Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination of cattle: activation of bovine CD4+ and gamma delta TCR+ cells and modulation by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Setting: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) is a potent modulator of immune responses and may be beneficial in the treatment of tuberculosis. Recent evidence suggest that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) may affect T-dependent responses in cattle; however, mechanisms by which this vitamin modulates activation of bovine T cells are unclear.

Objective: Determine the effects of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) on the expression of CD25, CD44, and CD62L by bovine T cell subsets proliferating in response to antigen stimulation.

Characterization of Cos-7 cells overexpressing the rat secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPase.

On the basis of sequence similarities to the yeast PMR1 and hSPCA gene, the rat alternatively spliced mRNA has been suggested to be a Golgi secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPase (SPCA). Data in this report lend further support for this hypothesis in that sucrose gradient fractionation of rat liver microsomes resulted in SPCA comigrating with the Golgi calcium binding protein CALNUC, which was well resolved from the endoplasmic reticulum marker calreticulin. Also, in PC-12 cells, antibody to SPCA colocalized with an antibody to the Golgi marker alpha-mannosidase II.

Diagnostic implications of antigen-induced gamma interferon, nitric oxide, and tumor necrosis factor alpha production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Mycobacterium bovis-infected cattle.

Bovine tuberculosis in the United States has proven costly to cattle producers as well as to government regulatory agencies. While in vivo responsiveness to mycobacterial antigens is the current standard for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, in vitro assays are gaining acceptance, especially as ancillary or complementary tests. To evaluate in vitro indices of cellular sensitization, antigen-induced gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), nitric oxide (NO), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) responses by blood mononuclear cells from Mycobacterium bovis-infected cattle were quantified and compared.

In vitro effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion by blood leukocytes from young and adult cattle vaccinated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are critical in the development of an effective immune response. Vitamin D, essential in short-term calcium homeostasis and recently shown to modulate proliferation and function of blood mononuclear cells from adult dairy cattle, may be an effective modulator of the calf's immune system. Effects of antigen sensitization and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3[1,25-(OH)2D3] on cytokine secretion by cells from calves vaccinated with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were examined.

Early induction of humoral and cellular immune responses during experimental Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection of calves.

Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) of cattle is widespread and causes significant economic losses for producers due to decreased production and poor health of affected animals. The chronic nature of the disease and the lack of a reproducible model of infection hinder research efforts. In the present study, instillation of Mycobacterium avium subsp.

Effects of tyrosine, phentermine, caffeine D-amphetamine, and placebo on cognitive and motor performance deficits during sleep deprivation.

Cognitive and motor performance are critical in many circumstances and are impaired by sleep deprivation. We administered placebo, tyrosine 150 mg/kg, caffeine 300 mg/70 kg, phentermine 37.5 mg and D-amphetamine 20 mg at 15.

A comparison of tyrosine against placebo, phentermine, caffeine, and D-amphetamine during sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can impair alertness and cognitive and motor performance. We hypothesized that the amino acid tyrosine might reduce deleterious effects of sleep deprivation. Seventy-six healthy males, age 18-35 years, participated in a four-day protocol that included a habituation night, a baseline night, a 40.

Effect of an individualized treatment protocol on restoration of competency in pretrial forensic inpatients.

In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of individualized treatment on restoration of competency in patients adjudicated incompetent to stand trial. Treatment groups included deficit-focused remediation (six individual sessions and four group sessions; n = 8), legal rights education (control group; six individual sessions and four group sessions; n = 10), and standard hospital treatment (control group; four group sessions; n = 8). There were no significant baseline differences among groups.

Characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes isolated from papillomatous digital dermatitis lesions in dairy cattle.

Four spirochete strains were isolated from papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) lesions in Iowa dairy cattle and compared with two previously described spirochete strains isolated from dairy cattle in California. These six strains shared an identical 16S ribosomal DNA sequence that was 98% similar to Treponema phagedenis and 99% similar to the uncultivated PDD spirochete sequence DDLK-4. The whole-cell protein profiles resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of these six strains were similar.

Aerosol delivery of virulent Mycobacterium bovis to cattle.

Setting: Although animal models of aerosol inoculation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis have been reported using laboratory animals, a model of aerosol delivery of M. bovis to cattle has not been reported previously.

Immune responses of elk to Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette Guerin vaccination.

Although rare, detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection of captive or free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) elicits serious concern due to regulatory and zoonotic implications. Few studies, however, have evaluated the immune response of elk to M. bovis or other pathogens.

Public reporting of hospital patient satisfaction: the Rhode Island experience.

This article describes a collaborative process for legislatively mandated public reporting of health care performance in Rhode Island that began with hospital patient satisfaction. The goals of the report were both quality improvement and public accountability. Key features addressed include: the legislative context for public reporting; widespread participation of stakeholders; the structure for decision making; and the use of formative testing with cognitive interviews to get responses of consumers and others about the report readability and comprehensibility.

Pressor response to intravenous tyramine is a marker of cardiac, but not vascular, adrenergic function.

Intravenous injections of the indirect sympathetic amine, tyramine, are used as a test of peripheral adrenergic function. The authors measured the time course of increases in ejection fraction, heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressure, popliteal artery flow, and greater saphenous vein diameter before and after an injection of 4.0 mg/m(2) body surface area of tyramine in normal human subjects.

Expression of L-Selectin (CD62L), CD44, and CD25 on activated bovine T cells.

Mycobacterium bovis infection of cattle represents a natural host-pathogen interaction and, in addition to its economic and zoonotic impact, represents a model for human tuberculosis. Extravasation and trafficking of activated lymphocytes to inflammatory sites is modulated by differential expression of multiple surface adhesion molecules. However, effects of M.

Milk containing Mycobacterium bovis as a source of infection for white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus).

Setting: White-tailed deer represent the first wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis in the United States. The behavior of does with nursing fawns provides several potential mechanisms for disease transmission. Little information exists concerning transmission between doe and fawn, specifically transmammary transmission.

Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo activity of benzindazole-4,9-quinones against Cryptosporidium parvum.

A series of benzindazole-4,9-quinones was tested for growth-inhibitory effects on Cryptosporidium parvum in vitro and in vivo. Most compounds showed considerable activity at concentrations from 25 to 100 micro M. For instance, at 25 micro M the derivatives 5-hydroxy-8-chloro-N1-methylbenz[f]-indazole-4,9-quinone and 5-chloro-N2-methylbenz[f]indazole-4,9-quinone inhibited growth of C.

Mycobacterium bovis-infected white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus): detection of immunoglobulin specific to crude mycobacterial antigens by ELISA.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have recently emerged as a source of Mycobacterium bovis infection for cattle within North America. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibody response of M. bovis-infected deer to crude mycobacterial antigens.

Apoptosis in lymph node granulomas from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) experimentally infected with Mycobacterium bovis.

Apoptosis is a morphologically and biochemically distinct mechanism of cell death seen in many physiological conditions as well as in various infectious diseases. To examine apoptosis in tuberculous white-tailed deer, 32 deer were each given an intra-tonsillar injection of 300 colony-forming units of Mycobacterium bovis. Medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes were collected at 15, 28, 42, 56, 89, 180, 262 and 328 days after inoculation.

Five-color flow cytometric analysis of swine lymphocytes for detection of proliferation, apoptosis, viability, and phenotype.

Background: The objective of this study was to develop a method to simultaneously examine phenotype, proliferation, apoptosis, and death of antigen-stimulated porcine lymphocytes.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from pigs vaccinated with a Brachyspira hyodysenteriae bacterin.

Results: Once isolated, PBMCs were stained with the fluorescent membrane intercalating dye, PKH67, and cultured with or without B.

Characterization of mitogen-stimulated porcine lymphocytes using a stable fluorescent dye (PKH2) and multicolor flow cytometry.

Stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation using mitogens or specific antigens is a method that is used frequently to assess immune responsiveness. While useful, lymphocyte blastogenesis, or [3H]-thymidine incorporation, provides little information regarding the response of specific subsets to the stimulant. Here, we report that the fluorescent cell membrane probe, PKH2, is a useful tool for measuring the proliferation of porcine lymphocyte subpopulations by utilizing multicolor flow cytometry.

Analysis of mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte subset proliferation and nitric oxide production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of captive elk (Cervus elaphus).

Elk (Cervus claphus) are reservoirs for Brucella abortus, Mycobacterium bovis, and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, each a serious pathogen of domestic livestock. An understanding of the basic immune responsiveness of elk would aid efforts to develop methods to diagnose and prevent these diseases of elk.

Nitric oxide production as an indication of Mycobacterium bovis infection in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are reservoirs for Mycobacterium bovis in northeast Michigan, USA. Production of nitric oxide (NO) by activated macrophages is a potent mechanism of mycobacterial killing. The capacity of macrophages to produce NO, however, varies among mammalian species.

Susceptibility of raccoons (Procyon lotor) to infection with Mycobacterium bovis.

Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis infection is endemic in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the northeastern portion of the lower Michigan peninsula (USA). Various wild carnivores and omnivores, including raccoons (Procyon lotor), are infected with M. bovis within the endemic area.