PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S A Hopkins

Publications and source records attributed to S A Hopkins.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Vortex nucleation in Bose-Einstein condensates in an oblate, purely magnetic potential.

We have investigated the formation of vortices by rotating the purely magnetic potential confining a Bose-Einstein condensate. We modified the bias field of an axially symmetric TOP trap to create an elliptical potential that rotates in the radial plane. This enabled us to study the conditions for vortex nucleation over a wide range of eccentricities and rotation rates.

Journal Article↗

A recombinant Salmonella typhimurium vaccine strain is taken up and survives within murine Peyer's patch dendritic cells.

The attenuated Salmonella typhimurium PhoPc strain is avirulent but immunogenic via the oral route in mice and is attenuated in survival in macrophage cell lines. In this study, the fate of PhoPc bacteria expressing green fluorescent protein was investigated in murine Peyer's patches. The survival of PhoPc was monitored after orogastric inoculation of BALB/c mice. Bacteria persisted for several weeks in the Peyer's patches and were also recovered from the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen. Confocal microscopy analysis identified dendritic cells as the Peyer's patch cell type that internalized PhoPc expressing green fluorescent protein at early time points. In addition, live PhoPc were found in Peyer's patch dendritic cells and not in B cells 3 days after orogastric inoculation. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence that PhoPc is internalized and survives within Peyer's patch dendritic cells. As these cells are potent antigen-presenting cells, these data could explain the immunogenicity of S. typhimurium vaccine strains in vivo.

Animals↗

Antigen sampling by epithelial tissues: implication for vaccine design.

Mucosal surfaces of the respiratory, digestive and urogenital tracts are covered by a specialized epithelium which constitutes an efficient physical barrier against environmental pathogens. These surfaces differ greatly in their cellular organisation and in antigen sampling. In stratified epithelia, professional antigen-presenting cells, the dendritic cells or Langerhans cells, are intimately associated with the epithelial barrier and take up samples of foreign material from the external environment which they transport to local or distant organized lymphoid tissues. In simple epithelia highly specialised cells, the so-called M cells, sample foreign material and microorganisms and deliver them by transepithelial transport from the lumen to the underlying organized lymphoid tissue (MALT). The interaction of lymphocytes with the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) is responsible for the loss of digestive functions and the acquisition of transepithelial transport activity. The three way interaction of epithelium, lymphoid cells, and microorganisms seen in the FAE which controls the formation of MALT provides a dramatic demonstration of the phenotypic plasticity of the intestinal epithelium and probably of all simple epithelia. We have shown that all mucosal surfaces, covered by stratified or simple epithelia are able to sample and transport live recombinant bacterial vaccines, which elicit systemic and local immune responses against the carrier and the foreign antigen. In gut and nasal-associated lymphoid tissue, Salmonella are taken up by dendritic cells which form a dense cellular network in the dome regions of MALT. Targeting bacterial vaccine candidates to dendritic or M cells is likely to facilitate their sampling by epithelial tissues and to contribute to strong mucosal and systemic immune responses.

Animals↗

The prevalence of bulimia nervosa in the US college student population.

A phone survey to determine the prevalence of bulimia nervosa was conducted with a national probability sample of 1,007 male and female students from a stratified sample of 53 universities and colleges in the continental United States. Using the revised (DSM IIIR) diagnostic criteria, 1 per cent of the women and 0.2 per cent of the men were classified as bulimic. Bulimia was most prevalent (2.2 per cent prevalence rate) among undergraduate women living in group housing on campus.

Adult↗