Thesis (M.Sc.)--Acadia University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-183). Also available on the INternet via the World Wide Web.

The recent history of autoimmune neurology is marked by the discovery of many central nervous system (CNS) antibody-mediated diseases. These disorders are caused by antibodies that target important proteins expressed in the neuronal surface, which are believed to be directly pathogenic. These antibodies are immunoglobulin G (IgG) isotype and, as such, have the potential to cross the placenta during gestation. Foetal exposure to CNS-targeting antibodies could alter developing neuronal circuits, leading to disease. However, the consequences of exposure to these antibodies during neurodevelopment has hardly been considered. To study the relationship between maternal antibodies towards neuronal surface proteins and neurodevelopmental disorders in the foetus a dual approach was undertaken. First, pregnancy serum samples from mothers of children later diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder and from mothers of children with typical development were screened for the presence of neuronal surface antibodies. Next, the effects of pathogenic neuronal surface antibodies in the offspring were assessed in a maternal-to-foetal transfer mouse model. Antibodies to neuronal surface proteins in the gestational serum, particularly CASPR2 antibodies, were found to associate with an increased risk of mental retardation and disorders of psychological development in the progeny. The animal model showed that mice exposed in utero to CASPR2 antibodies have long term behavioural sequelae and histological findings suggestive of abnormalities in brain development. These findings support a model in which maternal antibodies towards foetal neuronal proteins cause long-term behavioural deficits and permanent abnormalities at the cellular and synaptic level in a subset of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

No description available.

Thirty-one (11 males and 26 females) individuals with recurrent genital herpes were recruited from two cities, 15 (five males and 10 females) from Blacksburg, Virginia and 16 (six males and 10 females) from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to participate in a four Assessment Period (Before treatment, After treatment, 12-week Followup, and 26-week Followup) study. They were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Psychosocial Intervention groups, Social Support groups, or Waiting-List control groups. Each condition was comprised of two, five-member groups (i.e., one group for each city), with six-members in the Pittsburgh Waiting-List condition. Two individuals of this latter group failed to complete the study . Six, consecutive, weekly, 96-minute group treatment sessions were conducted for the first two conditions, Waiting-List controls were offered treatment after the 26-week Followup period. Psychosocial Intervention involved: HSV information, interpersonal conflict discussions , relaxation training , stress management instructions, and suggestive-imagery techniques. The Social Support groups shared feelings and experiences about the disease, and served as placebo controls . Significantly greater reductions in herpes episode frequency, severity, and duration were reported by the Psychosocial Intervention individuals after treatment, than by individuals in the other two conditions. Similar improvements, in Psychosocial Intervention individuals, were found for the emotional distress, social support, and cognitive measures. It was concluded that Psychosocial Intervention was effective in reducing the chronicity of recurrent HSV infections as well as facilitating adjustment to the disease . Results were discussed according to psychoneuroimmunologic theory. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

How do the brain and the immune system interact, and what are the consequences of this interaction on the physiology of an organism during infection? The main focus of my thesis is neuroimmune interaction, as studied in the following: (1) circadian regulation of immune system function, specifically phagocytosis by immune cells during bacterial infection; (2) the impact of circadian-regulated metabolism and feeding behavior on immunity and host tolerance of bacterial infection; and (3) immune system function in the context of Fragile X syndrome, a neurological disease known to cause circadian dysregulation. To investigate the interactions between these complex physiologies, I use the well-characterized and genetically tractable Drosophila melanogaster animal model. Each topic is briefly introduced in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 focuses on the body of work identifying the circadian regulation of the immune system, particularly phagocytosis, by immune cells during bacterial infection. Chapter 3 highlights findings regarding how diet and host metabolic state impact survival after infection. Chapter 4 illustrates phagocytic immune cell defects both systemically and in the brain in the Drosophila model of Fragile X syndrome. Lastly the conclusions discuss how these three works have built on our fund of knowledge of neuroimmune interactions and the future implications for these results.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-114).

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第22737号 / 医博第4655号 / 新制||医||1046(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 伊佐 正, 教授 林 康紀, 教授 髙折 晃史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Facial nerve axotomy (FNA) in immunodeficient mice causes significantly more facial motoneuron (FMN) loss relative to wild type (WT), indicating that the immune system is neuroprotective. Further studies reveal that both CD4+ T cells and interleukin 10 (IL-10) act centrally to promote neuronal survival after injury. This study first investigated the roles of IL-10 and CD4+ T cells in neuroprotection after axotomy. CD4+ T cell-mediated neuroprotection requires centrally-produced IL-10, but the source of IL-10 is unknown. Using FNA on IL-10 reporter mice, immunohistochemistry was employed to identify the IL-10 source. Unexpectedly, axotomy induced astrocyte production of IL-10. To test if microglia- or astrocyte-specific IL-10 is needed for neuroprotection, cell-specific conditional knockout mice were generated. Neither knockout scenario affected FMN survival after FNA, suggesting that coordinated IL-10 production by both glia contributes to neuroprotection. The effect of immune status on the post-FNA molecular response was studied to characterize CD4+ T cell-mediated neuroprotection. In the recombinase-activating gene2 knockout (RAG-2-/-) mouse model of immunodeficiency, glial microenvironment responses were significantly impaired. Reconstitution with CD4+ T cells restored glial activation to normal levels. Motoneuron regeneration responses remained unaffected by immune status. These findings indicate that CD4+ T cell-mediated neuroprotection after injury occurs indirectly via microenvironment regulation. Immunodysregulation is evident in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and FMN survival after FNA is worse in the mutant superoxide dismutase (mSOD1) mouse model of ALS. Further experiments reveal that mSOD1 CD4+ T cells are neuroprotective in RAG-2-/- mice, whereas mSOD1 whole splenocytes (WS) are not. The third aim examined if the mSOD1 WS environment inhibits mSOD1 CD4+ T cell glial regulation after axotomy. Unexpectedly, both treatments were equally effective in promoting glial activation. Instead, mSOD1 WS treatment induced a motoneuron-specific death mechanism prevalent in ALS. In conclusion, the peripheral immune system regulates the central glial microenvironment utilizing IL-10 to promote neuronal survival after axotomy. Astrocytes, specifically, may be responsible for transducing peripheral immune signals into microenvironment regulation. Additionally, the immune system in ALS may directly participate in disease pathology.

No description available.

O setor avícola apresenta o maior crescimento em volume produzido dentre todos os setores cárneos no Brasil. A grande participação dos produtos avícolas na alimentação humana somada ao risco do desenvolvimento de resistência bacteriana, levaram a União Européia (UE) a abolir utilização de antimicrobianos como aditivos e de forma profilática na ração de animais. A remoção dos aditivos associada ao sistema de criação intensivo acabaram por fazer que doenças, até então consideradas controladas, se tornassem reemergentes. A enterite necrótica aviária (NE) é considerada um exemplo. De forma geral, condições estressoras predispõem ao desenvolvimento de doenças, sendo o calor um dos estressores mais comuns que ocorrem em granjas aviárias. Este estudo enfoca o efeito do estresse térmico por calor (35±1ºC) sobre o desenvolvimento da NE em frangos de corte. Para isso, 60 frangos de corte machos foram divididos em 6 grupos experimentais: 1 Grupo Controle; 2 Grupo Controle Estressado (C/HS35); 3 Grupo Tioglicolato (T); 4 Grupo Tioglicolato Estressado (T/HS35); 5 Grupo Infectado (I); 6 Grupo Infectado Estressado (I/HS35). A infecção experimental com Clostridium perfringens foi feita por via oral, com a bacteria em meio de cultura misturada a ração, do 15º ao 21º dia de vida nos grupos I e I/HS35. O estresse por calor (35±1º C) foi realizado do 14º ao 21º dia de vida das aves dos grupos estressados. Durante todo período experimental os animais foram mantidos em isoladores. Em relação aos animais não estressados, os animais submetidos ao estresse por calor apresentaram: 1- menor escore lesional macro e microscópico no intestino delgado; 2- maior concentração de IgA no lavado intestinal do duodeno; 3 - menor concentração de IgA no jejuno; 4 - redução dos níveis séricos de IgA e IgY; 5 - maior concentração sérica de IgM; 6 - diminuição qualitativa evidente dos heterofilos intestinais em relação aos animais infectados e estressados. Portanto, mostrou-se que o estresse por calor apresentou efeito imunomodulador importante, ao reduzir a inflamação intestinal. Este achado associa-se provavelmente à diminuição da imunidade inata por redução da migração de heterófilos para a mucosa intestinal, desta forma prevenindo a manifestação de um um quadro clínico mais grave de NE, fato associado à diminuição das lesôes desencadeadas pelo processo inflamatório heterofílico. / The poultry sector presented the highest growth in the volume of production among all meat sectors in Brazil. The great participation of poultry products on human diet together with the risk of food and environmental contamination by resistant bacteria led the European Union (EU) countries to abolish the use of antibiotics as feed additives in animal production. This fact associated with the intensive farming system are being reported as responsible for the re-emergence of some already controlled diseases. The avian necrotic enteritis (NE) exemplify such an effect. Generally, stressful conditions are predisponent factors for disease development; heat stress is one of the most common stressor in poultry farms. This study focuses on the effects of heat stress (35 ± 1 º C) on the development of NE in broilers. For this purpose, 60 male broilers were divided into 6 groups: 1 - control group, 2 - stressed control group (C/HS35) 3 - thioglycolate group (T) 4 - thioglycolate stressed group (T/HS35); 5 - infected group (I) 6 - infected stressed group (I/HS35). Experimental infection with Clostridium perfringens, grown in thioglycollate broth medium, was given through the feed to the birds of groups I and I/HS35 from the 15th to 21st days of life. The heat stress (35 ± 1 °C) was induced continuously from the 14th to the 21st day of life in birds of the stressed groups. Throughout the experimental period the animals were kept in isolators. Compared to non-stressed animals, broilers subjected to heat stress showed: lower gross and microscopic score lesions in the small intestine; increased concentrations of IgA in duodenal lavage and decreased IgA concentrations in the jejunum; smaller concentrations of serum IgA and IgY; increased concentration of serum IgM; reduction in gut number of heterophils in the thioglycolate treated and in the infected groups. Therefore, this experimental model showed that heat stress presented a significant immunomodulatory role on the induced NE, most probably because it reduced intestinal inflammation via decrease in heterophils migration to the intestinal mucosa, which in turn might had reduced tissue damage during infamation, hence preventing the development of a more severe form of NE.