Comparative immunogenicity in rhesus monkeys of multi-protein HIV-1 (CRF02_AG) DNA/MVA vaccines expressing mature and immature VLPs.

We developed an AIDS vaccine for Western and West-Central Africa founded on HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG. Rhesus macaques were primed with Gag-Pol-Env-expressing plasmid DNA and boosted with a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (rMVA), expressing matched proteins. Two DNA vaccine constructs (IC1-90 and IC48) that differed by point mutations in gag and pol were compared.

Neuronal damage in autoimmune neuroinflammation mediated by the death ligand TRAIL.

Here, we provide evidence for a detrimental role of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in neural death in T cell-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Clinical severity and neuronal apoptosis in brainstem motor areas were substantially reduced upon brain-specific blockade of TRAIL after induction of EAE through adoptive transfer of encephalitogenic T cells. Furthermore, TRAIL-deficient myelin-specific lymphocytes showed reduced encephalitogenicity when transferred to wild-type mice.

[Acute hemodynamic effects].

Several studies on the acute effect of cardiac resynchronization in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and left bundle branch block (LBBB) have shown that left and biventricular stimulation increase pulse pressure and contractility, while patients with a QRS complex <150 ms may deteriorate during stimulation. Patients with LBBB, severe HF and a QRS width >150 ms underwent right, left and biventricular stimulation at different AV delays. Acute response was defined as > or =10% pulse pressure increase.

Determination of fractional synthesis rates of mouse hepatic proteins via metabolic 13C-labeling, MALDI-TOF MS and analysis of relative isotopologue abundances using average masses.

Proteins of a liver extract taken from a metabolically (13)C-labeled mouse were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified after tryptic digestion by MALDI-TOF MS peptide mass fingerprinting. (13)C-Labeling of proteins was achieved by an infusion of U-(13)C-glucose, which is metabolized to labeled nonessential amino acids. The labeling was analyzed using the relative isotopologue abundances of the measured isotope pattern of tryptic peptides and quantified by their increase in the average molecular mass (DeltaAVM).

Cardiac transplantation in neonatal Marfan syndrome -- a life-saving approach.

Marfan syndrome is a connective tissue disease with typical clinical signs and cardiac involvement. Its appearance in the neonatal period has a bad prognosis due to incompetence of all cardiac valves with subsequent congestive heart failure. Conservative management usually fails, the children die during their first year of life.

Global and regional myocardial oxygen consumption and blood flow in severe cardiomyopathy with left bundle branch block.

Objective: In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a common finding. The characteristic feature is an asynchronous septal wall motion and most frequently a delay of the lateral and/or posterior wall segments. With the onset of cardiac resynchronization therapy, there is a focus on the specific pathophysiology of a LBBB.

Low-dose terlipressin during long-term hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia: effects on hepatosplanchnic perfusion, oxygen exchange, and metabolism.

Objective: To investigate whether the vasopressin analog terlipressin might induce hepatosplanchnic ischemia during long-term, hyperdynamic, volume-resuscitated porcine endotoxemia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study with repeated measures.

Setting: Investigational animal laboratory.

Economic evaluation of CISM--a pilot study.

This paper reports the implementation of the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Program with the German Air Traffic Control Services (DFS). Particular attention is paid to the application of CISM services to a population of air traffic controllers. An extended economic efficiency evaluation was conducted for the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) Brussels.

Role of zinc in regulating the levels of hepatic elements following nickel toxicity in rats.

This study was designed to determine the protective effects of zinc on the hepatotoxicity induced by nickel in rats. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats received either nickel sulfate alone in the dose of 800 mg/L nickel in drinking water, zinc sulfate alone in the dose of 227 mg/L zinc in drinking water, and nickel plus zinc or drinking water alone for a total duration of 8 wk. The effects of different treatments were studied on activities of rat liver marker enzymes like alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferases (AST) and on the status of essential elements in rat liver.

Effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on global and regional oxygen consumption and myocardial blood flow in patients with non-ischaemic and ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: We studied the effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on global and regional myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) and myocardial blood flow (MBF) in non-ischaemic (NICM) and ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (ICM).

Methods And Results: Thirty-one NICM and 11 ICM patients, all of them acute responders, were investigated. MVO2 and MBF were obtained by 11C-acetate PET before and after 4 months of CRT.

L-Rhamnose increases serum propionate after long-term supplementation, but lactulose does not raise serum acetate.

Background: Acute ingestion of the unabsorbed sugar l-rhamnose in humans raises serum propionate, whereas acute ingestion of lactulose raises serum acetate. It is not known whether short-chain fatty acid concentrations in urine and feces reflect those in blood.

Objective: The objective was to test the effects of oral l-rhamnose and lactulose for 28 d on acetate and propionate concentrations in serum, urine, and feces.

An intermediate grade of finished genomic sequence suitable for comparative analyses.

Although the cost of generating draft-quality genomic sequence continues to decline, refining that sequence by the process of "sequence finishing" remains expensive. Near-perfect finished sequence is an appropriate goal for the human genome and a small set of reference genomes; however, such a high-quality product cannot be cost-justified for large numbers of additional genomes, at least for the foreseeable future. Here we describe the generation and quality of an intermediate grade of finished genomic sequence (termed comparative-grade finished sequence), which is tailored for use in multispecies sequence comparisons.

Amniotic air insufflation during minimally invasive fetoscopic fetal cardiac interventions is safe for the fetal brain in sheep.

Background: Amniotic air insufflation during experimental fetoscopic fetal cardiac interventions greatly improves the visualization of intra-amniotic contents. The purpose of this study was to assess any histologically discernible effects from this approach on the fetal brain after short-term studies and long-term survival in sheep.

Methods: Thirty pregnant ewes between 80 and 110 days of gestation underwent amniotic air insufflation during various fetoscopic fetal cardiac interventions.

Low-energy electron induced restructuring of water monolayers on NaCl(100).

The influence of electron irradiation on the controversially discussed monolayer structure of H(2)O on NaCl(100) is investigated with helium atom diffraction before and after a low-damage low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) experiment. The ordered (1x1) structure observed initially with He atoms is found to be transformed to a stable c(4x2) structure after a 90 eV electron dosage of only 10(15) electrons cm(-2) or about 2 incident electrons per adsorbate molecule. Based on previously reported structure models for the two phases, the transition is attributed to a reorientation, and a possible compression of the water film induced by the electrons.

L-Rhamnose increases serum propionate in humans.

Background: Acetic and propionic acids are produced by colonic bacterial fermentation of unabsorbed carbohydrates and are absorbed into the portal circulation. From there, they travel to the liver, where acetate is a lipogenic substrate and propionate can inhibit lipogenesis. The extent to which peripheral blood short-chain fatty acid concentrations reflect differences in colonic fermentation is uncertain.

The repulsive guidance molecule RGMa is involved in the formation of afferent connections in the dentate gyrus.

In the developing dentate gyrus, afferent fiber projections terminate in distinct laminas. This relies on an accurately regulated spatiotemporal network of guidance molecules. Here, we have analyzed the functional role of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored repulsive guidance molecule RGMa.

Effects of dopexamine in comparison with fenoterol on carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism in healthy volunteers.

Objective: In critically ill patients adrenergic agonists are used to treat haemodynamic disorders. Their metabolic actions should be considered in controlling metabolic homeostasis. Dopexamine has assumed effects on carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.

Systemic, pulmonary, and hepatosplanchnic effects of N-acetylcysteine during long-term porcine endotoxemia.

Objective: Controversial data have been reported on the effects of N-acetylcysteine in patients with septic shock. We therefore investigated the systemic, pulmonary, and hepatosplanchnic hemodynamic, gas exchange, and metabolic effects of N-acetylcysteine during long-term, volume-resuscitated, hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia, which mimics the features of hyperdynamic human sepsis.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study.

Cardiomyopathy in congenital disorders of glycosylation.

Congenital disorders of glycosylation are a group of inherited metabolic multisystem disorders characterized by defects in the glycosylation of proteins and lipids. In most cases, neuromuscular disease is present. The purpose of this study was to characterize the cardiological aspects in this disorder.

Clinical efficacy of cardiac resynchronization therapy using left ventricular pacing in heart failure patients stratified by severity of ventricular conduction delay.

Objectives: We assessed the clinical efficacy of single-site left ventricular (LV) pacing and determined the impact of baseline conduction delay severity on the magnitude of benefit.

Background: Multisite biventricular pacing can improve heart failure (HF) symptoms in patients with an intraventricular conduction delay by resynchronizing abnormal ventricular contractions and improving LV systolic function.

Methods: Eighty-six patients with at least New York Heart Association functional class II HF, chronic LV systolic dysfunction, normal sinus rhythm, and a QRS interval over 120 ms were implanted for atrial-synchronized LV pacing.

[Analysis of inter- and intraventricular asynchrony by tissue Doppler echocardiography].

Background And Introduction: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a promising non-pharmacological treatment option for patients (pts) with severe severe heart failure (CHF), systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and ventricular conduction abnormalities (VCA). Pt selection for CRT, however, is still controversial. Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) can be used to analyze regional wall motion with high temporal resolution.

Value of donor swabs for intra-abdominal infection in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.

Background: Simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) has a higher rate of surgical complications compared with other whole organ transplantations. Graft thrombosis and intra-abdominal infections are the most frequent causes for relaparotomy. We evaluated risk factors for abdominal infections after SPK, with emphasis on the value of the routinely taken intraoperative swabs.