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Notes: Abstract. Eulaliopsis binata is a perennial fibre-producing plant, which has a growing market in southern China and also has favourable effects on soil and water conservation. In the present study, three land use treatments, Eulaliopsis binata (EB), undisturbed natural grassland (NG) and orange grove (OG) were compared with respect to their effects upon a red soil after 20 years. Of these treatments, EB had the most favourable effects on soil physicochemical and biological properties and on soil microclimate. These properties were combined in a relative soil quality index (RSQI), which gave values in the order EB 〉 OG 〉 NG. Soil microbial numbers and enzyme activities were shown to be sensitive indicators of overall changes in soil properties.

Notes: Abstract. After clear-felling of a first generation Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) forest, mixed stands of Chinese fir and Michelia macclurei (a broadleaf tree) (MCM), pure M. macclurei stands (PMS) and pure Chinese fir stands (PCS) were established in 1983. The effects on soil were evaluated 20 years after planting by measuring physicochemical, microbiological and biochemical parameters. Both broadleaf monoculture and mixtures of broadleaf and conifer exerted a favourable effect on soil fertility. A soil quality index (SQI) decreased in the order: PMS (0.62) 〉 MCM (0.57) 〉 PCS (0.41). Improvement in soil quality, enhanced biological activity and forest productivity demonstrated that mixed stands are an effective measure to maintain sustainable forest productivity, as well as to control soil degradation under successive stands of Chinese fir. In addition, since the microbiological and biochemical parameters measured were sensitive to the forest management, they may be potential indicators for assessing the sustainability of different management systems. The results also showed that total organic carbon, cation exchange capacity and microbial biomass carbon are effective indicators of the improvement or deterioration of soil quality under forest.

Notes: The nuclear receptor heterodimers of liver X receptors (LXRs) are recently identified as key transcriptional regulators of genes involved in lipid homeostasis and inflammation. LXRs and their ligands are negative regulators of macrophage inflammatory gene expression. Multiple sclerosis (MS), a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of unknown cause, is characterized by recurrent inflammation involving macrophages and their inflammatory mediators. Sweden belongs to the countries with a high MS incidence. In Italy, incidence is lower, with an exception for Sardinia where the incidence is even higher than that in Sweden. Subjects from Sardinia are ethnically more homogeneous and differ from Swedes, also regarding genetic background and environment. We studied LXRs and their related molecules of blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) from female patients with untreated relapsing-remitting MS from Sassari, Sardinia and Stockholm, Sweden. Sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were from both areas. mRNA expression was evaluated by real-time PCR. LXR-α was lower (P 〈 0.05) in MS (mean ± SEM: 3.1 ± 0.2; n = 37) compared to HC (3.6 ± 0.1; n = 37). LXR-α was lower in MS from Stockholm (2.6 ± 0.2; n = 22) compared to corresponding HC (3.4 ± 0.1; n = 22; P 〈 0.01) and compared to MS (3.8 ± 0.2; n = 15; P 〈 0.001) and HC (4 ± 0.2; n = 15; P 〈 0.001) from Sardinia. MS patients from Stockholm, but not from Sassari, also expressed lower (P 〈 0.05) LXR-β (−4.1 ± 0.4) compared to corresponding HC (−2.9 ± 0.3). MS from Stockholm was associated with higher ABCA-1 (6.1 ± 0.4 versus 5.0 ± 0.3; P 〈 0.05) and higher estrogen receptor-β-Cx (2.4 ± 0.4 versus 0.8 ± 0.4; P 〈 0.01) compared to corresponding HC. The HC from Sassari had higher androgen receptor (2.9 ± 0.2) compared to MS from Sassari (1.4 ± 0.3; P 〈 0.01), MS (1.3 ± 0.4; P 〈 0.01) and HC from Stockholm (1.2 ± 0.3; P 〈 0.01). MS from Sassari had lower cyclooxygenase-1 compared to corresponding HC (5.1 ± 0.4 versus 6.6 ± 0.3; P 〈 0.01) and lower prostaglandin-E (−0.03 ± 0.5) compared to the HC (1.4 ± 0.5; P 〈 0.05) and MS (2.7 ± 0.4; P 〈 0.05) and HC from Stockholm (1.9 ± 0.4, P 〈 0.001). Our findings identify LXRs and their related molecules as being involved in MS from Stockholm but not from Sassari, while sex hormone receptors seem to be involved in MS in Sassari.

Notes: IFN-β, an approved drug for multiple sclerosis (MS), acts on dendritic cell (DC) by suppressing their production of IL-12p40 and increasing IL-10. This results in Th2-biased immune responses. The nature of IFN-β-modulated DC remains elusive. Previously, we observed that IFN-β dose dependently induces expression of CD123, i.e. a classical marker for plasmacytoid DC, on human blood monocyte-derived myeloid DC. Such IFN-β-modulated DC produce predominantly IL-10 but are IL-12 deficient, with potent Th2 promotion. In the present study, we further characterize IFN-β-modulated DC by using recently identified blood DC antigens (BDCA) and investigate their ability to produce Type I IFN in response to virus stimulation. We show that IFN-β induces development of CD123+ DC from human blood monocytes, which coexpress BDCA4+ but are negative for BDCA2–, a specific marker for plasmacytoid DC. Such IFN-β-modulated DC produce large amounts of IL-6 and IL-10, but no IL-12p40 and have no enhanced IFN-β and IFN-β production. The findings indicate that IFN-β-modulated DC represent a myeloid DC subset with diminished CD11c, BDCA-1 and CD1a expression, having potent Th2-promoting function but lacking antiviral capacity.

Notes: Studies in experimental animal models of human autoimmune diseases have revealed that CD4+CD25+ T regulatory (Tr) cells are of thymic origin and have potentials in preventing auto-aggressive immunity. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the best-characterized autoimmune disease. Changes in the thymus are found in a majority of patients with MG. Thymectomy has beneficial effects on the disease severity and course in a substantial proportion of MG patients. But the occurrence and characteristics of Tr cells have not yet been defined in MG. We determined the frequencies and properties of circulating CD4+CD25+ versus CD4+CD25– cells in MG patients and healthy controls (HCs), with special focus on the effect of thymectomy on CD4+CD25+ cells. CD4+CD25high cells comprise only about 2% of blood lymphocytes in both MG patients and HCs. Frequencies of CD4+CD25high cells were similar in MG patients irrespective of treatment with thymectomy. CD4+CD25+ cells in both MG patients and HCs are mainly memory T cells and are activated to a greater extent than CD4+CD25– cells, as reflected by high levels of CD45RO and human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-positive cells. In both MG patients and HCs, CD4+CD25+ cells also contained a high proportion of CD95-expressing cells as possible evidence of apoptosis-proneness. Upon stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 monoclonal antibodies, CD4+CD25+ cells responded more vigorously than CD4+CD25– cells in MG, irrespective of treatment with thymectomy, as well as in HCs. Although CD4+CD25– cells are mainly naïve T cells, in non-thymectomized MG patients, they are activated to a greater extent as reflected by higher expression of HLA-DR and CD95 on the surface compared to HCs. The data thus show that there is no deficiency of CD4+CD25+ cells in MG, nor is the proportion of CD4+CD25+ cells influenced by thymectomy.

Notes: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system considered to be mediated by autoreactive T cells. Dendritic cells (DC), being professional antigen-presenting cells, play a pivotal role in the decision between T-cell activation and anergy. It has been suggested that mature DC (mDC) induce immunity, whereas immature DC (imDC) have the potential to induce tolerance. In this study, we investigated the effects of autologous imDC versus autologous mDC on lymphocytes with respect to the expression of functionally important cell-surface molecules and production of cytokines. Our aims were to investigate whether the maturation status of DC differs between MS and healthy controls (HC) and to explore whether the effects of DC on T-cell responses differ between MS and HC. DC were generated from adherent blood mononuclear cells from patients with MS and HC. imDC were obtained by culture with either granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) + interleukin-4 (IL-4) or GM-CSF + IL-4 + IL-10. mDC were obtained by adding lipopolysaccharide to DC cultures. Upon coculture with autologous lymphocytes, mDC activated the autologous T cells as reflected by increased CD25 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 expression on CD4+ T cells together with the increased production of both T helper 1 (Th1) (IL-2 and interferon-γ) and Th2 (IL-10 and IL-4) cytokines. Unmodulated naïve imDC induced the production of only IL-4. An exposure of imDC to IL-10 induced the production of IL-4 as well as IL-10 by autologous lymphocytes. We hypothesize that such imDC are important in controlling the proinflammatory environment in vivo in patients with MS.

Notes: Summary.  We retrospectively analysed 15 non-haemophilic patients with acquired factor VIII inhibitors seen in our regional haemophilia centre. The median age was 55 years (range: 21–80). About 70% of patients older than 50 were male, while all five patients younger than 50 were female. The most common underlying condition was pregnancy or postpartum status (20%). About 27% of cases had no identifiable underlying condition. About 27% of patients had medical conditions that were unlikely to be related to acquired inhibitors. The most frequent presenting symptom was spontaneous haemorrhage of soft tissues, skin or joints. Twelve of 13 (92.3%) evaluable patients achieved complete remission (CR) with prednisone alone and/or combined prednisone and cyclophosphamide, but their clinical courses were highly variable. The median time to response was 21.5 weeks (range: 2–176) and the median treatment duration was 9 months (range: 1.25–66). All six patients treated with prednisone initially, and then combined prednisone/cyclophosphamide if no response (NR) to prednisone within 3–4 months (three patients), achieved CR; while four of five patients treated initially with combined prednisone/cyclophosphamide had CR. Patients older than 50 years had a similar response rate, median time to response and median treatment duration as did patients younger than 50 years (83% vs. 100%; 21.5 vs. 32 weeks, and 8 vs 16.5 months, respectively). Furthermore, the differences in the median time to response and treatment duration for patients with high or low baseline or peak inhibitor titres were negligible. Only one patient died of a treatment-related pulmonary aspergillosis 18 months after an acquired inhibitor was diagnosed. None of these patients died of bleeding complications.In conclusion, our patients with acquired FVIII inhibitor had highly variable clinical courses and responses to steroid or immunosuppressive therapy. The inhibitors in the majority of patients resolved in less than 6 months although in two cases it persisted for longer than 1 year before resolving. Treatment with prednisone alone as first line, then combined prednisone with cyclophosphamide if NR to prednisone seemed equally effective when compared with using combined prednisone and cyclophosphamide initially. Further studies of newer therapeutic agents such as 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CDA) and rituximab are warranted for patients refractory to conventional immunosupressive therapy.

Notes: A soluble polyschiff base containing triarylamine unit in backbone was synthesised by condensation polymerisation. The hole transport properties of such polyschiff base were studied. The mobility of the hole carrier in the polyschiff base film was also measured and found to be µ=1.68×10-4?cm2/V?s by means of time of flight technique. A polymer electroluminescence device was prepared with the polyschiff base used as hole transporting moiety by spin coated.