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„Effizienz + Outputorientiert = Burnout“ – Eine Rechnung, die aufgeht? Betriebliche Soziale Arbeit als Burnout-Prävention im Personalwesen Die Arbeit „Effizienz + Outputorientiert = Burnout“ – Eine Rechnung, die aufgeht? Betriebliche Soziale Arbeit als Burnout-Prävention im Personalwesen“ beschäftigt sich mit der Geschichte und Entstehung der Betrieblichen Sozialen Arbeit im deutschsprachigen Raum und welchen Methoden und Aufgaben sie nachgeht. Diese Arbeit bezieht sich auf profitorientierte Unternehmen und deren Personal und wird literaturbezogen behandelt. Im weiteren Schritt wird die Sicht auf die moderne Arbeitswelt gelegt und welcher Leistungsanspruch damit einhergeht. Da Burnout einen großen Themenblock darstellt, wird dies im Blickpunkt der Definition von Burnout betrachtet, welche Faktoren unternehmensintern dessen entstehen positiv beeinflussen können, sowie präventive, unternehmensinterne Maßnahmen zu dessen Vorbeugung herangezogen. Die Betriebliche Soziale Arbeit stellt aktuell als Teilbereich der Sozialen Arbeit in Österreich ein Randthema da. Aufgezeigt werden soll, welche Möglichkeit die Betriebliche Soziale Arbeit in Österreich hat, um in profitorientieren Unternehmen gegen Burnout präventiv zu agieren. Zudem soll gezeigt werden, welchen Mehrwert diese Prävention für Mitarbeiter*innen, Vorgesetzte und Unternehmer*innen in österreichischen profitorientierten Unternehmen bieten kann. "Efficiency + output oriented = burnout" - a calculation that works out? Corporate social work as burnout prevention in human resources The work ‘"Efficiency + output oriented = burnout" - a calculation that works out? Corporate social work as burnout prevention in human resources’ deals with the history and development of corporate social work in German-speaking countries and which methods and tasks it pursues. This work relates to profit oriented companies and their staff and is treated in a literature-related manner. In the next step, the view of the modern world of work and the performance demands associated with it is laid. Since burnout represents a large topic, it is considered in terms of the definition of burnout, which factors can positively influence its development within the company, as well as preventive, internal company measures to prevent it. Corporate social work is currently a marginal issue as a sub-area of social work in Austria. The aim is to show what opportunities corporate social work in Austria has to prevent burnout in profit-oriented companies. Furthermore, what added value this can offer for employees, superiors and entrepreneurs in Austrian profit-oriented companies.

Die Arbeit „Queere migrantische Jugendliche im Kontext von Diskriminierung an Ausbildungsstätten. Diskriminierung als Herausforderung für die Offene Jugendarbeit” untersucht, welche vorhanden Angebote der Offenen Jugendarbeit in Wien queeren migrantischen Jugendlichen im genannten Diskriminierungskontext zur Verfügung gestellt werden, welche Angebote unter Umständen zu kurz kommen und wo ein offener Handlungsbedarf besteht. Nach einer theoretischen Auseinandersetzung unter Einbezug von Studien führt die Forschungsarbeit zu den ausgewerteten Interviews und schließt mit einer Projektskizze ab. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf Jugendlichen zwischen 14-18 Jahre und bezieht Ausbildungsstätten in Form von höheren Schulen, Berufsschulen und Lehrbetrieben mit ein. Die Expert*innen-Aussagen stellen das Material für den empirischen Teil der Arbeit dar. Das Zusammenspiel zwischen dem Theorieteil und dem empirischen Teil soll somit das vorhandene Angebot, auf welche von Diskriminierung an Ausbildungsstätten betroffene queere migrantische Jugendlichen zurückgreifen können aufzeigen, sowie mögliche Angebotslücken sichtbar machen. The work ‘Queer migrant young people in the context of discrimination at training facilities. Discrimination as a challenge for Open Youth Work’ examines which offers of open youth work in Vienna can be presented to queer migrant young people in the aforementioned context of discrimination, which possible offers are probably neglected and where there is a need for action. After a theoretical discussion and the inclusion of studies, the research leads to the evaluated interviews and concludes with a project outline. The focus is on young people between 14-18 years of age and includes training facilities in the form of higher schools, vocational schools and training companies. The expert statements represent the material for the empirical part of the thesis. The interaction between the theoretical part and the empirical part is intended to show the existing offer, which queer migrant young people affected by discrimination at educational institutions can fall back on, as well as visible gaps in the offer do.

A 1299 bp full length cDNA encoding Teladorsagia circumcincta enolase (TeciENO) was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant protein purified and its kinetic properties determined. Helminth enolase sequences were used to construct a phylogenetic tree. The predicted protein consisted of 433 amino acids and was present as a single band of about 50 kDa on SDS-PAGE. Multiple alignments of the protein sequence of TeciENO with homologues from other helminths showed 98% similarity with Haemonchus contortus enolase, 78-95% similarity to other nematode sequences and 72-75% similarity to cestode and trematode enolases. Substrate binding sites and conserved regions were identified and were completely conserved in other homologues. The optimum pH for TeciENO activity at 25 °C was pH 7, the Km for 2-phophoglycerate 0.09 ± 0.04 mM and the Vmax was 604 ± 6 nmol min-1 mg-1 protein (both mean ± SD, n = 2). TeciENO activity was inhibited by 11.5% by 1 mM citrate (p

In this study we identified and characterized a novel cyclic peptide that facilitates the rapid transportation of conjugated molecules across the epithelial layer of the small intestine. The peptide was initially selected from phage display libraries using a large animal experimental model, which employed consecutive in vitro and in vivo panning. The procedure was designed to enrich for peptides that facilitated transcytosis across the intestinal epithelium into the intestinal afferent lymphatic system. A small set of peptides was repeatedly isolated using this selection method; however, the cyclic nonamer CTANSSAQC, 13C, dominated. The activity of the putative targeting peptide 13C was then verified using a mouse model. These experiments showed that the 13C peptide as well as macromolecules conjugated to it were rapidly transported across the intestinal mucosa into distinct subsets of epithelial cells and CD11c+ cells located in the lamina propria and Peyer's Patches. Significant amounts of intact protein could be delivered into the systemic circulation after rectal and nasal application. Thus, peptide 13C is regarded as an attractive carrier candidate for mucosal delivery of large molecules. The preferential targeting to distinct intestinal cells may be utilized to deliver active biological drugs for the effective control of diseases of the gut.

Intestinal immune tolerance is maintained through the interplay between commensal microbiota, immune cells and epithelium. Constitutive intestinal epithelial-secreted interleukin (IL)-7 facilitates the proliferation and thus maintenance of gamma-delta T lymphocytes, which preserves intestinal mucosal immune surveillance. Since IL-7 is essential for maintaining intestinal health, we hypothesised that microbiota-derived components influenced by dietary kiwifruit support the intestinal IL-7 expression. In vitro gastro-ileal digestion and colonic fermentation of gold and green kiwifruit generated soluble bacteria-free fermenta, notably bacterial DNA that modulated basal and interferon gamma-stimulated IL-7 secretion in HT-29 cells. Epithelial IL-7 secretion correlated positively with total bacterial DNA, and the DNA originated from bifidobacteria, which are known to contain immunostimulatory CpG motifs. These findings demonstrate the involvement of microbiota DNA in promoting IL-7 secretion in the intestinal epithelium and contribute to unravelling a mechanism by which kiwifruit serve to maintain intestinal immune homeostasis.

A hallmark of autoimmunity is the breakdown of tolerance and generation of effector responses against self-antigens. A hallmark of autoimmunity is the breakdown of tolerance and generation of effector responses against self-antigens. Re-establishment of tolerance in autoimmune disorders was always the most desired treatment option; however, despite many efforts, clinical trials have been largely unsuccessful. This also applies to the generation of oral tolerance, which seems to be a default response type of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT) to harmless antigens. In this study we report improved efficacy of oral tolerance induction by coupling antigen with the newly identified mucosal carrier peptide 13C. Antigen coupled to 13C is efficiently taken up in the gastrointestinal tract and could be visualized in cells of the lamina propria. Oral, rectal or nasal treatment effectively induced the proliferation of antigen-specific T cells with some increase in the frequency of regulatory T cells. In a model of delayed type hypersensitivity, especially intrarectal tolerization treatment resulted in reduced footpad swelling, demonstrating a moderate tolerogenic effect of mucosal treatment with 13C coupled antigen. Coupling of antigens to a transmucosal carrier therefore is a promising tool to improve the efficacy of vaccination via mucosal surfaces.

A hallmark of autoimmunity is the breakdown of tolerance and generation of effector responses against self-antigens. Re-establishment of tolerance in autoimmune disorders was always the most desired treatment option; however, despite many efforts, clinical trials have been largely unsuccessful. This also applies to the generation of oral tolerance, which seems to be a default response type of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues to harmless antigens. In this study, we report improved efficacy of oral tolerance induction by coupling antigen with the newly identified mucosal carrier peptide 13C. Antigen coupled to 13C is efficiently taken up in the gastrointestinal tract and could be visualized in cells of the lamina propria. Oral, rectal, or nasal treatment effectively induced the proliferation of antigen-specific T cells with some increase in the frequency of regulatory T cells. In a model of delayed-type hypersensitivity, especially intrarectal tolerization treatment resulted in reduced footpad swelling, demonstrating a moderate tolerogenic effect of mucosal treatment with 13C coupled antigen. Coupling of antigens to a transmucosal carrier, therefore, is a promising tool to improve the efficacy of vaccination via mucosal surfaces.

The EG95 vaccine is effective in protecting grazing animals from infection with Echinococcus granulosus. Six male lambs were used in the study, two were each vaccinated subcutaneously with 50μg EG95/1mg Quil-A, two animals were each vaccinated with 50μg EG95/1mg Quil-A in 1% chitosan thermolabile gel subcutaneously, and two animals served as non-vaccinated controls. Two vaccinations were given at a 7 week interval. Two vaccinations induced a significantly higher antibody titre in the chitosan group compared with the Quil-A only group. The chitosan vaccine group also had a significantly higher antibody titre compared with a positive control sera from vaccinated and challenged sheep. Incorporating the EG95/Quil-A vaccine in a thermo-responsive chitosan sol-gel stimulated, after the second injection, a high level of antibody absorbance which remained high for at least one year. This response was significantly greater than the response to vaccine without the gel.

A variety of single-chain variable fragments (scFv) that had been previously developed to the surface epitopes of infective Trichostrongylus colubriformis L3 pathogenic gut nematodes of sheep were fused to a trimeric version of polyoleosin (three head-to-tail repeats of oleosin) and expressed in planta under the control of an Arabidopsis oleosin promoter. The fusion products were found to accumulate in oil bodies (OBs) at the range of 0.25–0.9% of the total seed protein which is comparable with the main 18 kDa isoform of Arabidopsis seed oleosin. Immunofluorescence microscopy and immuno-binding were used to demonstrate that it is possible to both purify the recombinant protein via enrichment for OBs as well as use the OBs emulsion to deliver functional recombinant scFv. This work presents a novel fusion strategy platform to boost the productivity and simplify the delivery of recombinant single chain antibodies and other like proteins.

The intestinal mucosa is constantly exposed to a variety of microbial species including commensals and pathogens, the latter leaving the host susceptible to infection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are an important part of the first line of defense at mucosal surfaces. Human β-defensins (HBD) are AMP expressed by colonic epithelial cells, which act as broad spectrum antimicrobials. This study explored the direct and indirect effects of green kiwifruit (KF) on human β-defensin 1 and 2 (HBD-1 and 2) production by epithelial cells. In vitro digestion of KF pulp consisted of a simulated gastric and duodenal digestion, followed by colonic microbial fermentation using nine human faecal donors. Fermenta from individual donors was sterile filtered and independently added to epithelial cells prior to analysis of HBD protein production. KF products obtained from the gastric and duodenal digestion had no effect on the production of HBD-1 or 2 by epithelial cells, demonstrating that KF does not contain substances that directly modulate defensin production. However, when the digested KF products were further subjected to in vitro colonic fermentation, the fermentation products significantly up-regulated HBD-1 and 2 production by the same epithelial cells. We propose that this effect was predominantly mediated by the presence of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the fermenta. Exposure of cells to purified SCFA confirmed this and HBD-1 and 2 production was up-regulated with acetate, propionate and butyrate. In conclusion, in vitro colonic fermentation of green kiwifruit digest appears to prime defense mechanisms in gut cells by enhancing the production of antimicrobial defensins.

The onset of abomasal pathophysiology due to parasitism coincides with the presence of adult worms in the lumen, implicating worm excretory/secretory (ES) products acting on the surface mucosa. Caco-2 cell monolayers were grown to confluence on Transwell plates and exposed on the apical side to ES products of adult Haemonchus contortus and Teladorsagia circumcincta. ES products of both species significantly (p

Two indoor feeding experiments with young sheep were conducted to compare effects of feeding condensed tannin (CT) containing willow ( Salix spp.) or chaffed lucerne hay ( Medicago sativa ) upon death of established parasites and parasite fecundity. In Experiment 1, 24 parasite-free weaned male lambs were individually penned, fed chaffed lucerne hay ad libitum for 5 weeks and then fed either lucerne ( n = 12) or willow ( n = 12) diets for a further 5 weeks. Twelve days prior to willow feeding, all lambs were infected with a mixed population of 22,300 gastrointestinal nematodes comprising predominantly Teladorsagia spp. (0.93), with the remainder being Trichostrongylus , Cooperia and Haemonchus species. Voluntary feed intake, apparent digestibility, blood composition, faecal nematode egg counts, production of eggs and hatched larvae, female worm fecundity and worm burden at slaughter were measured. In Experiment 2, Teladorsagia eggs were added to the faeces of parasite-free sheep fed either lucerne or willow ( n = 9) to measure proportional recovery. Recovery of added Teladorsagia eggs was 0.85 in lucerne-fed lambs and 0.53 willow-fed lambs (P versus 0.83 of eggs added). In Experiment 1, total CT concentration in willow was 27 g/kg DM, with only traces in lucerne, while organic matter digestibility was 0.648 versus 0.599 (P Haemonchus contortus (P Teladorsagia circumcinta (P Haemonchus and Teladorsagia spp. (P i.e. , eggs produced/worm/day) for H. contortus (P in utero as a measure of fecundity in both T. circumcincta and Trichostrongylus spp. (P 3 larvae for both H. contortus and T. circumcincta (P Feeding willow to parasitised young sheep reduced nematode worm burdens and female worm fecundity, with abomasal dwelling species being most affected and conventional methods of measuring FEC underestimated nematode eggs in the faeces of willow-fed sheep.

A 131-day rotational grazing experiment was conducted in the summer autumn of 2007/2008 to compare effects of feeding condensed tannin (CT)-containing willow (Salix spp.) fodder blocks (i.e., silvopastoral system) or perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Trifolium repens) control pasture upon the immune response to gastrointestinal nematode parasite infection in Romney weaned lambs. Groups of lambs (n = 40) were allocated to either willow fodder blocks or control pasture; half of each group (n = 20) were regularly-drenched with anthelmintic at approximately 21 day intervals, whilst the remaining 20 weaned lambs were not drenched unless pre-determined faecal nematode egg counts (FEC) were reached, when all weaned lambs in that group were drenched with anthelmintic (i.e., trigger-drenching). Metabolizable energy and CT concentrations were higher in willow fodder versus pasture herbages. Weaned lambs grazing willow fodder blocks had lower live weight gain (92 g/day) and carcass weight (14.4 kg) than those grazing control pasture (134 g; 15.3 kg), with no effect of anthelmintic drenching. Regular anthelmintic treatment maintained similar and low FEC up to day 82, which then increased, whilst trigger-drenched lambs grazing willow fodder blocks had higher FEC than lambs grazing control pasture on three out of eight occasions. As judged by faecal larval cultures, grazing willow fodder blocks reduced the relative proportions of abomasal-dwelling parasites (Haemonchus contortus and Teladorsagia spp.). Trigger-drenched willow fodder block-fed sheep had higher platelet, eosinophil, total white blood cell and lymphocyte counts, greater CD21+ and greater γδ (Gamma Delta) TCR+ (T cell receptor) lymphocyte subsets than control pasture-fed sheep, and higher plasma levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) specific for carbohydrate larval antigen (CarLa) on day 105 (P

The physiological processes leading to the expression of the resilient phenotype, which allow animals to maintain a relatively higher production level during infection, have been investigated in lambs from a closed flock selected for 40 generations for high fleece weight (HFW), but with higher FEC and worm burdens than their unselected control (C) flock run in parallel. After recovery from surgery to implant abomasal cannulae, eight parasite-naive lambs from each flock were infected intraruminally at 4.5 months-of-age with 50,000 Teladorsagia circumcincta L3. Blood, abomasal fluid and faecal samples were collected daily for measurement of serum gastrin and pepsinogen concentrations, blood eosinophils, abomasal pH and FEC. Four lambs from each flock were euthanased on Day 8 post-infection and the other four on Day 28 post-infection. At necropsy, abomasal contents and tissues were collected for worm counts, abomasal lymph nodes and fundic tissue for cytokine gene expression and fundic tissue for histopathology. Expression of resilience appeared to be age-dependent as there were no significant differences in either FEC or worm burden between lambs from the two flocks, unlike older HFW lambs in a previous study. Abomasal secretion did not differ between flocks. Histopathological changes were typical of parasitism: inflammatory cells, mainly eosinophils and lymphocytes, were numerous in nodular areas and there were fewer TGF-alpha positive parietal cells, many of which were vacuolated. By Day 28 p.i., globule leucocytes were present. Mucosal thickness was significantly greater on Day 8 than Day 28 p.i. (p=0.000) and in C than HFW lambs. There were fewer parietal cells on Day 28 than on Day 8 p.i. (p=0.003) for pooled data. Circulating eosinophil counts increased moderately in both groups, significantly less in the HFW lambs. Fewer tissue and blood eosinophils in the HFW than C group on Day 8 p.i. were consistent with cytokine gene expression patterns, particularly lower IL-5 levels. Worm count decreased by 90% by Day 28 p.i., along with declining tissue eosinophil counts and IL-13 gene expression and increasing IL-10 and IL-4 gene expression. Food intake was depressed less in the HFW lambs, suggesting that maintenance of appetite could be an important aspect of the physiological basis for resilience. Although the resilient phenotype was not apparent at the younger age, lesser effects on food intake, differences in ALN cytokine profiles and lower blood and tissue eosinophil numbers in the HFW lambs may lead to the expression of resilience when older.

The present study was undertaken to investigate further the immunological responses in the skin of lambs to natural louse infestation and following intradermal allergen challenge. Bovicola ovis-infested (n=7) and naive (n=7) Romney lambs received four intradermal injections each of crude louse Ag and diluent control solutions on the dorso-lateral chest. From each lamb, skin samples were obtained from untreated skin and, at 4, 24, 48 and 72 h following injection, from one each of the Ag- and diluent-injected skin sites. Levels of acetylcholinesterase-positive Langerhans and MHC II(+) cells in the epidermis as well as MHC II(+), CD1b(+), T19(+) and IgE(+) cells, eosinophils, and diffuse IgE staining in the dermis were significantly elevated in infested compared to naive lambs (all p< or =0.01). Additionally, gene expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13 (all p< or =0.001) and IL-10 (p< or =0.05) was significantly higher in the skin of infested compared to naive lambs while TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma gene expression were not significantly different between the two groups. Intradermal injection of louse Ag led to immediate and late phase responses in the infested lambs while the naive lambs showed only minimal responses. Levels of dermal MHC II(+), CD1b(+), T19(+)and IgE(+) cells, eosinophils and diffuse IgE staining in infested lambs following injection of louse Ag were similar to or exceeded those in untreated skin and, with few exceptions, were higher than in naive lambs. Additionally, cytokine gene expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IL-10 increased to peak levels 4 h following Ag injection in the infested lambs (p< or =0.001, < or =0.05, < or =0.05 and < or =0.001 respectively compared to untreated controls) and remained significantly elevated compared to that observed in the naive controls for the duration of the experiment. Significant elevations of MHC II(+) cells and IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IL-10 gene expression were observed in the louse-naive lambs following injection of louse Ag but were much less pronounced than in the infested lambs. These results indicated that louse infestation in lambs elicited a highly skewed Th2 immuno-inflammatory response with many characteristics similar to those seen with other parasitic infections and also in atopic dermatitis.

Recombinant single domain antibody fragments (VHHs) that derive from the unusual camelid heavy chain only IgG class (HCAbs) have many favourable properties compared with single-chain antibodies prepared from conventional IgG. As a result, VHHs have become widely used as binding reagents and are beginning to show potential as therapeutic agents. To date, the source of VHH genetic material has been camels and llamas despite their large size and limited availability. Here we demonstrate that the smaller, more tractable and widely available alpaca is an excellent source of VHH coding DNA. Alpaca sera IgG consists of about 50% HCAbs, mostly of the short-hinge variety. Sequencing of DNA encoding more than 50 random VHH and hinge domains permitted the design of PCR primers that will amplify virtually all alpaca VHH coding DNAs for phage display library construction. Alpacas were immunized with ovine tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and a VHH phage display library was prepared from a lymph node that drains the sites of immunizations and successfully employed in the isolation of VHHs that bind and neutralize ovine TNFalpha.

The levels of expression of surface molecules and release of cytokines and chemokines of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells were determined after their exposure to adult H. contortus excretory/secretory (ES) products or a combination of ES products and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Worm products provoked a weak response and only partial maturation of the dendritic cells, consistent with the hyporesponsiveness and more tolerogenic immune environment present in parasitized animals and humans. Co-stimulation with LPS demonstrated that H. contortus secretions, like those of other helminths, contain immunomodulators capable of reducing some aspects of the strong T(H)1/T(H)2 response evoked by bacterial LPS. There were significant reductions in the release of some cytokine/chemokines by LPS-stimulated mdDCs and a trend (although not significant at P < 0.05) for reduced expression levels of CD40, CD80 and HLA-DR. A prominent feature was the variability in responses of dendritic cells from the four donors, even on different days in repeat experiments, suggesting that generalized conclusions may be difficult to make, except in genetically related animals. Such observations may therefore be applicable only to restricted populations. In addition, previous exposure to parasites in a target population for immunomodulatory therapy may be an important factor in assessing the likelihood of adverse reactions or failures in the treatment to worm therapy.

Full length cDNAs encoding phosphofructokinase (PFK) were cloned from Teladorsagia circumcincta (TcPFK) and Haemonchus contortus (HcPFK). TcPFK (2361 bp) and HcPFK (2367 bp) cDNA encoded 787 and 789 amino acid proteins respectively. The predicted amino acid sequences showed 98% similarity with each other and 70% with a Caenorhabditis elegans PFK. Substrate binding sites were completely conserved in both proteins. Soluble N-terminal His-tagged PFK proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21, purified and characterised. The recombinant TcPFK and HcPFK had very similar kinetic properties: the pH optima were pH 7.0, Km for fructose 6-phosphate was 0.50 ± 0.01 and 0.55 ± 0.01 mM respectively when higher (inhibiting concentration, 0.3 mM) ATP concentration was used and the curve was sigmoidal. The Vmax for TcPFK and HcPFK were 1110 ± 16 and 910 ± 10 nM min−1 mg−1 protein respectively. Lower ATP concentration (non-inhibiting, 0.01 mM) did not change the Vmax for TcPFK and HcPFK (890 ± 10 and 860 ± 12 nM min−1 mg−1 protein) but the substrate affinity doubled and Km for fructose 6-phosphate were 0.20 ± 0.05 and 0.25 ± 0.01 mM respectively. Recognition of TcPFK and HcPFK by mucosal and serum antibodies in nematode exposed animals demonstrates antigenicity and suggests involvement in the host response to nematode infection.

Reliable methods for long-term collection of afferent lymph draining from the small intestine of sheep are described and validated. The procedure was used successfully in normal sheep, in animals infected experimentally with the parasitic intestinal nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis and in animals infected naturally with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, the causative agent of Johne's disease. Our approach enabled afferent lymph draining from the small intestine to be collected continuously for up to 4 months, without any detrimental effects on the animals. Based on cytokine gene expression profiles of afferent intestinal lymph cells, the two infections induced contrasting regional immune responses, namely, Th2-type immunity in the case of T. colubriformis infection and Th1-type immunity in natural cases of Johne's disease. Some immune parameters differed markedly between the two disease models, highlighting the potential value of this approach to gain real-time insights into distinctive host-pathogen interactions as they occur in vivo within the regional immune system of the gastrointestinal tract.

The phenotypic and functional repertoire of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) remains incompletely characterized, particularly during the migratory phase of their life history, when these cells leave peripheral tissues and travel via afferent lymphatic vessels to regional lymph nodes. Lymphatic cannulation procedures were used to collect ovine APCs as they migrated from the mucosa of the small intestine to regional lymph nodes. A panel of 19 new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was produced to characterize surface molecules expressed on APCs by means of two-color flow cytometry and microscopy. Two broad patterns of mAb reactivity were evident. Twelve mAbs reacted almost exclusively with cells in the APC-gated region, because all these mAbs stained < 3% of cells in the lymphocyte-gated region. Within this group, some mAbs identified distinct subsets of dendritic cells (DCs). The second group of seven mAbs displayed high-intensity staining on cells in the APC-gated region but also reacted with variable numbers (4-26%) of cells in the lymphocyte-gated region. This indicates that molecules recognized by these mAbs are highly expressed on APCs but also occur on other lineages. When new mAbs were analyzed by two-color flow cytometry of cells in afferent intestinal lymph, a wide range of differences in reactivity were observed, especially on CD11b(+), CD11c(+), CD4(+), MHCII(+), and gammasigmaTCR(+) cells. Although molecular specificities of mAbs reported here remain undefined, marked heterogeneity of staining patterns indicates considerable phenotypic, and probably functional, diversity within APC population in afferent intestinal lymph. MAbs reported here will provide useful tools to explore these features further.

The mechanisms underlying resistance to challenge by gastrointestinal nematode parasites in sheep are complex. Using DIGE, we profiled ovine lymph proteins in lambs with host resistance (R), resilience (Ri) or susceptibility (S) to a daily trickle challenge with the nematode Trichostrongylus colubriformis. Efferent intestinal lymph was collected prior to infection (day 1) and on days 5 and 10 post-infection. Eight proteins identified by LC-MS/MS, showed differences relating to host genotype. Of these, Serpin A3-3 and Serpin A3-7 have not been reported previously in the lymph proteome. Three acute phase proteins showed significant differences relating to interactions between breeding line and parasite challenge, including complement C3β, C3α and haptoglobin (Hp) β. In the R lambs C3α was significantly up regulated (P0.05) on day 10, while in the Ri lambs Hp β was significantly down regulated (P0.05). In the S lambs, levels of C3β were up regulated and levels of Hp β down regulated (both P0.05) on day 10. Hence we demonstrate that acute phase inflammation proteins contribute to differences in the innate immune response of sheep to challenge by T. colubriformis. The findings may lead to the development of new approaches to combat nematode infestations in sheep production systems.Breeding lines of sheep with resistance (R), resilience (Ri) or susceptibility (S) to nematode infections provide an experimental model to examine the biological mechanisms underlying the ability of some sheep to expel worms and remain healthy without the use of an anthelmintic. Using proteomics we identified differences in the expression of acute phase lymph proteins in the R, Ri and S lambs. The results will assist the development of alternative control strategies to manage nematode infections in livestock.

Maintenance of an adequate and properly regulated immune system is essential for health and well-being. Components in food may modulate immune responses in a positive way (immunonutrition), and some of these components are present in kiwifruit. Kiwifruit contains vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols, and dietary fiber, and these are all potentially beneficial to the immune system. Research that has contributed to our understanding of the beneficial effects that kiwifruit may have on immune responses spans from in vitro studies using cell lines and human blood cells, to using animal models targeting both mucosal and systemic immunity. Some limited human intervention trials have been undertaken and are described, in which kiwifruit has been shown to influence a number of biomarkers of oxidative stress and beneficial immune responses, to reduce the incidence and severity of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and potentially be more beneficial than supplementation with vitamin C alone.

Maintenance of an adequate and properly regulated immune system is essential for health and well-being. Components in food may modulate immune responses in a positive way (immunonutrition), and some of these components are present in kiwifruit. Kiwifruit contains vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols, and dietary fiber, and these are all potentially beneficial to the immune system. Research that has contributed to our understanding of the beneficial effects that kiwifruit may have on immune responses spans from in vitro studies using cell lines and human blood cells, to using animal models targeting both mucosal and systemic immunity. Some limited human intervention trials have been undertaken and are described, in which kiwifruit has been shown to influence a number of biomarkers of oxidative stress and beneficial immune responses, to reduce the incidence and severity of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections and potentially be more beneficial than supplementation with vitamin C alone.