Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Biotech / Medical : Cistron Biotechnology(CIST)$.30 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Harmon who wrote (2077)	4/23/1999 6:17:00 PM
From: Walter Morton	Respond to of 2742

"Neurologic manifestations, mainly convulsions, are the most frequent extraintestinal complications of shigellosis. We used an animal model to study the roles of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) in Shigella-related seizures. Administration of Shigella dysenteriae 60R sonicate enhanced the sensitivity of mice to the proconvulsant pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) within 7 h. This was indicated by a significantly higher mean convulsion score and an increased number of mice responding with clonic-tonic seizures in the Shigella-pretreated group. Preinjection of mice with anti-murine TNF-alpha (anti-mTNF-alpha) or anti-murine IL-1beta (anti-mIL-1beta) 30 min prior to administration of Shigella sonicate abolished their enhanced response to PTZ at 7 h. Mean convulsion scores were reduced by anti-mTNF-alpha from 1.2 to 0.8 (P = 0.017) and by anti-mIL-1beta from 1.3 to 0.7 (P = 0.008). Preinjection of anti-mTNF-alpha also reduced the percentage of mice responding with clonic-tonic seizures, from 48 to 29% (P = 0.002), and preinjection of anti-mIL-1beta reduced it from 53 to 21% (P = 0. 012). Neutralization of TNF-alpha or IL-1beta did not protect the mice from death due to S. dysenteriae 60R. These findings indicate that TNF-alpha and IL-1beta play a role in the very early sensitization of the central nervous system to convulsive activity after S. dysenteriae administration. Similar mechanisms may trigger neurologic disturbances in other infectious diseases."