A recently advanced hypothesis suggests that decreased exposure to T-helper (Th) 1-inducing agents causes Th2-biased differentiation in response to concomitant allergens. We therefore examined the effect of pre-immunization with killed Mycobacterium bovis and killed M. vaccae which are known to be very potent inducers of Thl immune response, on serum IgE response in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized newborn mice. Eighty-four newborn Balb/c mice were divided into four groups and were immunized intraperitoneally 24 h after birth with 50 microl of 5 x 10(4) colony-forming units (c.f.u.) of killed M. bovis in group I (M. bovis group, n = 19), with 25 microl of 2.5 x 10(8) c.f.u. of killed M. vaccae plus 25 microl of 5 x 10(4) c.f.u. of killed M. bovis in group II (M. vaccae + M. bovis group, n = 28) and with 50 microl of only phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) in group III (no mycobacterial immunization, n = 18). No injection was applied to mice in group IV (control group, n = 19). Starting from 8 weeks of age, all mice except the control group were sensitized with 0.5 ml of 20 mg/ml OVA administered intraperitoneally 7 times every other day. Thirty days after the final injection, all animals except those in the control group were challenged with an aerosol of 2 mg/ml OVA. Forty-eight hours later, blood was collected from all mice for determination of serum IgE levels. A statistically significant difference was observed in the serum total IgE levels between groups III and IV (p = 0.0099), indicating that the mice were successfully sensitized with OVA. Serum total IgE values of the female mice in M. bovis group were found to be significantly lower than group III (p = 0.009), while no difference was observed in males. Serum total IgE levels of the M. vaccae + M. bovis group were found to be significantly lower than group III both in male and female mice (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0001, respectively). Female values were even lower than controls (p = 0.0092). Pre-immunization in the newborn period with killed M. bovis alone or in addition to M. vaccae may potentially be helpful in down-regulating an IgE response.

Thermal imaging provides decisive coronary angiographies, and detects the perfusion area and flow of the implanted graft. It allows real-time detection of technical failures, reveals unexpected occluding plaques or any kind of flow-restricting lesions, and gives the chance of refinement of the anastomosis during the arrest period. We believe that the thermal imaging technique is a safe, noninvasive and feasible method to document the quality of the myocardial revascularization intraoperatively.

To determine the impact of bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination on IgE production in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized newborn mice, four groups (I, II, III, IV) of BALB/c mice were immunized on the first day of life with live BCG, killed BCG, BCG diluent, and saline, respectively. No injection was applied to mice in group V (control). All mice except group V were sensitized and challenged with OVA in the fourth and sixth weeks, respectively, and serum total IgE levels were determined at 8 weeks, 2 weeks after the second OVA challenge. IgE levels of all groups were significantly higher than the control group except for group II (p = 0.95). Mice in group II showed significantly lower IgE values than group IV and I (p = 0.007 and p = 0.003, respectively). We concluded that heat-killed BCG may downregulate IgE response to OVA in newborn mice.

Objective: Accurate, reliable laboratory reference ranges are essential for effective clinical evaluation and monitoring. We present robust reference ranges established for hematology parameters using the Sysmex XT2000i analyzer.Methods: Blood samples were taken from 17409 healthy adults (19 to 49 years, 51.4% men and 48.6% women) and routine hematology analysis performed. Patients were assessed as healthy on the basis of a medical history and routine medical examinations. Serum hematinic assays (vitamin B12, folate, iron and ferritin) were also analyzed in order to exclude the potential anemia existence.Results: There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) between men and women, with the former showing higher CBC values, except WBC, neutrophil and platelet counts compared to females. Several differences were observed when compared to previously established values from Turkey, most notably in leucocytes and platelets. Our findings for CBC parameters, except leucocyte count and MCV are in general agreement with previously published data from more limited trials undertaken in other countries. Conclusions:In spite of the uncontrolled factors influencing hematological values, this study permitted to establish the new hematological reference values in Turkey, especially living near sea level. In the absence of previously detailed investigated hematological reference values in Turkey, we offered to use these results for clinical management of Turkish patients and interpretations of laboratory data for research purpose. J Clin Exp Invest 2014; 5 (4): 548-552

To investigate whether a preexisting T helper (T(H)) 2 type immune response could be suppressed by Calmette-Guérin Bacillus (BCG) immunization in atopic children with asthma, we determined interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, and IL-5 and total IgE level in the supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of six atopic and five nonatopic children in response to phytohemagglutinin A (PHA), purified protein derivate (PPD), and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus II allergen (Der p II) both before and after BCG vaccination. IL-5 level in response to Der p II was significantly higher in the atopic group than in the nonatopic group both before and after BCG vaccination (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, respectively). In the atopic group, IgE levels determined in PPD and Der p II stimulated and unstimulated culture supernatants decreased significantly after BCG vaccination (p = 0.028, p = 0.026, p = 0.046, respectively), whereas in the nonatopic group (p = 0.041) BCG vaccination resulted in a significant decrease in IgE level only in response to Der p II stimulation. We concluded that in vivo BCG administration can downregulate both spontaneous and stimulated in vitro IgE secretion from PBMC of atopic children.