Isolation and characteristics of a protein-polysaccharide complex, secreted by Bifidobacterium adolescentis

Although self-help/mutual-help groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous, are important factors in the recovery of many chemically dependent individuals, the large dropout rates from such groups and the awareness that many who drop out do not return to dependent behavior raises interesting questions about other paths to sustained abstinence and recovery. Current emphasis on treatment outcome studies provides a means for researching factors in both those who recover with and without the assistance of self-help/mutual-help groups. The authors suggest some questions which might be investigated.     

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis mucosal T cells are stimulated by intestinal epithelial cells: implications for immunosuppressive therapy

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory diseases, and their pathogenesis is attributed, in part, to alterations of the mucosal immune system. This study was designed to define the possible contribution of epithelial cells to the activation of lamina propria T lymphocytes (LPTs) in CD and UC. METHODS: LPTs isolated from CD, UC, and control surgical specimens were cocultured with freshly isolated allogeneic or autologous epithelial cells or epithelial cell lines. Resulting T-cell proliferation was evaluated by tritiated thymidine incorporation on day 5. RESULTS: When intestinal epithelial cells were used to stimulate mucosal T-cell proliferation, CD and UC LPTs were less responsive than control LPTs (p < 0.05 and p < 0.03, respectively). This difference between inflamed and control T cells was consistently observed by using a variety of different intestinal epithelial cell types. CONCLUSIONS: CD and UC mucosal T cells are hyporesponsive to activation by intestinal epithelial cells when compared with control LPTs. Elucidating the mechanism underlying the differential activation of CD and UC LPTs may help to better understand the immunopathogenesis of these conditions.     

Independent modulation of horse airway smooth muscle by epithelium and prostanoids

The effects of epithelial removal and cyclooxygenase inhibition on contractions induced by exogenous acetylcholine (ACh) and electrical field stimulation (EFS) were evaluated in horse tracheal strips and bronchial rings. Epithelial removal potentiated the response to ACh but had no influence on the response to EFS. The effect of epithelial removal was not altered by pretreating the tissues with meclofenamate, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In trachealis strips, meclofenamate augmented contractions induced by EFS but not by ACh. In bronchial rings, meclofenamate augmented EFS-induced contraction to a greater extent than ACh-induced contraction. These effects of meclofenamate were epithelium-independent. We conclude that horse airway epithelium produces a relaxant factor that is not a prostanoid. Endogenous prostanoids originating from non-epithelial sites inhibit only cholinergic nerves in the trachea but both parasympathetic nerves and smooth muscle in the bronchi.