietic progenitor cells was studied over a period of 20 days. The cultures were stimulated by two biochemically distinct types of colony-stimulating factor (CSF) derived from mouse-lung-conditioned medium (MLCM) and L-cell-conditioned medium (LCCM), respectively. The enzyme content of single cells was determined microphotometrically after staining with Fast Blue B salt and leucine 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide.

The response of murine splenic granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells to lipid A in vivo.

The physical and biological properties of murine splenic granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) were analyzed after the injection of the splenic hemopoiesis stimulating agent lipid A. In continuous gradients of Percoll, the majority of the splenic GM-CFC of untreated mice peaked at a buoyant density of 1.090 g/cm3, while a small second GM-CFC peak could be detected at 1.

Hemopoietic effects in mice of a lipid A-associated protein.

The effects of the bacterial cell-wall components (BCWC) lipid A and lipid A-associated protein (LAP) on humoral and cellular hemopoietic parameters were investigated in mice. Both lipid A and LAP increased serum levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factors (CSF) in C57BL/6 mice. In C3H/HeJ mice the CSF responses to lipid A and LAP were 7 and 3 fold less than the corresponding CSF responses found in C3H/GSF mice.

Humoral regulation of splenic hemopoiesis in mice.

The effects on splenic hemopoiesis were investigated of injecting the bacterial cell wall component, lipid A, or post-lipid A serum (PLAS) into mice. Both lipid A and syngeneic PLAS caused an increase in splenic numbers of multipotential hematopoietic stem cells (CFUS), committed hemopoietic progenitor cells (CFC) of different hemopoietic lineages and morphologically recognizable hemopoietic cells of various lineages. C57BL/6 Sld/Sld PLAS had a lower stimulating effect on hemopoiesis than C57BL/6 +/+ PLAS.

The responses of hemopoietic precursor cells in mice to bacterial cell-wall components.

The influence upon different cellular and humoral parameters of hemopoiesis of three structurally unrelated, highly purified bacterial cell-wall components (BCWC) was investigated. The spleens of C57BL/6 mice assayed 6 days after the injection of either lipid A or outer-membrane lipoportein, but not murein, showed a marked increase in granulocyte-macrophage, eosinophil, and megakaryocyte progenitor cell levels. The number of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-S) also increased in the spleens of mice treated with either lipid A or lipoprotein.

Cellular and molecular basis of the increased splenic hemopoiesis in mice treated with bacterial cell wall components.

An analysis was made of the mechanisms responsible for the increased splenic hemopoiesis occurring in mice after the injection of the bacterial cell wall components lipid A and outer membrane lipoprotein. No evidence was obtained for the presence of functional lipid A receptors on hemopoietic precursor cells. Serum from lipid A-injected mice, on injection into normal mice, induced in the spleen an increased content of all hemopoietic progenitor cells.

Differential expression of lectin receptors during hemopoietic differentiation: enrichment for granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells.

Molecular changes occur at the surface of hemopoietic cells during differentiation from progenitor cells to mature granulocytes and macrophages. The differential expression of surface carbohydrate residues has been probed using lectins and the results used to purify normal mouse granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells. Ten different lectins were screened for selective interaction with mouse hemopoietic colony-forming cells (CFCs), using agglutination or a quantitative analysis of the number of fluoresceinated lectin molecules bound per cell using a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS).

Diminished response of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in mice after sensitisation with bacterial cell-wall components.

The secondary induction of serum granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by structurally unrelated and chemically highly purified bacterial cell-wall components (BCWC) was studied. Homologous challenge of mice 7 days after treatment with lipid A, lipoprotein or murein failed to increase serum GM-CSF levels and the extent of the decreased responsiveness was dependent upon the dose used for the initial injection. Lipid A-induced decreased responsiveness took 48 hours to develop and remained fully expressed approximately up to day 7 following injection.

Serum of lipopolysaccharide-treated mice contains two types of colony-stimulating factor, separable by affinity chromatography.

Serum from mice treated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was fractionated by Con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and assayed in vitro for colony-stimulating factor (CSF) using mouse bone marrow cells. The CSF failing to bind to concanavalin A-Sepharose (pool A) had similar biological properties to the unfractionated serum, i.e.

Lysolecithin analogs as adjuvants in delayed-type hypersensitivity in mice. II. Studies on the mode of action.

Lysolecithin analogs (LLA) possess adjuvant activity in delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). To elucidate their mode of action, we studied the influence of LLA on the recruitment of hemopoietic progenitor cells and on the induction and transfer of DTH. Whereas the number and composition of colony-forming cells (CFC) in the bone marrow remained unaltered in LLA-treated mice, the number of CFC in the spleen was augmented severalfold, and the content of macrophage progenitors was remarkably increased.

Modulations of myelopoiesis in vivo by chemically pure preparations of cell wall components from gram-negative bacteria: effects at different stages.

Modulation of myelopoiesis by chemically pure preparations of different cell wall components from gram-negative bacteria was investigated in vivo. The effects of lipid A, outer membrane lipoprotein, and murein were evaluated at several distinct stages: induction of colony-stimulating activity (CSA) in the serum, increase in the number of committed splenic precursor cells (CFU-C) forming granulocyte-macrophage colonies in vitro, and triggering into the cell cycle of noncommitted hemopoietic stem cells (CFU-S) from bone marrow. The results reveal different patterns of activity of the bacterial cell wall components (BCWC) tested.