Complement C1q and C8beta deficiency in an individual with recurrent bacterial meningitis and adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus-like illness.

Co-existing complement C8 deficiency ameliorated the SLE associated with C1q deficiency.

Humoral immune response in IL-12 and IFN-gamma deficient mice after infection with Cryptosporidium parvum.

Infection with Cryptosporidium spp. causes diarrhoeal disease and has become an important medical and veterinary problem especially in the immunocompromised host. The importance of the adaptive immune response, with CD4+ T-lymphocytes being the major players, has been clearly demonstrated. The requirement of IL-12 and IFN-gamma identifies this response as a Th1-dominated reaction. IFN-gamma is also important in the early phase of the host-parasite interaction. We analysed the outcome of infection in IL-12p40 (IL-12KO) and IFN-gamma (GKO) deficient C57BL/6 mice after primary and secondary challenge with the parasite and, for the first time, we demonstrate the resulting Ig response in sera an…

Epidemiological study ofCryptosporidium parvum in sera of persons from Germany

In a seroprevalence study including 495 sera from persons of all age-groups, the presence of anti-Cryptosporidium parvum antibodies was evaluated in an enzyme immunoassay. Despite the fact that C. parvum is only found in approximately 2% of patients with diarrhea in Germany, specific antibodies could be detected in 15.4% of all samples. This figure indicates that a substantial proportion of the German population has been confronted with this parasite and it raises the question of whether C. parvum is a potential health risk to the general population.

Investigation of the ββ decay of 116Cd into excited states of 116Sn

Abstract The double-beta decay of 116Cd into excited states of 116Sn is experimentally and theoretically investigated. From an inclusive experiment, using an external source of isotopically enriched Cd, new most stringent limits for the allowed and non-standard-model decays into excited states are derived. It is further investigated whether the bremsstrahlung emitted by the ββ electrons can be used to derive information on the ground-state decay. For the two-neutrino-decay mode a calculation, using the quasiparticle random-phase approximation, shows that the disadvantage in phase space, in comparison to the ground-state decay, is partially compensated through the nuclear-matrix element. Exp…

Bounds on new Majoron models from the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment

In recent years several new Majoron models were invented to avoid shortcomings of the classical models while leading to observable decay rates in double beta experiments. We give the first experimental half life bounds on double beta decays with new Majoron emission and derive bounds on the effective neutrino--Majoron couplings from the data of the $^{76}Ge$ HEIDELBERG--MOSCOW experiment. While stringent half life limits for all decay modes and the coupling constants of the classical models were obtained, small matrix elements and phase space integrals \cite{hir95,pae95} result in much weaker limits on the effective coupling constants of the new Majoron models.

Laboratory Diagnosis of <i>Cryptosporidium parvum</i> Infection

Cyclospora cayetanensis: first imported infections in Germany.

Over the last decade increasing numbers of enteritis cases have been attributed to infection with a new coccidian species that was named Cyclospora cayetanensis in 1993. Diarrhea caused by this agent is clinically indistinguishable from cryptosporidiosis, isosporiasis and microsporidiosis, but Cyclospora infections are often very prolonged (up to 15 weeks) and may cause severe weight loss. Diagnosis of infection is important because, in contrast to diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium and microsporidia, treatment with co-trimoxazole is effective. Here we report the cases of two female patients, aged 70 and 58 years old, respectively, who suffered from severe, prolonged diarrhea after a vacati…